Chapter 156 Marriage
The maid and the alarmed people quickly ran to Xiao Deyin.

Xiao Deyin fell to the ground, her veil fell off, and her face was terrified. The maid was startled and asked, "Sir! Sir, what's wrong with you?"

"Someone..." Xiao Deyin took a breath, his face pale, "Someone wants to kill me!"

"Who is it?" People who lived nearby who heard the news turned around and looked around, but said, "I don't see anyone. Could it be robbers? Mr. Xiao, why don't you report it to the police and let them handle this matter."

The people here all lived in the alley and knew Xiao Deyin. They all enthusiastically offered suggestions.

The maid also said: "Yes, sir, why don't we go and report to the police now!"

When Xiao Deyin heard about reporting to the police, she instinctively wanted to refuse. She coughed a few times and said, "I'm really feeling very uncomfortable right now. I want to go back to my room and rest for a while. I'll report to the police when I feel better."

Seeing her pale and shaky face, everyone nodded. Some women came forward to comfort her with concern, and then Xiao Deyin was supported by the maid and entered the room.

The maid was also worried that it was still unsafe outside, so she asked the guards in the mansion to guard the gate well and lock it tonight, and then she prepared some ginger soup for Xiao Deyin to calm her nerves.

Although this alley is quiet, there have never been any robbers or bandits here on weekdays. This was the first time Xiao Deyin had encountered such a thing.

Xiao Deyin sat on the couch in the room. The ginger soup was not ready yet, and there was only cold tea in the room. She was anxious to drink something, so she reached out to grab the teacup, but her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't hold the teacup. Then she heard a "pop" and the teacup fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

The maid heard the noise and rushed in to clean up. Fortunately, the tea was cold and not hot. Xiao Deyin looked at the large pool of water on the ground and felt palpitations when she thought of her life hanging by a thread.

People outside said that they were bandits and robbers who had evil intentions when they saw her alone, but Xiao Deyin knew it was not the case. The two men were clearly coming for her from the beginning and even called out her name, which showed that they were instructed by someone. But Xiao Deyin believed that she had never made enemies with anyone, and the only thing she had done in her life that offended anyone was to frame Xue Fangfei.

But the person was talking about the princess. Princess, there is only one princess in Beiyan now, the sister of King Cheng, Princess Yongning. But why would such a princess do such a cruel thing to her? She has never offended this princess before!

Wait, she remembered, that person said in a hurry, "Only the dead can keep secrets." What does this mean? It means that the other party is here to kill her to silence her. But what incredible secret did she learn?

Xiao Deyin was not stupid, on the contrary, she was very smart, and she had figured out a lot from just a few words. But the more she thought about it, the more her headache became, and she didn't know if she was really suffering from a cold or if there was something wrong with her.

At this time, the maid brought in the cooked ginger soup and said, "It's hot, sir, please drink a sip or two to calm your nerves."

Xiao Deyin wanted to take it, but her hand was still unstable, so the maid served her, feeding her ginger soup spoonful by spoonful. With warmth in her stomach and a little peace of mind, Xiao Deyin calmed down and thought about it again. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.

It was heard that Jiang Li, the daughter of the Prime Minister, brought a group of Tongxiang villagers to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor. In the court discussion, they finally said that the person who ordered the murder of Xue Huaiyuan was Princess Yongning. Although Jiang Li later took the initiative to prove that this was a frame-up and perjury, the rumor spread.

Xue Huaiyuan happens to be Xue Fangfei's father.

Xiao Deyin had not thought of this at first. But the man today was calling her a princess. She thought about it and realized that the connection between her and Princess Yongning was because Princess Yongning liked to listen to her playing the piano. She used to go to the princess's mansion and play the piano for her. But since then, Princess Yongning no longer liked to listen to the piano.

Wait, it seems that the time when Princess Yongning stopped summoning me to the princess mansion was exactly after Xue Fangfei died.

As if he had a clue, it was much easier to think in this direction. Xiao Deyin recalled that when Xue Fangfei was still alive, she was already a famous beauty in Yanjing City, but when Princess Yongning mentioned her, she always had a bit of disgust. At first, Xiao Deyin thought it was just because Princess Yongning was jealous of women who were better than herself, but now it seems that it is worth investigating.

I killed Xue Fangfei, and Princess Yongning might also be the culprit who ordered the murder of Xue Huaiyuan. Xue Huaiyuan was Xue Fangfei's father. The common connection between me and Princess Yongning was Xue Fangfei.

But why did Princess Yongning attack herself?

The stranger's cold words "Only the dead can keep secrets" echoed in her ears.

