It Was A Fake Marriage, But Jiu Qian Sui Took It Seriously - Chapter 38

The carriage slowly drove towards the Duke’s Mansion.

Jun Moran looked at her seriously and said, “I was not in the capital a few days ago, and I just learned about the rumor today. Don’t worry, I will handle it.”

His voice was as mellow as aged wine, and Shen Qingli felt a little drunk just by listening to it.

Shen Qingli lowered her head and said softly, “I didn’t come to the Ninth Prince to talk about this…”

“What is that?” Jun Moran said patiently, “You can say whatever you want in front of me. There is no need to worry.”

Shen Qingli’s heart warmed, and she said, “I was injured in the cloth shop that day, and I took off my coat. Recently, there are rumors that someone… is holding that coat. If it was really taken by a thief…”

She hadn’t finished her words, but she believed Jun Moran could understand what she meant.

Any woman who was stigmatized like this would have no way out. She looked at him with some uneasiness.

Jun Moran lowered his eyes to look at her, and after a while he said, “It won’t be taken away by anyone.”

“Why?”

“Because the clothes are in my hands.”

Shen Qingli raised her head suddenly. His voice was calm and peaceful, but it was like thunder in her heart.

In…in his hands?

“As soon as you finished speaking that day, I sent someone to look for it.”

Shen Qingli was almost sucked in by his eyes, which seemed to contain emotions that she could not understand or dared not understand.

“Then…then why don’t you return it to me?”

This question was asked shyly. It was her personalbelonging but he put it away. Shen Qingli didn’t dare to look up again…

Seeing that she was shy, Jun Moyan smiled… He cleared his throat,and his voice became cold again: “I can’t give it back to you for now. It’s evidence. I’ll give it back after Jingzhao Yin investigates the matter thoroughly.”

“I see.”

My heart feels empty and I can’t describe the feeling of loss.

She lowered her head and said softly, “Thank you, Ninth Prince.”

Jun Moyan raised his eyebrows and said, “If you say thank you too much, it will lose your sincerity.”

Seeing him staring at her, Shen Qingli remembered the sachet that had been in the cabinet and had never been given away, and said, “The sachet for the Ninth Prince has been embroidered, but I didn’t know I would meet the Ninth Prince today, so I didn’t bring it with me.”

Jun Moyan’s voice was tinged with laughter: “Oh? That’s my fault. If you come to me in the future, just ask the maid to go to the mansion. I will give the order – you can enter the Ninth Prince’s Mansion at any time.”

This was…she didn’t know how to respond.

His face was puffed up like an angry pufferfish.

There was silence in the car, no one spoke again, and the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

“Miss Shen, we’ve arrived at the Duke’s Mansion.” The coachman of the Duke’s Mansion said in a low voice.

…Today this road is so short.

Shen Qingli lowered her head and said softly: “Then… Qingli will take her leave first.”

Jun Moran looked at her deeply without saying anything: “Go ahead, and remember to bring me something…you have to deliver it in person.”

Shen Qingli’s face suddenly turned red again, and she neither agreed nor refused.

He hurriedly jumped out of the car and went to meet Liu Yuyan who was waiting at the door.

Liu Yuyan’s face was full of teasing, and Shen Qingli was not annoyed. The two sisters hid in the mansion and talked in private for the whole afternoon.

The next afternoon, just after Shen Qingli had finished dinner with her mother, someone came to the Marquis’ Mansion.

“Miss, the former head of Xiangyun Cloth Shop, Lu Yuan, took your coat and said he wanted to find you to take responsibility. The old lady asked you to go back immediately.”

The person who came was Madam Liu who was beside Old Madam Lu. Her face was serious and full of oppression.

Jiang Yingwan was still unaware of the rumors outside and was confused by what she heard, but she also knew that it must be a big event.

Shen Qingli had seen Jun Moyan many times, and was not intimidated by Aunt Liu. She gently patted the back of Jiang Yingwan’s hand and stepped forward and said, “Lu Yuan is the old lady’s family, why does he have to make it known to everyone?”

