Chapter 25 Arranging a Broken Engagement
Yun Zhaoxue raised her hand to stop Xiao Xiuning from saying anything more, "What's the rush? I haven't finished speaking yet."
She then said to Shen Yan, "I can return these things to her. You can help them repay the dowry that the Marquis's mansion owes me."
"I don't have that much money."
"If you don't have money, get lost. Don't try to put on a show. My dowry is far more than this. Even if you sold your Yong'an Marquis's mansion, you still wouldn't be able to pay it back."
Shen Yan's breath hitched, and he clutched his chest, looking at her with the eyes of someone looking at a scumbag woman. "Qun, Princess, how could you do this to me?"
What exactly happened that night?
What caused her personality to change so drastically? The person who used to be so obedient to him is now showing him no respect at all?
None of them could remember what had happened.
Qin Hu and the others suspected that they had been drugged and slept with by people from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
He also wanted to find an opportunity to go to jail and beat up Xiao Xuance.
"Who are you? What gives you the right to speak to me like that?"
To the original owner, Shen Yan was merely a substitute for the Third Prince; the two were cousins and bore some resemblance.
Without this face, he was nothing. Later, the original owner of this body killed him with his own hands.
Shen Yan puffed out his chest. "I am Shen Yan."
"Whether it's a banquet for the emperor or a royal banquet, if you don't have money, there's no point in talking."
Shen Yan stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Good Xue'er, the Third Prince and the Second Miss are betrothed by the Emperor. No matter how you try to sabotage it, it will be useless. You are already pregnant, he won't want you anymore. You already have me, isn't that enough?"
In the original book, Shen Yan was one of the female protagonist Yun Jiaoyue's simps. He deliberately seduced the original owner to elope, ruining her reputation, and then sold her to Qin Hu as a favor, so as to fulfill the wishes of his beloved and the Third Prince. He had a lot of good intentions.
As soon as he approached, Yun Zhaoxue was so frightened that she took a few steps to the side. "Stop, stop, stop! Stay away from me! Don't come near me! I heard that you and a group of men partied all night in the villa and couldn't even get out of bed. I'm afraid I'll catch a disease."
"Princess, don't listen to those people's nonsense. My feelings for you are the only true ones." Shen Yan was so anxious that he tried to grab her arm.
Yun Zhaoxue grabbed his arm and twisted it hard, and a 'crack' sound rang out at the same time.
He kicked him in the stomach, "Bang!"
Shen Yan, clutching his severed arm, slammed backward, landing on his buttocks. He fell flat on his back, aggravating the wound on his buttocks, causing his legs to tremble and kick wildly on the ground in pain.
Clutching his buttocks, he yelled, "Ouch! Ouch, it hurts, it hurts so much! Help! Someone help me!"
His personal servant rushed forward to help him up, "Young Master, Young Master..."
"Quickly, find a doctor! Find a doctor!"
Xiao Xiuning stared blankly at Yun Zhaoxue, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
Her movements just now were swift and decisive; she truly knows martial arts and is quite skilled.
No wonder I was no match for her.
Xiao Xuanwu muttered to himself, "Sister, I think the princess has changed. She's not the same as before."
Xiao Xiuning snapped out of her daze, "Who knows if it's just an act for us to see."
...
Upon returning to the palace, Yun Zhaoxue had everything moved to her private treasury.
Xiao Xiuning retorted, "You took away our Wangfu's property, and now you want it back. We also put in some effort, so why should you take it all?"
Yun Zhaoxue smiled and said, "Just because I'm in charge of managing the household, everyone in the Prince's Mansion is under my control, and so are you. Your marriage is also under my control. If you don't want me to just marry you off to someone else, then you'd better be polite to your third sister-in-law."
In the original book, Xiao Xiuning and the eldest daughter-in-law of the second wife had long been on good terms with Ye Hongying, and wanted Ye Hongying to marry her third brother. She disliked the original owner and opposed her.
On the way to exile, the original owner could no longer bear it and pushed her off a cliff to her death.
Xiao Xiuning scoffed disdainfully, "My marriage is none of your business. I was already engaged long ago. My father arranged it for me when he was still alive. He is the son of Minister Duan."
Just then, a maid rushed over and said, "Fourth Miss, Madam Duan and General Duan have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiuning's angry face softened with a mixture of shyness and joy. "What did you say? Brother Duan is here?"
"Yes, they went to the front hall. Madam requests your presence."
"Did you hear that? The Duan family is the family my father arranged my marriage with, and Brother Duan is my future husband. Don't even think about interfering with my marriage, hmph!" Xiao Xiuning snorted coldly and walked towards the main hall.
As she walked, she asked the maid, "Quickly, check me. Is my hair messy? Are my clothes dirty? Would it be impolite to go see Brother Duan like this? Should I go back and change my clothes...?"
A hint of worry flashed across Xiao Xuanwu's eyes, and he followed after her, calling out, "Fourth Sister, wait for me."
After everyone left, Hongzao observed Yun Zhaoxue's expression and muttered softly, "Princess, this fourth young lady is so ungrateful. She tried to steal your dowry and was rude to you."
Yun Zhaoxue smiled indifferently, "Let her be happy for a while, otherwise she might cry later. Come on, let's go take a look."
main hall.
A man dressed in a blue brocade robe stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Madam Yang.
“Your Highness, I have no romantic feelings for the Fourth Miss. I have always regarded her as a younger sister. I have come here today to request the annulment of our engagement. I hope Your Highness will grant my request.”
Madam Yang looked at Duan Qingyun, whom she had watched grow up, with a face full of disappointment. "Be my younger sister? Our families have been engaged for over ten years, why didn't you say so sooner?"
General Duan is a deputy general under the Prince of Zhenbei. It was the Xiao family that promoted the Duan family, which is why they have their current status.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the Xiao family fell into misfortune, they were eager to sever ties.
Madam Yang regretted her misjudgment, almost pushing her daughter into a pit of fire. When the Duan family proposed to annul the engagement, she would never have married her daughter into the Duan family.
Madam Duan continued, "Yun'er was too young to understand matters between men and women before, but she has grown up and understands now. Please forgive her, Your Highness."
As she spoke, she took a box from the maid and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Madam Yang. "This is the betrothal gift that the two families exchanged back then. The two children don't have much affection for each other, so let's just call it a day to avoid delaying Fourth Miss from finding another good match."
Yang held a handkerchief to her lips, her muffled cough breaking through the silk's texture. Her knuckles turned slightly white. She put the handkerchief down, her voice icy, "Find another good match? Even in-laws who have been engaged for nearly ten years can't be trusted. Ning'er will be heartbroken when she finds out, thinking that all men in the world are fickle and unreliable ingrates."
She was truly furious. She rarely spoke harshly to anyone, so she deliberately made sarcastic remarks about the other person.
Madam Duan's face turned ugly. "Your Highness, we are all sensible people. The Prince's Mansion has suffered a disaster. If our two families continue the marriage agreement, wouldn't that harm the Duan family and my son?"
Upon hearing Madam Duan's words, Xiao Xiuning's smile froze, her eyes filled with disbelief, as if she had misheard.
No, Brother Duan is so good to her. The Duan family's longevity is entirely due to the Xiao family's promotion.
How could he possibly break off the engagement with her?
However, upon hearing the next sentence, he was completely disheartened. His face turned ashen, he gave a self-deprecating laugh, tears welled up in his eyes, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the door frame tightly, and his straight back hunched over and trembled slightly.
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