Chapter 31: Deliberate

A hush fell over the room, all eyes fixed on Shen Tang.

Even Shen Tang herself was stunned.

She didn’t want to marry, she wanted to ruin her reputation to deter any suitors, but she wasn’t actually a jinx.

The first incident could be considered an accident, a case of Master Fang’s bad luck, nothing to do with her, but how could she explain Prince Wen’s fall from the sedan chair today?

In her previous life, she married Xie Guimo for a lucky union, but none of this happened. Could it be that she was cursed in this life?

Shen Tang was more inclined to believe that she was manifesting her desires.

Well, now she wouldn’t need to spread rumors about herself. They were probably already flying everywhere by now.

She fought back a smile, seeing everyone staring at her, Shen Tang put on an innocent expression. Shen Sui’s head was spinning, he rubbed his temples. The Old Madam’s brow furrowed so tightly it could have crushed a fly.

Second Madam sat beside her, her face grim. “When Eldest Miss was engaged to the Heir of Prince Jingyang, none of this happened…”

Fearing that Shen Juan would be implicated, she immediately distanced her.

But this was not something Second Madam could control. Shen Tang’s jinx was too powerful. She wasn’t even engaged, just being sought after, and accidents happened. Who would dare to take the risk?

There were countless eligible young ladies in the capital, and the daughters of the Marquis of Pingyuan weren’t any more special than others. It wasn’t like they were irreplaceable. Why risk their lives? Besides, Shen Juan had just been rejected by the Prince Jingyang’s Manor, making her even less appealing to suitors.

Shen Tang glanced at the Old Madam and then at Shen Sui. “Father, Mother told me not to marry before I turn sixteen. You and Grandmother shouldn’t rush to marry me off. It would be nice to have me stay by your side for a while longer, wouldn’t it?”

The Old Madam was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Was the issue now that they shouldn’t rush to marry her off? No one dared to marry her.

Second Madam sat beside her, gnashing her teeth in frustration. The silk handkerchief in Shen Juan’s hand was crumpled beyond repair.

Seeing Shen Juan and Second Madam with their anger bottled up, Shen Tang’s lips twitched several times. Fearful of bursting into laughter, she bowed and excused herself as soon as Shen Sui left.

On her way back to Qingyi Garden from Pine Crane Hall, every maid she passed couldn’t help but stare. Poor Shen Tang, she managed to hold back her laughter until she reached Qingyi Garden. As soon as she entered, she burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Yin Xing followed behind, unaware that Shen Tang was laughing. She thought she was angry. “Miss, don’t upset yourself. You’re not a jinx. It’s just that they’re not worthy of marrying you…”

Yin Xing’s voice trailed off. As she walked ahead, she saw Shen Tang laughing.

Yin Xing, “……???”

Yin Xing panicked. “Miss, don’t scare me. I’ll get a physician for you.”

She was about to run out, but Shen Tang grabbed her. “I’m fine. I’m just too happy.”

The girl really had gone mad.

Yin Xing’s eyes welled up with tears. Shen Tang asked her, “Do you want to get married?”

Yin Xing shook her head vehemently. “I don’t want to get married, Miss. I want to stay with you forever.”

Shen Tang smiled. “I don’t want to get married either.”

Yin Xing, “…”

“Miss, how can you not get married?” Yin Xing blurted out.

“…”

A maid could remain unmarried, but her mistress couldn’t?

Shen Tang couldn’t hold back. She tapped Yin Xing’s forehead. “If you say another word, I’ll marry you off right now.”

Yin Xing immediately shut her mouth, not daring to utter another word.

But while her mouth was silent, her eyes darted around. Seeing that Shen Tang was genuinely happy and not angry at all, Yin Xing couldn’t understand why her mistress was so cheerful. What was there to be happy about?

The Miss was the direct daughter of the Marquis’ Manor. She would surely marry into a wealthy and prestigious family, living a life of luxury and comfort, never having to worry about food or clothing. What kind of family could a lowly maid like her marry into? Now she only had to serve one mistress. If she got married, she might have to serve a whole family. Of course, she didn’t want to get married. Besides, maids who didn’t marry wouldn’t be gossiped about. But if the Miss didn’t get married, the Marquis would be pointed at and ridiculed.

