Prime Minister's Residence, Snow Garden
Shen Yingxue leaned against the headboard, wearing a light purple high-necked dress that concealed the bruises on her neck. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, her face was haggard, and she looked as delicate as a willow in the wind, so pitiful that one couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Two maids stood outside the inner room, heads bowed, staring at the ground, not daring to breathe. After that incident, Shen Yingxue's temper became extremely volatile; she often threw and smashed things, and the maids dared not approach her again.
"Yingxue!" Madam Lei slowly walked into the room. Looking at the scattered porcelain shards on the floor, her bright smile froze. She sighed helplessly and looked at the two maids: "You may leave!"
"Yes!" The atmosphere in the room was oppressive. The two maids couldn't wait to leave. Lei's order suited them perfectly. They respectfully agreed and quickly retreated.
"Yingxue!" Lei Shi stepped over the shattered pieces and slowly came to the bedside. He sat down next to Shen Yingxue and gently patted the back of her hand: "It's all over now. Don't be sad anymore. You need to cheer up quickly."
Shen Yingxue looked at Lei Shi, her eyes brimming with tears, and choked out, "Mother, I am no longer a virgin!"
She, the most beautiful woman in Qingyan and the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, actually lost her virginity to a despicable man who was worse than a pig or a dog. It was a great disgrace. She was not even as good as Shen Caiyun, who had a lowly status. Although she had also lost her virginity, her lover was the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang, who was of noble status and had high martial arts skills. Lei Cong, on the other hand, was lecherous, shameless, and had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
"Don't be sad. I've already sent someone to spread false news. All the noble families think that it was Shen Caixuan who lost her virginity. No one will laugh at you!" Lei comforted her, gently wiping away Shen Yingxue's tears with a silk handkerchief.
"But I am no longer a virgin. Neither Prince An nor Prince Zhan will marry me!" Thinking of these two outstanding young royal men, Shen Yingxue's tears flowed even more profusely. She was the noble eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, perfectly worthy of both of them, but now…
Madam Lei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. So that's what she was worried about: "Don't worry, Mother guarantees that you will be a virgin when you get married!"
Shen Yingxue was stunned, and instantly stopped crying. She looked at Lei Shi in confusion: "What do you mean, Mother?" How can someone who has lost their innocence regain their purity?
Lei's lips curled into a strange smile: "The innocence of a Qingyan woman is nothing more than the cinnabar mark and the virgin blood from her first night. The cinnabar mark can be faked and pasted on the arm. As for the virgin blood, it's even simpler. During intercourse, when the husband is not paying attention, just put some fresh blood on the chastity test cloth!"
Shen Yingxue stared at Lei Shi in shock, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses: "This... will it work?" Prince An and Prince Zhan are both smart men. Can such a clumsy method fool them?
"As long as it's done cleverly, no one will find out!" Lei sneered. The cinnabar mark and virgin blood are the most compelling evidence to dispel the rumors.
A maidservant came to the door and respectfully announced, "Madam, Vice Minister Lei is outside requesting an audience!"
"Please ask him to go to the living room. I'll be there shortly!" Lei Shi turned and gave the order, then looked at Shen Yingxue again, her gaze serious. She gently patted her shoulder: "I'll go to the living room to see your uncle first. Think carefully about what I said, cheer up as soon as possible, and don't be sad anymore!"
Shen Yingxue nodded, watching Lei Shi's figure gradually walk away, and fell into deep thought. Her mother's plan to deceive everyone was indeed good, but would it be effective on Prince An or Prince Zhan?
When Lei entered the living room, Lei Hong was drinking tea with a gloomy expression. Seeing her walk in, he didn't even look up and coldly asked, "How do you plan to explain Cong'er's matter?"
They've come to demand an explanation!
Lei snorted: "You raised such a fine son, who ruined my daughter's reputation. It's Yingxue who suffered the loss, and you still have the nerve to come to the Prime Minister's residence to ask me for an explanation..."
"Smash!" Lei Hong slammed the teacup to the ground, shards flying everywhere. The remaining tea trickled across the floor, reflecting Lei Hong's furious expression, making him look particularly ferocious: "Cong'er's tongue is broken. The imperial physician diagnosed that it can never be reattached. He'll be half a cripple from now on. The Grand Commandant's only grandson was seriously injured like this by Yingxue. Shouldn't she take responsibility?"
Lei scoffed disdainfully, "If he hadn't been lustful towards Yingxue first, how could his tongue have been cut off, how could he have become crippled?" He's just become mute, not a eunuch. Who are you trying to scare with your angry outburst?
Lei Hong's face was grim as he spoke slowly and deliberately: "Yingxue seduced Cong'er, and now that something has happened, it's Yingxue's fault, not Cong'er's..."
Lei glared at Lei Hong, his eyes full of mockery: "Brother, take a good look at your son's behavior. He's so sleazy and shameless that he's disgusting. Would Yingxue, the number one beauty of Qingyan, go and seduce him? What a joke."
"Then how do you explain Yingxue losing her virginity in the guest room where Cong'er is staying?" Lei Hong coldly retorted to the Lei family: If Lei Cong forced Yingxue, the place where the incident occurred should be Xueyuan.
