Chapter 1 Scandal again, the same old thing, can't they come up with something new?
As dusk fell, the setting sun shone through the paper windows into the room, and through the smoky gauze curtains onto the bed, leaving a warm glow.
The brocade quilt, disheveled and embroidered with intricate patterns, was adorned with hidden gold and silver threads that shimmered in the warm sunlight.
Shen Yan felt very hot, as if something was wrapping around her. She subconsciously reached out to push it away, and her fingertips touched something warm. At first, it felt soft, but when she pushed it again, it felt hard.
She tried several times to push it away but couldn't, and it seemed to be wrapped tighter and tighter. She opened her eyes groggily and saw a man's face right in front of her.
The other person reeked of alcohol and mistook her for someone else. He seemed very unhappy about being pushed away and mumbled as he tried to carry her back.
Shen Yan screamed in terror, her confusion instantly vanishing. She pushed the person away and retreated to the corner of the bed in fear.
Today, the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion hosted a banquet. Qi Jingxuan drank a few too many cups and became quite drunk. He was helped to the side courtyard to rest. He was sleeping soundly with his quilt when suddenly he felt dizzy and rolled under the bed, hitting his head on the footstool with a thud.
Even though Qi Jingxuan was fast asleep, he was awakened by the pain. He sat up, clutching his forehead and looking bewildered, asking, "What happened? Did the ground shake?"
He was the seventh son of the current emperor, the most favored Prince Jin. Who would dare to push him off his bed? So he didn't even think about that. His first reaction was that the earth was shaking.
But as soon as he spoke, he saw a woman, disheveled and terrified, huddled in the corner of the bed, while he himself was only wearing an undergarment with the collar wide open.
When Shen Yan saw him looking at her, she quickly pulled the blanket over herself.
Her mind was a complete mess; she had no idea what had happened.
Today, the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion is hosting a banquet, and she has come to the banquet with her mother. During the banquet, the elders gathered together to talk, and let the younger generation go and play on their own. The eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion, Xu Wanrong, then took the other girls to the garden.
And then...and then...
Before Shen Yan could even process what was happening, she heard a sneer.
Qi Jingxuan stood up from the ground, calmly straightening his clothes as he said, "It's the same old outfit again. Why don't you come up with something new?"
"Don't say that I was drunk and don't remember whether I slept with you or not. Even if I did, it would just be a romantic affair, and it wouldn't be me who would be embarrassed if word got out."
As he spoke, he leaned slightly forward, his handsome face full of unrestrained arrogance, and his words revealed undisguised contempt and disdain.
"If you think that you can become the Princess Consort of Jin just by climbing into my bed, then I can only give you two words—dream on."
He spoke the last two words very softly, but they were full of mockery, as if he had slapped Shen Yan across the face.
Shen Yan was the only daughter in her family and had been well-versed in literature since childhood. How could she do something as self-degrading as climbing into someone's bed?
She instinctively protested, "I didn't!"
But how could the proud and noble Prince Jin believe her explanation? He snorted coldly and lowered his head to put on his shoes and socks.
Although Shen Yan didn't know what was going on today, she calmed down after a brief moment of panic. She knew that now was not the time to argue with Prince Jin. Seeing that he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her, she quickly straightened her clothes.
Regardless of how she and Prince Jin got into this house, the most important thing right now is to leave.
She quickly straightened her clothes and just as she gathered her disheveled hair into a bun, she suddenly heard the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open.
Shen Yan paused, her hand holding the hairpin still, only two words remaining in her mind: It's over.
………………
A scandal has recently emerged in the capital: the daughter of Shen Mingshan, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, seduced Prince Jin. At the spring banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, she took advantage of Prince Jin's drunkenness to climb into his bed, intending to seize the position of Prince Jin's consort.
After sobering up, Prince Jin vowed never to marry into the Shen family. He declared that not only would the position of princess consort be out of reach, but even a concubine, maidservant, or maidservant would not be given to a woman from the Shen family. He would never allow such a scheming person as Shen to enter his inner quarters.
However, some say that the Prince of Jin raped Lady Shen after getting drunk, and then denied it after sobering up. In order to clear himself, he even accused Lady Shen of seducing him.
People believe both of these statements about equally.
Those who believed the former thought it was because the Shen family came from humble beginnings. They believed that Shen Mingshan might be trying to use this opportunity to marry his daughter into the Prince of Jin's household, so that they could climb the social ladder and have a smooth career in the future. Unexpectedly, the Prince of Jin did not fall for this, and in the end, they lost everything and ruined their daughter's reputation.
Those who believed the latter reasoned that Prince Qi Jingxuan of Jin had a bad reputation in the capital. He was not only a notorious playboy, but also an extremely dissolute young man who engaged in cockfighting, dog racing, and other debauchery. He would break one person's leg today and push another person into the river tomorrow. He even burned down someone's mansion in order to seize a dancer from the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue).
It wouldn't be surprising if someone like that did something else.
But regardless of which is the truth, it is undoubtedly a scandal.
"Actually, the most unlucky one is the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion."
Some people whispered about it when they were discussing it privately.
