Inside the prefectural government office, Yan Xuening was watching others embroider her wedding dress when her personal maid, Luoyue, hesitated before speaking, "Madam, traditionally, wedding dresses are embroidered by the bride herself. You..."
Yan Xuening stared wide-eyed, utterly puzzled: "I'm about to get married, shouldn't I be enjoying my life as a maiden waiting to be married? Do you expect me to work myself to death here?"
Luo Yue choked for a moment, then sighed and said, "If Madam finds out, you'll definitely get scolded."
Yan Xuening rolled her eyes and was about to speak when she heard her wet nurse report: "Madam, there is a young lady who claims to be the Princess of Heyang County. She is waiting outside right now. Why don't you go and see if her identity is true or false?"
Yan Xuening frowned: "What does she look like? What kind of clothes is she wearing?"
The wet nurse, recalling the fleeting glimpse she had just caught, racked her brains for a way to describe it: "She was very beautiful. This old servant has never seen anyone so beautiful. She was riding a horse, with a long whip at her waist, and she looked... she looked very intimidating."
"Oh, beautiful and not to be trifled with, it must be my cousin." Yan Xuening was quite happy. She quickly stood up and walked outside. "Go and invite my cousin in, take her to the garden. It just rained, the air is nice, let's enjoy the breeze together."
The wet nurse quickly agreed and turned to leave.
Yan Xuening hummed a song as she walked into the garden. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she said to Luo Yue, "Find a way to pass on the news of my cousin's visit to Dingxiang and Yan Yushuang, and then find a way to get them to come to the garden on their own initiative."
Luo Yue could tell from Yan Xue Ning's cunning look that she was up to something again; but she was always loyal and worried about Yan Xue Ning's worries and anxieties, so she immediately smiled and agreed.
Yan Xuening gave Luo Yue a few instructions, which caused a delay, and by the time she arrived at the garden, Shang Shaoyan had already been sitting on the covered walkway for quite some time.
Yan Xuening quickly ran over, smiling ingratiatingly, "Cousin, what brings you here?"
Shang Shaoyan looked at Yan Xuening, and Yan Xuening's heart trembled at the sight—Shang Shaoyan already had a stunningly beautiful face that was extremely aggressive. Now, with his hair tied in a high ponytail and the stray hairs in front of his forehead pinned up, revealing his full and smooth forehead, and his sword-like eyebrows slanting upwards into his temples, he was even more unapproachable.
After a long while, Shang Shaoyan finally spoke when Yan Xuening was so anxious she was about to cry: "Yan Xuening, have you dealt with those two at home?"
Yan Xuening blinked and said obediently, "Of course it's been taken care of. I've confined the two of them to a small courtyard, where they must copy Buddhist scriptures every day to pray for Father."
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow and smiled: "If I were you, I would find a way to lure those two over when I heard that the Heyang County Princess was coming, and then use the Heyang County Princess to deal with them. After all, the Heyang County Princess has always been domineering and eccentric, so bullying a couple more people is nothing."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xuening stared at Shang Shaoyan for a long while, then chuckled.
Seeing this, Shang Shaoyan understood immediately. She couldn't help but laugh, tapping Yan Xuening's forehead affectionately, "Hmph, it turns out I didn't raise you for nothing the other day. But you have to remember, we don't need to lift a finger to bully them, we can just use our words."
Yan Xuening asked curiously, "How should we do this?"
Shang Shaoyan curled his lips into a smile: "Listen to me..."
The two discussed for a while, and just as they finished, Shang Shaoyan heard footsteps not far away. She quickly gave Yan Xuening a look, and Yan Xuening understood. Her expression immediately changed, and she looked at Shang Shaoyan with concern: "Cousin, why didn't you say anything about such a big thing before?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Ding and Yan Yushuang stopped in their tracks. Seeing that the two hadn't noticed them at all, Aunt Ding's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Yan Yushuang behind a pillar to eavesdrop.
Shang Shaoyan rubbed his temples, seemingly with a headache, and earnestly advised Yan Xuening: "A'ning, do you really think this is some great thing? The reason His Majesty wants to travel incognito among the common people is to find beauties to enter the palace—there isn't a single simple character in the three palaces and six courtyards these days. Entering the palace, to put it nicely, they'll be concubines; to put it bluntly, they'll just be concubines!"
Aunt Ding's heart was immediately filled with shock. She looked at her only daughter with a nervous expression, carefully examining her figure and appearance. Yan Yushuang felt uneasy and tugged at her sleeve.
Over there, Shang Shaoyan was still speaking: "My brother told me about this a few days ago. You mustn't tell your aunt and uncle. I'm just worried that since you're already engaged, something might go wrong at this time. That's why I'm specifically here to remind you to try not to go out these days, lest..."
Aunt Ding could no longer hear what Shang Shaoyan said after that.
At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind—the Emperor was coming to Hangzhou incognito, wanting to find beauties to bring into the palace! And her daughter, Dingxiang, was just fifteen years old this year, and was pretty and charming. Her figure was just like her mother's, who was a dancer. Looking at the whole of Hangzhou, there was probably no one more suitable than her!
After listening for so long, Yan Yushuang finally understood that this was a golden opportunity, a chance to trample Yan Xuening underfoot!
Yes, Yan Xuening is capable of being a Marquis's wife, and even more so, a principal wife. But no matter how noble a Marquis's wife is, can she be more noble than a concubine?
Yan Yushuang tried her best to control her trembling hands. She looked up and exchanged a glance with Aunt Ding. Both of them saw a strong ambition in each other's eyes.
At this moment, Shang Shaoyan's voice came again: "His Majesty said he would come to Hangzhou in three months, which would be just in time for your wedding. You just need to focus on preparing for your wedding, do you hear me?"
Yan Xuening: "...?"
She stared blankly at Shang Shaoyan and asked in a whisper, "Cousin, didn't we just discuss it? Didn't we say next month?"
Shang Shaoyan glanced at her with a smile in his eyes and said in a whisper, "I've been thinking, why don't we really invite the Emperor to Hangzhou incognito for a visit? Let's set the date for three months from now."
Yan Xuening: "???"
She looked at Shang Shaoyan in shock, her eyes filled with curiosity—"You can command His Majesty?"
Shang Shaoyan smiled and patted her hand, signaling her to calm down.
Seeing Yan Xuening's uneasy appearance, Shang Shaoyan sighed. Since he had already achieved his goal of "bullying" Aunt Ding and Yan Yushuang, there was no need to stay here any longer: "A'ning, shall we go back to your room and talk in detail?"
Yan Xuening nodded hurriedly.
...
After returning to Yan Xuening's bedroom, Shang Shaoyan gestured for her to dismiss everyone present. Yan Xuening became even more uneasy upon seeing this, but she complied anyway.
Shang Shaoyan stared intently at Yan Xuening for a long while before finally asking, "A'ning, what kind of person do you think I am?"
Yan Xuening exclaimed "Ah," seemingly not understanding how this question had anything to do with her confusion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