"Yingxue has been framed!" Lei gritted her teeth. Shen Lixue was extremely clever. She knew it was her doing, but she couldn't find any evidence. She could only let her get away with it. She was truly despicable!
“I don’t care whether she was framed or not. All I know is that Cong’er’s tongue is broken, he’s practically crippled, and he’s a womanizer. No noblewoman would marry him. Yingxue is the culprit, so it’s not unreasonable for her to marry Cong’er and take care of him!” Lei Hong said with a gloomy face.
The Prime Minister's residence and the Grand Commandant's residence are well-matched; they are both legitimate children and cousins, so neither is trying to marry above their station.
Lei's face was gloomy, and he said coldly, "Elder brother, Yingxue is someone I personally taught and have high hopes for. She must marry an outstanding nobleman. If she marries Lei Cong, wouldn't all my hard work over the years have been in vain!"
Lei Hong raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing disdain: "Yingxue has already lost her chastity. Which noble young master would still marry her?"
He used to think that his philandering, good-for-nothing son was not good enough for his angelic niece, but now that things had happened between them, they were a match made in heaven. Even if they were not a good match, they were.
"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own plans!" Hearing Lei Hong's veiled sarcasm, Lei's face darkened further, and he coldly uttered a sentence.
Lei Hong looked at Lei Shi again, his gaze sharp and solemn: "I have no interest in interfering in the affairs of the Prime Minister's residence. However, I have come here to seek justice for Cong'er. If you cannot give me a satisfactory answer, I will not leave easily!"
Lei snorted coldly, unconcerned: "He just wants to find a wife for Lei Cong so she can take care of him in the future. I've already made arrangements!"
Lei Hong's gaze sharpened, and he immediately said, "Who is it? Let me make this clear first, no maids!"
Madam Lei frowned. She was also surnamed Lei, and no matter how much she disliked Lei Cong, she would never give him a maid. Her eldest brother was really suspicious: "The eldest grandson of the Grand Commandant's family, of course, cannot be given a maid. It is Shen Caixuan, the master's third daughter. You have already met her. Her appearance and figure are impeccable. She is absolutely a match for Lei Cong!"
Shen Caixuan!
Lei Hong raised an eyebrow, trying hard to recall Shen Caixuan. Her appearance and figure were indeed quite good, but: "She's an illegitimate daughter!"
Lei sneered: "Brother, do you think any noble family's legitimate daughter would marry your son?" Lei Hong was unwilling to marry Shen Caixuan as his daughter-in-law, and this illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion didn't even look at Lei Cong!
Lei Hong frowned. Although he was unwilling to believe it, he had to admit that what Lei Shi said was true. In the entire capital of Qingyan, no noble family's legitimate daughter was willing to marry Lei Cong.
Even if the Grand Commandant's mansion holds a high position, those who truly love their daughters would not allow them to marry into the mansion. If Lei Cong wanted to marry a legitimate daughter, he could only look for the daughter of a minor official. However, such women are not well-mannered, and Lei Hong would not be interested in them. In comparison, the illegitimate daughters of noble families would be a better match.
“Shen Caixuan’s status is too different from Yingxue’s. It’s fine for her to marry into the Grand Commandant’s mansion in Yingxue’s place, but she will be a concubine, not the principal wife!” Lei Hong still held onto a sliver of hope, wanting to find a legitimate daughter for Lei Cong to be his principal wife.
"Whatever!" Lei only wanted Shen Caixuan to take the blame for Shen Yingxue's adultery. She didn't care whether Shen Caixuan married into the Grand Commandant's mansion as a wife or a concubine.
"Then it's settled. A month from now, on an auspicious day, Cong'er's injuries will be almost healed. At that time, we will send a sedan chair to fetch Shen Caixuan!" Rumors about Lei Cong and Shen Caixuan were flying everywhere outside, and Lei Hong was eager to set a wedding date in order to quell those rumors as soon as possible.
“Brother, it’s true that Caixuan is a concubine’s daughter of the Prime Minister’s family, but her affair with Cong’er is known to everyone. If you bring her into the Grand Commandant’s mansion without saying a word, outsiders won’t know, and there’s no way to quell the rumors!” Lei raised an eyebrow at Lei Hong.
Although the rumors outside had changed from Lei Cong and Shen Yingxue to Lei Cong and Shen Caixuan, some people still secretly speculated that she had Shen Caixuan marry in place of Yingxue mainly to take the blame for her. If the Grand Commandant's mansion had quietly taken her away, it would not have been effective in quickly quelling the rumors.
"Don't worry, even though Caixuan is a concubine, the wedding ceremony will be grand and impressive!" Lei Hong also wanted to use this incident to quell the rumors, so he would not marry Shen Caixuan quietly.
"That's good!" Madam Lei nodded, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for many days, was completely at ease. As long as Shen Caixuan and Lei Cong got married, the rumors about Yingxue would be dispelled. At that time, she could choose her husband at will. Yingxue was not young anymore, so she should arrange the marriage as soon as possible and get married immediately after she came of age.
After Lei Cong and Shen Caixuan's marriage was settled, Lei Hong took his leave. Lei Hong drank a cup of tea and slowly walked towards the backyard.