Wang Junting glanced outside, frowned, and said, "The situation is still unclear, and the Princess Consort of Qin is being far too flamboyant and extravagant. A tall tree catches the wind; isn't this just making enemies for the Prince of Qin?"
Madam Wang said, "She lost her mother at a young age, and her stepmother was of low social standing, so naturally no one taught her. It's normal that she's unsure of herself in these important situations. Unlike my son, who has been raised according to the Crown Princess's requirements since childhood. How could she possibly have thought of the things you're considering?"
Wang Junting pursed his lips and said, "If she can't even think of these things, how can she share the burdens and solve the problems for the King of Qin?"
Lady Wang glanced at her with a smile and teased, "She may not be perfect, but once you're married, you can share the burdens of the King of Qin and be a virtuous helpmate."
Wang Junting blushed at her teasing and lowered his head, no longer speaking.
The carriage stopped in front of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Lady Wang led Wang Junting inside with the maids and saw Shen Youying sitting in the flower hall, surrounded by a group of ladies and wives, all familiar faces from the capital city of Tokyo.
Everyone was clearly surprised that the Wang family would send someone, and they were initially taken aback when they saw the mother and daughter.
But after realizing what was happening, she understood that Prime Minister Wang was a very shrewd and capable man, and his wife, Lady Wang, was no pushover either. She was extremely tactful and never offended anyone.
The Qin Prince's Mansion is currently enjoying great power, so it's understandable that they would come.
Madam Wang led Wang Junting forward to pay their respects, her gaze subtly sweeping over Shen Youying. Seeing that Shen Youying was dressed unusually plainly today, and although she had deliberately worn loose-fitting clothes, her protruding belly could not be concealed, making her appear somewhat bloated as a pregnant woman, Madam Wang smiled with satisfaction and gave her daughter a wink.
Today, Wang Yunting wore a lake-blue dress adorned with butterflies and flowers, and her high bun was decorated with pearls and sapphires. She looked elegant yet youthful and lively.
In comparison, pregnant women never seem as vibrant as unmarried girls.
Now that the King of Qin only has this one woman in his harem, a strong man in his twenties would probably find it even harder to refuse a beauty offered to him.
Madam Wang felt even more confident about the marriage. With a smile, she pulled Wang Junting to sit down and struck up a conversation with Shen Youying, saying, "Your Highness, you must be about five months pregnant, right? You look like you're about to give birth."
Shen Youying made no attempt to hide anything. She glanced down at her abdomen and said, "The doctor said it might be twins, so it's a bit bigger than usual."
Some guests had previously thought that Shen Youying's belly was too big, but none of them felt comfortable asking directly.
Hearing Shen Youying say this, everyone was surprised, and then they congratulated Shen Youying on her good fortune.
"I knew the princess was a truly blessed person; these twins are such an auspicious sign. If she were to have twins of different genders, it would be a perfect combination of son and daughter, a double blessing."
Only Madam Wang's face darkened slightly upon hearing this; Shen Youying's twin pregnancy was not good news for her.
Her eyes darted around, and she put on a worried expression before hesitatingly asking, "Doctor, are you sure it's twins?"
Shen Youying nodded: "The doctor said it's unlikely to be wrong."
After she finished speaking, Madam Wang looked at her with a worried expression, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Shen Youying asked, puzzled, "Is something wrong?"
When Lady Wang saw her respond, she was secretly pleased, but her face still showed a worried expression. She said, "This... perhaps the Princess is too young and doesn't know some things. In the royal family, twins are extremely taboo, for fear of disrupting the order of seniority and causing unnecessary disputes."
Shen Youying had never heard of this saying before, and other ladies chimed in to smooth things over, saying, "What Lady Wang said is too frightening. Only the emperor or crown prince of the previous dynasty would say such a thing..."
Madam Wang looked at the speaker and said meaningfully, "That's exactly why I'm worried. Twins, a boy and a girl, would be the best, a very auspicious sign, but if not..."
As she spoke, she sighed.
Shen Youying realized by now that Madam Wang's words, whether sincere or not, were nothing more than an attempt to use the twins as leverage. Although Shen Youying didn't understand Madam Wang's purpose for saying this, she was never one to suffer a loss.
Especially since it concerns the two children in her womb.
With so many female guests at the Prince of Qin's residence today, if the news gets out and she really does give birth to twin boys, there will likely be a lot of rumors.
Therefore, she immediately turned cold and said indifferently, "Is there some other obstacle? The previous dynasty has already been overthrown by the founding emperor. How can the rules of the previous dynasty hinder the current dynasty?"
"Moreover, the prince was also very pleased to know about this."
Lady Wang hadn't expected her to be so forceful, even bringing up the Prince of Qin. Her expression immediately darkened, but she was a woman of great composure. She lightly slapped her mouth and smiled as she admitted her mistake, saying, "Your Highness is right. I was just worrying unnecessarily."
Seeing this, Wang Junting tried to smooth things over, saying, "Mother mentioned it because she thought of it, and she didn't mean any harm. The Prince isn't someone who believes in those rumors from the streets, so the Princess Consort doesn't need to worry too much."
Shen Youying glanced at her, feeling that Wang Junting's words were somewhat strange.
But after thinking about it, she realized that neither the Wang family nor Xue Shen had shown any anxiety, so she suspected that she was overthinking it. She then suppressed her thoughts, let the matter drop, and continued talking to the other guests.
After sitting idly in the flower hall for a while, it was time to start the banquet.
Shen Youying invited everyone to take their seats. Just as they sat down, Xue Shen returned from outside in his official robes. His aura was imposing and unapproachable. He walked straight past the group of women and sat down at Shen Youying's table. He lowered his head and spoke to Shen Youying in a very intimate manner.
He kept his voice low, and no one could hear what the two were saying. They only saw Xue Shen take something out of his pocket and hand it to Shen Youying. Shen Youying glanced at it and smiled.
When Xue Shen saw her smile, his originally cold face also showed a hint of a smile. After saying a few more words, he got up and left.
Throughout the entire event, he never once looked at any of the guests present; his eyes were fixed solely on Shen Youying.
Seeing this, the women naturally gained a deeper understanding of the King of Qin's affection for his queen. While they were envious, they also felt a greater sense of awe towards Shen Youying.
A curious guest jokingly remarked, "The King of Qin came and went in a hurry, his eyes were only on the Queen Consort of Qin."
"Yes, I wonder what good things the King of Qin sent to the Queen. Maybe we can feast our eyes on them too."
Shen Youying placed the oil paper package on the table and untied the string to show them: "It's just a few pieces of jujube cake. It's been hot lately and I've had a bad reaction, so I haven't been able to eat much. I need some jujube cake to whet my appetite so I can eat more. There's an old couple running a pastry shop on East Chang Street who make jujube cake that I really like. If Your Highness has time to pass by, he'll buy me a pack to bring back."
The oil paper package was unfolded, revealing only a few pieces of jujube cake inside. While they weren't as exquisitely presented as those made by the cooks in the women's quarters, the significance of these jujube cakes was entirely different when considering that the King of Qin had personally purchased them.
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