Shen Mingzhu instinctively raised her eyebrows. As she looked at Xie Lang, there was a hint of quiet inquiry in her eyes. She quietly intertwined her fingers with his and asked with a smile, "Are you so sure Shen Mingyuan won't refuse?" Xie Lang naturally noticed the doubt in Shen Mingzhu's eyes. He smiled gently and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"
[He definitely won't. Shen Mingyuan has been worrying about Shen Mingzhu every day. But he didn't dare to send her letters. Instead, he kept sending people to pester me.]
Shen Mingzhu narrowed her eyes slightly. "Weren't you two on bad terms the last time you saw Shen Mingyuan?"
Xie Lang smiled again. He said to Shen Mingzhu, "We were definitely on bad terms. But there was nothing I could do. Shen Mingyuan is just too perceptive."
[Anyway, there's no way I'll accept the things Shen Mingyuan sent. Otherwise, Shen Mingzhu will get angry, won't she?]
Shen Mingzhu breathed a slight sigh of relief. Knowing that Xie Lang understood her so well, she felt a strange and indescribable feeling in her heart. Finally, she instinctively bit her lips and looked at him, then let out a sigh.
Xie Lang: ???!!!
When they arrived at the palace gate, Shen Mingzhu took Xie Lang's arm and walked forward.
The grand eunuch beside Shen Mingyuan knew she was coming. He had been waiting at the gate early. When he saw Shen Mingzhu, a respectful smile immediately appeared on his face. He bowed to Shen Mingzhu and said, "Your Highness has come. His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time. Please get on the sedan chair quickly."
Seeing that the sedan chair had been brought over, Shen Mingzhu waved her hand and refused. "No need. I'll take a walk with my husband today."
"Alright! No problem!" The grand eunuch quickly waved to the sedan - bearers. Then he continued, "Then Your Highness, take your time. There's no hurry. This old servant will lead the way in front."
Shen Mingzhu nodded slightly.
It had been a long time since she last took a slow walk in the palace. Shen Mingzhu instinctively felt a sense of novelty. She noticed that the changes on both sides of the road were not significant, but at first glance, she could tell that something was different.
Maybe it was because her state of mind had changed?
She inexplicably wanted to sigh. When they reached the main hall, she saw the grand eunuch bow respectfully to her again. Then he continued, "Your Highness, please go in."
Shen Mingzhu couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. She let go of Xie Lang's hand, slightly lifted the hem of her skirt, and stepped into the main hall.
As she entered, she instinctively glanced at Xie Lang, gave him a slight smile, and then turned around and walked in.
Xie Lang returned a gentle smile to Shen Mingzhu. But the smile disappeared the moment she turned around. Finally, he said to the grand eunuch beside him, "Tell your Majesty not to send me any more letters. If he wants to find Shen Mingzhu, he might as well look for her directly."
Hearing this, the grand eunuch couldn't help but make a mournful face. Knowing that the person in front of him was also someone he couldn't afford to offend, he let out a long sigh and played the victim. "You're really making this old servant suffer. His Majesty is the master. How can we servants understand his thoughts?"
Hearing this, Xie Lang also let out a slight sigh, showing a helpless look.
The grand eunuch thought he had compromised. So he let out a long sigh of relief and continued, "Alas!"
"It's okay. Let him continue to send the letters." Xie Lang glanced at the grand eunuch with a half - smile. He said with a smile, "But next time, I'll just give the letters to Shen Mingzhu directly."
Hearing this, the grand eunuch stopped in his tracks. He instinctively turned to look at Xie Lang and saw him looking at him with a half - smile, his eyes full of coldness.
The grand eunuch: "..."
Sure enough, he had been slack. It turned out that the imperial consort was really as hard to fool as the rumors said.
"Sister."
Shen Mingyuan was sitting on the throne in the main hall. His expression was calm. He looked at her and said with a gentle smile, "You've come."
He stood up. His figure was tall and straight, exuding an indescribable air of nobility and dignity. He was completely different from the thin and bony child Shen Mingzhu had first met.
She sighed and said to Shen Mingyuan, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Shen Mingyuan quickly stepped forward and helped her up. He said gently, "Sister, you're being too polite. If you keep talking like this, I don't know what to do."
Shen Mingzhu looked up at him, not knowing what to say. Finally, at Shen Mingyuan's signal, she sat down at a small table beside her and looked at him.
She didn't know when the small table had been moved into the main hall. There were also a few small plates of pastries she liked on it.
Shen Mingzhu couldn't figure out what Shen Mingyuan meant for a moment. Finally, she just looked at him gently and said, "Does Your Majesty know why I'm here today?"
"I know."
Shen Mingyuan answered very quickly, even with a hint of eagerness. "I know it's about the Chen and Li families. Also, sister wants the child in Chen Yun of the Chen family to inherit the position of the Li family, right?"
Shen Mingzhu nodded slightly, surprised at Shen Mingyuan's cooperation at this moment.
What did his attitude mean? He seemed a bit guilty, as if he was trying to hide something. But what could he be hiding?
Could it be that all her speculations were true? Did Shen Mingyuan really have a private plan with the queen mother that he didn't want her to know about?
She quietly tightened the handkerchief in her hand and then continued, "What does Your Majesty think of this matter?"
"Of course, I agree. As long as it's something sister wants to do, just tell me." As Shen Mingyuan said this, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Shen Mingzhu could faintly see the shadow of the former young man in him.
"Good. Then I'll thank Your Majesty on behalf of that child first. I'm sure Your Majesty still has things to do today. I'll take my leave first."
As she said this, Shen Mingzhu had already stood up, as if she was about to leave.
Could Shen Mingyuan hold his nerve?
Shen Mingzhu wasn't very sure, but she still took a step forward.
Shen Mingzhu could feel that since she stepped into the main hall, there had been an indescribable tension around Shen Mingyuan, even with a hint of caution.
He must have something to say to her, but for some reason, he couldn't say it.
Shen Mingzhu knew that he was a stubborn person. So she could only try the goading method. If Shen Mingyuan didn't want to say it, no one in the world could make him talk.
Sure enough, just as Shen Mingzhu was about to turn around, she heard a voice behind her trying to detain her. "Sister, don't go."
A hand grabbed the cuff of her sleeve and gently tugged.
Shen Mingzhu was in a daze for a moment. She remembered that when Shen Mingyuan had made her angry before, he had also done this.
She just didn't know what exactly Shen Mingyuan was hiding from her.
Suddenly, she couldn't harden her heart towards Shen Mingyuan like this. So she bit her lips and was silent for a moment. Then she turned around and sat down. She looked at Shen Mingyuan and said, "Speak."
What on earth was he going to say?
"Sister really understands me so well."
When Shen Mingyuan let go of her hand, he couldn't help but let out a low bitter laugh. Then he continued, "Sister, sit down. I'll tell you slowly."
Shen Mingzhu's heart sank gradually. Seeing the hint of bitterness on Shen Mingyuan's face, she felt that what he wanted to say might be exactly what she most wanted to know. So she couldn't help but clench the handkerchief in her hand, and her breath caught in her throat.
"Before I ascended the throne, I made a deal with the empress dowager."
Shen Mingzhu's speculation in her heart was confirmed. She felt as if her whole body suddenly sank. Her palms were gradually wet with cold sweat.