The wedding robe on her body had already been torn to shreds by Shen Junlin. Mu Nanyin quickly found a red dress to put on and then called for her maid, Xiaolian.
"Miss, you are truly confused! With the commotion you caused today, the Emperor is furious. Not only have you lost your innocence and reputation, but you will also face the wrath of the Son of Heaven. And to avoid implicating the General's residence, you even severed ties with the General—all for the sake of the Third Prince. Was it worth it?" Xiaolian was so anxious she was pacing in circles.
Thinking of the small box stained with blood and the Seventh Concubine being humiliated, Mu Nanyin's eyes reddened.
Was it worth it?
Of course not.
She had already severed ties with her father during her departure for marriage this morning. Now, it was too late for any regrets.
Therefore, the most important thing at the moment was to stop Shen Junlin from going to the palace to annul the marriage.
As long as he did not annul it, there was still a chance to change the course of events from her previous life.
"Xiaolian, don’t worry. Once I handle matters here, I will return to the General's residence to apologize and seek forgiveness from Father and the concubines…"
"You were guarding outside the door earlier. Where is Shen Junlin? Where did he go?"
She hoped her earlier attitude had somewhat calmed Shen Junlin and prevented him from going to the palace to annul the marriage.
"The Third Prince is waiting for you in the palace…" Xiaolian instinctively thought her mistress was asking about Shen Sichen’s whereabouts, but halfway through her answer, she suddenly realized.
Wasn’t the mistress just asking about the Third Prince? But about His Highness?
Since when did the mistress care about His Highness’s whereabouts?
"I wasn’t asking about Shen Sichen. I was asking about Shen Junlin—Prince Lin, His Highness. Where did he go?" Mu Nanyin looked anxious.
Xiaolian glanced at Mu Nanyin in surprise. "As soon as His Highness left, he had Qingyi prepare the carriage. He should be on his way to the palace by now. Miss, tonight is your wedding night. Why would His Highness go to the palace?"
Mu Nanyin’s face paled. "Oh no! He must have gone to annul the marriage."
Her sudden change in attitude earlier was not enough to prove her sincerity. Shen Junlin did not believe her and had still gone to the palace to annul the marriage.
No, she had to stop him.
"Xiaolian, prepare a horse immediately. I must go to the palace!"
Upon hearing that Prince Lin had gone to the palace to annul the marriage, Xiaolian also realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately arranged for a horse to be prepared.
However, before leaving, she gave her mistress a strange look.
Why had the mistress suddenly changed her attitude so drastically?
…
Mu Nanyin rode at full speed all the way to the palace.
Her father was the General of the Nation, and he had been granted a token by the Emperor. The year he returned from the border, her father had given her this token.
With this token, she could move freely throughout the palace. Relying on her memories from her previous life, she headed straight for the banquet at Chongzheng Hall.
However… before reaching the banquet, while passing through the imperial garden, she unexpectedly encountered two people—Shen Sichen and Mu Bailian.
Hidden behind the flower bushes, their figures could be seen pressed closely together. In broad daylight, it was unclear what they were doing.
Upon seeing Mu Nanyin, a flicker of panic crossed Mu Bailian’s face, but she quickly composed herself, straightened her clothes, and ran over from behind the bushes, looking at Mu Nanyin with a concerned expression.
"Nanyin, how did things go on your end? Did Prince Lin agree to annul the marriage? Did he do anything improper to you? Don’t worry, even though you went through the wedding ceremony with him today, even if he really did something to you, both the Third Prince and I would understand. You made this sacrifice for our grand plan. As long as Prince Lin annuls the marriage today, he will surely lose the Emperor’s favor. You will be the great hero."
Hero?
Exchanging her reputation and purity for Shen Junlin’s imperial favor and status, leaving both her and Shen Junlin wounded and defeated.
Yet Shen Sichen reaped the benefits behind the scenes, here whispering sweet nothings with Mu Bailian.
What a fine phrase—"hero."
