On the occasion of Prince Chen's wedding, Shen Youying and Xue Shen naturally came to offer their congratulations.
In fact, Shen Youying thought that given the tense relationship between Xue Shen and Prince Chen, he wouldn't come. Who knew that Xue Shen would come against his usual behavior and even bring a congratulatory gift.
She secretly glanced at the congratulatory gift in the guard's hands, always suspecting that there was something bad inside.
After all, she found it hard to imagine that someone as vindictive as Xue Shen would actually send gifts to Prince Chen. It was already a miracle he hadn't disrupted Prince Chen's wedding banquet.
Perhaps her worried gaze was too direct, for Xue Shen raised an eyebrow: "What is Your Highness looking at?"
Shen Youying couldn't very well say, "I'm worried that you, like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken, have ulterior motives and cause trouble that will implicate me." So she could only say tactfully, "I'm just curious what gifts Your Highness has prepared. Logically, this should have been my responsibility to prepare them."
However, Xue Shen directly instructed Wang Deshun to prepare it, without going through her.
Xue Shen said "Oh," and told the guard to open the box containing the congratulatory gift for her to see. He said casually, "It's nothing special, just a revolving lantern. Although it's not valuable, it has a unique charm."
Shen Youying peered inside and saw that the box indeed contained a four-sided glass lantern about a foot tall.
The exterior is sculpted in gold to depict children playing, while the interior is a transparent glass bladder. When the small lamp inside the glass bladder is lit, the revolving lantern will slowly rotate.
It's truly unique.
Unexpectedly, it was such a normal congratulatory gift. Shen Youying couldn't help but glance at Xue Shen, wondering if she had been judging him with a petty mind.
Xue Shen looked at her with a half-smile: "What did Your Highness think I sent?" He tapped the armrest with his finger with interest: "Liu's ashes, or the stillborn child she gave birth to?"
Shen Youying was terrified by what he said and shook her head repeatedly.
Fortunately, Xue Shen did not press the matter further. Seeing that she was blushing and remained silent, he let the matter drop, and the two went to the main hall.
All the guests were present in the main hall. Although the emperor and empress were in the palace and could not attend in person, they sent officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Inner Palace to the Prince Chen's residence to help with the wedding arrangements.
When these people saw Shen Youying and Xue Shen arrive, they immediately looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Xue Shen, however, seemed oblivious, and entered the hall on his own. He looked around and asked, "Has Prince Chen not yet returned from welcoming his bride?"
The official in charge cautiously replied, "Yes, judging by the time, we should be arriving soon."
Xue Shen nodded, found a quiet corner, and invited Shen Youying to sit down.
Shen Youying sat down next to him and noticed that no one dared to approach within five steps of them. There was also a maid who seemed to have received some orders and stood guard not far from them, her eyes wary.
Shen Youying: "..."
She glanced at Xue Shen, only to see that he didn't seem to care at all, holding his teacup with a relaxed air. So she followed his example, picking up her teacup and leisurely sipping her tea.
Not long after, Prince Chen brought his bride back from the Yang family.
Prince Chen, dressed in a crimson wedding robe, was handsome and tall. Beside him, Lady Yang was petite and exquisite, her long, dark green robe trailing behind her, and the phoenix on her crown, holding a pearl, seemed poised to take flight. They were a perfect couple.
The surrounding guests laughed and joked good-naturedly.
Amidst the master of ceremonies' resounding voice, the couple completed their vows of marriage. Lady Yang was then led to the bridal chamber, while Prince Chen, as the groom, was to offer toasts during the banquet.
Prince Chen, holding his wine cup, looked around and his eyelids twitched when he saw Xue Shen at the table.
Reluctantly, he went over to offer a toast: "I thought my brother wasn't coming back."
Xue Shen raised his eyelids, gently shaking the wine cup in his hand: "I didn't want to come, but considering it's your big day, I came anyway."
Every word of these words was perfectly fine, but coming from Xue Shen's mouth, they carried a chilling undertone.
Prince Chen feigned a smile and said, "Then I should offer my toast to my imperial brother."
"No rush," Xue Shen raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling the guards to present the congratulatory gifts they were carrying: "Your sister-in-law and I are late, and we haven't presented our gifts yet."
At this moment, Prince Chen's face had already stiffened, and everyone at the banquet was nervously watching the box in the guard's hand. Their expressions of being on high alert didn't seem like they were looking at a congratulatory gift, but rather as if they were looking at a murder weapon.
Having already known the answer, Shen Youying looked at the various expressions on everyone's faces and suddenly felt like laughing.
She lowered her head, using the act of drinking tea to conceal her expression.
Prince Chen's face twitched, and he gestured to his attendant to take it, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind."
Xue Shen said, "This was an item I acquired by chance. It's not anything valuable, but I thought it would be perfect for your wedding, so I gave it to you as a wedding gift."
Seeing that Prince Chen showed no intention of opening it to take a look, he raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"
King Chen: "..."
He really didn't want to watch, but with everyone watching, he couldn't afford to embarrass the King of Qin too much. If he were to use this as an excuse to cause trouble for his father, he would be the one to suffer and be reprimanded.
However, if he really dares to cause trouble at the wedding banquet, he can use it as an excuse to get revenge for his past mistakes.
Thinking this, Prince Chen ordered his attendant to open the gift box.
However, to everyone's surprise, it didn't contain anything scary, but just a unique and exquisite four-sided glass lantern.
Revolving lanterns are common, but a four-sided glass revolving lantern is a rare item, found only in overseas countries.
Moreover, the lantern is carved with playful children, which has a good meaning.
Prince Chen, whether relieved or disappointed, cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Your Majesty is very kind."
Xue Shen flicked the revolving lantern with his fingertip and said, "This lantern is very mysterious and different from ordinary lanterns. You can have someone light it and take a look."
At first, King Chen was somewhat wary, fearing that the lamp might conceal some secret, but then he thought, what secret could a small lantern possibly hold? So he ordered someone to light the lamp.
A four-sided glass lantern was placed on the table. After being lit, the lantern began to rotate slowly, and the shimmering light and shadows shone through the glass body, which was indeed very beautiful.
The guests exclaimed in admiration.
Prince Chen was also somewhat surprised; such an exquisite revolving lantern was a rare sight. He couldn't help but stare at the lantern's glass chamber, but as he looked, he sensed something amiss—
At this moment, the other guests also noticed the problem, but they asked with great curiosity and surprise: "Don't the shadows you see look like little children?"
Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the lights and shadows did indeed resemble children, some sitting, some crawling, and some standing, moving slowly as the carousel turned, giving the illusion that they were playing.
Exclamations of praise rose and fell among the guests.
King Chen's face gradually darkened. He stared intently at Xue Shen, his eyes revealing undisguised hostility.
"Does Prince Chen like this gift?" Xue Shen's finger pointed to the three golden children on the lantern in turn, finally stopping on a small child sitting cross-legged. He said to Prince Chen in a voice that no one else could hear, "Look at this child, doesn't he look like that child from Lady Liu?"
He stared at Chen Wang's gloomy face and grinned maliciously: "I specifically asked the craftsmen to carve it based on that child."
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