Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan were feeding koi by the pond when suddenly someone appeared beside them. Lu Minghe's hoarse voice rang out: "Zhaozhao."
Shen Youying glanced at him sideways, and still politely replied, "Cousin."
Lu Minghe stood a step and a half away from her, his gaze fixed on her.
After not seeing her for a long time, he noticed that Shen Youying seemed to have gained some weight. Her oval face was much rounder, and her skin was more translucent and fair, with a healthy blush spreading across it, making her look extremely healthy and adding even more beauty to her already gorgeous face.
Although Lu Minghe was unwilling to admit it, Shen Youying's excellent complexion and relaxed eyes told him that she was doing very well in the Qin Prince's mansion.
But this good thing should have been given to her by him.
Lu Minghe could hardly contain his surging emotions and subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to remind her of the situation in the court and to warn her to be wary of Xue Shen. However, before he could get close, his view was blocked by Xie Qinglan, who had a fierce look on her face.
Xie Qinglan looked at him with a forced smile: "This area is full of women. Lord Lu, have you lost your way? Why did you come this way?"
Lu Minghe's gaze was entirely on Shen Youying, and he completely ignored Xie Qinglan beside her.
He stopped in his tracks, took a half-step back with restraint, bowed deeply, and said gently, "I'm not lost, I just have something I'd like to say to my cousin, please do me a favor, Miss Xie."
Xie Qinglan rolled her eyes at him, not moving an inch: "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what do you, Lord Lu, need to say to a married woman alone?"
Lu Minghe was speechless, his face flushed red, and he subconsciously looked at Shen Youying.
However, Shen Youying did not stop Xie Qinglan. Instead, she pulled Xie Qinglan back a step, creating distance between them again, and said calmly, "If you were just my cousin, it wouldn't be a problem for us to chat for a bit. But who among these guests doesn't know that we were once engaged? My cousin isn't afraid of gossip, but I am. If my cousin has something important to say, then say it directly. Qinglan is no stranger to you. If there's nothing important, I'll take my leave."
Seeing that she was really turning to leave, Lu Minghe had no choice but to compromise and said, "Wait."
Shen Youying turned to look at him. Xie Qinglan clung to her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, looking at Lu Minghe with displeasure.
Lu Minghe hesitated for a long time before organizing his words and said in a gentle tone, "I just want to remind my cousin that the Prince of Qin is not as kind as you see him. He..." Considering that Xie Qinglan was also present, Lu Minghe did not want to be too explicit, "He has great ambitions and his ambitions are obvious. I'm afraid that what he does in the future will drag you down and drag the Shen family down."
After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Shen Youying, waiting for her reply.
But Shen Youying's expression remained unchanged. Instead, she asked her, "So? Did you come to advise me that 'husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest, flying away separately when disaster strikes'? But if he were to do something unjust and immoral, I would have distanced myself from him without your reminder. But you know in your heart that this is not the case. If that's the case, then as his wife, I will not abandon my husband. Husbands and wives are one, sharing both honor and disgrace. I am willing to share the burden with him."
Lu Minghe was shocked to hear her say such a thing and looked at her in disbelief.
Shen Youying's expression was firm and resolute. Her beautiful face was still delicate and pitiful, but her expression showed no weakness or retreat.
He recalled what the King of Qin had said that day: "In your heart, is Zhao Zhao such a stupid and easily manipulated person? It's hard to believe that you and Zhao Zhao grew up together, yet you never understood her at all. No wonder her feelings for you were only superficial."
A sense of unfamiliarity suddenly welled up in Lu Minghe's heart. He took a few steps back in dejection and stared blankly at Shen Youying.
In his heart, Zhao Zhao had always been gentle and needed to be protected. Although she came from a family of military generals, she was not unruly or spoiled. Instead, she had the gentleness and docility that comes from a scholarly family. Even when she was a little temperamental, she would only make people feel soft-hearted and happy.
But today he realized that Zhao Zhao, deep down, had also inherited the spirit and resilience of the Shen family.
It's laughable that he and Zhaozhao had been childhood sweethearts for so many years, yet he had never discovered this side of her. She was never a delicate flower afraid of wind and rain, and his so-called protection was nothing but a joke.
Was it that he didn't understand Zhao Zhao enough, or that Zhao Zhao never actually gave him a chance to understand her?
The answer came to me almost immediately.
He thought he was deeply devoted to her, but in reality, he never truly entered her heart.
Lu Minghe closed his eyes in pain, then gave a bitter smile and said, "I was overthinking it."
He looked at Shen Youying, wishing he could etch her into his eyes, but he could only retreat step by step, gradually moving away from her sight.
When he finally turned to leave, Lu Minghe was so embarrassed that he didn't even dare to look back at her one last time before fleeing in panic.
Xie Qinglan watched his retreating figure, but this time she didn't roll her eyes. She said, "You're already married, and you have a loving and harmonious marriage. Why is he doing this?"
Shen Youying sighed, "I hope he can find a good man soon."
The conversation ended there. After a sigh, the two stopped talking about Lu Minghe and went to the pavilion to talk. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and since Shen Youying had previously recommended Chen Yaoniang to Xie Qinglan's bookstore, she had many things to say to Shen Youying.
The two women left happily, but the expressions of the other women in the garden and Madam Ye were quite different.
The other women were just watching the show, but Madam Ye was genuinely resentful and unwilling to accept it.
The three of them were by the pond, in a not-so-secluded spot. When Lu Minghe came looking for them, everyone saw them. Although they couldn't hear what the two were saying, judging from their expressions, it was clear that Lu Minghe still had feelings for her and was unwilling to give up easily, even though she had become the Princess of Qin.
Some women, who were always eager for a good show, glanced at Madam Ye and teased, "No wonder your family's marriage has been unsuccessful. It turns out that the king has a dream but the goddess is not interested."
Lady Wuyi, upon hearing this, interjected, "This Judge Lu is indeed worthy of the Crown Prince's favor; he's incredibly audacious to dare to defy the Crown Prince."
As she spoke, she clutched her chest, feigning fear.
Ye was so angry she almost fell over, but she couldn't afford to make a scene, so she could only suppress her anger and leave.
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