Chapter 94
Something really serious has happened.
When the two arrived at the flower hall, Master Shen was lying on the ground, wailing and crying, tears streaming down his face.
Meanwhile, Liu Shi—Xu Xuan's biological mother—was wiping away tears.
Both of them were shocked.
Xu Xuan stood there stunned, while Shen Yao cautiously stepped forward and squatted down, asking Old Master Shen, "Father, what's wrong with you all?"
Upon hearing the sound, Mr. Shen suddenly looked up, his eyes red from crying, and shook his head without saying a word, only wailing.
Shen Yao was immediately at a loss.
She stood up and took a few steps back, bumping into Xu Xuan. The two looked at each other, and Xu Xuan, seeing her gloomy expression, said softly, "I'll give it a try."
He released Shen Yao, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Father-in-law."
Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, Mr. Shen's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed, "Oh dear!" and waved his hand, saying, "Please don't call me father-in-law, it's such a disgrace!"
Xu Xuan's eyes widened.
At this moment, Master Shen stopped crying, stood up straight, looked at Xu Xuan with a sorrowful gaze, and spoke with a tidal wave of emotion.
“Xu Xuan, there’s something I have to tell you. It sounds absurd, but it really happened… You are actually my biological child.”
"..."
In an instant, the room fell into a deathly silence.
Because it was so bizarre, Old Master Shen wiped away a tear, slightly avoiding Xu Xuan's gaze, and began to explain, "Your mother and I had a relationship before, but we both got married later. I thought that was the end of it, but who knew you would come into this world. Son, I'm so sorry."
Master Shen spoke with tears in his eyes, and Xu Xuan listened in stunned silence. As for Madam Liu, she had been staring at Xu Xuan ever since he entered, never looking away.
Only Shen Yao frowned, immediately sensing the conspiracy.
Son-in-law turned into son, what is the father up to?
She pursed her lips, walked past Xu Xuan to her father's side, and tentatively asked, "Father, you're not telling the truth, are you? Does Mother know about this?"
The moment she finished speaking, Old Master Shen grabbed her ear and roared, "Silly girl, what business is it of yours here? Get out of here right now!"
"She can't leave."
Madam Liu stood up from the stool, the sapphire pendant by her ear swaying slightly. She looked at Master Shen and said in a choked voice, "Xu Xuan is your son, and Shen Yao is your daughter. Now that the truth is out, they are siblings, how can they be husband and wife?"
With just one sentence, Shen Yao's ears were freed, and at the same time, Xu Xuan's pale face appeared before everyone.
He shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling, "No, it's impossible, this isn't true. How could Shen Yao be my sister? There must be some mistake. I don't believe it."
Everyone looked at him.
Mr. Shen sighed deeply, “I know this is like a bolt from the blue for you, but blood is thicker than water. You and Ayao can never be together again, or you’ll be struck by lightning.”
Perhaps Master Shen's words were too harsh, for Xu Xuan suddenly flew into a rage and shouted, "Nonsense! What sister, what father? I have no idea where they came from. It's utterly ridiculous!"
He was trembling all over, and his teeth were chattering as he spoke.
Shen Yao bit her lip, feeling somewhat indignant, and turned to Master Shen to ask, "Father, shouldn't we confirm this matter again?"
Master Shen's expression grew cold, and he resolutely refused, "What's there to confirm? Don't I recognize my own child? Although your marriage was bestowed by His Majesty, ethics come first. Since things have come to this, I will write a memorial to His Majesty to apologize, and then you two can divorce."
Master Shen made his decision and turned to leave, but Xu Xuan hurriedly stopped him. "Father-in-law, you say I am your biological son, but when we got engaged, Madam Liu clearly knew I was her son. Didn't she tell you?"
Master Shen narrowed his eyes and looked up at Madam Liu.
Madam Liu clenched her handkerchief and explained, "When I was having an affair with Master Shen, I didn't know his identity. If I had known, I would have sent you to the Shen residence long ago."
This explanation is reasonable.
Xu Xuan could no longer restrain herself and slid to the ground like a piece of paper, muttering, "Then why were I sent to the Xu family? Since you gave birth to me, why did you abandon me?"
These words were a question directed at Madam Liu.
Madam Liu stared at Xu Xuan, her lips moving as if she were saying something, but no sound could be heard.
After a long silence, Xu Xuan received only a lukewarm apology: "I'm sorry for what happened. I'm not a good mother."
"That's all..."