Yesterday, the wife of the Minister of Rites, had come to propose marriage for her son to Shen Tang. No one knew about it, so when Master Fang fell from his horse in the street, no rumors spread. But today, Prince Wen had brought Shen Sui to propose marriage for his son, and many officials had witnessed it. After Prince Wen’s accident, the news of Madam, the wife of the Minister of Rites, proposing marriage the day before, spread like wildfire.

Anyone who heard about it suspected that Shen Tang was a jinx.

The rumors spread through the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns, and Yin Xing relayed every bit of it to Shen Tang. Unfortunately, Shen Tang was all ears and no mind, not taking it to heart at all.

The Miss wasn’t angry at all, wasn’t she worried?

Yin Xing was discouraged.

Shen Tang leaned back on the small couch, flipping through a book. Suddenly, there was a knock on the window, making her jump.

But Shen Tang reacted quickly. Before Yin Xing could speak, she stopped her. “Someone’s here for me. Go guard the door, don’t let anyone in.”

Yin Xing’s heart pounded nervously. She went out, glancing back every few steps. When she reached the beaded curtain, she saw a masked man jumping in through the window. She nearly fainted, afraid that someone would come in and see the Miss meeting a man in her boudoir. She quickly went out to guard the door, preventing anyone from approaching the inner room.

Seeing the man, Shen Tang gritted her teeth. “Do you know that scaring people can be fatal?”

The man remained silent for a moment. “Then next time I won’t knock, I’ll just walk in?”

He wanted a next time?

Twice he had come, twice he had nearly scared her to death.

She really needed to talk to her father about strengthening the security of the Marquis’ Manor. It was a Marquis’ Manor, for heaven’s sake, how could they let people come and go as they pleased? What if one day she, his own daughter, was kidnapped and sold off without him knowing?

Shen Tang walked towards the dressing table, took the jade pendant she had found yesterday from the secret compartment at the bottom of the dressing box, and threw it to the man. “You even lost your personal jade pendant. You must be lucky to be alive.”

The man caught the jade pendant and chuckled softly. Shen Tang suddenly realized, her ears turning red. She stomped her foot. “You did this on purpose!”

He had been investigating Changping Marquis’s Manor, and he had even beaten up the Heir of Marquis Changping. The jade pendant was beside the hairpin, she couldn’t miss it. It wasn’t that he had dropped it on the ground, he had placed it there for her to find!

The man’s lips curled into a smile. He leaned down, looking into Shen Tang’s eyes. “Not too slow.”

He scared her and then called her slow. Shen Tang really wanted to kick him out the window.

But she couldn’t, so she could only think about it. She didn’t understand why, in her previous life, someone she hadn’t seen for four years suddenly appeared twice in two days. It was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

What was this man trying to do?

Shen Tang didn’t like guessing, so she asked directly. “Why are you suddenly here again?”

Thinking of how he was suspected of being dead, the man’s forehead twitched. He looked at Shen Tang. Shen Tang subconsciously took a step back, bumping into the antique stand. A red jade vase almost fell to the ground. The man caught it and said, “I wasn’t avoiding you, I had urgent business to attend to after the Lantern Festival and had to leave the capital. Fortunately, I’m back, and you haven’t promised yourself to anyone else yet.”

Shen Tang didn’t expect him to explain his absence. In her previous life, he hadn’t reappeared because she had married Xie Guimo?

The man looked at Shen Tang and coaxed her softly. “Not angry anymore?”

His voice was deep and alluring, making Shen Tang’s ears burn. “Why are you explaining so much to me…”

“I said I would marry you, and I won’t break my word,” the man said.

…Someone who wouldn’t even show her his identity or face, yet claimed to marry her. What was she supposed to believe?

She was no longer the easily fooled Shen Second Miss.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had saved her yesterday, she would have cursed him out.

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Marry me? The whole street is gossiping about how I’m a jinx. Haven’t you heard?”

The man chuckled softly. “It’s not you who’s against them, it’s me.”

Shen Tang was stunned, then her eyes widened. Her voice rose. “Master Fang fell from his horse, Prince Wen got injured, you did all that?!”