Chapter 84: It never happened

It never happened.

Nie Jinxuan had not expected that the man who molested Nie Jinhui would turn out to be the Crown Prince, Yin Fenghan.

After all, this was Zuixiashanzhuang; Emperor Shuncheng, Empress Duan, and the rest of the imperial family were all in the villa. As the Crown Prince, how could Yin Fenghan do such a thing?!

But the facts were right before her eyes. Therefore, the moment she saw Yin Fenghan, Nie Jinxuan was stunned, but then she couldn't help but frown.

Yes, this matter was not that simple. After all, Yin Fenghan had a special status. If this matter were to be spread, Nie Jinhui, whose reputation was already not very good, would have an even harder time establishing herself in the capital.

Thinking of this, Nie Jinxuan reflexively looked at Yin Fengzhan beside her and quietly tugged at his sleeve.

Nie Jinxuan's movement was very slight, but at the same time, it made her feel somewhat inexplicable. She hurriedly let go, but at that moment, her hand was instantly grasped by a powerful hand, and she was pulled behind him.

Yin Fengzhan did not look back; his sharp and cold gaze remained fixed on Yin Fenghan before him. It was only after a long while that his expression suddenly turned stern.

"Can the Crown Prince offer an explanation?"

Yin Fengzhan finally spoke, his deep voice imposing. Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince Yin Fenghan, who was still sitting on the ground after being struck, raised his eyes and looked at Yin Fengzhan with a mocking smile. He then reached out and casually wiped the corner of his mouth, which was faintly stained with blood.

"Heh... what does the Fourth Brother mean by this? I have no idea what I need to explain!"

Saying this, Yin Fenghan stood up on his own, tidied his appearance as if no one else were there, and then looked up at Yin Fengzhan. However, his gaze instantly shifted to the Nie family's second young lady, Nie Jinhui, who was still weeping behind them.

"Besides, it was the Second Miss Nie who took the initiative to fawn over and seek favor from me. If we are to talk about it, I should be the one asking the Second Miss Nie what the meaning of this performance tonight is!"

Yin Fenghan turned the spearhead, pointing out that Nie Jinhui had seduced him. Upon hearing this, Yin Fengzhan and the others were stunned, and Nie Jinhui, who had been standing behind, widened her eyes in anger.

"You're lying!"

Nie Jinhui shouted emotionally. After she finished speaking, she stepped forward, grabbed Nie Jinxuan, and said while crying,

"Jinxuan, you have to believe me, he was the one who pounced on me, woo woo... I really didn't seduce him, I really didn't... woo woo..."

Nie Jinhui cried sorrowfully; her usual demeanor as a young lady of a noble house had long been covered by fear and anger. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but raise her hand to gently soothe Nie Jinhui a few times. After Nie Jinhui calmed down slightly, she instructed Xiao Xiu, who was behind them.

"Xiao Xiu, take the Second Sister back to her room to rest."

"Yes!"

Responding respectfully, Xiao Xiu then helped the sobbing Nie Jinhui away.

……

Having such an incident happen unexpectedly was not something glorious. Therefore, Nie Jinxuan took Nie Jinhui back to her room at the first opportunity to avoid any further commotion that might alert others, which would only cause trouble.

Once Nie Jinhui had left, Nie Jinxuan's face immediately turned gloomy, and she shifted her gaze to Yin Fenghan.

"Crown Prince, words must be based on evidence. You just said that my sister took the initiative to seek favor from you; do you have any proof?"

Nie Jinxuan's voice was not loud, but it was unexpectedly sharp. However, as the Crown Prince of a nation, Yin Fenghan was not one to be easily intimidated. So, after Nie Jinxuan finished speaking, Yin Fenghan curled his lips into a smile.

"Evidence?! Heh... how can the Fourth Sister-in-law say that?! I say she seduced me, so it is naturally so. Otherwise, as a young lady of a noble house, why would she come here in the middle of the night?!"

"Hmph, where my sister goes and what she does is not for the Crown Prince to discipline. However, we all saw with our own eyes that you were attempting to act improperly toward my sister just now. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in such a sorry state right now... Of course, if you insist on shifting the blame, we will accompany you, but as for who is right and who is wrong, who wins and who loses, I ask the Crown Prince to consider it carefully!"

Nie Jinxuan did not understand politics, but she understood the simplest principles. Although Yin Fenghan was the Crown Prince, there was still Emperor Shuncheng above him. Therefore, if this matter were to be blown up today, regardless of whether Nie Jinhui seduced him or not, as the Crown Prince of a nation, he would not look good.

