Duke Jing's younger sister

Yang understood. This was telling her that as long as Shen Li was unwilling, no matter how many marriages she found for her, they would end in failure just like the Gu family.

My heart slowly sank.

The person who tied the bell must untie it. She couldn't just watch her son get lost and get deeper and deeper into trouble.

……

Shen Li thought about it and still felt a little uneasy.

She is hiding from her mother today. Can she hide in Qinghui Courtyard and avoid people for the rest of her life?

What should be faced must be faced.

Despite Xingping and Ziyuan's objections, she insisted on going to Qiwu Pavilion.

Holding an oil umbrella, she walked slowly through the garden and headed towards the corridor.

The rain washed the flowers and plants in the yard, making them bow their heads. The gravel road was muddy, with some wet petals and fallen leaves that had been knocked to the ground scattered around.

She also didn't expect to run into Ren Jiaorui and Shen Beiqi.

There was still some distance from the corridor, and the raindrops fell on the umbrella, making a "swish" sound. From afar, she saw Ren Jiaorui kneeling on the ground, with a sad face and no one knew what she was saying.

Water droplets flowed down the raised corners of the corridor, like beads falling off a string, and landed on the bluestone floor with a "drip, drip, drip".

The dashing young man stood with his back to her, his hands behind his back, at the foot of the corridor, looking up at the sky where dark clouds were rolling, like an inky curtain.

Under the heavy cover of the dark clouds, the color of his dark blue robe became darker, as if it merged with the whole world, giving people a dull and depressing feeling.

Yue Yang stood to one side, looking at his master's sad and depressed look, and could only sigh secretly.

"Cousin, why are you so cruel to me?"

Ren Jiaorui was about to cry, her face showing the indignation of being humiliated, and the sadness of not wanting to marry into the Gu family. "Jiaorui doesn't want to marry Gu Nanxiao, please cousin, please make the decision for me!"

Shen Beiqi slowly withdrew his gaze, turned around, and looked down at her. There was no emotion in his beautiful eyes, which were as cold as a piece of ice.

Even colder were the words he said.

"You and the Gu family have already paid the betrothal gift, and this matter cannot be changed!"

Ren Jiaorui's body, which had been kneeling straight just now, softened. She looked at Shen Beiqi angrily and was too lazy to even pretend to be weak anymore.

Because she knew very well in her heart that even if she cried until her voice was hoarse, the handsome man in front of her would not have the slightest sympathy for her.

"If you are bullied after marrying into the Gu family, the Shen family will still stand up for you."

Ren Jiaorui burst into tears and couldn't help laughing, "Cousin, can't you really see that I have loved you for so many years?"

She got up from the ground, tears in her eyes, and looked unwillingly at the man whom she had long regarded as her husband.

"I have never had any extravagant hopes. I just want to stay by your side and be a concubine. Why? Why do you treat me so cruelly?"

"Because of Shen Li, right? Cousin, you love her, right!?"

"Have you forgotten? Her last name is Shen. How could she possibly marry you?"

Thunder roared, and at the foot of the corridor steps, the slender fingers holding the umbrella handle suddenly clenched.

Shen Li couldn't help but stop. She held her breath, wanting to hear how he would answer.

The young man felt as if someone had stabbed him in a sore spot, with endless pain surging in his pupils.

"Did I tell you right?"

Ren Jiaorui was filled with grief. She was smiling, but she couldn't stop the tears on her face. "Why? Just because she served you all night?"

She stepped forward and hugged Shen Beiqi's waist, screaming, "What she can do, I can do too. Why do you only see her? Why!?"

Shen Beiqi looked indifferent and pushed her away. Ren Jiaorui staggered back a few steps and leaned against the pillar to barely keep her balance.

"Jiao Rui, do you still remember what I said to you when Ah Li was infected with the plague that year?"

Ren Jiaorui's eyes flickered slightly, as if she remembered something, and she stood there in a daze for a moment.

"That year, you took advantage of your mother being busy in Yanyu Pavilion to conceal the news of Ah Li's illness. You did not allow the servants in Qinghui Courtyard to see your mother, nor did you allow them to ask for a doctor."

"She started having a fever in the morning and didn't get any treatment until the night. If I hadn't arrived in time, she would have died that night!"

Shen Beiqi turned around, his eyes fell coldly on her, and continued,

"At that time, I warned you that if I found you still stirring up trouble, I would not let you off easily. Do you remember?"

Ren Jiaorui was completely desperate. She slid down the corridor column and fell to the ground. Her pink dress was instantly soaked by the rain that flowed into the corridor.

"But what about you?"

Shen Beiqi approached her, squatted in front of her, and laughed coldly, "Do you think I can't notice what you did?"

Ren Jiaorui stared blankly at the man she had admired for many years. His eyes were sharp and his gaze was fixed on her. His jade-like handsome face was clearly smiling, but his cold eyes made people inexplicably frightened.

So, he knew everything.

She plotted against the Ziyuan brothers, her little tricks in Prince Rui's mansion, including...what she said to Han Yunning.

"I promised you to Gu Nanxiao because I consider our brother-sister relationship. You will marry me to Sizhou and live your life properly. You know better than anyone what to say and what not to say!"

After saying that, Shen Beiqi stood up and left.

Only Ren Jiaorui was left standing there in a daze, distraught.

There were bursts of sobbing sounds coming from the corridor. After hesitating for a moment, Shen Li turned around and walked back with an umbrella.

She wouldn't feel sorry for Ren Jiaorui, but she wouldn't forgive her either.

The only thing we can do is to save her some face.

Presumably, at this moment, the person Ren Jiaorui least wants to see is her.

They could obviously be sisters, just like her and Shen Zhiyan. Even though they were not related by blood, as long as they treated each other sincerely, they could still get along as closely as real sisters.

Ren Jiaorui lived under the roof of the Shen family and often felt inferior. The only person who could make her feel superior was Shen Li, who was of lower status than her.

However, this sense of superiority was completely shattered in front of Shen Beiqi, so she regarded Shen Li as her imaginary enemy.

After all the fighting, what did you gain in the end?

It can be seen that a person’s real enemy is always himself.

Only by overcoming the cowardly heart can you trample the hardships and storms bestowed upon you by fate and turn them into a preparation and baptism.

Holding an umbrella, Shen Li returned to Qinghui Courtyard and stopped under the magnolia tree.

The last time it rained at night, white flowers were scattered all over the ground.

Today, a violent storm suddenly hit, leaving little of the snow-white leaves on the trees, and even the green branches and leaves drooped, looking listless.

But she knew that when the sun shone again, it would stretch out its branches and leaves again, and produce snow-white buds again. Everything would pass, wouldn't it?

The storm is only short-lived, but the flowering period of the magnolia lasts for four months.

So, what is she afraid of?

The rain gradually subsided. Xingping looked out through the window. Under the magnolia tree, the girl's umbrella was lying quietly on the ground, but she could not be found in the yard.

As the sky gradually darkened, Shen Li held the hem of her skirt and walked hurriedly through the water in the yard. She wanted to get to the bottom of things.

As long as he said it, he loved her.

Then, she is not afraid of wind and rain, as long as the ending is good, as long as she can stay with him forever!

At this moment, she wanted to see him so badly.

Last night, his tenderness, his gentle words and his warm caressing went beyond the duties of a brother.

He has always been tactful and polite. Even if he had drunk alcohol last night, he would not have overstepped his boundaries.

Cuibai Hall was right in front of her, but someone blocked her way.

"Third Miss, Madam asks you to go to the ancestral hall."