Chapter 19 His infamous stench spread far and wide.
After the students left, Qi Jingxuan did not linger. He immediately got into his carriage and returned to the Shen family. Before leaving, he left a servant behind to keep an eye out for any students gathering and to notify him immediately if any did.
On the other hand, he sent a member of the Imperial Guard into the palace to deliver a message to the emperor: if this situation were to occur again, do not send anyone to drive them away, lest a conflict between the two sides result in death and make the situation spiral out of control.
The imperial guards who were sent felt it was unnecessary; his brothers knew their own strengths and weaknesses, and even if they were driven away, they wouldn't really do anything to those scholars.
Qi Jingxuan said irritably, "No matter how skilled you are, you can't stop others from trying to scam you."
The imperial guard thought about it carefully and found it to be quite reasonable, so he hurriedly went to the palace to deliver the message.
Qi Jingxuan got back into the car and had the driver drive back to Yangliu Hutong.
As soon as he got off the bus, he clutched his stomach and darted into the alley, hoping to borrow a family's bathroom.
He felt a bit unwell in his stomach halfway there, but he didn't want to waste time stopping on the way, so he decided to bear it and deal with it when he got back.
But the pain in my stomach kept getting worse and worse, and it was becoming unbearable.
Qi Jingxuan hurried into the alley, intending to knock on the door of the nearest house, when he saw Shen Yan walking over in a flustered manner.
The two met in the alley and were both taken aback.
Seeing Qi Jingxuan clutching his stomach, Shen Yan instinctively asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Is your stomach upset?"
Qi Jingxuan quickly straightened up, lowered his hand, and shook his head, saying, "No."
After saying that, he asked again, "Miss Chen, where are you going?"
Shen Yan looked clearly worried and said, "I heard there's trouble on Imperial Street, and I'd like to go and see."
She was quite startled when she heard that there were students staging a sit-in protest on Imperial Street.
Since waking up yesterday, she was not sure if her "dream" was real. She never expected that the events in her "dream" would happen on the second day.
But strangely, in her "dream," it was clearly supposed to be two days before the impoverished students gathered on the Imperial Street, so why did it happen so quickly this time?
If things really turn out as in the "dream," these students will be driven away by the Imperial Guard, resulting in deaths, and the situation will escalate beyond control.
So when she heard the news, she immediately went out, only thinking about getting there as soon as possible, even though it seemed she wouldn't have time to do anything.
When Qi Jingxuan heard that she was going to Yujie, he waved his hand smugly and said, "It's okay, I've already taken care of it."
"Resolved"
Shen Yan looked at him suspiciously.
“Yes,” Qi Jingxuan nodded, “I single-handedly debated with a group of scholars, and they were all moved to tears and filled with regret, but they have all dispersed.”
"..."
Shen Yan stared at him blankly, remaining silent for a long time.
Seeing her disbelieving look, Qi Jingxuan said, "It's really resolved. You can ask them if you don't believe me."
As he spoke, he pointed to several imperial guards beside him.
The men looked somewhat conflicted, but they nodded nonetheless and said, "It's indeed resolved."
Seeing that they all said so, Shen Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
She was truly afraid that, like in her "dream," everything would spiral out of control and shatter her peaceful life.
Qi Jingxuan managed to say a few words, but his stomach was churning. He noticed some people on the roadside staring at him and Shen Yan curiously, whispering among themselves. He then said, "Miss Shen, is there anything else? If not, you should go back quickly. Your mother needs your company these days."
Shen Yan really had nothing else to do. Seeing the onlookers on both sides of the road, she knew his good intentions, nodded, and walked back.
Qi Jingxuan escorted her all the way to the Shen family's door. Before she entered, he hesitated for a moment, ultimately not saying, "Could I use your bathroom for a moment?"
The gate to the Shen family compound opened and closed again. Shen Yan went inside, and after the gate was completely closed, Qi Jingxuan suddenly turned around and ran towards the nearest house, banging on the door.
