Chapter 34 The Next Step
These words were like swill, and an uncontrollable nausea rushed to Liu Shi's throat, making her feel extremely nauseous.
For her?
What is Pei Yi's face made of? How can he not blush or turn pale!
Where did he get such confidence that the arrogant and ruthless eldest daughter of the Xie family would look down on him?
Still "willing"...
Tsk tsk, as if he had bestowed upon them an immense favor!
Liu Shi lowered her eyelashes, quickly concealing the disdain in her eyes.
What she sought was never some vague and ethereal love; she was always clear-headed about her situation and her goals.
As the legitimate daughter of a minor fifth-rank official, if she were to marry normally, she could at most marry into a third-rank family, and she might not even be the principal wife.
Why not give it a shot with her own abilities? She may not be good at anything else, but she's a master at playing deeply affectionate characters.
She never dared to dream of becoming a prince's wife, but she was determined to choose a prince who could ascend the throne. Whether she was a concubine or a secondary consort, it was better than being a concubine of a third-rank official. In the end, she was still a concubine!
But this Pei Yi in front of her... his self-righteous and affectionate appearance really disgusted her!
Liu Shi suddenly developed a phobia of stupidity and lost interest.
She can't eat everything.
Liu Shi took a deep breath and forced herself to put on that gentle mask again.
When she looked up again, her eyes were already glistening with tears. She bit her lower lip lightly, her voice trembling and choked with just the right amount of emotion: "Brother Pei... if... if Her Majesty the Empress really agreed... Shishi... Shishi would naturally be willing..."
She turned slightly to the side, revealing a section of her fair neck: "For you, so that we can stay together in the future... Shishi is willing to do anything..."
"Sister Liu!"
These words were tantamount to pouring boiling oil on Pei Yi's self-pity!
He was deeply moved and wished he could immediately embrace the lovely girl!
Liu Shi took in Pei Yi's self-satisfied appearance and sneered even more inwardly.
She feigned a mix of gratitude and heartbreak, and said softly, "Brother Pei... I... I'll go back now."
Having said that, he turned and left.
His steps were somewhat unsteady, and he looked back twice with every step.
Every time she looked back, her eyes seemed to be filled with a thousand regrets and ten thousand grievances, yet she held back her tears.
This posture completely had Pei Yi under its control!
"Sister Liu!"
Pei Yi was heartbroken beyond words. Watching that slender figure disappear behind the door, he stood there, lost and disoriented, feeling a tightness in his chest.
Am I being too selfish? How could I let Sister Liu suffer such injustice...?
After returning to her room, Liu Shi wiped away her tears, and all traces of grievance remained.
She locked the door behind her and went straight to an inconspicuous hidden compartment at the back of the dressing table.
With a gentle press, the hidden compartment pops open, revealing a blue booklet with slightly worn edges lying quietly inside.
She opened the booklet expressionlessly, which contained records of the personalities of several princes in Jinling City, the power of their maternal clans, and even the preferences she had observed and learned about.
She paused for a moment on the page about "Prince Pei Yi," and without the slightest hesitation, picked up a vermilion pen and drew a horizontal line, as if severing a tragic bond.
She moved the pen to the blank space next to her and wrote down another name smoothly: Pei Shan.
The Third Prince.
The Empress's second son.
Compared to the ambitious but brainless eldest prince Pei Yi, Pei Shan, whom I saw from afar at yesterday's palace banquet, clearly has more potential.
Not only was her appearance more striking than Pei Yi's, but her scholarly demeanor also somewhat suited her taste.
Most importantly... he doesn't seem as stupid as Pei Yi.
Everyone can say bad things about her, but you can never say she doesn't work hard.
Liu Shi circled Pei Shan's name heavily.
——
In Ruixue Tower, Xie Sangning nestled on the couch, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest.
trouble.
The Emperor wanted to put her in the harem, and the Empress probably wanted her to be the Crown Prince's wife.
Xie Sangning neither wanted to nor could jump into either of those fire pits.
The current situation is clearly beyond my expectations.
She could argue with the princess and deal with the concubines, but in an era where imperial power was supreme, even she could only obey those above her.
Fortunately, there is still time; at least she is safe until her father returns to Beijing.
He couldn't possibly marry her off without his own father's knowledge, could he?
The most important thing nowadays is the imperial examination.
The atmosphere in the capital was becoming increasingly tense, and Xie Wulu locked himself in his room every day for seclusion.
Wang Shi has stopped causing trouble; she now focuses all her energy on taking care of Xie Wulu.
According to Ru Dong's letter, the twenty-odd promising students at the academy had indeed abandoned their wildly imaginative minds during this period and started practicing for the exams.
They're quite sensible; as long as they listen to advice, they're still her good slaves.
That's right. In her eyes, these people were all her slaves. She gave them their lives and the means to survive, so they had to work for her, be grateful, and willingly become her slaves, Xie Sangning.
They didn't have a contract of servitude, which would restrict their physical freedom and hinder their development in society. What she wanted was to imprison their souls.
It's not that no one has ever called her evil; she accepts it readily. So what if she's evil? So what if she's good?
Who wants to be a Bodhisattva?
Just as Xie Sangning was lost in thought, Ru Chun came in carrying a thick stack of invitations and gently placed them on the small table next to her.
"Miss, we've reviewed all the invitations that have been sent over the past few days. Would you like to take a look?"
Xie Sangning was lazily flipping through the ledgers of his business when he heard this and hummed in agreement.
Ever since she stood up to the Second Princess at the flower-viewing banquet and then confronted her again at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, she's been bombarded with visiting cards and invitations.
This shows just how annoying Pei Mingyue is.
She casually fiddled with the pile of ornate invitations, but when she was halfway through, her fingertips suddenly stopped.
A plain post stood out awkwardly among the colorful decorations.
The cover bears the inscription "Lin Mansion" in small, elegant calligraphy, and is signed by Lin Wantang.
Cousin Lin?
Xie Sangning held the rather flimsy invitation card, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.
Since his mother passed away, his father and brothers went to the border, and he himself was sent to Xihan, he has not been in contact with the Lin family for a long time.
Ten years ago, the Lin family was one of the top three aristocratic families in Jinling, but now it has declined considerably.
In recent years, the Lin family seems to have intentionally distanced themselves from social life, and it is rare to see the women of the Lin family hosting or attending any banquets.
Since he was six years old, the Lin family had not contacted him.
What's the meaning behind this out-of-the-way post?
Xie Sangning tends to judge people by first seeing the worst in them.
She believes that human nature is inherently evil.
But since it was her maternal family after all, she chuckled, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice, and still pulled the invitation out separately, placing it on the table.
"Let's choose this one."
She randomly picked out three more that looked decent from the pile of flowers, "Add these three to the mix, just to join in the fun."
Ru Chun agreed, accepted the invitations, and went to prepare.
She would coordinate the time for Xie Sangning based on the contents of the invitation and prepare suitable clothes.
A few days later, at the Lin family home.
As soon as Xie Sangning's carriage came to a stop at the gate, he saw a large group of people already waiting outside the small courtyard.
She helped Ru Chun out of the car, her gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar yet eager faces.
Before she could react, the two elderly people standing at the front burst into tears the moment their eyes fell on her.
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