Chapter 146 Flowers Bloom and Fall

He looked up at the makeup box not far away, suddenly got off the bed, and began to search in her makeup box. Finally, when he found nothing suspicious, he closed the box with relief.

She and Zhang Yeyang were going to get engaged that day, and he didn't know whether that dead scholar had given the hairpin to An An.

He drummed his knuckles on the box, returned to the couch with relief, hugged the person in his arms, and closed his eyes comfortably.

Shen Anan has always had the habit of sleeping in, and it has been like this since she came to the Shen Mansion from Jiangnan. Xiao Yuan doesn't allow anyone to disturb her, so when she wakes up, it's already past breakfast time.

After hurriedly washing and changing her clothes, she asked Mo Xiang to call the housekeeper to Wutong Garden.

"Princess." The butler bowed respectfully.

"I am going to visit the Princess at the Yongning Marquis's Mansion today. Please prepare a generous gift."

"Yes." The butler bowed, hesitated for a moment, and took out the cards and keys from his sleeve, "Princess, there was no mistress in the mansion before, and these have always been taken care of by this old servant. Now that the princess has come in, I'll have to trouble you to take care of them."

The Fourth Prince's Mansion is responsible for more than just this small piece of land. It also manages the personal relationships, festival gifts, and so on among the officials of various families. This is the main purpose of Shen Anan and Xiao Yuan's request for the right to manage the household.

She cannot be blinded by one thing. Even if she is not fully aware of the turmoil in the court, she at least cannot be blind.

She held the pair of cards in her hand and nodded to the butler.

In her two lifetimes, this was the first time she had gotten hold of the stewardship of the Fourth Prince's mansion.

In the previous life, it wasn't that Xiao Yuan didn't give it to her, but she was unwilling to accept it. If she had to look at the account books all day, how would she have the time to keep an eye on him?

Knowing that she was awake, Xiao Yuan came over from the study to have breakfast with her.

The housekeeper reported that everything was ready, and Shen Anan took Mo Xiang out, and of course, Xiao Yuan.

It's just that he was a little bit jealous, which made Shen Anan wait impatiently.

The cloak, hand warmer, and ink incense were all being used by him, and by the time he went out, it was almost noon.

They don't go there to visit their elders, they just go there to get a free meal.

When the eldest princess heard that they were coming, she had already dressed and was waiting in the hall. Her well-maintained face was blooming with smiles.

The old woman had been waiting at the door for a long time. As soon as the carriage from the Fourth Prince's mansion arrived, she immediately went to greet it and said a series of auspicious words.

All the way to the flower hall, she saluted the eldest princess, and she immediately asked Shen Anan to get up and asked her to sit next to her.

"Time flies so fast. A few months ago, I was still talking about marriage for you, but in the blink of an eye, you're marrying Yuan'er."

The princess glanced at Xiao Yuan, then turned to look at Shen Anan and smiled again, "Fortunately it didn't work out, otherwise I wouldn't have the face to see my nephew."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan glanced at the eldest princess with his sharp dark eyes.

It was indeed fortunate that it did not work out, otherwise even if my aunt had been the matchmaker, he would have ruined it.

The princess smiled happily, "Are you used to staying in the Fourth Prince's Mansion? Did Yuan'er bully you? If he treats you badly, tell me and I will take care of him."

"Everything is fine, don't worry, Princess." Shen Anan followed suit and acted the gentle and graceful manner that the Princess liked, blushing from time to time, which made the Princess even happier.

Xiao Yuan said nothing and watched his wife's performance quietly.

"Why are you still calling me the eldest princess?" The eldest princess said with a smile.

Xiao Yuan lazily corrected, "You haven't even given me your gift of change of address yet, and you want to hear the bride call me aunt?"

"Tsk, I forgot. Come on, bring me the gift I prepared." The eldest princess suddenly remembered and ordered the maid to get it.

"Don't pay attention to him, he's always been frivolous." Shen Anan said with a chuckle.

"That's because he takes you to heart." The eldest princess patted Shen An'an's hand and said, "Since Shufei left, I have never seen him so happy. An'an, Yuan'er is not easy, you must treat him well."

The eldest princess' eyes quickly turned red and she tilted her head to wipe the water droplets from her eyelids.

The smile in Xiao Yuan's eyes slowly faded away, and the atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment.

The eldest princess had said these words to her in her previous life, and more than once.

But people always find it difficult to empathize with other people's suffering and can only see their own difficulties.

Maybe that was why the eldest princess gradually disliked her. After all, Xiao Yuan was almost driven to explode by her at that time.

The maid brought the gift over, breaking the dull atmosphere, and Shen Anan accepted it naturally and changed her words, “Don’t worry, aunt, I will take good care of him.”

"Okay." The eldest princess' voice was a little hoarse.

Xiao Yuan raised his eyes and looked at Shen Anan. His eyes were filled with darkness, deep and dark, a complexity that she could not understand.

"Yuan'er," the princess looked at him with disdain, "I want to have a private conversation with An'an. You don't need to sit here. Go play with Yi'er."

The tone was like sending away a child.

"Okay." Xiao Yuan looked away and slowly stood up, adding at the end, "Remember to call me for lunch."

