Chapter 52 My Nephew's Woman
Eunuch An stared at Shen Xiao copying Buddhist scriptures until noon before finally nodding reluctantly.
Shen Xiao was exposed to the sun for several hours, and her originally fair skin turned dark, while her right wrist swelled up like a pig's trotter.
Seeing Shen Xiao's miserable state, Eunuch An sneered disdainfully: This is what happens when you dare to drag Shen Shu into this mess. A little brat, and he can't even handle her?
Only after seeing the hundred copies of Buddhist scriptures that Shen Xiao had copied did he leave the Bo Gong Mansion with satisfaction.
Halfway there, the sedan chair heard people talking amongst themselves on the street.
"Have you heard? The Bo Gong family wanted to arrange a marriage between their daughters and Prince Cheng, and they were to betroth their eldest daughter to him. But do you know what happened? Prince Cheng mistook the second young lady for the eldest. I also heard that things have already escalated to the point of no return!"
"Oh dear, this is terrible! Didn't you say that the Second Miss was betrothed to Marquis Dingyuan? How come she's already slept with Uncle? How could such a lewd thing happen?"
Upon hearing them mention the Earl's Mansion again, Eunuch An immediately ordered his sedan chair to stop.
"What nonsense are you spouting! How dare you talk about members of the royal family? Don't you have a death wish?!"
The women selling vegetables on the street were taken aback. When they saw that the speaker was actually her father-in-law, their arrogance immediately subsided.
“Sir, we’re not making this up. It’s all over the street. If you don’t believe me, go ask around the street.”
Eunuch An originally only wanted to reprimand these gossipy women, but he didn't expect that what they said actually sounded so serious.
He hurriedly lowered the curtain and told a young eunuch beside him to inquire.
Not long after, the young eunuch returned, and what he said was almost identical to what the women had said.
Eunuch An's face turned pale instantly. Oh no, this is really a big problem!
"Return to the palace!"
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.
Although Eunuch An was the head eunuch in the Empress Dowager's palace, he decided to report the matter to the Emperor first.
If he were to rashly tell the Empress Dowager, and she were to be so shocked that she were to die, then his own life would likely be in danger.
"absurd!"
Upon hearing this, the emperor smashed his teacup.
The veins on his forehead throbbed; he couldn't understand how such a scandal could have happened!
An uncle and nephew both fell for the same woman, and the uncle even cheated on his nephew. Ha, that's unheard of!
Now that people know about it, and it's spread throughout the streets and alleys, it's become a laughing stock in the whole city!
Where is their royal dignity?!
Eunuch An mustered his courage and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. Even if it's true, Your Majesty should give them a chance to explain. I've come to report to Your Majesty hoping that you can investigate this matter thoroughly."
After all, it's just rumors now; to catch someone cheating, you need to catch them in the act.
How can we convict them based on just a few rumors?
The emperor, panting heavily, finally calmed down a little after hearing these words.
"Go, summon Prince Cheng to the palace. I want to ask him properly whether this is just a rumor or true. If it's true..."
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. Even if Shen Shu was Lin Wei's chosen one, she could not be allowed to live.
"Yes, Your Highness Prince Cheng."
...
On the main road of the imperial palace, Prince Cheng, Xie Hanyu, was extremely uneasy.
My brother summoned me late at night. Could it be that what happened last night has already been exposed?
Xie Hanyu was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat.
He thought about how much he wanted to tear Wen Lanting apart when the old woman came to deliver a message that morning, telling him that the woman in his room last night was Miss Shen Shu, the second young lady of the Shen family, and that Wen Lanting had mistaken her for someone else.
Shen Shu is his nephew Lin Wei's fiancée!
If people found out he slept with Lin Wei's man, wouldn't he be finished?
Xie Hanyu recalled the events of last night and still couldn't understand it.
The woman clearly walked in on her own; her voice was as gentle as water as she told him not to light the lamp.
He had been living a very simple and abject life in the temple for many days, so how could he disagree when he heard the beauty say so?
He thought it was because Miss Shen was playful and had a good sense of romance, so he was happy to cooperate.
But if she were the second young lady of the Shen family, how could she possibly come in to serve him voluntarily?
She was already betrothed to Lin Wei, and wealth and honor were right in front of her. Why would she risk cheating on Lin Wei? Wouldn't that be courting death?
This is completely contradictory!
Thinking of this, Xie Hanyu chuckled.
He'd lived so many years and slept with so many women, but this was the first time he'd encountered something so novel.
The thought that he had slept with his nephew Lin Wei's fiancée yesterday made his mouth go dry.
After all, taboo things are always more exciting than following the rules.
Eunuch Fu pushed open the door to the Imperial Study and went in first.
"Your Majesty, Prince Cheng has arrived."
"All of you, leave. No one is to enter without my permission," the Emperor commanded coldly.
Grandpa Fu closed the door and left.
Xie Hanyu's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Xie Hanyu knelt and bowed.
But the next second, the emperor slammed the memorial on the table onto Prince Cheng's head.
"I've heard that you spent the night with the second young lady of the Shen family last night? Tell me, is it true?"
Xie Hanyu was stunned by the blow, and upon hearing the Emperor's words, he was so frightened that his face turned red and then white.
He never expected that this matter would actually be exposed!
Looking at Xie Hanyu's expression, the Emperor wondered if it was true.
His anger flared up immediately: "You scoundrel! You can have any woman you want, yet you dare to touch your nephew's woman! Do you even have any respect for me?!"
Xie Hanyu knelt on the ground, her head lowered even further, her fingers gripping the cold edge of the floor tiles tightly.
His mind was in a mess. Had Shen Shu let something slip, or had Lin Wei noticed something?
Why did it escalate to the point of reaching the Emperor so quickly?
He opened his mouth, but found that his throat was blocked and he couldn't say a word.
Seeing his appearance, the emperor became even angrier and kicked the gilded incense burner next to him, scattering incense ash all over the ground.
"Speak up!" The Emperor's voice was like thunder, making Xie Hanyu's eardrums ring.
"How have I taught you all this time? Royal dignity, moral principles, have you completely ignored me? I've already shown you leniency by only making you reflect on your messy affairs in the inner quarters, but I never expected you to be so restless even in the temple, daring to seek out women!"
Xie Hanyu trembled violently, cold sweat dripping down his face and staining the ground with a dark color.
He knew that any attempt to explain himself would be futile at this moment, and could only keep kowtowing.
"Your Majesty, spare me! I... I was confused for a moment. There was a big fire in the manor a few days ago, and all of my more than one hundred concubines ran away. I haven't touched a woman in a long time. As for Shen Xiao... the people from the Bo Gong Mansion have already betrothed her to me. It was the Bo Gong Madam who gave her to the wrong person. You can't blame me!"
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