Chapter 3: Rebirth is not fake, it's not a dream, it actually happened...
"Why should I resign?"
Chen Mingshan pounded the table and said.
“My Shen family has done nothing wrong in this matter, and neither has Aci! Prince Jin has offended someone and brought this trouble upon himself, needlessly implicating our Aci, and now he wants me to resign.”
“If I leave now, this matter will never be clear again! Prince Jin doesn’t care. Even if his reputation is bad, he is still a member of the royal family. With His Majesty protecting him and Consort Shu protecting him, no one dares to do anything to him.”
"But what about Aci? How will the world view her? How will she get married in the future?"
He paced back and forth in the room, his face full of anger.
Ms. Su sat on the edge of the bed, looking very haggard.
Her pregnancy was already unstable, and she fainted again a couple of days ago. When she woke up, the doctor said that she was overthinking things, which was not good for the pregnancy, and told her not to think too much.
But that's one thing; given the current situation, how could she possibly do it?
After leaning against the pillow in silence for a long time, Lady Su finally spoke: "Mingshan, I will listen to His Majesty and resign from your post."
Shen Mingshan paused, then turned to look at her: "Nianqing!"
Madam Su smiled wryly and said slowly, "I've heard about what's been happening in the capital these past few days. Although I don't know who's behind it all, it's clear they're targeting Prince Jin."
“The Prince of Jin is His Majesty’s most beloved child. Unless there is absolutely no other way, His Majesty will do everything in his power to protect the Prince of Jin.”
"If things continue to stalemate like this, what do you think will happen next?"
Within just a few days, the events that occurred in the Cheng'an Marquis's residence spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys. Countless memorials impeaching the Prince of Jin were submitted to the court, several major academies went on strike, and a death even occurred on the Imperial Street. The person behind the scenes was clearly eager to bring down the Prince of Jin and did not want to wait a moment longer.
"Since ancient times, women have cherished their reputation, and girls from educated families are especially familiar with 'Women's Virtues' and 'Women's Admonitions' from a young age, valuing chastity more than their own lives."
"I suspect that the person behind the scenes thought that Aci was the same way, and that she would definitely commit suicide after the incident. At that time, in the eyes of the world, it would be that Prince Jin forced Aci to her death, forced the daughter of a poor official to her death. No matter how much His Majesty protects Prince Jin, he still has to give the world an explanation."
"At that time, the Prince of Jin will either be demoted from the capital or reduced to a commoner. Only in this way will the person behind the scenes have achieved their goal."
“But our Aci is not the kind of person who would commit suicide so easily. Now the two factions in the capital are deadlocked. If this continues... I’m afraid that before she can clear her name, Aci will inexplicably hang herself in her room.”
The scholar's fatal suicide yesterday shows that the mastermind is getting anxious. If the situation doesn't change, who knows if he'll try to make Shen Yan "commit suicide"?
The Shen family is a small, insignificant household, without even a servant or guard. If the other party really wanted to make a move, it would be very easy for them.
Shen Mingshan's body trembled slightly, and his fists, hanging at his sides, gradually clenched. He was speechless for a long time.
He was unwilling to leave with his daughter without knowing why, but he also knew that Su was right.
He wanted to prove his daughter's innocence, but was it worth it if it meant dying?
Madam Su reached out and pulled him to her side, saying, "We resigned from our official posts and left with our daughter. Although we couldn't prove her innocence, we did show our attitude."
"The council in the capital will say that His Majesty protected Prince Jin and refused to uphold justice for us, forcing us to leave. While it may not be of any use, it's still better than Aci losing her life, isn't it?"
The emperor not only asked Shen Mingshan to resign from his official post, but also offered to secretly escort them to ensure the safe return of the family of three to their hometown.
This was both to protect Shen Yan from the villains who were plotting against her on the way, and to prevent Prince Jin from being accused of forcing Shen Yan to her death.
Once they returned to their hometown, the rumors in the capital would have died down, and the people behind the scenes would no longer pursue Shen Yan relentlessly.
This wasn't a great plan, but given that no clues could be found in a short time and the Shen family was unwilling to let Shen Yan become a concubine in the Prince of Jin's mansion, it was the best arrangement for both parties.
Shen Mingshan looked at Madam Su holding his hand and saw the pleading look on her face. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I... resign from my post."
………………
The north wind howled, and a gust of wind carrying goose-feather snow swept over, instantly turning people into snowmen.
Shen Yan walked through the wind and snow, her eyebrows already covered in snow, and even her eyelashes were covered in ice beads, her fair face faintly bluish.
They returned to Ganning City in Yingzhou half a year ago. At first, things were peaceful, but the neighbors were curious because they found out that they had returned to the capital in less than a year and that Shen Mingshan had lost his official position.
