The cruel little princess

After leaving the palace, His Royal Highness Prince Rui galloped towards the Shen Residence impatiently. But as he neared the gate, he suddenly remembered his status and position. If he rashly visited, he would surely draw criticism from the ministers. So, he quickly turned his horse around and decided to return to the residence first. He would then send someone to wait outside the gate, alerting them immediately if they spotted Shen Youyou leaving. This way, he could cleverly create an opportunity for a chance encounter with her. With persistence, he firmly believed that Shen Youyou would eventually fall into his grasp!

His Royal Highness Prince Rui returned to the palace with confidence. At the same time, the Concubine Shu in the palace also quickly sent a family letter to the Left Prime Minister Zhang's house. In the study in the front yard of the Left Prime Minister's house, "Pah!" After reading the letter from his sister, Concubine Shu, the Left Prime Minister Zhang angrily slapped the letter on the desk. "This Shen Youyou, I really underestimated her! I originally thought that she just opened a shop to make money, but I didn't expect! She actually dared to seduce His Royal Highness Prince Rui in secret! And she even dreamed of becoming the Queen of Rui! Humph! This position can only belong to my son Yuyan! From now on, the position of the Empress, the most honorable woman in the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom must be my son Yuyan! She didn't even consider who she is, and dared to covet Yuyan's position casually! It's like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, overestimating your own abilities!"

But soon, Prime Minister Zhang returned to normal. He said to the butler at the desk in a gentle tone, "Please ask the young lady to come to the study."

"Yes!" The butler responded and went back to invite Miss Yuyan.

"Dad! The housekeeper said you were looking for me?" A voice like a silver bell rang out, and a gorgeous young girl in a light purple dress slowly approached. She wore a double-sided embroidered jacket, and a layered light purple gauze skirt with a moonlit plum blossom pattern outlined with strands of gold thread. The exquisite color combination and the faint three-dimensional embroidery complemented each other. Her eyebrows were dark without any makeup, and her eyes were full of lust and shyness. Her nose was small, straight, and round, and her cherry lips were red without any makeup. She had a flying fairy bun on her head, and a shimmering jade hairpin with a blue phoenix pearl was pinned in her black and soft hair. This extraordinary outfit and her overall elegance are unforgettable!

The visitor was none other than Prime Minister Zhang's only beloved daughter, Zhang Yuyan, the cousin of Prince Rui. She was also the niece of Concubine Shu, and the only daughter-in-law Concubine Shu had chosen!

Her presence overshadowed the entire study. Her beauty was as dazzling as a spring flower, captivating everyone.

"Yan'er, come here, don't stand in the wind, come to daddy quickly!" Prime Minister Zhang, who was originally a little angry, softened his tone when he saw his obedient daughter coming.

Zhang Yuyan walked into the study and asked, "Dad, what do you want to talk to me about?" Her tone was filled with the sweetness and innocence of a little girl.

"Your aunt wrote to me, saying that she wants to ask the emperor to grant you a marriage soon!" Prime Minister Zhang couldn't bear to see his daughter's disappointed look, so he picked out some happy things to tell her first.

"Dad!" Zhang Yuyan's face flushed red, and she stamped her feet lightly on the ground. "Dad, you know what I feel! Just leave it to you! Why are you teasing me?" Zhang Yuyan coquettishly covered her face with the handkerchief in her hand, thinking to herself: Dad, what a fool! He clearly knows that I favor my cousin and only want to be his Princess Rui. If it's really like my aunt said, and the emperor approves the marriage, wouldn't he just happily go along with it?! Why did he even have to tell her? Could something have happened along the way?

As expected, Prime Minister Zhang sighed and said, "But this morning, after the court was dismissed, His Royal Highness Prince Rui went to see your aunt. He said he wanted to marry Shen Youyou, the Princess of Rui'an County, who had just returned to the capital some time ago! But your aunt persuaded him not to do so. After all, the emperor personally promised that the Princess of Rui'an County could marry freely, and even princes and nobles could not force her to marry!"

