Chapter 212 In the end, it was Gu Qianhan who was truly shameless.

Shen Wantang placed a stack of plum blossom cakes in front of Gu Qianning: "I only made a reservation because I heard from others that restaurants need to be booked in advance. I didn't expect to actually get a reservation. These are new pastries from their Zuixianlou restaurant. They are sweet but not greasy. You should try them."

In her previous life, when General Huo returned in triumph with his army, Shen Wantang also came to see it. However, she couldn't book a restaurant at that time, so like everyone else, she stood on the street to watch.

Having learned from her previous life, she naturally made sure to speak with Li Yao, the young master of Zuixianlou, beforehand.

She booked a private room, and Li Yao brought her a table full of snacks and desserts. Knowing that she loved black tea, he also brought her a pot of fine Da Hong Pao tea, so she didn't need to order anything.

With so much food and drink available, Shen Wantang couldn't just feed Gu Qianning alone.

She looked at Gu Qianhan sitting opposite her: "Would you like to try some, Second Young Master Gu?"

Gu Qianhan glanced at her, picked up a piece of plum blossom cake, and ate it.

Seeing that he had eaten, Shen Wantang poured him some tea.

As soon as the tea was poured out, its aroma filled the air. Gu Qianhan didn't need to look to know that it was black tea this time.

It seems that the green tea in the Prince Ning's mansion was only for entertaining guests, not for Shen Wantang to drink herself.

He sipped his hot tea, occasionally ate a snack, and listened to Shen Wantang and her sister chatting across from him, completely relaxing.

Every time he saw Shen Wantang, it was a rare moment of leisure for him. On ordinary days, he was overwhelmed by the crisis of his family's extermination and was scheming day and night without rest. He was secretly building his own power, fighting for power with his father, and keeping an eye on his sister to prevent her from associating with the Crown Prince.

Only at times like these would he allow himself to think of nothing, because every time he saw Shen Wantang, it was very brief and difficult.

Suddenly, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the street, accompanied by the neighing of warhorses and the sound of footsteps, and the cheers of the crowd rose higher and higher.

The windows had already been opened by the maids, and Shen Wantang and Gu Qianning both peeked out to watch the triumphant soldiers.

Gu Qianhan had already seen it once in his previous life, so he wasn't interested in seeing it again this time.

However, he glanced across the street from the restaurant and spotted a familiar figure—Xiao Qingyuan.

He stood on the street with his servants and maids, squeezed together with the crowd welcoming the army, and did not sit in a private room of the restaurant.

In his previous life, Xiao Qingyuan had booked a private room, and it was a high-priced private room at Qingyunlou. At that time, he and Yuan Zheng were together with Xiao Qingyuan.

Besides the three men, there was also Chu Yanluo.

At that time, Xiao Qingyuan had not yet returned to Ningwang Mansion. He was still a monk at Fazhen Temple. Because Chu Yanluo had miscarried due to the people sent by Shen Mingxuan to Jixin Nunnery, she was heartbroken. So Xiao Qingyuan specially spent a high price to exchange a private room from someone else and took Chu Yanluo to see the excitement.

Now, Xiao Qingyuan has a new crown princess, and his circumstances have become completely different.

The Prince Ning's mansion cut off his allowance, so he had no money to book a private room anymore. He also stopped being so infatuated with Chu Yanluo and now he goes out with his maid, Huayi.

Gu Qianhan's gaze couldn't help but fall on Shen Wantang again. At this moment, because of the lively scene outside, she also showed a genuine smile on her face.

With her fair, jade-like skin, delicate and beautiful features, coupled with her intelligent mind and calm personality, she was clearly the best candidate to be a wife. Gu Qianhan couldn't understand why Xiao Qingyuan just didn't like her. He would rather like a maid than Shen Wantang.

Is it because he was forced to marry Shen Wantang by Princess Ning, so he resisted in his heart?

Or is it because Shen Wantang is too intelligent that Xiao Qingyuan doesn't like her?

Gu Qianhan was so engrossed in his thoughts that he stared at Shen Wantang for so long that he didn't look away in time when she turned around.

When he saw her looking at him, it was too late to look away; it would make him seem too guilty.

So he didn't look away. He looked straight at her, meeting her gaze, as if this would prove that he was looking at her openly and honestly, instead of secretly.

After a few moments, he finally managed to get her to look away because he was shameless enough to do so.

Gu Qianning was oblivious. Looking at the army and crowd outside the window, she said with some emotion, "General Huo is still as mighty and domineering as ever. Riding on his warhorse, he is awe-inspiring and intimidating. It must have been tough for him to lead his brothers and sons in battle for so many years!"

“I think Huo Yunzhou is different from before. He’s gotten darker and more mature. He’s highly valued by General Huo, so he must have a lot of experience.”

"By the way, Huo Yunzhou is back. Has Princess Shuyang returned as well? Ah Tang, has the princess sent a message to the Prince's residence?"

Shen Wantang nodded: "Yes, the princess is back. She returned to the palace yesterday."

Gu Qianning found it strange: "Why didn't she come back with Huo Yunzhou? Besides, she's already married, shouldn't she be back at the Huo family?"

Shen Wantang couldn't say that Xiao Qingxi was having a divorce with Huo Yunzhou, so she could only vaguely say, "The princess probably misses her mother too much, so she went back to the palace to stay for a few days."

Gu Qianning didn't ask any more questions. Xiao Qingxi was granted the title of Princess Shuyang at birth and was spoiled from a young age, so she was always somewhat arrogant and willful. It was normal for her to stay at her parents' home instead of her husband's after returning to the capital.

She then pulled Shen Wantang aside to chat about other things.

Sitting opposite them, Gu Qianhan knew the real reason why Xiao Qingxi had returned to the Prince's Mansion.

His servant had been keeping a close eye on the Ning Prince's residence. Last night, the servant came to tell him that Xiao Qingxi had returned to the Ning Prince's residence and had caused quite a scene. At one point, she was crying and shouting that she wanted to divorce Huo Yunzhou, and at another point, she was complaining that Shen Wantang was of low birth and refused to acknowledge her as her sister-in-law. She even asked Xiao Qingyuan to kick her out of the residence.

Fortunately, Xiao Qingyuan has become wiser now and knows that Shen Wantang has worked hard since marrying into the Prince's Mansion, even if she hasn't made any great contributions, so he can't let her go.

Thinking of this, Gu Qianhan looked out the window again.

Among the crowd, Xiao Qingyuan's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He stared at Huo Yunzhou, who was riding a warhorse, with an uncertain look in his eyes, as if he was doubting whether he was really Huo Yunzhou.

Gu Qianhan stood up and said to Shen Wantang and Gu Qianning, "You two chat, I'll go downstairs and take a look."

Gu Qianning hurriedly asked, "Second brother, where are you going? You mustn't get into another conflict with Prince Xiao. There are so many people watching outside today!"

Clearly, she had already seen Xiao Qingyuan standing outside.

Gu Qianhan did not respond to her sister's words and walked straight out of the private room.

Gu Qianning felt very sorry for Shen Wantang: "Atang, I promise I won't bring my second brother next time. Don't worry, if he gets into a fight with Prince Xiao later, I'll go down and scold him and drag him away."