Danzhu glanced at her and couldn't help but smile. She carried the medicine into the inner room and said, "Then I'll go and apply the medicine to the Princess first."

.

When Shen Youying heard that Xue Shen had sent medicine, she was just as surprised as Danzhu: "How did he know..."

As Bai Luo massaged her arms, she laughed and said, "I knew the prince treated you differently."

Danzhu, who was carefully applying the medicine, took a moment to look up at her and surprisingly agreed: "Our young lady is such a beauty that the Duke and the eldest son dote on her and treat her like a precious gem. It's normal for the prince to be so protective of her."

Shen Youying blushed at their words and lightly patted them, saying, "Don't talk nonsense."

Bai Luo wasn't afraid of her at all; instead, she teased her even more: "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart."

Shen Youying was both embarrassed and annoyed, her ears turning red. She refused to let her massage her shoulders and shooed her away to the side.

*

After the Spring Banquet, Shen Youying had no other social engagements and spent two days lazily recuperating at Tingmei Pavilion.

On the third day, Xue Shen suddenly brought over with his men carrying two boxes.

Shen Youying came out upon hearing the news and saw that the two servants were both covered in sweat. She asked in surprise, "What are they carrying?"

Wang Deshun, who was standing to the side, glanced at Xue Shen's expression, clasped his hands and bowed, and replied: "This is the money from the pawn of Prince Chen's seal, a total of eight thousand gold coins. The prince said that the seal was won by the princess, so the money from the pawn should naturally belong to the princess."

Shen Youying's eyes widened as she looked at Xue Shen in disbelief: "Did Your Highness really pawn Prince Chen's seal?"

Xue Shen raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled: "When have I ever lied?"

Shen Youying: "..."

She was still a little confused: "How dare the pawnshop accept it?"

“If Prince Chen had any shame, he would have found out which pawnshop I had sent it to, and then secretly paid to redeem it.”

Xue Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled: "So, three pawnshops bid against each other and pawned eight thousand gold coins."

Shen Youying looked at Xue Shen as if she were meeting him for the first time.

First, he publicly announced that he would pawn the small seal of Prince Chen that he had won, causing Prince Chen to lose face but he could only keep quiet about it.

Afterwards, he sent it to the pawnshop in a grand manner. Regardless of whether he could get the money back or not, once the news spread, it was still Chen Wang who lost face. He was forced to pay money to redeem the small seal.

King Chen has lost face and money; he'll probably be so angry he won't be able to sleep for the next few days.

As Shen Youying thought about it, she felt somewhat relieved.

She glanced at the two chests of gold and said, "I have nowhere to spend so much gold. It's all thanks to the Prince that I was able to get so much. Why don't we put it into the public treasury?"

Xue Shen replied, "Take it if you want. The Prince of Qin's mansion doesn't lack these eight thousand gold pieces."

He looked Shen Youying up and down and said slowly, "The Fire Cave Immortal and the abbot of Xiangguo Temple did not lie to me. The princess is indeed my benefactor. The princess has helped me a lot, and this gold is what you deserve."

Shen Youying was somewhat puzzled, and after thinking about it, she realized that she might have inadvertently offended Prince Chen.

The King of Qin could only appease the Emperor regarding the Liu family matter, but he probably still harbored a thorn in his side, one that he couldn't pull out or swallow.

*

After Xue Shen delivered the gold, he was away from the mansion for several days.

Now that Shen Youying is in charge of managing the household, she is no longer as cautious and apprehensive as she was when she first married into the family. With Xue Shen away, she is the only one in charge of the entire mansion, and she lives a very comfortable life.

However, nothing major happened at the Prince of Qin's residence, but turmoil was brewing outside.

The matter concerning Lady Liu could not be suppressed in the end. An official who had submitted several memorials was indignant that the emperor was biased towards Prince Chen. He even made a public appeal in court, listing Prince Chen's immoral crimes in strong terms.

The emperor was furious and threatened to drag the remonstrating official out and beat him with a rod.

But the official who was remonstrating showed no fear whatsoever; instead, in a fit of anger, he rammed his head against a pillar.

This really stirred up a hornet's nest.

This dynasty values ​​civil affairs over military matters. Emperor Taizu once said that the emperor and scholar-officials should govern the country together, and that officials who speak out should not be punished for their words. Therefore, the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau have always been bold in expressing their opinions and have never been afraid of the emperor's authority.

But now, the Emperor, in order to favor Prince Chen, has forced a censor to his death!

Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the matter spread far and wide in just a few days. Countless scholars condemned it, even writing petitions to force the emperor to punish Prince Chen!