Chapter 9 What are you looking at, Father-in-law? Haven't you ever seen a marriage proposal before...?
When Su heard that her daughter was in trouble, she rushed over quickly and almost fainted when she saw the situation in the room.
She pushed away Qi Jingxuan, who stepped forward to speak to her, and went to her daughter's side, hugging her tightly: "Aci, don't be afraid, Mother is here. If anyone bullies you, tell Mother, and Mother will definitely stand up for you."
At the end, he glared fiercely at Qi Jingxuan, his figure slender but his eyes filled with a menacing light.
Most people, upon hearing this, would either offer some explanation or feel unbearably ashamed. Qi Jingxuan, however, not only offered no explanation but also showed no remorse. He readily admitted it: "It was me! I bullied your daughter, but don't worry, I'll take responsibility!"
He then reached out to pull Chen Yan, saying, "Let's go to the palace now. I'll ask my father to grant us a marriage and make you the Princess Consort of Jin."
"You're shameless!"
Madam Su shoved him away, and Marquis Cheng'an quickly stepped forward to pull him back, saying, "Your Highness, stop fooling around!"
"I'm not joking," Qi Jingxuan said, pulling his hand away. "I'm serious. I want to marry her!"
Only by marrying her can he stay by her side day and night, personally watching over her, and be sure that she will never again contemplate suicide.
"You think you can just marry me like that? What do you take the Shen family for?"
Su shouted.
"You humiliated my daughter, and now you think you can just say you'll marry her and call it all over? Why? Why should my daughter be bullied by you for no reason, and have her life ruined because of someone like you!"
“I’m not going to pretend nothing happened; I have to take responsibility for her.”
Qi Jingxuan patiently explained.
"Now everyone knows about my illicit affair with your daughter. Even if she doesn't marry me, she'll lose her chastity. So why not marry me? I'll treat her well!"
"Your Highness!" Even the usually good-tempered Lady Cheng'an couldn't help but speak up, "Listen to what you're saying... what kind of talk is this!"
Isn't this shameless?
Having lived for over thirty years, Madam Su had never seen such a shameless person. She couldn't help but spit out a curse, then helped Chen Yan up, saying, "Come on, Aci, let's go home. This matter won't end here. I will make sure your father goes to the palace to demand an explanation from His Majesty!"
At the end, she glared fiercely at Qi Jingxuan.
Qi Jingxuan refused to let them leave and immediately blocked their path: "Why won't you listen to me? I sincerely want to marry you! If you don't give my daughter to me, she will kill herself!"
"Your Highness is overthinking it. She wouldn't. My daughter..."
"She can!"
Su's answer was firm and decisive, and Qi Jingxuan's interruption was even more so.
"Do you know what the people outside this gate will say about her? Even if she doesn't want to commit suicide, those people and their words will force her to do so!"
Qi Jingxuan pointed outside and said loudly.
Because Shen Yan attempted suicide eight times, he also died eight times. He knew better than anyone whether Shen Yan would commit suicide or not.
Even if she is truly as Chen Mingshan and the Su family claim, a person of strong will who would not easily seek death, those people will still use rumors to drive her to her death!
The best course of action now is for him to take all the blame, and then they can get married. That way, if people want to criticize him, they will criticize him. Shen Yan was only forced into this situation from beginning to end, and there is nothing to criticize. This would greatly reduce the possibility of her committing suicide.
Madam Su was already furious, and upon hearing Qi Jingxuan's words, her eyes reddened: "Since Your Highness knows the power of public opinion, why do you still bully my daughter? Do you think my Shen family can't do anything to you, so you're picking on the weak?"
"Let me tell you, even if my Shen family is of humble origin, we will never let this go easily! If you truly wish to take responsibility, then await the punishment of the law! Just don't try to deny it when questioned by the Dali Temple!"
After saying that, he put his arm around his daughter and was about to leave.
Qi Jingxuan blocked the way and refused to move aside. Xu Jinyu, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and forcibly pulled him over to make way for the Shen family mother and daughter.