The courtyard gate opened, and the people inside, who had also witnessed the commotion at the Shen family's residence over the past two days, recognized him and said in trembling voices, "Your Highness..."
"Would it be convenient to borrow your bathroom?"
Qi Jingxuan interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
The man paused for a moment, then nodded quickly, "It's...convenient."
After saying that, he opened the door and led him inside, then to a room: "This is it."
Qi Jingxuan grunted, clutched his stomach, and quickly walked inside, closing the door and heading straight for the toilet.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the door opened, and Qi Jingxuan walked out refreshed. He then used the house to wash up and change before leaving. Before leaving, he casually tossed a finely crafted silver coin over, which immediately made the homeowner beam with joy.
After he left, the mistress happily took the silver coins and examined them carefully.
The male homeowner was also very pleased, and as he walked towards the door of the washroom, he made some joking remarks: "Your Highness has been squatting for so long, do you have hemorrhoids?"
As he spoke, he pushed open the door, immediately covered his nose, and took two steps back: "Ugh, it stinks."
After saying that, he found it funny: "It seems that princes and grandsons of the emperor are no different from us ordinary people. They also need to go to the toilet when they have a stomachache, and the toilets smell just as bad."
“Nonsense,” the mistress said with a laugh, “We all eat grains, and everyone’s toilet smells bad. This silver coin is worth at least two or three ounces. If I could give him this every time, I would rather he come more often. It doesn’t matter if it smells a little.”
The two chatted and laughed as they put away the silver coins. Later, when others asked what the Prince of Jin was doing at their house, they told the truth. They even whispered a few words to their close friends about the playful banter between the couple.
There was nothing wrong with that statement in itself; the place where grains are recycled is inherently smelly.
But the reason why rumors are rumors is that they always change their meaning as they are passed on.
Originally, it was just "The Prince of Jin's toilet smelled just like ours," but as the story spread, it became "The Prince of Jin's toilet smelled particularly bad" and "The Prince of Jin's toilet smelled incredibly bad."
At this time, Qi Jingxuan had no idea that one day he would truly become "infamous". After tidying himself up, he squatted down at the door of the Shen family again.
He went to Yujie early in the morning, and hadn't had time to eat yet. He had someone buy some food and was sitting in front of the Shen family's house eating when he suddenly heard some faint noises in the alley. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw two men walking towards him.
One of them was dressed in a pine-green robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a jade crown on his head. He was very handsome, which attracted people in the alley to stop and watch.
Yangliu Hutong is just an ordinary hutong in Beijing, inhabited by ordinary people, with no high-ranking officials or nobles. Therefore, it is rare to see people dressed so elegantly here.
In the past, if one or two people occasionally appeared, everyone would just glance at them and let it go. But these past two days, first Prince Jin has been coming and going frequently, and today this person has appeared, and it seems that he is obviously going to Prince Jin. So everyone couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Qi Jingxuan recognized the person at a glance, puffed out his cheeks, and stood up, saying, "Jinyu, what brings you here?"
The newcomer was none other than Xu Jinyu, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Cheng'an. He was speechless as he watched the Prince of Jin eating and drinking heartily in front of the Shen family's gate.
"My father has some questions for Your Highness and has ordered me to go to the Prince's residence to find you."
“I went to the Prince’s Mansion, but they said you didn’t go back last night, but instead went to the Shen family.”
"I rushed towards the Shen family again, but halfway there I heard that you had appeared on the Imperial Street, so I went there instead."
"Who knew that when I arrived, I would hear that you had already left. I kept asking around about the whereabouts of your carriage and found out that you had come to the Shen family's place again, so I chased after you all the way here."
He finished speaking with a soft sigh, lowering his voice with obvious helplessness, "Ah Xuan, what exactly are you trying to do? Do you know how many people are laughing at you right now?"
Qi Jingxuan didn't care: "Let them laugh all they want, I don't care. As long as I can marry Miss Shen, I don't care what others say."
Xu Jinyu was speechless for a moment, then carefully examined him for a while: "You really want to marry Miss Shen?"
