Chapter 20 This is the husband I carefully selected for you...

Chapter 20

In the He family ancestral hall, after paying his respects to He Changxin, Shen Yan stared at the memorial tablet for a long time without saying a word.

“In the end, I have returned to this place, Brother Jingchuan,” Shen Yan murmured, his eyes already red. He did not want to lose his composure in front of his close friend, so he stood up. “I was unable to attend my brother’s memorial service, and I hope my sister-in-law will not be offended.”

The eldest princess shook her head. "Since you have already decided to retire, how could I blame you? Besides, even though you were not there, you must have been heartbroken to know that he was gone. He always thinks about you, and if he sees you sad, he will probably feel uneasy."

The two walked out of the ancestral hall.

"Upon learning of her brother's passing, Ayu was heartbroken for a long time. She found an auspicious burial site to build a cenotaph for her brother and offered sacrifices to him from time to time."

“Shuyu and you are both people who value relationships, and I understand that. That’s why I don’t want you to come back,” the Princess finally said, revealing her biggest worry. “Yanzhi, you had already decided to live a peaceful life, so why did you take such a big risk to help Jingchuan fight against the Japanese pirates back then? Do you know that it was that time that the Emperor found out where you were? It was only because Jingchuan and I desperately stopped him that he didn’t go looking for you immediately.”

“When the country is in trouble, I cannot ignore it. If it were Brother Jingchuan, he would have done the same thing back then.”

The eldest princess sighed deeply.

The two entered the room and sat down. The princess ordered Mingle to serve tea. "A few days ago, a girl surnamed Miao came to my residence. I saw that she was wearing the jade pendant from Jingchuan, and that's when I learned that my brother had secretly summoned you to the capital. Later, Asheng told me that someone had poisoned the wine in my residence. I knew that you had secretly helped me. I originally wanted to visit you to express my gratitude, but I was afraid that you would not want to see me."

Shen Yan understood what the princess meant and smiled bitterly, "I've always remembered our promise, it's just that Ningning..."

Shen Yan hesitated for a moment, then tried to hide the bitterness on his lips and asked softly, "The child's full name is Hansheng. I wonder what his courtesy name is? I remember when Brother He Nian went there, he was only about nineteen years old and had not yet come of age."

The eldest princess said, "Asheng's courtesy name is Yunchu, which was given to him by Mr. Xie."

“Yun Chu, Yun Chu,” Shen Yan murmured softly, “to hold fast to the middle way, to keep a pure heart like snow. This was probably the eternal wish that we brothers could never fulfill back then.”

Both of them thought of their old friends and remained silent for a while.

After a moment, the princess took a sip of tea and composed herself. "I understand. As parents, we should always put our children first. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Since you and Shuyu don't want to stay in the capital for long, why don't you just let go of Asheng and Ningning's engagement? You'll feel more at ease raising the child yourself. If Jingchuan were here, he would definitely think the same way."

Shen Yan looked at the eldest princess with some disbelief.

The eldest princess smiled and said, "I know you always keep your promises. Jingchuan has already gone. If I don't tell you, you will only keep it to yourself and worry in secret."

Shen Yan was somewhat moved. He stood up. "Thank you for your understanding, Princess Chang. However, what about His Majesty..."

“I will speak to my brother, so you don’t need to worry,” the Princess reassured Shen Yan. “A few days ago, I found a suitable match for Asheng, Princess Lanxin from the Duke of Zhenguo’s family. The Empress Dowager is also very satisfied with this marriage and will be formally betrothed soon. After that, let’s just pretend this matter never happened. You really don’t need to take it to heart.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan finally felt relieved.

...

The next day, when Shen Yan went to Xie Chang's house to reminisce, Shen Suining was summoned to the Imperial Study by the Emperor.

The palace was governed by strict laws, and the slightest carelessness could lead to disaster. Fearing something might happen, Shen Suining left Shen Fengyu at home and went into the palace alone with the palace eunuchs.

When she arrived at the door of the Imperial Study, He Hansheng had just come out from inside. The two bumped into each other, meeting unexpectedly.

Shen Suining exclaimed "Oh!" and laughed, "Isn't this Young Marquis He? I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

“So it’s Princess Tangxi,” He Hansheng said, biting his back teeth and forcing a smile. “What a small world, we actually run into each other here.”

“They say enemies are destined to meet,” Shen Suining said, genuinely pleased to see He Hansheng’s extremely unpleasant expression. “I don’t know why, but seeing Young Master He’s face today makes me feel exceptionally comfortable.”

The two started arguing and wouldn't let it go. Xiao Huizi, who was leading the way for Shen Suining, quickly reminded her, "Princess, His Majesty is still waiting inside."

Shen Suining then stopped talking and followed Xiao Huizi into the Imperial Study.

He Hansheng clenched his fists. Seeing his pale face, the eunuch at the door said, "My lord, His Majesty and the princess will probably be gone for a while. Why don't you wait here?"

"No need."

The emperor was the only one in the imperial study. After Shen Suining entered, she greeted Li Bo according to the newly learned palace rules.

She was beautiful and had a lively and outgoing personality, which made Li Bo very fond of her.

