Chapter 173 Peek
He was pulled out of the crowd by Ling Chenyi. After listening to Xiao Yuan's rules and regulations, he was stunned for a while and said, "Why don't I not go? You let Ling Chenyi go."
He can't even look at his wife.
"I'll give you a promotion when you come back." As soon as Xiao Yuan said this, Li Huaiyan immediately raised his drooping head.
"Don't worry, I will definitely bring the person back to you intact, not even a hair will be missing."
"Oh, yes, especially that scholar. I won't let the princess set foot on his territory."
Xiao Yuan finally felt relieved.
Shen Anan was led by the maid around the mansion for a long time before she found Hua Sheng's figure.
She sat in an inconspicuous corner of the yard, her arms folded across her chest, staring blankly at the lake surface covered with a thin layer of ice. Her eyes were slightly red, but her face was very calm.
"Hua Sheng." Her voice was very soft, and she felt as if she would shatter herself if she spoke louder.
Hua Sheng slowly raised his head, and when he saw Shen Anan, he forced a smile, and tears fell at this moment.
"Cousin, you're here."
"All of you, please leave." Shen Anan sent away the servants nearby and walked towards Hua Sheng.
"Come in and sit down. It's cold outside and you're not feeling well."
Hua Sheng obediently stood up and said, "I don't feel cold. I always feel stuffy and can't breathe when sitting in the house. I feel much better sitting here and being blown by the cold wind."
Having said that, she still pulled Shen Anan back to the yard, "You can't be frozen, otherwise my fourth cousin will come to settle accounts with me."
She forced a smile, but it was uglier than crying. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she simply stopped forcing herself and said, "Forget it. I won't pretend in front of you."
The maid brought the tea and immediately left. Hua Sheng held the teacup and looked at the rising mist. It was as if the mist blew into her heart and formed a thick haze.
"My fourth cousin has already told you, right? My mother and eldest brother have chosen the young master of the Zhao family for me. He is the one you said was good last time. After the banquet today, we should be engaged."
Shen Anan didn’t know what to say, so she nodded slightly.
Hua Sheng continued, "I haven't even seen what he looks like. After the banquet is over, you can go with me to take a sneak peek, so it won't be considered a blind marriage."
"Okay." Shen Anan nodded in agreement.
She was thinking that Master Wen Yin's words were indeed effective. Some things, even if repeated countless times, their trajectory and outcome could not be changed.
It was the same for her and Xiao Yuan, and also for Hua Sheng. She could only watch her being negative and sad, but she was powerless to do anything.
In both lives, she could not get what she wanted, and it might even be her own wishful thinking, as that man didn't even know her feelings.
Hua Sheng tried to calm down and said with a smile, "I heard you are going to Jiangnan to investigate a case?"
Shen Anan nodded and said, "I'll leave this afternoon."
"I really envy you." Hua Sheng said with genuine envy, "My fourth cousin likes you so much that he is willing to let you go. I am afraid that I will never be able to leave this square courtyard in my lifetime."
If possible, she would like to be free and unrestrained, at least risk her life for once, so as not to regret it. Unfortunately, her mother and elder brother would not let her leave.
envious? Shen Anan suddenly realized that in the eyes of others, Xiao Yuan treated her so well.
Yes, for a woman, her husband is her God, and showing up in public is a disgraceful act. What's more, Xiao Yuan is a prince, so it is rare for him to accept it.
She chatted with Hua Sheng for a long time, and Hua Sheng's gloomy mood gradually eased a lot. "You must come back early and don't delay my wedding ceremony."
"good."
Hua Sheng added, "I have never seen the scenery outside. Remember to draw a few pictures for me and bring them back. Write to me often, so that I can liven up my stagnant life."
Shen Anan agreed one by one. At this time, a maid came to report that the eldest princess invited them to the banquet hall to attend the banquet.
Hua Sheng was very impatient when he thought about dealing with those occasions. "I heard that my second cousin's wife is here today, and she brought a concubine with her. My ears will be in trouble again."
Shen Anan smiled.
Zhou probably won't complain today. After all, she is not stupid. She can't even tell anyone about the affair between Xiao Ze and Duan Mengmeng.
What she is worried about now is how to keep her position as the queen. After all, Duan Mengmeng's identity as the daughter of destiny is very powerful, enough to put her in danger.
When the two arrived at the banquet hall, the ladies and girls from each family had almost all taken their seats. Hua Sheng had never liked socializing, and did not have any particularly good relationships with the girls from other families.
Just a nod at this moment was enough to constitute a meeting.
Shen Anan's position was next to Zhou's, both beside the eldest princess.
As a concubine, Duan Yingying should have been sitting as well, but Zhou made things difficult for her and she had no choice but to kneel behind her and serve like a maid, serving tea and water.
The lady from the other family pretended not to see anything, but even so, Duan Yingying felt deeply humiliated.
She is a concubine, and besides Zhou, Shen Anan and the eldest princess, she is the person with the highest rank here.
But Zhou seemed like a madman these days, especially after that night with Xiao Ze and Duan Mengmeng, she was obsessed with her every day. She couldn't control Xiao Ze, so she vented all her resentment on herself because she was not favored.
Duan Yingying had no doubt that if she showed any disobedience, Zhou would slap her hard in front of everyone.
