Yunrou Palace.
Xiang Yunrou was playing the zither in the palace. Her fair fingers plucked the strings, producing melodious sounds. She looked at Shen Yunfeng with a smile, expecting him to play the flute in accompaniment like he did when they were young.
Shen Yunfeng averted her gaze uncomfortably. He coughed lightly and reminded her, "Rourou, have you forgotten? I told you that we just met recently. You saw me in the city and fell in love with me at first sight."
He emphasized the words "recently" and "fell in love at first sight". Now that the Dayong army had entered the palace, Shen Yunfeng was on high alert everywhere, afraid that the things that happened in the past would be exposed.
Xiang Yunrou understood what Shen Yunfeng meant, but she just felt uncomfortable. She pushed the zither forward and turned her back, saying, "Yes, yes, yes. We just met recently."
Shen Yunfeng coaxed her gently. Just as he put his arm around Xiang Yunrou, a soldier's voice came from outside the door, saying that Shen Heqing invited Shen Yunfeng to have a small gathering.
This made Shen Yunfeng stop in his tracks. Since Shen Heqing knew that he had done something to Baozhu and Haiyan, he had been cold - shouldering him. Now he actually invited him to a gathering. Did it mean that Shen Heqing was going to forgive him? Thinking of this, Shen Yunfeng couldn't wait to go outside.
Xiang Yunrou was just throwing a tantrum, waiting for Shen Yunfeng to coax her. But unexpectedly, Shen Yunfeng just left. She was so angry that she threw the zither on the ground.
"Princess Yunrou?"
Shen Danqing came in from outside the palace. He was dressed up today, wearing a red brocade robe. With a smiling face and slightly upturned phoenix eyes, he didn't look as gentle as usual, but more like a young master born into a wealthy family.
Xiang Yunrou stared at him in a daze. He looked exactly like Shen Yunfeng more than a decade ago. Subconsciously, she suppressed her anger and invited Shen Danqing to sit down.
With the filter of Shen Yunfeng, it was very smooth for Shen Danqing to get information from her. In fact, he didn't even have to try very hard. He just started a conversation by mentioning the long spear in the palace, and Xiang Yunrou told him everything.
"That spear was a gift from your father to my father. Back then, he pretended to be a merchant and came to Xiangyun Country to sell things. On the way, he was robbed by bandits. I saved him and helped him get his goods back. He promised to serve me tea for three months as a reward. Later, we fell in love over time. Hearing that my father loved martial arts, he gave the long spear to my father." When talking about the past, Xiang Yunrou's cheeks blushed slightly.
Shen Danqing heaved a sigh of relief. As expected, the long spear was indeed brought to Xiangyun Country by Shen Yunfeng. He also knew that he had pretended to be a peddler and was saved by Xiang Yunrou. As long as he investigated along this line, he would surely find some clues.
If the emperor were to execute all the members of the Shen family, would he, his elder brother Haiyan, and Baozhu be included? It should be okay, but he had to find a way to rescue his aunt first...
Just as Shen Danqing was deep in thought, Xiang Yunrou suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand, which made Shen Danqing jump back in fright.
Shen Danqing had been avoiding Xiang Yunrou these days. Today was a rare opportunity, and Xiang Yunrou wanted to have a good chat with him.
Xiang Yunrou said softly, "Your biological mother was a dancer, and your family was controlled by the mistress. You must have suffered a lot, right?"
Shen Danqing, who had only been ill - treated by Shen Yunfeng, remained silent.
"I'm sure you know my intention. If you're willing, you'll be my own child."
Shen Danqing felt disgusted and wanted to leave quickly to wash his hands.
Seeing that Shen Danqing was unmoved, Xiang Yunrou gritted her teeth and said what was on her mind, "Don't worry. I can't have children. You'll be my only child in this life, and I'll never treat you badly in the future."
Shen Danqing, who was just about to get up and leave, stopped and sat back on the chair. He imitated Xiang Yunrou's tone and said, "Your Highness, you're being too polite. I'll also be honest with you. You're still young. You can have a son with my father in the future. Why are you so insistent on me?"
