Shen Youying felt that she had changed quite a bit, but considering that she had lost a child before, perhaps she had suffered and learned to change her nature, so she did not rub salt in her wounds.
After sitting down with her in the room, we started talking about Shen Mingjiang's birthday celebration.
“I have already sent someone to inquire, and Father does not wish to hold a grand birthday banquet this time. If you really want to ease the tension with Father, you don’t need to send anything too expensive; it would be better to make something practical by hand.”
“My father’s legs always ache in the winter, so I embroidered a pair of knee pads for him.” Shen Muyu took out the nearly finished knee pads to show her: “It’s just that my needlework has never been very good…”
She lowered her eyes and stroked the not-so-refined stitches on the knee brace.
Shen Youying looked at her with surprise.
Shen Muyu has little patience and has never been particularly enthusiastic about things that require patience, such as needlework and tea making. Her father also did not force them to learn these skills well, so she only learned them halfway.
But looking at it now, although the knee brace is not exquisite, the stitches are fine and dense, clearly showing that a lot of thought and effort has been put into it.
“You’ve already made your choice, do I need to offer any more advice?” Shen Youying said, “Father will accept these knee pads.” After hesitating for a moment, she added, “If possible, you should also ask Prince Chen for a favor and go home to visit your family. Mother is very worried about you, and although Father doesn’t say it, he’s not as stubborn as he seems.”
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Shen Muyu's face paled slightly, and she replied perfunctorily, "Well, I'll find an opportunity to talk to Prince Chen about it."
But what she was really thinking was that perhaps after today, her father would rather not have had her as his daughter.
The two chatted for a while, and then had a bowl of hot milk delivered from the small kitchen. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Youying took her leave.
Shen Muyu escorted her to the entrance of the Banana Garden, thinking of Prince Chen who had not yet appeared, wondering what his plans were.
But one thing she was certain of was that since Prince Chen had forced her to invite Shen Youying, he would not let her leave easily.
Shen Muyu looked at Shen Youying, who was completely unaware, and her expression became increasingly complicated.
For a moment, she was jealous of Shen Youying's good fortune and wanted to drag her into the mire so that she could also taste the bitterness she had suffered.
But then she remembered that Shen Youying had just asked her, "How have you been these days, elder sister?"
Her tone wasn't mocking; she was simply concerned about how she was doing.
After entering Prince Chen's mansion, apart from Dongqing, no one else genuinely cared about whether she was doing well.
Shen Muyu pinched her fingertips, and seeing her slowly walking away with the maid, she quickly caught up and grabbed her arm: "Wait."
"Does Big Sister have anything else to say?" Shen Youying stopped in her tracks.
Shen Muyu looked at her, his lips trembling for a long time before he said with difficulty, "It gets dark early in winter, don't linger, go back quickly, and it would be best to send someone to deliver a message to the King of Qin..."
Shen Youying felt that her expression was a little strange, but she couldn't figure it out for a moment. She just nodded and said, "I know, big sister, you can go back now. There's no need to see me off."
Shen Muyu slowly withdrew her hand, watching her walk away with the maid.
After walking a distance, Danzhu whispered to Shen Youying, "The eldest young lady seems like a completely different person."
Shen Youying sighed, "Seeing how much weight she's lost, I imagine she's not having an easy time."
Danzhu sighed as she recalled the arrogant and unlikable young woman from the past.
As the mistress and servant approached the front courtyard, four burly old women suddenly blocked their path: "Madam, please wait, His Highness requests your presence."
What did Prince Chen invite those girls for?
A weasel pays New Year's greetings to a chicken.
Danzhu adopted the air of a first-class maid of the Prince of Qin's mansion, stepped forward slightly to block Shen Youying, and refused, saying, "It's getting late, and the Prince of Qin is waiting for the Princess to return for her meal. Please make way."
The four old women exchanged a glance, and instead of letting them pass, they spread out and surrounded the master and servant: "Please come with us, mistress."
The other side was aggressive and outnumbered them, as if they had come prepared.
Shen Youying realized that the visitor was up to no good, so she grabbed Danzhu's wrist and said, "Don't say anything more, let's go."
He had only taken two steps when he was stopped.
When the four old women saw that she was about to leave, two of them went to capture Danzhu and two went to capture Shen Youying.
Danzhu was about to reprimand them for their blatant disrespect when a handkerchief suddenly covered her face. After a moment of dizziness, she collapsed.
The two old women worked together seamlessly to carry the person away.
Shen Youying was familiar with this scene; she had witnessed it at the Zhou family's villa. She never expected that now that she was the Princess Consort of Qin, Prince Chen would dare to use the same trick again. Her hands clenched into fists in her sleeves, and she forced herself to remain calm as she rebuked him, "I am the Princess Consort of Qin! Prince Qin's men are waiting outside! Who gave you the audacity to disrespect me?!"
The two old women were not afraid. One grabbed Shen Youying and the other covered her mouth to prevent her from calling for help. Their strength was astonishing.
Shen Youying had no chance to struggle or call for help. She was half-lifted and half-carried by the two men into a house hidden by greenery.
Two old women chained her hands and feet with special iron chains, then brought her a bowl of soup of unknown origin, forced it down her throat, and then closed the door and left.
Not long after the soup entered her stomach, Shen Youying felt weak in the limbs and dizzy.
Having learned from past mistakes, she already guessed what kind of medicine the old woman had given her.
She bit her lip hard, waves of despair washing over her, but she forced herself to remain calm, looking around for a way to escape.
Before she could find a chance to escape, the door was pushed open again, and Chen Wang walked in, staring at her blatantly with a look of determination in his eyes.
He sat down a step away from Shen Youying, watching her face flush like rouge, and said calmly, "I've already sent away the coachman waiting outside. By the time he returns, we'll have already made it a done deal."
"If you dare to touch me, the King of Qin will not let you off," Shen Youying said slowly, gritting her teeth.
Deep within his body, the effects of the drug accumulated layer upon layer, assaulting his already fragile sanity.
She didn't want to appear disheveled, so she tried to breathe softly and endure it with all her might.
"Do you dare tell the King of Qin? If he finds out you've been having an affair, you'll be the first person he kills."
Chen Wang was pleased to see her becoming increasingly vulnerable, and said with a smile, "What I just gave you was the strongest aphrodisiac, which the madam of the brothel used to discipline disobedient girls. Even the most chaste and virtuous woman would turn into a lump of spring water after drinking a bowl of it and take the initiative to beg for pleasure."
"Once the effects of the drug take hold, you'll be begging me for help."
He didn't touch Shen Youying after entering the room, waiting for her to lose her patience and beg him in the most humble way.
Shen Youying's ears were ringing, and she could hardly hear what he was saying.
But the lewdness in the other person's eyes was unmistakable. She bit her tongue hard, barely maintaining a shred of reason, and tears streamed down her face.
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