Chapter 1 Fangfei_2
```
Despite this, Xue Fangfei still married Shen Yurong, because that was her wish.
Marrying Shen Yurong and coming to Yanjing, although her mother-in-law was harsh and she suffered many grievances, Shen Yurong was considerate and took great care of her; thus, her dissatisfactions dissipated like smoke in the air.
Last spring, Shen Yurong graduated as the top scholar, rode through the streets in celebration, and the Emperor personally bestowed the Mansion plaque. Not long after, he was appointed Assistant Head Writer. In September, Xue Fangfei found herself pregnant, coinciding with Mother Shen's birthday, bringing double joy to the Shen family who hosted a banquet and invited the esteemed of Yanjing.
That day was Xue Fangfei's nightmare.
In truth, she didn't know how it happened, only that after drinking a little plum wine at the feast, she felt sleepy and was helped back to her room by her maid to rest... When she was woken by screams, she saw a strange man in the room, her clothes in disarray, while her mother-in-law and numerous female relatives stood at the door, looking on with scorn, disgust, or schadenfreude.
She should have been mortified, and indeed she was; but no matter how she explained, the scandal about the top scholar's wife being caught with another man in front of all the guests still spread.
She should have been divorced and thrown out of the Mansion, but Shen Yurong didn't do it. Suffering from excessive anxiety, she had a miscarriage and while lying in bed, she heard that Xue Zhao came to Yanjing because of this incident. He was attacked by robbers at night before reaching the Shen residence and his body was discarded in the river.
Hearing this tragic news, she dared not inform Tongxiang, barely managing to see Xue Zhao for the last time and take care of his funeral before falling ill herself. For three months, a full three months, Shen Yurong did not come to see her once.
While lying in her sickbed, she wildly speculated whether Shen Yurong harbored resentment, refusing to see her, or was deliberately neglecting her to vent his anger. But the longer she lay there, and the more she overheard from the servants, she gradually pieced together the ugly truth.
Xue Fangfei struggled to sit up from her bed. The bowl of medicine by her bed had grown cold, emitting a bitter fragrance. She leaned over and poured the medicine from the bowl into the basin with Hai Tang flowers, which were already withered, leaving only bare branches.
The door creaked open.
Xue Fangfei looked up to see the hem of a robe embroidered with golden threads.
The young woman's attire was opulent, her eyebrows slightly raised in pride. Her gaze fell on the medicine bowl in Xue Fangfei's hand, revealing an enlightened expression. She laughed, "So that's how it is."
Xue Fangfei calmly put down the bowl and watched as the visitor entered the room. Two sturdy maids closed the door, and at some point, the chattering maids and servants outside had disappeared. Only the uneasy chirping of cicadas in the silent air seemed to forespell some impending event.
Xue Fangfei said, "Princess Yongning."
Princess Yongning smiled, and as she did, a South Sea Pearl as big as a thumb on her hairpin swayed, its lustrous sheen almost dazzling to the eye.
A single pearl from the Southern Sea is worth ten thousand mu of good land. The imperial kinsfolk and nobility always use the best of what is available: they revel in luxury, untouched by the woes of the common people, and possess everything others can't even imagine in a lifetime, yet they still covet the possessions of others, even to the extent of theft and robbery.
"You seem not the slightest bit surprised," Princess Yongning said curiously. "Could it be Mr. Shen has already told you?"
Mr. Shen, she uttered so intimately; Xue Fangfei tasted sweetness in her throat, barely suppressing it. A moment later, she replied indifferently, "I am waiting, waiting for him to tell me in person."
Xue Fangfei wasn't foolish; Xue Huaiyuan had taught her to be very smart. Ever since she fell ill and discovered her confinement, with every move being watched, she connected the dots, including the cause behind Xue Zhao's death.
She managed to pry the truth from the maids.
As the top scholar, Shen Yurong's status was no longer the same as before. Even though Xue Fangfei was endowed with both beauty and brains, she was ultimately just the daughter of a county magistrate. Shen Yurong gained the favor of Princess Yongning; perhaps they had already made secret arrangements, regardless, Xue Fangfei had become an obstacle, a stumbling block for this Imperial Princess of the Imperial Family.
Xue Fangfei recalled the day of the incident, the day Mother Shen hosted the guests, with Princess Yongning amongst the crowd. Upon reflection, she could even remember the smug smile at the corner of the Yongning's lips.
And so the truth was laid bare.
"Mr. Shen is soft-hearted," Princess Yongning said with casual indifference as she took a seat, looking at her, "and I am not a cruel person. Originally, I wanted to let you off, but you refused to let things rest," she glanced at the medicine bowl on the table and sighed, "Why must you do this?"
```