"Why are you letting me go!"
Qi Jingxuan broke free and tried to pull the person back, but Xu Jinyu held on tightly.
"Ah Xuan, what's wrong with you today? Why are you acting so recklessly! Miss Shen is the daughter of an official. Even if you want to marry her, you should follow the rules and proceed slowly. How can you be so unreasonable and disruptive?"
"I can't wait! If we take it slow, she'll die!"
Qi Jingxuan forcefully shook the person off and chased after them again.
At this moment, Madam Su had already led Shen Yan into the courtyard. Just as she was about to step out of the courtyard gate, she said to Marquis Cheng'an and his wife, who had come out to see her off, "Your Excellency and Madam, there is no need to see us off. My daughter and I will return to the mansion on our own."
"Once my husband returns from the Hanlin Academy, I will tell him everything that happened today and have him go to the palace to demand an explanation from His Majesty."
"Please also investigate the Marquis's residence as soon as possible to find out what went wrong that allowed the male guest from the front courtyard to easily enter the inner courtyard and even abduct someone from the inner courtyard without anyone noticing! By the time His Majesty asks, I hope the Marquis's residence will have a result by then."
While it was certainly wrong for Prince Jin to abuse Shen Yan while drunk, the fact that the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence was so lax in its security during the banquet also suggests that they bear some responsibility.
Marquis Cheng'an knew that something must have gone wrong in his household when he heard about the matter between Prince Jin and Shen Yan. Now that it had been pointed out to his face, he felt very ashamed.
"Don't worry, Madam Shen, I have already ordered people to investigate and will definitely give the Shen family an explanation."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she heard a commotion behind her. It was Qi Jingxuan, who had shaken off Xu Jinyu, chasing after her.
Seeing this, Madam Su looked disgusted and quickly pulled her daughter away. Marquis Cheng'an then stopped Qi Jingxuan, fearing that he might chase after them and cause trouble.
………………
When the news reached the palace, the emperor had just finished reviewing the memorials and was preparing to go to Consort Shu's palace for a while and have dinner.
Upon hearing that the Prince of Jin had gotten into trouble, he didn't even raise an eyebrow, simply asking, "What did he do this time?"
After the palace servant finished reporting, the emperor's expression changed drastically. His eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and his face was filled with disbelief.
"You said that Prince Jin... drunkenly humiliated the daughter of Attendant Shen, and then... shamelessly begged for her hand in marriage, wanting Miss Shen to marry him and become the Princess of Jin?"
The beginning was already incredible, but what followed was simply like a fairy tale.
The palace maid panicked and hurriedly said, "No, no...it's...His Highness said he's in love with Miss Chen and sincerely wants to marry her, it's not..."
He wasn't being shameless; he never said that. This was clearly the emperor's own conclusion!
The emperor's temples throbbed; he rubbed them and asked again, "Are you sure it's the Prince of Jin?"
"yes."
The palace maid lowered her eyes and replied, thinking to herself, "Who else but Prince Jin would dare to do such a thing?"
The emperor felt a lump in his throat, unable to breathe, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He lost all interest in visiting Consort Shu's palace and ordered the palace servants, "Go and invite Marquis Cheng'an here."
After saying that, he added, "Don't tell Consort Shu about this yet."
Consort Shu is frail and has always had a weak stomach. Hearing this news, she probably won't be able to eat a single bite of dinner.
The palace attendant acknowledged and withdrew. Not long after, Marquis Cheng'an entered the palace.
When the emperor saw how quickly he arrived, he knew that he had not been summoned to the palace by the palace servants, but had clearly been on his way there beforehand.
Today, the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence is hosting a banquet. As the host, Lord Xu's hasty journey to the palace at this time must mean that something has happened. In other words, what the palace servant said earlier is probably true.
The emperor felt his headache worsen. After Marquis Cheng'an finished his salutation, he asked, "Explain to me clearly, word by word, what exactly happened!"
