Lei glanced at her with a dim gaze, her lips moved but before she could speak, a clear, cold voice rang out first: "Miss Chen is one month pregnant and should not stand for long. Quickly go and bring a chair!"
Shen Yingxue felt a sudden shock; her mind went completely blank, and the phrase "She's pregnant" kept echoing in her ears.
She and Lei Cong only spent one night together, how could she possibly be pregnant? How could that be?
As she ran her hand over her flat stomach, Shen Yingxue panicked, her small hands clenching into fists, wishing she could beat the bastard child in her womb that had brought her so much shame to death. In front of everyone, if she really did that, she would be confirmed as pregnant out of wedlock. No, no, no, she had a virginity mark on her arm; she could turn the tables. She quickly pulled up her sleeve, revealing delicate skin that was smooth as porcelain and white as jade.
Shen Yingxue was shocked and almost collapsed to the ground. The virginity mark she had painstakingly created was gone, and her shameful secret was now known to everyone.
Lei glared fiercely at Shen Lixue, saying each word clearly: "Princess, Yingxue is weak and cannot withstand any stimulation!"
"Madam Shen, Miss Shen's pregnancy is a joyous occasion, how can it be a source of distress?" Shen Lixue pretended to be taken aback, then suddenly realized, "Unmarried pregnancy is indeed against social norms, but Miss Shen marrying the father of the child would be a wonderful union. Who is the father of the child? Hurry up and urge him to come to the Prime Minister's residence to present the betrothal gifts!"
Lei gritted her teeth. The child in Yingxue's womb was Lei Cong's. They had already arranged for Shen Caixuan to marry in her place. If they told the truth, it would be a contradiction. But if they didn't tell the truth, with Yingxue pregnant, which noble young master would be willing to marry her?
At this moment, Lei Shi had a glimmer of hope that Shen Yingxue had really miscarried and lost the child, which would be more convenient than getting married while pregnant.
Commander Lei's shrewd and sharp gaze fell on Shen Yingxue's flat abdomen. The descendants of the Lei family should not be left to wander outside.
"Yingxue, whose child is in your womb?" Shen Minghui roared, his voice like a thunderclap, startling all the guests.
"Father!" Shen Yingxue's slender body trembled violently, and she knelt down with a thud, her eyes filled with tears, looking pitiful. Who else could the child in her womb be but that bastard Lei Cong? What happened that night had always been her nightmare. Her father knew it all clearly, so why did he have to make her recall that heart-wrenching pain?
Shen Lixue glanced at Lei Taiwei, whose brows were furrowed, and understood Shen Minghui's intention. He did not want Shen Yingxue to marry Lei Cong and planned to find another father for the child in her womb.
Shen Yingxue is as beautiful as a fairy, and has countless suitors in the capital. But now she has lost her virginity and is pregnant, her reputation is ruined, and scandals are flying everywhere. Noble young men are all people who care about their reputation, so how many of them would still be willing to marry her?
"Yingxue, don't be sad!" Lei squatted down, gently hugged Shen Yingxue, and whispered a few words to her. Shen Yingxue's sobs subsided, and her beautiful eyes, brimming with tears, looked at Dongfang Zhan.
Dongfang Zhan gazed gently out the window, not even glancing at her. Tears silently streamed down Shen Yingxue's face. She was a wasted woman carrying another man's child, and Prince Zhan no longer loved her.
A tall, tung-colored figure came into view out of the corner of her eye. Shen Yingxue turned her head and saw Zhou Wenxuan's handsome face appear in the crowd, his gaze filled with pity as he looked at her.
Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up. Zhou Wenxuan was infatuated with her, so he probably wouldn't mind the child in her womb. Besides, after they got married, she would definitely abort the child and wouldn't let her husband raise Lei Cong's son for nothing.
Zhou Wenxuan was a teacher at the Imperial Academy and came from a decent family, much better than Lei Cong, that disgusting womanizer.
"Wenxuan!" Shen Yingxue looked at Zhou Wenxuan, her eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful.
“Miss Shen, before a woman gets married, she should stay in her boudoir, cultivate her character, and secretly meet with men to conceive a child. This is immoral and shameful, and is despised by upright gentlemen. However, the child in your womb is innocent. You should marry his biological father as soon as possible and give him a perfect family!”
Zhou Wenxuan was well-versed in feudal books, his thinking was pedantic, and he spoke in a pedantic manner, muttering a bunch of principles.
Shen Yingxue understood. He loved her, but he couldn't accept that she had lost her virginity before marriage and was pregnant. She bit her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth, and tears silently slid down her beautiful cheeks. Even Zhou Wenxuan, that pedantic scholar, was unwilling to marry her. It was all because of the bastard child in her womb.
The more noble the noblemen, the stricter their requirements for their principal wives. Family background, appearance, and character are all factors to consider, but physical purity is the most important. No nobleman would want to marry a woman who has lost her virginity and is pregnant with another man's child.
It's truly pathetic, infuriating, and lamentable that she, the most beautiful woman in Qingyan, has fallen to the point where no one wants her!
Shen Minghui's expression also changed. His gaze swept back and forth between the young noblemen. They were all admirers of Yingxue. Every time they went to the Prime Minister's residence, they would find various reasons to take a few more glances at her. When they learned that she had lost her virginity and was pregnant, they rushed out to avoid her as far away as possible. They were really pragmatic and ruthless!
The father of Yingxue's unborn child cannot be fabricated. If none of the noble young men are willing to marry her, after the banquet, Grand Commandant Lei will go to the Prime Minister's residence to propose marriage. He does not want his daughter, whom he has doted on for more than ten years, to marry Lei Cong, that incompetent, philandering cripple. He really does not want that.
