"Why have you come today, husband?" Qu Yunhua's eyes sparkled with joy when she saw the man looking at her.
Recently, her husband had been dropping by her place from time to time, and the number of days he visited that little bitch, Yu'er, had decreased.
Thinking of the hatred in Yu'er's eyes when they met today, which was exactly the same as her own a few days ago, Qu Yunhua felt elated. She looked at her husband with even more tenderness.
"I came to see you."
The man saw the smile on Qu Yunhua's face and felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of what he wanted to do.
But then he thought of that charming face, and the guilt quickly faded. After Qu Yunhua poured him a cup of water, he casually asked, "Your younger sister has been here for a while. I heard you're arranging a marriage for her. Have you found anyone suitable?"
Qu Yunhua didn't suspect a thing. She thought her husband was just asking about her daily life, so she sat down beside him after pouring the water and said gently, "I've been looking, but I've attended fewer banquets these days and haven't met anyone suitable."
"Husband, you've been wanting to elevate Sister Yu'er to a concubine. I wonder if the old madam has relented these days?"
As she asked this, Qu Yunhua showed a gentle expression on her face, but her hand hidden in her sleeve betrayed her true emotions.
"This..."
The man hesitated for a moment and then said, "Let's wait a bit longer."
Sure enough, he hesitated!
Qu Yunhua almost burst out laughing. She knew her plan was working and felt extremely pleased.
She knew that as long as Yu'er was constantly bullied by the old lady, she would surely complain to her husband. Her husband always liked gentle and understanding women. If Yu'er became constantly whining and complaining, her husband's heart would gradually drift away.
Thinking of this, Qu Yunhua said gently to her husband, "Then... would husband be willing to give me a child?"
The man looked at Qu Yunhua and hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
Qu Yunhua was overjoyed and was about to step forward, but at the last moment, the man stood up and said helplessly, "I still have things to do today. I just took a break to come and see you."
Hearing this, Qu Yunhua felt a bit unhappy, but in the end, it all turned into gentleness. She said to him, "Then go and get busy quickly, husband."
After leaving, the man saw Qu Yunli standing not far away as soon as he left the courtyard.
There was a hint of resentment on Qu Yunli's face. When she saw the man, she just sighed and said, "Sure enough, brother-in-law only has eyes for sister."
The man couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
Qu Yunli subconsciously glanced at her sister's courtyard, her heart filled with hatred.
This was what her sister forced her to do!
...
"Don't worry. At most, you'll just get scolded when you go back, and you're not afraid of that."
There was a hint of a smile in Shen Mingzhu's eyes as she spoke.
Chen Yun had been pacing back and forth anxiously. Hearing this, she subconsciously gave Shen Mingzhu a sideways look and said, "Thank you for the consolation, but you don't need to do it next time."
Seeing that Chen Yun's anxious expression had eased a bit, Shen Mingzhu continued, "You're welcome."
Chen Yun couldn't help but give her another sideways look.
Xie Lang was sitting on one side, his chin propped up as he stared blankly at the door. It was obvious that he was lost in thought.
Seeing this, Shen Mingzhu stepped forward, pulled a chair, and sat down beside him. She also propped her chin up and looked at him.
The familiar fragrance wafted into his nostrils. Xie Lang looked up and saw Shen Mingzhu suddenly sitting behind him. She hadn't made a single sound before that, so he was a bit surprised and asked, "Why are you suddenly looking at me like this?"
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows. Before she could say anything, she saw Xie Lang smoothly grab her other hand and interlock their fingers. Then he looked at her gently.
[I'm so annoyed. I don't want Shen Mingzhu to meet Chen Jin, but it's impossible. I'm so annoyed, annoyed, annoyed.]
Shen Mingzhu didn't expect Xie Lang to be so uneasy about Chen Jin's appearance. She continued, "After the meeting, I'll take you out for a walk."
In fact, Shen Mingzhu hadn't been out for a long time. She had been recuperating from her injuries in the previous days. It was only the day before the banquet that the imperial physician finally said she could move around.
Hearing this, Xie Lang breathed a sigh of relief, but he still stared at Shen Mingzhu and said, "I'll wait for you outside then."
[Out of sight, out of mind.]
Thinking this way, Xie Lang had already stood up and left. When one foot stepped over the threshold, he came back to his senses, looked at Shen Mingzhu, and gave her a meaningful look.
When Xie Lang left, he felt a faint tingling sensation in his heart, like a mixture of sourness and a bit of warmth, making it extremely difficult to distinguish.
Thinking of what Shen Mingzhu had said to him at the end, the corners of Xie Lang's mouth gradually curled up, and the smile on his face became more genuine.
When he went out, he saw Chen Jin just arriving at the door. When Chen Jin saw him, the expressionless look on his face turned even colder, and his eyebrows were filled with a sharp coldness.
"Lord Consort Xie."
He saluted first, his movements were crisp. After he finished speaking, he gave Xie Lang a meaningful look and said, "It seems the consort has a lot of free time. He can even come out for a stroll."
Xie Lang could tell that the person in front of him was mocking him for not doing his proper work all day. So he smiled and replied, "That's right. All my time is spent around Her Highness, in case she can't find me when she needs me. As long as Her Highness says the word, I'll be by her side immediately."
Chen Jin had really been away from the capital for many years. He had left a few months before the Crown Prince's death and only returned the day before. So he simply had no way to be by Shen Mingzhu's side.
Xie Lang was provoking him!
Chen Jin felt as if he was being laughed at out of anger. He looked at Xie Lang and said, "The consort is really good at talking."
"Likewise." Xie Lang let out a soft laugh and said to the person in front of him, "Since Her Highness is still waiting for you, then Lord Chen should go in quickly."
"After all, Her Highness said that she wants to take me out for a stroll after you two finish talking."
Chen Jin: "..."
Watching Xie Lang leave, Chen Jin hadn't felt so angry that his head throbbed for a long time. So he took a deep breath, suppressed the expression on his face, and then turned around and entered the room.
"Brother."
When Chen Yun saw Chen Jin, she stood up and spoke, a bit nervously saying, "You're here."
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu also stood up. She saw Chen Jin look at her and then say to Chen Yun, "I'll talk to you after I finish something."
Saying this, Shen Mingzhu led Chen Jin to the small room next door.
Spring Peach poured tea for the two of them and then left.
After the door closed, Chen Jin turned his head and looked deeply at Shen Mingzhu. He said to her, "Your Highness."
Seeing the indescribable look on his face, Shen Mingzhu said, "Don't worry. Just say what you have to say."
Hearing this, Chen Jin hesitated for a moment and then continued to say to Shen Mingzhu, "It's about the Crown Prince."