Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3: The Girl from Another World (1)

Shen Guiya attempted suicide by jumping into the lotus pond but was saved by the household servants.

Upon hearing this news, Shen Guiyan’s first reaction was to say that she was stupid, and indeed, it seemed that she really had no brains. The lotus pond was only waist-high, and if she wanted to die that badly, she could have jumped into the city’s moat! Why choose the lotus pond?

At that moment, she heard the maid from Qingya hall sobbing, “I’m afraid the Fifth Young Miss’s life is in danger. She had been trapped in the lotus pond for a long time and hasn’t woken up yet.”

The entire Shen household was thrown into commotion, and one after another, they made their way to the Qingya Hall. There, they heard Yushu’s heartbreaking wails, her voice wrenched with grief.

“It’s all that heartless man’s fault! If not for him, how could our young lady be in such despair? Master, Madam, you must seek justice for our young lady!”

Lord Shen sat on the side, and before he could ask what had happened, Madam Shen was already crying heavily and asked in anger, “What heartless person? You, explain this clearly to me! Who endangered my Ya’er’s life? I will definitely make him pay with his life!”

Madam Shen was speaking as though Shen Guiya’s life had already been forfeited.

Shen Guiyan arrived a bit late and saw that the room was already full of people. As soon as Yushu saw her, she finally opened her mouth to explain about the ‘heartless man.’

“Young Master Gu, who was already engaged to the Third Young Miss, came and seduced our young lady, causing her to lose her innocence. Then, he turned his back on her, saying he wouldn’t marry her. In her shame and outrage, our young lady decided to end her life!”

As soon as these words were spoken,  the entire hall was stunned speechless, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward the entrance where Shen Guiyan stood.

Such twisted words— [turning black into white – a Chinese idiom for distorting facts, turning black into white¹. Shen Guiyan couldn’t help but clutch her handkerchief tightly in her hand. It was clearly Shen Guiya, who shamelessly seduced Young Master Gu, and now she’s claiming he lured her and ruined her innocence? Such nonsense!

Besides, why was everyone looking at her like that? It wasn’t she who drove Shen Guiya to commit suicide.

Madam Shen flew into a rage and slapped the couch. She rose to her feet and clutched her handkerchief as she gave Master Shen an intense look. “If this matter can be tolerated, then our Shen family’s esteemed name would be thrown into disgrace! So what if it’s the Prime Minister’s residence? They ruined a young girl’s reputation, therefore, they must give us an explanation!”

Lord Shen also felt sorry for his own daughter, but he did not fully believe in Yushsu’s words. Gu Chaodong was quite praised and well-respected among the younger generation. It was unlikely that he would do such an inhumane and shameful act as a person. Since he was about to marry Yan’er, how could he ruin Ya’er’s innocence?

“Let’s wait for Ya’er to wake  up to clarify this matter.” Lord Shen only sighed.

Shen Guiyan hesitated for a moment and then spoke up, “If Young Master Gu truly seduced Fifth Younger Sister and has no intention to offer a proper explanation, then I, too, would not be willing to entrust my life to him.  It would be best to investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Once Shen Guiya wakes up, the worst that could happen is a confrontation with Gu Chaodong. With him being present, would she still dare to twist the truth? She seduced her sister’s future husband— if anyone deserves to be in disgrace, it should be Shen Guiya.

Madam Shen had nothing else to say. She only cast a cold gaze at Shen Guiyan before returning to Shen Guiya’s side and continued to weep.

Shen Guiya was unconscious for the rest of the night. The next day,  someone from the Gu residence arrived. It was none other than Prime Minister Gu himself who came to pay a visit, and was accompanied by Gu Chaodong.

The Shen family was merely a vice minister’s household, yet they had the Prime Minister personally visit their residence, which naturally caused everyone to be anxious. Although Madam Shen felt she was in the right, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the Prime Minister’s authority. Therefore, she arrived early at the entrance of the manor to personally welcome them.

“Lord Shen, you don’t need to be overly courteous.” Prime Minister Gu was a rather humble man. He only brought Gu Chaodong and the coachman, and no other attendants. As he came forward, he slightly cupped his hands in greeting, “This old man has brought his son to personally come and apologize. I hope Lord Shen and the Third Young Miss will give him a chance to explain himself.”

Gu Chaodong had been secretly glancing at Shen Guiyan since they arrived, but she only pretended not to see and properly welcome them all the way to the main hall.

“I have come today to speak about the matter concerning your household’s Fifth Young Miss,” Gu Chaodong said, as he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt in the main hall. The entire Shen family was startled and instinctively moved to help him up, but he raised his hand to stop them. With great respect, he bowed to Lord Shen and Madam Shen.

“Though I am unworthy, I have been fortunate to be blessed with an engagement with your esteemed Third Young Miss. However, a few days ago, I was led by a maidservant beyond your residence to the Sanqing Inn, where… I, regrettably, was involved in an intimate encounter with the Fifth Young Miss.”

His words were awkward, and his expression was not good. He did not know that everyone in the room had already known about it. The people in the room were no longer surprised, only curious about the details behind it.