Chapter 12 Go away and climb over the wall, don't delay my wedding.
The Imperial Physician Zhou and the others were talking in the room, and their voices weren't loud, so how could Qi Jingxuan, who was outside, possibly hear them?
He was just taking advantage of the fact that he already knew Su was pregnant, and wanted to curry favor and make a scene, so he climbed up the wall and yelled at the top of his lungs.
To his surprise, the people inside were not happy at all; instead, they threw a book at him and told him to get out.
Qi Jingxuan sat astride the courtyard wall, somewhat puzzled.
His wife's pregnancy is clearly a good thing, so why is Lord Shen even more ruthless than before? Could it be that he's been cuckolded?
But looking at his appearance in his previous lives, it doesn't seem like it.
The imperial guards waiting outside the courtyard wall wanted to pull him down from the top of the wall, but they were afraid he would fall, so they could only say, "Your Highness, please come down quickly. His Majesty said that you are not allowed to come to Lord Shen's house."
Qi Jingxuan, clinging to the wall, didn't turn around: "I didn't even enter Lord Shen's house. I'm just sitting outside. You have to tell me what to do if I'm sitting on the street?"
The head of the imperial guards looked at where he was sitting and was speechless.
You've practically sat on the wall of Lord Shen's house; this is what you call a public street.
Qi Jingxuan, however, was quite self-righteous: "Father only said I was not allowed to cause trouble at Lord Shen's house. I neither went in nor caused trouble, so you have no right to control me. Go away and don't delay my marriage!"
The imperial guards had no choice but to stand at the base of the wall to prevent anyone from catching him if he were knocked down by the people in the courtyard.
Shen Mingshan cursed once in the courtyard, but didn't actually go outside to chase people away.
Before Physician Zhou could finish speaking, he was interrupted. After reprimanding Qi Jingxuan, he turned back and asked, "Sir, how is my daughter's pulse?"
Physician Zhou was both amused and exasperated by Qi Jingxuan's outburst. He hadn't expected Prince Jin to have such excellent hearing, able to hear what they were saying even from across the courtyard. Unfortunately, he didn't hear everything and interrupted with something he shouldn't have.
When Shen Mingshan asked about Shen Yan, he quickly came to his senses and said, "Oh, your daughter is in good health and her pulse is fine, so please rest assured, Lord Shen."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingshan was finally relieved and had time to talk about the palace maids.
"As you can see, Lord Zhou, my family is small and my yard is not big. We really don't need so many people. Please take them back with you."
Physician Zhou waved his hand and laughed, "Lord Shen, don't say that to me. His Majesty has ordered us to stay here to take care of your wife and daughter. How dare we disobey? If you want to send us away, then go and talk to His Majesty."
Shen Mingshan frowned: "You mean... His Majesty wants you and these palace maids to stay?"
He thought that only those few palace maids were sent to take care of them, and that Physician Zhou left after examining them.
“Yes,” said Physician Zhou. “His Majesty said he felt really bad about what happened today. He couldn’t tell me anything else, and he wanted to wait until you entered the palace to discuss it with you, but he told me to make sure to take good care of your family and not neglect them.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingshan's face darkened, and he said, "There's nothing to discuss."
Does Your Majesty really think he would marry his daughter to the Prince of Jin to become some kind of princess?
Seeing his resolute attitude, Physician Zhou sighed and pulled him aside to persuade him, "Lord Shen, I am also a father with a daughter at home. I understand how you feel right now, but please allow me to speak the truth."
"Your wife is pregnant and has suffered a miscarriage. She needs someone to take care of her. No matter how capable your daughter is, she has just gone through something like this. If you don't give her time to recover, and instead expect her to immediately come and take care of your mother and the other child in her womb, what will she think?"
As he spoke, he glanced in Shen Yan's direction, a hint of pity in his eyes.
This child looks like a sensible and capable person; it's really unlucky that he encountered something like this.