It wasn't that he thought Miss Shen was unworthy; given what had happened between them, marriage would be the best thing ever. No matter how many rumors circulated outside, once they were married, they would naturally dissipate and wouldn't cause any trouble.
But based on his understanding of his friend, he didn't seem like the type of person who would willingly marry a complete stranger because of a misunderstanding.
Qi Jingxuan nodded seriously and said, "Of course it's true. My sincerity is as clear as day. If I cannot marry Miss Shen, I will stay at the Shen family's gate until they agree."
Xu Jinyu frowned and gave him a strange look, really not knowing what kind of madness he was having now.
But since he was willing to marry her, as a friend he naturally wouldn't say much, so he changed the subject and started talking about serious business.
"My dad asked me to ask you about what happened yesterday."
He whispered, then glanced at the imperial guards and servants of the prince's residence standing guard to the side.
Qi Jingxuan waved his hand, signaling the group to step back. Only after confirming that their conversation wouldn't be overheard did he ask, "What does the Marquis want to ask? Have you found anything in your residence? Have you arrested a maid?"
Xu Jinyu assumed he had learned about the capture of a maid from the Cheng'an Marquis's residence from the palace, so she didn't think much of it and nodded, saying, "Yes, yesterday at the banquet, my mother asked my younger sister to take several young ladies to the garden to enjoy the flowers. During that time, a maid led Miss Shen to change her clothes, and after that, Miss Shen never returned until she was discovered..."
He skipped over the rest of the sentence and continued, "The maid who was caught is the one who accompanied Miss Chen to the washroom to change clothes yesterday."
"After my younger sister heard that Miss Shen had an accident, she immediately sent someone to find this maid and ask her what happened and why she didn't take Miss Shen back after leading her to the washroom."
"The maid said that Miss Shen had soiled her clothes in the washroom and asked her to find a clean one before she left."
When noble ladies from prominent families attend banquets, they are usually accompanied by their own personal maids. In such situations, they would usually ask their maids to fetch spare clothes. However, the Shen family did not have any maids to serve them. Shen Yan went to the banquet at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence alone with her mother, so this explanation is not entirely impossible.
If Chen Yan really did soil her clothes as the maid said, shouldn't she wait in the washroom until someone brought her clothes to change before going out? Why did she leave on her own, walking out in her soiled clothes?
Either the dirty clothes were just an excuse, and she deliberately sent the maid away to do something else.
Or perhaps this maid is lying.
Xu Jinyu was the first person to go to that courtyard yesterday, and he knew the situation better than anyone else. After Shen Yan woke up, she wanted to commit suicide, but Qi Jingxuan cried and desperately stopped her, preventing her from dying on the spot.
If she intended to seduce Qi Jingxuan, why commit suicide? What if Qi Jingxuan didn't stop her? Wouldn't that have backfired?
This in itself is a big point of suspicion. In addition, Qi Jingxuan said that he sneaked into the backyard and kidnapped the person himself, so Xu Jinyu and Cheng Anhou and others felt that the maid was more likely to be lying.
But the maidservant kept her mouth shut. No matter how the Marquis's family pressed her for answers, she stuck to her story, insisting that Shen Yan had deliberately sent her away.
Unable to find any other clues, the Marquis's residence sent Xu Jinyu to question Qi Jingxuan about what had happened yesterday.
Qi Jingxuan gritted his teeth angrily, crunching the pickled vegetables in his mouth, and said firmly, "She's lying!"
Although he had never met this maid, he had heard about her countless times during the eight times she died, and there were only two possible explanations from her.
If Shen Yan committed suicide on the spot, she would go to the rockery and injure herself, then claim that he had sneaked into the backyard, forcibly abducted Shen Yan, and knocked her unconscious.
At this point, Shen Yan was already dead, leaving no way to corroborate the testimony. Coupled with the maid's testimony, Qi Jingxuan was unable to explain himself at all.
If Shen Yan hadn't died back then, she would be saying what she's doing now, claiming that Shen Yan intentionally sent her away.
