King Rui seemed not to notice the strange gazes from the side, or rather, it was not worth paying attention to even if he noticed. He just looked at Su Yi and went straight to the point: "Tell me your conditions."

Qinglian was almost shocked by his shamelessness. Could it be that the world has changed? A dignified prince not only forced a woman in broad daylight, but also openly asked the other party to put forward conditions?

She turned her head to look at their girl, and felt a burst of sadness in her heart. After so many years, the girl finally came out of the haze. Is she going to walk into another abyss?

Su Yi was a little confused by Qinglian's look. She knew that the other party was very protective of her, but the expression on his face looked too serious, as if she was going to feed the tiger in the next moment.

Isn't it just a fight? Although no one knows that she can fight, she is not ready to agree to King Rui, because the fight will never end. She is lazy and doesn't want to fight.

"No conditions." Su Yi shook her head. "The prince has countless capable people around him, why do you keep staring at me? As my maid said, if I am seen by outsiders, my reputation as a woman will definitely be affected. Why do you force

me?" "I can guarantee that no one will know." King Rui said, his voice was low, almost echoing in the narrow alley, inexplicably compelling, "You just need to nod, and I will take care of the rest."

His subordinate, the dark and mysterious man, nicknamed Lao Qi, secretly swallowed his saliva and thought to himself, my goodness, the prince is serious, the lady has refused so much, but he still won't let go.

But to be honest, when he first saw this lady's appearance, even though he was well-informed, he couldn't help but look at her a few more times. She was indeed a rare beauty in the world.

Although she was married, her figure looked like a young girl. Her face was both cute and tender like a girl, and she was both charming and elegant like a young woman, but not vulgar. Even in the emperor's harem, there was no one more beautiful than her.

Their prince had been celibate for nearly thirty years, and suddenly he was enlightened. The object of his desire was still such a stunning beauty, so he would not let go.

But prince, no matter how much you like her, she is still someone else's wife. Is it really okay to pick someone else's red apricot openly like this?

Su Yi rolled her eyes secretly. This prince seemed to be quiet and difficult to deal with. She thought about it and brought up Shen Er as a shield. "Even if I agree, I won't be able to find the time. As a prince, you probably don't know that women in the backyard are also surrounded by worldly things. In addition to managing the household affairs, they have to serve the whole family all day long. For example, if you hold me back and go back late later, I don't know how our Second Master will blame me."

"Yes," Qinglian hurriedly echoed and begged, "Second Master can't leave Madam for a moment, so I beg Prince to show mercy and let our Madam go."

Lao Qi nodded after hearing this. Of course, if he married such a beautiful wife, he would have to watch her all day long and guard against wild men outside. When thinking of the word "wild man", he looked towards their prince.

The prince of Rui finally showed some expression, frowning slightly. He was already intimidating, and now he looked even more fierce. He said in a deep tone, "I know."

After that, he turned and left as abruptly as when he came.

The remaining three looked at each other, thinking, what do you know?

Su Yi turned and walked into the sedan chair, and said to Lao Qi, "Please trouble this strong man to wake up my servant."

Lao Qi felt that the other party was worthy of being the one favored by the prince. If an ordinary woman escaped a disaster, wouldn't her legs be weak now? How could she calmly order him to do things? And he really did it obediently.

Several servants woke up almost at the same time. Without Su Yi's prompting, Qinglian raised her eyebrows and said, "Are you all itchy? You can fall asleep while walking. Aren't you afraid that the lady will fall?"

Those people were a little confused and had to apologize quickly and continue to lift the sedan chair.

It was not until they returned to Su Yi's bedroom and closed the door that Qinglian held back her tears and swore to the sky, "Don't worry, young lady, I will keep today's matter to myself and will never reveal a word to anyone."

Su Yi nodded, a little puzzled. If she didn't want to say it, then she didn't say it. Why did she make it so tragic?

That day, after dinner, she remembered what Qinglian had said before, that the account book in the shop had been delivered again this month, so she said, "Where is the account book? Bring it here so I can take a look at it."

