"Mu Nanyin, stop right there!"
Mu Nanyin halted her steps, thoroughly annoyed. "Are you still not done?"
"Mu Nanyin, you betrayed me first. Lian'er tried to reason with you kindly, yet you flew into a rage and struck her. Now you've gone mad, even daring to assault me! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't even think about leaving here!"
The path through the imperial garden was narrow to begin with, and Shen Sichen deliberately blocked the only route leading to the Chongzheng Hall, leaving no room to pass.
It seemed she wouldn't be able to leave today without making things clear.
Mu Nanyin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impatience in her heart. "Fine, you want to make things clear? Go ahead, I'm listening."
Shen Sichen lifted his chin, exuding an air of nobility tinged with mockery.
Women truly couldn't be indulged—they just needed to be put in their place.
See? He had merely adopted a slightly colder and firmer attitude, and she had obediently stepped forward to apologize, just as before.
Shen Sichen adjusted his arms, crossed over his chest, and looked down at her condescendingly. "First, apologize to me and Lian'er. Second, proceed as originally planned—go before the Emperor and request an edict to marry me. If you do that, I might be magnanimous enough to overlook your… entanglement with Shen Junlin and continue to accept you."
Mu Nanyin laughed. Why hadn't she noticed before that Shen Sichen's face was so shamelessly thick-skinned?
What happened—or didn't happen—between her and Shen Junlin was none of his business.
Since when did he have the right to "overlook" it?
Seeing her mistress remain silent, Xiaolian thought she had acquiesced and stamped her feet anxiously.
"Third Prince, you've misunderstood. Tonight, my mistress threatened to take her own life and did not engage in any improper conduct with Prince Lin. My mistress is innocent!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Sichen sneered coldly. "Innocent? Today she married Imperial Uncle—who in the entire capital doesn't know that? Even if she caused a scene at the wedding, so what? Her reputation is ruined. Who would dare marry her in the future? Only I am willing to overlook it and continue being with her."
After speaking, he composed his expression, adopting a sympathetic demeanor.
"Nanyin, I know everything you're doing now is for me, for our future. Rest assured, as long as you break off the engagement with Shen Junlin today and, as originally planned, become engaged to me, from now on, I will let bygones be bygones and treat you just as I did before."
Mu Nanyin looked up, staring directly at him. "Let bygones be bygones? Treat me just as before?"
Shen Sichen thought she had agreed and inwardly sneered.
Foolish woman. If not for the influence of the General's Mansion behind her, why would he bother dealing with her here?
Before, considering her decent looks, he might have reluctantly accepted her. But now…
Now that she had been defiled by Shen Junlin, she was no longer fit to stand by his side.
Once he ascended the throne in the future, he would kick her aside at the first opportunity.
Thinking this, Shen Sichen suppressed his disgust and continued his coaxing facade. "Yes, once I ascend the throne in the future, you will be my one and only empress—"
Before he could finish—
Slap!
One slap wasn't enough. Mu Nanyin swung her hand back and delivered a second blow.
Slap! Slap!
The crisp sound of slaps echoed loudly in the empty imperial garden, intertwining with the cicadas' chirps from the flower bushes, rising and falling in rhythm.
His cheeks burning with pain, Shen Sichen was completely stunned. "Mu Nanyin, have you gone mad? You actually hit me?"
"That's exactly who I'm hitting! These words may not disgust you, but I find them utterly nauseating on your behalf."
Shen Sichen trembled with rage. He wanted to retaliate, but as soon as he raised his head, he met Mu Nanyin's icy, furious gaze and felt an inexplicable shudder in his heart.
While Shen Sichen was still stunned, Mu Bailian, who had been frightened out of her wits, rushed over to support him, her face a picture of gentle fragility.
"Third Prince! Are you alright?"
Mu Bailian carefully helped him up, then turned to Mu Nanyin with a look of grievance.
"Nanyin, what are you doing? The Third Prince is deeply devoted to you. If you must vent your anger, hit me instead. Please don't harm the Third Prince."
"Hah, such a shameless request—I've never heard anything like it. Don't worry, you'll get your share." Mu Nanyin shook her hand and delivered two more sharp slaps across Mu Bailian's face, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Mu Nanyin rolled up her sleeves, looking at the two with utter disdain.
"In broad daylight, you two cling to each other in the imperial garden as if no one else is around. Did you really think those few leaves and flowers could hide you from everyone's sight?"
"Originally, I had important matters today and didn't want to trouble you. At most, I would have considered it bad luck, gone back, and washed my eyes and ears clean."
"But you two, guilty as thieves, had to dress up and come right up to me. You're like mud stuck in your own pants—not only are your eyes clouded, but you see everyone else as filth. You kept blocking my way, slandering me, and even tried to force that filthy mess down my throat to disgust me. You practically begged for a beating—how shameless can you be?"
Mu Nanyin finished her tirade in one breath, then recalled all the events of her past life with these two, a flash of intense hatred flickering in her eyes.
"And stop saying those disgusting things to me! Let me make it clear once more: I will not break off my engagement with Shen Junlin, nor will I beg for an imperial decree to marry you as you wish. Give up on that idea. Today's scheme ends here."
"From now on, if either of you dares to appear before me again, I'll beat you every single time!"
With that, she wasted no more words on them. She kicked them both into a nearby shrubbery, grabbed the stunned Xiaolian, and hurried toward the Hall of Governance.
…
Delayed by the scoundrel and the shameless woman, Mu Nanyin wished she could sprout wings to fly.
But by the time she reached the Hall of Governance, she was still a step too late.
From a distance, she could see Shen Junlin kneeling upright in the center of the hall, surrounded by shattered teacup fragments on the floor.
The entire hall was filled with civil and military officials and their families, all bowing their heads in fearful silence, not daring to speak.
The Emperor sat above, supporting his head, his face contorted with rage.
"I ask you one last time: are you truly determined to break off the engagement with the Mu family's young lady?"
Shen Junlin's gaze was resolute. "Yes, Your Majesty. The bond between this subject and Miss Mu has come to an end. I beseech Your Majesty to annul this marriage contract. Let all that has transpired today be rendered void."
The three letters and six rites, the congratulations of hundreds of officials—and in the end, he declares it all void?
"Fine! Very well! You are determined to anger me to death. The dignity of the royal family has been utterly disgraced by you!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor, enraged, hurled the teacup in his hand downward, striking Shen Junlin's arm with precision.
Shen Junlin grunted in pain, knocked to the ground by the impact, but he forced himself to rise again.
The scalding tea soaked his entire sleeve, seeping into his robes beneath, emitting wisps of steam.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I implore you to issue the decree to annul the engagement…"
"Shen Junlin!" Mu Nanyin hurried into the main hall and knelt beside him. "No, I will not break off the engagement."