Chapter 80 His Highness is subtly showing off his affection again!
The Marquis of Zhenguo's Residence.
Li noticed that Shen Yan had been acting very strangely lately.
He hasn't stayed at her place for seven or eight days this month.
This has happened before.
But it won't exceed five days a month.
Those five days were either because her period was coming, or because she had very important official business to attend to.
But this time she neither came to Guishui nor inquired about Shen Yan's important official business.
As dusk settled.
Lady Li heard the maid report again: "The Marquis said he was busy with official business tonight, so he rested in the study."
She nodded slightly.
But as soon as the maid left, Madam Li almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
The study is where Shen Yan spends most of his time lately.
Or rather, it was the perfunctory treatment he gave her!
A bad feeling formed in my mind.
This suspicion initially caused only a slight unease, which quietly lingered in Li's mind.
As Shen Yan repeatedly refused to stay overnight.
Li began to pay attention to the details about Shen Yan...
The faint, unfamiliar floral scent lingered on his clothes; a faint smile would occasionally appear on his lips when he was lost in thought; and there was a subtle distance between him and her.
Shen Yan probably has another woman!
This thought caused Li Shi great distress.
She abandoned her ex-husband, who loved her deeply, and her four children to find a man in return.
In the end, he betrayed her!
But who is that woman?
As the heir to the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, Shen Yan always valued his reputation and never frequented brothels.
Moreover, he was exceptionally good to himself.
After she married into the family, she even dismissed the two concubines who were originally hers.
Who exactly is this stunning beauty?
They actually managed to snatch Shen Yan away from me.
Soon, Li stopped worrying about the issue.
She chose to win back Shen Yan's heart.
It has to be said.
Li Shi really knows how to manipulate men!
An ordinary woman.
After learning that her husband had betrayed her.
They would often be jealous and question them, even demanding that they cut off all contact.
But Li treated Shen Yan even better and tried her best to make him happy.
She took even better care of Shen Yan's daily life.
Every morning.
Mrs. Li would personally deliver breakfast.
Moreover, the meals weren't prepared in the kitchen; she cooked them herself.
Li would carefully peruse the classics on medicinal cuisine.
The breakfast prepared for Shen Yan was carefully arranged according to the season and solar term.
You can add lily bulbs and lotus seeds to soothe the nerves and replenish qi, or add yam and poria to warm and nourish the spleen and stomach.
Even the porcelain bowls used to hold soup.
She would personally test the temperature to ensure it was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.
Shen Yan has been busy with official duties lately, in addition to his private meetings with Wang Lian'er.
Therefore, the time he returned to the inner courtyard became increasingly unpredictable.
Even when they arrived at the Li family's residence, it would be very late.
But no matter how late?
Whenever he stepped into her courtyard, Madam Li would always be the first to greet him.
She was dressed simply, with a gentle smile on her face. She personally took off his outer robe, which was stained with the night dew, and handed him a cup of comforting hot tea.
They didn't ask him where he had gone.
Why are you home so late?
She even began to notice the weariness in his eyes.
When he felt drowsy in his study, he would quietly light a cup of calming sandalwood incense.
When he caught a cold, she stayed by his bedside all night, wiping his forehead again and again with a handkerchief soaked in warm water.
"Madam has been unusually attentive to the eldest son lately." The most composed nanny by Madam Li's side noticed something amiss and sighed softly one day while tidying up her dressing case.
Mrs. Li was tidying her sideburns in front of the mirror.
Upon hearing this, a very faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.
She knows Shen Yan too well!
He came from a noble family and disliked nothing more than the jealousy, possessiveness, and tantrums of women in the inner quarters.
The more generous and considerate she appeared, the better.
The more he does this, the more guilty he will feel about hiding it.
really.
Within a few days, Shen Yan's gaze towards Li Shi had become somewhat complicated.
Sometimes, Mrs. Li would catch his thoughtful gaze, which he would quickly look away as she turned her head.
After the meal.
Shen Yan would sometimes even make an exception and chat with Li Shi for a while, asking about household matters or the children's recent homework.
His words carried a deliberate gentleness and a sense of compensation.
Occasionally, Shen Yan would bring some precious fabrics and jewelry.
Mrs. Li always accepted them happily.
She could sense it.
In her presence, Shen Yan became somewhat cautious, and even under her meticulous care, he would reveal a subtle unease.
This sense of guilt did indeed have an effect.
Feeling guilty, Shen Yan deliberately distanced himself from Wang Lian'er.
I spent more time staying in the Li family's room.
He's just a man whose heart has already changed.
How could he possibly cut off all ties with his mistress just because of guilt and his wife's magnanimity?
Although Shen Yan stayed at Li's place more and more often.
But his heart was still with Wang Lian'er.
Mingyue Tower.
The elegant rooms inside the building were filled with the gentle fragrance of incense, its wisps swirling among the carved beams and painted rafters.
A sandalwood chessboard sits by the window, with black and white pieces scattered throughout, like stars in the sky.
Xiao Qingxuan played the white pieces, while Qian Yueshu, sitting opposite him, played the black pieces.
"The Ministry of Revenue needs a overhaul," Xiao Qingxuan said to his advisors, placing a chess piece on the board. "This Ministry of Revenue is riddled with corrupt officials. They collect so much tax every year, but they have no money for proper business..."
While he turned his head to talk to his advisor on the left, Qian Yueshu quickly replaced a white piece on the chessboard with her black piece.
His movements were fluid and effortless, clearly indicating he was a repeat offender.
The staff members were completely dumbfounded.
Xiao Li, who secretly admired Liu Yu, scoffed inwardly: "The Crown Prince has an amazing memory. Such a small trick will surely be disliked by the Crown Prince."
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Qingxuan turned around.
His gaze swept lightly across the chessboard, and he casually placed another piece.
That was a brilliant move.
This perfectly avoided the flaw revealed by Qian Yueshu's switch of chess pieces.
The advisors exchanged glances: "His Highness is spoiling us way too much!"
They clearly discovered it, but they pretended not to know.
To prevent her from being caught cheating, His Highness even had to cover for her.
This was repeated several more times.
It looked like His Highness the Crown Prince was about to lose.
Qian Yueshu, smug and self-satisfied, tapped the chessboard provocatively with a glint in her eyes. "Your Highness, you've been thinking about this move for a long time. Are you perhaps going to concede defeat?"
Xiao Qingxuan smiled slightly: "Your chess skills have improved, so I naturally have to be more cautious."
The man cautiously placed a piece, then turned to his advisors on the right, "We were just talking about the huge entanglement between the Ministry of Revenue and the Third Prince. Do you think it's possible to only target the Ministry of Revenue and avoid directly confronting the Third Prince?"
Several advisors were watching His Highness's actions.
I really wanted to cover my face: "Your Highness, how dare you say that Miss Qian's chess skills are superb?"
They only saw Qian Yueshu's shamelessness and the prince's doting affection.
It's likely that Qian Yueshu also sensed that her staff didn't think highly of her.
She suddenly remembered that this wasn't the East Palace, and that it was just the two of them...
In front of several outsiders!
She should keep a low profile.
So from then on, she stopped stealing pieces and started exchanging them.
And then, as the game went on, I was about to lose...
When Xiao Qingxuan spoke to his staff again.
Just as Qian Yueshu was about to make another move, Xiao Qingxuan suddenly turned his head and caught a glimpse of her little actions.
Their eyes met.
Qian Yueshu's fingers froze in mid-air, a hint of panic flashing across her face.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Qingxuan simply smiled and asked in a doting tone, "Do you wish to take back your move?"
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