Qin Xuan felt a pang of guilt upon hearing that his aunt and uncle had arrived. Could it be that his aunt and uncle had discovered something? It shouldn't be, he hadn't been in contact with his cousin recently. Not that he didn't want to, but his cousin had said that his aunt was no longer in charge, and it was inconvenient for her to go out often.
Now that his uncle could bring his aunt to the Prince's mansion, it must mean his aunt was in charge again. If that were the case, his cousin would surely be able to come out more often.
No, he should tell his grandparents to bring his cousin over to live for a while.
Qin Xuan's plan was well-thought-out, but he had completely misjudged the situation.
When everyone had arrived and the pleasantries were exchanged, Qi Tianming cleared his throat and gestured for Madam Qin to speak.
Madam Qin's eyes immediately welled up, and she knelt before the Prince and Princess Consort. "Father, Mother, I know you two have always liked Mingzhu. If you wanted to strengthen the ties between us, you would have betrothed them early on. Why would you let Xuan'er, who is already married, provoke Mingzhu? What will Mingzhu do now?"
Everyone present was stunned, not quite understanding what Madam Qin was saying.
Qin Xuan's heart sank. Judging by this display, his aunt must know about him and his cousin.
Qin Xuan nervously glanced at the elders' faces, which were filled with surprise and uncertainty.
He considered saying something, but felt it was inappropriate for a junior to speak in such a setting and atmosphere. He decided to wait for them to ask.
"What do you mean?" the Heir's wife was the first to lose her composure. "How could my Xuan'er provoke Mingzhu? Don't slander us."
Madam Qin continued to cry, "Sister-in-law, I know you find it hard to believe. I didn't believe it myself when I first heard about it. But think about it, a girl's reputation is paramount. Would I smear my own daughter's name and ruin her reputation?"
It was true, but it wasn't impossible that Qi Mingzhu's reputation was already poor, and her sister-in-law wanted to latch onto the family.
"Xuan'er, come here. Tell your mother, have you seen your cousin recently?" the Heir's wife called out to Cheng Xuan.
"Mother, Aunt is not talking nonsense. I did meet my cousin a few days ago," Cheng Xuan said, steeling himself and admitting it.
The Heir's wife felt a breath caught in her throat, almost choking her. This honest child. Meeting was one thing, but who said meeting meant provoking or ruining a girl's reputation? If that were the case, no girl in Da Feng would be able to leave their homes without their reputation being ruined.
The Heir's wife glared fiercely at Cheng Xuan, adjusted her emotions, and said slowly, "Even if Xuan'er met Mingzhu, so what? Is it that in this day and age, if a cousin meets a cousin, it ruins the cousin's reputation and he must be held responsible? Ridiculous. Then I have several cousins of Xuan'er in my family whom Xuan'er has also met. Must he be held responsible for them too? Oh, I misspoke, my family members are not so shameless."
Madam Qin did not get angry. She wiped away a tear and looked at Cheng Xuan. "Xuan'er is a good child, Aunt knows. Aunt also knows that you and Mingzhu have had a good relationship since childhood. However, when it comes to marriage, parental orders are not to be disobeyed. You had no choice."
Cheng Xuan truly felt the same. He disliked Madam Lu. Perhaps it was because he had read too many books since childhood; she was a living, breathing female version of Scholar Lu, always lecturing and talking about rules. When they had first married, seeing her delicate appearance, Cheng Xuan had intended to live a good life.
However, after the wedding night, Madam Lu had set rules and times for their conjugal relations.
He had tasted the sweetness and was unwilling to comply.
As a result, Madam Lu had gone to the elders, claiming it was all for his own good. She argued that a man being too frequent in such matters would harm his health. She insisted he should focus his energy on his studies, achieve success, and bring honor to the family.