Shen Pinzhen frowned upon seeing it. "Does Yan'er not like this bracelet?"
Lu Yan turned to look at her mother, and Shen Mingrong became somewhat displeased upon seeing this.
"This bracelet is so big, it's not suitable for a child at all," Shen Pinzhen said, as if the child was doing it on purpose.
"Since it was a gift from your aunt, why don't you thank her, Yan'er?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yan stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Chen Pinzhen, saying, "Yan'er thanks you, Aunt."
Shen Pinzhen's expression softened slightly, and she chuckled twice before saying, "Okay."
Seeing this, Hu Xianglian nudged her son: "Aren't you going to greet your cousin?"
Wen Nanshan is six years old this year. Looking at Lu Yan, who is younger than him, he gave a shy smile and stepped forward to greet Lu Yan in a proper manner: "Greetings, cousin."
Logically, Lu Yan should be the one to greet her brother, but the two families are too far apart in status. Lu Yan is the eldest daughter of the Duke's family, and her father is the Duke of Rongguo, a first-class nobleman, while Wen Nanshan's father is just an unknown sixth-rank official. Standing next to Lu Yan, he looks rather inferior.
Therefore, no one dared to say much about it.
Lu Yan didn't really like Wen Nanshan. She subconsciously glanced at Jiang Xuan beside her, leaned back somewhat unhappily, and then, remembering that her mother was watching, she awkwardly called out "Cousin Wen".
The way she addressed him sounded incredibly distant, which displeased Hu Xianglian. She felt that the people from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion were being too pretentious, so she said in a lukewarm tone, "I've heard that Yan'er is now studying with the Crown Prince in the palace. She must have a better relationship with the Crown Prince. Our Nanshan is far too high-ranking to be worthy of him."
That's a rather intriguing statement.
Shen Mingrong frowned, and noticing the gazes from those around him, his expression grew even colder.
Hu Xianglian's son and Yan'er are almost beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Calling him "cousin" is already a favor because of their kinship. To be honest, she really didn't want her daughter to have any contact with the likes of Shen Pinzhen and Hu Xianglian. It would be best if they met and pretended not to know each other. She never expected that Hu Xianglian would say such things that would cause criticism of Yan'er.
Shen Mingrong used to dislike meddling, but he wasn't afraid of trouble. Hearing this, he was taken aback and was about to speak when a childish voice rang out beside him: "Yan'er is closer to me, what does that have to do with you?"
Hu Xianglian had only made a casual complaint, not expecting anyone to respond, especially a little kid. She frowned and was about to scold him, but Shen Pinzhen grabbed her arm. "So you're the...Crown Prince?"
"Yes, it is." Jiang Xuan's voice was slow, carrying an invisible pressure that made the air in the room feel cold. Everyone knelt down and paid their respects to the Crown Prince. Zhao Shi had not noticed the situation here until now, and was both shocked and anxious when she heard it.
How could she have imagined that the Crown Prince would be by Shen Mingrong's side? This silence—is Madam Gu trying to harm her?
Do you think you'll get away with neglecting the Crown Prince?
Jiang Xuan's sudden words caught Shen Mingrong off guard. Seeing the lively scene freeze in an instant, she quickly stepped forward and said to Jiang Xuan, "Your Highness, Madam Wen was just speaking without thinking."
Jiang Xuan looked up at Shen Mingrong, who nodded slightly. Jiang Xuan's eyes flickered. "You should talk less in the future. My mother once told me, 'The less you talk, the fewer mistakes you make; the more you talk, the more mistakes you make.' If you're unsure whether what you're saying is right, just shut your mouth and don't say anything."
Then he turned to Lu Yan and smiled, "Let's go find Xingtai."
Lu Yan nodded and stepped forward to ask Shen Mingrong for his permission. Shen Mingrong thought it was a good idea to have the people from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion go with him to protect the Crown Prince.
The atmosphere in the room only became lively again after Jiang Xuan left.
Hu Xianglian's face was like a dye vat, turning red and white in turns, and she couldn't say a word for a long time.
After the little incident, everyone consciously kept a safe distance from Shen Pinzhen and her daughter. After all, this matter could not be kept from the higher-ups. If the Emperor found out that they were associating with such gossipy people, it would be bad if he took his anger out on their own mother.
Hu Xianglian's eyes reddened. She looked at Shen Mingrong and said in a low voice, "The Crown Prince is here, why didn't you say anything? Who are you trying to harm?!"
Shen Mingrong was unwilling to take the blame. She smiled and took a step back without making a sound. "The Crown Prince is only a five-year-old child. Even a five-year-old child understands this principle. Who knew that Madam Wen doesn't understand it?"
The word "Madam Wen" instantly widened the distance between the two from a slit to an insurmountable chasm. Hu Xianglian's face turned purple, and she gasped for breath. Shen Pinzhen also knew that she had probably offended the Crown Prince and Shen Mingrong badly today. Not wanting things to continue to deteriorate, she quickly pulled her daughter away.
"Fifth Sister."
Shen Mingxi walked out from the crowd at the right moment, smiled at Shen Mingrong, and said gently and understandingly, "There are all kinds of people in this world, so don't get upset over this."
"Seventh cousin, there's no need to worry."
Shen Mingrong forced a smile and nodded, showing no intention of getting close to Shen Mingxi. She didn't want to get involved with these people; maintaining a distant relationship and not interfering with each other was the best approach.
There's no reason why she would distance herself from Hu Xianglian and instead become close to Shen Mingxi. What kind of person would give up being a proper wife to become a concubine of a high-ranking family?
The cousins who used to live in the same house now have their own lives. She has no interest in meddling in their messy affairs. As long as they don't try to harm her, she can still get along with them.
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