What secret did she have? She only had one secret, which was that she had added something to Xue Fangfei's wine at Shen's mother's birthday party.

This is her secret!
In an instant, she suddenly understood why Princess Yongning wanted to kill her! Back then, a mysterious person threatened her to kill Xue Fangfei. She thought she was holding poison, but she never thought it was something more sinister than poison. The identity of the mysterious person was unknown, but now thinking about it, it was most likely Princess Yongning!

It was precisely because of this that Princess Yongning wanted to send someone to kill her, because she would reveal the secret! But why did she take action now? It was simply because Princess Yongning came to the banquet at the Shen Mansion a few days ago and saw herself! Maybe it was because of the sudden meeting that Princess Yongning remembered that there was such an uncontrollable evidence as herself, or maybe it was because of the song "Guanshan Yue" that not only herself was uneasy, but also Princess Yongning!

What a vicious plan, killing two birds with one stone!
As long as she died, no one would know that someone had instructed her to take the drug. Even if someone discovered something wrong with Xue Fangfei's case, they could put the blame on her. Because - the dead can't speak, let alone defend themselves!

How similar, what happened to Xue Fangfei will happen to me!
Xiao Deyin felt cold all over.

She knew Princess Yongning's ability. Since she was able to kill Xue Fangfei without making a sound, she could naturally kill herself. King Cheng had such a large influence and many spies. As long as she was in Yanjing City, she would not be able to escape.

But she had to escape. Since Princess Yongning had made up her mind to silence the witness, she would definitely escape.

But Xiao Deyin was very afraid that he would die before he even left the mansion.

Her mind raced. She could not leave the city or hide in Yanjing alone. Although she knew many nobles, she had to curry favor with Princess Yongning. If she wanted to seek protection, she had to find someone who was not afraid of Princess Yongning and was very powerful.

Who is it?
Xiao Deyin thought about it and finally thought of such a person.

Jiang Li, the daughter of the Prime Minister.

To be fair, Xiao Deyin really disliked Jiang Li for no other reason than that Jiang Li's performance of "Eighteen Beats of the Hujia" in the Six Arts School Examination was amazing. At that time, some people said that Jiang Li's piano skills were probably not inferior to hers. How could Xiao Deyin tolerate this? However, Jiang Li was Jiang Yuanbo's daughter after all, so she could do nothing about it. Fortunately, Jiang Li did not show her piano skills in other places after that, which made Xiao Deyin feel relieved.

Although he disliked Jiang Li very much, but... Jiang Li dared to directly say in the court that the person who instigated Feng Yutang was Princess Yongning. It can be seen that he was not afraid of Princess Yongning's power. He heard that there were also rumors in the court that Jiang Yuanbai and King Cheng were not on good terms.

If so, the Jiang family and Princess Yongning are not the same kind of people. Most importantly, Jiang Li said in front of all the civil and military officials that Xue Huaiyuan was Xue Fangfei's father, and the person who instigated Feng Yutang to frame Xue Huaiyuan was Princess Yongning. Did she say it unintentionally, or did she already know something?
If he said this deliberately because he knew something, there would be an opportunity to take advantage of it.

"I need to think about it," Xiao Deyin murmured, "What should I do next..."

……

Jiang Li learned in the Jiang Mansion that the people sent by Ye Mingyu had succeeded.

Ye Mingyu's people acted quickly, and the play was also very good, so no one should have discovered the clues. It is said that Xiao Deyin was pale and lost at the time. Jiang Li knew that with Xiao Deyin's intelligence, he would quickly connect this matter to Xue Fangfei's matter, and then think of Princess Yongning.

Dogs bite dogs, and both are left with a mouth full of fur. Now is not the time to let them bite each other. At least they should first find out who their opponents are.

It would take some time for Haitang's fake pregnancy medicine to be made. In the following days, Jiang Li had some free time again.

Not long after, Shen Ruyun was going to get married.

Madam Jiang did not receive the invitation. In fact, the Ningyuan Marquis's residence was too embarrassed to send an invitation to the Jiang family. After all, it was Jiang Youyao who was engaged to Zhou Yanbang. If Zhou Yanbang had not gotten into that scandal, the lady who was now the wife of the Zhou family should have been a lady from the Jiang family.

Although Madam Jiang did not receive the invitation and did not plan to attend the ceremony, Jiang Yuanbo secretly sent a few people to mix in with the crowd. Probably to find Jiang Youyao's whereabouts. Jiang Youyao has not been found yet. If she is still in Yanjing City and is still free, Zhou Yanbang is her lifelong wish. On the day of her marriage, Jiang Youyao must come to see her.