Xu Xuan laughed loudly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Since you know you owe me, please don't bother me. Shen Yao and I are husband and wife, we were before, we are now, and we will be in the future. No one can separate us."
After speaking, he stood up, took Shen Yao's hand, and pulled her towards the door.
His strength was so great that Shen Yao had no time to resist and could only jog to keep up with him.
As she stepped out the door, Shen Yao panicked when she saw that no one was following her and hurriedly asked, "Where are you taking me?"
"have no idea."
Shen Yao was shocked. "Then why did you bring me out? My father—"
"Your father is a bastard." Xu Xuan suddenly turned around, interrupting Shen Yao angrily, startling her.
Seeing that Shen Yao refused to leave, Xu Xuan stopped caring and slapped her from behind, knocking her unconscious.
When Mr. Shen chased after them, the two had already disappeared.
*
Inside the Ministry of Justice's prison, the light and shadows were dappled, and the air was filled with a musty smell.
When Shen Yao opened her eyes, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Before she could get up, Xu Xuan's voice came from above and then fell.
"woke up?"
The man's face became clearer in her vision. When she realized it was Xu Xuan's face, Shen Yao was startled and frowned. "What are you doing here? Where is this place?"
"This is the Ministry of Justice prison."
"What—" Shen Yao coughed a few times, sat up, and asked, "Why did you bring me here?"
Xu Xuan sat down next to the bed, her tone indifferent, "Because this is the safest place right now."
Shen Yao's face immediately turned pale, and she blurted out, "...You imprisoned me? Are you insane?"
“I’m not crazy. I know what I’m doing. Heh, they say you’re my sister. I don’t believe it, not even if I die. I’ll find out the truth about this. In the meantime, you just stay here and relax.”
After Xu Xuan finished speaking, he got up to leave. Shen Yao was immediately shocked and forgot everything else. She leaned to the side and immediately grabbed his leg with both hands, shouting, "Wait, don't go!"
The woman's soft body pressed against him, and Xu Xuan was taken aback, looking down at her.
Their eyes met, one above the other. Shen Yao shed two tears and pleaded, "This is a prison. How can you lock me up in this dark and gloomy place? Xu Xuan, Xu Ziwei, please don't abandon me."
"I didn't abandon you, I just protected you."
He bent down slightly, reached out to wipe away her tears, sat on the edge of the bed, held the girl in his arms, and gently comforted her, "No one in this world can separate you and me. Our marriage is a blessing from heaven, a favor from the heavens, do you understand?"
As Shen Yao leaned against his chest, listening to his heart pounding, she felt increasingly wronged and sad.
She asked with difficulty, "Didn't you never love me? Then what's the point of saying all this now?"
He gave a cold laugh, his eyes fixed on the distance, speaking as if he were a withered tree, "Is love really that important? I loved her so much, but she still betrayed me. So love is one thing, and marriage is another."
Shen Yao sneered, "So you don't love me at all. Even though you know I have someone else in my heart, you still force me to stay by your side just because you're lonely and need someone to share your bed, isn't that right?"
Shen Yao heard a soft sneer from above her head, "That's right. I don't love you, but that doesn't stop us from being bound together for life."
"You bastard—"
Shen Yao was furious and struggled to get out of his arms, but Xu Xuan's arms were like an impenetrable wall, tightly binding her. She was like a hysterical trapped beast, jumping around in the cage he had carefully built, but she could not escape.
Xu Xuan scoffed, "Why bother comparing strength with a man?"
Shen Yao laughed in anger, "Illegal imprisonment, are you even a criminal investigator?"
He said, "I am a judge, but first and foremost, I am your husband."
Shen Yao gritted her teeth and retorted, "We are siblings. Being with me would be a curse. You've been studying the classics since you were young, how can you face your teachers Confucius and Mencius?"
Xu Xuan said indifferently, "Then you can just consider me an animal."
His unyielding attitude left Shen Yao speechless for a moment. After a moment of contemplation, she almost exhausted her last bit of strength to ask him, "Why me?"
“Because of you…” He gazed at her as well, his eyes sparkling with light, as if a thousand stars were shattered within them. Shen Yao saw herself reflected in his eyes, her own face shimmering among the stars.
"Because you're unlucky."
Xu Xuan released her after he finished speaking.
Shen Yao, now free, couldn't help but cough, clutching her chest. When she looked up again, Xu Xuan had straightened his clothes and looked like a virtuous gentleman and a state criminal officer.
Shen Yao retorted sarcastically, "How could she have ever fallen for you in the first place?"
