Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Proving It Herself

In Meng Yang’s eyes, a woman was supposed to treat her husband as heaven. Using her dowry to support the Duke Residence and buying medicine for her mother-in-law was only natural. How could she ask for it back?

But Sheng Zhi Wan not only wanted it back, Sheng Zhi Wan even made her Husband sell his reward to fill the gap. To Meng Yang, that was cold and heartless.

In the ears of people who treated the husband as heaven, was that not a serious violation of a wife’s virtue?

After Meng Yang spoke, Meng Yang looked at Sheng Zhi Wan with satisfaction, waiting for the commoner’ spit to drown Sheng Zhi Wan.

Very soon, though, Meng Yang noticed something was wrong.

The crowd did not curse Sheng Zhi Wan at all. Instead, their eyes held pity when they looked at Meng Yang. When they looked at Qi Shu Xian and Madam Cui, their gaze turned strange.

“Miss Meng, even if you were born in a farming family, you did not seriously think using a wife’s dowry to support her husband’s family was a good thing once it got out, right?” Shang Xing Yu sneered.

“Since ancient times, a man with integrity would never touch a wife’s money meant for her own safety. The Duke Qi Residence used to be in decline, but at least its family style was upright. Who knew that now, its family style is not even as good as my family’s?”

“No – no! Princess did not support the Duke Residence. Princess only used silver to buy medicine for Mother-in-law…” Meng Yang hurried to explain.

“Shut up!” Qi Shu Xian suddenly snapped.

Meng Yang immediately did not dare speak again. Meng Yang only retreated, aggrieved.

Madam Cui gave Meng Yang a vicious look. At a time like this, what did it have to do with a woman who was not even counted as a concubine? Meng Yang had come to stir trouble, and then she had even talked nonsense in front of everyone.

As expected, low birth was low birth. In the future, Madam Cui needed to let Meng Yang meet fewer people, so Meng Yang stopped losing the Duke Residence’s face.

“Enough.” When things had reached this point, Sheng Zhi Wan suddenly changed her mind.

Were Madam Cui and Qi Shu Xian not determined to bite down and insist Sheng Zhi Wan was not pure? Then Sheng Zhi Wan would prove it herself.

Sheng Zhi Wan stepped forward. “Mother.”

Madam Cui’s face stayed dark.

Sheng Zhi Wan did not care. Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Qi Shu Xian. “Heir Apparent.”

Qi Shu Xian froze and met Sheng Zhi Wan’s calm gaze. Qi Shu Xian’s eyes shifted away without meaning to.

Sheng Zhi Wan gave a small smile and raised her voice.

“Since the Duke Qi Residence insists I am not pure, then let me say this. Heir Apparent and I have been married for two years, but on our wedding night, Heir Apparent drank until he was unconscious. The next morning, Heir Apparent woke up and left for Cang Nan.”

“After Heir Apparent returned from Cang Nan, Heir Apparent stayed in Miss Meng’s courtyard day after day. Therefore, there has been no husband and wife relationship between Heir Apparent and me…”

Before Sheng Zhi Wan could finish, shocked murmurs rose around them. Even Madam Han stared at Sheng Zhi Wan in disbelief.

“Then… Princess kept herself for Heir Apparent for two years?”

Sheng Zhi Wan did not answer.

Qi Shu Xian’s face turned completely black. Qi Shu Xian grabbed Sheng Zhi Wan’s arm and lowered his voice. “Sheng Zhi Wan! It would be one thing to say this inside the residence, but you dragged it outside? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you? Aren’t you afraid they’ll think you are pathetic and miserable?”

“Am I not pathetic? Isn’t that the truth?” Sheng Zhi Wan pulled her arm free. “But that was because I was blind before. From now on, the pathetic and miserable one will never be me!”

Sheng Zhi Wan raised her voice again. “Since the Duke Qi Residence insists my purity was ruined, then we might as well verify it in front of everyone.”

In Sheng Kingdom, there were two ways to verify a woman’s purity.

The first was to have experienced Nannies examine her. It was a humiliation to the woman being examined, and the result could also be faked.

The other was for the woman to eat a fruit called Sunflower Tongue Fruit. The fruit was yellow and shaped like a baby’s tongue, vivid and lifelike.

More importantly, if a virgin ate Sunflower Tongue Fruit, she would only find it sweet and thirst-quenching.

But if a woman who had been with a man ate it, red rashes would break out over her whole body in the blink of an eye. Those rashes would take months to fade.

If Sheng Zhi Wan wanted to prove it, Sheng Zhi Wan would naturally choose the second method.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at the commoner. “Sunflower Tongue Fruit is not rare. I will buy one for one tael of silver. Does anyone have one?”

As soon as Sheng Zhi Wan finished speaking, Qi Shu Xian snapped in anger, “Enough, Zhi Wan. Stop making trouble. I know you did not lose your purity. Isn’t that enough? We are going back to the residence!”

Qi Shu Xian reached out to grab Sheng Zhi Wan’s arm.

Sheng Zhi Wan dodged without hesitation.

Shang Xing Yu laughed softly. “Heir Apparent Qi, that was not right. The ones who insisted Princess Qing Ning was not pure, blocked the door, and refused to let Princess enter were you.”

“The ones who forced Princess to copy Madam Dong, suffer the chastity punishment, and hand over the dowry were also you.”

“Now Princess has a way to prove her innocence, and Heir Apparent Qi wants to stop it?” Shang Xing Yu’s eyes curved. “Heir Apparent Qi does not seem as righteous as Heir Apparent Qi imagines.”

“What did it have to do with you, an outsider?” Qi Shu Xian’s temples jumped.

Qi Shu Xian had wanted to ignore these playboys, but Shang Xing Yu’s words hit every sore spot. Qi Shu Xian finally could not stand it.

“Who said it has nothing to do with me?” Shang Xing Yu said seriously. “Princess Qing Ning fell into the Mountain Bandits’ hands because Princess Qing Ning saved the few of us. Otherwise, Princess would not be blocked outside your gates like this.”