On the other side, the palace

The emperor and Uncle Ling sat side by side, looking at the couple opposite them with a little anxiety. The tea on the table had been refilled twice.

"President Fu's business is now big, and I rarely see him for a year. Today is a rare opportunity, and I want to have a good chat with you. Please stay for dinner and we can talk about our children." The emperor looked like he would not let you go unless you tell him that Master Shen is a girl.

Ling Guojiu was very puzzled. He had thought that the couple had come to see the emperor so solemnly so early in the morning just to reveal the identity of Prince Shen. But why didn't they say it when the words were on their lips?

He also kept discussing with him the diplomatic issue of the ownership of the Tianxin Lake gold mine. Did Lord Shen come with his wife to discuss business?

He quietly looked at the bewildered Lord Shen, who was sitting beside Madam Fu without saying a word. No matter what the emperor asked him, he just agreed vaguely without expressing any opinion.

He suddenly remembered that Lord Shen had said not long ago that all the members of the Shen family were upright men.

That's it? Big wife slave.

Lord Shen was also very puzzled. Originally, he and Madam Fu came here to announce their daughter's identity, but Madam Fu changed the subject temporarily and turned the topic all the way to Uncle Ling's diplomatic issues, and the topic kept going further and further away.

The emperor and Uncle Ling had already invited them to have lunch, but the three of them were still discussing business issues such as diplomacy and foreign trade.

This made him, a military general, feel no sense of participation at all. Whenever he wanted to change the subject back to his daughter's affairs, Mrs. Fu would give him a sharp look and force the topic to diplomatic issues.

Lord Shen couldn't help but feel annoyed, thinking that his wife really didn't care about her daughter at all. She had clearly agreed in the morning to announce Shen Xu's identity to the emperor and request that she be renamed a princess, but she was always talking about business.

"Madam." He gently reminded Madam Fu, who was still exchanging pleasantries with the emperor, "Xu'er is still waiting for us at home."

"Then, please ask Uncle Ling to put the port permit for the Northern Star of Haoyue Nation on the agenda." Madam Fu stood up and politely declined, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your hospitality. I am flattered. To be honest, I have not been back to the capital for a long time, and I have some important matters to attend to at home tonight. I am afraid I will not be able to stay for dinner. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Uncle Ling quickly called out to Lord Chen, "Then, Lord Chen, please stay for dinner. Let's discuss what we discussed earlier."

Lord Shen quickly rolled his eyes, "Which matter? Ah, that matter? Wasn't the result already discussed at that time?"

The emperor and Uncle Ling looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ling Guojiu quickly argued: "Is there no room for change in this matter? But the two children clearly..."

The emperor suddenly interrupted him, "Uncle, President Fu has already made his request. Please go to the northwest and have a good discussion. We must satisfy the president."

Uncle Ling immediately understood the emperor's intention and agreed without hesitation. He patted his chest and promised that he would not let Madam Fu down. He frantically hinted that parents should give their children more opportunities and hoped that they would confess that Master Shen was a girl.

Marquis Shen listened from the side, feeling extremely unhappy. This was originally a very simple matter; he only needed to ask His Majesty for the title of Princess and clear his daughter's name. But after these people talked, the matter became extremely complicated and now it had completely changed its nature and turned into a business deal!

"Chang'er." There was displeasure in his tone.

"It seems that time is running out, so I will take my leave." Mrs. Fu bowed respectfully to the emperor and was about to turn around and leave.

"Your Majesty." Lord Shen suddenly became anxious and stood up to explain: "I have no objection to the relationship between Your Highness the Crown Prince and Xu'er, but regarding the marriage, I..."

Madam Fu sighed slightly and interrupted, "Regarding the matter of marriage, I'd better let you go back and discuss it with Lord Chen before deciding."

"Yes." Lord Shen nodded in agreement, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."

In the carriage.

Marquis Shen looked at Madam Fu sitting opposite him in confusion and said dissatisfiedly, "Chang'er, didn't we agree before that we were here to ask for the title of Princess and restore Xu'er's reputation? Why did you suddenly change your mind? She is our daughter, how can we treat this as a business deal?"

"They've known for a long time that Xu'er is a girl, and they're just waiting for us to announce the news so they can immediately propose marriage. By then, before we can even warm up to the title of little princess, we'll be crowned the Crown Princess. How can we keep Xu'er by our side?"

Madam Fu gently took Lord Shen's hand and explained in a gentle tone: "She is Aliang's sweetheart, she can't be married off to the emperor's family so soon."

"Changchang was really thoughtful. I didn't expect that I would tell Xu'er about it. I misunderstood you."

Lord Shen let her hold his hand, but suddenly he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard, holding her in his arms. He held her waist and let her sit on his lap. Madam Fu was caught off guard and pulled into his arms. She cried out softly and said coquettishly, "What are you doing?"

"Changchang, don't go back to the Southern Territory. Leave the Chamber of Commerce's affairs to Yi'er. It's time to train him. Let's stay in the capital and spend time with our daughter."

Mrs. Fu said with a hint of worry: "But, Yi'er's talent for business..."

"Changchang, the future is for young people to comprehend and create. If you always worry about his lack of talent and refuse to let him develop, he will never be able to grow. I believe Yi'er is an excellent child, capable of carving out a world for himself.

Life is fleeting like a fleeting moment between heaven and earth. Just as fleeting is my meeting with you. In the blink of an eye, our children are about to start their own families, yet we haven't yet achieved our goal. Isn't it a waste of our lives?

"Aliang, I'm sorry..." Mrs. Fu snuggled in his arms, looking up at him in a daze.

Lord Shen lowered his head and kissed her lips, blocking her words of apology. The two of them kissed passionately for a long time. He pleaded softly, "Life is short, and the rest of my life is long. Don't let me live alone, okay? Don't say sorry to me..."

"Hmm..." Madam Fu nodded with a slight blush on her face, "Aliang, when Yi'er gets married, let's get remarried. We'll have grandchildren together, spend the rest of our lives together, and I'll never leave you behind again."

Lord Shen seemed to have heard great news. His handsome eyes were misty. He asked excitedly, "Can you say that last sentence again?"

"I will never leave you again."

"You swear."

"Stop it."

Lord Shen held the person in his arms tightly, "I won't let go unless you swear."

"Okay, okay, I swear, I swear, when my son Fu Yi gets married, I will remarry you and will never leave you for the rest of my life. If you break this oath, God—"

Shen Hou quickly covered her lips with his fingers and said gently, "Don't say anything unlucky."

"Life is short, and meeting you is my greatest blessing."

Mrs. Fu grabbed his hand, looked up and kissed him.