Xue Shen received the news quickly. He read through the letters one by one and slowly smiled.
To destroy someone, first make them go mad.
Shen Muyu was the first step, while Princess Chen was the second.
He tapped rhythmically on the table, pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote several secret letters, which he had his guards send out: "The news that Prince Chen has no heir will soon reach Yang Jingzhi's ears through Princess Chen's mouth, but Yang Jingzhi is too cautious and indecisive, and may not be able to decisively jump off Prince Chen's sinking ship. We need to push him a little further to get rid of Prince Chen as soon as possible and side with the Crown Prince."
Princess Chen's divorce was merely a blow to Prince Chen's pride, but the Yang family's defection was the real blow that brought down Prince Chen and Empress Zhou behind him.
Who knows what Prince Chen might do in his madness?
Xue Shen smiled with interest and waved his hand: "Go ahead."
The guards had barely left when Shen Youying arrived. Today she was wearing a light blue rabbit fur vest, underneath which was a dark blue quilted short shirt embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, paired with a silver-white pleated skirt. The skirt was also trimmed with a circle of fur, making her look like a fluffy ball, very cute and soft.
Xue Shen opened his arms to her, and Shen Youying walked up to him, but did not sit on his lap as he had hoped.
She was always too shy, but sometimes Xue Shen felt that being shy had its charms. Since Shen Youying wouldn't sit down, he could only put his arm around her and pull her into his embrace.
"You look good in this outfit today," Xue Shen said, touching her slightly cold hands and warming them in his palms. "It's getting cold today. Didn't the Emperor send over that white tiger skin earlier? He asked Wang Deshun to take it to Tingmei Pavilion to make a cushion for you." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Are fur scarves still in fashion this year? There are a few nice furs in the storeroom, but none of them are suitable for you. In a few days, we'll go to a manor in the outskirts of Beijing for a short stay and have some good furs made for you."
Shen Youying was somewhat surprised, and a smile unconsciously appeared in her eyes. Her hand naturally rested on his chest, and she leaned closer without thinking, asking, "To the manor in the outskirts of the capital?"
"Yes, there are a few manors near the Shen family's place, but they've been uninhabited for a long time and need to be repaired and cleaned." Xue Shen chuckled and pinched her waist. "You're so happy just to hear you can go back to your parents' home?"
The two were no longer as estranged as before, and Shen Youying did not hide anything from him, saying softly, "Although Father did not say anything about my elder sister's matter, I'm afraid it was a big blow to him. Mother may not have the mind to care about Father, so I want to spend more time with him."
"Yes, I know you care about your father-in-law. You can go back whenever you want." Then, remembering that she had come back today, he asked, "Why did you come at this hour?"
At this time of day, Shen Youying usually takes a nap.
After he reminded her, Shen Youying remembered her purpose: "I was planning to go to the East Palace to see my sister-in-law, so I came to ask if you would like to come with me."
She and the Crown Princess got along very well and had many conversations. In addition, her relationship with Xue Shen was becoming increasingly close, and she was somewhat moved when she recalled the old stories the Crown Princess had told her about their youth.
The Crown Princess is now in her advanced pregnancy and can no longer go out, so she always hopes that her husband will come and talk to her to relieve her boredom.
Since she had nothing to do the next day, Shen Youying came to ask Xue Shen for his opinion.
Xue Shen thought for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "Brother is busy with official duties these days, I'm afraid he won't have time to deal with me. What would it look like if I just stood there while you were talking to sister-in-law?"
Shen Youying thought about it and agreed. She tried to get up from him and said, "Then I'll go by myself tomorrow."
Xue Shen wouldn't let her get up, grabbing her waist and pulling her back, raising an eyebrow meaningfully: "Leaving your crippled husband alone at home while you run off to play and have fun, Zhao Zhao, don't you feel a little guilty?"
Caught off guard, Shen Youying nearly fell on him, barely managing to stay upright by bracing herself against his chest with her hands. She glared at Xue Shen, her face slightly flushed, and said, somewhat speechlessly, "Your legs aren't..."
Xue Shen nodded, lifting his legs slightly: "Yes, there's definitely no injury."
Startled by his sudden movement, Shen Youying slid towards him, pressing herself against him, and immediately sensed his growing desire. She glanced instinctively at the study door and bit her lip: "It's only noon."
Xue Shen laughed: "What's wrong with noon? Nobody says you can't have sex at noon."
Shen Youying: "..."
She couldn't argue with Xue Shen's twisted logic, so she pretended not to hear and tried to get off his lap. Xue Shen simply picked her up, and in a moment, she was sitting in the wheelchair while he stood in front of it.
Xue Shen leaned down and looked down at her condescendingly: "Give it a try?"
Shen Youying had the illusion that he was about to rip her clothes off, even though they were properly on.
She turned her head away and didn't answer.
Having learned from so many experiences, she knew that objecting at this point would be futile.
Xue Shen smiled, cupped her face, turned her around, and leaned down to kiss her deeply...
...
The next morning, Shen Youying took a carriage to the East Palace.
The Crown Princess is now nearly seven months pregnant, and her belly is quite large. The Crown Prince doesn't dare let her go out. Even when she goes for a walk in the courtyard, she is always accompanied by imperial physicians and a large number of female servants.
The Crown Princess was feeling really stifled, so she could only hope that Shen Youying would occasionally come over to sit and talk to her.
When Shen Youying was led over by the maid, she saw the Crown Princess sitting in the warm pavilion. When she saw her coming from afar, she waved.
Shen Youying hurried inside, took off her cloak and handed it to the maid. She looked her over and said with some concern, "Sister-in-law's belly looks bigger again. Could it be twins?"
Jiang Yun was already thin, but now her belly was half again as big as that of an average pregnant woman, which was truly frightening. No wonder the Crown Prince was worried and had his maidservant stay by her side at all times.
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