Princess Shouning invited a performer to play on the water swing, and the performer was indeed exceptionally skilled.
The performance, which lasted only a quarter of an hour, elicited gasps of amazement from the audience.
In particular, the two lead performers, a man and a woman, swung the swing so high that it was level with the horizontal bar at the top. They then leaped into the air together, held hands, and did five or six somersaults in mid-air before plunging into the Cai River like lovers who had committed suicide together.
The audience cheered continuously, and Shen Youying watched intently. Even after the performance ended, her fingers were still clenched in a tight fist, unable to come to her senses for a long time.
Seeing this, Xue Shen casually picked up a fruit and fed it to her mouth. She opened her mouth and ate it without hesitation, but her eyes didn't move.
Xue Shen found it amusing and fed her two more.
Shen Youying ate it every time, until she accidentally bit a piece of her fingertip and realized something was wrong. She turned her head to look at the owner of the finger.
The owner of the finger stared inscrutably at the water stains on his fingertip, where the soft, moist sensation of a soft tongue still lingered, somewhat like that of a cat he had once owned as a child.
Especially now, when she's staring at him with wide, surprised eyes, she looks even more like him.
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow, picked up a fruit, and slowly ate it: "Does Your Highness want more?"
Shen Youying blushed immediately, too embarrassed to look at him again.
She was so engrossed in watching it that she subconsciously thought it was a white snail or a cinnabar!
Why did the King of Qin, who was just watching the play, come over to feed her?!
She glanced at the man beside her out of the corner of her eye, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, only to see him eat three fruits, exactly the same ones he had fed her earlier. Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xue Shen picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip, a half-smile playing on his lips, his eyes full of mockery.
Shen Youying dared not look at her anymore, feeling as if her ears were burning.
She pretended to be calm and drank two cups of tea. Looking around, she finally spotted Xie Qinglan and hurriedly said, "I'm going to say a few words to Miss Xie," before fleeing in panic.
Xie Qinglan had seen her long ago, but she was somewhat afraid of the King of Qin and did not dare to approach.
She was so startled to see the King of Qin personally feeding her friend fruit that she almost spilled her teacup and wet her dress.
Seeing Shen Youying blushing and hurrying over, she went up to her and pulled her aside, teasingly saying in a low voice, "I was worried that you weren't doing well at the Prince of Qin's residence, and I couldn't find out any news about you. I was so worried that I couldn't even eat my daily snacks." She paused subtly at this point, glanced at the blush on Shen Youying's face, and snorted, "I didn't expect that I was worrying for nothing, and I've just starved myself to lose weight."
Shen Youying's face turned even redder. She wanted to explain that she had misunderstood, but when she thought about what had just happened, she felt that she couldn't explain herself clearly. She could only mumble, "It's not what you think."
She was already dressed brightly today, and now with rosy cheeks, she was even more charming.
She looked like she was shy, trying to cover it up.
Xie Qinglan couldn't resist pinching her cheek and exclaimed, "Your face is still so tender. It seems you haven't suffered any hardships."
As she spoke, she glanced at the subtle gazes cast around her, then whispered in Shen Youying's ear, "You don't know, but there have been a lot of rumors circulating in the Qin Prince's mansion recently, and many people are hoping to see you make a fool of yourself."
Shen Youying knew what was going on and said, "Why not just ignore them?"
"I just get angry when I hear it." Xie Qinglan pouted. "It's one thing to be ugly, that's something you're born with and can't change. I didn't expect your heart to be ugly too, that you can't stand seeing others do well."
Shen Youying was amused by her and pulled her to sit down on the side: "Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about you. How are you doing at home? Your family should be arranging a marriage for you by now. Do you have a sweetheart in mind?"
Xie Qinglan, who was just having a pleasant conversation, suddenly blushed: "No, my mother did introduce me to a few suitors, but they all seemed too weak to even lift a chicken. They might not even be able to carry me on our wedding night. What use would such a husband be?!"
Shen Youying stared at her blushing face and let out a long "Huh": "No, no, why are you blushing?" She lowered her voice: "I think you look down on the husband your mother chose because you've taken a liking to someone else, right? Tell me quickly which husband he is, and I'll give you some advice."
Xie Qinglan blushed even more from her teasing and made a move to hit her, but then she suddenly heard someone say from the side, "Why is His Highness Prince Chu here?"
She panicked, quickly stopped what she was doing, and looked around: "His Highness the Prince of Chu is here?"
At this time, the other guests at the banquet also received the news and began to whisper among themselves. Only then did they realize that not only had the King of Chu come, but the King of Chen had also come.
Shen Youying was puzzled. Wasn't Prince Chen still under house arrest? What was he doing here?
Regardless of the circumstances, since both princes were attending the banquet together, both the host, Princess Shouning, and all the guests in the garden had to go and greet them.
Xie Qinglan pulled Shen Youying ahead, and Shen Youying looked back in the direction of the King of Qin. She saw him wave to her and mouth a gesture.
The two were far apart, and the noise of the crowd was overwhelming. She couldn't understand what the other person was saying, but seeing the guard pushing Xue Shen forward, she felt reassured and followed the crowd out.
Xie Qinglan appeared extremely excited, pulling Shen Youying along as they walked quickly ahead. Shen Youying looked at her rosy cheeks and seemingly shining eyes, and a sense of doubt arose in her heart.
—Could Xie Qinglan's beloved be the King of Chu?
But then she thought it was impossible. Not to mention that the Prince of Chu was already married, Xie Qinglan could only become a concubine if she married him. Moreover, given her father Xie Canzhi's personality, he would never allow her to marry the Prince of Chu.
Xie Canzhi was a protégé of the late Prime Minister Li Yuanhong, but he was devoted to the people and did not want to get involved in the factional struggles among the princes.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
