The bustling street was filled with people coming and going. The woman had been hiding and practicing for this moment for a long time.
Before she bumped into him, she had looked and looked, searching for the right angle. She thought she would surely fall into the arms of the person she adored.
Who knew that, even though he was right before her eyes, she would still miss him.
And to fall to the ground in such an undignified manner.
Her meticulously styled hair was a mess, and her clothes were torn.
Under everyone's gaze, she lay on the bluestone ground, her beautiful face full of embarrassment.
But soon, an old woman standing beside her extended a hand to help her up and gave her a look, whispering, "Miss Taohua, are you alright?"
Taohua lowered her head, her face flushing, and said, "I... I'm fine."
"Very well, Miss, please proceed." The old woman gestured towards Shen Yun.
Taohua's eyes reddened, and she immediately put on a show.
Turning to Shen Yun, her face full of grievance, she asked, "Yun Lang, do you still remember me?"
Shen Yun frowned. He had a good memory, and anyone who appeared before him and left an impression, he could remember.
However, given the current situation, he had no intention of engaging with her.
Su Xiaoqi, on the other hand, had no such reservations and blurted out, "You are Taohua."
The woman before them was wearing a rose-red, long-sleeved dress, with her face powdered and painted, dressed very delicately and charmingly.
If she hadn't had such a vivid impression of Taohua before, she might not have recognized her now.
Taohua looked at Su Xiaoqi and recognized her as well.
Compared to when she was in Yizhou Prefecture, her features had developed further. Her skin was fair, she was wearing a water-blue slanted-collar brocade top, a matching colored ruqun skirt below, her eyes were beautiful, and her expression was delicate and charming.
She was even more stunning than before.
Taohua was suddenly a little surprised. She hadn't heard that Shen Yun had a wife with him before she came.
If she had known... she suddenly felt a little guilty and glanced uneasily at the old woman supporting her, whispering, "Nanny Quan, I..."
"Don't forget what my master promised you when he brought you from Yizhou Prefecture. Why do you want to go back on your word now?"
"I, I, I can't help it..." Taohua's face turned pale then red again. Their voices were very low, and the surroundings were noisy, so no one heard what they were saying.
But Su Xiaoqi was an exception.
After hearing their hushed conversation, she cast a surprised glance at Taohua.
But she quickly shifted her attention. Taohua, encouraged by Nanny Quan, regained her composure and suddenly ran towards Shen Yun again, throwing herself into his arms without a word.
Shen Yun hadn't expected her to do such a thing in front of so many people. Moreover, there were quite a few people gathered around. He didn't have time to dodge, and she bumped into him.
But it was only a brief contact. He quickly pushed her away.
Su Xiaoqi stood beside him and watched his move to push her away, which was so swift and decisive.
It was as if the delicate young woman throwing herself at him was not a person, but a pile of filth.
Adhering to the principle of observing more, listening more, speaking less, and moving less, she remained in place without speaking.
"Yun Lang, I am Taohua, I am Taohua! You remember me, don't you? I specifically came from Yizhou Prefecture to find you.
After that time, you, you, you, I, I have been waiting for you. But I waited for a very, very long time without receiving any reply. I, I couldn't help but come to your house to find you.
They said you had come to the capital. So, I looked for you..."
Taohua's words were hesitant and broken, sounding insincere to Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun.
But to others, it seemed as if she had suffered immense injustice.
After all, her words were full of information.
Anyone would instinctively piece together a story.
A romantic scholar fancied a rustic girl from the countryside, seduced her, took advantage of her, and then promised her a position but never returned.
Unfortunately, she couldn't escape him. This country girl was persistent, not only finding his hometown but also tracking him all the way to the capital.
"Tsk tsk, what kind of people are these?"
"The world is changing for the worse. These educated men today all claim to have studied the classics.
But I think they've all read their books to the dogs."
"Isn't that so? This young man looks like a dignified gentleman, so why is he like that? So unmanly."
...
There is no shortage of onlookers wherever one goes.
Especially in such situations that should have been between talented scholars and beauties.
Before Taohua could reveal more of her "feelings,"
the bored spectators had already completed the story themselves.
Soon, a story of Shen Yun seducing a country girl and then losing his integrity and promise began to circulate.
Su Xiaoqi listened from the side and thought that if she hadn't been present at the time, hearing how plausible their story sounded, she would have believed it too.
Su Xiaoqi looked at Shen Yun with curiosity, wanting to know what he would do.
But Shen Yun ignored everyone else and looked at her first, "My wife, I didn't."
Su Xiaoqi chuckled and pointed to the people around, focusing particularly on Taohua:
"My belief is not important. What's important is that you have to convince them."
Otherwise, if such news spread, Shen Yun's reputation would be damaged.
This would cast a shadow over his imperial examinations and could even lead to his disqualification from officialdom...
Thinking of this, Su Xiaoqi suddenly understood.
This seemed to be the follow-up to the unsuccessful ambush they had encountered earlier.
In short, they had only one goal: to ruin Shen Yun.
Whether it was to ruin his reputation or their lives, it made no fundamental difference to them.
This was a blatant attempt to interfere with Shen Yun's imperial examinations and his future career.
Su Xiaoqi felt she could not tolerate this.
She looked at Taohua, who had been silent since telling that moving story that attracted attention, and was now crying with a handkerchief covering her face.
She snorted inwardly and whispered to Shen Yun, "If they can find even her, they must be quite capable."
Shen Yun, upon hearing Su Xiaoqi's words, felt a sense of relief: "My wife, you believe me?"
Su Xiaoqi glared at him, "I told you, whether I believe you or not is not important..."
Before Su Xiaoqi could finish speaking, Shen Yun interrupted her, "In my opinion, whether you believe me or not is the most important thing."
The others were merely there to watch the spectacle.
He was afraid that Su Xiaoqi would have doubts about him after hearing this, and then he would have to suffer her displeasure.
After all, he had only just managed to win back her affection by taking a knife for her.
If he were to be estranged from her again due to someone else's scheme, wouldn't that be a loss outweighing the gain?
Therefore, Shen Yun's first reaction upon hearing Taohua falsely accuse him of seducing her and then abandoning her was not to explain himself in public.
Instead, he focused on Su Xiaoqi's reaction.
"I believe you." Seeing how insistent he was on an answer, Su Xiaoqi finally told the truth.
She was eager to get rid of this Taohua.
Otherwise, as more people gathered around, she didn't want to gain such a reputation.
Sensing her anxiety, Shen Yun said, "My wife, rest assured. The pure will remain pure, and the impure will remain impure. What I haven't done will not become true no matter how much others say it."
Shen Yun's words were meant for Su Xiaoqi, but also for the onlookers.
"Ah, he says he didn't do it."
"I heard it too. Is he lying?"
"Hey, why do you say that? If the young master is lying, does that mean what the woman said is true?"
A woman, seeing Shen Yun's handsome appearance and annoyed by everyone accusing him, jumped out to defend him.
"That's true. People say you should look at both sides of a matter, not just one.
Why don't we listen to this lady? Oh, what's her name again?"
"I am Shen Yun." Knowing that Su Xiaoqi was not angry, Shen Yun's demeanor relaxed, and he calmly stepped forward to introduce himself.
Then, he cleared his throat and said loudly, "What this Miss Taohua claims is entirely fabricated."