Marquis Cheng'an dared not conceal anything, and reported everything, including the mishaps that had occurred in his own household. He also stated that he had found a problematic maid and was interrogating her.
The emperor sighed, "Where is that wretched child? Why didn't he come to the palace with you?"
By the end, he had unconsciously raised his voice, showing how angry he was.
Marquis Cheng'an knew that this question was directed at Prince Jin, so he wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Your Highness... he went to the Shen family. I was unable to stop him."
"What"
The emperor jumped up from his throne: "What is he doing going to the Shen family at this time? Isn't there enough chaos already?"
Marquis Cheng'an stammered, "The prince said... said he wanted to propose marriage to the Shen family. If Lord Shen doesn't marry his daughter to him, he won't leave."
The emperor was so angry he nearly fell over. He slammed his fist on the table and summoned the palace servants: "Go and bring that wretched child back to me! If he doesn't come back, drag him here no matter what!"
The palace servants received the order and immediately gave the command. A group of people from the palace then headed straight for the Shen family.
………………
Upon hearing that his daughter had an accident, Shen Mingshan asked his superior for leave before finishing his shift and rushed home immediately.
When he arrived at the alley entrance, he found it packed with people, completely blocking the already narrow road, and he couldn't squeeze in for a moment.
Some people recognized him and called out, "Lord Shen is back!" The crowd made way for him, and he managed to squeeze his way to his doorstep.
Unlike the crowded streets, there was a large open space in front of the Shen family's gate, with only one person sitting in front of the gate and two servants standing beside him.
The person sitting there was Qi Jingxuan. He had just followed Su Shi and Shen Yan all the way here. When he arrived at the door, he wanted to go in, but Su Shi blocked him from entering.
He originally wanted to force his way in, but he was afraid that doing so would push Shen Yan to the brink and cause her to commit suicide on the spot. So he could only stand at the door and shout inside, expressing that he was sincerely asking for her hand in marriage and hoping that they would agree.
The scene of a marriage proposal in the street immediately attracted many neighbors to peek out and watch the excitement. The crowd grew larger and larger, eventually blocking the road.
Qi Jingxuan was not ashamed at all, ignored the passersby, and only wanted to express his sincerity to the people inside the door. He only sat down to rest for a while when his voice was tired from shouting.
Upon seeing Shen Mingshan return, he immediately stood up and greeted him with a beaming smile: "Lord Shen!"
He had only called out once when he changed his address: "No, Father-in-law!"
Startled by the address of "father-in-law," Shen Mingshan stumbled and nearly fell. After regaining his balance, he was at a loss for words for a long time, only managing to stammer, "Who's your father-in-law!"
After saying that, he walked around him and tried to push the door open to enter the courtyard, only to find that the courtyard gate, which was in broad daylight, was actually bolted from the inside.
He immediately guessed that this was to prevent Qi Jingxuan from forcibly breaking in, so he turned and glared at Qi Jingxuan before calling out to the courtyard, "Madam, it's me back. Open the door."
Shortly after, footsteps were heard from inside the door, followed by the sound of the door bolt being removed.
The courtyard gate creaked open a crack, and Madam Su breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was indeed Chen Mingshan. She quickly pulled him inside and slammed the gate shut before Qi Jingxuan could follow.
Qi Jingxuan nearly got his foot caught in the door as he stepped out. He quickly stepped back and called out, "Hey, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, don't close the door! Let me in and say a few words. Father-in-law, Mother-in-law!"
Despite knocking on the door for a long time, the person inside showed no sign of letting him in.
Qi Jingxuan had no choice but to sit back down. Seeing that there were still many people watching, he said irritably, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a marriage proposal before?"
A murmur rippled through the crowd, with one person whispering, "I've seen marriage proposals before, but never one like this."
Qi Jingxuan rolled his eyes, said "Ignorant," and continued to sit in front of the Shen family's gate, looking like he was going to sit there like a statue waiting for his wife.
Unfortunately, he didn't sit there for long before people from the palace came and dragged him away no matter how much he cried and howled.
A note from the author:
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