Chapter 279 A Twist of Fate Leads to an Unexpected Marriage
The couple, who returned early, were unaware that a major event had occurred at the Yongyi Marquis's residence after they left.
Tan Qingrou was quite frightened. She thanked the ladies who had pulled her back earlier and then returned to her original seat.
The tea on the table had gone cold, but she didn't care because she was thirsty. She picked up the cup of tea that Sheng An hadn't touched and drank several mouthfuls. To her surprise, she found it tasted good, so she took another sip.
A short while later, two young ladies came over and spoke to Tan Qingrou, subtly inquiring about the details of how Sheng An and Ning Sihan became sworn brothers and sisters.
Tan Qingrou had no idea, and even if she did, she wouldn't say anything, so she smiled and said:
“I wasn’t familiar with Sister An’an before. It was only after she came to the capital last year that I became acquainted with her. I don’t know anything about her relationship with Prince Ning.”
After hearing this, the two young ladies did not doubt Tan Qingrou's words.
One of them laughed and said, "Being able to get close to Prince Ning is like defying the heavens and changing one's fate."
Another person wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, with Prince Ning backing her up, Princess Shanmin wouldn't dare to openly do anything to the wife of the third-ranked scholar."
Tan Qingrou's heart tightened.
Princess Shanmin has lost face today and will certainly not let this go.
She dared not openly report to Sister An'an; could she be plotting something sinister in secret?
Tan Qingrou became increasingly frightened as she thought about it, and decided to go and talk to Sheng An after the banquet.
After chatting with the two young ladies for a few minutes, Tan Qingrou smiled and stood up to see them off. She felt a slight heat rising in her body.
Looking at the sun overhead, Tan Qingrou assumed it was because she had been exposed to too much sun, and said to her maid Mingcui:
"It's a bit sunny here, I'll go wait in the pavilion over there for a while."
Mingcui looked up at the sun, then at the obvious blush on her young mistress's cheeks, and said with some concern, "Miss, are you sick?"
She spent half a day in the sun but didn't feel hot.
"No, apart from the heat, I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere else."
Tan Qingrou touched her burning cheeks, then touched her earlobes, which also felt burning hot, and her mind became dizzy.
Now, she dared not say that she wasn't sick.
"Ming, Mingcui, help me up."
Tan Qingrou's throat was dry, and she was starting to lose her balance.
Cuiming was terrified and quickly helped her walk out of the courtyard: "Miss, I'll take you away from here and find a doctor to examine you!"
Tan Qingrou nodded weakly, her breathing rapid: "Okay, go and have a maid go to the next courtyard to tell my brother, so he won't worry about not being able to find me."
Cuiming readily agreed, her steps quickening.
The others noticed the master and servant and saw that Tan Qingrou's face was flushed and she looked uncomfortable. They assumed that she had been frightened by Princess Shanmin and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
It's so pitiful to suffer such an undeserved calamity!
However, this Miss Tan is a kind and righteous person, and she will send someone to inquire about her marriage prospects.
It doesn't matter if she comes from a lower social class; she's more than qualified to marry a concubine's son.
Tan Qingrou was unaware of what the ladies behind her were thinking. She just wanted to leave immediately to find a doctor, as she felt something was wrong with her body.
At this moment, her face was flushed, her eyes were glazed, and an unknown heat within her was fiercely attacking her reason, making her wish she could tear off her clothes on the spot and absorb the coolness in the air.
Mingcui also noticed that something was wrong with her young mistress. She used all her strength to support the swaying woman, almost crying with anxiety: "Miss, hold on a little longer, I'll take you out right away!"
As she spoke, she looked around for servants from the Marquis's residence to lend a hand, but she couldn't see a single servant.
There were so many guests today that the maids and servants of the Marquis's mansion were too busy to even have time to wander around.
Seeing an empty room nearby with its door still open, seemingly a place for guests to rest temporarily, Mingcui immediately helped Tan Qingrou inside:
"Miss, please rest here for a while. I'll go to the next courtyard and tell the eldest young master to come over."
Tan Qingrou still had a sliver of reason left, and nodded with difficulty: "Okay..."
The mistress and servant stumbled into the room and saw a bed. Mingcui, panting heavily, helped the person onto the bed and pulled the quilt over her young mistress tightly.
Immediately, she walked out of the room, closed the door, and ran towards the neighboring yard.
Mingcui ran too fast and didn't notice that as soon as she stepped out of the small courtyard, a man staggered out from around the corner.
"You despicable wretch, how dare you scheme against me! Once I find out who did it, I'll skin you alive!"
Song Zhihang's face was flushed, and she cursed as she walked. Her rationality was about to collapse, and she couldn't tell which way to go at all.
In his dazed state, he saw the room in front of him and, without thinking much, pushed the door open and went inside, gritting his teeth and bolting the door tightly to prevent anyone from barging in and defiling his purity.
Today is to celebrate his passing the imperial examination with top honors, so the Marquis's mansion is holding a grand banquet for guests.
The person behind the scenes plotted against him, intending to use this opportunity to ruin his reputation, make him a discarded pawn of the Marquis's mansion, and even prevent him from gaining a foothold in the officialdom.
Hmph, if you dare to scheme against him, be prepared for his revenge!
Song Zhihang stumbled onto the bed, his body burning with heat and almost ready to explode. He didn't even notice that someone was on the bed.
By the time he pressed down and realized something was wrong, it was too late; a pair of slender arms bound him tightly like chains…
After drinking the calming soup, Sheng An didn't have any nightmares that night, although the fetal movements were more frequent than usual. Fortunately, there were no other discomforts.
Xu Jinnian didn't go anywhere; he spent all his time with her, reading storybooks to her and telling her interesting people and events from history, which made Sheng An exclaim that her eyes were opened.
A few days later, Sheng An received news that the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion and the Tan family were to be betrothed, and that Tan Qingrou was about to marry into the Marquis's mansion and become Song Zhihang's legal wife.
"This...this is too sudden!"
Sheng An was utterly shocked; she never imagined that these two would become husband and wife.
Putting aside the difference in their family backgrounds, when they ate at the same table before, there was absolutely no indication that they were interested in each other.
“After we left that day, some things happened at the Marquis’s residence.”
Xu Jinnian held his wife's hand, reminding her to calm down and not get too agitated: "Zhenlin didn't specify what happened, so I can't ask him for details."
Although I didn't ask for details, judging from Zhenlin's unwell expression, I could guess what was going on.
Sheng An took a deep breath, looked down at her stomach, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll go to the Tan family to see Qingrou tomorrow."
Xu Jinnian had no objection: "I'll go with you."
The couple hadn't gone to the Tan family's house yet when Song Zhihang arrived in the afternoon.
He looked no different from before, showing no joy at his impending marriage, and his brows had become more sharp.
Sheng An saw this and secretly worried about Tan Qingrou.
Song Zhihang's attitude towards her remained unchanged, and he even subtly revealed his guilt in his words.
Sheng An didn't notice, but Xu Jinnian did, and his heart sank.
After Sheng An left, Xu Jinnian looked at Song Zhihang and said, "Speak."
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