Yinshuang waited for Shen Wan from a distance, unaware of what Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan had discussed. When Shen Wan approached, Yinshuang asked curiously, "The Prince of Ling didn't send you an invitation, so how did you know he was here?"
Xie Jingyan did send her an invitation, but it never reached her. Everyone assumed she wouldn't choose the crippled Prince Ling, so the servants didn't even bother sending an invitation. In her previous life, she only found out about this because Xie Jingyin mocked Xie Jingyan for lacking self-awareness.
However, in her memory, even when Xie Jingyan was in a wheelchair, Xie Jingyin rarely gained the upper hand in a verbal argument. Faced with Xie Jingyin's sarcasm, he was not angry at all, but only smiled coldly, "Sending an invitation was a sign of my lack of self-awareness. If I hadn't sent one, would I have been accused of ignoring Father Emperor's words?"
Ling Wang sent the invitation because he was afraid of being targeted.
She still remembers him saying those words, pushing his wheelchair away, stopping beside her as he passed by, and wishing her and Xie Jingyin a loving and long-lasting marriage.
Yinshuang wanted to ask Shenwan if she was going to marry Prince Ling, but thought it was unlikely, so she didn't ask. She took out a maid's skirt and was about to help Shenwan change into it.
She was confined to her home by her father. She was only able to leave the mansion thanks to her cousin Shen Ying's help in covering for her. Later, when the matter was exposed, Shen Ying was punished by the old lady to kneel in the Buddhist hall. Feeling guilty, she gave her a headdress worth three thousand taels of silver. It was truly a case of being sold out and still having the giver count the money.
Shen Wan closed her eyes and said, "No need to change."
Yinshuang advised, "Miss, you should change into it. If you cause Second Miss to be punished, she won't help you anymore if anything happens in the future."
Shen Wan remained unmoved, so Yin Shuang didn't try to persuade her any further.
Half an hour later, they returned to the Pingyang Marquis's residence. This time, Shen Wan didn't go through the second gate but entered directly through the main gate, leaving the gatekeepers stunned. It was one thing for the young lady to ignore the Marquis's words and sneak out of the residence to see the Prince of Jin, but she was even being so ostentatious...
Shen Wan longed to see her father and elder brother so much that she lifted her skirt and ran towards Shen Jing's study. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw her elder brother, Shen Du, come out. The moment she saw her elder brother, Shen Wan's tears welled up.
It's so good to be reborn.
Her older brother was still standing alive in front of her.
Tears blurred her vision, making it difficult to even see her elder brother's face clearly. Shen Wan raised her hand to wipe them away. Shen Du's face showed no anger from her past life, only helplessness. "Your elder brother hasn't even scolded you yet, why are you crying first?"
This is her older brother. No matter how angry he is, he can't do anything about her once she starts crying.
Shen Wan's tears rolled down her cheeks, and Shen Du raised his hand to wipe them away for her. Looking at his hand, Shen Wan cried even harder.
In his past life, his elder brother was depressed because of his unhappy marriage. He was dragged to a horse race to cheer himself up, but he fell off the horse because he was in a daze. He couldn't dodge in time and his right arm was broken by the horse. As a young general who was the vanguard of the front line, he could no longer hold the red-tasseled spear. He never recovered and finally died on the day of Princess Huai'an's wedding. He got drunk in the middle of the lake and fell into the lake.
She always thought that her elder brother couldn't bear the double blow of losing his right arm and his beloved marrying someone else, so he committed suicide for love. She never thought that he was framed, and that even the fall from the horse was a conspiracy.
Looking at her unrestrained and flamboyant older brother, and thinking of the setbacks he suffered in her past life, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Chen Du was terrified. He had never seen his younger sister cry like this before. He completely forgot his elder brother's authority and knew that comforting her was the most important thing. "Who wronged you? Tell your older brother, and I'll get revenge for you!"