Since Shen Yan had no maidservants by her side, she was unable to refute this claim. Qi Jingxuan would only believe that he had been tricked by Shen Yan, making him even more unwilling to marry her.
Then the two sides will become increasingly hostile, and in the end, Shen Yan will commit suicide to prove her innocence, and Qi Jingxuan will also suffer a bad end.
But after dying eight times, Qi Jingxuan was really scared. This time, he readily admitted his guilt and shamelessly asked to marry Shen Yan.
The maid clearly hadn't expected him to do this, and was still using her prepared excuse. But after Qi Jingxuan's self-defamation, her words sounded very unbelievable, and even seemed like she was deliberately framing Shen Yan.
The Cheng'an Marquis's residence realized this, which is why they sent Xu Jinyu to ask Qi Jingxuan about it.
They had originally intended to ask yesterday, but it was already late, and they heard that Jingxuan had entered the palace, so they gave up the idea and decided to ask the Shen family as well today.
Seeing Qi Jingxuan's firm attitude, Xu Jinyu nodded and said, "That's what we thought too, but this maid is really tight-lipped, and we haven't been able to get anything else out of her yet."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Qi Jingxuan again and said, "Then tell me what exactly happened yesterday. Could it be... that you really went to the backyard and forcibly abducted Miss Shen?"
Qi Jingxuan rolled his eyes at him: "Of course not. I got drunk and your servants helped me to that courtyard. When I woke up, I was already lying next to Miss Shen."
This matched Xu Jinyu's guess, but he was still very puzzled: "If that's the case, why did you say that you were the one who kidnapped them?"
"Can't I just go with the flow, Miss Chen?"
Qi Jingxuan said confidently.
Xu Jinyu never expected this reason, and was momentarily speechless with anger: "You...you love Miss Chen, so why can't you properly propose to her with proper matchmakers and betrothal gifts? What kind of talk is this?"
"I do want to marry her, but I was framed at your residence, and Miss Shen was dragged into it too. Who knows if she'll live to see the day I marry her? If she's forced to her death before even entering the family, you'll have to compensate me with a wife."
Xu Jinyu wasn't stupid. After a moment of stunned silence, she quickly understood his meaning. She felt quite depressed and even more guilty.
The incident occurred in their household. Even if it wasn't intentional on their part, it was indeed a mistake on their part that allowed someone to take advantage of the situation.
Putting everything else aside, that maid was indeed from their household, and she was a servant born into the family. Now that such a thing has happened, the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion cannot escape responsibility.
Moreover, it must be said that Qi Jingxuan's initiative in taking full responsibility for the crimes also helped the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion.
Now, outsiders all think that this matter is Qi Jingxuan's fault, and that their Cheng'an Marquis's Mansion is just unlucky. But Xu Jinyu herself knows that the fault does not actually lie with Qi Jingxuan. He, like Miss Shen, is also a victim.
Xu Jinyu sighed and said, "This matter is indeed the fault of our Marquis's mansion. I will definitely investigate it thoroughly and give you an explanation."
"Whether you give me an explanation or not is irrelevant," Qi Jingxuan said. "Since that maid could be bribed, it means there must be a problem in your household, and she's probably an inside traitor."
"Otherwise, it would have been impossible for this maid to bring Miss Shen to the front yard without everyone's knowledge or observation. There must have been other people cooperating with her."
"You'd better think carefully about how to catch this mole, otherwise your household may face more trouble in the future."
Marquis Cheng'an and Xu Jinyu had actually considered this point, which was why they were so eager to find out the truth. Otherwise, if they could resolve the matter by having Qi Jingxuan smear himself this time, they wouldn't be so lucky next time.
But the maid seemed less like she had been bribed and more like someone had some kind of leverage over her, otherwise why would she have kept her mouth shut and not changed her story even after being interrogated all night?
Xu Jinyu nodded and said, "I understand. I'll pass on your words to my father later and have him interrogate that maid properly."
He then pointed to the Shen family's gate and asked, "Is Miss Shen home?"
