Shen Youying stayed at Xianyue Hall for one night and returned to Tingmei Pavilion at noon the next day.
Xie Qinglan was eating fruit and reading a storybook under the eaves when she saw her return. She let out a drawn-out "Oh" with a teasing smile.
Neither of them were naive young girls anymore. Xie Qinglan, having learned yesterday that Shen Youying had been summoned by the Prince of Qin and hadn't returned all night, naturally guessed that something must have happened. Ignoring Shen Youying's blushing embarrassment, she winked and asked, "You and the Prince of Qin... have made up?"
The argument was a fabrication to keep Xie Qinglan, but after they talked things out, Shen Youying couldn't very well say that the argument was a lie, so she could only vaguely cover it up with "Mm."
Xie Qinglan cupped her chin, looking at her fair and rosy face, and sighed, "I didn't expect that the Prince of Qin, who looks fierce, would treat you so well."
After thinking for a moment, Shen Youying still defended Xue Shen, saying, "He's actually... not that fierce."
Xie Qinglan's smile widened, and she clicked her tongue in admiration: "You see beauty in the eye of the beholder. When I met the King of Qin before, I didn't dare to look at him for long."
Shen Youying thought about it and realized that it seemed to have been the same when she first married into the family.
When Xue Shen is silent with a stern face, he can indeed be quite intimidating. However, she doesn't know when it started, but she doesn't seem to be so afraid of his cold face anymore, and she can also tell his mood.
Xie Qinglan said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that seems to be true.
Shen Youying stopped arguing and said, "The end of the year is approaching, and the streets are very lively. Staying in the mansion all day is stifling. Let's go out for a stroll today?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Qinglan immediately agreed with her, and the two changed into their outdoor clothes and went out with their maid.
It is now the twelfth lunar month, and the end of the year is approaching. Vendors are starting to sell New Year's items, and even the poorest families are using the money they have saved up throughout the year to buy New Year's goods.
The streets of Tokyo were bustling with activity.
Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan got off the carriage and walked through the bustling crowd. There were many acrobats performing by the roadside. The two walked hand in hand, stopping to watch whenever they saw something interesting. As they strolled along, their maids carried many trinkets from the marketplace.
After strolling around for a while, when they got tired, Xie Qinglan suggested finding a teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling.
There happened to be a teahouse not far ahead, so the two went in and asked for a table on the second floor.
Today, the storyteller is telling the story of how the former crown prince, in a fit of rage for a woman, burned down the Ciyuan Palace. The more Shen Youying listened, the more she felt that the former crown prince in this story was somewhat like Xue Heng.
Folk storytellers always like to draw material from the unsubstantiated rumors in the palace, and even someone as "infamous" as Xue Shen is not immune to this.
The common people enjoy listening to storytellers, and the storytellers earn a meager living by doing so, which is not inherently wrong. However, Shen Youying was afraid of touching on Xie Qinglan's painful memories, so she found an excuse to go downstairs and took the opportunity to ask Danzhu to give the storyteller some money so that he could tell a different story.
Danzhu accepted the order and went to carry it out. Only then did Shen Youying return to the second floor. However, before she even got close, she noticed that there was an extra person in their seats—Xue Shaojun.
In this freezing weather, Xue Shaojun was only wearing a thin robe, his hair was disheveled and his face was pale, making him look rather disheveled.
Even so, because he had a gentle and handsome face, his appearance was not bad. On the contrary, it aroused people's curiosity—wanting to know why he was in such a sorry state.
Shen Youying noticed that onlookers around them were turning their attention to the two of them.
Shen Youying walked quickly closer and heard Xue Shaojun say with a pained expression, "Lan'er, I know I was wrong. Do you really not want to forgive me? That day, I drank too much. I really didn't mean to hurt you."
The smile on Xie Qinglan's face had vanished. Ever since she learned Xue Shaojun's true colors, the old friendships seemed to have rotted and faded, making her feel nauseous just thinking about them.
She wanted to get up and leave, but Xue Shaojun blocked her way. Unwilling to clash with him outside, she could only stare at him coldly, remaining silent.
But the more this happened, the more excited the people around became.
Xue Shaojun's voice wasn't quiet, and people were already whispering among themselves: "Whose wife is this? The young master is being so humble, yet she has such a heart of stone..."
Some people recognized the two and whispered to their companions, "This looks like the young master of the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion and the lady of the Xie family."
"So it's Madam Xie. I remember when the two families arranged the marriage, I heard that the Xie family was very satisfied with this husband. How could things have changed so much in the blink of an eye..."
Hearing this, Shen Youying frowned, quickly walked to Xie Qinglan's side, patted her back reassuringly, and looked at Xue Shaojun indifferently: "What is Sixth Young Master doing? Why aren't you wearing a cotton coat in the middle of winter?"
She said in surprise, "Those who know this are trying to use a self-inflicted injury to win Qinglan back; those who don't know this... might think that the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion has fallen so low that the dignified Sixth Prince can't even afford a cotton coat."
Unexpectedly, Princess Qin, despite her seemingly gentle and frail appearance, saw through his intentions in just a few words, even adding a touch of disparagement. Xue Shaojun's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, his voice hoarse with barely suppressed emotion as he said, "Your Highness misunderstands. It's just that Qinglan hasn't returned home for several days, and I was terrified, so I..."
He seemed hesitant to continue, staring intently at Xie Qinglan, his tone pleading: "Qinglan, stop being stubborn, come home with me, okay?"
Xie Qinglan clenched her fists and looked up at him directly: "I will not go back with you."
Xue Shaojun trembled, his face contorted in pain, and he said with difficulty, "What do you mean? I... don't understand."
Xie Qinglan said, "You understand."
Xue Shaojun staggered back two steps, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, looking at her in disbelief: "Are you really so heartless?"
Xie Qinglan said, "You lied to me first."
"But you didn't lie to me, did you?" Xue Shaojun seemed to have lost control of his emotions, his voice suddenly rising: "You were drunk, yet you mistook me for the Crown Prince. No man could stand that!!"
"Yes, I was drunk and not thinking clearly. It was wrong of me to hit you, but I'm really upset..."
His expression was a mixture of resentment and pain: "I love you so much, but you have someone else in your heart..."
The story caused a huge stir, drawing attention from all directions and sparking whispers. The storytelling in the teahouse had stopped sometime earlier, and everyone upstairs and downstairs was watching the two of them.
Xie Qinglan noticed the strange looks coming from all directions, her body trembled, and she suddenly understood his intention: "You did this on purpose."
A wave of fear washed over her; she was terrified that she had married such a person and lived with him day and night.
Xue Shaojun was even more despicable, shameless, and vicious than she had imagined.
Knowing that their marriage was hopeless, he wanted to ruin her reputation first in order to protect himself.
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