Shen Wan shook her head, wiped away her tears, and Shen Du sighed, "Do you like Prince Jin that much? Father is very angry about you sneaking out of the manor."
She knew how angry her father was. The Emperor had given her the right to choose a son-in-law, but her father felt that as a subject, it was inappropriate to overstep his bounds. The Emperor was benevolent, and as a subject, he couldn't be ignorant and actually go and choose. In particular, Prince Jin was ruthless and not suitable for her. The Pingyang Marquis's family had already become too powerful and attracted too much attention, so it was not appropriate for them to get involved in the struggle for the crown prince. However, in her previous life, she only had Prince Jin in her eyes and heart, and she couldn't listen to a single word of these words of advice.
She feared that if she didn't choose, the Emperor would assign her to someone else, and she dared not gamble.
As Shen Wan stepped into the study, her father, Shen Jing, rang out in an angry voice, "You unfilial daughter! Kneel down!"
Thump.
Shen Wan really knelt down.
She felt sorry for her father and her older brother.
He should kneel.
The penalty should be imposed.
Shen Jing was furious, but when Shen Wan actually knelt down, he was stunned.
When did my daughter become so obedient?
In her past life, Shen Jing would also make Shen Wan kneel when she was angry, but Shen Wan, relying on her father's usual affection for her, would not listen at all. She stubbornly insisted that she was not wrong, that the emperor made her choose, and that she listened to the emperor and did not do anything wrong.
Shen Jing's brows furrowed into a deep frown as he and Shen Du, father and son, stared at each other.
Yinshuang knelt behind Shen Wan and said, "My lord, please calm down. The young lady did not go to see Prince Jin."
"Didn't go?"
Shen Jing and his son Shen Du spoke in unison.
Yinshuang shook her head and then nodded, "It's not that I didn't go, but the road was blocked by trees, and the carriage couldn't pass, so the young lady didn't go to see Prince Jin."
Shen Du's lips twitched. He thought his younger sister was so devoted to Prince Jin, but this was all? He and his father had been angry for nothing.
Shen Jing said, "Since you didn't go, then get up."
Shen Wan didn't move, her back straight, and said, "Father, I want to marry Prince Ling."
Shen Jing and Shen Du frowned even more deeply.
Shen Jing had a headache. His daughter was so unpredictable. Just because Prince Jin wasn't suitable didn't mean Prince Ling would be. "Save your father's troubles and don't go and ruin Prince Ling's life."
Shen Wan, "..."
How could Father say such a thing about her?
Shen Wan was unhappy and snorted, "The Prince of Ling isn't afraid that I'll harm him, so he agreed."
Shen Jing looked bewildered.
Emerging from the study, Shen Du looked at Shen Wan and asked, "Is my sister really going to marry Prince Ling?"
Shen Wan said, "There is no better choice than him."
If she chooses a prince to marry, she will humiliate the emperor. If she doesn't choose any and cancels the engagement, she will trample on the emperor's dignity. Someone will surely slander her to the emperor, saying that the Pingyang Marquis's family is arrogant and that none of the princes are worthy of her and her father's approval. Such arrogance will make the Pingyang Marquis's family even less tolerant of others.
Shen Du thought about it and agreed, "I can't speak for the other big brothers, but Prince Ling's character is quite good, and he's good-looking too. The only drawback is that he injured his leg and can't stand up. I don't know if he'll be alright..."
Shen Wan didn't react for a moment and asked, "What do you mean, 'can I or can't I'?"
Shen Du realized he had spoken out of turn, clenched his fist and coughed, "You're still young, you don't understand."
...So she understands now.
She and Prince Ling aren't really married, so whether he's capable or not doesn't matter.
Shen Wan muttered to herself, but then her older brother took it so seriously that he wanted to go ask Prince Ling about it. Shen Wan was caught in a dilemma, not knowing whether to stop him or not.
Is this something I can just ask casually?
While he was still hesitating, his elder brother had already disappeared.
Shen Wan, "..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
