Duke Jing's younger sister

Shen Li was slightly startled, and looked up at the person opposite her, "You... know?"

"Do you want me to know, or do you not?"

When he said this, his tone sounded a bit like he was blaming himself.

Shen Beiqi was indeed blaming himself. He blamed himself for finding out too late, for not knowing why she was crying in Prince Rui's Mansion yesterday, for not knowing what kind of injustice she had suffered, and instead got angry with her.

He didn't know why, but when he saw Luo Cheng holding her in his arms, he felt a nameless anger running up and down in his body.

In addition, when she was in front of Luo Cheng, she could cry and vent without restraint.

But when facing him, he remained silent and didn't say a word. This fatal sense of disparity made him completely lose his mind.

But just after he slowly calmed down yesterday, he noticed something unusual, and that abnormality made him feel frightened.

If we say that before, his feelings for Shen Li were purely brotherly and sisterly.

So after yesterday, he seemed to have vaguely understood where the inexplicable feeling of loss and melancholy that had always been lingering in his heart came from.

Perhaps, it was because he once owned her and subconsciously regarded her as his own woman, so he could not tolerate her getting too close to Luo Yan.

Or maybe, since when, he had already developed another kind of emotion for her...different from the love between brother and sister.

He prefers the latter to the former.

It didn't matter if his mother deliberately kept her marriage with the Gu family secret from him, as long as the betrothal gifts were not brought to the Shen family...

No! Even if the big red sedan chair had been carried to the front door of the Shen family, even if she was already in the Gu family in Sizhou, as long as he knew it, he would chase her and ask her: Are you willing?

As long as she said she didn't want to, no one could force her, including himself.

Shen Li remained silent. Was she willing or not? Of course she was not willing, but so what?

Without the Gu family, there are still the Li family, the Wang family, and the Bai family. In any case, it will never be the Shen family.

From the moment she entered the Shen family's gate eight years ago, she became his non-blood-related relative. Fate arranged for her to be close to him, but also invisibly cut off all possibilities between the two.

Since it’s not him, what does it matter whether it’s the Gu family or Gu Nanxiao?

The moonlight is like water, the summer night is quiet, the night breeze blows slowly, and the fragrance of white flowers lingers in the Qinghui Courtyard.

Shen Beiqi looked closely at Shen Li's drooping eyebrows. He didn't know what she was thinking. Her deer eyes were sometimes sad and sometimes bitter.

She had lost a lot of weight, her previously round cheeks became a little thin, and the curve of her jaw became more distinct.

At this time, her hair was loose, and her soft black hair was casually draped over her shoulders. Her whole body was shrouded in a layer of gauze-like moonlight, giving her a hazy beauty.

"I came here to tell you that your marriage with the Gu family is over. You don't need to worry about it anymore."

He came specially to tell her the news because he didn't want her to worry about it anymore. From her thinner cheeks, it could be seen that she must not have eaten well or slept well in recent days.

Hearing this, Shen Li looked up in surprise, but felt relieved in her heart. She couldn't help but ask, "Then...what about mother?"

Looking at her eyes that lit up instantly, Shen Beiqi curled the corners of his lips lightly, "You don't need to worry about your mother, you just need to pretend that you don't know."

Shen Li pursed her lips, still a little hesitant. She was the one who agreed to this marriage, and Yang did not force her. If she regretted it now, she would be like a deserter.

It's not that she judges people by appearance, but she and Gu Nanxiao can't even talk to each other, and she really doesn't want to marry Gu Nanxiao.

Since her brother has already interfered in the Gu family's marriage, she should just back off. After this incident, she should make some plans for herself.

She will eventually get married, so instead of leaving her fate in the hands of others, she would rather make her own decision and choose a future husband whom she thinks is suitable.

Her eyes gradually became firm, and she said, "Is it okay if I just pretend I know nothing?"

Shen Beiqi nodded, his eyes became much softer, "You just need to eat well and sleep well, leave the rest to me."

Since her brother has said so, there is nothing to worry about. She smiled and felt much more at ease.

After talking about the Gu family, Shen Beiqi mentioned that the Queen wanted her to enter the palace.

"The Queen specifically wants me to enter the palace?"

Shen Li was surprised, and then she thought of the prince who was as venomous as a snake and had evil intentions at the Luo family's birthday banquet. The queen was the prince's biological mother, and she felt that there must be a connection between them.

She was unwilling to go, but she had no choice. The Queen personally sent the invitation, who dared to say no? Unless they were a dead person who couldn't go at all!

"I heard from Zhiyan that the rules in the palace are very strict. What do I need to pay attention to?" Shen Li felt inexplicably nervous.

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Shen Beiqi whispered a few words of comfort, told her some things to pay attention to during the banquet, and repeatedly reminded her to speak less, move less, and eat less.

It's not that he was paranoid, but the prince's behavior has been very abnormal recently, so he has to be on guard.

After seeing Shen Beiqi off, Shen Li lay on the couch, looking at the smoky tent ceiling, feeling both happy and worried.

The good news is that since Shen Beiqi has made it clear, her marriage with the Gu family will definitely not be successful.

What I am worried about is that when Yang finds out, she will definitely get angry, and I don’t know if the mother and son will have a big fight because of her.

There was still a flower-viewing banquet in the palace in two days, and Shen Li always felt that there were many crises.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day to enter the palace. Although they had to leave in the afternoon, Shen Li still got up early in the morning and took Zi Yuan to Yanyu Pavilion where Shen Zhiyan lived.

After Shen Beiqi left that night, Ziyuan learned that her brother was sent back home. She hid in the quilt and cried for most of the night. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts. Although the swelling was not as severe this morning, it was still faintly red.

Shen Li wasn't much better. She tossed and turned all night, her eye sockets were a little dark, and she looked very pale.

The attire for entering the palace is different from that for ordinary family banquets. Not only must one be generous and decent, but one must also not lose one's status.

The quality of the material of the clothes can be seen at a glance, not to mention that when entering the palace to meet the emperor, it is better to be more formal to show respect for His Majesty and the Queen.

But she came to the palace suddenly this time and did not have time to find a tailor to tailor her measurements. Fortunately, her body shape was similar to Shen Zhiyan's, so Yang told her to go to Yanyu Pavilion to find Shen Zhiyan's clothes to wear.

Most of Shen Zhiyan's clothes were pink and bright red. Shen Li picked for a long time before finding a moon-white wide-sleeved pleated skirt with a few branches of red plums embroidered from the chest to the waist.

After dressing up carefully, the two followed Yang into the carriage.

The atmosphere in the carriage was a bit weird. Shen Zhiyan kept pouting and didn't even look at Yang.

Yang occasionally glanced over, shook her head helplessly, and had to turn her gaze to Shen Li, saying, "Li'er, I haven't had time to tell you yet, but the auspicious date for your betrothal ceremony with Master Gu has been set, it's the day after tomorrow."