Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

The air was stagnant and no one dared to say a word.

In this era, whatever is given by the superior, whether it is a reward or a punishment, the inferior should kowtow and express gratitude.

Chu Huanjun's status and position were so honorable, but now he just wanted to reward a lowly adopted daughter of the Shi family with a bottle of wine, but was rejected mercilessly by the other party.

Tao Yao only knew that by doing this she was trying to show her attitude of drawing a clear line between herself and him, but she did not take into account Chu Huanjun's dignity as a noble prince.

Chu Huanjun felt a little unhappy. He looked at Tao Yao. Her face, which was obviously soft and pretty, actually revealed an exceptionally tough and upright look. This strange contrast always made people feel that no matter what outrageous words this woman said or what outrageous things she did, it was understandable.

So, his anger subsided a little, and he said as if admitting defeat: "There is a long time to come. If we interact more often in the future, we will understand each other more deeply and thoroughly."

He deliberately emphasized the words "frequent visits" and casually pressed the wine cup he had praised so highly on the table into her hands, saying, "Second Miss Shi, this wine is rare. You might as well enjoy it."

Tao Yao's hand was forced to hold the wine cup. Her face turned pale and blue, and she looked quite depressed.

On the contrary, Chu Huanjun seemed to be in a very good mood. Smiling, he rolled up his robe and stood up from the table. He put his arm around Zhou Yan, who had been standing there in a daze for a long time, and said, "Mr. Zhou, you've been in the capital for so long, but you haven't been to Chunfenglou yet, right? Let's go. Chunfenglou has just ordered some good wine. I'd like to treat you."

Chu Huanjun was truly a man of foresight. Ever since Zhou Yan came to the capital, he had been pestered by Shi Yiqian to discuss marriage. Even though he was extremely thirsty, he had been refraining from experiencing the allure of the capital in order to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor in front of his future father-in-law.

Zhou Yan had long heard that the Spring Breeze Tower in the capital city had countless beauties, the most stunning in the world. When he heard Chu Huanjun's proposal, his eyes immediately lit up, but he still coughed twice in a pretentious manner, pulled Chu Huanjun aside and whispered, "Your Highness, my father-in-law is still here..."

Chu Huanjun deliberately raised his voice and said loudly, "A gentleman looks at flowers without getting a single leaf on himself. Mr. Zhou is an upright and honest man, as everyone can see."

Zhou Yan and Shi Yiqian's eyes crossed, each with an awkward expression on their faces.

Zhou Yan's heart was full of urges, but he still pretended to salute Shi Yiqian: "General Shi, please excuse me. Today I actually have a business deal to discuss with the prince..."

Shi Yiqian was too lazy to listen to his words and said politely, "Mr. Zhou, please do as you please. Once you have finished your business, we will be waiting for you at the Shi Mansion."

Shi Yiqian was a veteran of the battlefield and knew how to maneuver on it, but in this kind of situation, he was not as good as Chu Huanjun and Zhou Yan, who were good at mediating. He was exposed as soon as he pretended.

Chu Huanjun saw the dissatisfaction in Shi Yiqian's heart, and with a wry smile, he pulled Zhou Yan away. Without waiting for Zhou Yan to defend himself, he dragged him away like a flash.

Tao Yao watched the two men walk away, and suddenly heard Shi Yiqian sighing deeply. Something in her heart suddenly moved, and she couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what do you think of Mr. Zhou Yan?"

In fact, Tao Yao understood it all in her heart, but she still wanted to ask in person and hear how her old father would answer her.

Shi Yiqian seemed very unhappy with the current situation, but he couldn't be angry with Chu Huanjun and Zhou Yan, so he could only transfer his anger to Tao Yao.

"Mr. Zhou is a man of good character and a perfect match for you," Zhou Yiqian said sternly. "It's your parents' order and the matchmaker's words, and you want to run away? — I rejected several previous marriage proposals because of your temper. Now, I can't let you do this one."

