Before entering the palace, Shen Youying and Xue Shen had already guessed that they couldn't escape this topic.
Upon hearing this, she showed a look of reminiscence and said, "Actually, when the master was performing the spell, I was not allowed to be inside, and I don't know the specifics. But I was worried about Your Highness, so I waited outside. I never expected to witness the master ascending to immortality with my own eyes."
She then revealed a look of amazement, speaking slowly as if carefully considering how to describe the strange scene: "I did not believe that time could have such miraculous events, but at that time, strange phenomena appeared in the sky. First, the five planets aligned, and then a flock of birds in the mountains suddenly gathered, led by a crane, circling above Chuyun Temple and emitting high-pitched cries. Just as I was marveling at the strange phenomenon, I suddenly heard the Master shout 'It's done!' and then I saw the Master leap into the air and ride away on the back of the crane."
"This is probably what the ancients meant by riding a crane to ascend to immortality."
Shen Youying spoke vividly, as if she had truly witnessed it herself. If the Empress hadn't known that this was just a pretext from the Prince of Qin, she probably would have believed it.
Empress Zhou and Emperor Cheng'an exchanged a subtle glance, knowing that Shen Youying was no pushover either. The couple had probably already rehearsed their statements, and it seemed unlikely that they would be able to find any flaws in their story.
After all, the answer to the question was that the Fire Cave Immortal had already ascended to heaven and could not be found in the world.
It's no different from having no way to verify the truth; the couple can just fabricate stories at will.
Empress Zhou stopped dwelling on the matter and casually echoed a few words before changing the subject, suddenly speaking with a profound meaning about the matter of offspring: "The Fire Cave Immortal cleansed and refined the marrow of the Prince of Qin, even curing his leg ailment without treatment. So, it seems there shouldn't be any problem with the Prince of Qin having children?"
She smiled and held Shen Youying's hand, saying, "You two young couple should start having children soon."
Hearing her suddenly bring up the issue of offspring, Shen Youying's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly calmed down, lowering her head and showing a shy expression: "After returning to the manor, I have already consulted the imperial physician, who said there is nothing wrong. However, the matter of having offspring still depends on fate."
Empress Zhou shook her head: "The Prince of Qin is not young anymore, how can he rely on fate? I heard that since the Prince of Qin got married, he no longer favors you alone in the inner palace?" She looked earnest and began to teach in the manner of an elder: "It is good for a couple to have a good relationship, but a wife should not be too jealous or domineering. The Prince of Qin does not even have a child now, he should take a few more concubines and have children as soon as possible."
On the surface, her words seemed to be for the good of the couple, but in reality, they were accusing Shen Youying of being jealous and domineering. If Shen Youying did not want to bear this infamy, she would naturally have no choice but to take the initiative to propose that the King of Qin take a concubine.
At that time, Empress Zhou could not only sow discord between the couple, but also conveniently place a few more beauties in the Prince of Qin's harem.
But to everyone's surprise, Shen Youying's face turned pale upon hearing this, and she looked as if she were about to collapse and burst into tears, saying, "But... but when the late Emperor was alive, there was only the late Empress. As a wife, I dare not be jealous or arrogant and forbid my husband from taking a concubine. But if Your Highness has no intention of taking a concubine, as the legal wife, I... I am unwilling to push my beloved husband to another woman."
Empress Zhou was taken aback when she heard her use the late emperor's name to shut her up, and her face fell.
Especially Shen Youying's later words, every single one of them pierced Empress Zhou's heart. In order to have another child, she didn't hesitate to send her son's concubine, her own niece, to her husband's bed.
Empress Zhou's eyes twitched for a long time before she regained her smile: "Why are you crying, child? I was just mentioning it casually."
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying wiped away her tears and didn't reply. She just sat there with her head down, her eyes and nose red, looking like she had been bullied but dared not fight back. This made Empress Zhou seem like the villain.
Empress Zhou felt like she had punched cotton; she couldn't muster any strength, and even the smile on her face froze.
At this moment, Xue Shen put down his wine cup, stood up and pulled the person to sit down beside him. He tenderly wiped away her tears and said to Empress Zhou, "Your Majesty, please forgive Zhaozhao. She is young and has always been spoiled by me. She can't stand such harsh words."
Empress Zhou's lips twitched: "I meant well."
Xue Shen expressed his understanding: "I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness, but I am not short of people in my harem. Now that I have Zhaozhao, I am not in a hurry to add any new people. As for the matter of offspring, I am in good health now and will work harder."
Since he had already said that, Empress Zhou naturally couldn't force anyone to join her, and could only reluctantly end the conversation.
Princess Xuanci, seeing that her mother had been wronged, said sarcastically, "Second brother's affection for his wife is truly enviable." Then, she changed the subject and looked meaningfully at Shen Youying, "Speaking of love, it's a matter of joy for some and sorrow for others. The other day, when I was having drinks with Miss Lu from the Lu family, I heard her say that Madam Lu was worried about her son's marriage. I heard that young Master Lu is still infatuated with my cousin and has refused to discuss marriage, saying that he wants to wait until my cousin gets divorced before marrying her."
With a bewildered look, she asked Shen Youying, "I remember that Sister Wang and those young masters Lu are cousins, right? Do you know who her infatuated cousin is?"
She was clearly pretending not to know. Although Shen Youying and Lu Minghe's marriage hadn't been widely publicized yet, anyone who inquired would know that the two families had been engaged.
Although the engagement was later called off, the marriage was indeed discussed.
Seeing that she was being deliberately obnoxious, Shen Youying decided not to put on any pleasantries and said calmly, "It's pointless for the princess to say such things. Anyone in the capital will know that I was engaged to Lu Minghe, but the Lu family later broke off the engagement, and the marriage didn't happen. Even the prince knows about this, so why does the princess have to bring it up?"
She lowered her eyes, gently stroking her nails painted with henna, and said softly, "If I didn't know that the princess was outspoken, I would have thought that you were deliberately trying to drive a wedge between me and the prince."
Originally, he just wanted to annoy her a little, but he didn't expect to be outmaneuvered. Xuan Ci panicked and could only force a smile, "Look at my memory, I really don't remember. There was such a thing? That Lu Minghe doesn't know what's good for him. Even after the engagement was called off, he still lets his family ruin Wang Sao's reputation outside."
Before Shen Youying could reply, Xue Shen beside her agreed, saying, "They really don't know what's good for them."
Shen Youying: "..."
She couldn't help but glance at Xue Shen and found that he was actually agreeing very seriously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
