Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 13.1

Chapter 13.1

After Zhao Ji left, female members of the Shen family quickly walked out of the palace because the atmosphere was no longer harmonious.

Shen Qingqing’s expression was not very good. ‘Queen Aunt seemed to be reprimanding the prince just now, but in fact, she was targeted at me.’ Realising that, she became a little depressed. 

In earlier days, even though Queen Shen and Shen Qingqing’s father were half-siblings, Queen Shen didn’t treat Shen Qingqing differently. ‘Why was she treating me this way today?’

The little girl, who was only fourteen years old, was usually spoiled and did not face much trouble. She would usually spend her time eating, drinking and having fun. Of course, she couldn’t guess the thoughts of the people in the palace in such a short time.

Shen Jiarong glanced at Shen Qingqing and saw her listless look. She couldn’t help but gloat. “Seventh sister, Queen Aunt, is the most kind-hearted. That oriole is so good. But in the palace, it must be kept in a cage. How can my aunt bear it? I know that the seventh sister has returned from a long absence and wants to give Queen Aunt something special to please her, but you should also think about her temper.”

Shen Qingqing was too lazy to argue with her.

Shen Jiayi couldn’t see it. She knew that Shen Jiarong had always wanted to be the princess by marrying the prince, so she whispered that only three of them could hear it. “The fifth sister’s table screen pleases Queen Aunt, but it’s a pity that the prince didn’t even look at it.” One sentence was like a knife stabbing straight into the heart.

Shen Jiarong blushed angrily. “You...”

Shen Jiayi raised her chin proudly, like a little fighting cock that had won a fight.

Listening to the conversation, Shen Qingqing frowned. ‘Before the prince struck up a conversation with me, Queen Shen praised my beauty and was very interested in my gift. After the prince struck up a conversation, Queen Shen’s expression immediately changed.’ Thinking of the special treatment the prince had given her, Shen Qingqing was shocked. ‘Could it be that Queen Shen misunderstood that I wanted to seduce the prince?’

After thinking about it, Shen Qingqing was no longer depressed. ‘The prince was very noble, but he is not so noble that I want to cling to him. I will not enter the palace in the future.’

When they arrived at the palace gate, the three families got into a carriage, respectively.

“Qingqing has been wronged.” Mrs. Chen took her daughter’s hand and sighed softly as soon as they got into their carriage.

Shen Qingqing leaned on her mother’s shoulder and whispered, “There is no need to feel wronged. You will gain wisdom from the experience. When she celebrates her birthday in the future, I can just embroider an orchid as a present.“ 

Her daughter’s tone was brisk. Hearing that, Mrs. Chen was quite surprised and lowered her head to look at her little daughter. “Aren’t you sad when the queen embarrassed you?” she asked tentatively.

Shen Qingqing curled her lips and said, “She is not my biological aunt; why should I be sad?”

Ms. Chen was very pleased that her daughter didn’t care about Queen Shen’s attitude.  ‘This shows that my daughter has no close feelings for the prince. But the prince…’

 ***

At night that day, Mrs. Chen confided her worries to her husband. “The way the prince looked at Qingqing during the day made me a little worried.“ 

After hearing the full story, Shen Tingwen looked at his wife in surprise. His sleepiness went away instantly. 

He had been living in the capital for almost a month, and during this time he had heard a lot of gossip about the prince. Regarding the crown prince’s status as the heir apparent, Emperor Qingde had few heirs. So far, there have been four sons and two princesses. But only three sons survived. Among them, Zhao Ji was the eldest son born to the emperor and Queen Shen. The third prince had an accident while learning horse racing back then and became lame. The fourth prince was just seven years old, so from the current point of view, as long as the first prince did not make a big mistake, he could sit firmly in the East Palace.

But they said that this prince was quite lustful. Before marrying a legal princess, there were seven or eight concubines around him, not to mention the maids who were warming his bed at any time.

Shen Qingqing was Shen Tingwen and Mrs. Chen’s precious daughter, and he didn’t want to find such a romantic son-in-law. “No matter what the prince thinks, Qingqing’s marriage must be arranged as soon as possible.” Looking at his wife, Shen Tingwen said solemnly.

Mrs. Chen nodded. “There is no rush to get married. Let’s get engaged first.”

Have a nice day!