Chapter 277 Adopted Sister
The garden was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one present expected that the wife of the third-ranked scholar would be so bold as to confront Princess Shanmin directly.
Was she naturally naive, or did she have something to rely on, thinking that Princess Shanmin wouldn't do anything to her?
Tan Qingrou involuntarily held her breath, her heart leaping into her throat.
If, if Princess Shanmin were to make trouble for Sister An'an, she, she would definitely rush up to protect Sister An'an.
This is the residence of Marquis Yongyi. Sister An'an was a guest personally invited by the Second Young Master Song. The Marquis Yongyi residence certainly cannot stand idly by and watch Princess Shanmin act recklessly.
Thinking this way, Tan Qingrou felt a little more at ease.
Princess Shanmin seemed surprised by Sheng An's audacity; the corners of her lips slowly curved downwards, and the coldness in her eyes grew even more chilling.
"You certainly have a silver tongue, daring to openly defy this princess!"
Sheng An showed no fear: "Even a murderer in court will have to defend himself. I am an innocent woman and cannot bear the stigma of being called a vile person."
She stood tall and straight in the center of the crowd, her pregnant belly protruding, her eyes showing neither fear nor timidity towards those in power.
Such a woman, of ordinary birth yet brimming with courage, left the ladies and young women present stunned, and a deep sense of admiration arose in their hearts.
"Good, good, you're doing very well!"
Princess Shanmin was furious and sternly ordered the maid beside her, "Sheng Shi has been disrespectful to me. Slap her twenty times as punishment!"
Forget about killing two birds with one stone, forget about being disgraced, forget about eliminating future troubles; all she wanted was for this bitch to die immediately!
"Yes!" Three maids stepped forward, curtsied, and walked straight toward Sheng An.
"No, no!"
Tan Qingrou was so frightened that her legs went weak, but she resolutely rushed towards Sheng An, spreading her arms to block her way.
"Qingrou, step back!"
Looking at the trembling girl in front of him, Sheng An felt both touched and anxious. Not wanting to implicate her, he sternly told her to leave.
Tan Qingrou neither turned around nor stepped back, waving her arms to stop the three maids from approaching.
Her maid and Hongliu, disregarding their fear, rushed forward to shield their two mistresses.
At that moment, Sheng An regretted it.
She shouldn't have confronted Princess Shanmin head-on; otherwise, innocent people wouldn't have been implicated.
No, it wasn't her fault. Even if she didn't confront her directly, but instead humiliatingly admitted that she was a lowlife, Princess Shanmin would have someone slap her as a warning to others, citing the need to clean up bad practices.
Taking a step forward means certain death, and taking a step back also means certain death, so it's better to fight head-on, at least then you won't be burdened with unfounded stigma.
At this moment, Sheng An realized with absolute clarity who was responsible for the tragedy of losing both her unborn child and her family in her previous life.
Aside from Princess Shanmin, who coveted Xu Jinnian, she couldn't think of anyone else!
Tan Qingrou and the other two women struggled desperately, while the other ladies turned their heads away, unable to bear watching any longer.
Seeing that Tan Qingrou was still not backing down, Sheng An grabbed her arm and said in a stern voice, "Listen to me!"
Tan Qingrou was stunned. By the time she came to her senses, she had already been pushed aside, and several kind ladies stopped her from going forward again.
Her maid and Hongliu were also dismissed by Sheng An.
Seeing this, several high-ranking noblewomen finally couldn't hold back and pleaded for Sheng An:
"Princess, today is a joyous occasion for the Marquis's household. Making a scene would not look good and would damage your reputation."
Princess Shanmin didn't care about her reputation at all. She turned a deaf ear to the pleas of the several noble ladies, a cruel smile curling at the corner of her lips. She ordered the three maids who were restraining Sheng An: "Beat them!"
One of the maids, with thick arms and clearly trained, walked up to Sheng An and raised her hand to hit her face.
Sheng An closed his eyes briefly, a mocking smile appearing on his face. Just as the slap was about to land on her face, he looked directly into Princess Shanmin's eyes:
"The princess, enraged and ashamed, used her power to force this humble woman to ruin her reputation in order to satisfy her selfish desires. This method has truly opened this humble woman's eyes to what real despicable behavior is!"
Being publicly called a lowlife by the person she despised, Princess Shanmin's face was incredibly ugly, and she looked at Sheng An as if she were looking at a dead man.
"Fight! Fight until I, the princess, order a halt!"
From the moment she was born and bestowed the title of princess, no one had ever dared to disobey her so vehemently.
She was destined to die anyway, but today she will let everyone know what will happen to those who offend her, Shanmin!
"You dare insult the princess? You deserve to die!"
A cruel smile appeared on the burly maid's face as she swung her arm again, using all her strength to strike Sheng An's face.
That slap would either kill him or leave him half-dead.
Sheng An closed his eyes, an endless sorrow welling up in his heart.
The next moment, a whooshing sound rang out, followed by a piercing scream: "Ah—"
Sheng An was startled and suddenly opened his eyes, only to see the maid who had been so arrogant just moments before now clutching her right hand in her left and wailing in pain.
Blood was streaming from her right palm, and a small dagger pierced through the back of her hand, its blood-stained tip gleaming eerily in the sunlight.
"An'an, how are you? Are you alright?"
Before Sheng An could figure out what was happening, she was suddenly enveloped in a firm embrace, and heard a man's anxious voice above her head.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xu Jinnian's anxious and worried face, as well as the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
Seeing him so frightened for the first time, Sheng An opened her mouth and said in a strained voice, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Xu Jinnian didn't listen. He looked him over inch by inch from head to toe, making sure there were no external injuries. Only then did his heart, which had been racing so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, gradually calm down.
Princess Shanmin saw this and felt it was incredibly irritating. She wished she could rush up, separate the two, and kill Sheng An with her sword.
At this moment, Ning Sihan, Song Zhihang, and Tan Zhenlin also rushed in.
Seeing that Sheng An was safe and sound, though her face was a little pale, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Zhihang was wary of Princess Shanmin, so he stood aside and asked Sheng An a few words of concern, but said nothing more.
Ning Sihan, however, was not afraid of Princess Shanmin. Her calm, unwavering eyes met hers, and her tone revealed no emotion.
“An’an is my adopted sister. If she has been disrespectful, I will teach her myself. It is not my place for the princess to harm a pregnant woman in public.”
These words shocked the entire courtyard, even Sheng An and Xu Jinnian were stunned.
Princess Shanmin was even more incredulous. Coming to her senses, she glared at Sheng An with venomous eyes, her face full of disdain and hostility.
"When did she, a lowly country girl, become your sworn sister? You wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to this married woman and be deliberately deceiving me to protect her, would you?"
Upon hearing this, the others' gazes darted back and forth between Sheng An and Ning Sihan.
After wandering around for a while, they found no "affair" between the two, only the deep affection between the heavily pregnant woman and the top scholar that no one could interfere with.
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