Hongli glanced at her casually, without looking at her closely, then walked to Yushan's side and asked softly:

"Aren't you done talking yet? Be careful of your back pain if you sit for too long."

Yu Shan smiled gently, "It's alright, I've used a cushion, it'll be fine." As she spoke, Yu Shan handed the hand warmer to Hongli. Hongli felt a warmth in his heart, but he didn't take it.

"I'll go back inside to change; you can stay warm."

After saying this, he went into the inner room, and Chang Yue followed him in to serve him. Chen Yizhen's gaze fell on Prince Bao from afar, which Su Yushan saw. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and coughed lightly.

Chen Yizhen then came to her senses and explained with an embarrassed smile:

"This humble woman is new to the capital and is fortunate to have the honor of meeting Prince Bao. I was a little nervous and made a mistake in my manners. I hope you will not take offense, my lady."

She has so many flattering words! This woman is very tactful in her dealings with others. Su Yushan doesn't think that being tactful is a flaw. Chen Yizhen lives in a small town, her parents are dead, and her brother is not at home. She has to be tactful to protect herself.

This was a last resort, which Su Yushan could understand, but being tactful doesn't mean you can use your cunning to achieve your own goals!

With a sigh, Su Yushan continued, "It would be good to have a close relative to help manage the household, but I asked Jiafeng, and he said he had no plans to take a concubine. As his older sister, I can't force him."

Chen Yizhen smiled confidently, "He might not have done it before, but who knows what will happen in the future. To be honest, Brother Su once saved me from danger and even carried me to see a doctor. On the way to the capital, he took great care of me, and we got along very well. It's just that Sister He doesn't seem to like me very much, so this matter has been delayed."

Mutual affection? Jia Feng's explanation was completely different from hers! Su Yushan suddenly found it laughable; it seemed there really were such self-righteous people in this world.

With a snort of a smile, Su Yushan didn't directly expose her, but instead asked her a question in return.

"You two haven't known each other for very long, and I'm a little curious, why do you like Jiafeng?"

Speaking of this, Chen Yizhen blushed and whispered, "Brother Su is kind-hearted, brave and decisive, keeps his promises, takes care of us siblings, and is tall and handsome. I... I naturally like him."

Chen Yizhen's feelings of first love are perfectly understandable, but there are some things Su Yushan needs to make clear to her.

"What you see is the most glamorous and spirited Su Jiafeng. A fourth-rank imperial bodyguard, mature and steady, with a handsome appearance, and also the brother-in-law of Prince Bao, such conditions are indeed easy to attract young ladies."

But do you know what he was like at the beginning? A penniless young man from Suzhou who had just arrived in the capital, he had nothing but enthusiasm. He worked as a waiter at Baozhenlou Restaurant. He had no fine clothes, no mansion, and no servants. It was enough for him to make ends meet.

Would you be attracted to a boy like that? You probably wouldn't even notice him.

But Yun Ning, the daughter of a restaurant owner, noticed him. At that time, I had not yet entered the Fourth Prince's mansion, and Jia Feng was not a member of the royal family and had no status or position. Yet, Yun Ning had always taken care of him silently. Even after the two got married, and Jia Feng was promoted from a sixth-rank Blue Feather Guard to a fourth-rank guard, Yun Ning had been supporting, accompanying, and encouraging him all the way.

Jiafeng was away on campaign for two years, leaving Yunning at home to look after the restaurant and the children. Jiafeng saw all her sacrifices. They had shared joys and sorrows, gone through so much together, and their hearts were already bound to each other. How could they possibly tolerate anyone else?

As a woman herself, Su Yushan didn't want to make things difficult for Chen Yizhen. She thought that as long as she told the story of how Jiafeng and Yunning met and fell in love, Chen Yizhen would back down and give up any more hope.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Yizhen remained unmoved and showed no sign of remorse after hearing this. She simply blinked her pitiful, moon-shaped eyes and looked at her innocently.

“I know they have a deep affection for each other, and I didn’t mean to ruin their relationship. But with Brother Su’s status and position, it’s impossible for him to have only one woman! When my sister is unwell, there needs to be someone to take care of Brother Su, right? I just want to help her share her burdens; I won’t compete with my sister for his favor.”

How high-sounding that is! Just now, Su Yushan thought this girl was just experiencing her first love, but now she only thinks Chen Yizhen's ideas are foolish and malicious.

"You want to help Yun Ning with her worries? Does Yun Ning need it? Did Jia Feng ever say he wanted to take you as a concubine?"

Chen Yizhen replied matter-of-factly, "Brother Su must have had this intention, but he didn't say it outright because my sister was having a disagreement with him."

She really knows how to comfort herself! Since reasoning with her didn't work, Su Yushan stopped beating around the bush and spoke bluntly with a cold face.

"This is just wishful thinking on your part, Miss Chen. The one thing a person should never lack is self-awareness! If a man truly likes you, he will be with you no matter what, instead of hiding it and making you guess."

The situation is clear: Jiafeng has never intended to take a concubine. He brought you and your brother to the capital simply to repay your brother's kindness! I hope you won't be delusional.

If someone else had said this, it might have been more convincing, but Chen Yizhen found it hard to understand when it came from Su Yushan.

Since Su Yushan had a problem with her, Chen Yizhen no longer held back and retorted in a gloomy voice:

“Consort, you are also a concubine of the Prince. The Prince can take concubines, so why won’t you allow me to be with Jiafeng?”

After changing his clothes in the inner room, Hongli did not go out because he felt that men should not interfere in the conversations between women. However, when he heard Chen Yizhen's arrogant words, Hongli's eyes narrowed, his knuckles clenched, and he could no longer tolerate it!

He abruptly stood up, lifted the floral cotton curtain, went to the outer room, glared at Chen Yizhen, and loudly gave orders.

"Li Yu! Slap him!"

Upon hearing his master's order, Li Yu, who was waiting outside the door, immediately entered the room and slapped Chen Yizhen twice across the face!

Caught off guard by the sudden blow, Chen Yizhen was completely stunned. Her pretty face was filled with shock and shame. She stared incredulously at the distinguished man before her, her eyes reddening with grievance.

"May I ask, Your Highness, what wrong have I committed that you are punishing me?"

With a single glance, Hongli spoke sharply and sternly, showing her absolutely no respect.

"You speak so arrogantly, making unwarranted comments about my woman. How can I tolerate this?"

Chen Yizhen felt wronged and cried out, "But...but what I said is true, not something made up."

Su Yushan's status as a concubine was always a thorn in Hongli's side. His greatest wish was to promote her to a secondary consort and free her from the status of a concubine.

He kept this a secret, and no one else dared to mention it. However, Chen Yizhen used it to ridicule Su Yushan, which completely enraged Hongli!

“When Yu Shan entered the palace, I was not yet married. Furthermore, Yu Shan was selected through a selection process and personally bestowed upon me by my father, the Emperor. What right do you have to compare yourself to her?”