The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Chapter 19 His Royal Highness the Crown Prince

The Crown Prince's sudden visit immediately enlivened the banquet. Princess Yongning couldn't stop him, so she had no choice but to let the Crown Prince come over.

"It's quite lively here, Your Highness."

Crown Prince Li Jing and Princess Yongning were the same age. The princess was a little older than Li Jing. When she saw him coming, Princess Yongning stood up and offered him the main seat.

Li Jing declined, saying, "I am a guest, and it is best if my elder sister takes the seat of honor. I will stay by my third brother's side."

Princess Yongning didn't know why Li Jing had suddenly come over, and she didn't dare to ask. She simply had someone bring over a bowl and chopsticks and place them in front of Li Jing.

The noble ladies below, listening to Li Jing's kind and polite words, couldn't help but sigh that His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed as rumored.

Pei Du picked up the pear blossom wine and took a sip. What was Li Jing's purpose in coming here this time?

His gaze fell on Li Jun, who had remained silent.

After Li Jing sat down, he saw the Earl of Guangning and his eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Your Highness," Zhou Yurong said, bowing slightly awkwardly.

It was indeed a bit strange for a married man to be here, but if it weren't for seeing Shen Hanyu, he wouldn't have come with Li Jun today.

Li Jing smiled and said, "Did the Earl of Guangning come to ask Princess Yongning for the peach blossom stationery? I came here today for the same reason. I heard that my elder sister had come up with the peach blossom stationery. The Crown Princess has always enjoyed writing and painting, so I shamelessly came to ask my elder sister for help."

Princess Yongning breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out that this was the reason.

She has a refined taste, and seeing that the peach blossoms were in full bloom this year, she came up with a way to make stationery with the fragrance of peach blossoms.

"I'll have someone bring you some to take back. Just come find me again if you run out."

Zhou Yurong touched the tip of his nose and awkwardly echoed what Li Jing said. Princess Yongning then prepared a portion for him as well.

The atmosphere upstairs was somewhat oppressive, but those downstairs didn't notice.

However, Shen Hanyu still felt that something was wrong. Princess Yongning seemed to have some apprehension and fear towards the Crown Prince.

Wasn't it said that the Crown Prince had an excellent relationship with his brothers and sisters?

Everything she heard, saw, and experienced in her past life was described and acted out in this way.

I don't know if she's overthinking it, but I always felt that there was something hidden beneath this peaceful facade.

Li Jing's gaze swept across the faces of those noble ladies, finally landing on the unfamiliar Shen Hanyu.

"Who is the person sitting next to Miss Wei?"

Liang Ruoxue was unwilling to sit with Shen Hanyu, and Liang Ruoyan was even less willing, so Wei Ming became the person sitting next to Shen Hanyu.

Suddenly called out by name, before Shen Hanyu could even stand up, Princess Yongning said, "She is a relative from Suzhou from the Marquis of Anping's residence, surnamed Shen."

“The surname of the people from Suzhou is Shen.” Li Jing suddenly realized something, “Then you must be Shen Yanzhi’s daughter.”

Having been in Chang'an for so long, this was the first time anyone had mentioned her father's name. Shen Hanyu stood up and hurriedly said, "Yes, my father is Shen Yanzhi from Suzhou."

Li Jing smiled and said, "I have heard that Lord Shen is an honest and upright official. It's just a pity that he left early, otherwise I would have liked to have him take up a post in Chang'an."

As he spoke, Li Jing poured himself a glass of pear blossom wine, his tone dejected.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness."

Shen Hanyu's heart stirred slightly, also because the Crown Prince had spoken well of her father.

Xu Zhun stroked his chin. He only found out about Shen Yanzhi's matter after investigating it himself. How did Li Jing, who was so busy with important matters, know about it?

Pei Du was also puzzled. Shen Yanzhi's official position was not high, and the Marquis of Anping's mansion had not deliberately revealed this because they thought the Shen family's social status was low. If they wanted to know, they must have been paying attention to the Shen family.

Since Shen Hanyu appeared, it seems that more people are keeping an eye on her.

But Li Jing only mentioned it once and then said nothing more. He didn't even stay any longer after taking the peach blossom note; he ate a bowl of cheese and left.

He came and went in a hurry, but everyone could see his attitude towards Shen Hanyu just now, and some people were a little jealous.

Wei Ming pushed a chicken leg over from the side.

“Being too conspicuous is sometimes not a good thing.”

Wei Ming's reminder was well-intentioned, and Shen Hanyu nodded. She was now once again in the eye of the storm.

Wei Ming smiled faintly, she still had a good impression of Shen Hanyu, as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Forget about those things, try this chicken leg."

Miao Cui bent down, removed the chicken leg meat and placed it on a plate. Shen Hanyu picked it up with chopsticks and tasted it; it was indeed delicious.

The princess's residence prepared a very elegant meal today. Shen Hanyu picked and chose some, but Liang Ruoyan, who had been on guard, did not make a move, which surprised her.

How's it going in Suzhou?

After exchanging a few casual words with Shen Hanyu, Wei Ming grew bolder and began asking about other things.

"Suzhou is a very nice place. The scenery is beautiful in spring and summer. Even after coming to Chang'an, I sometimes miss the time I spent there."

A look of nostalgia appeared on Shen Hanyu's face; it had truly been a long time since she had returned to Suzhou.

Wei Ming's eyes held a hint of envy. "If I were in better health, I could travel around. If I just asked, Mother would definitely agree to let me go."

Wei Ming was born on the border and was born with a chronic illness. She was sent back to Chang'an to be raised for a long time and finally grew up safely. She was also well-behaved and never caused any trouble.

However, when Shen Hanyu mentioned Suzhou, she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

Shen Hanyu smiled but didn't say anything more.

After a meal, nothing happened. Shen Hanyu rinsed her mouth, while Liang Ruoyan remained calm.

Li Jun stayed there for a long time. He didn't know what Princess Yongning wanted him to see, so he could only be patient.

Princess Yongning naturally wouldn't let everyone leave until the most important scene was about to begin.

Those in the know were waiting, unaware that many people already knew about her plan.

Princess Yongning led them around the mansion at a leisurely pace, and Liang Ruoyan finally got her chance.

She initially intended to make her move at the banquet, but the arrival of the Crown Prince disrupted everything. After much thought, she decided to deal with Shen Hanyu now.

Liang Ruoyan followed behind Princess Yongning and her entourage, creating a solid alibi for herself.

Shen Hanyu walked with Wei Ming, and she preferred Wei Ming, whom she had just met, to the Liang family.

Liang Ruoxue didn't have time to worry about what was happening there; all she wanted to do now was make an appearance in front of Princess Yongning and perform well.

Because Princess Yongning's friendly response to her at the banquet gave her a lot of courage, she would occasionally speak up.

Princess Yongning kept a pond of koi in her residence. Wei Ming was curious and went over to take a look.

“I also have a pond at home, but the one on the princess’s side is more beautiful.”

Shen Hanyu glanced over as well. The koi carp swam freely in the pond, swaying their tails. Just as she was about to speak, a commotion broke out in front of her. A group of people pushed their way through, and suddenly, Wei Ming fell into the lake with a splash right in front of her.

"girl--"

Wei Ming's maid stared wide-eyed at the shore. She couldn't swim and was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.

The previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.