"What?" Zhang Yuyan's shy little girlish demeanor vanished completely. "That country bumpkin dares to compete with me? He's really overestimating himself! Dad! You must help me!" Zhang Yuyan's eyes welled up with tears, and the next second, her tears rolled down like pearls. "Dad, you know me! My lifelong wish is to marry my cousin! I can't let anyone else take my place! Dad, please help me find a solution!" Zhang Yuyan cried, her tears streaming down her face, so pitiful!

"Don't cry, Yan'er. Daddy will definitely find a way to make your wish come true!" Prime Minister Zhang couldn't bear to see his daughter cry, and hurriedly spoke to comfort her. "Daddy will contact a few good friends tomorrow to see what this Rui'an County Lady is capable of! She can be so captivating that His Royal Highness the Rui Prince will have to marry her!" Prime Minister Zhang said bitterly.

Zhang Yuyan cried silently for a while before returning to her own room.

Seeing her young lady silently weeping, Feicui, the personal maid, could no longer hold back and ask, "Young lady, what happened? Why did you become so upset after just one visit to the front courtyard study?"

Zhang Yuyan was already in a bad mood and wanted to find someone to talk to. Feicui was her personal maid who had grown up with her and was the only one in the world who would betray her. So Zhang Yuyan dismissed her attendants and left Feicui alone in the room.

"Jade..." Before Zhang Yuyan could say anything, tears had already flowed down her face.

"Miss, please don't cry!" Feicui quickly took out a piece of silk and carefully wiped away her young lady's tears, saying softly, "Miss, is there anything bothering you? You can tell me and we can think about it together to see if there is any solution!"

"Fei Cui, just now… just now, my father asked me to go to the study," Zhang Yuyan choked up. "She said my aunt from the palace wrote, saying my cousin wants… wants the Emperor to grant him… him and that… Rui'an County Princess Shen Youyou… a marriage! What am I supposed to do?!" Zhang Yuyan sobbed, her voice piercing her as if the world were ending. She had known since she was a child that she would become a prince's consort, yet now she was caught in an unprecedented predicament, feeling overwhelmed.

Feicui listened quietly to her young lady's sobbing, and gradually her mind became clear. She asked softly, "Young lady, what does the master have to say about this? Has he come up with a plan for you to deal with this?"

Zhang Yuyan wiped the tears from her eyes and answered firmly, "My father told me not to worry. He said he would ask some friends to find out more about Shen Youyou tomorrow." At this point, a flicker of determination flashed in her eyes, as if she had made up her mind not to give up so easily. After all, she had longed for this position, so how could she give it up so easily?

"Miss, you are confused!" Feicui sighed, with a hint of helplessness and anxiety in her words.

When Zhang Yuyan heard Feicui say that she was confused, she stopped crying and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Feicui, what do you mean by that?"

Feicui looked at the young lady's bewildered expression and couldn't help but shook her head and sighed: "Young lady, think about it. If the emperor really intends to betroth Princess Rui'an to His Royal Highness Prince Rui, then why hasn't he issued an edict to grant the marriage yet? Moreover, as His Royal Highness Prince Rui's biological mother, Concubine Shu would certainly not want to see Princess Rui'an become Princess Rui's wife. So, young lady, there is no need to be so anxious!" Feicui analyzed the situation to her young lady in an orderly manner, "Besides, the master is the left prime minister, who plays an important role in the officialdom. Wouldn't it be a waste of criticism to deal with a little girl?" She broke it down bit by bit and told her young lady.

"Then what do you think I should do? Should I just do nothing and wait like this?" Zhang Yuyan asked unwillingly.

"That may not be the case! Due to my status, it is not possible for me to deal with the Rui'an County Lady, but you can, Miss!" Feicui coaxed.

"That's right!" Zhang Yuyan is worthy of being a descendant of a famous family. She has been exposed to the dirty things in the backyard since she was a child, so her mind works very quickly. "Daddy just said that she opened a profitable shop! Feicui, go and ask someone to check what kind of shop she opened! I want to see how this little orphan who has no background or backing in the capital can fight with me! Humph!" Zhang Yuyan slammed her palm on the table, as if she could kill Shen Youyou with this!

"Yes, Miss!" Feicui obeyed. Regardless, it was a good thing the young lady had stopped crying. Only by stepping outside the situation could one see the situation more clearly. Her young lady was definitely the perfect choice for Princess Rui!