Shen Mingshan followed his gaze to his daughter, his eyes filled with heartache.
His Aci had been sensible since childhood. Today, she had only gone to a banquet with her mother; how could she have encountered such a thing?
On his way back from the Hanlin Academy, he heard some rumors, some of which were really nasty. He still feels extremely uncomfortable thinking about them now. What would happen if Aci heard them?
Seeing that he was moved, Physician Zhou said, "If you ask me, the matter of Prince Jin is the matter of Prince Jin. You can explain it to His Majesty however you like, but no matter what you say, you should not wrong your wife and your daughter."
"Besides, His Majesty only sent us here to look after you for a while because he felt guilty and didn't know how to make amends. He won't let us stay here forever. I still have an official position in the court and will have to go back sooner or later. In that case, just consider me as a guest in your home. I'll stay for a few days and then leave. Don't take it too seriously."
He then walked out of the house and looked around the courtyard, saying, "I wonder which room I could move into?"
The Shen family was poor and had no property in the capital. This small courtyard was rented. It was just an ordinary family's courtyard. The main house and the east wing were used by Shen Mingshan and his wife and Shen Yan, respectively. Only the west wing could be vacated for Imperial Physician Zhou. The palace maids could only stay in the back room temporarily.
But the Shen family has always consisted of only the three of them, and the back room was used as a storage room. With so many people suddenly moving in, they had to tidy it up.
When Physician Zhou saw that Shen Mingshan was about to come and help, he said, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Lord Shen. We can take care of things ourselves. You should spend more time with your wife. Although her pulse is fine now, I see that she is too worried, which is not good for the pregnancy. You should try to persuade her more."
After saying this, he took three palace maids to pack up, while two others went to get medicine and stayed in the room to serve Madam Su and Shen Yan.
Seeing that the palace maids were doing their work in an orderly manner and that there was really nothing he needed to help with, Shen Mingshan turned around and prepared to go back to his room.
Qi Jingxuan had been watching them from the courtyard wall and called out to them a few times, but Shen Mingshan and Physician Zhou ignored him.
Seeing that Chen Mingshan was about to enter the house, he shouted again, "Father, let's talk about my marriage into your family. When can I move in with you?"
These words caused the imperial physician Zhou and several palace maids in the courtyard to freeze in shock, their eyes darting back and forth between him and Shen Mingshan.
Shen Mingshan had never seen such a shameless person in his life. He gritted his teeth and said, "This is my Shen family's courtyard. Your Highness, please leave immediately, or don't blame me for resorting to violence!"
He then made a gesture as if to grab a broom from the yard.
Qi Jingxuan, genuinely seeking to marry Shen Yan, immediately clung tightly to the wall, saying, "Father, hit me all you want, I won't leave! I'm determined to marry Miss Shen. Either she marries me, or I become her son-in-law—it's your choice, Father, but there's no way I'll leave!"
He didn't want to repeat the experience of being shot to death by that archer again and again. This time, he was determined to break free from that damned cycle.
Shen Mingshan was a scholar who had never laid a hand on anyone in his life, but now he was so angry that he actually picked up a broom and started walking towards the courtyard wall.
"father."
A woman's voice rang out at that moment; it was Shen Yan who came out of the room.
Chen Mingshan paused, then turned around and said, "Aci, why did you come out? Go back inside quickly."
I'm not going to be harassed by that shameless Prince Jin's words here.
Shen Yan did not leave, but took a few steps forward, looked at Qi Jingxuan who was grinning at her from the top of the wall, and then looked at Shen Mingshan, and said, "Father, let the Prince in. I have something I want to say to him."
"What?" Chen Mingshan frowned. "That won't do."
After returning from the palace, he heard from his daughter that the events at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence today were not as simple as they seemed on the surface. There were some suspicious points, and it seemed that the Prince of Jin had also been framed, but she had no evidence and could only guess.
Because his daughter said so, and because Madam Su felt unwell, he did not go to the palace to see the emperor immediately, but instead went to fetch a doctor first.