Qi Jingxuan is now a guardian of the Shen family; whether Shen Yan is home or not, you can always ask him.
Sure enough, Qi Jingxuan nodded and said, "At home, do you want to ask her again?"
Xu Jinyu nodded: "Miss Shen is the person involved, so it wouldn't hurt to ask her. Maybe she can provide some new clues, but..."
He hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the Shen family's gate. "This kind of thing isn't good for a young lady. Miss Shen even tried to kill herself yesterday. Is it appropriate for me to go and ask her now?"
If that's the case, then it's better not to ask. Otherwise, if they accidentally drive Miss Shen to her death, the Cheng'an Marquis's family would be guilty of a grave offense.
Qi Jingxuan thought about his conversation with Shen Yan yesterday and how he met her on the road this morning. He felt that there shouldn't be a big problem. He waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and ask. Just be gentle and don't say anything that might upset her."
Without waiting for Xu Jinyu's reaction, he stepped forward and knocked on the gate of the Shen family's courtyard.
A palace maid opened the door. She had been instructed by Shen Mingshan to never allow Qi Jingxuan to enter the Shen family courtyard, so she only opened the gate a crack and asked, "What can I do for you, Your Highness?"
Qi Jingxuan pointed to Xu Jinyu behind him: "The heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an has some questions for Miss Shen. I'll take him inside."
He reached out to push the door open.
The palace maid, however, quickly closed the courtyard gate first and said through the door panel, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. This servant will go and inform Miss Shen first to ask if she is willing to see you."
Qi Jingxuan exclaimed, "Hey, he's only been here half a day and he's already so obedient to the Shen family. He's quite clever."
He stopped trying to force the door open and waited at the door with Xu Jinyu.
A moment later, the palace maid returned, opened the courtyard gate again, and said to Xu Jinyu, "Young Master Xu, Miss Shen invites you to come in and talk."
Xu Jinyu nodded, stepped over the threshold, and went inside.
Qi Jingxuan immediately followed, but the palace maid stopped him: "Miss Shen only invited Prince Xu, please wait, Your Highness."
He then closed the courtyard gate again.
Qi Jingxuan stomped his foot angrily outside, but didn't dare to force his way in.
Xu Jinyu, who had already gone inside, couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out that Qi Jingxuan's kind gesture of knocking on the door for him wasn't really to help, but just to sneak in with him.
He shook his head, followed the palace maid to the east wing, had the servant wait at the door, and went into the room himself. He bowed to Shen Yan, who was sitting at the table.
"Xu Jinyu, the heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an, greets Miss Shen."
Shen Yan rose to return the greeting, saying, "Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. Please sit down."
Xu Jinyu sat down at the table and was somewhat surprised to find that there was no one else in the room except for Shen Yan.
Miss Shen is actually willing to meet with him alone; isn't she afraid he might do something inappropriate?
Shen Yan noticed his surprise and said, "My mother is unwell and is resting right now. If Young Master Xu wants to ask about what happened at the Marquis's residence yesterday, just tell me directly. There's no need to look for my mother."
Seeing that although she was meeting him alone, Xu Jinyu was very respectful and knew how to behave properly and make her own decisions. She said, "I have indeed come here because of what happened yesterday."
"In principle, Miss Shen is the victim, and I should not be bothering her at this time. However, I caught a suspicious maid in my house, and after interrogating her, I felt that her words were strange, so I wanted to come and verify with Miss Shen."
"If there is any offense, please forgive me, Miss Shen."
Shen Yan nodded and said, "Your Highness, please ask. I don't mind."
Seeing that she was calm and did not seem to be resistant, Xu Jinyu then recounted the maid's testimony.
As Shen Yan listened to his words, the tips of her fingers, which were resting on her knees, curled up slightly.
Just like in the "dream," even the excuse used by the maid was the same.
Was her "dream" real or fake? Why did some things happen, while others were completely different?
Shen Yan was truly puzzled, but now was not the time to think about this. After Xu Jinyu finished speaking, she shook her head: "I did not soil my clothes, nor did I use this as an excuse to send away your maid. In addition, I did not spend much time in the washroom."