Qinglian looked gentle and whispered, "Miss, you are tired after a day, it won't be too late to take a look at the account book tomorrow. Miss said before that she wanted to find a troupe to perform, I think our yard is small and the troupe can't stay, but we can invite two female storytellers to come to the mansion to tell stories for a few days."

Su Yi was completely confused, but also flattered.

That night, with the expectation of the female teacher, Su Yi slept soundly.

The next day, when she woke up and was combing her hair, Qingxing came in to report: "Miss, the second lady from the mansion is here to pay her respects to you."

"Pay her respects?" Su Yi yawned, "What day is today?"

Qinglian and Qingxing looked at each other and explained: "It's not a special day, but you are the wife of the principal wife, and the girls and brothers of the second room should come to pay their respects every day."

Su Yi glanced at the sky and said to herself: "It's still so early, shouldn't children sleep and grow up?"

"What did you say?"

Su Yi shook her head. "Nothing. Ask her to come in and sit down. Ask if she has had breakfast. Ask the kitchen to make an extra portion."

Qing Xing went out. Qing Lian combed her hair while saying, "There are two girls in our family. The second girl is gentle and doesn't talk much. She hardly goes out. The fourth girl is just the opposite. And..."

She looked at Su Yi's face and continued: "Her biological mother, Aunt Lan, is also quite favored by the Second Master. You must have heard what the Madam said yesterday. Among the several aunts, Aunt Lan is the most stubborn and not very kind."

Su Yi yawned again and said vaguely, "If she is not kind, then don't be kind. It has nothing to do with us anyway."

Qinglian was about to say something else, but she swallowed it back when she saw her like this. Forget it, don't let the young lady know about these troubles.

But she was also worried that she would have to endure it for one day in the mansion. It was impossible to ignore it forever, unless there was a way to get rid of it.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of what happened yesterday. If Prince Rui was sincere to their girl, then is it possible?

Qinglian shook her head, feeling frustrated. What if he was sincere? Could he still marry her as a princess? I'm afraid it was just for a moment of pleasure.

Su Yi finished her makeup, changed her clothes, and walked into the flower hall.

When the second girl Shen Shuyao saw her, she immediately bowed respectfully, "Shuyao greets Madam."

"Come sit at the table." Su Yi said.

"Thank you, Madam." Shen Shuyao couldn't help but secretly look at her.

She probably won't go out today, so she wears a comfortable half-worn dress, with only a white jade hairpin on her head, which makes her black hair look even darker, and her skin is as white as snow. Compared with her previous bright and charming appearance, she has another kind of elegant and lazy style.

There are many beauties in their house, including the third sister of the eldest wife and several concubines of my father. They are all beautiful in their own ways, but none of them can be compared with my wife. Even though Shen Shuyao has lived for another life, she still can't figure out why a man would put such a beauty aside and pick some wild flowers and weeds instead?

A maid served the meal for the two of them, a bowl of shredded chicken porridge for each person, a few exquisite buns and dumplings, and a few side dishes.

Shen Shuyao drank half a bowl of porridge and put down her chopsticks. She didn't dare to drink more for fear of being called rude.

But when she looked up, she found that the wife had already finished the porridge and even the noodles, and was putting the last shrimp dumpling into her mouth.

"Don't you like it?" Su Yi asked, looking at the remaining half of the food in front of her.

Previously, considering that she might have a big appetite, she had reduced the amount, but there was still so much left. Isn't it enough for a child of this age?

She remembered that when she raised her son in the last world, the boy could eat a cow every meal, and he had to eat several meals a day. Otherwise, how could you say that the little boy was eating his father poorly.

Shen Shuyao shook her head and said, "It tastes good. I'm full."

She kept pinching her sleeves subconsciously, as if there was something inside. Su Yi noticed and said, "Just say whatever you want to say. Don't be restrained."

Shen Shuyao blushed slightly. After a while, she took out a purse embroidered with a peony and said shyly, "I embroidered it myself. I hope Madam won't dislike it."

