Chapter 418 Let's break off our friendship with Gu Qianning!
Xiao Qingyuan looked tired and haggard, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights.
He spoke in a hoarse voice, "Shen Wantang, you must have heard all those rumors circulating outside, right?"
Shen Wantang looked bewildered: "What is it you're talking about, Your Highness? I've been sick these past few days and have been bedridden. I haven't been able to take care of anything. What happened? Is something wrong?"
Xiao Qingyuan opened his mouth, but then swallowed his words. He only said, "Actually, it's nothing. You were there that day, so you should know better than anyone else that Qingxi is innocent. She didn't push Lin Rouxin into the water."
A mocking smile appeared on Shen Wantang's lips. She pretended to be stupid and said she hadn't heard anything, so Xiao Qingyuan really treated her like a fool and fed her the ridiculous idea that Xiao Qingxi was innocent.
She remained silent and refused to agree with Xiao Qingyuan's statement.
Lin Rouxin may not have been pushed into the water by Xiao Qingxi, but Xiao Qingxi's intention to kill was very clear. If Lin Rouxin hadn't been on guard, she would have died countless times already.
Moreover, she and Gu Qianning were genuinely forced to jump into the river after Xiao Qingxi knocked over their pleasure boat!
That's why she and Gu Qianning knew how to swim; otherwise, she might have drowned.
Moreover, it was only because the two of them were in relatively good health that they only developed a high fever after falling into the water. If it were a weaker young lady, she would have fallen seriously ill!
She hasn't settled this score with Xiao Qingxi yet!
“Shen Wantang, Lin Rouxin’s matter is a misunderstanding, and your matter with Miss Gu is just an accident. Why don’t you go to the Duke’s Mansion today and apologize to Miss Gu on Qingxi’s behalf, and tell her to stop making trouble. Qingxi is already in a very difficult situation, so don’t add fuel to the fire.”
Shen Wantang looked unwilling, and her tone was full of dissatisfaction: "The Crown Prince is the Princess's own brother. If we are to apologize, isn't the Crown Prince the most suitable person to do so?"
"Why is it that good things never happen to me, but I'm the one who has to apologize? Who came up with this brilliant idea? Was it the prince or the princess? Doesn't the princess hate me the most? What, now she thinks I'm useful?"
"I'm still sick, why are you asking me to do this thankless task? Does the young master think I'm easy to bully? Or does the young master not treat me like a human being at all?"
She rattled off a whole bunch of things, leaving Xiao Qingyuan speechless.
After a long pause, he said somewhat awkwardly, "This is neither my idea nor Qingxi's idea. It is my father and mother's idea. They just feel that the two of us are close, so they specially asked me to say it."
Shen Wantang stared at him in astonishment: "I'm close to the Crown Prince? How come I didn't know? The Crown Prince is clearly close to everyone except me. Anyone with eyes can see that! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for lying like this?"
Xiao Qingyuan's face turned slightly pale: "Don't put it so harshly. You and I are husband and wife. Even if we're just putting on an act in front of Father and Mother, we should at least be more affectionate."
"But you're clearly unwilling to even pretend!"
"Well... the reason I came to you is to tell you that if you apologize to Miss Gu on Qingxi's behalf this time, and make the Gu family stop pressuring the Emperor to punish Qingxi, I will consummate our marriage!"
Shen Wantang gasped, "What did you say?"
"Isn't this what you've always wanted? You love me, you've always wanted to consummate our marriage, and you want to have a child with me. I can agree to all of that, as long as you go to the Gu family and apologize to Qingxi."
Shen Wantang's face was extremely ugly. So she had to act like a grandson and apologize, warm Xiao Qingyuan's bed and sleep with him, and even have a child with him!
How come he gets all the good things?
If she goes back to the Gu family and says a good word for Xiao Qingxi, she'll change her surname to Shen!
Shen Wantang said with a straight face, "No matter how many promises the young master makes, it's useless. I'm not going; it would be too embarrassing!"
"What's so shameful about that?"
"If you don't think it's shameful, then go ahead and do it!"
“It would be embarrassing for me to go, after all, I am a man and I still need to save face. But you are different, you are a woman, and face is not so important to you. Besides, you are on good terms with Miss Gu and have even treated her illness. If you lower your stance and apologize and plead for her, you will definitely be able to move Miss Gu!”
Even with her self-control honed over two lifetimes, Shen Wantang almost couldn't hold back!
So Xiao Qingyuan himself knows he's humiliated? He's a man and has to save face, but she's a woman and can disregard it? What kind of twisted logic is that!
Shen Wantang's tone hardened: "I won't go! To take advantage of someone's kindness is not the act of a gentleman!"
Xiao Qingyuan has this kind of ability. She was pretending to be angry at first, but as she talked, he really got angry. She didn't need to act anymore; she really didn't want to go now.
"How is this taking advantage of a favor? Can you please stop using such language? I only asked you to apologize on Qingxi's behalf, and you've been making excuses all the time. It's really unreasonable of you!"
"I've never heard of having someone else apologize on her behalf. If the princess is truly sincere, she should go apologize to the Gu family herself! If I apologize for her, she won't appreciate it; she'll just scold me!"
"No, this time is different. This time, it was Father and Mother who gave their approval, and you were ordered to apologize. Besides, the fact that your pleasure boat capsized was an accident. The wind and waves were too strong, and the pleasure boat was fragile, so it capsized."
Shen Wantang gained a new understanding of Xiao Qingyuan's ability to lie through his teeth, and she suspected that it was Prince Ning and Princess Ning who taught him to say such things, as he himself would not be so capable of distorting the truth.
"My pleasure boat and A-Ning's were overturned. Doesn't the young master know whether it was an accident or not? The princess clearly did it on purpose. When has A-Ning ever suffered such humiliation or loss? Even if she is willing to forgive the princess and swallow all her grievances, can the Duke of Zhenguo and Madam Gu swallow them? Can Her Majesty the Empress swallow them?"
Xiao Qingyuan nodded: "Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. So, after you go to the Gu family, tell them that Qingxi didn't intentionally crash into your pleasure boat. She was just tricked by you and got angry, so she crashed into it."
Shen Wantang raised an eyebrow: "What did you say?"
Xiao Qingyuan looked at her reproachfully: "Actually, in the end, this whole thing is your fault. You shouldn't have teased Qingxi. She's impatient and competitive. If you had just let her have her way, none of this would have happened."
"Also, you shouldn't have asked Miss Gu to ride on the same pleasure boat as you. She was dragged into the water because of you, so you have to apologize this time, because this was all your fault."
"Furthermore, after this matter is over, you should stop having any dealings with the Gu family. Gu Qianhan and I are sworn enemies, yet you're getting so close to his sister, showing no consideration for my feelings or the Wangfu's reputation."
"You should break off all ties with Gu Qianning from now on!"
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