Shen Youying supported Xie Qinglan's shoulder, her face darkening as she looked at Xue Shaojun: "Sixth Master Xue, do you really not know why Qinglan is unwilling to return to the Prince's Mansion?"
Before Xue Shaojun could speak, she began to list the despicable things he had done: "When you were nine years old, you tried to rape a maid in the house, but when she failed, you beat her to death. It was the Princess Consort who covered it up for you. After that, you did not change your ways and took pleasure in abusing servants, killing and injuring several people. The Prince's Mansion was afraid that this matter would ruin its reputation, so it sent you to Changyang Temple in Qingshi County under the pretext of recuperating. But in all these years at Changyang Temple, you have not only failed to reflect on your mistakes and reform yourself, but you have become even worse, committing filthy acts in the temple... If it weren't for your success in the imperial examination last year, I'm afraid the Prince's Mansion would never have let you come back in this lifetime."
"After you returned, you pretended to be virtuous and righteous, deceiving the Xie family and Qinglan's trust, but instead of repenting, you repeatedly harmed your wife after marriage. The Prince's Mansion knows your wickedness, but instead of restraining you, they aid and abet you, covering up and protecting you at every turn. If Qinglan were still in the Prince's Mansion, how could she possibly survive?!"
Shen Youying's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for the people around to hear.
"If you want to win Qinglan back, you should sincerely go to her door to admit your mistakes and ask for forgiveness, instead of slandering your wife in this busy teahouse. Your actions today make me wonder whether you really came to win back your wife or if you are deliberately trying to smear her so that if the two of you separate in the future, people will speculate about your character and discover the evil things you have done."
Her words immediately made everyone present realize what she meant. Indeed, if a young couple had a falling out and wanted to reconcile, why would someone dress so shabbily and publicly declare that the wife had feelings for someone else?
Moreover, this person was none other than the deposed crown prince.
Their malicious intentions are truly chilling.
At that moment, a woman whispered, "Vice Prime Minister Xie has never interfered in the power struggles among the princes. He has had little contact with either the deposed Crown Prince, Prince Chen, Prince Shou, or even Prince Qin. How could Lady Xie possibly be involved with the Crown Prince..."
"Look at him, wearing only a thin robe in the dead of winter, with his hair disheveled, and pretending to be affectionate. Isn't he just obviously trying to get people to pity him? My husband's new concubine does the same thing. She clearly did the wrong thing first, but she always knows how to play the victim and turn the tables..."
"And if what Princess Qin said is true... the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion is too shameless. They know it's a pit of fire, yet they tricked the Xie family's daughter into jumping in..."
"Actually, I've heard some rumors about what Princess Qin said, but I didn't know if it was true or not, so I never brought it up. Now it seems to be true."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, each with their own opinions, but they all unanimously agreed to no longer feel preconceived sympathy for Xue Shaojun.
Xue Shaojun noticed the scrutinizing gazes around him, his face twitched, and he felt a little flustered. He could barely keep up the act: "I know Princess Qin is protective of her own, but I, Xue, believe myself to be innocent. Even if I am not an upright gentleman, I would never do such a wicked thing..."
Seeing that he was still putting on an act, Xie Qinglan felt nauseous. She suppressed her disgust and looked directly at Xue Shaojun, saying, "Whether it's true or false, we'll find out in a few days."
This time, she didn't shed tears of sadness. Instead, she felt that she had been blind to have chosen such a heartless and inhuman man as Xue Shaojun from among so many suitors.
She gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "Xue Shaojun, you disgust me."
Xie Qinglan didn't need her to say a word more, and pulled Shen Youying, saying, "Zhaozhao, let's go."
Shen Youying followed her downstairs. When they reached the first floor, she turned back to look at Xue Shaojun and said slowly with a smile, "Sixth Brother Xue, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. You'd better watch yourself."
Xue Shaojun's face turned pale, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
The two had no interest in strolling around outside the teahouse. Shen Youying looked at Xie Qinglan, who was silent with her eyes lowered, squeezed her hand, and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
Xie Qinglan shook her head and said in a muffled voice, "I'm not afraid, I just feel disgusted. Of all the suitors back then, why did I choose him?"
Shen Youying comforted her, "He came prepared, and you are naive, so naturally you will be deceived by him. Xue Shaojun is good at disguising himself, and his appearance and talent are indeed not bad. Even someone as discerning as Vice Minister Xie was deceived, wasn't he?"
When Xie Qinglan mentioned the father who had once praised Xue Shaojun, she felt somewhat comforted: "Even my father was deceived by him. I could be deceived, but it's not that hard to accept."
Shen Youying said, "Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be a harbinger of good fortune. Perhaps your lucky star is waiting for you."
Xie Qinglan rolled her eyes and sighed, "Forget it, I might as well stay at home and be a nun. At least I can do whatever I want."
She shook her head, no longer thinking about Xue Shaojun's messy affairs, and said to Shen Youying, "What happened at the teahouse today will definitely spread, so I won't go back to the Prince's Mansion. You take me home. I need to explain things to my parents."
Shen Youying nodded: "Once the identity document arrives, I'll have someone send it to you."
*
The carriage stopped in front of the Xie family's house. Xie Qinglan got out of the carriage and waved to Shen Youying: "Then I'll go back first. After all these things are settled, I'll invite you to Fanlou for a drink."
Shen Youying hummed in agreement and was about to lower the carriage curtain when she saw a man riding over and looking at Xie Qinglan in front of the carriage: "I heard you were scammed?"
The newcomer sat on his horse, bent down to look Xie Qinglan up and down. He was wearing a black fox fur coat with silver embroidery, and his appearance was handsome, but his eyebrows were slanted, and he looked quite unruly and dissolute.
Shen Youying recalled for a moment before realizing that this seemed to be Cui Zichen, the Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner.
The Ministry of Revenue, the Salt and Iron Commission, and the Ministry of Finance were collectively known as the "Three Commissions." The heads of these three commissions were called "Accounting Ministers," whose status was second only to the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor.
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