"When I came out of the washroom, the maid was already gone. I waited at the door for a long time but she didn't come back, so I went back to Miss Xu and the others by myself."
"But when we got to the artificial hill, someone suddenly covered my mouth and nose from behind, and I quickly passed out. When I woke up... I was already..."
She didn't want to talk about what came next, but Xu Jinyu understood and quickly picked up the conversation.
"We also think that the maid is lying, which is why we wanted to verify with Miss Shen and His Highness Prince Jin."
"I just asked the prince, and he said he was also framed."
“I know this may not be convincing to Miss Shen, but… I have known Prince Jin for many years and know that he is not that kind of person. If possible… I hope Miss Shen can give him a chance to explain himself. Our Cheng’an Marquis’s Mansion will also do its best to investigate this matter and give Miss Shen an explanation.”
Shen Yan pursed her lips and glanced at him. After hesitating for a moment, out of caution, she still did not tell him about her conversation with Qi Jingxuan yesterday. She simply nodded slightly and said, "Then I will trouble the Marquis's residence."
Xu Jinyu quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Not at all. The incident occurred in our residence, and it was caused by our carelessness. It is only right and proper to investigate the facts and clear Miss Shen and the Prince's name."
Shen Yan lowered her eyes, politely thanked him, and then said nothing more.
Having asked all her questions, Xu Jinyu had no reason to linger any longer, so she got up to take her leave.
The same palace maid saw him off, leading him to the door and then quickly closing the gate behind her.
Xu Jinyu had barely stepped out the door when she was met with Qi Jingxuan's resentful face.
He had been waiting here for almost a day, and was only allowed to go in and talk for a while yesterday. This kid, on the other hand, was invited in as soon as he arrived.
Xu Jinyu chuckled: "Why are you looking at me? I have important business to discuss with Miss Shen."
"It's a serious matter for me to marry her."
Qi Jingxuan said.
Xu Jinyu shook her head helplessly and patted his shoulder.
“I just spoke up for you in front of Miss Shen. I don’t know if she listened, but she doesn’t seem like an unreasonable person. She will definitely have doubts after she finds out that the maid’s testimony is obviously problematic.”
"Don't worry, once the matter is investigated, the truth will come out, and Miss Shen will not blame you."
Qi Jingxuan scoffed dismissively, thinking that Shen Yan already knew yesterday that he wasn't the one who did it, so why did she need his help to clarify?
However, Shen Yan didn't explain herself clearly to Xu Jinyu, presumably because she had her own considerations, so he didn't say anything more.
Xu Jinyu put her arm around Qi Jingxuan's shoulder and pulled him aside, advising him to leave with her first and come back to the Shen family to ask for his hand in marriage after things were cleared up.
But Qi Jingxuan refused to listen and insisted on guarding the Shen family's gate. Xu Jinyu had no choice but to let him go and left to return to the Cheng'an Marquis's residence.
After seeing the person off, Qi Jingxuan sat down in front of the Shen family's gate. While he was idly wondering what to eat for lunch, he saw Xu Jinyu, who had just left, return and stride towards him.
Seeing his gloomy and grave expression, Qi Jingxuan stood up and asked, "What's wrong?"
He hasn't walked very far in such a short time, what could have made him look so pale?
Xu Jinyu walked quickly to him and lowered her voice, saying, "I was walking outside just now when I heard a lot of people talking about Miss Shen on the street, and they were saying some very unpleasant things."
Qi Jingxuan was taken aback, a bad premonition rising in his heart: "What did they say?"
Xu Jinyu frowned, casually repeated a couple of sentences, and then stopped talking, only saying, "In short, they were all very unpleasant words."
"Although you took the blame yesterday, it's always the women who suffer in these kinds of situations. There are always some wicked people who like to pin the blame on women."
“Miss Shen attempted suicide yesterday. I’m afraid that if these words reach her ears… it might not be good.”
