Duke Jing's younger sister

There was a sound of hurried footsteps in the courtyard, and Yue Yang's voice rang out in the courtyard, "Madam."

Shen Beiqi collected his thoughts and stood up. Before he could go out to greet her, Yang had already hurried into the bedroom.

Looking at Shen Li lying unconscious on the bed, Yang was extremely angry.

"Qi'er, do you know what she did? She is so shameless and self-deprecating, and you still want to protect her? Yan'er hasn't been promised to anyone yet. If she is implicated because of her self-degradation, I will never let her go!"

Who among the descendants of a prominent family would be willing to marry a woman whose sisters have behaved immorally?

Even though she was not a blood-related sister, she grew up in the Shen family after all, and in Jiangdu City she was known as the Third Miss of the Shen family.

But she... actually dared to have an affair with someone before getting married, and now she is pregnant!

If this news gets out, how will people in Jiangdu city view the Shen family's family traditions, and how will they view the unmarried women in the first and second branches of the Shen family?

"Mother, don't talk about her like that! She was forced!"

It was clearly him who did something wrong, but Shen Li had to bear all the slander and abuse. Shen Beiqi felt a dull pain in his chest and almost blurted out something.

"That scoundrel is..."

"Brother..."

Shen Li interrupted him softly, and Shen Beiqi turned around abruptly.

She didn't know when she woke up, and now she was half-leaning up, looking at him with pleading eyes with tears in her eyes.

In Yang's eyes, this earnest look seemed like Shen Li asking Shen Beiqi for help.

Yang snorted coldly and said contemptuously, "You did such a shameful thing, and you still expect your brother to stand up for you?"

Most of the time, Yang was neither too close nor too distant to Shen Li. She would greet her and show concern for her, but they were all superficial politeness and she never took it to heart.

Shen Li never felt that she was treated unfairly because, after all, it was the Shen family that took her in and allowed her to live a life of plenty.

She was very grateful, but she also understood that once this matter was exposed, it would not benefit Yang, Shen Beiqi, the entire Shen family, including herself.

Shen Li endured the pain and struggled to get out of bed, kneeling on the ground.

"Mother, please understand. When my daughter went to Kaiyuan Temple last month, she was accidentally attacked by someone... I don't know his name or name, or even what he looks like. If mother thinks that I have brought disgrace upon the Shen family, I would rather die to clear the Shen family's name."

Shen Li lowered her head. She had never imagined that things would develop to this point.

God was so unkind to her that he made her pregnant in just one night, making it impossible for her to completely hide the fact.

Shen Beiqi strode towards her and helped her up from the ground.

"Ari, no one can make you die. Even if someone has to die, it shouldn't be you!"

He turned to look at his mother, "Mother, I was the one who brought Ah Li into the Shen residence. If she is wrong, then I am guilty. If mother wants to punish her, I will accept it!"

"you……"

Yang was furious, and her finger pointing at Shen Beiqi trembled slightly.

Nanny Qin, who was standing guard at one side, quickly stepped forward and held Yang's arm, gently stroked her back twice to help her calm down, and whispered words of advice in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Madam, don't be angry with the Duke. The child is gone now, and few people know about this. Don't damage the harmony between mother and child for an outsider."

Nanny Qin's words gradually calmed Yang down.

That’s right, since the child is gone, this matter can be covered up.

Shen Li had reached the age of 15 last year, and the original plan was to find a good marriage for her after Shen Yan got married. Now it seems that Shen Li's marriage should be put on the agenda, the sooner the better.

She has lost her virginity, and those wealthy families that used to look for her are probably no longer able to do so. She can only look for another way.

Thinking of this, Yang glanced at Shen Li indifferently, too lazy to say anything more, and left Cuibai Hall with a flick of her sleeves.

Shen Li felt it was inappropriate to rest in her brother's bedroom, so she asked to go back to her own Qinghui Courtyard.

Shen Beiqi said that in her current condition, it was not suitable for her to move around and get some fresh air, and asked her to rest here for a few days and recover some strength before going back.

Since Shen Beiqi said so, Shen Li couldn't refuse again and again.

Because of the pain from the whip marks on her back and lying on this masculine couch, Shen Li almost did not sleep all night.

Thinking back to eight years ago, when she first entered the Duke's Mansion, she also couldn't sleep all night long.

At that time, her family suddenly encountered an accident. She was sick but did not rest for half a day all the way from Changzhou to Jiangdu City.

The Shen Mansion is very large, with pavilions, towers, and flying eaves. When the moonlight shines down at night, all the exotic flowers and plants in the yard are fast asleep.

She huddled on the steps, looking at the round moon in the sky, as bright as white jade, letting her tears soak her cheeks, biting her lips and not daring to cry out loud.

The maids who took care of her often said that she was lucky, as a pheasant flew onto a branch and turned into a phoenix.

She also talked about how wealthy and powerful the Shen family was, and how it was her blessing to be able to marry into the Shen family.

Shen Li didn't understand what wealth and power were at that time. She only knew that this was not her home, and her home was gone.

"Why aren't you sleeping here crying in the middle of the night?"

Shen Beiqi had discovered her at some point. He was wearing a long white brocade robe with a few staggered green bamboos embroidered from the chest to the shoulders.

She raised her eyes, her vision blurred by tears, but she could vaguely see his handsome face, his peach blossom eyes slightly raised, as if he was very happy.

Shen Beiqi squatted down and looked at her carefully in the dim moonlight. There were messy wet marks on her little cheeks, and her crystal clear deer eyes were full of grievance.

Seeing that she was silent and had tears on her face, he put away his smile, approached her and asked, "What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

She smelled a strong odor of alcohol.

Her father was fond of drinking, while other literati and scholars always studied the works of sages with fragrance. Her father Jiang Minzhi's study was half filled with books and half with wine jars.

Thinking of her father and brother, she finally burst into tears and threw herself into Shen Beiqi's arms, letting her tears and snot rub onto his white brocade robe.

Shen Beiqi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously took her into his arms, patting her back with one hand and stroking her little head with the other to give her comfort and companionship.

After a long time, she fell asleep in his arms.

Shen Beiqi carried Shen Li back to Cuibai Hall. The next day, before she woke up, most of the maids and servants in Qinghui Hall were replaced. Some were even severely punished and sent to the farm to do rough labor.

When she heard the news, she felt warm in her heart.

Just like a seed buried in the dry soil in winter, it will still take root and sprout when the spring comes and the rain moistens the earth.

Day after day, year after year, the seed grew and thrived, and had already grown into a towering tree in her heart.

But this tree can only be a secret.

A secret that was forever buried in the deepest part of her heart, which she could never reveal to anyone else and was buried with her into the earth...