met free Chapter 152 Elopement
Chapter 152 Elopement
To be on the safe side, Marquis Chengen sent someone to deliver a letter to Prince Yu.
He changed into casual clothes and waited for news from Prince Yu.
To everyone's surprise, the trusted aide brought back the visiting card intact: "My lord, His Highness does not wish to see you."
Marquis Chengen's expression changed. He opened the visiting card, but there was no reply inside.
Seeing this, the confidant added, "The gatekeeper didn't send a formal invitation to His Highness. He only said that His Highness instructed them not to see anyone from our Marquis's residence."
Marquis Chengen felt a chill run down his spine.
When he first heard that Prince Yu had assassinated Shen Qingtan because of the Qingzhou incident, he immediately suspected that someone had deliberately leaked the information to him and used him to deal with Shen Qingtan.
But Prince Yu's actions now clearly confirm that the information his confidants had gathered was true.
The matter of Qingzhou falsely reporting the disaster has far-reaching implications, and once it is exposed, it will be difficult for Prince Yu to remain unscathed.
Therefore, Prince Yu paid close attention to the movements in Qingzhou.
If Shen Qingtan knew there was something wrong with the disaster in Qingzhou and started to investigate, she would inevitably attract the attention of Prince Yu, so it would be understandable if Prince Yu silenced her.
Otherwise, given his relationship with Prince Yu, Prince Yu wouldn't have been unwilling to see him.
As expected, Prince Yu was taking his anger out on him.
After all, Shen Qingtan was his daughter. Based on this relationship, Prince Yu probably suspected that the matter of Qingzhou was leaked from him.
Even though Prince Yu knew that his relationship with Shen Qingtan and her father was not harmonious, he would still suspect that Shen Qingtan was investigating his weaknesses in order to get revenge on him, and that she had gone all the way to Qingzhou.
If that's the case, he'll have to do something to appease Prince Yu's anger and regain his attention.
Otherwise, he would be the next person Prince Yu would want to silence.
"Knock knock—" There was a knock on the study door, and Shen Shaohuai said from outside, "Father, I have something important to discuss with you."
"Come in."
Marquis Chengen needs someone to discuss matters with, and Shen Shaohuai's return is timely.
Shen Shaohuai pushed open the door and entered, closed the study door, and bowed to Marquis Chengen.
"Father, I heard that Zhao Yi was assassinated and injured." He asked in bewilderment, "Zhao Yi is deeply favored by the Emperor and is not a long-lived person, so why would someone assassinate him?"
"You don't know this, but the real person who wanted to assassinate him was Shen Qingtan. Zhao Yi was just implicated."
Marquis Chengen told Shen Shaohuai the details, and said with a worried expression, "Shen Qingtan is currently missing, and Prince Yu is now blaming us for this. We have truly suffered an undeserved disaster."
“Prince Yu is ruthless. When he found out that Shen Qingtan was after Qingzhou, he immediately sent people to silence him. If he really wanted to hold a grudge against us, he wouldn’t be avoiding us now; he would have already taken action.”
Shen Shaohuai speculated, "Prince Yu probably wants to see how we perform."
"Performance?" Marquis Chengen frowned. "Huai'er, Shen Qingtan has disappeared without a trace. Even if I wanted to show my loyalty, I wouldn't know where to start."
“My son investigated Shen Qingtan. My mother and sister tried to lay a hand on her three times, but they not only failed to harm her in the slightest, but also ended up shooting themselves in the foot. As for Shen Qingtan, she is still clean, and we can’t find any fault with her.”
Shen Shaohuai said coldly, "This shows that she is very cunning. My mother and sister are no match for her. I was too arrogant before and did not take her, a woman from the inner quarters, seriously. That's why I suffered a few losses in silence."
He speculated, "Judging from Shen Qingtan's previous actions, she is not only meticulous but also cautious. Now that she and Zhao Yi were assassinated in Xishan, Zhao Yi only suffered minor injuries, but she has disappeared. I tend to think that she deliberately concealed her whereabouts."
Marquis Chengen suddenly looked at Shen Shaohuai.
