Shen Youying's words were ostensibly directed at Wang Yunting, but they were also a subtle warning to the women present who had ulterior motives.

The Qin Prince's mansion is currently at its zenith. If Xue Shen gains power and ascends the throne, he will become the supreme emperor. Many harbor ulterior motives regarding marriage alliances, but due to the current unclear situation and the Qin Prince's ambiguous attitude, they have not yet revealed their intentions.

These people probably all thought that rather than waiting until he ascended the throne to compete for those few positions in the harem, they might as well act in advance and stuff people into the Prince of Qin's mansion first.

When the King of Qin rises to power, the women in his harem will naturally receive rewards. Moreover, it's much simpler to marry them off early and have children sooner rather than later having them compete for the emperor's favor with three thousand beauties in the palace.

Shen Youying knew this in her heart, but now that the Wang family mother and daughter had made a scene in front of her, she was still unhappy.

Especially as her baby grew bigger, her body became increasingly strained, and she would often become a little irritable. She thought that these were all romantic entanglements that Xue Shen had brought upon himself, so why should she have to deal with them all? She simply pushed them all onto Xue Shen and made him annoyed.

She doesn't want to worry about that!

After Shen Youying finished speaking, she continued to eat the sour jujube cake slowly and deliberately, regardless of the expressions on everyone's faces.

On the contrary, the Wang mother and daughter had flushed faces, and had a lot on their minds but no chance to say anything more.

As for the other guests, some were there to laugh at the Wang family mother and daughter, while others were genuinely interested.

Judging from what the Princess Consort of Qin said, no matter how favored she is, she probably still can't make decisions for the King of Qin.

Before King Qin married Shen Youying, his harem was filled with countless beauties, and he still frequented brothels, spending lavishly on the most sought-after courtesans. Even if some of this was to deceive the emperor, old habits die hard, and most men are like that. How many can be as devoted as the late emperor from beginning to end?

Even the late emperor's own son, the Prince of Qin, would probably not be immune to this.

The sudden dismissal of the inner court was likely, as Shen Youying had said, the intention of the Prince of Qin. It is said that the Emperor and Empress Zhou sent many people to the Prince of Qin's inner court, including some who were snatched back by the Prince of Qin when he competed with the Prince of Chen for beauty. It is normal that the Prince of Qin did not want to keep these people after gaining power.

The guests with daughters of marriageable age began to ponder this, their minds starting to wander. While their daughters might not be as beautiful as the Queen of Qin, how many women in the world could match her beauty? Their daughters weren't bad either; perhaps with a bit of luck, they might catch the eye of the King of Qin.

*

The Dragon Boat Festival banquet was hardly pleasant. After the banquet, Shen Youying used the excuse of being tired and only invited Xie Qinglan and a few close female friends to Tingmei Pavilion for gossip. As for the other guests, she asked Danzhu Bailuo and Liuyun Fucui to entertain them.

Once they were alone, Xie Qinglan spoke up: "What's going on with the Wang family today? I always thought Wang Yunting was very aloof, always putting on airs like a noble lady from a prestigious family, looking down on everyone. Now she's actually trying to become Prince Qin's concubine?"

Shen Youying couldn't understand it either. Although people often compared her to Wang Yunting, she actually didn't have much contact with Wang Yunting. The few times they met were just brief nods and greetings.

My impression of Wang Yunting was that she was aloof, dignified, and extremely well-mannered. Everyone said she was the epitome of a noble lady from a prominent family, and they weren't wrong.

Another woman from the Qiao family, who was on good terms with Shen Youying, hesitated and said, "Actually, I do know the reason, but I only heard someone mention it by chance and never paid attention to it. I didn't expect it to be true."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qinglan urged her, "What do you know? Tell me quickly."

Madam Qiao said, "I heard that this Miss Wang has always been in love with the Prince of Qin, which is why she has rejected so many matchmakers who have come to propose marriage, and that's why things have been delayed until now."

Xie Qinglan found it unbelievable: "She's in love with the Prince of Qin? Then why didn't she marry him when he was infamous and couldn't find a proper wife?"

Although Shen Youying didn't have a chance to speak, she clearly shared the same doubts as Xie Qinglan.

Madam Qiao shook her head and explained, "She doesn't love the current Prince Qin." Seeing their puzzled expressions, she lowered her voice and said, "I heard that back when the late Emperor was still alive, and Prince Qin was still the Crown Prince, the Wang family deliberately groomed her to be the Crown Princess. That's why she studied the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age, so that she could be a virtuous helpmate to the Crown Prince in the future. I heard—I only heard—that the late Emperor and Empress seemed to have met her back then and were both very satisfied."

Madam Qiao sighed, "Who knew things would change so drastically? The Emperor ascended the throne, and the Prince of Qin later..." Because Shen Youying was present, she didn't repeat the Prince of Qin's infamous deeds, but skipped over it, saying, "The Wang family naturally looked down on him. How could they let their carefully raised daughter marry into the Prince of Qin's household? I didn't believe the rumor when I first heard it, but judging from today's events, it's probably true. The Wang family probably saw the Prince of Qin's rising power and wanted a share of the spoils."

She glanced at Shen Youying and said disapprovingly, "Zhao Zhao shouldn't have said those words just now. After today, I'm afraid many people will have ulterior motives."

This was the first time Shen Youying had learned about the connection between Wang Junting and the Prince of Qin. Although she knew the rumors might not be true, hearing them still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Reminded by Madam Qiao, she said softly, "I am pregnant. If the Prince really wants to have affairs outside, what use is my defense? Since the Prince has promised that he will not have anyone else but me, I will believe him. If he breaks his vow in the future, I cannot control him, but I can control my own heart. Since nothing has happened now, I will not make any unfounded speculations about him."

She said those things today only because she was unhappy herself, and she deliberately wanted to make Xue Shen unhappy, since he was the one who summoned them!

Hearing her words, Madam Qiao said enviously, "Zhao Zhao is still the same as when she was young."

Of these close friends, apart from Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan, who were exceptionally happy due to their simple families and loving parents, each had a bellyful of complaints. Later, although they married into families of equal social standing and were formally married with elaborate dowries, their husbands could never be as considerate and devoted as the Prince of Qin. The concubines alone were enough to cause them trouble.

Shen Youying knew a little about the troubles in their household, so she didn't say anything more and changed the subject.

By evening, all the guests had left.

When Xue Shen returned to Tingmei Pavilion after receiving the news, he saw Shen Youying sitting by the window making tea. The dim candlelight surrounded her, making her look serene and beautiful.

Normally, when Shen Youying heard that he had returned, she would always get up to greet him, and the two of them would go into the house together.

Today, however, he seemed not to hear anything and simply ordered tea for himself.

Xue Shen recalled what Liu Yun had mentioned when she brought the pastries, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes. He slowly walked behind her, leaned down, and placed his hand on her shoulder, asking, "Is Zhao Zhao jealous?"