Even so, when he encountered the Prince of Jin on the street, he was still quite angry at his unreasonable and argumentative behavior.
Shen Mingshan lowered his voice and said to Shen Yan, "I know you have doubts about what happened today and want to ask him for clarification, but look at him. Is he someone who can speak properly? Listen to your father, go back to your room first. If you have any questions, I will ask them in front of His Majesty when I go to the palace later."
He refused to believe that Qi Jingxuan would act so recklessly and uncontrollably in front of the emperor.
Shen Yan shook her head: "As the ruler of a country, His Majesty cannot meet with you alone. He must have someone by his side. I'm just afraid... whatever you said to His Majesty will be spread by someone with ulterior motives the moment afterward."
"If what I'm guessing is just speculation, then so be it. But if it is true... then I'm afraid things will get really bad."
When she woke up at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, she thought her "dream" was not a "dream" but a real life she had experienced. However, what happened next was completely different from the "dream," making her doubt that she had really just had a "dream."
But the dream was too real, and the situation when she was found to be in the same room with the Prince of Jin was very similar to that in the dream. Even the people who came were the same people in the dream. So she hesitated and dared not really treat it as just a "dream".
If today's events were truly a scheme, as in her dream, then the person behind the scheme against her and the Prince of Jin, who could manipulate the situation in the capital, must be quite powerful. Perhaps they have spies in the palace, or even someone from within the palace.
If that's the case, wouldn't her father's questions during his audience with the emperor have alerted the enemy?
If the person behind the scenes were to back down now, that would be fine, but judging from the way that person in the dream is pressing her step by step, she will probably not only not stop, but will also be desperate and take action against her and her family, confirming the crime of Prince Jin "forcing" their family to death.
The scene of her parents' tragic death in her dream was still vivid in her mind, and Shen Yan really did not want to face such a situation again. That is why she suggested that Qi Jingxuan come in and ask him about the matter.
Shen Mingshan understood what she meant, but looking at Qi Jingxuan perched on the wall, he really didn't want anyone to come in.
"His outrageous behavior today has brought the whole street to a standstill, and there are probably countless eyes watching us right now. If someone sees him enter our yard..."
He didn't say everything, but the meaning behind his words was clear.
The incident at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence has already severely damaged Shen Yan's reputation. If Qi Jingxuan is allowed into his courtyard now, the rumors outside will likely become even more unpleasant.
Shen Yan chuckled and said, "Many people already saw it at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, so it will probably be known throughout most of the capital by tomorrow. If that's the case, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Instead of arranging another meeting with His Highness Prince Jin, it would be better to take advantage of the fact that Lord Zhou and the people from the palace are here today and call him in to get to the bottom of things. That way, when others talk about it in the future, they will know that we are not the only ones in this courtyard, and that His Highness only came in to say a few words."
Seeing her insistence, Shen Mingshan hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing. He reluctantly said to Qi Jingxuan, who was watching him and his daughter from the top of the wall, "Please come to my humble abode for a chat, Your Highness."
Qi Jingxuan was taken aback, then overjoyed. He flipped over and was about to slide down the wall into the Shen family's house, forgetting that there were still several imperial guards standing at the base of the wall outside.
These men were ordered by the emperor to forbid him from going to the Shen family, and upon seeing this, they instinctively reached out to pull him away.
Qi Jingxuan's body had already slid halfway into the Shen family's courtyard wall, but his other leg was grabbed by several imperial guards and pulled outwards. The combination of sliding inwards and being pulled outwards caused him to feel a tearing pain in his groin, just like when the archer shot through his testicles. He let out a pig-like scream.
Upon hearing the shrill scream, the imperial guards quickly released their grip. Qi Jingxuan, who had already stumbled towards the Shen family's house, crashed headfirst into the courtyard with a thud. After landing, he clutched his groin and rolled on the ground, his pig-like screams startling all the birds in the alley.
A note from the author:
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