Chapter 33 Shen Nanzi Has Changed

Chapter 33 Shen Nanzi Has Changed

Xie Yan noticed something was different as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Several more potted plants were placed in the corner. She squatted there, her skirt dirty.

The chirping of birds reached his ears, and he frowned, feeling annoyed.

Looking up, I saw a birdcage hanging under the eaves, with two orioles frolicking inside.

The anger that had been suppressed instantly became uncontrollable, and he spoke in a cold voice:

"No wonder you've been so quiet lately; it turns out you've been using underhanded tactics behind my back."

"Shen Nanzi, I really overestimated you. I thought you had put aside your thoughts."

Shen Nanzi didn't understand what he was talking about at all; she just held the scissors, wary of him.

Xie Yan didn't carefully observe the expression in her eyes; he stared at the birdcage.

“What you have done is truly despicable. Just because I helped the Second Princess and her son in the court, the whole city of Luoyang is now saying that my relationship with the Second Princess is ambiguous.”

“Shen Nanzi, I can’t think of anyone else who could do this besides you.”

Shen Nanzi wanted to laugh, but she had no interest in their relationship right now.

She would never do such a thing; does she have a death wish?

Seeing that she didn't care, he grabbed her and was about to pinch her neck when a sword sheath was placed in front of him.

Xie Yan turned his head in shock to look at Lie Feng, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"You must not harm Miss!" Lie Feng's tone was icy, his eyes colder than the icicles under the eaves.

Xie Yan found it laughable that her guards dared to draw their swords at him; Shen Nanzi was truly arrogant and ignorant of her own limitations.

Those around her, following her lead, forgot about the proper order of seniority.

Shen Nanzi never expected that Lie Feng would use his sword to stop her in order to protect her.

For a mere guard to assassinate Prince Jing is a capital offense.

Lie Feng was her man, and Xie Yan would definitely not show him any mercy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pushed away Lie Feng's sword sheath.

He yelled at him, "I told you to protect me and not let anyone near me, but I didn't tell you to point your sword at Prince Jing."

“He is Prince Jing, and no one else is included. You are so stubborn, how can you not understand? Get out of here now.”

Shen Nanzi's heart pounded; she was afraid that Xie Yan would give the order to punish him.

Lie Feng understood his young mistress's meaning, his fingers gripping the longsword, hating himself for being unable to protect her.

Under Shen Nanzi's repeated gesturing, he had no choice but to turn around and leave immediately.

Xie Yan watched Lie Feng leave, "Your guards are certainly loyal to you!"

Shen Nanzi's chest relaxed, finally protecting Lie Feng, and then, as usual, she retorted to Xie Yan.

"Aren't your guards loyal to you?"

Xie Yan released her and sneered, "Don't try to change the subject."

"Shen Nanzi, do you think spreading rumors about me and the Second Princess will bring me back to your side?"

"You always do things that harm others without benefiting yourself, which is annoying."

"You have now completely ruined the Second Princess's reputation. Are you happy now?"

Shen Nanzi found it amusing. Looking at Xie Yan, she saw that incomparably handsome face that had once made her blush and her heart flutter, and that she had fallen deeply in love with him.

Now, all she saw on his face was aggressiveness and deep-seated hatred for her.

"Didn't you ruin the reputation of the Second Princess? It's a stretch to pin the blame on me."

"When you confronted the officials in the Chongde Hall for the sake of the mother and son, did you ever consider how they would view you?"

Xie Yan sneered: "Do you know that the Emperor issued a decree that what happened that day was forbidden to be told outside the Chongde Hall?"

"You suspect that I'm the one behind spreading these rumors?" Shen Nanzi pointed to her own nose.

"You've made such a huge fuss, and I'm the one who's most shameful. Why would I do that?"

"Xie Yan, although I did many unreasonable things before, didn't you notice that I always kept them hidden?"

"Because I still cherish this face, and I still want to spend my life with you."

Xie Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes dark and his lips curled into a sneer. "But I asked the guards on duty that day, and they all said that only you went to Chongde Hall."

Shen Nanzi exhaled a breath of stale air, trying to calm herself down, and replied calmly, "So, does that mean I did it?"

"First of all, you have no evidence, you just have a gut feeling that I did it."

"Secondly, there were more than a hundred people in Chongde Hall that day, and if anyone had given even the slightest hint of something, it would have been disastrous."

"With your incestuous relationship with the Second Princess, it's like a piece of fish food falling into a fish tank."

Hearing the word "incest" from her mouth, Xie Yan really wanted to strangle her.

And she, oblivious to her own ignorance, continued to argue, "Considering what you did on the ice skating before, do you think you can hide it from everyone?"

"Xie Yan, you yourselves have crossed the line and become the subject of gossip, yet you blame everything on me."

She looked at him, her voice flat and emotionless, "And I, how utterly innocent I am."

"Xie Yan, if you are convinced that I did it, I have nothing to say. Do whatever you want with me, kill me or torture me."

Xie Yan looked at her and felt that there was a significant change in her.

Today, she didn't shout or make a scene, nor did she try to please him; she simply answered him calmly and serenely.

It was as if a part of her had been ripped away, leaving her somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Moreover, the look in her eyes told him that.

She was unaware of this.

Knowing her personality as he did, if she really did it, he wouldn't have to ask her a few questions before she would admit it.

She couldn't keep up the act for long in front of him.

He was not an arbitrary or domineering person. Before stepping into the courtyard, he had already conducted a preliminary investigation and found her to be a suspect.

But now it seems that she wasn't the one who spread the news.

Could it be Shen Minghan? Her brother is a suspect, but that person wouldn't resort to such dirty tricks.

Moreover, it would do more harm than good for him; he might have the motive, but there was no need for it.

After all, he hoped for harmony between him and his wife; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so angry for so many days, turning his head away whenever he saw him, instead of beating him up or giving him a good scolding.

Xie Yan felt somewhat guilty after realizing that he had wronged Shen Nanzi.

But he remained silent. Shouldn't she have already realized that he had no desire to continue arguing?

At this point, shouldn't we coax him into the house and let him stay for dinner?

He did indeed have some questions for her regarding the changes in the manor.

However, Shen Nanzi turned around and squatted down in front of the flowerpots, tending to the flowers and plants. She stopped bothering him and kept him by her side. In fact, her attitude was as if she didn't want to say a single unnecessary word to him.

Xie Yan's Adam's apple bobbed; he really wanted to say, "I'm sorry!"

However, his throat seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't say anything apologetic to her.

She brought all of this on herself and deserves to suffer the consequences.

She's the kind of person who never lets things go once she's in the right; that's just her nature. In a few days, she'll come looking for him.

He was already annoyed with her, so why did he have to let her cling to him? If it weren't for something important, he wouldn't have stepped into her yard.

Xie Yan turned and left.

As he walked out of the courtyard, he felt that she hadn't stopped him for a while.

Two maids approached him, carrying his clothes, and bowed to him.

Xie Yan frowned slightly as he looked at her. He just wanted to ask her why there were so many young and beautiful servants in the Jingwang Mansion.