Qinglian took it and handed it to Su Yi.

The peony was embroidered very well and vividly. If ordinary people wore such a purse, it might look vulgar, but on Su Yi, it was perfect. Her appearance was enough to overwhelm the elegant peony.

"The craftsmanship is very good. You are thoughtful." Su Yi nodded and praised.

After asking a few more questions, she found that the other party was very reserved. She sat there with her back straight, as if someone had stuck a pole in her back. She didn't dare to say much, nor did she dare to look around. Although she was reborn and lived one more life than others, she still didn't understand the ways of the world and didn't say nice things. Even greeting her probably took him a long time to think before taking this step.

Not long after, she sent him back and, as an elder, gave him two rolls of silk and some snacks.

Qingxing escorted the people out of the door, and when she came back, she said, "Miss, did you see that the clothes on the second young lady still look like they were from last spring? Two days ago, I saw that even the maids at Aunt Lan's place had made new spring clothes."

"The second master doesn't like Aunt Ding, and he treats the second young lady indifferently. When other people see this, they naturally flatter her and look down on her." Qinglian said.

"I think the second young lady is much more sensible than the fourth young lady," Qingxing said, "Our young lady is their stepmother, and the fourth young lady hasn't come to pay her respects for so many days."

Qinglian looked at her and said, "You only look at the surface of things and never think deeply."

"Then tell me, how do you think deeply?" Qingxing said unconvinced.

Qinglian looked at Su Yi, and seeing that she was also listening, she continued, "I heard earlier that the first house seems to be looking for a boyfriend for the eldest daughter. After all, the eldest daughter is only a few months older than the second daughter. They can look for a boyfriend this year, get engaged next year, and get married the year after. That's just right. But in our second house, because our daughter has not been in charge of things for many years, the concubines are independent and have their own families outside the mansion. Only concubine Ding gave birth to a child in the mansion. Even if she wants to take the second daughter out, she has no way."

After hearing this, Qingxing snorted coldly, "I thought, you are so attentive, it turns out you want to take our daughter to cool off under this big tree. You don't even think about what concubine Ding did in the past. If it weren't for her, our daughter would be able to--"

"Qingxing," Su Yi interrupted her, "Why are you still talking about those trivial things now? And do you think that Aunt Ding could have done it all by herself? We were all willing, so why should we push the blame onto the other party after we did it? If he could take the initiative to take responsibility and be a good father, I would still consider him a man."

Qingxing pursed her lips and said unwillingly, "Let's not talk about the past. Now the second lady is paying respects to the young lady, but she doesn't have good intentions."

"Why does she have bad intentions? Does she want to poison me, or is she secretly plotting to stab me?" Su Yi asked lazily, "She can come if she wants. It's quiet here, so it's better to have some liveliness."

Qinglian also smiled and said, "Miss, you are right. I think the second young lady is very well-behaved and doesn't have so many twists and turns. I heard from the servants that the fourth young lady is really powerful. She is obedient and sweet-mouthed in front of the old lady, but in private, she often beats the little maids around her until they are black and blue. If she comes to pay respects to the young lady, I will be worried. Or, Qingxing, you are so calculating because you are reluctant to give away the two pieces of satin?"

"Who is reluctant to give it up?" Qingxing immediately retorted, "It's just satin. We have plenty of it in our warehouse. It's so moldy that we don't need it."

Su Yi smiled, "Then stop nagging. Qinglian said she wants to invite a female teacher to tell stories. You might as well think about what you want to listen to."

On the other side, Shen Shuyao was walking back with her maid. The maid was holding brocade satin in her hands, and she was holding snacks.

"Miss, our wife is so kind and beautiful, just like the fairy in the Jade Palace." The little maid kept saying.

Shen Shuyao pursed her lips and smiled. Just as she was about to speak, a few people came towards her. It was her fourth sister.

"Hey, where are you from, second sister? Why are you carrying a lot of things like begging for money?"

Shen Shuyao smiled and stepped aside. If it were in the past, she might have been unable to resist retorting a few words after hearing the other party's ridicule, and then she would have suffered again.