Although the capital was far from Yingzhou, news eventually traveled back, no matter how slow it was. As a result, many people learned about Shen Yan and Prince Jin's affair.
Because of Prince Jin's bad reputation, many people in the capital still felt that he had bullied Shen Yan. But in this border town, everyone only knew that Prince Jin was a member of the royal family, while Shen Yan was just the daughter of a poor scholar. Although she was pretty, she was not as beautiful as a fairy.
Therefore, not many people believed that the Prince of Jin had wronged her; on the contrary, many people said that she had seduced the Prince of Jin.
If Shen Mingshan hadn't helped many people when he was the county magistrate, those rumors would probably have been even more unpleasant.
When they left the capital, the emperor secretly offered them a reward, enough for their family to live a life of luxury, but the couple refused.
Although this reward was not officially announced, once people find out, they will say that they accepted money in order to leave the capital, which will make things even more complicated for Shen Yan and Prince Jin.
The emperor had no choice but to take back the reward, and the three members of the Shen family returned to Changzhou.
Without their official positions, the family of three could only rely on their savings to make ends meet, but the Shen family was already poor, and the money they had saved over the years was really not much.
Although Shen Mingshan's salary when he took office in the capital was much higher than when he was a county magistrate, the prices in the capital were high, and renting a house cost a lot of money, leaving him with little after deducting daily expenses.
Fortunately, not long after returning, Shen Mingshan found a job as a teacher at a private school, where he could earn some tuition fees.
Su was skilled at needlework and occasionally took on needlework jobs to supplement the family income. Shen Yan, on the other hand, copied books for the bookstore by imitating her father's handwriting, which also earned her some money.
It wasn't that her own handwriting was bad, but rather that she had been copying books for the bookstore since she was seven years old, and had been doing so for nine years. Many book buyers had come to recognize her handwriting, and after hearing about her affair with the Prince of Jin, they disdained to buy the books she copied.
Since the book wasn't selling well, the bookstore naturally refused to accept it. She had no choice but to imitate Shen Mingshan's handwriting and, when she gave it to the bookstore, say that it was copied by Shen Mingshan.
In this way, the family managed to get by.
A few days ago, Su took on a job from the Zhou family to sew a few winter coats, with the agreement that they would be delivered before the first snowfall.
To everyone's surprise, the first snow of the year came suddenly and heavily, almost a month earlier than usual, and it kept falling heavier and heavier, turning the rooftops white in just a quarter of an hour.
Looking out at the wind and snow through the crack in the window, Madam Su said, "I shouldn't have let her go."
The winter coat she was sewing for the Zhou family had been finished a couple of days ago. She had planned to have Shen Mingshan deliver it to them when he was on leave, but then the snow started falling unexpectedly.
Shen Yan was copying books in her room when she saw this, so she took the clothes she had made and headed to the Zhou family.
Fearing she would catch a cold, Madam Su stopped her, saying, "It's already snowing. It'll be too late for you to deliver it now. Why bother making the trip? Let your father deliver it when he's on leave."
Shen Yan changed her clothes by herself and said, "Sending them now will prove that we finished making the clothes on time. We just didn't expect the snow to come so early. If we wait until after the snow to send them, people might say that we are not keeping our promise."
Although the Zhou couple were good people, they couldn't stand the few gossipy servants in their household who would grumble every time they accepted clothes made by Su.
If they're like this when things are peaceful, imagine how awful they'll be when trouble comes.
Shen Yan didn't care how they talked about her, but she didn't want to hear them say bad things about her parents.
Ignoring Su's advice, she put on her hood and went out. Su called her a few times but couldn't stop her. Being heavily pregnant, she couldn't easily chase after her, so she could only sigh and turn back into the house.
Two hours had passed, and the wind and snow outside were getting heavier and heavier. Shen Yan still hadn't returned, so Madam Su paced anxiously back and forth in the room.
Gan Ning City is not large; on a good day, half an hour is enough to walk back and forth. Moreover, the Zhou family is only a quarter of an hour away from the Shen family. Even if it's snowing heavily, Shen Yan should have returned long ago.
Fortunately, the private school ended early today because of the bad weather. Shen Mingshan had already returned. He hadn't even changed his clothes. He drank a cup of hot tea and went outside. As he walked, he said to Su, who was peeking out of the window from time to time, "Don't keep opening the window. The cold wind is blowing in. You're pregnant. Be careful not to get cold."
“Our county town is only so big, nothing bad will happen. Aci probably just stopped by the bookstore on her way and that’s why she was delayed. I’ll go find her and bring her back right now.”
As he was about to push the door open, Su's voice rang out again, filled with joy, just as the door was opened a crack.
"She's back! She's back! Aci is back!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingshan did not retract his outstretched hand, but instead pushed open the door even more eagerly and strode out to greet him.