Xiang Yunrou sensed the leeway in Shen Danqing's words. She quickly grabbed his hand. Looking at his face that resembled Shen Yunfeng's, she lost her head for a moment. Ignoring Shen Yunfeng's instructions, she told him everything that had happened in the past.
Back then, Shen Yunfeng brought some things to Xiangyun Country. It was Xiang Yunrou who helped him sell those things. They were also engaged in Xiangyun Country. The legendary son - in - law of Xiang Yunrou was actually Shen Yunfeng.
When they were deeply in love, someone suddenly sent a letter, saying that one of Shen Yunfeng's childhood playmates was seriously ill and wanted to see Shen Yunfeng before he died.
At this point, Xiang Yunrou's emotions got a bit out of control. Her eyes were moist, and she wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "After Yunfeng left, I found out that I was pregnant. When the baby was six months old, Yunfeng still didn't come back. I was so depressed that I fell during a rainy night. Not only did I lose the baby, but I also lost the hope of being a mother for the rest of my life."
Xiang Yunrou was beautiful and talented. She was the most favored princess in Xiangyun Country. It was because of her favor that she could help Shen Yunfeng make connections and sell those things. But no matter how favored she was, Xiangyun Country couldn't tolerate a princess being pregnant before marriage. The ministers all submitted memorials asking to execute Xiang Yunrou and the unborn child.
In order to save herself, Xiang Yunrou deliberately fell. But because the baby was too old and she had been worrying day and night, her body was damaged, and she could never have children again.
Shen Danqing had long known that Shen Yunfeng was heartless, but now hearing Xiang Yunrou's story, he was still shocked by Shen Yunfeng's shamelessness.
Xiang Yunrou had saved Shen Yunfeng and helped him achieve his goals, but Shen Yunfeng had returned to the capital, married his mother, and even took in his aunt.
Shen Danqing hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Does Father know about this?"
"Of course he does. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me to adopt you." Xiang Yunrou looked at Shen Danqing and thought of her own child. Her gaze became even softer, which made Shen Danqing shiver.
Shen Danqing got up in a hurry. "Princess Yunrou, I'll leave first. Please keep today's conversation a secret. Don't let Father know about it."
Under Xiang Yunrou's puzzled gaze, Shen Danqing explained, "The general sent me to inquire about the long spear. He asked me to handle this matter well. Father loves to take credit. If he knows about this, he might snatch the credit from me. I hope you can help me keep it a secret, Princess Yunrou."
Xiang Yunrou didn't suspect anything and just agreed directly. She happily thought that now that she and Shen Danqing had a common secret, their relationship would be closer. Presumably, before long, Danqing would call her mother.
Shen Danqing gave a few more instructions and then left quickly. He then returned to the palace where he was temporarily staying in Xiangyun Country.
At this time, Shen Heqing was holding a landscape painting and discussing the brushstrokes with Shen Yunfeng.
When he caught a glimpse of Shen Danqing entering the room from the corner of his eye, he immediately put away the landscape painting and said coldly, "I'm going to practice calligraphy. Father, please go back."
Shen Yunfeng was just admiring the painting when he was suddenly driven out by Shen Heqing. He stood there in a daze, and a sense of uneasiness welled up in his heart.
He had thought that Shen Heqing had thought things through and was willing to reconcile with him. But now it seemed that he hated him even more. Maybe the invitation to appreciate the painting just now had another purpose.
What could that purpose be?
Out of intuition, Shen Yunfeng returned to Yunrou Palace. He saw that Xiang Yunrou's eyes were red, as if she had been crying. He felt uneasy and asked, "Did Heqing send someone to ask you something? Why are you crying?"
Xiang Yunrou still remembered Shen Danqing's instructions. Moreover, it was Shen Danqing who had asked her about the long spear, not Shen Heqing. She shook her head and nestled into Shen Yunfeng's arms. "No. I just thought of our child."
When it came to the past, Shen Yunfeng was also silent for a moment. He could only put his arm around Xiang Yunrou and comfort her softly.