Although her fourth sister was born out of wedlock, she was loved by the old lady and her father, and had the same food, clothing and other expenses as the eldest daughter of a legitimate wife.

In her previous life, every time she quarreled with the other party, it was obviously the fourth sister who started it, but in the end, she was definitely the one who was punished.

At that time, Shen Shuyao couldn't understand why the adults could not distinguish the truth from the false and always wronged her. Later, she realized that it was clearly partiality, and there was no reason for partiality.

You blame the elders for being unfair, you cry and make a fuss, all of which will only make those who don't like you hate you even more.

She understood too late in her last life. This time, she no longer expected the love that did not belong to her, nor did she want to indulge in self-pity. Life is short, why live so painfully? If someone does not care about you, you should not care about him.

Seeing that she did not speak, the fourth girl snorted, walked through the middle of the road, and bumped into her.

Shen Shuyao staggered two steps before she stood firm again.

After the other party walked away, her little maid complained: "The fourth girl has everything, and the young lady has nothing. Why does she have to make things difficult for us?"

"Let's go," Shen Shuyao said, "go slower, or the snacks will get cold."

In the palace, the emperor was still reviewing the memorials. An eunuch announced that Prince Rui wanted to see him.

"What a rare guest," the emperor said after they entered. "What brings Prince Rui here today?"

Prince Rui stood in the center of the hall, tall and straight, and said something expressionlessly.

"What?" The emperor glared slightly, stood up from behind the dragon table holding the memorials, and stepped forward steadily in front of him. "Say it again, I want to see if I heard it wrong."

"I am willing to marry the princess," said Prince Rui.

The emperor was overjoyed, even the stern wrinkles between his brows relaxed. He patted the other party's shoulder with his big hand and said repeatedly, "Whose family is the girl? I will issue an edict to grant her a marriage."

Prince Rui said, "From the Anguo Mansion."

"Anguo Mansion?" The emperor frowned and repeated, searching his mind again and again, before he found a little impression from the corner, "The old Anguo Duke has passed away for many years, the current Anguo Duke..."

The emperor shook his head. He remembered that when he was still the prince, he had seen the heir who attended the palace banquet with the old Anguo Duke. That appearance was enough to make all the young men present look dumbfounded. When his royal sister saw him for the first time, she even wanted to marry him.

Unfortunately, he was a young man who was all show and no substance. He was exposed as soon as he opened his mouth. He was ignorant. It was said that he was the only son of the old Duke of Anguo. How long had it

been since the court heard of this mansion since the old Duke of Anguo passed away? I think there will be no outstanding talents in the next generation. In a few years, the court will have to take back the title.

A declining and dispensable Duke's mansion, no matter how outstanding the daughter of that family is, is still not worthy of the dignified King Rui.

But the emperor thought he was open-minded, and his nephew was speaking for the first time in many years, so he should not refute him no matter what. So he turned his head and asked the eunuch beside him, "Dehai, is there any other daughter waiting to be married in the Anguo Mansion?"

"This..." The eldest eunuch, Eunuch Dehai, was embarrassed. As a favorite of the emperor, he must have a smart mind. While the emperor was still racking his brains to figure out who the Anguo Duke was, he had already gone through the family tree of the Su Mansion from top to bottom, but no matter how he looked at it, he could not find a girl who was not married.

"As far as I know, the current generation of the Duke of Anguo has two daughters, both of whom are married."

"Oh? Could it be from a side branch?" The emperor glanced at Prince Rui and frowned. He suspected that his nephew was afraid that he would not agree, so he deliberately said that the girl from the side branch was from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. If she was from a side branch, she would really not be worthy of the position of princess, and even a concubine

would be better off. Of course, if his nephew insisted on marrying, then it would be a side branch.

The emperor lowered his bottom line again.

As a result, Eunuch Dehai said cautiously: "There are no girls of the right age in the side branch either."

The emperor really frowned this time, and glanced at Prince Rui suspiciously, suspecting that the other party was joking.