She lowered her head and tried to remain calm. She would endure it a little longer. When the time was right, she would not let go of anyone who had humiliated her in the Second Prince's Mansion.
In the end, the eldest princess couldn't stand it anymore, so she ordered someone to add a table for Duan Yingying and put it on the right side of Shen Anan, successfully separating the two of them.
Zhou was unhappy, but she would not offend the eldest princess.
The banquet went very smoothly. The eldest princess was not a particularly traditional person, so she followed the example of the male guests and invited dancers to perform.
With the participation of the dancers, the atmosphere gradually became lively and everyone began to talk and chat among themselves.
Duan Yingying lowered her head and lightly hammered her numb knees, saying to Shen Anan, "The Fourth Prince's wife is very cunning. This trick of borrowing a knife to kill someone, you stay out of it, but I have to suffer every day."
Shen Anan had a blank expression on her face, "This was something Concubine Duan had already praised on the flower boat the day before yesterday."
"You'd better stop calling me Concubine Duan. It sounds like a mockery." Duan Yingying said self-deprecatingly, "Tell me, if you hadn't stopped me at the beginning, maybe you should call me sister-in-law now. How great it would be if we could fight against the common enemy together."
Shen Anan frowned, tilted her head and glanced at Duan Yingying coldly, not even bothering to say a word to her.
Duan Yingying laughed, "I know you look down on me. Even now, I still look down on myself. It shows that your judgment was correct. Miss Lin is indeed a thousand times better than me."
Now that she said this, Duan Yingying was surprisingly calm, "Do you think I'm lying? Are you surprised? In fact, I've let it go a long time ago, because now I'm in a quagmire, all I think about and hate are them, and I can't spare the energy to deal with them anymore. I hate you."
Shen Anan said nothing, picked up the fruit wine on the table and took a sip. It was mellow and sweet, but it was a pity that he had to travel in the afternoon and could not drink too much.
"In fact, you are also uncertain about the Fourth Prince, right? Or, from the very beginning, you have been playing him hard to get?"
Shen Anan frowned and tilted her head to look at Duan Yingying, “What do you mean?”
Duan Yingying smiled, "Isn't it true? You act like you don't care about the Fourth Prince, but you can't wait to urge me to deal with Duan Mengmeng. Isn't it because you want to leave so you can rest easy?"
"…Could it be that I have a grudge against her?"
Duan Yingying blinked and said nothing. "No matter what it is, you are the one who benefits the most. With me helping you deal with Duan Mengmeng, the Fourth Prince will not want a broken woman. You get all the benefits without any effort."
Shen Anan leaned to the side, not wanting to continue talking to Duan Yingying.
This woman must have been driven crazy by Zhou and Xiao Ze, that's why they keep picking on her.
Duan Yingying didn't care and continued to smile, "But you have to come back early and don't miss the show I carefully prepared, otherwise, I will definitely regret it."
After all, Shen Anan was the only one who knew her methods and witnessed her intelligence, unlike those stupid people in Duan Mansion.
Only when she witnessed it together would she feel proud and recognized. She would never lose to Duan Mengmeng.
The banquet ended with Duan Yingying going crazy intermittently, and Shen Anan acted as a mute listener very well.
When leaving, Duan Yingying looked at her with reluctance, as if she was looking at her lover, which made Shen Anan very uncomfortable.
"It would be better for Concubine Duan to go back and ask a doctor to take her pulse."
Duan Yingying smiled slightly, "I will, thank you for your concern, Princess Fourth."
In the study room in the front yard, Xiao Yuan sat in a rocking chair with no intention of getting up. Ling Chenyi said, "The banquet in the backyard is over, aren't you going to see your cousin off?"
Xiao Yuan kept his eyes half closed and didn't speak. Li Huaiyan ruthlessly exposed him, "Do you want to dawdle until dark so that you don't have to leave and can delay for another day?"
Xiao Yuan didn't respond, he just sat there in silence, looking like he was taking a nap.
The servant knocked on the door and came in to report, "Fourth Prince, Crown Prince, Duke Li."
"The princess is coming here with the fourth prince's wife. It seems they are heading for the young masters outside."
After the servant finished reporting, Xiao Yuan, who had been standing still, suddenly stood up and walked out.
Ling Chenyi immediately said, "I think Hua Sheng dragged his cousin's wife to take a look at the boy from the Zhao family."
Xiao Yuan said nothing, and the three of them walked towards where the young masters were.
At this time, the banquet was over and most of the people had left. Only a few drunken scholars were still talking, including the young master of the Zhao family.
This man was indeed quite talented and was now working under Xiao Yuan. When he saw several people coming, he immediately bowed.
Ling Chenyi raised his hand to tell him not to be polite, and like Xiao Yuan and Li Huaiyan, he looked around, searching for the two girls.
Young Master Zhao asked in surprise, "Who is Prince Ling looking for?"
Ling Chenyi waved his hand, "Nothing, it's getting late, let's all go back and sober up."
Young Master Zhao looked a little embarrassed, but suddenly his peripheral vision caught sight of a pretty figure behind the pavilion by the lake not far away, and he immediately understood what was going on.
He knew the origin of today's banquet in advance, and hoped to have a chance to meet the princess, but he did not dare to cross the line because of the rules.
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