Tao Yao didn't expect him to be so angry, so she quickly lowered her head and said softly: "I, I didn't say I wanted to run away from the marriage... I just wanted to ask."

Shi Yiqian was furious. "Just now, because the prince and Mr. Zhou were here, I didn't have time to ask you where you were going tonight? You pretended to go to the toilet, but in fact, you took the opportunity to sneak away. Shi Taoyao, after all these years, how come I didn't realize that you had so many little tricks up your sleeve?"

Tao Yao felt a little aggrieved. It was obvious that they had arranged this inexplicable marriage behind her back. She just instinctively wanted to protect herself, but it turned out to be a mistake.

She couldn't help but wonder, what if it was Shi Lanxin who had to face all this? Would everything be different?

Taoyao looked up and saw the angry and annoyed look on Shi Yiqian's face. Suddenly, she thought to herself - how could that be? That assumption was simply not true. Shi Taoyao could never replace Shi Lanxin. These were things Shi Lanxin didn't have to face.

Tao Yao couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and tried to change the subject: "Dad, after all the trouble today, can the marriage still be successful?"

"Of course." Shi Yiqian said firmly, "No matter what, it will be done."

Taoyao sighed deeply in her heart. It seemed that in Shi Yiqian's eyes, Shi Taoyao had been just a bargaining chip from the very beginning.

When she was first adopted, it was as a bargaining chip to please Princess Jin Shen, and now it is as a bargaining chip to please Zhou Yan.

While she still has value as a bargaining chip, she is the second lady of the Shi family. But if she is no longer of any use in the future, she may be nothing.

This is the most fundamental difference between Shi Taoyao and Shi Lanxin.

After thinking this through, Tao Yao suddenly realized: In this case, why not just happily become a bargaining chip whose value can be maximized, and perhaps even get some benefits from Shi Yiqian -

Wasn't it like this since childhood? She knew from childhood that if she went to Shi Yiqian on his way to find Princess Jin Shen and acted like a spoiled child, or followed him to make Princess Jin Shen happy, she would always get candy, but acting like a spoiled child at other times was useless.

Tao Yao, having figured it out, quickly became optimistic and said, "Okay. Next time Mr. Zhou comes to my house, I will definitely listen to my father and cooperate with him to negotiate this marriage."

Shi Yiqian didn't understand why Tao Yao suddenly figured it out. He just felt that she must be harboring some evil intentions in her heart, so he warned her sternly, "Hide those wicked thoughts of yours. You won't suffer any loss if you marry Mr. Zhou."

Tao Yao nodded obediently: "Yes, daughter understands, Dad."

Tao Yao's sudden understanding made Shi Yiqian a little overwhelmed, so he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I'm tired after tossing around for so long today, you can go down."

Tao Yao bowed obediently and left.

Just half a moment after Tao Yao left, Shi Lanxin suddenly jumped out from behind the door, giving Shi Yiqian a big fright.

"Dad! You are talking about marriage for Shi Taoyao again." There was a kind of excitement in Shi Lanxin's eyes.

Shi Yiqian was still in shock. He patted his chest to calm himself down and said, "My dear, when did you come? There was no sound at all."

Shi Lanxin smiled slyly: "Hehe, Dad, you didn't notice, did you? I was here before you just came into the house. There was such a big commotion at the banquet today, I knew there would be something interesting to watch."

Shi Yiqian dotingly tapped Shi Lanxin's forehead with his finger and said softly, "You... you're not that old anymore, and you'll eventually get married. If you find someone you like, don't be shy. Tell Dad and I'll find a matchmaker for you."

Shi Lanxin's face was filled with joy as she said with a smile, "Really? My dear father! No matter which young man I fall in love with, you will be my matchmaker?"

Shi Yiqian said seriously, "Of course. No matter how difficult it is, I will negotiate for you. After all, you are my only biological daughter. But then again, getting married is a big deal. You can't let your childish temper take over. You must choose the best family."

Shi Lanxin smiled proudly: "Dad, look at what you said, how could the man I like be any worse?"