"Lady Shen, what nonsense are you talking about! It was clearly you who were unchaste and had an affair. What does Mian'er have to do with it?"
Xu Yanchi shielded Lu Mian behind him, his disgust undisguised on his face.
Lu Mian looked tearful, "Brother Yanchi, Mian'er didn't do it. The Lady is the young lady of the Protector - Duke's Mansion and the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion. How could Mian'er harm the Lady?"
Saying that, she knelt down with a thud, "Lady, Mian'er knows that her existence offends your eyes. But Mian'er and Brother Yanchi are truly in love with each other, and I'm already pregnant with Brother Yanchi's child. It doesn't matter how you punish Mian'er, but please don't hurt my child!"
Xu Yanchi grabbed her arm, "Mian'er, get up. Why are you kneeling to her? She doesn't deserve it!"
Lu Mian's face was full of tears. She shook her head pitifully, "No, Brother Yanchi, it's Mian'er who is sorry to the Lady. Please talk to the Lady for me and ask her to forgive me, okay?"
Shen Qing: "???"
Hell no!
"Zhuxing."
Hearing this, Zhuxing took out several pieces of paper from her sleeve. Shen Qing threw them at Xu Yanchi's face, "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, Your Lordship can see for yourself!"
Xu Yanchi subconsciously took them and looked. What he saw shocked him.
The paper in detail recorded how he and Lu Mian had arranged for a man, bribed Shen Qing's maid Juanlian to drug her tea, so that she would be defiled, and then had someone lead Xu Yanchi there. There were also confessions and fingerprints.
"You..."
Xu Yanchi was about to say that she had forged it. How could she have obtained these in such a short time? Suddenly, he remembered that warning in his mind. If Shen Qing's real lover was not only capable but also willing to help Shen Qing...
Then things would be troublesome.
Xu Yanchi immediately tore the paper in a rage, his face ashen, "This is slander. I, a marquis, would never do such a thing!"
Shen Qing said, "Whether it's slander or not, we can let the Ministry of Justice investigate. The officials there have discerning eyes and will surely be able to tell whether what's written on the paper is true or false."
"Oh, right, Your Lordship, I have plenty of these papers. If you like tearing them, you can tear them to your heart's content when you get back to the mansion."
Xu Yanchi's face looked uglier than ever. He lowered his voice, "Shen Qing, if you dare to go to the Ministry of Justice, we're all doomed!"
A look of hesitation flashed across Shen Qing's face, as if she had been intimidated by his words, "I don't have to go. But I'm going back to the mansion now. Your Lordship, do you want to go back with me or stay here with your mistress and illegitimate child?"
When Shen Qing spoke, her eyes lingered on Lu Mian's belly, and she deliberately emphasized the words "mistress" and "illegitimate child". Lu Mian's eyes immediately turned red.
Xu Yanchi gritted his teeth, "I'll go back with you."
Shen Qing curled her lips, "The carriage is outside. Your Lordship, please."
Xu Yanchi flung his sleeves and walked out. Then he and Shen Qing got into the carriage one after the other.
Once in the carriage, Xu Yanchi showed his true colors, "Shen Qing, you hooked up with that lover yourself. I won't cover for you when we get back!"
Shen Qing wasn't angry. Instead, she said calmly, "I didn't expect Your Lordship to be so bold as to even curse the current emperor."
"What are you talking nonsense about? When did I..."
Xu Yanchi's expression froze. He looked at Shen Qing, "You..."
Shen Qing stared directly into his eyes.
"You're crazy!"
Xu Yanchi never expected that Shen Qing's lover would be the emperor!
Shen Qing smiled, "I have to thank Your Lordship and your sweetheart for their scheme."
Xu Yanchi was so angry that he laughed, "Don't think that just because you've had something to do with that person, you can become a phoenix. That person is not someone you can covet. If you're stubborn, don't blame me for not warning you!"
Shen Qing glanced at him disdainfully, "His Majesty is of celestial grace and above all others. Even spending one night with him is better than spending a lifetime with you. You'd better treat me well in public. If I'm humiliated, neither you nor your sweetheart will have a moment of peace!"