"I will never forget you." The eldest princess smiled and glared at him. After he walked away, he took Shen Anan's hand and asked.

"I heard that you entered the palace yesterday and were received by Concubine Liang, along with Miss Li from the family of the Minister of War?"

The smile on Shen Anan's face faded at the right time. She did not show any anger, but cleverly added a bit of disappointment, so that the princess would not think she was jealous, nor would she think that she did not care about Xiao Yuan.

Nodded slightly.

The princess frowned and sighed, "Even if Yuan'er's mother was not here, it would definitely not be her turn to be a concubine."

She knew very well that this was the emperor's intention, so even if she was dissatisfied, she couldn't say too much.

It's okay to reward a few palace maids and arrange them however you want, but it's really too much to bring in a concubine on the second day of the wedding.

"An An, I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position. This was all their idea. Please don't be angry with Yuan Er."

Shen Anan thought, I should be thankful that he doesn’t cause me trouble, how dare she be angry with him.

But she still lowered her head, her eyes full of sadness and loss, which was in line with the pitiful look of the unlucky wife whose husband was forced to take a concubine on the wedding day.

"I know, don't worry, aunt. I won't make trouble with him. After all, he is also helpless. As the daughter-in-law of the royal family, I have been mentally prepared."

"Alas." The eldest princess sighed heavily.

She was a princess of royal birth, so she was no stranger to these things. What's worse, she had already become numb to them.

"Don't let those trivial things hinder your relationship and end up like the Second Prince's wife," she shook her head and didn't continue.

The maid served tea, and Shen Anan was silent for a while before she spoke softly, “Aunt, I want to know about his past.”

"There are some things I can't ask him, but if we get along for a long time, misunderstandings are inevitable if we don't understand each other. If there are a few people who make a fuss about this, I will know how to deal with it."

The princess felt both relieved and sad when she heard this. She sighed heavily and a look of sadness slowly appeared on her face.

"You are right to have this intention. After all, you will spend your whole life together."

Shen Anan nodded.

Whether in the past or in her previous life, she had never paid attention to these things, knew nothing, and was completely immersed in her own world, which is why she made frequent mistakes.

The eldest princess's face was filled with sadness. "You want to ask about his mother, right?"

"Yes." Shen Anan frowned slightly, "Everyone says that Concubine Shu is the emperor's favorite concubine, but I always feel that Xiao...husband does not agree with the emperor."

"What the outside world says is true." The eldest princess said faintly, "Shufei is indeed favored by the emperor, but the emperor will not only love one person."

Shen Anan's eyes flashed, "Aunt means that my father has a woman he likes more?"

The princess smiled vaguely, "There's nothing to like. What I like more is the emperor's favor, which is like the flowers in the imperial garden, one after another, the peonies wither, the peonies bloom, the flowers bloom and fall..."

The princess paused and didn't continue talking, but Shen Anan got the general idea.

I'm afraid that Concubine Shu is deeply in love with the Emperor, and the Emperor has found a new love while their love is at its peak.

But how did Concubine Shu die? If she just died of illness, why did Xiao Yuan hold a grudge against her in both lives and harbor deep resentment towards the emperor?

No one mentioned anything about Concubine Shu's death. Was it related to the palace secret that the Emperor was trying hard to keep secret?

Who was the woman that made the emperor fall in love with someone else?

The princess only told her the crux of the discord between the emperor and Xiao Yuan and his son and stopped talking, and Shen Anan did not ask any more questions.

The maid reported that lunch was ready and Princess Hua Sheng also arrived at this time.

"Greetings to the Fourth Prince's Consort." She saluted Shen An'an coquettishly, but her face showed an unconcealable sick look.

"Get up quickly." Shen Anan pretended to be shy and pulled her up before asking, "Why do you look so bad? Are you sick?"

"Well," Hua Sheng smiled a little forcedly, "I was going to your wedding, but unfortunately I was sick and couldn't get out of bed for two days. Don't be angry with me. I have prepared a dowry gift for you. We will go get it after dinner."

"Okay," Shen Anan agreed.

The three of them came to the main hall surrounded by maids and old women. After waiting for a while, Xiao Yuan and Ling Chenyi also arrived.

"Hello, cousin." Ling Chenyi bowed politely, and Shen Anan responded with a smile.

The princess was very happy. "Come and sit down. It has been a while since we have sat together and had a good meal. Yuan'er used to be busy with military affairs or court affairs, so we rarely saw him."

Xiao Yuan sat down next to Shen Anan, and Ling Chenyi sat next to Xiao Yuan.

"Whenever mother is bored in the future, let your cousin's wife come and talk to you." Hua Sheng said with a smile.

A few people were talking happily, but their mood was disturbed by a sudden invitation.

The princess put down her chopsticks and frowned as she looked at the note in the housekeeper's hand, "The second prince wants to take a concubine again?"

"Yes." The butler said, "The note was personally delivered by the butler of the Second Prince's Mansion."

The princess's face darkened. "If you refuse, just say I'm busy."

This year alone, not counting the banquets, Xiao Ze has taken concubines five or six times. Fortunately, his family is wealthy. If he were an ordinary family, they would not even be able to afford to give him gifts! ! !

"This..." The housekeeper was a little embarrassed, "The person who came said that this time is different, and asked you, the princess, to be present."