With a fawning look on his face and a respectful tone.
Xie Lang stood beside Shen Mingzhu and was completely ignored. He really began to wonder if Shen Mingzhu was really out of favor with the emperor.
"Let's go," Shen Mingzhu said without looking at Eunuch Wen but addressing Xie Lang. "My son - in - law."
Hearing this, Eunuch Wen barely managed to maintain his calm expression on his face, while his heart was in turmoil.
Shen Mingzhu was wearing a red palace dress embroidered with large peonies. Her face was cold, suppressing her natural charm. At first glance, one could only feel the pride emanating from her.
Eunuch Wen was secretly shocked and barely managed to hide his surprise.
The Princess Royal was extremely proud. How could she take a fancy to a good - for - nothing like Xie Lang? Moreover...
Thinking of the person who had gotten up early in the morning and waited in the main hall, even though Eunuch Wen had seen many storms, he couldn't help but show a hint of bitterness. He began to be frightened about the upcoming scene.
Seeing that Eunuch Wen's reaction was not as he had expected, Xie Lang was a bit curious. He subconsciously looked at Shen Mingzhu and saw that she was frowning, obviously angry.
【Strange. Didn't Shen Mingzhu and the emperor fall out? Why is the emperor's attitude so strange? It seems that only Shen Mingzhu is angry.】
【But it doesn't make sense either. The emperor has married Shen Mingzhu off to me, a good - for - nothing. And now this Eunuch Wen by the emperor's side is acting like this. Could it be that the emperor is acting?】
【To make the emperor act, it seems that the forces behind Shen Mingzhu may be even more astonishing than I thought.】
Shen Mingzhu was surprised but not as shocked as at first.
She was right. Xie Lang had been pretending to be stupid on weekdays. But he was the eldest legitimate son of General Xie. General Xie didn't seem to abandon him because of his pretense. Presumably, General Xie had father - son affection for him. Then why did Xie Lang pretend to be a good - for - nothing?
The Xie family had only risen in recent years, and their power had reached its peak after the new emperor ascended the throne. If Xie Lang's pretense was to hide his talents, it seemed far - fetched. After all, this person's reputation as a good - for - nothing had been well - known for a long time.
How strange.
Shen Mingzhu became more and more curious about Xie Lang. Unconsciously, her gaze fell on him. In Eunuch Wen's eyes, they looked like a newly - wedded couple deeply in love. It made him break out in a cold sweat on this cold spring day.
The place where they got off the sedan chair was not far from the Golden Luan Hall. But Eunuch Wen, who was leading the way in front, walked very slowly step by step.
Shen Mingzhu was in a daze and didn't notice. When she came to her senses, she realized that it had taken so long to cover such a short distance. So a look of impatience appeared on her face.
Eunuch Wen secretly thought it was bad. He quickly led the way and announced inside: "The Princess Royal and her son - in - law Xie Lang are here to pay their respects."
After that, he turned around and looked at Shen Mingzhu, showing a flattering look on his face. "Your Highness, son - in - law, please go inside."
Xie Lang noticed that the person in front of him seemed to have changed his attitude towards him. In the blink of an eye, he had gone from being ignored at first to being flattered. Obviously, he was benefiting from Shen Mingzhu.
So Xie Lang proudly lifted his chin and pretended to be a person who had just achieved success. He said to Shen Mingzhu, "Your Highness, let's go in."
Eunuch Wen looked at this annoying person standing beside the Princess Royal and immediately wished he could cover his eyes. He motioned for the eunuchs to push open the main hall door and bowed to signal Shen Mingzhu to enter.
【Tsk tsk tsk. When one person attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Although Shen Mingzhu has fallen out of favor, it seems that she still has some remaining influence.】
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
She had never seen someone refer to themselves as a chicken or a dog.
Shen Mingzhu didn't even realize that the coldness in her heart had been interrupted by Xie Lang's inner thoughts. She unconsciously showed a smile and no longer looked as cold as when she first entered the palace.
Shen Mingyuan saw this scene at first sight.
At the entrance of the main hall, Shen Mingzhu had a faint smile on her face and was holding Xie Lang's arm. The atmosphere between them was so intimate that no one else could intrude.
Xie Lang was clearly a good - for - nothing!
Shen Mingyuan emphasized this point in his heart, but he had to admit that Xie Lang was really good - looking. Even though his steps were a bit unsteady, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he was a head taller than Shen Mingzhu. When they walked together, they looked like a perfect couple.
"Sister."
Before Shen Mingzhu could speak, Shen Mingyuan called out to her, "You're here."
Shen Mingzhu came to her senses, gave him a deep look, and then respectfully lowered her head and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Seeing this, Shen Mingyuan's eyes looked sad. He seemed to want to say something, but all his thoughts were interrupted by the person in front of him the next moment.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Xie Lang seemed to be imitating Shen Mingzhu's actions, and there was even a hint of her unique pride in his every move.
The wife sings and the husband follows.
These four words popped up in Shen Mingyuan's mind and were immediately suppressed by him. He said to the two of them in a deep voice, "Get up. Offer a seat for the Princess Royal."
【Huh? I suspect the emperor is targeting me.】
Xie Lang looked up and saw the emperor looking at him intently. When the emperor saw him looking back, his expression became extremely ugly.
【Oh, he is definitely targeting me.】
So Xie Lang pretended to be cowardly and shrank a bit towards Shen Mingzhu in fear.
Shen Mingzhu didn't know why Shen Mingyuan didn't like Xie Lang, but she was happy to make him unhappy. So she patted Xie Lang's hand comfortingly.
Eunuch Wen was extremely nervous watching from the side.
After doing all this, Shen Mingzhu looked at the chair but didn't seem to want to sit down. Standing with Xie Lang, she said to Shen Mingyuan, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for offering the seat. But this may not conform to the etiquette, so I'll decline."
Shen Mingyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he frowned and said, "Sister, you don't need to be so polite. Someone, offer a seat for the son - in - law."
Shen Mingzhu didn't understand why Shen Mingyuan had gone so far as to marry her off, but now he was pretending to be a loving brother. It really made her sick.
Not only did Xie Lang not understand what Shen Mingyuan was thinking, but even Shen Mingzhu didn't understand either.
However, Shen Mingzhu still didn't want to see Shen Mingyuan's face. So she simply replied a few words and then said, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and is busy with government affairs. My son - in - law and I won't disturb you any longer."
Shen Mingyuan's expression was unpredictable. Seeing the determination and boredom on Shen Mingzhu's face, he forced a smile and said, "Then sister, go and visit Mother first."
Then, his tone changed. Looking at Xie Lang, who was sitting on one side and seemed too scared to even raise his head, he said, "Son - in - law, stay first. I have something to say."
Shen Mingzhu was happy to see these two deep - minded old foxes go head - to - head. Naturally, she agreed when she heard this. So she said to Xie Lang, "Then you talk to His Majesty slowly. I'll wait for you in the Empress Dowager's place."
Xie Lang gritted his teeth but pretended to be panicked and said, "Your Highness! I..."