After entering the house with Xie Qinglan and paying their respects to Vice Prime Minister Xie and his wife, Shen Youying tactfully took her leave.
She had only suggested visiting because she was afraid that Cui Zichen would make things difficult for Xie Qinglan. Now that Cui Zichen had left, she figured Xie Qinglan and her parents must have a lot to talk about, so she wisely took her leave and returned to the Prince's residence.
The carriage stopped at the second gate. As soon as Shen Youying entered the hanging flower gate, she saw Xue Shen wheeling over and smiling at her: "I heard that Zhaozhao was quite impressive at the teahouse today."
Unexpectedly, he got the news so quickly. Shen Youying said with some embarrassment, "Young Master Xue's actions are too despicable. If I don't expose the evil deeds he has done, and Qinglan tries to explain later, I'm afraid the rumors will spread and things will become unclear."
After saying that, she pursed her lips again, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at Xue Shen, and said softly, "Besides, with you here, the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion will never dare to cause me any trouble."
Xue Shen laughed loudly, took her hand and walked back: "Not bad, you all know how to bully others by relying on your power."
Shen Youying retorted, "This cannot be called abusing one's power."
How can exposing Xue Shaojun's hypocritical nature be called bullying others by abusing his power?
Xue Shen nodded: "That's right, wives should rely on their husbands' power."
Shen Youying: "..."
She felt that there was something wrong with what he said, so she stopped pressing the issue and changed the subject, saying, "I'm afraid the Xie family and the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion will not be able to resolve this peacefully."
Xue Shen said, "Don't worry, the Xie family won't suffer any losses in this matter, both morally and logically. The secret guards will arrive in Tokyo tomorrow with witnesses and evidence."
Shen Youying nodded, then sighed, "But if things get out of hand, there will inevitably be gossip and rumors. This world is always harsh on women, and I'm afraid Qinglan will be upset..."
It wasn't her fault that she was deceived by the two-faced Xue Shaojun, but once the matter blew up, Xue Shaojun's words in the teahouse would definitely be spread, and since the former crown prince was involved, who knows how it would be spread.
Xue Shen said calmly, "Who can completely escape rumors and gossip in this world? People can say whatever they want. Either ignore them, or stand in a high position and make them dare not say anything more."
Shen Youying thought it made sense. She blinked at Xue Shen and said playfully, "I'll have Qinglan learn from the Prince another day."
Xue Shen chuckled, pinched her waist, and pulled her into his arms: "You're getting bolder and bolder, daring to tease me now?"
Shen Youying smiled at him with her eyebrows curved, her eyes and brows exuding a captivating charm.
Bewitched, Xue Shen leaned down and captured her lips. After a long, deep kiss, he caressed Shen Youying's red, moist lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Today, Zhaozhao should understand the principle that trouble comes from the mouth."
Shen Youying straightened her disheveled clothes, glanced around guiltily to make sure no servants had noticed their intimacy, then glared at him and muttered under her breath, "Only officials are allowed to set fires, but commoners are not allowed to light lamps."
Xue Shen's smile widened as he turned his wheelchair, took her hand, and slowly led her forward: "If it were Zhaozhao, then lighting the beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords would be perfectly acceptable."
Shen Youying gave a soft hum and turned her head to look elsewhere, but a slight smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.
*
The matter between the Xie and Xue families indeed escalated.
When Xie Qinglan returned home, she told her parents what had happened in the months following her marriage. Madam Xie held her daughter and cried bitterly. Xie Lianhong was furious, hating himself for being deceived and harming his daughter, and also angry at himself for misjudging people, promoting such a shameless person, and almost letting him enter the Imperial Academy.
Xie Lianhong, as a Vice Chancellor, held a position equivalent to that of a deputy prime minister. What he detested most in his life were people like Xue Shaojun, who were clearly talented but did not follow the right path and were morally corrupt.
After Shen Youying delivered all the witnesses and evidence from the Taoist temple to the Xie family, Xie Lianhong immediately wrote a lengthy letter, ostensibly to confess his crimes, but in reality, he severely impeached Xue Shaojun and the Xue family.
When the memorial was presented to Emperor Cheng'an, he was utterly astonished by Xue Shaojun's heinous crimes. Xue Shaojun was Xie Lianhong's son-in-law and a man of considerable learning, so Emperor Cheng'an had a strong impression of him, remembering him as handsome and a gentleman, and even remarking that his son-in-law resembled Xie Lianhong in some ways. He never imagined Xue Shaojun would commit such heinous acts behind the scenes. He immediately ordered Prince Shou, Xue Gui, to assist the Ministry of Justice in investigating the case.
After the crown prince was deposed and Prince Chen was disfigured, Prince Shou, Xue Gui, who had once been as invisible as a ghost, gradually began to receive attention.
Xue Gui, overjoyed at being personally appointed by Emperor Cheng'an, came out to express his gratitude, but hesitated and said, "Father trusts me, and I will naturally do my best. However, the matter of the Xie family and the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion has been widely discussed, and I have heard some of it. It seems that it differs somewhat from what Minister Xie said. I don't know if I should speak of it..."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng'an frowned: "What's the discrepancy? Tell me about it."
Xue Gui bent his back even lower: "I heard that a few days ago, Young Master Xue chased after Madam Xie to a teahouse because she hadn't returned from the Prince of Qin's residence for a long time. The two argued there, and Young Master Xue blurted out that Madam Xie was having an affair with... with my elder brother..." Xue Gui paused subtly, glancing at Emperor Cheng'an's expression, before continuing: "Afterwards, Princess Qin refuted Young Master Xue, which led to the exposure of his crimes..."
Upon hearing the news of both the Princess Consort of Qin and the deposed Crown Prince, Emperor Cheng'an's face darkened. He picked up his teacup but did not drink from it. He ran his fingers around the rim of the teacup a few times and said, "Go and investigate first. There is no need to make a big fuss."
Xue Gui's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as he bowed and withdrew.
*
"Half done." In the private room of Fanlou, Xue Gui slowly picked up his wine cup and took a sip. "However, if what you did in the past is true, then I have no way to turn black into white. You need to find a way to clear your name yourself so that I can defend you in front of the Emperor."
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