What a fine phrase—"would not look down on her."
The words "abandoned woman" from her past life still echoed in her ears. Images of Shen Sichen and Mu Bailian entangled, scenes of her father, concubine, and Shen Junlin dying tragically flashed alternately in her mind.
Mu Nanyin wished she could pounce on them right then and tear them to pieces!
But for now, she could not.
Compared to dealing with the scum and the shameless woman, preventing Shen Junlin from annulling the marriage was the most important.
Revenge could wait; there would be plenty of time.
She gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the surging hatred in her heart.
"Even if nothing happened between Shen Junlin and me today, even if something did, it would be perfectly justified and legitimate, and none of your business. As for the two of you, engaging in illicit relations without proper matchmaking—it’s disgusting. Get out of my way! A good dog doesn’t block the path!"
Mu Bailian was stunned. She never expected Mu Nanyin, who had always obeyed her every word, to speak to her so harshly.
Had she gone mad?
Seeing her about to leave, Mu Bailian, too shocked to dwell on it, hurriedly chased after her and blocked her way.
"Nanyin, what illicit relations? You’ve misunderstood me and the Third Prince. The Third Prince has been waiting here for you, worried that Shen Junlin might have mistreated you. I was only comforting him. Please don’t misunderstand."
After saying this, her eyes shifted, landing on the red marks on Mu Nanyin’s neck. A flicker of triumph flashed in her eyes, quickly concealed as she replaced it with a look of concern.
"Nanyin, I didn’t expect Prince Lin to truly lose control like a beast… This matter, this matter has wronged you, but rest assured, I just saw Prince Lin heading to the Chongzheng Hall. He must be going to annul the marriage. Our plan is already half accomplished. Next, you just need to follow him and petition the Emperor to grant you a marriage decree with the Third Prince."
Mu Bailian repeatedly claimed she had sacrificed for the grand plan, yet every sentence implied her purity had been tainted.
Ruining her reputation and still expecting her to follow the original plan?
If there had been even a single peanut at today’s wedding banquet, she wouldn’t have been so drunk as to act this disgustingly.
"I will not annul the marriage with Shen Junlin, nor will I petition for a marriage decree with Shen Sichen. I’ll say it one more time—move aside! I have no time for your nonsense today."
Mu Nanyin had no patience to argue with her. She intended to push her aside, but before her hands could even touch her…
Mu Bailian let out a cry and fell directly into the nearby bushes.
"Mu Nanyin, what are you doing?!"
Shen Sichen, standing nearby, roared angrily. He nervously helped Mu Bailian up, and after confirming she was unharmed, he rushed over and raised his hand to strike Mu Nanyin.
Mu Nanyin’s expression turned cold as she swiftly grabbed his hand. "What am I doing? A vicious dog on the roadside lunged to bite, so I fought back. Just like this…"
She swung her hand back and slapped him across the face.
"Smack—"
"Miss?!" Xiaolian, standing nearby, felt her soul nearly scared out of her body.
Today, Miss had called the Third Prince a vicious dog and even hit him?!
Was she going mad, or was Miss going mad?
"Miss, are you alright?"
Mu Nanyin pursed her lips, rubbing her wrist. "Xiaolian, hurry and massage it for me. That dog of a man has such thick skin—my hand hurts from hitting him."
Dog of a man?
Xiaolian: "…"
She was numb.
Completely numb.
Miss couldn't possibly be mad—it must be her who had gone mad.
Numbly, Xiaolong massaged her hand and helped her step over the two men, intending to leave.
Behind them, Shen Sichen, who had also been stunned by the slap, finally snapped back to reality.
He… had just been hit by Mu Nanyin?!
That woman, who had always greeted him with a smile and shamelessly followed him around—now, not only had she insulted him, but she had also struck him?!
The burning pain on his face reminded him of what had just happened. Furious, Shen Sichen rushed forward and blocked Mu Nanyin, who was trying to leave once again.
"Mu Nanyin, stop right there!"