Chapter 21: The Decision – Daughter Willing to Marry Prince Jin
Inside the Shen family courtyard, Shen Mingshan had already left his official post and returned home. The three of them, along with Physician Zhou, sat around a table for a meal.
After the meal, once Physician Zhou had left, Shen Yan said to Shen Mingshan and Madam Su, "Father, Mother, I have something I want to say to you."
Shen Mingshan also had something to say to her, so he nodded, picked a palace maid who looked relatively honest to guard the courtyard and prevent anyone from approaching the main room, and then went to the inner room with the two of them, closed the doors and windows, and sat on the bed to talk in hushed tones.
"At today's court assembly, civil and military officials impeached Prince Jin. One faction, led by the Left Censor-in-Chief Lin, demanded that Your Majesty severely punish Prince Jin, strip him of his title of Prince, demote him to a Prince of the Commandery, and banish him from the capital as a warning to others."
"The other faction believes that although Prince Jin made a mistake, he showed remorse and a desire for peace afterward. The punishment of demoting him to a county prince is too harsh. They hope that Your Majesty will consider this carefully."
Although the Prince of Jin was favored, he had no power or influence in the court and had never had a good reputation, so naturally there were few people who genuinely spoke up for him.
Those who claim the punishment was too harsh are merely trying to curry favor with the emperor because they see he dotes on his son and doesn't want to punish him severely.
After learning that the incident at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence was not the work of the Prince of Jin, and that he had been framed, Shen Mingshan did not intend to punish him severely.
Although he was still angry that he had implicated his daughter, he cared more about how to clear his daughter's name and free her from the gossip than whether he would be punished.
On his way back, he heard that there were many rumors circulating about his daughter today, and that Prince Jin had been making a big fuss and leading people around to clarify the situation. However, while Prince Jin's self-defamation might have some effect, it was still a poor strategy. Many people would still believe that Aci and Prince Jin had been having an affair for a long time, which was why things had turned out this way.
The best way is to find evidence that the two were framed. Only in this way can the daughter's innocence be completely cleared.
"His Majesty already knows that what happened yesterday was not done by Prince Jin, so he is unwilling to punish him severely and did not immediately agree to it at the court meeting."
"After the court session, His Majesty kept me behind alone and asked me what my plans were."
He glanced at his daughter and said, "His Majesty intended to bestow a marriage upon the two of you, but I refused."
“I know this is indeed the safest solution at present, but firstly, Prince Jin is a member of the royal family, and he will inevitably take concubines or bestow the title of secondary consort in the future. If you marry him, you will probably have to deal with the intrigues and power struggles in the inner quarters of the Prince’s mansion every day.”
"Father only hopes that you will marry someone who is devoted to you and doesn't want you to suffer in the Prince of Jin's mansion."
"Secondly, if you agree now, the rumors outside will only make things worse. Even if you become the Princess Consort of Jin, you won't be able to hold your head high in front of others. At all kinds of banquets in the future, the royal concubines and the noble ladies of those powerful families will probably not give you a good look."
“Our family is of humble origin, and I am only a sixth-rank lecturer, so I cannot support you. Therefore… after much thought, I have decided to refuse.”
He felt there was nothing wrong with his refusal, and that his wife and daughter probably thought the same way. But after he finished speaking, they both fell silent, and the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Shen Mingshan sensed something was wrong and frowned, saying, "Could it be... that you're willing to go through with this marriage?"
Shen Yan opened her mouth as if to say something, but Madam Su spoke first, "Do you know what happened outside today?"
Although Shen Mingshan has been in the palace all day, he is not oblivious to what is happening around him.
The affair between Qi Jingxuan and Shen Yan caused quite a stir, and the commotion outside would occasionally reach the palace. In addition, he overheard some of what happened on his way home from his official post, so although he didn't know the details of today's events, he had a general idea.
"I heard that some students gathered on the Imperial Street this morning and caused trouble, but were driven away by Prince Jin. On the way back, I also heard some unpleasant things being said outside, and Prince Jin is clarifying things everywhere."
"Speaking of which, I'm still a bit puzzled. Rumors and gossip are something that just keep popping up as soon as they're suppressed on one side. What's the point of him running around with drums and gongs?"