Prince Rui was about to speak when the emperor suddenly thought of something and his brows jumped. "You, you wouldn't..."

In those days, the young Duke of Anguo had such a charming appearance that not only a group of women were attracted to him, but even some homosexuals were said to be secretly coveting him. The emperor ruled the world and had experienced the inner secrets of the palace. He had seen all kinds of scenes and knew all kinds of things.

Could it be that his nephew got used to hanging out in the camp and had some unspeakable preferences, and fell in love with the young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion?

No, no!

"Don't let a man be the princess. How can it be disgraceful!" The emperor scolded sternly.

Eunuch Dehai lowered his head. Although Prince Rui still had no expression, his dark and heavy eyes showed a rare puzzlement. "It's not a man."

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and his face became gentle again. It didn't matter if it was not a man. As long as it was not a man, even if it was a little maid in the Anguo Mansion, and his nephew insisted on marrying her as the daughter of the Anguo Duke, he would acquiesce.

Prince Rui continued, "It's the sister of the Anguo Duke who married into the Shen family."

The emperor's expression froze, and he looked ashamed. He called Dehai, "Do you think I heard it wrong again? What did this bastard just say?"

Eunuch Dehai was so embarrassed that he could only lower his head and said tremblingly, "The prince said that it was the sister of the Anguo Duke who married into the Shen family."

"-- You bastard!" The emperor was furious. He raised the memorial in his hand and was about to hit him, but looking at the expressionless face with drooping eyelids, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could only throw the memorial to the ground and paced back and forth in the hall like a trapped beast, pointing at Prince Rui as he walked, and cursing: "I think you are blinded by greed! You can fall in love with anyone else, but you have to fall in love with someone else's wife! And you dare to come to me and say this with a shameless face. Do you think I will let you do whatever you want?"

Prince Rui said nothing and let him get angry, but from his look, it was clear that he was not frightened by the emperor's anger, but that he would remain calm and unmoved no matter how much you thunder and rain.

When scolding someone, if someone talks back at the same time, the emperor will scold more and more vigorously, and the more he scolds, the more he will scold. If someone begs for mercy at the same time, the emperor will scold more and more happily, and the more he scolds, the more comfortable

he will be. But the other party was indifferent, just like watching a monkey show. The emperor could only scold more and more suffocated. He couldn't bear to hit him, and he couldn't bear to kick him. What else could he do? He could only hold his chest and was almost angry to death.

Eunuch Dehai hurriedly brought tea, and while comforting the emperor, he said, "Your Highness, please say something." Prince

Rui moved his lips and said in a dull voice, "At least she's a woman."

"Poof..." The emperor just took a sip of tea and spit it out again.

He waved his hands in a disdainful manner, trying to stop Dehai from wiping him. He felt that he had lost all his soul and energy because of this idiot. He also lost all his anger just now. Now he just felt helpless.

"Get lost..." The emperor waved his hands, trying to avoid seeing it.

Prince Rui was about to speak, but Dehai winked at him. He looked at his uncle who was leaning on the dragon chair and finally stepped back.

The hall was silent for a long time, and the emperor sighed.

Eunuch Dehai racked his brains in his heart, wanting to say a few words to persuade the emperor not to be hasty and to calm down first. Maybe after a few days, Prince Rui would change his mind again.

The emperor said: "This bastard has been spoiled by the empress dowager. He does whatever he wants. He doesn't even think about the fact that she is the wife of a court official. He just snatched her away to be his princess. Wouldn't the officials be scared? And how would the people spread the news? I don't think he has thought of these things at all."

"Your Highness is young, and it is inevitable that he will be impulsive--"

"Forget it, go and check secretly how the sister of the Duke of Anguo is doing in the Shen family. If she is not satisfied, I can't bear to see the descendants of the meritorious officials suffer, so I will grant them a divorce."

"...Yes." Eunuch Dehai silently swallowed the words of advice.

The author has something to say: Emperor: This bastard! Forget it, just marry her.