Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Jun Xianlan only learned the news the next day that the Wen family had gone to the Ji family to propose marriage. A faint smile played on his lips, and he gently twirled the black jade ring on his finger as he said to Mo Cong, "What do you think? Should I also prepare a betrothal gift and go to the Ji family to propose marriage?"

Mo Cong: “…”

Mo Cong was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to respond.

Jun Xianlan didn't seem to expect his answer, and then asked, "If I were to propose marriage, what do you think my chances of success would be?"

Mo Cong was even more embarrassed. He hesitated for a moment, then reminded him, "...Young Master, you forgot that Madam has already arranged a marriage for you."

Jun Xianlan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mo Cong, chatting with you is truly the most wrong decision I've ever made."

Mo Cong lowered his head silently: "..."

At the same time, far away in the capital, at Xiaofeng Villa, Madam Shen Songhe received a scroll of paper personally delivered by Song Yang and unfolded it carefully.

The note is small but contains a lot of information.

Shen Songhe was delighted after reading it.

Seeing Madam so happy, Mother Wu guessed that the prince from Kaiyun Mansion had sent some news, so she asked, "Madam is so happy, did the prince bring back some good news?"

Shen Songhe smiled and nodded, her complaint tinged with pride. "The prince asked me to propose marriage to him! Seeing how serious he was about it, he actually wrote down several things on a piece of paper the size of a palm, and told me to help him get it done."

When Mother Wu heard this, she clasped her hands together in delight and said, "Oh, the prince is finally getting married. Madam can rest assured now!"

Shen Songhe put aside her usual laziness, and in high spirits, she ordered the housekeeper to immediately prepare and pack the things according to the betrothal gift list she had written. She also changed into decent clothes and prepared to go to the palace to see the queen.

When Shen Songhe was led into Fengqi Palace by the nanny, Crown Prince Xiao Jiting was there too.

The late emperor was once deceived by treacherous officials, nearly wiping out the imperial bloodline. Fortunately, by divine intervention, the current emperor and Prince Yu survived, preserving the late emperor's only two heirs. Both also suffered persecution in their childhoods, leaving them in poor health, contributing to the current scarcity of the imperial family. The emperor has only a crown prince and a second prince, while Prince Yu has only one daughter.

Xiao Jiting is the Queen's biological son and Shen Songhe's nephew. He is highly valued by the royal family and the Shen family.

She walked up to the two men, gathered her clothes and prepared to bow, but the prince stood up to stop her.

"There are no outsiders here, so there's no need to be so formal, aunt." Xiao Jiting's face was filled with a friendly smile.

Although Shen Songhe said, "There is a difference between the monarch and his subjects, and the necessary rules must be followed," her eyes were boldly sizing up the prince.

"Come and sit down!" The Queen, who had always been unable to deal with her younger sister, smiled and beckoned her to sit next to her, complaining, "It's been so long, why did you just remember to come to the palace to see me, your elder sister?"

Shen Songhe sat down next to the Queen, and said to her affectionately, "Eldest sister is in charge of the entire harem, and she has endless things to do every day. I understand that you are tired, so I don't have the nerve to bother you every day."

Upon hearing this, the Queen mercilessly exposed her: "That's a nice thing to say, but I don't understand you. You're just too lazy to move!" After that, the Queen laughed and asked, "Tell me why you bothered me today?"

Shen Songhe also laughed. She was no longer shy at this moment. "Jin Bai is getting married, and I've come to ask my elder sister for a reward. A pair of jade ruyi is definitely a must, as well as head ornaments and brocade. Just give as much as your elder sister can think of. These are given out when the betrothal gifts are made to show my appreciation for the girl."

What this clearly means is that the other girl is very important to her, and the more rewards she gives, the better.

The Queen was both infuriated and amused by Shen Songhe's shamelessness. "So, your son is getting married, and you want me, his aunt, to pay the betrothal gift?"

Shen Songhe smiled and waved her hands, "Well, look at what the eldest sister said! Besides being the queen, you are also Jin Bai's aunt. My nephew is old now, and he has finally found a wife and is willing to get married. As his aunt, shouldn't you show your appreciation by giving him some good things?"

The queen smiled helplessly, doting on her youngest sister as before, but now with even more care and love.

"Okay, okay, go pick whatever you want later. First, tell us what's going on with Jin Bai."

The Crown Prince, who had not disturbed the sisters' closeness until now, now spoke up when he heard that Song Jinbai was getting married. "Yes, aunt. Jinbai didn't reveal anything in his letter to me. What kind of lady could have attracted him so much?"

Shen Songhe smiled with satisfaction and gratitude, "She's not a lady from a famous family, but she's Jin Bai's savior."

Ji Nuan would come to the capital sooner or later after getting married. Shen Songhe intended to say a few more words to make Ji Nuan leave a good impression in front of the Queen. So she pieced together the various information she got from Pei Jingrang and Song Huai, and told the Queen and the Prince how they first met.

"When this kid goes out, he always reports good news but not bad news. If Song Huai hadn't let it slip, I wouldn't have known that he was assassinated on the way to take up his post. The situation was extremely dangerous at the time. He was seriously injured, with both knife wounds and arrow wounds, and he fell off a cliff. If that girl hadn't had special skills and caught him in time, I'm afraid he would have lost his life long ago." There was a hint of fear in Shen Songhe's tone.

Xiao Jiting frowned, "It's so dangerous! Why didn't Jin Bai mention this in his letters?"

The Queen was also shocked, and then she said angrily: "This silly boy, he even hid such an important thing from us! Who is targeting him? Have you found out?"

Shen Songhe sneered and said sarcastically, "Who else could it be? Of course it's the one from the Marquis' Mansion! Well, mentioning her is bad luck. Jin Bai has already had his revenge."

Xiao Jiting didn't want to mention that person, as it would only make his aunt angry, so he asked instead, "Aunt, Jin Bai was so badly injured at the time that he had to rely on that girl to take care of him. They spent so much time together, their relationship should have been deep. Why did they wait until now to get married?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Songhe laughed with schadenfreude, "He did it all himself! Song Huai said that the girl had fallen for his deceptive face from the start and asked him to marry her. But he insisted on acting like he did in the capital, saying that he already had someone he loved, and stubbornly rejected the girl. Turns out the girl was a very easygoing person, and didn't pester him after being rejected. Instead, he regretted it and kept pestering her. Oh, those letters Song Huai wrote back to me, I read them like storybooks, they're even funnier than when he was a kid!"

Although the royal family is ruthless, the bloodline of the Shen family all values kinship. Otherwise, how could she have lived so comfortably these years? It's okay to tell the Queen about these harmless private matters.

"You, as a mother, are laughing at your own son's joke! Hahaha..." The Queen laughed without caring about her image. "When you are free, bring those letters to me so I can see them."