"Why not use this time to find out who is framing him, so as to clear Aci's name?"
Hearing this, Madam Su's eyes reddened, and she said, "Do you know that those rumors weren't started by people talking about themselves? Someone specifically hired hooligans to spread rumors around our neighborhood."
"They not only smeared Aci, saying that he seduced the Prince of Jin, but also said... that a woman's loss of virginity before marriage was a serious offense and she should be punished by death."
This is not just a few rumors; it's clearly an attempt to drive Aci to her death!
Although Madam Su stayed at home all day without going out, the noise of gongs in the street startled her. She felt uneasy, fearing it was related to her daughter, so she sent someone out to inquire.
It turned out that after inquiring, I learned that so much had happened outside in just one day.
She was a woman too; she could easily see what the other person was trying to do.
It was clearly unexpected that the Prince of Jin would tarnish his own reputation. Those who wanted to frame him were eager to force their Aci to her death and solidify the Prince of Jin's guilt, which is why they took all these actions.
Although Shen Mingshan overheard a few things on the way, the most common topic of conversation among the people on the street was how Qi Jingxuan was chasing people around with a gong. The details of the rumors were mostly glossed over and not mentioned in much detail.
As for the fact that someone deliberately went to the vicinity of Yangliu Hutong to spread rumors, no one mentioned it at all.
Upon hearing his wife say that someone had done it on purpose, Shen Mingshan broke out in a cold sweat.
Even though he knew his daughter well and knew she wouldn't easily commit suicide, such a vicious and urgent trick meant that the person behind it was clearly desperate and determined to kill his daughter.
The other party hasn't taken any other action yet, only relying on rumors to force Aci to commit suicide. What if Aci refuses to do so?
Shen Mingshan didn't even dare to imagine that if it weren't for Physician Zhou and the others being there, and Prince Jin and his men guarding outside, his daughter might have quietly "committed suicide" in her room tonight.
Thinking of this, Shen Mingshan felt a surge of anger in his chest. He gritted his teeth, slammed his fist on the table, and raised his voice several decibels: "That beast!"
Shen Yan knew about these things earlier than they did, and had already thought them through carefully, so she didn't feel anything at the moment.
Seeing Shen Mingshan's anger, she said gently, "That's exactly what I wanted to tell my father."
"Please ask Father to enter the palace tomorrow and tell His Majesty that I am willing to marry the Prince of Jin."
Shen Mingshan was startled and abruptly raised his head.
Mrs. Su also gripped her daughter's hand tightly, but did not say anything.
Shen Yan said, "I have no other wish than to spend the rest of my life peacefully with my parents."
"It's clearly impossible to immediately find the mastermind behind this. Since that's the case, perhaps we should follow the example of the Prince of Jin and use an extraordinary measure to break the deadlock first. As for the rest..."
She chuckled softly and said, "We have to save our lives first before we can think about anything else."
If her death could ensure her parents' safety, she would be willing to die a thousand times over. But if there's another way for her to live and get through this difficult time with her parents, why not do it?
Marriage is a big deal, but what is it compared to life? At worst, she'll just consider it moving to a different place. Although she won't be as free as she is now, at least she can still see her parents from time to time.
Shen Mingshan knew that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, but the thought of his daughter marrying into the Prince of Jin's mansion in such an ambiguous manner still caused him excruciating heartache.
"But this...this is too unfair to you."
He said in a hoarse voice.
"What's there to feel aggrieved about?"
Shen Yan took his and Su's hands, a genuine smile on her lips: "I am already very happy to be alive with my parents and to see my younger brother and sister born safely in my mother's belly."
If she married the Prince of Jin, it would mean that her family would not have to leave the capital and return to Yingzhou as in the "dream," and they would not have to face the natural disaster that destroyed their family.
For her, this was an immense blessing.
Seeing his daughter smiling like that, Shen Mingshan felt even more pain in his heart, followed by a sense of powerlessness.
He used to think that as long as one lived a life where one's conscience was clear, and one was true to oneself and one's family, that was enough. As for realizing one's ambitions and aspirations, it was fine if one succeeded, but it didn't matter if one didn't; one just needed to do one's own job well.
