Chapter 60: Begging for mercy, my lady, please feel sorry for me
Xiaochun bit her lip, looking terrified, with a thin layer of sweat oozing from her palms. She knelt on the ground, twisting the corners of her clothes.
"I...I saw him when I went to the lake with my young lady for an outing..."
Shen Xingwan looked calm, his eyes fell on her, and he tapped the table with his fingertips, "Tell me more."
Xiaochun took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and said in a trembling voice, "It was a spring day. Miss Tang was in a very good mood that day. She wanted to sneak out to fly a kite by the lake. I couldn't persuade her, so I had to go with her."
"I remember that the weather was very good that day. The young lady was very happy flying a kite, and I waited by her side for her instructions."
"But just when the kite was flying high, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the kite's string broke, and it fell into a dense forest by the lake. The young lady was anxious and said that I was clumsy and had broken her kite. She insisted on going to look for it herself, and told me to wait there."
She raised her head, glanced at Shen Xingwan, then quickly lowered her eyelashes and continued, "I waited for a long time, but the young lady didn't come back. I felt uneasy, so I went to look for her."
"But who would have thought that as soon as I stepped into the forest, I heard a suppressed sobbing sound... I went to look for the sound and... I ran into the young lady lying on the ground, her clothes were disheveled, her hair was all messed up, and on top of her was a young man in disheveled clothes."
There was a sudden deathly silence in the hall, so quiet that one could almost hear a pin drop.
Shen Xingwan frowned, "Who is that young master?"
Xiaochun shook her head, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, as if she recalled the situation at that time.
"I didn't recognize the young master at the time, and I didn't know who he was... I only remember that the young master was very drunk, his cheeks were red, and his breathing was rapid. It seemed that someone had given him some kind of drug, and he was almost unconscious."
"But he was dressed in luxurious clothes, with a jade pendant tied around his waist. Although his behavior was inappropriate, he still exuded an extraordinary demeanor. It was obvious that he was a noble person."
"The young lady struggled and cried desperately, but the young master seemed to be unaware and just kept abusing her until a group of guards in brocade clothes suddenly came down from the lakeside pleasure boat, as if looking for someone. The young master seemed to wake up for a moment, quickly gathered his clothes, helped the young lady up, and asked her name in a hurry."
Xiaochun paused, her voice trembling slightly: "Young lady has lost her innocence, how dare she report her real name? But if she doesn't, I'm afraid that young master will not agree... In a panic, she blurted out the name of Miss Tang Er."
Shen Xingwan pursed her lips, "Tang Lin'er?"
Xiaochun nodded and continued, "The young master took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to the young lady, saying that he would give her a status in the future. After that, he hurriedly straightened his clothes and hurried towards the guards."
"The young lady returned in a shambles, her mind in disarray. When she returned to the mansion, she happened to run into Miss Tang II in the courtyard. She was in a very bad mood and full of shame and anger, and she took her anger out on her, sneering and sarcastically saying that Miss Tang II's reputation was ruined and she would never get married in this life."
"I thought the matter would end there, but who knew that not long after, the young lady found out that the young master that day was actually..."
Xiaochun's voice became lower, as if she was even breathing carefully.
Shen Xingwan's eyes darkened slightly, staring at her and asked, "Who is it?"
Xiaochun took a deep breath and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "It turned out to be the prince who went to Yangzhou with the emperor..."
Shen Xingwan lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Has she ever thought of using the jade pendant to look for the prince?"
Xiaochun nodded quickly: "After the incident at the Tang Mansion, the young lady found the jade and wore it, planning to find the prince after entering the capital."
"But who would have thought that the young lady... died tragically the night before entering the capital."
Shen Xingwan raised her eyes, her eyes were as deep as the night.
She slowly said, "Where is the jade pendant in Tang Ying's hand now?"
Xiaochun shrank and lowered her head, "I don't know where the jade pendant has gone."
"That night, the young lady suddenly died, and the room was in chaos. I was so flustered that I didn't bother to look for her. When I came to my senses, the jade pendant... was gone."
Shen Xingwan's eyes dimmed slightly, and he stared at her quietly for a long while before he slowly spoke: "If I let you see that jade pendant again, would you be able to recognize it?"
Xiaochun nodded quickly, revealing a certainty: "I have always been responsible for sorting out the young lady's things. The jade pendant is something she treasures very much. I have cleaned and stored it many times by myself, so I naturally recognize it."
Shen Xingwan nodded slightly, "Okay, then from today on, you will stay with me and go to the capital with me."
As soon as these words were spoken, Aunt Li next to her suddenly changed her expression.
She hurriedly grabbed Xiaochun's wrist, looking terrified, "This is unacceptable! Xiaochun has been promised to someone else and will be married in a few days. How can she go to Beijing with me? What's more..."
She paused, lowered her voice, and looked at Xiaochun worriedly: "Tang Lin'er is now the Crown Princess! If you get involved in her affairs, you will probably be beheaded! Xiaochun, you must not go!"