Jiang Yuanbai thought that as long as Jiang Youyao went there, he could find her.

When Jiang Li heard the news, she just smiled faintly and didn't comment. Even if Jiang Youyao really went, she would only be asking for shame.

Tong'er said as she folded her clothes, "Now that Miss Shen is going to marry the prince of Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, Miss Fifth must be furious. Miss Fifth has always been arrogant, and now that someone else is the wife and she is the concubine, I think it is very unfair."

"She already knew the difference between a wife and a concubine." Jiang Li smiled, "But she thinks marrying Zhou Yanbang as a concubine is better than being the wife of a commoner. This is her own choice."

When setting up the trap for Zhou Yanbang, Jiang Li had asked Jiang Yu'e. If Jiang Yu'e had hesitated a little at that time, she would not be in the current situation. However, Jiang Yu'e was determined to enter the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, even if it meant being Zhou Yanbang's concubine. Jiang Li had seen women like her who had some looks, ordinary background, but were extremely restless and wanted to climb up the social ladder.

It’s all your own karma.

"But the Third Master looks really scary." Tong'er thought for a moment and said, "When I went to the kitchen today, I saw the Third Master in the yard. Although the Third Master was not very close to the First and Second Masters, they were quite harmonious. He would smile on weekdays, but I don't know when he became so cold. Could it be that he suffered a loss at the hands of the Third Madam?"

Yang was a hot-tempered person, and everyone in the mansion knew about it every time Jiang Yuanxing was scolded by her for being incompetent.

Hearing this, Jiang Li couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Jiang Yuanxing didn't agree with Jiang Yu'e being someone's concubine at first. He himself was a concubine and had a son, so he knew the hardship involved. But Jiang Yu'e was lying with Zhou Yanbang in public, so she had already suffered. If she didn't marry Zhou Yanbang, there might not be any good family willing to marry her in the future, and her fate might be worse than marrying Zhou Yanbang as a concubine. Jiang Yuanxing had no choice but to agree to this. But it seemed that from that day on, Jiang Yuanxing became gloomy. He seemed to have a prejudice against the first and second wives, and acted more unfamiliarly and politely, including Yang. Although she was as aggressive as ever, Jiang Li thought that Yang's aggressiveness and smile were different from Lu's. Yang was hypocritical and calculating in her bones.

Now that Shen Ruyun has married into the Zhou family, Jiang Li knows that things will definitely not go smoothly between Jiang Yu'e and Shen Yurong. Jiang Li also believes that Zhou Yanbang will definitely not let things go smoothly between these two women. The third room is still so calm, which makes Jiang Li feel strange.

I always feel like something is wrong.

She thought for a moment and told Tong'er, "Tong'er, you should hang out with the maids from the third room more often in the mansion recently. Don't let anyone find out. Find out if there's anything different about the third room than usual."

"The third room?" Tong'er was a little surprised. After all, the third room had never had much contact with Jiang Li, so it was a little strange to ask about it. But Tong'er knew that Jiang Li had her own reasons for doing things, so she nodded obediently and said, "I know, don't worry, young lady."

Jiang Li looked out the window. It was a calm day outside, with warm sunshine. Looking at the sky, she seemed to be able to see the joyful wedding procession outside, with the sound of gongs and drums.

I wonder what the current situation is at Ningyuan Marquis’ Mansion.

Jiang Li smiled slightly and closed the window.

……

Ningyuan Marquis Mansion is unusually lively today.

Ningyuan Marquis' son Zhou Yanbang got married, and many people came to watch the ceremony. Some of them were naturally because of their friendship with Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, but more people came for the bride's side.

The bride's brother is none other than Lord Shen Yurong, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat who is deeply favored by the emperor. Many people come to watch the ceremony and show their support for the bride just to make friends with this young man.

Ningyuan Hou and his wife were also smiling. Although the marriage with the Prime Minister Jiang family was broken, the Shen family was still good. Although the Jiang family was rich and powerful, the daughter of the Jiang family was inevitably spoiled. Wouldn't she be worshipped like a bodhisattva when she was married into the family in the future? This young lady from the Shen family would be much easier to control.

Besides, things change over time. Looking at the recent series of incidents that have befallen the Jiang family, it is unknown how long the Jiang family can remain prosperous. If something happens to Jiang Yuanbai or Jiang Yuanping, the Jiang family will be in tatters. Anyone who finds a young lady from the Jiang family will be in trouble. The Shen family is different. It seems that this Lord Shen will have a bright future and will last for a long time.

Thinking of this, the smiles on the faces of the two elders of the Zhou family became more genuine.

