Chapter 034 Calling a Deer a Horse
"Sister Qingtong, I know this matter is not your fault. You were deceived by Shen Yichen, the pervert."
"Don't worry, I will send you back to the Marquis's residence right away, and I will report everything to Marquis Taining to prove your innocence!"
Zhu Ji knew very well that it was not realistic to slander Shen Yichen and Chen Qingtong as having a secret meeting just by talking.
And it was related to the Taining Marquis's Mansion, and stigmatizing Chen Qingtong was equivalent to slapping Taining Marquis in the face. So the best way was to remove Chen Qingtong and put the blame on Shen Yichen.
Even if Marquis Taining knows in his heart that this is not the case, he will definitely push the blame onto Shen Yichen in order to preserve Chen Qingtong's reputation. That will be enough!
Didn't Shen Yichen rely on his bloodline of Duke Cheng to be arrogant? But unfortunately, you are still not included in the Zhu family genealogy. A nameless and unnamed maid's son dared to covet the only daughter of Marquis Taining. No matter what the reason, it is a kind of original sin!
It has to be said that Zhu Ji was worthy of being born into a noble family. He played this conspiracy very clearly and even used the opponent's force to his advantage.
"Zhu Ji, you..."
Chen Qingtong was both ashamed and angry. She wanted to retort but didn't know where to start.
Although she was usually carefree and outgoing, she was only a teenage girl after all, which would be a junior high school student in later generations. She was really at a loss when she suddenly encountered such slander concerning her reputation.
"Zhu Ji, you can target me, but don't involve others, otherwise I will make you regret it."
Shen Yichen's tone was extremely cold, even filled with a hint of viciousness. He could actually understand Zhu Ji's desire to win the title, so he didn't care about his hostility towards him, let alone how angry he was.
But now it’s different. His mother Lin’s generous gift “warning” and using Chen Qingtong’s reputation as a weapon to attack himself have touched Shen Yichen’s bottom line!
Shen Yichen never wanted to actively harm others, but when faced with others using any means to harm him, he would definitely not show any mercy!
Suddenly feeling Shen Yichen's ferocity, Zhu Ji was shocked for some reason, but he quickly calmed down.
"What do you mean by involvement? It was you who was deliberately trying to ruin Sister Qingtong's reputation, and I was just trying to stop you."
Zhu Ji's skill of turning the tables is perfect. Today is a rare opportunity, so he must defeat Shen Yichen.
"is that so?"
A powerful voice came from the crowd, and the people who were watching the excitement were quickly separated into a path. A middle-aged man in a red robe appeared in front of Shen Yichen and his companions.
"Junior greets the Marquis."
When they saw clearly who the visitor was, Shen Yichen and his companions no longer cared about the conflict and bowed to him.
"father!"
When Chen Qingtong saw the middle-aged man, he immediately rushed over and held his arm, and his anxious mood was immediately calmed down.
That’s right, the middle-aged man who appeared at this time was Chen Qingtong’s father, Taining Hou Chen Ying!
Chen Ying was originally going to discuss official business with Xu Qi, the Nanjing Minister of War, today. After finishing the discussion, he would pass by the Duke Cheng's Mansion and just happened to pick up Chen Qingtong and go back home together.
This is why Chen Qingtong appeared alone with Zhu Yi at the gate of the mansion, because she was waiting for the carriage to arrive.
As a result, when Taining Marquis Chen Ying arrived at the Duke of Chengguo's mansion, he did not find his daughter. Fortunately, the doorman of the mansion knew Chen Qingtong, and after asking around, he found out that she had gone out with Shen Yichen.
With Marquis Taining's experience, he naturally realized that Chen Qingtong's behavior was inappropriate. Out of concern for his daughter, he also came to Nanshi Street to look for her, and happened to see the scene of Zhu Ji's slander.
"Don't be afraid, Tong'er, Dad is here."
No matter how high Chen Ying's status and how powerful he is in front of outsiders, in front of his only daughter Chen Qingtong, he will always be just a father. This is completely different from Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong.