Conversely, while Yin Fenghan could not gain any advantage in this matter, it was not a good thing for Nie Jinhui either. After all, in this ancient era where imperial power was supreme, a woman's reputation was more important than her life. Moreover, Nie Jinhui's reputation had already been ruined due to the marriage contract with the Jin family. If the incident with Yin Fenghan were added to that, it would be a fatal blow to her!

Therefore, at this moment, although Nie Jinxuan said she didn't care, she actually didn't have much confidence.

Nie Jinxuan was thinking this, and upon hearing her words, Yin Fenghan, who had been indifferent, flashed a look in his eyes. He squinted at Nie Jinxuan for a long while before curling his lips into a smile again.

"What? Is the Fourth Sister-in-law trying to threaten me?"

"I wouldn't dare, I am just speaking based on the facts!"

"Heh~, what a 'speaking based on the facts'. Since that's the case, I might as well take her in. What does the Fourth Sister-in-law think?"

Yin Fenghan spoke lightly, but upon hearing this, this time, before Nie Jinxuan could retort, Yin Fengzhan, who was standing beside her, had his eyes flash instantly. But before Yin Fengzhan could speak, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind the three of them.

"Crown Prince? Who did you just say you were going to take in?"

The voice was soft and pleasant, yet it faintly revealed a hint of surprise, confusion, and shock. Hearing this, the few people present couldn't help but turn their heads at the same time, and then they saw a young woman standing at the moon gate not far away.

……

The woman had an outstanding figure. In the darkness, although Nie Jinxuan couldn't see her face clearly, she intuitively felt that she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. But at this moment, seeing that woman, Yin Fenghan's eyes flashed instantly.

"Why are you here?"

"Uh... I saw that it was so late and you hadn't returned to the room, so I thought I would come out to look for you, and that's why..."

Responding softly and gently to Yin Fenghan's words, the woman then walked over on her own. As she approached, Nie Jinxuan finally saw her face clearly and couldn't help but purse her lips slightly.

It had to be said that this was a woman of extreme beauty. Her affectionate eyes and delicate features, even with her brows slightly furrowed, still exuded an indescribable charm. But at this moment, what made Nie Jinxuan purse her lips was not these things, but the fact that she discovered that the moment this woman saw Yin Fengzhan, her eyes flickered slightly.

Nie Jinxuan didn't know what that flicker meant. But she could be certain that this woman knew Yin Fengzhan, and as for Yin Fengzhan...

Instantly, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but look up at the man beside her, and then the corner of her eye twitched.

Yes, Yin Fengzhan also knew her!

Suddenly, after this realization hit her mind, she felt an inexplicable sense of displeasure in her heart.

Therefore, after a brief moment of contemplation, Nie Jinxuan adjusted her mood slightly and then asked directly,

"May I ask who this is..."

Nie Jinxuan asked this to Yin Fenghan, but her eyes remained fixed on the beautiful woman in front of her. Upon hearing this, Yin Fenghan raised an eyebrow, turned his eyes to look at the woman, and then smiled slightly at Nie Jinxuan.

"My wife."

"Oh, so it is the Crown Princess. Jinxuan has been rude."

A flash of realization crossed Nie Jinxuan's eyes, and she bowed in greeting. Seeing this, the woman... who was the Crown Princess Zhen Xiao Lian, was startled at first, but then she returned the greeting.

"Not at all, not at all, it is I, Xiaolian, who has been rude... However, I presume this must be the Consort of Prince Chen. I have often heard that the Consort of Prince Chen is dignified and beautiful, and seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary. Prince Chen is truly blessed."

Crown Princess Zhen Xiao Lian kept her status very low, but hearing this, Nie Jinxuan felt that something was strange. Therefore, Nie Jinxuan didn't engage much with Zhen Xiao Lian and turned directly to look at Yin Fenghan.

"Since the Crown Princess is here today, I won't say any more. Let's just pretend that today's incident never happened. My Nie family will not bring it up again, and I ask the Crown Prince to keep your word. Otherwise, once it is blown up, neither of us will have any face left... So, the Crown Prince should understand what I mean!"

"Heh heh, the Fourth Sister-in-law is too polite. Since you have said so, I will naturally comply!"

Saying this, Yin Fenghan smiled slightly at Nie Jinxuan, then turned his eyes to look at Yin Fengzhan, who was standing beside Nie Jinxuan but had remained silent throughout, and then turned and left.

Seeing this, Zhen Xiao Lian, who had been listening in confusion, found it inappropriate to ask any questions. She nodded slightly to Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan, and then followed him away.

……

After Crown Prince Yin Fenghan and Zhen Xiao Lian left, Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan also returned. However, the two did not return to their room immediately but went straight to Nie Jinhui's room.