Nanny Liu didn’t expect that Shen Qingli would still have the strength to refute even when she was in full force.

“Lu Yuan was holding the young lady’s coat and shouting everywhere that the young lady from the Marquis’s Mansion had betrayed his sincerity and wanted to ask for an explanation. The old lady couldn’t do anything about it.”

“If Miss Cousin refuses to go back, this matter will surely bring disgrace to General Shen’s reputation.”

Shen Qingli’s expression was stern, and a hint of danger flashed in her eyes. This old woman dared to use the reputation that her father had earned with his life to force her.

Shen Qingli and Jiang Yingwan entered Chaohui Hall through the side door together.

Everyone saw different expressions on Shen Qingli’s faces. Recently, without the support of the Shen mother and daughter, the Marquis’ Mansion was obviously not as good as usual. Even the most basic food was not good enough.

The Lu family was the most disappointed. They finally found a place to vent their anger after holding it in for a few days: “I was wondering why you were in such a hurry to move out. It turns out that you did something shameful and are hiding away. This has caused our mansion to be criticized by others.”

Shen Qingli’s eyes froze into ice as she looked at Lu: “What shameless thing? My aunt seems to know a lot about what happened in the cloth shop. Why don’t you go and tell Lord Jingzhao Yin about it?”

When Lu heard the Jingzhao Yin, she smiled awkwardly, “What do I know? Lu Yuan is usually an honest man. I just saw that he was so abnormal today, so I thought something must have happened.”

Old Madam Lu also chimed in, “There’s no need to alert the Jingzhao Yin about this matter. Qingli, go out and ask Lu Yuan to come to the mansion to talk. It’s not the right way to make a scene at the door like this.”

Lu couldn’t help but look a little proud. She was now in a worse situation than others because of this unlucky star. She felt happy to see Shen Qingli in trouble.

Jiang Yingwan also reacted at this time and protected Shen Qingli: “Lu Yuan is a member of your Lu family. Why should my Li’er come forward if you don’t solve it?”

“If anyone wants to dump anything dirty and smelly on my daughter today, I will file a complaint with the emperor even if it means sacrificing my late husband’s achievements.”

Mrs. Lu exchanged glances with Old Lady Lu. Shen Qingli’s reputation was already ruined, so it was not appropriate to provoke Jiang Yingwan at this time. If she really went to file a complaint with the emperor, the matter would not end well.

Old Mrs. Lu’s expression relaxed, she consoled Jiang Yingwan with a few words, and then ordered the housekeeper to tie up Lu Yuan.

Shen Qingli said coldly: “Wait!”

Everyone looked at her. Jiang Yingwan’s eyes showed worry. Shen Qingli’s lips curled slightly: “Aunt is so calculating. Lu Yuan has been calling for so long outside the door but you didn’t go to tie him up. Now that my reputation has been ruined, do you want to get away with it?”

A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the Marquis’ Mansion. It wouldn’t be long before the whole of Shengjing knew that Shen Qingli had an affair with the former head of the cloth shop. Once the rumor started to ferment, there was no telling how it would spread.

By then, even if Shen Qingli didn’t want to get married, she would be forced by the world to marry Lu Yuan, otherwise she might not even be able to leave the house.

Lu didn’t know what she meant by this: “So what do you want?”

“I went out and confronted her.”

Jiang Yingwan had tears in her eyes. No matter how this matter was resolved, it would damage her daughter’s reputation. But if it was explained clearly, her husband’s good name would not be ruined.

She did it to protect her father’s legacy.

“Mom will go with you.”

Shen Qingli shook her head and asked Tianxing to look after the lady, then turned around and brought Chunhua to the door of the Marquis’ Mansion with a serious face.

At the door, Lu Yuan held up a woman’s coat and shouted, “Ms. Shen, you and I made a vow to each other, why did you suddenly abandon me?”