Not long after, Emperor Xuande returned to the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and personally wrote an imperial edict granting marriage to Shen Zhao and Li Chaoyun.
With the support of this imperial decree, the two of them managed to restore some of their reputation for having an affair without a matchmaker.
The subsequent banquet ended abruptly because of this scandal.
Su Qingyu had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Shen Zhixiu and explain the incident with the zither music. However, she hadn't found a suitable opportunity until the banquet ended and everyone was about to leave the palace.
The truth is that Shen Zhixiu is too eye-catching now. If she gets close to him and says a few words, she doesn't know how many people will stare at her.
A number of sedan chairs were parked in the corridor outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Before getting on the sedan chair, Su Qingyu noticed that Shen Zhao had quietly returned to the hall and was pulled aside by Shen Ying.
She walked over calmly, and then she heard Shen Ying ask, "Why didn't you give the token to Uncle San?"
Chen Zhao replied, "Third Uncle said that he would meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince later. I thought it would be better for me to go and reply to the Crown Prince in person, so as to improve my relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Su Qingyu understood that Shen Ying must have been unable to get to the waterside pavilion, so she asked Shen Zhao to pass on the message. However, Shen Ying didn't tell the truth, so Shen Zhao thought it was the prince who summoned her, so he tried to get close to her.
He didn't expect that he would get himself involved. But for Chen Zhao, marrying Li Chaoyun was considered marrying up.
Feicui helped Su Qingyu into the sedan chair, and then changed to a carriage at the palace gate. When they returned to the Marquis' Mansion, it was already getting dark.
Only after entering the Bishui Pavilion did Su Qingyu feel relieved.
This palace banquet was truly tiring. It tired me both physically and mentally.
If you don't go there with a hundred thoughts in mind, you might not come out of it in one piece.
Zhenzhu prepared hot water in advance, and Su Qingyu leaned in the bathtub, drowsy.
After the bath, Pearl and Amber twisted her hair and applied perfume to her body. Su Qingyu kept her eyes closed. She felt so comfortable in the hot water that she didn't even want to lift her eyelids.
After changing into pajamas and tidying up, Su Qingyu half leaned on the kang by the window in the banquet room.
Pearl came in with hot tea and lit some sandalwood.
Feicui brought in a plate of sliced melon and said softly, "Miss, please have some melon. This was specially sent by the Third Young Master."
Then he said, "Young lady, you must be tired after coming to the palace today. You should take a few days' rest."
Pearl asked with a smile, "Is the palace fun? I haven't been inside yet. I heard the bricks on the floor are all gold."
Jade curled her lips and said, "Fun? We were all so nervous that we couldn't even focus on the bricks."
"But the music you played today was really beautiful. It was the first time I heard you play the piano."
Su Qingyu instantly regained her consciousness, got off the kang, and went to the study in the east room.
Zhenzhu and the others looked at each other, not knowing what was wrong with her, and hurriedly followed her.
Su Qingyu asked Zhenzhu to grind ink for her, and she sat behind the desk, holding a pen in her hand and began to ponder.
Zhenzhu had ground the ink for a long time, but Su Qingyu still didn't start writing.
"Miss, who are you writing to? Why do you look so embarrassed?" Pearl asked in confusion.
Su Qingyu pondered and explained, "The song I played today is the favorite of the eldest young master of the Shen family. Judging from the expression on the Third Master's face, I'm afraid he misunderstood. I'm writing to explain."
Pearl tilted her head and said, "Miss, you're so eager to explain, isn't it making us seem a bit overbearing?"
"Isn't it said that girls are precious and unmarried women should be even more so?"
She had often heard the old lady say this before, and it was also written in the storybook.
Su Qingyu shook her head and said, "After the Third Master and I got married, we became one. We prosper together and suffer together."
"Third Master misunderstood me today, and I won't explain. Tomorrow I misunderstood him, and he won't defend himself. If this continues, how can we live like this?"
"Then the bad guys will just take advantage of us. By the time we figure things out, it will be too late."
Seeing that Zhenzhu still didn't understand, she stopped explaining and continued to choose her words with her head down.
Su Qingyu carefully considered every word in this letter. She explained that she didn't play this piece because she couldn't let go of Shen Zhao. She only realized Shen Zhao liked the piece after she finished playing it. It was all just a coincidence.
Su Qingyu handed the written letter to Feicui and instructed: "You must hand this letter to the Third Master, and don't let anyone else do it."
If this letter falls into the hands of other people in the Shen family, it will cause trouble again.
In the study room of the Shen family's west courtyard.
Shen Zhixiu was sitting behind the desk, listening to Li Yunzhou talk about how Su Qingyu came to find him.
In just a few words, Li Yunzhou explained what happened when Su Qingyu came to see him, including her specific expressions, tone, movements and gestures.
It wasn't him who was nagging, it was Shen Zhixiu who asked in detail.
After Li Yunzhou finished speaking, Wen Zhu continued to recount what he had found out. He described everything in detail, from Li Chaoyun's visit to Chen Ying, to Chen Ying's visit to Chen Zhao, and then to Chen Zhao's visit to the rear hall.
Wen Zhu said this while looking at Shen Zhixiu's expression.
Seeing his face getting darker and darker, Wenzhu spoke more carefully.
"Third Master, I also found out that while you were talking to Elder Chen, the eldest young master...went to see Miss Su."
"What did you say?" Shen Zhixiu asked.
Wenzhu couldn't help but shrink her neck. It sounded like the Third Master asked this question with gritted teeth.
"The eldest young master asked Miss Su if...she still had feelings for him."
Shen Zhixiu's expression became completely calm, and his face, which had been gloomy just now, no longer showed any emotion.
But Wenzhu and Li Yunzhou both knew that he was extremely angry.
Wenzhu was about to continue speaking when she heard the voice of a servant reporting from outside the door.
"Third Master, the maidservant beside Miss Su wants to see you."
"Let her in."
Feicui shuddered unconsciously when she entered the room. She thought it was already spring, but why did the Third Master's study feel so cold?
"Third Master, this is a letter from our young lady. I asked this servant to hand it to you personally."
As Feicui spoke, she handed the letter in her hand to Shen Zhixiu and stepped aside to wait.
Shen Zhixiu opened the letter and stood there motionlessly reading it for a long time.
Feicui was extremely surprised. She remembered that the young lady seemed to have only written four or five lines.
Why is Miss writing so profound? Third Master has been reading for so long.
Wen Zhu noticed that Shen Zhixiu was distracted, so he coughed lightly and said, "Third Master, do you want to write a letter back to Miss Su?"
Shen Zhixiu was stunned for a moment, then pulled himself back to his thoughts and said, "Go to the warehouse, pack up the Guqin Luqi, and give it to Miss Su."
The tone of voice was noticeably warmer, unlike the coldness just now.
Wenzhu replied yes and turned to go to the warehouse to get the piano.
Shen Zhixiu recalled the flustered look on Su Qingyu's face when she entered the palace at the palace banquet today.
He asked Feicui, "Why did you come back so late before the palace banquet started today?"
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