Shen Tangning never expected that she would set her sights on Shen Ci!
She had never considered this possibility from beginning to end. Yun An and she had been at odds for a long time, and Yun An loathed her to the extreme, so she never thought that the other party would have any interest in Shen Ci.
Of course, Yun An couldn't possibly have really fallen for Shen Ci; it could only be out of revenge against herself. But as a princess, she had absolutely no need to use her marriage as a price.
This is tantamount to injuring the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of your own!
Shen Tangning felt a chill in her heart. Something suddenly flashed through her mind. She had been careless and overlooked Yun An's current situation.
With the Third Prince dead and her mother banished to the Cold Palace, Yun An might be driven to desperation and willing to take others down with her, even if it means mutual destruction.
As for why she targeted Shen Ci, it's very likely because the person who handled the Third Prince's case was Chi Yan.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down: "Princess, Shen Ci is young and impulsive. He has many shortcomings in his conduct and dealings with others. I'm afraid he is not worthy of a princess of your stature."
"All of these things you mentioned can be changed, and this princess doesn't mind." Yun An glanced at her unconsciously furrowed brows and felt a sense of satisfaction. So even Shen Tangning could lose her composure like this!
Shen Tangning's heart sank: "But..."
Yun An's eyes suddenly turned cold, and her tone became somewhat threatening: "You yourself said that I, a princess of noble birth, do I not even have the right to choose my own husband according to my own wishes?"
Shen Tangning's breath hitched slightly, and her lips unconsciously tightened.
It seems the other party is determined?
She quickly weighed the options in her mind: would Emperor Chongde agree to this marriage?
The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became, because she realized that it was entirely possible!
The emperor was already wary of the Xie family, and the Shen family was related to the Xie family by marriage. If Princess Yun'an were to marry into the Xie family, it would provide a convenient reason for Shen Ci to refuse to serve in the government and instead be transferred to a sinecure and waste his life.
More importantly, from now on, the Shen family will also be firmly under the emperor's control, and all of this will only require the sacrifice of Princess Yun'an.
Those below also sensed something amiss and fell silent, not daring to get involved in this mess.
On the other side, Chi Yan noticed that the atmosphere was not right. His gaze swept across the scene, and he suddenly frowned.
What happened again?
Unfortunately, to avoid suspicion, they were quite far apart, and he didn't hear anything from the other end.
"Is it my elder sister? Has Princess Yun'an caused trouble for my elder sister again?" Shen Ci vaguely saw Shen Tangning confronting Princess Yun'an and frowned deeply.
At that moment, he was completely unaware that he had been drawn into a storm.
The eunuch rushed over and whispered something in Yan Huai's ear. Yan Huai's eyes darkened, and he frowned, about to get up, when suddenly a cry of surprise came from the side:
"Your Highness!"
It turned out that the fourth prince's old illness had flared up, and he had coughed up blood.
Seeing the shocking bloodstains on the handkerchief, Yan Huai disregarded everything else: "Guards! Send the Fourth Prince back to his residence and summon the imperial physician!"
The commotion was quite loud, and the women on the side of the table looked over in surprise. When they saw Yan Jue being pushed out the door, they immediately realized what was happening.
The Fourth Prince's illness has flared up again!
Everyone couldn't help but glance at the third young lady of the Luo family, who had also received flowers, their eyes revealing a hint of sympathy.
It's uncertain whether the Fourth Prince's health will allow him to survive the year. If Miss Luo were to marry him, wouldn't that be tantamount to living as a widow?
Miss Luo's face also turned pale suddenly, and the peony in her hand became a hot potato.
Yan Mingyi's eyes flickered slightly, and taking this opportunity, she stepped forward to take charge: "Today's flower viewing banquet ends here. Everyone may leave on their own."
She glanced at Yun An secretly, marveling inwardly:
That silly niece of hers is really something; she doesn't speak up until she does, and then she makes a stunning statement!
They actually set their sights on Shen Tangning's younger brother! Given Shen Tangning's vengeful nature, this is going to be quite a show!
...
As she left, Yun An deliberately passed by Shen Tangning, paused, and raised the corners of her lips in a provocative manner: "This princess will go to the palace now to ask my father for a decree to grant us marriage. The Shen family should not disobey the decree, should they?"
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