Qi Jingxuan clenched his fists tightly, and the anger that he had just suppressed that morning surged up again, his face as gloomy as an ice cellar in the dead of winter.
He had just dismissed the students on Imperial Street when rumors about Shen Yan suddenly sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
The person behind the scenes was clearly devising another scheme after one failed attempt, fearing that Shen Yan would actually agree to marry him, so they were eager to force Shen Yan to her death.
It seems that his unexpected act of self-defamation yesterday caught the other party off guard. In order to make things go according to their original plan, they couldn't wait to use all the tricks they had used in previous lives.
Qi Jingxuan's eyes blazed with fury as he strode toward the alley entrance. Sure enough, he saw many people outside subtly observing him, some even exchanging knowing glances and whispering amongst themselves.
Fearing that Qi Jingxuan might get into a conflict, Xu Jinyu whispered, "Calm down, don't fight with anyone. Rumors are hard to suppress, and if you fight, you'll have no way to explain yourself, and the rumors will only get worse."
Qi Jingxuan did want to hit someone, not only because of the stares and gossip of these people, but also because of the sinister intentions of the person behind the scenes.
The reason the students chose to demonstrate on the Imperial Street was because it was the route that civil and military officials had to take to and from court, and it was the most appropriate place to let the court hear their "voices".
However, if the goal is to spread rumors and drive Shen Yan to her death, the closer to her, the better, so the vicinity of Yangliu Hutong is the best choice.
He knew perfectly well what the people behind the scenes were up to, but he was helpless against the people in front of him.
Because the vast majority of people are just ordinary folks who gathered together simply to watch the fun and didn't mean to target anyone.
Even if they said some harsh things, the law doesn't punish everyone; he can't possibly arrest them all, can he?
Qi Jingxuan closed his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, and exhaled deeply. Suppressing his anger, he ordered the servants around him, "Go and find a copper gong for me, the louder the better."
The servants didn't understand, but they did as they were told.
Xu Jinyu, standing to the side, was also baffled: "What do you need the gong for?"
A moment later, when the gong arrived, Xu Jinyu understood his intention and was greatly shocked.
Qi Jingxuan took the gong and struck it with a deafening thud. After the sound drew everyone's attention, he declared loudly, "The matter between me and Miss Shen was entirely my fault, and had nothing to do with Miss Shen. She was merely an innocent victim!"
"Some of you should watch your mouths and stop spewing filth and throwing all sorts of dirty water at that girl!"
Most of the people in Yangliu Hutong already knew Prince Jin and had witnessed his actions yesterday, knowing that he had shamelessly pursued Miss Shen.
Seeing that he had only heard a few rumors and yet came out to defend them loudly, some people couldn't help but chuckle.
Undeterred by the ridicule, Qi Jingxuan continued loudly, "You all have wives and daughters at home. Think before you speak. If the same thing happened to you, would you want your wives and daughters to be talked about like this? If your daughter was bullied and then verbally criticized, would you join those who spread rumors and watch your daughter's misfortune?"
Because of Qi Jingxuan's actions these past two days, many people in Yangliu Hutong didn't believe the story of Shen Yan seducing Prince Jin. They just joined in the discussion because they heard others talking about it, and their opinions hadn't changed because of the recent rumors.
Hearing him say this, someone nodded secretly and whispered, "Indeed, what does this have to do with Miss Shen? She's clearly the most unlucky one. Some people are just too rude."
"That's right. I've seen Miss Shen quite often. She's such a good girl. Even though her father is an official in the court, she never looks down on us neighbors. She's always polite to everyone. It's already bad enough for a girl to encounter something like this. Now that Prince Jin has admitted that he was wrong, there are still people throwing mud at Miss Shen."
"I think they're just sour grapes. If their own daughters were in that situation, they might not only not be angry, but they'd happily marry her off. It's a pity it was Miss Shen who got the choice; their sourness must be enough to pickle a whole jar of sauerkraut!"
