"Of course, I can buy anything you like; I have the means."
Shen Jinchen smiled and said with a smirk.
This is quite a temptation, Cen Xi thought, smacking her lips.
"You disagree?"
Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Shen Jinchen pinched his fingertips and asked.
“I agree, but there’s a condition: I must ask the royal family to recognize my identity after I meet His Majesty tomorrow.”
Cen Xi thought about it for a while and finally made a request. The temptation he mentioned was indeed very strong, but just in case, she still wanted to get back the title of the royal princess. That way, even if they broke up in the future, she would have someone to rely on.
"Alright, as long as you agree to marry me, we'll go to the palace tomorrow."
Shen Jinchen gave her a meaningful look, then chuckled and nodded.
"Then you can go. I'm hungry. I'll have Qingyi bring me some food."
Once the matter was settled, Cen Xi dismissed the person.
"You haven't applied your medicine yet today, let me help you."
Shen Jinchen walked to her side, picked her up, and gently placed her on the bed.
"No need, no need. Qingyi has already taken care of applying the medicine, so there's no need for Minister Shen to trouble himself."
Cen Xi chuckled and subtly pried Shen Jinchen's hand away.
"Look, the wound has reopened. Qingyi is so careless. Don't be embarrassed. Aren't we already familiar with each other's bodies? What's there to be shy about?"
Shen Jinchen grasped her hand, his gaze flicking as he looked at his wound.
"I... I'm not shy about anything. We've done it so many times, what's there to be shy about?"
Seeing his blatant provocation, Cen Xi's body trembled, her face flushed red, and she retorted.
"You say you're not shy? We haven't even drawn our erotic pictures yet. How about we draw them on our wedding night?"
Shen Jinchen's restless hand slipped inside Cen Xi's inner garment, pinched it, and whispered softly in her ear about what attracted him most about Cen Xi.
Having not been intimate for a long time, Cen Xi's body trembled slightly. She immediately pulled away the other's mischievous hand and said breathlessly:
"Don't go too far, I... I'm still recovering from my injuries."
"So, once you're healed, we can..."
Shen Jinchen chuckled softly, his mocking expression making him look rather irritating.
“I… I didn’t say that.”
Cen Xi blushed and denied it.
"Alright, you didn't say anything. Just lie still and don't move. Your wound is bleeding a lot. In the next few days, I will instruct the people in the manor to strictly control access and not allow anyone unrelated to the manor to enter. You just need to focus on recovering."
Shen Jinchen chuckled again, then slowly and methodically untied Cen Xi's belt and bandages.
After everything was taken care of, he had someone bring a basin of clean water and carefully treated Cen Xi's wounds.
Feeling his gentle movements, Cen Xi couldn't help but skip a beat. This person was really handsome when he was serious about doing things.
"hiss!"
"Does it hurt a lot?"
Shen Jinchen glanced at her with a smile.
"Um!"
Cen Xi obediently responded.
"Who told you to show off?"
Shen Jinchen paused, then rolled his eyes at her.
"Depend on!"
Cen Xi glanced at him speechlessly. This guy was such a troublemaker. She had just started to like him a little, and he started being so venomous. No wonder she hated him so much.
He never considers her feelings at all when he does things. Girls should be praised, right?
"Isn't it just you showing off?"
Shen Jinchen's hands moved swiftly, his fingertips extremely gentle, but his mouth was absolutely not to be trifled with.
"Isn't it because I ruined your plans that you've implicated me now? Don't think I don't know what you're up to. But with me around, the Great Banquet can continue to prosper for another hundred years. You can let your son inherit your empire in the future! Don't even think about it in this lifetime."
Cen Xi originally didn't want to speak, but this person kept provoking her, so why should she be soft-hearted?
"Give me a child, and let our son inherit my empire."
Shen Jinchen seemed unconcerned that Cen Xi had seen through him, and even couldn't help but tease her.
"What's the point of scheming if you're a man driven by lust? You should just give up now and spare the emperor's life."
Cen Xi gave Shen Jinchen a disdainful look. She really wanted to make this bastard angry today, but the other party's skills were too profound, and she seemed to have no strength left.
“I already gave him a way out. Since you know how the Great Banquet brought about the fall of the kingdom, why don’t you criticize the Great-Eyed Royal Family?”
Shen Jinchen glanced at Cen Xi. He could clearly sense that Cen Xi had changed since arriving in the capital. She would never have said such things before.
"When the world is in chaos, war is the first thing to do. War means death. Why drag the masses down for the sake of one person? Don't you agree, my Chen Xiang?"
Cen Xi smiled as she looked at the man, waiting for his answer.
"The people of the world are controlled by those with power and money. Since it was a mistake made in the past, someone should correct it. Some people, even if they become royalty, do not have the demeanor of royalty. Look at the past hundred years, the people have been living in misery, and those in power have been extravagant and licentious."
"Why not give them another hope? Before the previous dynasty collapsed, it was very popular with the people. If it weren't for that Emperor Taizu, who was so ruthless and cruel as to threaten the emperor and empress with an infant, how could the country have come to this?"
Shen Jinchen glanced at Cen Xi with an ambiguous expression and helped him straighten his clothes.
At the same time, Cen Xi also gave Shen Jinchen a meaningful look. After saying so much, this man was practically admitting that he was a descendant of the previous dynasty.
"You seem to be very defiant towards what I say? Then give me another reason to persuade me, and maybe I'll grant your request."
Seeing that he was staring at him without saying anything, Shen Jinchen raised an eyebrow and asked again.
"I don't want to be empress, I don't want to be confined to the palace, I don't want to be a caged bird, and I don't even like the power center of the capital. Is that reason enough?"
Since things have come to this point, Cen Xi decided to speak frankly.
"..."
Shen Jinchen gave her a deep look, and after a long silence, asked:
"Then what do you think are the considerations behind Princess Da Yan's identity? Is she simply trying to fight me?"
Shen Jinchen narrowed his eyes and asked in a cold voice.
"Yes, I want to fight you. I could have been living a carefree life outside, but you've brought me here. How can I fight you if I don't have any rights? During the time we spent together at Feifeng Mountain in Shangyang City, although things were a bit absurd, it was the happiest time of my life. Shen Jinchen, you don't understand me at all. Maybe I'm really not right for you."
"Why don't you release me, go and boldly plot your great cause, then marry an empress worthy of your status, and we can part ways peacefully and each be happy?"
Cen Xi raised her head, took a deep breath, and blurted out everything that was on her mind.
"You're still thinking about leaving me even now, but what about the time I saved your life? Aren't you grateful? Don't you want to repay me? Cen Xi, you have no conscience."
Looking at the other person's serious and arrogant demeanor, Shen Jinchen felt a surge of anger rising within him, which was already on the verge of being suppressed.
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