"Tangxi, are you getting used to living in Pu She?" Li Bo looked at Shen Suining with affection, smiling as if he were looking at a junior. "If you need anything, just tell me and I will arrange it for you."

Shen Suining felt that Li Bo's smile was a bit strange. She couldn't explain why, but she just felt that this dog emperor was probably up to no good.

But because he was the emperor, Shen Suining had to force a smile and reply, "It's all fine. If I had to say something is lacking, it's that I wasn't as free as I was in Yangzhou."

"Oh? How do you want to feel comfortable?"

"It's like that you can go wherever you want, even if you have to fly over rooftops and walk on walls without worry," Shen Suining said, half-jokingly, "but in the capital, I would never dare to do that, for fear of being laughed at by others."

Li Bo burst into laughter at her words. "I heard you had an archery contest with Han Sheng at the Yong'an Marquis's residence yesterday, and you almost beat him?"

"No, no, I was just showing off my limited skills before Lu Ban. How could I compare to the young marquis?" After saying that, Shen Suining secretly thought to herself that she had never said such a dishonest thing in her life!

“I see,” Li Bo looked at Shen Suining meaningfully. “Han Sheng’s kung fu is inherited from his father, the Marquis of Yong’an, and is one of the best in the capital. Your father and the Marquis of Yong’an were considered the best of their time, with equally skilled kung fu. So, your kung fu is probably no worse than Han Sheng’s.”

Shen Suining was very pleased with these words and felt secretly pleased, but he still had to pretend to be humble: "I'm still a little bit inferior to him."

"Since you possess such abilities, Tangxi," Li Bo changed the subject, "would you like to use your skills to serve me?"

"..." Shen Suining's lips twitched. So all that buildup by this dog emperor was just waiting for her here.

"how?"

Seeing that Li Bo's expression was serious, Shen Suining immediately began to think seriously, "What benefits would I gain from serving the Emperor?"

Li Bo burst into laughter, "Serving me, and you still want to ask for favors?"

"certainly."

"I need to think about this carefully," Li Bo said casually, feigning reluctance. "If you can serve me, your father can return to Yangzhou sooner and reunite with your mother. I wonder if this would be a good thing for you?"

Sensing the coercive tone in Li Bo's words, Shen Suining's expression changed. "Does His Majesty mean that if I don't agree, my father can't return to Yangzhou?"

"I lack a loyal and trustworthy minister with high martial arts skills to serve as my personal bodyguard and handle some matters. If this position is not yours, then it will be your father. Of course, your father can return to Yangzhou, but I cannot guarantee when or how he can return." Li Bo's smile concealed a dagger, and every word he spoke was jumping on Shen Suining's nerve pads.

Remembering her mother's teachings, Shen Suining kept her emotions hidden and tried her best to appear normal. "What kind of things?"

“For example, kill some people,” Li Bo said calmly, looking at Shen Suining with a smile still in his eyes, but the smile was cold. “Some people that I cannot deal with openly, you find a way to get rid of them for me, that’s all.”

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple. If you agree today, your father can leave Huadu at any time."

Shen Suining fell into deep thought. According to this damned emperor, either her father or she would be kept here. In short, the current situation meant that it was impossible for the two of them to return to Yangzhou at the same time.

My father is kind and honest, but he is also prone to getting stuck on trivial matters and sticking to his principles. If he stays in Huadu, he will probably not have a good end, just as he said.

Thinking this through, Shen Suining decided to stay. She looked up and said, "Okay, I agree."

Li Bo smiled with satisfaction and tossed the imperial edict token with the character "御" (Yu, meaning imperial) that he had prepared beforehand to Shen Suining. "Take this, and you can freely roam anywhere in the capital. I will secretly give you some silver to help you train your people. This matter is only known to you and me. When the time is right, I will tell you who to kill."

Shen Suining accepted the token, hid it in her sleeve, and forced a smile.

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing,” Li Bo said, having finished his business, and then began to talk about personal matters. “I heard that you are twenty-one years old and still unmarried, so I have specially selected a husband for you. He is outstanding in both appearance and talent, and is a perfect match for you.”

Shen Suining's smile vanished completely.

Even though she's traveled all the way to Huadu, thousands of miles away, she still can't escape the fate of being pressured to get married. Yes, she's twenty-one, but so what if she's twenty-one? Does being twenty-one mean she's no longer a beautiful flower? Does being twenty-one mean she should immediately get married and bury herself?

Even though Shen Suining was arrogant, he knew that the emperor's word was law. Once he had spoken, he had made a decision that could not be easily swayed.

Shen Suining decided to throw caution to the wind, saying, "I don't want anyone who's ugly."

"Don't worry, it'll look great." Li Bo clapped his hands, and the eunuch outside led He Hansheng in.

The two locked eyes, and Shen Suining instantly felt a strong sense of foreboding.

“Tangxi, look,” Li Bo was so engrossed in his own world that he didn’t notice the thunderous reaction of the two people below him, “This is the husband I have carefully chosen for you, my own nephew, the young marquis of Yong’an Marquis’s mansion, He Hansheng.”

Shen Suining: "..."

He Hansheng: "..."