Shen Xingwan raised her eyebrows, her cold eyes fell on Aunt Li, "Why, I haven't mentioned Tang Lin'er yet, why did Aunt Li suddenly bring up this incident?"
"Could it be..." Her eyes gradually sharpened as she stared into Aunt Li's eyes, "What do you know about this? What is the relationship between the jade pendant and Tang Lin'er?"
Aunt Li was stunned on the spot, she quickly covered her mouth and lowered her head, not daring to say anything, she just held Xiaochun's sleeve tightly.
Xiaochun was being dragged by Aunt Li. He was hesitant, his face was pale, and his expression was struggling.
She had been a servant in the palace since she was young, and she knew best how to seek benefits and avoid harm. When she heard the words "Crown Princess" come down on her, she couldn't even breathe.
Shen Xingwan just looked at her with a smile, his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, and his tone was neither hurried nor slow, very calm: "You can rest assured, following me to the capital is not to let you cause trouble, but to help me do something."
"After the matter is accomplished, I will give you a thousand taels of silver as a dowry."
Aunt Li was stunned, and Xiaochun's breathing also stagnated slightly.
A thousand taels of silver, that is a wealth that many people can never achieve in their lifetime?
With her background, even if she was promised to someone, she would still live in poverty in the future. But if she had some money, she could use it as capital to buy good farmland and build a house, and then open a shop to do small business, then she would have no worries in the future.
Xiaochun pinched the corner of her clothes tightly, her eyes flickered, and she seemed a little shaken.
Shen Xingwan looked at her quietly, and said in a light tone, "In this world, not everyone has the opportunity to turn things around. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your own choice."
Xiaochun shuddered suddenly, and finally gritted her teeth, raised her head and said: "This servant... is willing to follow Madam to the capital and serve Madam."
Aunt Li frowned and looked worried, but seeing Shen Xingwan's determined look, she didn't dare to say anything more. She could only sigh and reluctantly agreed.
The sun was at its brightest, shining through the stained glass windows in the hall, swaying gently and shining on Shen Xingwan's cold face. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, revealing an arc with an ambiguous meaning.
It's time to settle some old accounts.
Shen Xingwan dismissed everyone, and the huge house instantly became quiet. Only the breeze from the window blew through the room, bringing with it a faint fragrance.
She sat alone on a large armchair, her chin resting on her hand, her brows slightly furrowed. The sunlight reflected on her slightly drooping eyelashes, casting a gentle shadow.
She rubbed her forehead gently. The questioning just now was much more stressful than she had imagined, as if all the strength in her body had been drained away.
Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar figure slowly approached from behind. Yan Jinghuan's footsteps were extremely light, carrying the scent of a breeze.
He leaned over, gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen from her forehead, and placed a kiss on her smooth forehead. "Madam, are you tired?"
Shen Xingwan tilted her head slightly, her eyes sparkling, and her tone was a little lazy.
"I didn't expect that interrogating people would be so exhausting. No wonder you always looked exhausted after interrogating those serious criminals."
Yan Jinghuan heard her words and sighed, his voice was long and dragging, with a bit of coquettish meaning: "It's not just tiring, it's killing me, my lady, you have to be kind to me."
He leaned over and held her in his arms, resting his chin gently on her shoulder, his warm breath brushing against her ears, his voice tender and low: "If you are too tired, I will send someone to check, and you don't have to worry about it yourself."
Shen Xingwan leaned in his arms, closed her eyes and felt the warmth from his solid chest, her fingertips gently pressed on the back of his hand, and whispered, "There are some things I want to do myself."
Yan Jinghuan was silent for a moment, sighed helplessly, held her hand tightly, and smiled softly: "You are stubborn."
He suddenly lifted her hand and gently placed it on his cheek, "You haven't been with me all day, tell me, what should I do?"
Shen Xingwan was dumbfounded by his sudden complaint and turned back to look at him with raised eyebrows: "So what do you want?"
Seeing her coquettish look, Yan Jinghuan's eyes dimmed slightly, and he smiled slyly. He took the opportunity to hold her hand and was about to walk out, "Of course, go back to the room... Stay with me."
Shen Xingwan hurriedly held his hand, glanced at him unhappily, and said in a coquettish tone: "I'm too tired, I won't go. Besides, in broad daylight..."
Yan Jinghuan raised his eyelids slightly, lowered his head and looked at her with a half-smile: "It's OK here, I'm not picky."
Shen Xingwan was choked by his words. She raised her hand and punched him on the shoulder in shame and anger, saying, "You are so unruly!"
Yan Jinghuan didn't feel any pain from being hit like a kitten by her, but laughed even more happily.
He took her hand and begged her to forgive him, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. You haven't smiled in the past few days, it's good to see you smile."
He gradually closed his arms and gently pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her hair with his fingertips, and softened his tone: "It's rare to come to Yangzhou. How about I take you out to play tonight?"
Shen Xingwan snuggled in his arms, a smile finally showing in her eyes, and asked curiously, "Where are we going?"
Yan Jinghuan raised the corners of his lips and glared at her: "Kiss me and I'll tell you."
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