"My Lord, you are here just in time. Shen Yichen took advantage of Sister Qingtong's youth and brought her to this Nanshi Street for fun. Fortunately, I discovered it in time, otherwise it might have damaged Sister Qingtong's reputation."
Seeing the real owner coming, Zhu Ji quickly attacked Shen Yichen, but this time he was much more cautious with his words. He didn't dare to use words like "private meeting" in front of Chen Ying.
However, I believe that just mentioning the word "reputation" is enough.
"Dad, it's not like that. It's my daughter..."
After hearing this, Chen Qingtong immediately wanted to defend Shen Yichen. She didn't expect that a small matter like watching a fireworks show would lead to such a situation.
He was even more worried that his father would punish Shen Yichen for this reason, and he would feel extremely guilty then.
At this time, Chen Ying patted Chen Qingtong on the back twice, shook his head at her, and signaled her not to say anything more.
When Taining Marquis Chen Ying raised his head again, a half-smile appeared on his face, and he said to Zhu Ji: "My dear nephew, you may have misunderstood. It was not Yichen who brought Qingtong here to play, but we came here together and just happened to be separated for a while."
What?
Zhu Ji's pupils suddenly widened in shock. He thought that Taining Hou would be very angry and then bring charges against Shen Yichen. Even more extreme, he might even inform his father who had already gone to the capital.
By then, Shen Yichen would be forced to forget about setting foot in the Chengguo Mansion Private School again in his lifetime.
As a result, Zhu Ji never expected that Chen Ying would say such a thing.
The problem is that I was in the teahouse, but I saw it clearly, but I didn't see any trace of Taining Hou Chen Ying at all. How could he have come here together?
Taining Hou lied to help Shen Yichen cover up?
Thinking of this possibility, Zhu Ji was even more incredulous. The Marquis of Taining was one of the top nobles in Nanjing City. Why would he speak up for a maid's child?
"My Lord, have you been deceived by Shen Yichen? It's obvious..."
Before Zhu Ji could finish his words, Chen Ying interrupted him with a cold expression: "Nephew, are you questioning me?"
"Junior dare not!"
Even though Zhu Ji was the son of Duke Chengguo, he did not dare to act presumptuously in front of Marquis Taining.
"Yi Chen and Qing Tong have known each other since childhood. He is honest and kind-hearted, and has an open mind. I absolutely believe in him."
"My dear nephew, you two are brothers by blood. Don't cause any misunderstandings and make fun of others."
Taining Marquis Chen Ying not only supported Shen Yichen this time, he even implicitly acknowledged his identity as the descendant of Duke Cheng. For Zhu Ji, this was simply a thunderbolt!
You have to know that Marquis Taining is his father's best friend. Even he has acknowledged Shen Yichen. Does it mean that his father does the same?
Impossible! Why would a maidservant like Marquis Taining favor her, and even stand up to him and speak for him? Was it to avoid damaging Chen Qingtong's reputation?
That’s right, after all, with Marquis Taining traveling with us, there is no such thing as a secret meeting. It must be like this!
Zhu Ji could never accept the fact that Marquis Taining would help Shen Yichen, and could only blame Chen Qingtong for this reason in order to seek inexplicable psychological comfort.
But no matter what the reason was, even if Marquis Taining lied blatantly and called a horse a zebra, no one at the scene dared to expose him.
"My Lord, it seems that I have misunderstood. I'm sorry."
"It's just a small matter, nothing serious."
"Then I will not disturb your pleasure, sir. I will take my leave now."
"Um."
After saying this, Zhu Ji and his companions bowed and left. However, after turning around, he seemed to have lost his soul.
Today was originally a good opportunity to crush Shen Yichen, but in the end, I was the one who suffered the most. Why was he inferior to this maid-born son Shen Yichen? Why did even Taining Hou help him? Why!
Watching Zhu Ji and his companions walk away, Shen Yichen fell into an awkward situation. He knew very well in his heart that what Marquis Taining said was all false, and he had also helped him out of the predicament.