Seeing that the nascent rumors hadn't had any effect before Qi Jingxuan silenced them with a single gong, someone in the crowd rolled their eyes and feigned curiosity, saying, "But there are so many noble ladies in the world, Your Highness, why did you take a fancy to Miss Shen? I heard there were many beauties at the Cheng'an Marquis's banquet yesterday, some even as beautiful as celestial beings. Miss Shen's family background is ordinary, and her appearance isn't top-notch, so why did Your Highness..."
With a sly smile on his face, he deliberately left his sentence unfinished, leaving room for interpretation.
In other corners of the street, people observing the situation immediately chimed in quietly, "Yes, Prince Jin is a member of the imperial family, of noble birth. How come so many noble ladies look down on him, yet he's taken a fancy to Miss Shen, who comes from a humble background?"
"Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. I think it was Miss Shen who seduced him first, which is why Prince Jin is so infatuated with her and insists on marrying her."
"Perhaps what happened yesterday was also Miss Shen's doing, deliberately climbing into Prince Jin's bed while he was drunk."
The people behind them spoke in hushed tones, so that only the onlookers standing nearby could hear them. Qi Jingxuan could only see people whispering to each other, but he couldn't tell what they were saying.
But he knew without even listening that it wasn't anything nice, otherwise why would he deliberately lower his voice and just say it out loud?
He knew there must be people hiding in the crowd trying to take advantage of the situation, but it would be difficult to find them all at this point. So he gritted his teeth and ignored them, only saying to the person who had asked the question out of feigned curiosity, "From what you're saying, you don't believe in true love. As long as it's between two men and women, there's bound to be some tainted thoughts involved; it can never be genuine affection."
"If that's the case, then why did your father, who had so many women in the world, choose to marry only your mother?"
"You have so many questions to ask me, someone who has nothing to do with you. Why don't you go back and ask your father what he saw in your mother back then?"
"If your mother's family is wealthy, did he covet your mother's dowry? If your mother's family is poor, did he covet your mother's appearance and humiliate her before the wedding, forcing her to marry him? If neither of these is true, then according to you, your mother seduced your father, which is why he had no choice but to marry her."
After he finished speaking, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
Qi Jingxuan and Xu Jinyu looked completely bewildered, not knowing what everyone was laughing at.
A busybody nearby said, "Your Highness is right. This man is called Chen Wu. He is a notorious rogue in the area. His father only came to ask for her hand in marriage because he was interested in her mother's family because they were rich."
"As a result, the two had a son named Chen Wu who was a real handful. He gambled away money all day long, and even his mother's dowry was squandered."
"Now that the old couple has passed away, he doesn't even have a skill to make a living, so he can only be a vagrant on the street."
Chen Wu was so angry that his face turned red. He was angry at both the person who spoke and Qi Jingxuan.
He's been a troublemaker since he was a child, his foul mouth sweeping across the world, daring to curse anyone.
I took on a small business deal on the street today and came here to spread a few rumors. I thought it was just a minor matter, and after the rumors spread, I would quietly slip away unnoticed, without anyone noticing.
Before the matter could be accomplished, it was ruined by the Prince of Jin striking it with a gong.
He had assumed that a high-ranking nobleman like Prince Jin, no matter how frivolous and dissolute, couldn't outwit these scoundrels with their sharp tongues. Who would have thought that this prince lacked any semblance of imperial decorum, and his mouth was just as foul as his own? At least he knew not to hit someone in the face or curse someone's mother.
Unfortunately, the other party was of noble status, so he couldn't fight back as usual. He could only grit his teeth in resentment and turn away.
He had already risked revealing himself to the Prince of Jin in order to get the remaining silver, and now his identity had been exposed on the spot. If he didn't leave soon, he was afraid he would suffer the consequences.
Money is important, but you also need to be alive to spend it.
Qi Jingxuan watched Chen Wu disappear into the crowd, then turned and whispered a few words to Xu Jinyu beside him. After that, he picked up the gong and held the wooden mallet, continuing to wander around Yangliu Hutong, proclaiming his evil deeds and Shen Yan's innocence.
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Author's Note: Red envelopes will be randomly distributed.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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