Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu came back to her senses and saw Xie Lang suddenly tugging at her sleeve. There was a strange air of self - righteousness in his expression as he looked at her. "What?"
Xie Lang asked Shen Mingzhu upon hearing this, "Where is Your Highness going now?"
[Shen Mingzhu, you're not going to go find that so - called Green Bamboo right after you just cheered me up, are you?]
Shen Mingzhu noticed that Xie Lang seemed to have a particular grudge against that Green Bamboo... no, it was Qingzhu. Whenever something happened, he always brought Qingzhu up.
"I'm naturally going out for a stroll," Shen Mingzhu said. Looking at the expression in Xie Lang's eyes, she suddenly found it a bit amusing. So her tone towards Xie Lang was gentler than usual.
"For a stroll?" Xie Lang frowned instinctively upon hearing this and then said to Shen Mingzhu, "Then Your Highness might as well take me along?"
"Take you?"
Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows, hooked her lips as she looked at Xie Lang and said, "What for?"
"Could it be that Young Master Xie is going to carry things for me and, by the way..."
Shen Mingzhu was joking. She thought Xie Lang would back off, so there was a hint of teasing on her face and her tone was light.
"Okay," Xie Lang interrupted Shen Mingzhu. With a bright smile on his face, he withdrew his hand and said, "Why not?"
Shen Mingzhu suspected that Xie Lang might have lost his mind. But his expression was serious, not like he was joking.
[Shen Mingzhu, are you feeling guilty? What's wrong with taking me along?]
[What, would it stop you from meeting those 'green bamboos' out there?]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Seeing Shen Mingzhu looking at him with an unfathomable expression and not giving a reply for a long time, Xie Lang continued, "Your Highness, now we're on the same boat. We have to act like a loving couple in the eyes of outsiders. If you go out alone today, won't it give people something to talk about?"
Shen Mingzhu looked at the seriousness on Xie Lang's face and almost was deceived by him.
Forget it. Maybe taking him along, she could take the opportunity to see how deep this guy was hiding and how much property he actually had. The Xie family had risen late. From Shen Mingzhu's observations in the past few days, the Xie family was barely getting by.
However, it was obvious that Xie Lang had his own assets. He couldn't have lived his current life just relying on his monthly stipend. Just the occasional food and daily necessities he used were far beyond his apparent monthly stipend.
"Fine," Shen Mingzhu nodded, looked at Xie Lang and said, "Let's go."
Xie Lang should have been happy that Shen Mingzhu agreed. But when his eyes caught the faint smile on Shen Mingzhu's lips, his heart suddenly tightened. His elation gradually faded, and he inexplicably felt a chill on his neck.
Wait! Was Shen Mingzhu plotting against him again?
Xie Lang withdrew his hand from tugging at Shen Mingzhu's sleeve, couldn't help but touch his neck and sighed silently.
...
Outside the sedan chair, there was a hubbub of voices, mixed with the hawking of the peddlers. The sounds reached the ears of those inside the sedan chair.
Hearing these long - missed lively sounds, Shen Mingzhu felt as if she had passed through a different era. It seemed that everything had changed since her wedding. She had devoted herself to investigating the previous matters and hadn't felt such a lively atmosphere for a long time.
Xie Lang sat quietly opposite her. Suddenly, he remembered the first kiss on their wedding night, so he tightly closed his mouth. It was unclear what he was thinking.
"Your Highness, we're here," Xie Lang got out of the sedan chair first, then reached out his hand towards Shen Mingzhu, squeezing Spring Peach, who was about to help Shen Mingzhu, aside. "Your Highness, let me help you."
Shen Mingzhu glanced at him and wanted to jump out directly. Unexpectedly, Xie Lang winked at her, trying to remind Shen Mingzhu that they were still acting as a loving couple.
So Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to reach out her hand and slowly got out of the sedan chair.
[Humph, Shen Mingzhu has such a bad memory. She needs me to remind her of everything.]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
It wasn't that her memory was bad. She just instinctively wanted to argue with Xie Lang. Shen Mingzhu didn't think of herself as a nit - picking person. But since she met Xie Lang, she always clashed with him. Whenever Xie Lang said east, Shen Mingzhu would definitely say west.
No, she was being as childish as Xie Lang. She had to be more careful next time.
When Shen Mingzhu came back to her senses, she heard the passers - by around her whispering.
"Is this... the eldest princess?"
"Oh my god! Why does the princess look so in love with a playboy like Xie Lang?"
A few young ladies happened to meet Shen Mingzhu and Xie Lang. So they couldn't help but start whispering as they walked away.
"Tsk, although Xie Lang is not a good person, he has some means. He actually managed to win the princess's favor. Won't the Xie family benefit in the future?"
Shen Mingzhu pretended not to hear and led Xie Lang inside.
She didn't know where to go today, so Shen Mingzhu planned to go to the jewelry store first, just to test how deep Xie Lang's wallet was.
As they entered the store, the shopkeeper immediately came forward. When he saw Shen Mingzhu, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. May I ask if Your Highness would like to take a look around first or go to the private room upstairs? I'll present all the new items of this month for Your Highness to see."
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu turned to look at Xie Lang, raised her eyebrows and said, "It depends on Young Master Xie... Son - in - law Xie. It's the son - in - law who wants to pay for me today, so it's up to him."
A sense of "just as I expected" emerged in Xie Lang's heart. So his previously heavy heart gradually relaxed.
It was okay. Shen Mingzhu just wanted to take advantage of him. Xie Lang showed less pretense in front of Shen Mingzhu than in front of others. So it was normal for Shen Mingzhu to notice that his living standard didn't match his accounts.
Sighing, a smile appeared on Xie Lang's handsome face. He then said to the shopkeeper, "You must bring out all the good stuff!"
"I'll take Your Highness for a stroll first! You go and bring out all the best items in your store! If you dare to deceive us while Your Highness is here today, I'll surely make you regret it!"
Xie Lang exuded an air of a playboy when he spoke. His words were so annoying that everyone present gritted their teeth in anger.
The shopkeeper almost gritted his teeth. Looking at Xie Lang's appearance, he almost couldn't maintain his smile. He was about to reply casually.
But unexpectedly, the next moment, he suddenly saw Xie Lang casually touch the jade pendant on his waist.
This was... This was the master's jade pendant!
The shopkeeper almost went limp in the knees and fell to the ground.
It must be a coincidence. The master was always cold and his whereabouts were uncertain. A small person like him couldn't possibly know what the master looked like. How could it be this playboy in front of him?
But the next moment, when the shopkeeper looked up, he saw Xie Lang avoiding Shen Mingzhu's sight and giving him a familiar cold glance.
"Yes!"
The shopkeeper almost crawled away in a hurry. He awkwardly led the junior clerk to the storeroom to rummage for things.
Shen Mingzhu saw an acquaintance and didn't notice at all that Xie Lang beside her was threatening the shopkeeper. So when the shopkeeper left, she just thought that he was afraid of this seemingly conceited son - in - law because of her power.
"Your Highness," a smiling female voice came. Shen Mingzhu slowly turned her head, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes were cold.