But if I express my gratitude, it would be equivalent to pointing out that Marquis Taining is lying, and if I do not express my gratitude, it would seem impolite. It is indeed a dilemma.
"No need to thank me. I'm helping you today for my little girl Qingtong. And you're still a little naive if you want to borrow the sword of Marquis Taining."
Chen Ying was also a veteran, and he could see through Shen Yichen's embarrassment at a glance, so he simply made it clear.
"It is my fault for not considering things carefully and causing trouble for Qingtong."
Shen Yichen also admitted his mistake very straightforwardly, saying that he was older than Chen Qingtong and should know more about the differences between men and women.
However, Shen Yichen had the thinking of later generations after all. He went shopping and watching fireworks with a childhood playmate, and he didn't think too much about it at all, which is why he was caught by Zhu Ji.
But this also reminded Shen Yichen that although he had the advantage of being a historical prophet, it did not mean that he could easily manipulate the Ming Dynasty. The people of this era were equally capable and should not be underestimated.
"It's no big deal. After all, you are childhood friends. But Yichen, you should know that people's minds are unpredictable. You may not always be as lucky as today."
In addition to helping his daughter today, Chen Ying actually didn't say one thing, which is that he really admires Shen Yichen, otherwise he wouldn't be so biased towards him.
At the family dinner at the Chengguo Mansion, Chen Ying felt that Shen Yichen was extraordinary, not like what the outside world had said. The subsequent counterattack with poems and the song "Linjiangxian" verified the thoughts of Taining Hou.
I'm giving this advice now for Shen Yichen's own good. A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. His special background is destined to cause a lot of trouble. He should be more mature and cautious in the future.
"I will remember the Marquis's admonition."
"Well, then Qingtong will go back with me first."
"Farewell, my Lord."
After getting on the carriage, Chen Ying lifted a corner of the curtain, glanced at Shen Yichen who was still standing there without moving, then turned around and spoke to Chen Qingtong.
"Qingtong, you should have less contact with Shen Yichen in the future."
When Chen Qingtong heard this, he suspected that he might have heard it wrong. His father clearly agreed with Shen Yichen just now, why did he change his behavior after getting on the carriage?
"Dad, things are not what you think. Brother Yichen did not bully me. I took the initiative to invite him to watch the fireworks at Nanshi Street."
Chen Qingtong thought that his father had a misunderstanding about Shen Yichen, so he wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Taining Hou's next words.
"I know he's not like that."
"Since you knew this, Dad, why didn't you let me get in touch with Brother Yi Chen?"
"Because he doesn't deserve you."
"Dad, there is nothing between me and Brother Yichen. Besides, he is very good and not bad."
"No need to say more, just remember what your father said."
Taining Marquis Chen Ying is an experienced person. How could he not realize that Chen Qingtong's attitude towards Shen Yichen has gone beyond the scope of normal friendship ?
It's true that he admires Shen Yichen very much, and he also believes that this boy will have great potential in the future.
But no matter how promising he is, he hasn't even passed the examination to become a student, so he may not be able to become a general or a prime minister?
Even if Shen Yichen became a general or a prime minister, he would still , and it was almost impossible to be granted a title normally, unless it was inherited.
But the ancestral laws cannot be violated. Duke Chengguo has two legitimate sons, so it is impossible for Shen Yichen to take the throne.
Chen Qingtong is his only daughter. Only a family of nobles and relatives can guarantee her a life of wealth and glory in the future. But Shen Yichen can't do that!
In this case, it is better to suffer a short pain than a long one. It is better to nip the bud of love in the bud when it first begins. In the future, your daughter will understand your painstaking efforts.
Chen Qingtong didn't dare to disobey his father, so he could only sit in the car with a sad face, watching the people and shops passing by outside the window.
She didn't understand why a happy trip would end up like this. But there was one thing that Chen Qingtong was very firm in her heart, that is, Shen Yichen was very good and definitely worthy of her!