Shen's mother was also invited as a guest of honor today. Her daughter being able to marry a marquis was something she had never dared to think about before. Besides, Zhou Yanbang was a handsome man, and it was pleasing to look at. Shen Ruyun herself also liked this husband very much. Shen's mother thought that there was nothing more perfect in the world. Strangely, Shen's mother was harsh to other people, but very tolerant to her own daughter. Shen Yurong was the same. Probably because in order to support Shen Yurong's studies, Shen Ruyun had to do needlework with Shen's mother at a young age to supplement the family income. After Shen Yurong became successful, she always felt guilty towards her sister, and usually gave in to them and indulged them.

However, he did not expect that while he could give in to his mother and sister, others did not have to suffer and sacrifice for his mother and sister.

There was a sudden commotion outside; it turned out that the groom had arrived.

Zhou Yanbang walked in.

Half a year ago, Zhou Yanbang was still a famous handsome man in Yanjing City, gentle and elegant. Now Zhou Yanbang has gained a lot of weight compared to half a year ago. So much so that his originally handsome face has become a little deformed and swollen. His expression is also listless. Although he has been specially dressed up today, he still looks listless.

He was naturally not in high spirits. The Zhou family found him in a brothel this morning. If they hadn't dragged him back, he would have been having fun in a place where he shouldn't have been at the wedding banquet, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery.

Even now, he was probably still drunk from last night and his eyes were dull.

Shen Yurong's eyes turned cold.

Since the incident at the banquet, Zhou Yanbang has never recovered. He has no hope for a career in the government and has become a laughing stock among the nobles of Yanjing City. Everyone who sees him praises him for his good fortune. The ridicule in their words is not concealed. After so many times, Zhou Yanbang gave up on himself and spent his days in brothels, drinking and gambling, just like the helpless people on the street.

This made Zhou Yanbang's parents cry. The Zhou family had no engagement with the Jiang family, but they had an engagement with the Shen family. What would happen if Shen Yurong knew that Zhou Yanbang was fooling around like this? They couldn't control their son, so they always helped Zhou Yanbang cover up. But it was impossible to be perfect. Shen Yurong had personally visited the Zhou family several times to warn them. At first, Ningyuan Hou could still have Zhou Yanbang tied up, but he couldn't be tied up every day. As long as he had the chance, Zhou Yanbang would slip out and fool around.

The Zhou family thought that if they continued like this, the Shen family would definitely not agree to this marriage. But in the end, the Shen family warned the ghosts and warned them, and did not propose to cancel the engagement, so the Ningyuan Marquisate was relieved. They thought that it was probably because Shen Ruyun was also caught having an affair with Zhou Yanbang, and the reputation of her daughter's family was important, so she had to bite the bullet and marry into the Zhou family.

Of course, Shen Yurong didn’t think so.

He stood in front of the crowd, looking at Zhou Yanbang with a stern expression. He looked like a rogue, holding Shen Ruyun's hand without any care or caution, just like a girl from a brothel. He looked very casual.

Shen Yurong felt like there was a fire burning in his heart, but reason told him that he couldn't do that. Besides... Shen Ruyun herself was happy too.

Shen Ruyun had liked Zhou Yanbang for a long time. In order to marry Zhou Yanbang, she even used her reputation to make a plan. In front of everyone, it was a done deal, forcing Zhou Yanbang to marry her. As a woman, she didn't even want her own self-esteem. But Shen Yurong was a man, and he could see that Zhou Yanbang had no affection for Shen Ruyun, and he didn't even have a good impression of her. After Shen Ruyun entered the house, she would definitely suffer a lot.

But he couldn't stop Shen Ruyun, nor could he stop Shen's mother. Shen Yurong knew that even if the Zhou family didn't dare to do anything to Shen Ruyun temporarily because of his status, it was not a long-term solution. A daughter who is married off is like water spilled out, and Shen Yurong couldn't keep an eye on the Zhou family all the time. Zhou Yanbang's behavior would bring Shen Ruyun a lot of suffering. Shen Ruyun's hard days were still to come.

Thinking of this, Shen Yurong couldn't help but have a headache. He thought, women who are a little stupid are really annoying. If it was Xue Fangfei, she would definitely not do that. She is smart and will not let herself fall into such a passive situation. But... he thought about it again and thought that he was ridiculous. Although Xue Fangfei did not marry Zhou Yanbang, she married Shen Yurong. Shen Ruyun married into the Zhou family and at least she was alive, but Xue Fangfei married into the Shen family and even lost her life.

In that case, isn't Xue Fangfei even dumber than Shen Ruyun?
He smiled, but he didn't know whether he was laughing at himself or others.

