After leading Bai Luo and Dan Zhu into the private room next door, Shen Youying sat down somewhat uncomfortably, not even daring to look at Xue Shen.
She had only ever heard rumors about Xue Shen's various "evil deeds" before. This was the first time she had witnessed his domineering and unreasonable behavior up close, especially since she was not a bystander but an accomplice who was using his power to bully others.
After all, Xue Shen did this to help her.
Shen Youying felt she should thank him, but when she thought of the two guests who had fled in a panic, the words of thanks stuck in her throat, leaving her feeling awkward and uncomfortable.
She had no choice but to sit down and pretend nothing was wrong, listening carefully to the sounds coming from next door.
However, Fanlou was frequented by high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and considering that guests would discuss matters in the private rooms, the soundproofing of the private rooms was quite good. Shen Youying listened for a long time but did not hear any noise.
On the contrary, Xue Shen's overly direct and intense gaze made her feel uneasy.
She glanced at Xue Shen discreetly, but saw that he was just drinking tea with his eyes down, his expression indifferent, and he wasn't looking at her. Suspecting that she was imagining things, she casually looked away, hoping in her heart that the person next door would come out soon.
In the awkward silence, the passage of time seemed to slow down.
Shen Youying nearly tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds when finally, a sound came from next door—
Someone came out.
Bai Luo opened the door to the private room a crack, peeked out, and whispered, "It's Prince Chen who came out."
There was another person who didn't come out with them, presumably to avoid being seen, they wanted to go their separate ways.
Shen Youying didn't want to be in the same room with Xue Shen anymore, so upon hearing this, she quickly got up and said, "Let's go take a look."
After taking a step, he remembered Xue Shenlai, so he turned to the side, curtsied, lowered his eyes and apologized, before leading the maid out of the door and knocking on the door next door.
Shen Muyu was drinking tea when she heard the knocking. She thought it was Prince Chen returning and asked Dongqing to open the door.
Dongqing opened the door without warning and bumped into Shen Youying and the other two.
Seeing that she was about to speak up to warn Shen Muyu with a look of panic, Shen Youying said in a low voice, "If you want to attract everyone here, just shout loudly."
Holly, her face pale, kept her mouth shut and made way for him.
Shen Youying brushed past her shoulder and went inside, leaving Bailuo and Danzhu watching her from outside the screen. She then went around the screen to find Shen Muyu.
Hearing the commotion at the door, Shen Muyu sensed something was wrong and got up to check, only to be confronted by Shen Youying.
Her expression flickered with panic for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and forced a smile, saying, "What a coincidence, Second Sister is also at Fanlou?"
Shen Youying had no energy to beat around the bush with her, and went straight to the point: "I just saw Prince Chen leave from here with my own eyes. When did you get involved with Prince Chen?"
Shen Muyu tightened her grip on the handkerchief, feeling both guilty and uneasy, as well as dissatisfied with her choice of words.
"What do you mean by 'mixing things up'? Second sister, don't be so harsh with your words." Shen Muyu gritted her teeth and retorted unwillingly, "The Prince of Xiang is interested, but the Goddess is interested. I only had a cup of tea with Prince Chen... Didn't you often correspond with Cousin Lu before? Did I say anything about it?"
Shen Youying looked at her sternly: "You know what I mean. You were on the pleasure boat that day, weren't you? If you are truly innocent, come back with me now and explain this to Father and Mother."
Shen Muyu bit her lip and subconsciously took a step back.
If her mother found out, she would at most scold her a few times, but if her father found out that she had an affair with Prince Chen...
Shen Muyu bit her lip in resistance: "There's no need to alarm Father about this. It's not a big deal."
"I don't have to tell my father, as long as you promise never to see Prince Chen again, I can pretend I never saw you today."
As she spoke, Shen Youying looked her up and down and saw that her clothes and hair were neat. She thought that it must be true, as Shen Muyu said, that the two of them had just had tea and had not crossed any boundaries.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief, and her tone softened considerably: "Prince Chen is already engaged and has countless wives and concubines in his harem. Although the Shen family is not as powerful as before, Father will always find you a good marriage. Why do you want to get involved in this mess?"
Shen Muyu naturally understood this principle, but if she were willing to marry a rough military general, she wouldn't have secretly been having an affair with Prince Chen.
She lowered her eyes and touched her lower abdomen, gradually calming down: "If we're talking about having many wives and concubines, I think the King of Qin is not as good as the King of Chen. My second sister is married, isn't she?"
“The King of Qin is crippled in both legs, and that’s how it will be for him for the rest of his life. But the Prince of Chen is different.” Shen Muyu raised her chin and said, “The Emperor favors the Prince of Chen, who is a potential heir to the throne. I can only be a concubine now, but I may not be a concubine in the future.”
"Are you out of your mind? How dare you speculate about the throne?!"
Shen Youying was surprised by her audacity. She glanced at the next room subconsciously, then realized that the Prince of Qin probably couldn't hear their conversation. Her heart finally settled down, and she looked at Shen Muyu with eyes full of disappointment: "You're even more stupid than I thought!"
For the first time since entering the room, she was angry, saying, "I will not cover this up for you. You will come back with me to see Father now. Father will never agree to you degrading yourself to become Prince Chen's concubine!"
Shen Muyu was both angry and annoyed, and raised her voice, saying, "My affairs are none of your business! Prince Chen has already promised to come to my home to propose marriage soon."
Shen Youying thought she was completely insane, but the angrier she got, the calmer she became. She looked at Shen Muyu coldly and said, "There are people all over the place outside. If you obediently come back with me, this matter can still be covered up. If you insist on making a scene here, I will disregard the reputation of the Shen family and take you back today."
Shen Muyu was still afraid after all. She gritted her teeth and glared at Shen Youying hatefully: "I'll go back then. Father won't beat me to death!"
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