King Chen's face had turned a dark brown.

But Xue Shen still felt it wasn't enough, and with some distress, he pointed to the other two children and said to himself, "I haven't had a chance to see the other two children, and I don't know if they are sculpted to look like them."

The guests, unable to hear what the two were saying, were still marveling at the exceptionally exquisite revolving lantern, believing it to be a truly auspicious omen.

Only Shen Youying, who was sitting to the side, heard it and looked at the revolving lantern with some surprise.

He thought to himself, "So this is what Xue Shen has been waiting for all this time."

Prince Chen has accepted this gift today, and he probably has no way to vent his anger, so he can only keep it to himself.

There's something strange, though. Liu's child died before it was even born, but now Xue Shen is pointing to the revolving lantern and saying there are two more children. Clearly, there are two other people who have suffered the same fate as Liu.

Shen Youying frowned, and for some reason suddenly thought of Shen Muyu. However, after her gaze swept around the table, she did not see Shen Muyu.

But today is the day that Prince Chen is marrying his principal wife, so it's understandable that the concubines and secondary wives would avoid the occasion.

Shen Youying could only suppress her thoughts for the time being and went to look at King Chen. She was then startled by King Chen's ferocious expression.

King Chen was clearly furious. His jaw was so taut that it bulged slightly, and the venom in his eyes was almost overflowing like a raging flood. If it were anyone else sitting here instead of Xue Shen, he probably wouldn't have been able to swallow this insult.

But the person in front of him was Xue Shen.

With a distorted and grotesque face, Prince Chen said in a gloomy tone, "Your Majesty is certainly well-informed."

Xue Shen picked up his wine cup, slowly drank a cup of wine, and said, "Likewise." He turned the empty wine cup upside down on the table before raising his voice and saying, "I have drunk the wedding wine and given my congratulatory gift, so I will take my leave now. Prince Chen, there is no need to see me off."

Having said that, he left behind the grim-faced Prince Chen and the bewildered guests, and took Shen Youying with him as they strode away.

On the carriage ride back, Shen Youying, noticing the slight smile on his lips, couldn't help but ask, "What did Your Highness mean by the three children you mentioned to Prince Chen?"

Xue Shen's expression shifted slightly as he turned to look at her: "Didn't you already guess?"

“One is the head of the brothel, another is Liu, and the third is… your eldest sister.”

Shen Youying remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Although I had long suspected that the child would not survive, I was still somewhat shocked when it actually happened.

On the eve of Prince Chen's wedding, Shen Muyu's child disappeared without a trace, without even a whisper of it.

She recalled Shen Muyu when she was still in her boudoir, such a spoiled and bad-tempered person, and wondered what had become of her now.

She let out a soft sigh.

Xue Shen, however, scrutinized her: "I remember you didn't get along well with your older sister, so why are you acting so upset?"

Shen Youying said, "Those are just petty squabbles between girls. We are sisters after all. Even if we break blood, we are still connected by blood. Although she has a bad temper and always says hurtful things, she has not really done anything to me."

On the contrary, she was the one who made Shen Muyu so angry that she jumped up and down more often.

Moreover, neither Father nor Madam Fang knows about this yet.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Youying lifted the carriage curtain and asked Danzhu to go back to the Shen family to deliver a message.

*

Because of Xue Shen's congratulatory gift, Prince Chen's expression remained grim for the next few days.

Shen Muyu was unaware of what was happening in the front courtyard. She only knew that several days had passed since the wedding, and Prince Chen no longer stayed in the Princess's courtyard every night. So she personally stewed chicken soup and went to the front courtyard to request an audience with Prince Chen.

These days she has come to terms with reality and forced herself to put aside all the heartache and resentment.

She had already lost her child; she couldn't afford to lose Prince Chen's pity and affection as well.

Just as the lady-in-waiting from the palace said that day, a child can be born again, but if she is truly rejected, her life is probably over.

Moreover, she was never willing to accept it.

She has given so much; she absolutely cannot be confined to the backyard, becoming a disfavored concubine who dies in obscurity.

Shen Muyu went to see Prince Chen with great anticipation, thinking that even if he only felt pity for her, he would still see her.

She waited outside the courtyard for a quarter of an hour with the chicken soup in her hands before the servant came out and said perfunctorily, "His Highness is dealing with official business. Madam, you should go back."

The other party's perfunctory attitude was too obvious, and Shen Muyu felt embarrassed, but she dared not lose her temper as before. She could only signal Dongqing to slip her some silver and plead in a gentle voice, "Then please take this chicken soup to the prince and tell him that I made it myself."

The servant took the money but refused to serve the soup. He lowered his voice and said, "Madam, you should go back. To tell you the truth, Consort Zhou is inside. The Prince doesn't have time to drink soup."

Shen Muyu was stunned for a moment before she understood the deeper meaning on his face.

She stood under the scorching summer sun, holding a bowl of warm chicken soup, but felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet, almost making her want to flee.

.

Just a door away, Zhou Zhenrong lay languidly in Chen Wang's arms, her soft, boneless hands resting on his chest. She said in a gentle, seductive voice, "Cousin, didn't you say you wanted to make it up to Sister Shen so she wouldn't be heartbroken? Why are you refusing to see her now that you've come? Sister Shen will be very sad."

Chen Wang held her hand and played with it, saying nonchalantly, "Since you're not here, does my cousin perhaps want to invite someone else to try something new?"

Zhou Zhenrong's smile froze slightly, but she quickly covered it up and said with a smile, "I guess my cousin has other intentions. Tell me quickly."

Chen Wang was quite pleased with her gentle and charming nature, and finally told her his plan: "Have you ever heard of training a hawk?"

"Of course I know. I remember my cousin used to be a hawker in his early years."

The so-called "taming of the hawk" involves confining a fierce falcon in a small cage and forbidding it from sleeping. The moment it closes its eyes, it is immediately shaken awake. After several days and nights of this, even the fiercest falcon will succumb and become docile. At this point, the owner can feed the falcon meat, but in small amounts, little by little.

Repeating this process for ten days to half a month, even the fiercest eagles on the grasslands will obediently follow their master's commands.

“Chen Muyu is like that eagle now. She is too arrogant and not obedient enough. We need to temper her sharpness first and make her understand that in this palace, only by completely relying on me can she have ‘meat’ to eat.”

Chen Wang seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of anticipation appeared on his face: "She has too many ulterior motives now, and she's not obedient enough."

Zhou Zhenrong paid attention to his expression and noticed that he repeatedly emphasized that Shen Muyu was "not obedient enough".

To be fair, although her cousin was a womanizer, he was mostly gentle and generous to the women he liked. As long as they didn't try to blackmail her with the child like Liu did, they wouldn't have a bad life.

Zhou Zhenrong used to think that he was interested in Shen Muyu because he couldn't have Shen Youying and had found a substitute.

But looking at it now, it seems that's not the case.

What does Prince Chen need Shen Muyu to do?

Zhou Zhenrong pondered in her heart, but remained calm on the surface, and slowly said, "Sister Chen is indeed a bit spoiled. If Your Highness disciplines her properly for a while, she will naturally become docile."

Chen Wang nodded: "If you have nothing else to do, you can go and keep her warm for me. When the time is right, I will go and feed her."

Zhou Zhenrong naturally wouldn't refuse and agreed in a sweet voice.