"They were just having a nice banquet, but two outsiders caused this trouble in their residence, and they were even held accountable by His Majesty."
Although it was Prince Jin and Shen Yan who shared a room that day, and it seemed to have nothing to do with the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, since the incident happened in their residence, they could not escape the charge of failing to manage their subordinates properly.
“In my opinion, it’s not entirely unfair,” someone countered. “Since you’re hosting a banquet, and even inviting someone like the Prince of Jin, you should have informed your servants beforehand to be careful and avoid any mistakes.”
"Two grown men crawled into a bed right under their noses... Where were their servants? Were their eyes just for show?"
Such discussions were everywhere, and Shen Yan knew what the situation was like outside even without leaving her home.
When Su opened the door, she saw her sitting motionless by the window and felt a pang of heartache. She softly called out, "Aci."
Shen Yan turned around and saw that it was her. Suppressing her worry, she put on a smiling face and said, "Mother, why are you up? Didn't the doctor tell you to stay in bed and rest and not move around?"
That day, after returning from the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, Madam Su felt unwell. She initially thought it was because of the anxiety caused by Shen Yan's affair with Prince Jin, but to her surprise, the doctor said she was pregnant.
Su Shi had been in poor health since childhood. She almost lost half her life when she gave birth to Shen Yan. The doctor said at that time that she would probably never have another child in her life.
Shen Mingshan and Su Shi lived in harmony and did not care about this. The three of them lived peacefully together for more than ten years.
Perhaps it was because she had been living a good life over the years, her mood had improved, and her health had also improved, but after more than ten years, Su became pregnant again.
Logically, this should be good news, but because of what happened at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, there is no joy at all in the family right now.
Madam Su walked to her daughter's side, took her hand, and said, "Mother is alright, you... don't worry, Mother knows you wouldn't do such a thing, and your father knows too. He has already gone to see His Majesty, and His Majesty will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly and clear your name."
Shen Yan nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, I know. Mother, don't worry. Go back to your room and rest. The doctor said you've had a miscarriage and need to rest more."
Madam Su held onto her, unwilling to leave, her eyes filled with worry and a hint of guilt: "It's all my fault. I brought you with me, but I didn't take good care of you."
She had been feeling extremely guilty these past few days. If she had kept her daughter with her that day and not let her go to the garden with Miss Xu and the others, this would never have happened.
But she didn't possess the ability to foresee the future, so how could she have imagined that someone would be so audacious as to frame her in the Cheng'an Marquis's residence?
Shen Yan knew that this matter could not be blamed on her mother, so she comforted her, "Don't blame Mother. It's a case of the prepared attack being unprepared. Even if I escaped this time, there will be a next time."
She remembered it when she returned that day. Miss Xu had taken them to the garden to play pitch-pot and admire the flowers. She went to change her clothes halfway through, but when she came out, she couldn't find the servant from the Xu family who had led the way.
She waited there for a long time but no one came, so she started walking back along the path she had come from. As she passed the artificial hill, a hand suddenly reached out from a crevice in the rocks and pulled her in.
She didn't remember how she fainted after that. When she woke up, she was already in that courtyard, lying next to Prince Jin...
But there was one thing Shen Yan remembered very clearly: other young ladies had gone to change clothes before her, and none of them had any problems, only she had one. That meant either she was just unlucky to be there, or the other party was targeting her.
However, their family had only been in Beijing for half a year and were not yet familiar with the people there, so they had not made any enemies.
If that's the case, why is the other party targeting her?
Shen Yan was completely baffled and couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it for several days.
Footsteps were heard in the courtyard. Madam Su knew that Shen Mingshan had returned, so she immediately turned around and went out.
Afraid that she might fall, Shen Yan hurriedly followed her. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she saw Shen Mingshan looking haggard.
"How is it?" Madam Su asked, stepping forward quickly. "What did His Majesty say?"
Shen Mingshan's chapped lips twitched slightly. He wanted to say something insignificant to comfort her as before, but remembering his conversation with the emperor, he knew that there was no use in trying to cover it up. In the end, he stopped trying to gloss over the situation, turned to look at Shen Yan, and said in a trembling voice, "Father... is incompetent."
These three simple words summed up the outcome of the matter.
Although Shen Mingshan felt sorry for his daughter, he believed that she would never do something like climbing into the bed of the Prince of Jin.
But Prince Jin is the emperor's most beloved son. No matter how bad his reputation is, and no matter if he really did this while drunk, the emperor will do everything he can to protect him and exonerate him.
If evidence can be found to prove that both of them were framed, that would be fine. But if not... then the blame will definitely fall on Shen Yan.
The moment the gate to that courtyard was pushed open, Shen Yan knew this would be the outcome.
At that moment, it felt as if a huge boulder that had been hanging in mid-air had finally crashed down on his head. Although it hurt, he wasn't surprised.
She silently lowered her eyes without saying a word, but Madam Su, who was standing to the side, could not accept such an ending. Her body went limp and she fainted on the spot.
A note from the author:
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The male lead is a spoiled brat who is very sarcastic in the early stages, but he will suffer the consequences.
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