Shen Ruyun was led by Zhou Yanbang, and she could hardly contain her joy, which kept bubbling out from the bottom of her heart, like a spring in spring, full of endless happiness. Her dream actually came true!
She liked Zhou Yanbang, and had liked him for a long time. She had always known the distance between her and Zhou Yanbang, and she was destined to watch him from afar. Zhou Yanbang even had an engagement, and the other party was the daughter of the Prime Minister. Everything changed from the day Shen Yurong won the first place in the imperial examination. She was no longer the daughter of a commoner, but the sister of the first place in the imperial examination. And God seemed to have given her an opportunity to compensate her for the hard work she had gone through in the past ten years, and took advantage of the opportunity to cancel Jiang Youyao's engagement with Zhou Yanbang, and she herself married into the Zhou family.

Even God is helping her.

Holding the hand of her beloved, Shen Ruyun felt very satisfied. If she didn't have to wear a veil at this moment, she would even want to see the envious or jealous eyes of the people around her.

All this is thanks to her brother, and of course, the princess from a wealthy family. Princess Yongning had told her in the morning: "Marry whoever you want, it's not difficult for me."

So she helped Princess Yongning to speak well of Shen Yurong. She could not understand why her brother did not marry the princess earlier. Anyway, everyone in the world knew that Xue Fangfei had cheated on her brother, so it was only natural for her brother to marry again, and others even applauded.

As long as they marry Princess Yongning, the Shen family will only move forward to a higher level from now on.

But she didn't dare to say these words to Shen Yurong. She dared to say them before, but after Xue Fangfei's death, Shen Yurong became more and more strange and scary.

Shen Ruyun didn't like Xue Fangfei, from the beginning. Maybe it was because Xue Fangfei was too beautiful, and when she stood next to Xue Fangfei, she became a dull dust. Or maybe it was because Xue Fangfei was just the daughter of a minor official, but she was proficient in poetry and songs, and compared her to nothing. In front of Xue Fangfei, Shen Ruyun always felt inexplicably inferior. The more inferior she felt, the more she wanted to make trouble for Xue Fangfei to show that she was still superior to Xue Fangfei. She was Xue Fangfei's sister-in-law, so Xue Fangfei naturally had to help her.

Xue Fangfei also knew that Shen Ruyun favored Zhou Yanbang, but she did not encourage herself and help herself solve the problem like Princess Yongning did. Instead, she smiled, as if she understood everything. It was as if she was looking at Shen Ruyun's smile, knowing that it was just an impossible dream in the end.

Facts have proved that he was right and the omnipotent Xue Fangfei was wrong. And Xue Fangfei is already dead.

Under the veil, Shen Ruyun frowned. She really didn't know why she suddenly thought of Xue Fangfei on such a happy day. The only thing she could be sure of was that thinking of Xue Fangfei made her very uncomfortable, as if there was a stone blocking her chest, making her feel suffocated.

She shook her head, as if she wanted to put Xue Fangfei behind her. It felt so warm to have her hand held. From now on, she would be the Crown Prince's Consort.

Shen Ruyun couldn't see that there was another person standing among the Zhou family members in the crowd.

She was born with a beautiful face. Today, she wore a pink silk dress and lightly applied powder. She looked very pretty. She smiled, but her eyes were fixed on Shen Ruyun.

This person is Jiang Yu'e.

She looked at Shen Yurong, and her hands in her sleeves tightened her handkerchief unwillingly.

Not reconciled.

It was obvious that Shen Ruyun was not as good as herself in every aspect, in terms of appearance, temperament, and conversation. Although she was the daughter of a concubine, she had learned everything she should have learned in the Shen family. In Mingyi Hall, she was considered a talented woman. What was Shen Ruyun like? She was just the daughter of a commoner family, who could barely recognize a few words and knew nothing about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But because of her brother who was an official, she could occupy the position of the legal wife?
During this period of time, she had finally managed to get Zhou Yanbang to treat her better. Now, was she going to go back to square one because of Shen Ruyun's existence? Absolutely not!

Jiang Yu'e twisted the handkerchief into a hemp rope fiercely, but her eyes became more and more resentful, staring at Zhou Yanbang firmly, as if she had infinite grievances and emotions that she couldn't express.

Zhou Yanbang saw this look. The young woman's deep affection and resentment were inevitably swaying. But Shen Yurong also saw this look.

Shen Yurong sneered in her heart.

Seeing that sneer, Zhou Yanbang shuddered and looked away, no longer looking at Jiang Yu'e. Jiang Yu'e was disappointed, but secretly thinking in her heart how to snatch Zhou Yanbang away, how to... make Shen Ruyu lose power.

(End of this chapter)