After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Shen Yan stood there, stunned.

"Mingyue, are you saying... Wang Changhe's father, Wang Huaijin, is a descendant of Wang Yuanchang, the former Vice Minister of Revenue?"

Xiao Mingyue sat down on the stone bench and casually brushed a fallen flower off her clothes.

"Wang Yuanchang resigned due to illness, but passed away less than two years later. His eldest son was a playboy who squandered almost all of the family fortune."

"He did have a son born out of wedlock who lived up to expectations and passed the imperial examination. However, he was pedantic and out of touch with officialdom. He spent half his life studying books in the Hanlin Academy."

"That is Wang Huaijin, the current Hanlin Academician."

Shen Jingque gasped.

After going through such a long and complicated process, the Wang family's descendant was almost forced by the emperor to marry Xiao Mingyue.

Meanwhile, the descendants of the Shen family snatched the position of imperial son-in-law that the Wang family had planned for.

Good heavens, what a small world!

Shen Yan never expected such a coincidence, and sighed inwardly at the cruel twist of fate.

Xiao Mingyue turned her head to look at him, the moonlight making her eyebrows and eyes appear deep and affectionate.

She suddenly spoke up: "Knowing it's a miscarriage of justice, why don't you try to overturn the verdict?"

Shen Yan lowered his eyelashes and slowly exhaled.

"Overturning and retrying old cases is no easy task."

He unconsciously rubbed the corner of his clothes, and the sleeves of his robe were already creased from the rubbing.

Xiao Mingyue took in this action and knew it was a habitual gesture he made when he was anxious.

"After my grandfather was dismissed from his post, he died of illness with resentment within six months. The clan members scattered, and no one dared to have anything to do with the Shen family anymore."

"My mother passed away early, and my father abandoned his scholarly pride to go into business. He worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk to raise my sister and me. My sister later married and moved away, and we never heard from her again."

Shen Jingque stood to the side, and upon hearing this, her nose tingled with emotion.

It turned out that the wounds of this family were far deeper than the few lines of hasty description she had read in the book.

"Before my father passed away, he held my hand and kept repeating the same few words: 'The people cannot fight against the officials. Don't act impulsively. Don't act impulsively.'"

"I always remember that all I ask for is peace and safety."

Besides, the evidence from back then has long been scattered, so who can he ask to reopen the case?

Xiao Mingyue stared at him for a long time.

She suddenly reached out and grasped Shen Yan's wrist, which was resting on his knee.

"Shen Yan, I will help you."

She repeated herself as if worried that her promise wasn't serious enough.

"Justice is clear, and the loyal and virtuous should not be wronged. I, Xiao Mingyue, will seek justice for the Shen family."

However, Shen Yan did not show the gratitude and emotion she expected; instead, he waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, that's not possible."

Xiao Mingyue frowned. "Why?"

A look of worry appeared between Shen Yan's brows, and his voice became urgent.

"Our marriage has already caused His Majesty to harbor resentment."

"He didn't get what he wanted on the day of the white horse parade and the reprimand in Yanhe Hall, so he only harbored more resentment in his heart."

"If we bring up the old case of the Shen family again now, what will he think? He will say that you are colluding with disgraced officials and their families, trying to gain fame by overturning the case, and thus winning over the hearts of upright officials across the country."

Xiao Mingyue gave a cold laugh.

"If he dared to attack me with something like this, he would have done it already."

"He still can't do anything to me to this day; he's just cowardly, useless, and afraid of trouble."

Shen Yan gripped her hand and shook his head. "He is the emperor; there's no need for him to speak personally."

"As long as you utter a few seemingly plausible words, there will naturally be people in the court to throw dirty water on you."

"Public opinion can be deceiving. Even if you are completely innocent, they will say that the princess has ulterior motives and is trying to gain a reputation among the upright civil officials."

Xiao Mingyue's lips pressed into a line; she knew Shen Yan was right.

But the thought of the Shen family being punished for offering advice made me feel absurd and angry.

Her father was a mediocre emperor.

He served in office for over thirty years, achieving neither great merit nor any major mistakes.

The Shen family's plight made her feel guilty as a member of the royal family.

Shen Yan looked at her, his tone becoming very soft and gentle.

"Mingyue, life is already very good now, the only problem is that we can't pass the imperial examinations."

"Fame and fortune are like fleeting clouds to me, but your safety is of paramount importance to me."

"I don't want you to take that risk."

Xiao Mingyue's eyelashes trembled, and the moonlight shone on her face, casting a soft glow.

Shen Yan is an introverted person and rarely expresses his thoughts so frankly.

At this moment, Xiao Mingyue's heart was surging with emotion, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She turned her face away, not wanting Shen Yan to see the thin layer of tears in her eyes.

Shen Yan knew how she felt. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled.

"I can't be the sword in your court, but I'm already content to be the lamp behind you."

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the flower stand, shattering into dappled patterns on the ground.

Xiao Mingyue's throat tightened, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence, "You..."

Shen Yan smiled gently, took Xiao Mingyue's hand and placed it next to his cheek, "I know you feel indignant for the Shen family, and I will remember your kindness."

The two held hands and gazed at each other with deep affection.

Two shadows slowly approached, their breathing audible.

Suddenly, a small hand reached out from below and waved in front of the two of them.

"Hello? Hello! Can anyone see me?"

Both of them were startled and each took half a step back.

Shen Jingque looked utterly speechless.

She had tried to give them some space by taking two steps back, but the two approached so quickly that they almost sandwiched her between them.

Shen Yan's face flushed red from the roots of his ears, his eyes darting around, looking embarrassed and guilty.

"Sparrow... Sparrow, what are you still doing here?"

He coughed.

"It's getting cold, you should go back to your own yard and rest."

Shen Jingque pointed to her own nose, then to him, and finally to Xiao Mingyue.

"So the three of us were just talking about the Shen family's old case, how did it suddenly turn into you two gazing at each other with such affection?"

Shen Yan's ears turned even redder: "What nonsense are you talking about? There's no tender affection at all..."

Xiao Mingyue was much calmer, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

Shen Jingque sighed deeply.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving, you two continue."

She turned and left.

My father, though still young, has borne far more than he should have at his age.

At the entrance of Mingcui Pavilion, Lü'e was pacing back and forth with a lantern in her hand. When she saw her young mistress running with her skirt fluttering in the wind, she quickly picked up the lantern and went to meet her.

"Miss, why are you running like that? Are there dogs chasing you?"

Shen Jingque bent over and took a couple of breaths before grabbing Lü'e's arm.

"It's much scarier than being chased by a dog."

Her voice was low, and her face showed lingering fear.

"My parents' love was like an old house on fire; the fire was so fierce that I almost got trapped inside and couldn't get out."

Green Calyx was completely bewildered. "Where's the fire? I didn't see it!"

Shen Jingque rubbed her arms. "Sigh, I can't explain this to you guys who don't ship couples."