Over the years, he has done his job well, and in his spare time he has some hobbies, such as collecting manuscripts and editing books.
He thought he had lived a fulfilling life, but now... he regrets it.
He regretted not becoming successful earlier and for not being able to provide his daughter with a strong support system, otherwise he wouldn't be helplessly watching her fall into this predicament.
Shen Mingshan felt a lump in his throat and did not immediately agree to his daughter's request. Instead, he pondered for a moment and asked, "Aci, if one day in the future you could leave the Prince of Jin's residence, would you be willing?"
Shen Yan was slightly taken aback and looked at him with some confusion, not understanding the meaning behind his words.
Shen Mingshan asked, "Father, do you genuinely think Prince Jin is a decent person and that marrying him would be a good idea, or are you marrying him purely to break the deadlock?"
"If it's the latter, then when Father goes to the palace tomorrow, he can try to ask His Majesty if he is willing to allow you to divorce in the future."
"Divorce"
Su's eyes brightened slightly, but she felt it was unlikely.
"The Prince of Jin is a member of the royal family and His Majesty's most beloved son. Would he agree to Aci's divorce from the Prince of Jin?"
“Under normal circumstances, we would naturally not agree,” Shen Mingshan said, “but now both of us know that Prince Jin and Aci were framed, and the two children themselves have no affection for each other.”
"Furthermore, our Shen family comes from an ordinary background and is not a suitable candidate for Princess Consort of Jin. If it weren't for this incident, I'm afraid His Majesty and Consort Shu would not have wanted Prince Jin to marry Aci as his princess consort."
"If we propose a fake marriage just to break the deadlock, they might be overjoyed and agree."
"Is...is this okay?"
Su found it somewhat unbelievable, but she also secretly hoped for it.
If it weren't for saving her own life, she wouldn't want her daughter to marry into the Prince of Jin's household. If it were just a sham marriage, and they could divorce later, that would be the best outcome.
They'll take their daughter and leave the capital to start a new life somewhere where nobody knows them. Even if Aci never marries, it won't matter; she's being cared for now, and she'll have younger siblings to keep her company in the future.
Thinking this, she turned to look at Shen Yan.
Shen Yan had never thought this could be the case, but now that he mentioned it, she was somewhat moved and said, "I have never had any dealings with Prince Jin, so there is naturally no romantic feeling between us. It would be best if we could get a divorce in the future."
"Father, you can try mentioning it to His Majesty tomorrow. If His Majesty agrees, that would be best. If he doesn't agree..."
Shen Yan said, "Please don't force me. I really don't care about marriage. Father, please don't let this cause any discord between you and His Majesty."
Shen Mingshan nodded: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He said this aloud, but in his heart he was thinking that he might as well try to trick them tomorrow.
His Majesty is also in a state of great distress, hoping that this matter can be resolved peacefully and quickly.
I imagine that if he persists a little, His Majesty will agree.
-----------------------
A note from the author: I saw some readers mentioning the perspective issue in the comments section, so I'd like to explain here. Although I like to switch perspectives when I'm writing, I mostly use the female lead's perspective. So, unless I'm certain that the entire story will be mostly told from the male lead's perspective, I'll choose the female lead's perspective when I start a book.
The reason why this story has featured more male protagonist perspectives so far is because the highlight of the early part of the story lies in the male protagonist's gradual breakdown during his repeated rebirths. Also, since many things are similar during these rebirths, it would be cumbersome to cover both male and female protagonist perspectives simultaneously. Therefore, the rebirth parts are almost entirely told from the male protagonist's perspective.
However, according to my current outline, the story is still mainly from the female lead's perspective. If I choose the male lead's perspective now, I will have to change it back when the female lead's perspective becomes more prominent later. So I haven't changed it. I will change it later if there are any problems, but I don't plan to do so at the moment. Unless I go astray, this story should still be mainly from the female lead's perspective.
P.S.: Starting tomorrow, I'll be updating daily, at least three times a day, and trying my best to update six times a day. I'll announce any missed updates. Thank you all for your support! I hope this silly story brings you joy!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