Xu Xuan was taken aback, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Who?"
Shen Yao snorted coldly, "You don't want to know."
He would never know how much Shen Yao once loved him, yet he destroyed that love with his own hands.
Xu Xuan went out, and the sound of the door lock closing could be heard outside the stone gate.
Shen Yao shouted, "How long are you going to keep me locked up?"
He avoided answering, saying, "This is a serious prison cell, and usually no one comes here. Rest assured, I'll have someone bring you food tonight."
The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Shen Yao was so angry that her chest ached, and she cursed him incessantly in her heart.
*
At night, the Shen Mansion was brightly lit.
After Xu Xuan took Shen Yao away, Master Shen immediately sent his servants to search for her. They searched almost the entire capital, but still couldn't find Shen Yao, and he became anxious and ran around in circles.
Miao Niang brewed tea and said slowly, "It doesn't matter if we can't find them. Tomorrow, the master will personally go to the Ministry of Justice to ask for them. How could Xu Xuan refuse?"
Old Master Shen glared at him and gritted his teeth, saying, "What do you know? This is something that can't be said at all."
Miao Niang grinned, handed over the tea, and advised, "You've already done it, what's there to be afraid of?"
Master Shen glanced at her sideways.
Miao Niang then asked, "But I'm curious, sir, did you really have an affair with Madam Liu?"
Old Master Shen's lips twitched, and he slammed his fist on the table, roaring, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm clean, why would I sleep with someone else's wife?"
Miao Niang asked curiously, "Why would Madam Liu agree to help Master?"
"Of course it's about profit. Isn't the allure of the Duchess great enough?"
Miao Niang immediately understood, "The Duke's mansion is so powerful and wealthy. Although she currently holds the title of Lady, she is ultimately a concubine and cannot enter the ancestral hall. I must say, Master is indeed wise."
Master Shen snorted, "I promised her that as long as she helps with this, she will become a proper Duchess in the future. Wealth and honor will be within her grasp."
Miao Niang smiled and asked, "Does His Highness know about this?"
Old Master Shen frowned. "He doesn't know, nor does he need to know. As long as Ayao divorces Xu Xuan as soon as possible and gives birth to His Highness's eldest son openly, no matter how the political situation changes in the future, the Shen family will never fall."
Miao Niang smiled and clicked her tongue in admiration, "Master is very farsighted, Miao Niang truly admires him, but it's just a pity for the Imperial Concubine."
Master Shen's cooperation with the Crown Prince is tantamount to a betrayal of the Imperial Concubine.
Old Master Shen looked up at the stars and murmured, "I did all this for the Shen family. My parents will understand me from beyond the grave."
Whether Mr. Shen's parents understood or not is unknown, but Wei Luo certainly couldn't understand.
The next day, he received a letter from Master Shen, in which he recounted the events of the previous day and Shen Yao's disappearance, requesting the Crown Prince's assistance in searching for his daughter.
Wei Luo was so angry that his head ached. He threw the letter on the ground and cursed, "This is outrageous! I've never seen such a way of forcing people before. It's utterly inhumane."
Upon seeing this, Liu Heng bent down, picked up the letter, folded it neatly, and placed it on the table before asking, "What happened?"
Wei Luo rubbed his head and sighed, "Governor Shen and Madam Liu staged a grand show of recognizing a son, and now Xu Xuan is actually Governor Shen's biological son. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"ah--"
Liu Heng exclaimed in surprise, "How could someone do something so absurd? No, why would Commander Shen do something like this?"
Wei Luo looked up at Liu Heng, gritting his teeth and saying hatefully, "Isn't it because he doesn't trust me? He's afraid I'll go back on my word. That old fox."
Liu Heng continued, "This servant guesses that His Highness is about to choose a concubine and get married, and he's worried that His Highness might have a legitimate son first, so—"
Wei Luo's sharp gaze suddenly swept over, "I promised him that my eldest son would definitely be Shen Yao's child. Now he's pulling this stunt, pushing Xu Xuan to the brink of death. If something happens, no one will have a good outcome."
Liu Heng's eyes darted around, and he quickly said, "In that case, Your Highness, why don't you write a letter explaining the advantages and disadvantages, so as to nip problems in the bud?"
"It's no use."
Wei Luo waved his hand helplessly, "He and Xu Xuan have probably already fallen out. I'm helpless now, but we still need to find Shen Yao."
Where did Xu Xuan stay last night?
He asked.
Liu Heng said, "It's in the East Palace."
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