Pushing the door open, they saw Nie Jinhui sitting on the edge of the bed wiping away tears. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but frown, looked at Yin Fengzhan beside her, and then walked over first, while Yin Fengzhan turned and sat in a seat to the side.

"Second Sister..."

Nie Jinxuan didn't know how to comfort people well, so she could only call out softly. Hearing this, Nie Jinhui raised her head slightly and immediately started crying again.

"Jinxuan, you have to believe me, I really didn't seduce the Crown Prince, it was him... it was him who..."

Nie Jinhui didn't finish her sentence and burst into tears again. Looking at her like this, Nie Jinxuan felt sad in her heart as well. She raised her hand to gently pat her shoulder and comforted her in a low voice.

"En, alright, Second Sister. Don't worry, everything is in the past, it's alright, it's alright!"

"It's alright? Jinxuan... are you telling the truth? Is it really... really alright?"

Obviously, Nie Jinhui was somewhat surprised by Nie Jinxuan's words. But then, she saw Nie Jinxuan nod. Seeing this, tears streamed down Nie Jinhui's face again...

……

Nie Jinhui cried again, but this time, they were tears of joy. After a long while, Nie Jinhui finally calmed down under Nie Jinxuan's comfort. But just as she had calmed down, Nie Jinhui's expression turned stern again, and she suddenly grabbed Nie Jinxuan and asked,

"Then Jinxuan, let me ask you, did the Crown Prince say anything? Will he keep it a secret? Jinxuan, you know, if this matter were to spread..."

No one understood her situation better than Nie Jinhui. Now that this had happened, she was naturally most afraid of it spreading. But upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan smiled slightly and said slowly,

"Don't worry, Second Sister, it has already been handled. The Crown Prince will not speak of it, and this matter will not spread. After all, while your reputation is important, for him, the Crown Prince, he also has to care about his own face!"

Without giving too much explanation, Nie Jinxuan's one sentence put Nie Jinhui at ease. After the two talked for a while longer, Nie Jinxuan saw that Nie Jinhui was calm, and only then did she look up and instruct Xiao Xiu.

"Xiao Xiu, you go down and rest first."

"Yes."

Seeing that Nie Jinhui had stopped crying and the matter was resolved, Xiao Xiu was naturally much happier. She smiled, responded respectfully, and then walked out. Once Xiao Xiu had left, Nie Jinxuan's expression tightened slightly, and she looked at Nie Jinhui beside her and said,

"Second Sister, although today's matter has passed, there is one thing I still want to ask you..."

"En, go ahead and ask. What is it?"

Looking directly at Nie Jinhui, Nie Jinhui looked very serious. Seeing her like this, Nie Jinxuan suddenly looked at Yin Fengzhan, who was sitting not far away, before returning her gaze to Nie Jinhui.

"That is, Second Sister, why did you suddenly go outside in the middle of the night? And then happened to run into the Crown Prince?"

Nie Jinxuan asked directly and seriously, but upon hearing this, Nie Jinhui couldn't help but start crying again.

"Jinxuan, it wasn't that I wanted to go out myself, actually... actually, someone called me out!"

Saying this, Nie Jinhui reached into her bosom, took out a note, and handed it to Nie Jinxuan. Upon receiving the note, Nie Jinxuan was stunned at first, then reached out to open it, and sure enough, she saw five characters written on it.

【Si Hour, Moon-Gazing Pavilion】

The Moon-Gazing Pavilion was located on the east side of the front courtyard of Zuixiashanzhuang and was the only way to connect the various courtyards of the front yard. Therefore, seeing the note, Nie Jinxuan's brows immediately furrowed. At this time, Yin Fengzhan also stood up and walked over, and Nie Jinxuan handed the note to him.

Upon seeing the note, Yin Fengzhan's expression also turned stern, and he looked up at Nie Jinhui.

"Where did you find it?"

"I found it when I returned to my room after dinner. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it, but then I thought, the Moon-Gazing Pavilion is not far from here, so nothing should happen, and I didn't know what the other party wanted with me, so I..."

Nie Jinhui's voice grew quieter as she spoke. She quietly looked up at Yin Fengzhan, but then suddenly lowered her head again.

"So, so I went... but after I got there, I felt it was inappropriate, so I thought about walking back... but I didn't expect that I had only walked a short distance when I ran into the Crown Prince, and then... and then..."

Remembering what had just happened, Nie Jinhui started crying again. But at this moment, listening to Nie Jinhui's words, Yin Fengzhan narrowed his eyes and remained silent, pursing his lips... ===== CHAPTER 85 =====