Font Size:
“Gu Yanran is not an issue, but about what happened last night, do you want to tell me?” Ji Yucang adjusted into a comfortable posture, lazily reclining on the brocade couch. “Princess Jiahe has a violent temper and cruel methods. It was right to teach her a lesson. I just want to know, what did they say after they came in?”
Shen Ning remained indifferent, “Princess Jiahe asked me to recount how I was violated by bandits and questioned how I could live with such shame and still dream of marrying into the royal family. I believe this question should be directed at you.”
After all, the Emperor decreed it, the Regent married her, and she simply accepted this marriage at an opportune moment.
“It should indeed be directed at me.” Ji Yucang nodded, “She chose the wrong person and deserves the lesson.”
Shen Ning calmly asked, “Is there anything else you want to ask?”
Curiously, Ji Yucang inquired, “Will you answer whatever I ask?”
The violation of a woman’s purity was a difficult matter to bring up. Shen Ning’s response was calm, as if the harm inflicted was of no concern to her.
“To the best of my ability.” Shen Ning nodded slowly, “After all, you are now my husband, and my ability to leave Duke’s residence is all thanks to your help.”
Settling scores and repaying kindness is straightforward. There’s nothing to dwell on.
After a moment of contemplation, Ji Yucang asked, “In that case, I want to know your perspective on what happened outside the city.”
“Are you referring to the bandits outside the city?” Shen Ning’s eyes showed a frosty layer, a hint of icy determination shimmering within. “I will investigate and find out the truth. Those who need to pay the price will face the consequences they deserve.”
Even though she was reborn into Shen Ning’s life after her death, since she took on Shen Ning’s identity, it was only right to seek justice for her.
Ji Yucang inquired, “Do you have any suspicions?”
“Not concrete judgments yet, as there is no evidence at the moment.” Shen Ning replied calmly, “but there are some doubts.”
Ji Yucang gently chuckled, “Share your thoughts then.”
Shen Ning silently glanced at him, unable to resist pondering whether the powerful Regent of the Yong Kingdom was really so idle.
Outside rumors painted him as cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, and cruel. She wondered if these descriptions were exaggerated.
Killing enemies on the battlefield was for the sake of protecting the country, but in private…
Shen Ning felt that he was not as terrifying as the rumors suggested.
“Those bandits who dared to kill indicate a vicious nature, devoid of humanity, yet they spared me.” She said calmly, without a hint of emotion. “The bandits’ goal was not to rob for lust, but to create the illusion that I had been violated.”
Ji Yucang acknowledged with a sound, “You believe someone was behind this?”
“Of course.” Shen Ning nodded. “Although the Duke of the State’s residence is not as powerful as your Regent’s residence, its influence is not small. Among the noble families of the capital, where would those bandits get the audacity to kill and rob so close to the capital?”
“It suggests that the person behind this is not ordinary.” Ji Yucang raised his eyebrows. “So, the bandits’ cruelty is real, but since they didn’t rob for wealth or lust, they must have had another purpose.”
However, the person who could command such vicious bandits, killing so many servants and guards of the Duke of the State’s residence, and tarnishing the reputation of a duke’s daughter, yet ensuring their own safety, was clearly not an ordinary individual.
Shen Ning’s voice was as cold as snow, calm as if she were narrating someone else’s story, “I lost my reputation for purity, but my chastity was preserved. Apart from taking several lives, the bandits gained no additional benefits, so their goal from the beginning was only to damage my reputation.”
A hint of a different color flashed through Ji Yucang’s eyes, “Very wise analysis.”
“There are two possible motives for wanting to ruin my reputation.” Shen Ning analyzed the cause and effect with a tone devoid of emotional fluctuation, as if she were telling someone else’s story. “First, someone who has a grudge against me or whose interests I have obstructed. The mastermind is a woman, aiming to prevent me from marrying Qin Yanshu. But if that were the case, she wouldn’t need to have the bandits deliberately preserve my chastity. After all, if they were willing to kill, why would they care about violating a woman?”
Ji Yucang’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at her cold and composed face, his eyes deep and mysterious.
“The second possibility is Qin Yanshu himself,” Shen Ning’s eyes gradually grew colder as she spoke. “He wanted to demote his wife to a concubine, but such an act would be met with public scorn and without a legitimate reason, the Duke of the State’s residence would never agree to have their legitimate daughter go from being a wife to a concubine. Therefore, he needed another way.”
A noble and peerless legitimate daughter would never agree to be his concubine, no matter what his reasons were. This would not only be an insult to the woman but also a humiliation to the entire Shen family.
However, once a woman loses her purity, her situation changes.
Purity is valued above life, losing it is equivalent to bringing shame to the family. Most fierce women choose to die rather than live with such dishonor. Even if they miraculously survive, marriage becomes a thorny issue.
At this point, Qin Yanshu, remembering past feelings and still willing to take her as a concubine, would be hailed by the world as a man of deep loyalty and righteousness.
However, a man cannot tolerate his woman being violated by another, even if she is a concubine. Therefore, Shen Ning ultimately managed to preserve her chastity—and it had to be preserved.
Ji Yucang rested his chin on his hand, silently watching her indifferent face, probably not expecting her to reach such a precise conclusion in such a short time.
“Qin Yanshu grew up with you and has deep feelings for you. He is also praised in the streets for being gentle and refined, reserved and upright.” Ji Yucang smiled faintly. “Do you think he would do such a thing?”
“One can know a person’s face but not their heart.” Shen Ning replied calmly and rationally. “No emotion remains unchanged forever.”
“So you’re certain it’s him?”
Shen Ning’s answer was guarded, “Nine out of ten chances.”
“Ning is very smart.” Ji Yucang slowly curled his lips. “I’m glad.”
Shen Ning looked up, her face devoid of expression as she watched him.
“This is the meeting gift I give to my new wife.” Ji Yucang took out an object from his sleeve and placed it on the small table in front of him. “I hope Ning likes it.”
Shen Ning lowered her gaze to look.
On the table lay a dagger with intricate carvings and an obvious sense of age. It appeared simple and unremarkable, but only an expert could recognize it as a valuable and sharp weapon.
Shen Ning picked up the dagger and drew it out, revealing a blade that shimmered with a chilling light. While it might not be worth a city, it was certainly capable of cutting through iron like mud.
Shen Ning sheathed the blade without refusal, “Thank you.”
“There’s no need for thanks between husband and wife.” Ji Yucang stood up, gracefully brushing off his robe. “I have some matters to attend to. Ning can have Shi Qin and Shi Qi show you around the Regent’s residence. The garden, the library, the training field, nowhere is off-limits.”
Shen Ning acknowledged with a sound and rose to see him off.
After Ji Yucang left the room and disappeared from her sight, Shen Ning looked down at the dagger in her hand, a thoughtful look in her eyes.