Lei Taiwei stood to the side, his gaze towards Shen Minghui full of mockery. Shen Minghui wanted his daughter, who was carrying his Lei family's child, to marry someone else. He was just as shameless and ignorant as he had been fifteen years ago.
Impoverished scholars lack breadth of vision and insight. Even after serving as prime minister for over a decade, they remained pedantic and narrow-minded in their conduct, lacking the magnanimity and demeanor expected of noble families.
He was quite curious to see how many rejections Shen Minghui would face before he would turn back to reality and lose all face before he would turn around and beg the Lei family to propose marriage to Shen Yingxue.
"Prime Minister Shen, the child in Miss Shen's womb is mine!" A clear male voice rang out, startling everyone once again. They all looked towards the doorway. In the sunlight, a man in a sandalwood robe slowly walked into the living room. He was tall and slender, and although his face was haggard, he was still handsome and dashing. The weariness in his eyes added to his vicissitudes. He was full of scholarly air, and it was clear at a glance that he was a scholar.
Shen Lixue curled her lips into a cold smile. Mu Zhengnan was truly a persistent ghost. He was clever, shameless, insidious, and ruthless. He would seize any opportunity to rise to prominence.
Commander Lei frowned deeply and said angrily, "Young master, please watch your words. Impersonating a child's father is a serious crime. Is the child in Yingxue's womb truly yours?"
Mu Zhengnan smiled slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, Commandant Lei. I know my child very well, how could I possibly claim him as my own?"
Shen Minghui's sharp eyes were like swords, coldly scanning Mu Zhengnan. Mu Zhengnan was fearless and looked directly at Shen Minghui with a smile, letting him scrutinize him.
When he delivered the food to the kitchen, he heard that the wedding hall was making a big fuss, so he quietly came over and saw with his own eyes that Shen Minghui refused to let Shen Yingxue marry Lei Cong, and that no noble young man was willing to marry Shen Yingxue.
He could tell that Shen Minghui doted on Shen Yingxue and wanted to give her all the good things in the world. That's why he dared to take the gamble, pretending to be the child's father, to bring a glimmer of hope to Shen Minghui's despairing heart. If Shen Minghui helped him cover up the lie and invited him to be his son-in-law, he would rise to prominence and enjoy endless wealth and glory.
If Shen Minghui exposes his lies, Lei Taiwei will hate him to death. He will be imprisoned and die a horrible death. He doesn't want to live that miserable life of pulling a cart and selling vegetables anymore. He will fight for every glimmer of hope. If he loses, he will go to hell; if he wins, he will go to heaven.
Lei Shi also stared coldly at Mu Zhengnan. His appearance and talent were indeed far superior to Lei Cong's. Putting aside his family background, his character was too bad. He was only interested in profit. She was not at ease letting Yingxue follow him. Letting Yingxue marry Lei Cong would be like jumping into a fire pit. She was even more unwilling to do so...
"A real man should be responsible for his actions. He can't just stand by and let his innocent wife and children suffer because of you. I'll let you off this time since you stood up for yourself and didn't abandon your wife and children!" Shen Minghui withdrew his gaze and reprimanded him coldly.
Mu Zhengnan was taken aback, then overjoyed. Shen Minghui had agreed to take him as his son-in-law: "Thank you, father-in-law. I will take good care of Yingxue and her child and will never let them suffer any more grievances."
Taking a few quick steps, Mu Zhengnan came to Shen Yingxue and carefully helped her up, asking with concern, "Yingxue, are you alright?" His gentle voice was so sweet it could drip honey; he was indeed quite skilled at coaxing women.
"It's alright!" Shen Yingxue replied stiffly, secretly sizing up Mu Zhengnan. He was handsome and refined, a hundred times better looking than Lei Cong's lewd face. She had always looked down on Mu Zhengnan. She knew he approached her with ulterior motives, but he had helped her out in front of everyone, which was a favor. She didn't mind joining forces with him to provoke those heartless noblemen.
Lei Taiwei was secretly annoyed, but he smiled politely on the surface. Mu Zhengnan was just a poor, pedantic scholar who had been imprisoned. He had no power or influence and could be killed by Lei Taiwei whenever he wanted. There was no need to make a scene in the wedding hall. This was the Taiwei’s mansion. If things got out of hand, it would be a disgrace to the Taiwei’s mansion. He was not as shameless as Shen Minghui. “Congratulations to Prime Minister Shen on the birth of your son-in-law!”
"Congratulations to you too!" Shen Minghui replied casually, his defiant gaze fixed on Grand Commandant Lei. His most beloved daughter would never marry Lei Cong, no matter who she married.
Lei Taiwei, a seasoned official, was a cunning old fox with a deep mind and a level of forbearance far surpassing Shen Minghui's. He didn't stoop to Shen Minghui's level, stroked his beard, and said calmly, "It's almost noon, everyone should go to the banquet hall for lunch!"
Shen Yingxue and Mu Zhengnan have become a couple, so she can no longer marry into the Grand Commandant's mansion. Shen Caixuan and Lei Cong have already completed their wedding ceremony, so she is considered a member of the Lei family. Even if she doesn't want to marry Lei Cong, she has to follow him.
"Congratulations, Prime Minister Shen..." The guests' congratulations rose and fell, but their eyes secretly held contempt and mockery. The child was Lei Cong's, and Mu Zhengnan was willing to raise someone else's son. He was truly magnanimous.
Grand Commandant Lei gave up his great-grandson, and Shen Minghui chose another suitable son-in-law. Both of them were very open-minded and did not want to say more. It was even more inconvenient for the guests to interfere. Since everyone was happy, they could only be happy for him.
The officials and ladies frequently glanced at Mu Zhengnan, greatly satisfying his vanity. He gently took Shen Yingxue's small hand, his smiling eyes filled with deep, unyielding affection.