"Your Highness, I won't hide it from you," Qing Zhu looked up and said frankly. "When you entered, I knew you were the eldest princess." Shen Mingzhu had no intention of hiding her identity, so her expression remained unchanged after hearing this.
"I'm a person who has seen the ways of the world. So when I saw the imperial consort just now and combined it with the rumors in the capital these days, I knew the relationship between the two of you..."
At this point, Qing Zhu didn't finish his sentence. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't dare to expect your Highness's favor. I've been stuck in this mire for so long. I just hope your Highness can take me out of here."
"I will surely go through fire and water to relieve your Highness's worries."
Well, this is interesting.
Shen Mingzhu saw the look in Qing Zhu's eyes but felt no trace of temptation.
There were too many people trying to curry favor with her. She was already used to it.
Seeing that Shen Mingzhu was about to leave, Qing Zhu gritted his teeth and whispered, "Your Highness, a few days before your wedding to the imperial consort, I heard some girls discussing things in the building."
Goodness, it seemed she wasn't the only one with such an idea.
"Fine," Shen Mingzhu glanced at him and said to Chun Tao, "Take him back."
Xie Lang was waiting at the door. Hearing this, he ground his teeth in anger. Finally, he couldn't hold back and pushed the door open, saying, "Your Highness, I... I'll serve you."
Shen Mingzhu was puzzled and frowned at him.
The man in front of her was wearing a red robe. His face was covered by a mask, but it was obvious that he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His exposed lips were thin and red, looking a bit heartless.
He seemed familiar.
Shen Mingzhu frowned. Then she saw the man take a few steps forward, approaching her, and reaching out his hand.
The guards beside her immediately drew their swords and pointed them at him.
Shen Mingzhu didn't say a word. She just felt that the man looked more and more familiar. During the stand - off, she smelled the familiar faint jasmine fragrance.
"Stand down."
Shen Mingzhu had a guess in mind. She walked up to the man, bent her index finger, and lifted his chin, looking straight into his eyes.
Sure enough, the next moment, the familiar voice in her mind came.
[Shen Mingzhu, what are you doing! Sure enough, if I hadn't come, she would have taken this home - wrecker back.]
[Hahaha, take me back, and then when she takes off my mask, it will surely scare her to death. Shen Mingzhu, you deserve it! You playboy!]
Shen Mingzhu thought Xie Lang must be out of his mind. The legitimate son of a general was actually disguising himself as a young master.
But then she thought that Xie Lang was indeed not the kind of person who played by the rules. He had pretended to be a playboy and deceived the whole capital for so many years. His actions were indeed unruly.
"What?" Shen Mingzhu chuckled and said to Xie Lang, "Is this young master here to throw himself into my arms?"
Xie Lang nodded. Seeing the smile in Shen Mingzhu's eyes, he felt an inexplicable nervousness in his heart and unconsciously tightened his fist.
"Chun Tao, give this palace a gold ingot."
Xie Lang felt something was wrong.
But he realized that he was currently disguised as a young master, so he naturally couldn't resist Shen Mingzhu's actions.
So the next moment, he watched as Shen Mingzhu's hand moved down, hooked the front of his robe, and put the gold ingot in with her other hand.
Through the inner garment, the cold touch of the gold ingot suddenly gave Xie Lang goosebumps. His pupils shrank slightly, and he was completely stunned on the spot by Shen Mingzhu's action.
"Not bad," Shen Mingzhu smiled as her fingertips slid across Xie Lang's neck. "This palace likes those who know their place."
In the shocked gazes of everyone, Shen Mingzhu calmly added, "Let's go. Take this one with us."
As she said this, she pointed at Qing Zhu.
"What about me?" Xie Lang asked urgently. His voice was low and soft, really sounding like a young master.
Shen Mingzhu looked at him and couldn't help laughing. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Young Master Xie, Imperial Consort Xie, can't you find your way back home?"
Xie Lang was completely stunned on the spot. His ears turned bright red as he watched Shen Mingzhu's departing back. He almost choked.
It wasn't right! He had taken the voice - changing medicine, even changed his eyebrow shape and curled his lips.
How did Shen Mingzhu recognize him!
Although his face was full of shame and anger, Xie Lang covered the gold ingot on his chest to prevent it from sliding down. His heart was gradually rippling.
...
Back at the mansion, as soon as Shen Mingzhu sat down, she remembered the "top - ranked young master" she had not intended to bring back at first but had brought back on a whim because of Xie Lang's prank.
This was really...
It seemed that the good reputation she had built up in the capital in the first seventeen years was ruined here.
The eldest princess went to a young master's house and took a top - ranked young master back?
Shen Mingzhu took a deep breath and stopped thinking about what she had done today.
However, Xie Lang had revealed a lot today. First, he suddenly appeared outside her door. Then his disguise today didn't seem very careful. In short, it was very perfunctory. He didn't seem to be afraid that she and her subordinates would see through his disguise.
Moreover, judging from Xie Lang's thoughts, it seemed that the Qingzhu Pavilion had a close relationship with him. Shen Mingzhu wasn't sure, but now she suspected that Xie Lang was the mastermind behind the Qingzhu Pavilion.
It seemed that Xie Lang was more complicated than she thought. The Qingzhu Pavilion was a well - known young master's house in the capital. As far as Shen Mingzhu knew, because it claimed to only offer art and tea - tasting instead of the body, quite a few noble ladies liked to spend a fortune there.
The atmosphere of this dynasty was open. As the number - one noble lady in the capital, Shen Mingzhu had naturally been invited, but she had never accepted the invitation because she was too lazy to deal with such romantic affairs.
Such a place, if really managed well, would undoubtedly be an excellent money - making machine and a good place to obtain information.
How old was Xie Lang? He was only twenty - one, but he had such scheming. He was truly unfathomable.
As she was thinking like this, there was a knock on the door. Shen Mingzhu frowned slightly and looked up. Then she saw Qing Zhu gently push the door open and stand there, saying gently, "Your Highness."
Shen Mingzhu nodded slightly, motioning for him to sit down, and then asked, "What do you want to do after coming back with this palace?"
Hearing this, Qing Zhu was slightly stunned. Then he looked up at Shen Mingzhu and said, "What does your Highness want?"
"If I tell you everything I saw a few days ago, then after that, where does your Highness plan to place me?"
What a big trouble!
Shen Mingzhu saw the look in Qing Zhu's eyes and naturally understood that the man in front of her was not willing to just leave there. He even wanted to climb up the social ladder with her help. Perhaps sensing Shen Mingzhu's attitude, Qing Zhu didn't hide his intention at all.
Should she just throw this person back to Xie Lang?
Shen Mingzhu rubbed her head in annoyance. Then she saw Qing Zhu kneel down and plead, "Your Highness, I lost my memory a few years ago and was abandoned in the mass grave. So now I'm all alone."
"I don't ask your Highness to help me find my relatives. I just hope your Highness can give me a place to belong."
"I know that it's only a matter of time for your Highness to find out what I saw. But since I can stay there, I naturally know a lot. I hope..."
"Oh," Shen Mingzhu looked at him with interest and suddenly asked, "Do you know who your master behind the scenes is?"
The smile on Qing Zhu's face froze.
Why didn't Shen Mingzhu play by the rules?