Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Proposal

As night deepened, the young ladies and gentlemen dispersed from the palace. Qi Xinxin quietly waved to Yuan Siyin, who was sitting in a tree, outside the palace gate, and then boarded the carriage.

Yuan Si swung her hand vigorously, and the next second she almost fell down.

I finally realized what was wrong.

Qi Xinxin!

Isn't she the female lead?

It's all over!

She's so useless! She always only thinks of it afterward! Get up!

Yuan Siyin hugged the tree trunk and started punching it repeatedly.

but……

The female lead is so cute, hehehe...

For a moment, I had an urge to kill the male lead and steal the female lead.

Well, even though the timing isn't quite right, at least we're one step closer to getting on someone's good side.

With that thought, Yuan Siyin's mood improved again.

——

A month passed quickly.

On the eve of her coming-of-age banquet, Yuan Siyin was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager suddenly sent Emerald to summon her to the main hall.

She rubbed her eyes and, with a limp, was helped out by Emerald.

"I've been busy all day, and I finally got a break, but now I have to go back to work."

Jade, carrying a palace lantern in one hand, smiled and reminded her to watch her step on the jade steps: "Your coming-of-age banquet is naturally a hundred times more important than anything else. If you work hard today, you'll be in the spotlight tomorrow if nothing goes wrong."

She's heard that phrase at least ten times in the past few days; her ears are practically calloused from it.

If it weren't for the need to refuse the marriage proposal to the Crown Prince, she would have packed her bags overnight and fled back to the Yuan residence to prepare for this ridiculous coming-of-age banquet.

The candlelight from Mingsheng cast the shadows of the two people inside the room onto the window paper. Yuan Siyin, who had finally regained some of her senses, noticed another shadow and couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Who's here?

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Jade, holding the palace lantern, bowed her head and helped her lift the curtain: "Please come in quickly, young lady."

Why would he come?

Yuan Siyin's expression immediately turned sour, but having already come this far, she couldn't just turn around and leave.

She took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and stepped over the threshold.

"Sister Siyin has arrived."

Yu Yuanchao smiled and stood up to greet her, offering his seat: "Come and sit down, you must be tired today, let me give you a shoulder massage."

"..." Don't come any closer!

Yuan Siyin felt a chill run down her spine.

It's no exaggeration to say that she now feels that every step closer she gets to Yu Yuanchao shortens her lifespan.

She awkwardly turned to avoid Yu Yuanchao's hand and instead sat down next to the Empress Dowager.

"Aunt, don't you feel sorry for Yin'er? Look, Yin'er has dark circles under her eyes these past two days!"

"Never serious."

The Empress Dowager gave a loving scolding, then looked at Yu Yuanchao, who seemed a little embarrassed.

"Your Highness, Yin'er is here. Speak your mind."

The Empress Dowager spoke with an air of authority, and after speaking, she patted Yuan Siyin's hand, signaling her to sit up straight.

Yu Yuanchao coughed lightly, lifted his robe, and knelt down with a thud. He bowed to the Empress Dowager at the head of the table and said, "Grandmother, the reason I came here tonight is actually..."

"Haha, yes, it's so late today, Crown Prince should go back and rest. I should go back too."

Yuan Siyin gave a dry laugh and was about to get up and slip away when she was stopped in her tracks by a sharp look from the Empress Dowager.

"Sit down and listen to what the Crown Prince has to say."

She lowered her head, sat down, and stopped talking.

"Your grandson dares to propose marriage to my grandmother, asking for the hand of my sister, Si Yin!"

The Empress Dowager seemed to have anticipated his arrival. She beckoned to Jade, who quickly came forward carrying a tray.