“The men under Prince Yu are no ordinary people. If the assassination of Shen Qingtan succeeds, Prince Yu will vent his anger and will not take it out on you.”
Shen Shaohuai analyzed, "I suspect that Prince Yu's men failed, which is why he took his anger out on us. You either support another prince, or you're avenging Prince Yu."
“You are already on the same side as Prince Yu. If you choose another prince to support, you will be forcing Prince Yu to take action against you. This is not a wise move.”
"If we want to avenge Prince Yu, we must address the root of the problem, and that root lies with Shen Qingtan."
"King Yu knows you well enough to know that you would choose the latter."
Having said this, Shen Shaohuai had made up his mind: "Zhao Yi's injury will surely alarm the Emperor and prompt him to order a thorough investigation. Prince Yu cannot continue to act, otherwise he will be walking into a trap. His actions this time are intended to use you to get rid of Shen Qingtan."
Marquis Chengen fell into deep thought. He and Prince Yu rarely interacted openly, and apart from correspondence, they mostly met at their private residences.
Prince Yu really had no need to avoid suspicion.
It seems that Shen Shaohuai's guess was pretty accurate.
“Father, I have a plan,” Shen Shaohuai said quietly. “Whether Shen Qingtan is truly missing or deliberately hiding her whereabouts, we can make her disappear completely.”
Marquis Chengen looked at Shen Shaohuai, signaling him to continue.
“Father, we can arrange for people to spread the news that she eloped with a man. Throughout history, people have been bound by the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. Married men and women who elope will be severely punished.”
A ruthless glint flashed in Shen Shaohuai's eyes: "If a woman is caught, she will be drowned in a pig cage. If a man is discovered, he will not only be expelled from his clan, but will also be executed according to clan rules."
Marquis Chengen frowned deeply, pondering whether the plan was feasible.
After all, Shen Qingtan is the daughter of the Marquis's family. If her reputation is ruined, it will affect the reputation of the other daughters of the Shen family.
Married women cannot hold their heads high in their husbands' homes, and unmarried women also find it difficult to find a spouse.
During the previous arranged marriage, they planned to frame Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi for having an affair before the marriage. This was because they intended to clarify Shen Qingtan's background and distance themselves from them when the affair was exposed.
If he adopts Shen Shaohuai's suggestion, he can still sever ties with them, but this also gives Shen Qingtan a way out.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, with Shen Qingtan's intelligence, once he found his biological parents, he would definitely find an opportunity to make a comeback and continue to take revenge on them.
They used to underestimate Shen Qingtan, thinking she couldn't cause much trouble and that they could clarify her background without any scruples.
After suffering a few setbacks at her, they dared not underestimate her again.
If that's the case, then their plan will have been in vain.
He wanted to completely destroy Shen Qingtan, leaving her no chance to recover.
Therefore, she could only ever be the daughter of the Shen family until her death.
“Father, we can expel her from the clan and sever all ties with her, thus demonstrating our loyalty to Prince Yu.”
Whether Shen Qingtan eloped with someone or not is no longer important. As long as she has indeed disappeared and is not in the Duke's mansion, even if she comes forward to explain in the future, her reputation will already be ruined.
“Zhao Yi is the granddaughter of the Duke’s family and the future Duchess. How can we let a woman with an shady past take on this role?”
"Even if Zhao Yi doesn't mind, given the old Duke's personality and way of doing things, he would never allow Shen Qingtan to stay in the Duke's mansion. At that time, with no one to protect her, wouldn't she be at our mercy?"
"If Zhao Yi is a devoted lover who would sever ties with the Duke's Mansion to protect Shen Qingtan, then that would suit our purposes perfectly. The Duke's Mansion will need to choose another successor."
After Shen Shaohuai finished explaining his plans, he waited for Marquis Chengen to give his opinion.
Public opinion is a fearsome thing; Zeng Shen killed someone.
A woman's reputation is more important than her life; once she is labeled as impure, she will be despised by everyone.
For Shen Qingtan, this plan was a dead end.
Marquis Chengen did not give in immediately, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
After a long while, Shen Shaohuai, having not received a response from the Marquis of Chengen, asked, "Father, do you have any other concerns?"