Chapter 417 Go find your older sister!

And this wasn't the first time; from the very beginning, Emperor Renxiao had used her as a shield and a pawn!

"Our Emperor has gone to great lengths to prevent Zhou Ruyuan from gaining a foothold in the Ministry of War."

Who can argue with that?

"That woman stayed by Zhou Ruyuan's side all along, and it can be said that her patience has finally paid off."

"I'm afraid it will be a scorching sun; once exposed to the sunlight, it will wilt."

Low chuckles rippled through the room.

Shen Yuantang tried to persuade Zhou Xinrou with all his might, but to no avail. In the end, Zhou Xinrou kicked him out of the room on the grounds that she was physically and mentally exhausted.

She cried for a while at the entrance of the main house, but seeing that her mother did not soften her heart, she turned around, wiped away her tears, and went to find the old lady.

Madam Shen sighed and said, "The imperial decree has already been issued; it's no use asking anyone for help."

Although she disliked this granddaughter, if the position of Princess Zhennan were to fall to their daughter, the Shen family's prestige would be greatly enhanced.

"Grandmother, is there really no way at all?" Shen Yuantang asked with tears in her eyes.

Madam Shen: "What did your mother say?"

Shen Yuantang wiped away his tears and said, "My mother said that since His Majesty made this arrangement, there must be a reason for it."

Old Madam Shen couldn't figure out the reason behind it. Since she couldn't get through to Zhou Xinrou, there was only one person left who could help her.

"Go find your eldest sister. His Majesty relies on her the most right now." The Shen family's only true reliance right now is on Shen Lanxi.

Shen Yuantang's face stiffened; she was the last person who wanted to ask Shen Lanxi for help.

“Grandmother, I’ve already offended my eldest sister, so she definitely won’t help me.”

Madam Shen sighs more every day now than she did during her exile.

"Yuantang, besides your eldest sister, no one can help you now."

"Think about it yourself. That woman made your sister laugh at you and ruined your reputation. Your sister must hate that woman to the core."

If she can't even understand this little bit of guidance, then she shouldn't come looking for her granddaughter again.

Shen Yuantang pondered for a moment. If that vile woman were to become the princess, and her own sister were to become a concubine, it would be a slap in the face to Shen Lanxi.

In that case, the sisters will be criticized together, and the Shen family will be criticized.

"Grandmother, I understand. What if my eldest sister refuses to see me?" She still cared a lot about saving face.

She wouldn't be willing to beg him.

Old Madam Shen saw right through what she was thinking, so she didn't try to persuade her anymore. She just said she was tired and waved for her to leave.

This granddaughter is only remembered when something bad happens. When they come to pay their respects, they don't even bring any gifts.

Compared to her eldest granddaughter, the difference in their abilities becomes immediately apparent.

She must be stupid to offend Shen Lanxi for her sake.

Shen Yuantang left in a huff.

"You keep saying you're not feeling well. I'm already like this, where do you get so many excuses for not feeling well? It's all just an excuse!"

Shen Yuantang left indignantly.

"Consort, shall we return to the Prince's residence now?" the maid asked.

Shen Yuantang did not want to return to the Prince's Mansion, nor did he want to beg Shen Lanxi.

Just as we were hesitating, the maid said, "I heard that His Majesty has assigned Shen Lanxi to go out of the capital on business. What if we can't find her when we go to look for her?"

Shen Yuantang's expression tightened. Yes, there was no time to lose.

She was willing to risk everything for the position of princess.

"I want to see my eldest sister, please let me in quickly." Shen Yuantang was stopped by the guards at the entrance of the Duke of Huguo's residence.

Guards: "The Duke of Protectorate is not at home!"

"I don't believe you. Let me in and see for myself." Shen Yuantang said, trying to force his way in.

The soldiers drew their weapons immediately.

"How dare you? I am Shen Lanxi's own sister, born of the same mother. If she knew you treated me like this, she would definitely chop off your heads."

The soldiers remained unmoved; not even the tip of their snow-white blades trembled.

"How dare you... Big sister, I am Yuan Tang, I need to see you..."

Shen Yuantang started making a scene right in front of the Duke of Huguo's gate.

...

Shen Lanxi was indeed not there; someone from the manor had delivered the message to her.

"If she's willing to wait at the door, then let her wait!"

"When you go to someone's door to ask for a favor, you must have the proper attitude!"

"yes."

Before the people from the manor returned to report, they handed her another letter.

"It was sent from Nanning!"

After opening the envelope, Shen Lanxi let out a wild laugh.

"Zhou Ru'an sent it, claiming that he wanted to join forces with me and that he would grant me a promotion and a higher rank after he succeeded."

After Che Mingyuan and others read the letter, they destroyed it.

"He's not good-looking, but he has a lot of wild ideas!"

"We could feign cooperation."

Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow and looked at Che Mingyuan with a smile.

"Then I'll leave it to you to handle."

Che Mingyuan had long wanted to see the demeanor of the successor of Guiguzi, and now he finally had a legitimate reason to do so.

"The successor of Guiguzi will arrive in the capital tomorrow, and the capital will definitely be very lively then."

Shen Lanxi clicked her tongue: "It's a pity, I'm going to miss the exciting part."

It was already dark when she returned home.

A sedan chair was parked in front of the Duke of Huguo's mansion. Upon hearing the maid's announcement, Shen Yuantang immediately stepped out of the sedan chair.

"Big sister..."

Shen Lanxi dismounted and handed the reins to the guard.

Why are you here?

Taking advantage of the darkness, Shen Yuantang felt less ashamed and became much bolder.

"Elder sister, the Prince of Zhennan is going to marry his principal wife."

Shen Lanxi: "I know about this."

With a sob in her voice, Shen Yuantang said with a lot of grievances, "He married the woman who made my elder sister a laughingstock before. How could such a slut be worthy of the position of princess? She is not even worthy of carrying the prince's shoes."

Looking at her sister, whose face was full of anger and who had lost her composure like a shrew, Shen Lanxi stared at her expressionlessly.

He remained silent, which made Shen Yuantang's heart pound with anxiety.

“Elder sister, if that woman becomes the prince’s principal wife, who knows how the people of the capital will gossip about you, and about me. We sisters will definitely be belittled by those ignorant women.”

Shen Lanxi said coldly, "I told you this before."

Shen Yuantang's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes flickered.

Is she referring to divorce?

Why should she get a divorce? She doesn't want a divorce at all. With the prince's charm and elegance, why does her older sister keep forcing her to leave?

Does the eldest sister think she's so bad, so unworthy of the Prince of Zhennan?

Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty's words are law, how could you possibly think I could persuade him?"

Shen Yuantang was immediately annoyed when she heard Shen Lanxi speak to her in a blaming tone.

She knew she shouldn't have come. How could Shen Lanxi, that mean-spirited and cold-hearted person, help her?

"Big sister, aren't you afraid of being gossiped about and ridiculed by the people of the capital?"

Shen Lanxi narrowed her eyes slightly and said domineeringly, "Who dares?"

Shen Yuantang's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a sense of desperation, "They might not dare to do it openly, but what about behind the scenes?"

"I wonder how many people are gossiping about my older sister behind her back!"

Shen Lanxi stared at her without saying a word, and Shen Yuantang's anxiety had reached its peak.

"Big sister, are we just going to let that bitch run rampant and let her insult you like this?"