Shen Yan didn't actually go to the bookstore. The snow was too heavy today. When she returned from the Zhou family, she saw a simple shed by the roadside that had been blown down, with people trapped inside. She rescued the people and took them to the clinic, which is why she was late in returning.
Seeing that her father had returned from the private school, she smiled despite being covered in snow. Just as she was about to call out "Father," she suddenly heard a muffled rumbling sound in her ear.
Shen Yan thought it was thunder. The thought of "Why is it thundering in the middle of winter?" had just flashed through her mind when she felt the ground beneath her feet turn into ocean waves, surging and rolling.
Her body began to sway uncontrollably, and in an instant she realized what was happening: an earthquake!
mother!
Mother is still inside!
Shen Yan staggered and stumbled towards the door, but Shen Mingshan, who had just stepped out of the room, reacted even faster, rushing back into the room and running towards where Su Shi was.
He grabbed Su Shi and rushed out, but just as he was about to step out of the room, another muffled rumble came.
Shen Yan staggered and fell to the ground. As she struggled to get up, she saw the already crumbling house collapse instantly, burying Shen Mingshan and the Su family, who were only two steps away from the door, underneath them...
"Father! Mother!"
"father!"
"mother!"
………………
A tear slid down Shen Yan's cheek, and in her hazy state, she felt a burning heat all over her body.
I've heard that when people stay in the snow for a long time, they feel hot even though it's cold.
She remembers frantically digging through the snow in the yard, trying her best to move the bricks and collapsed beams to rescue her parents.
But there were too many broken bricks and tiles, and the collapsed beams were too heavy. She dug and moved for a long time, and although she could see her parents' bodies trapped under the rubble, she couldn't move them even an inch.
Her hands were covered in blood and splinters, and she saw large patches of blood spreading through the snow, which stung her eyes.
Cries and screams filled the air, and even the snow falling from the sky seemed to turn red; the whole world was a blood-red hue…
It's hot, it's so hot...
Is she finally going to die and join her parents?
Shen Yan's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
What came into view was a light gauze curtain, a brocade quilt, and a familiar male face.
This is……
Shen Yan suddenly stood up, looking at the man in front of her in disbelief, and then at the surrounding furnishings.
Cheng'an Hou Mansion
This is the courtyard of the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence!
Wasn't she in Ganning City? How did she end up here? Could it be... could everything before have just been a dream, an illusion within her dream?
Qi Jingxuan was fast asleep when the "blanket" in his arms was suddenly pulled away, waking him up.
He first looked around in a daze, then saw a woman sitting blankly beside him, and his confused thoughts gradually cleared.
He sat up, chuckled, and said, "It's the same old routine again. Can't you come up with something new?"
The words, identical to those in her "dream," gradually brought Shen Yan back to her senses. She stiffly turned to look at Qi Jingxuan and heard him say, word by word, "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. It wouldn't be me who would be embarrassed if word got out."
Same.
Exactly the same.
Even their contemptuous laughter and disdainful expressions were the same.
It's not fake, it's not a dream, it's everything that really happened.
Shen Yan suddenly woke up and, without even having time to tidy her clothes, tried to get out of bed.
As long as she leaves this place, as long as no one sees her with the Prince of Jin, then everything is still possible!
But just as she grabbed the edge of the bed and before she could even put her feet down, she heard the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open.
Shen Yan's expression froze, and all her movements stopped.
Why……
Why bring her back to this moment?
Why can't we go back to a time earlier, back to the garden, back to our mother's side?
Why give her another chance, only to make her watch helplessly as everything unfolds?
Shen Yan sat slumped on the bed, her past life flashing before her eyes.
Unfounded accusations, numerous disdainful words and mocking expressions, and the helplessness and heartache of her parents who wanted to clear her name but could not find a way.
Gale-force winds, blizzards, blood, endless piles of broken bricks and tiles, roof beams that could never be moved, and... the parents buried beneath...
Two lines of clear tears fell from Shen Yan's eyes. She raised her hand and slowly pulled out the hairpin from her hair.
Since that's the case, let's end it here.
Once she dies... none of this will happen.
Qi Jingxuan paid no attention to the commotion outside. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he calmly straightened his clothes and turned around to say, "If you think that climbing into my bed will make you the Princess Consort of Jin, then I can only give you two words: Be..."
Before she could finish speaking, the woman gripped the hairpin in her hand and forcefully plunged it into her own neck with a soft "plop."
Blood gushed out, staining half of Qi Jingxuan's face red.
A note from the author:
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Note 1: Historically, there should only be the book "Admonitions for Women," not "Women's Virtues." This is a fictional account.
Note 2: It's unclear whether stabbing someone in the neck with a hairpin would cause bleeding; this is a literary device and has no medical basis.
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