"You!"
Xu Yanchi said and was about to attack Shen Qing, but Zhuxing grabbed his arm, making him unable to move.
Zhuxing's expression was cold, "Your Lordship, attacking your own wife is not something a decent person would do."
Xu Yanchi was furious. He never expected that a maid beside Shen Qing would dare to attack him!
"I'm talking to my own wife. What are you, a maid, doing here? You have no manners at all!"
If he couldn't deal with Shen Qing, couldn't he deal with a maid?
Unexpectedly, Shen Qing said, "Zhuxing is His Majesty's person. I can't order her around."
Xu Yanchi immediately fell silent.
Shen Qing took in his expression and cursed in her heart,
"Coward!"
When he came to the Duke's Mansion before, she thought he was polite and a good match. She didn't expect to misjudge him.
While they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the Guangping Marquis's Mansion. Before getting off the carriage, Xu Yanchi whispered a warning to her, "Don't talk nonsense later, or I won't help you!"
Shen Qing rolled her eyes and ignored him. She got off the carriage with Zhuxing's support.
Seeing Xu Yanchi and Shen Qing come back together, the gatekeeper was stunned for a moment and quickly went in to report, "The Marquis and the Lady are back!"
When Shen Qing arrived, most of the people in the Marquis's Mansion had already gathered. The old lady was sitting in the main seat, looking unhappy. A young woman was massaging her back behind her.
Seeing her come in, the old lady slammed the teacup on the table.
"Lady Shen, kneel down!"
Shen Qing looked innocent, "Mother, why are you so angry so early in the morning? What mistake have I made that deserves you asking me to kneel in front of so many people without even asking?"
"You've done such a disgraceful thing and still don't admit your guilt! I'd be ashamed to death if I had a daughter - in - law like you in my family." The speaker was Xu Yanchi's second aunt, Mrs. Ge, who had often used her seniority to bully Shen Qing.
"That's right, Daughter - in - law Yanchi," said a woman sitting in the lower seat with a pair of shrewd triangular eyes, "You've done such a thing. You'd better admit your mistake to your mother quickly. Sister - in - law is always kind and won't punish you severely."
This time, the speaker was Xu Yanchi's third aunt, Mrs. Xing, a smiling tiger who was seemingly kind but actually very scheming. She seemed to be speaking up for Shen Qing, but in fact, she had stabbed Shen Qing in the back many times.
It was the same in her previous life. The three of them took turns to pressure her. She already felt sorry for the Marquis's Mansion, so she directly admitted the crime and almost had the family law applied to her. If it weren't for their scruples about the Protector - Duke's Mansion, she might have been beaten half to death.
Shen Qing's eyes slowly swept across the three of them. She looked blank, "Mother, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, what are you talking about? I don't understand. What mistake have I made? Please, elders, enlighten me."
The old lady snorted heavily,
"As the mistress of the mansion, you stayed out all night and did such an unchaste thing. How can you still have the face to ask why!"
Seeing the gloating expressions on the faces of the second and third aunts, Shen Qing knew that they already knew what had happened last night. She asked in confusion,
"What are you talking about, Mother? Daughter - in - law was with the Marquis all night last night. How can you say that I was unchaste?"
Mrs. Ge looked disgusted with her pretense and snorted, "Your maid stumbled back last night and said that you had encountered a villain outside, and at that time, the Marquis was not by your side at all!"
The old lady slapped the table hard, "Shameless!"
Just as Shen Qing was about to say something, suddenly there came a charming laugh. A graceful figure stepped forward and said gently, "Chan'er hasn't read much, but she also knows that a woman should not show herself in public casually. Maybe Cousin - in - law has offended someone."
Shen Qing clenched her fists tightly under her sleeves. She had worked hard for the Marquis's Mansion, but in their eyes, she had become a woman who couldn't stay at home?
Shen Qing looked at her expressionlessly, "Who are you?"
Jiang Chan's face stiffened. She said awkwardly, "The old lady is Chan'er's aunt."
"Oh, so you're my cousin. May I ask what you're doing here when this is a family matter?"