The daughter of the first wife grew up in the countryside and was extremely powerful

Gu Fanchu's heart tightened, and she asked in disbelief. But she soon realized her loss of composure, took a deep breath, and quickly regained her composure.

After all, in a prosperous place like the capital, what could really be kept secret?

"Indeed, to be honest, I've been having quite a few troubles lately. If I don't find a way to properly handle them, they'll probably pile up and become even more difficult. It just so happens that Prince Xiao is able to lend me a hand, so I've invited him to come and discuss this matter with me today."

Since she still had the impression that Shi Jinyan was in the glory of his previous life, she did not deliberately hide these things.

After all, how bad can the heart of a person be if he is willing to sacrifice his life for others?

After hearing this, Shi Jinyan fell into silence.

He slowly sat down in the pavilion, picked up the hot water from the teapot, and gracefully filled a cup of warm tea for himself. However, at this moment, the tea seemed to have lost its original flavor.

Time passed minute by minute, and after a long time, even Gu Fanchu, who was standing beside him, began to feel a little uneasy.

Seeing that the situation was at such a stalemate, she finally lost control of her temper and decided to speak directly to Shi Jinyan to make things clear.

At this moment, Shi Jinyan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke:

"Some time ago, His Majesty asked me if I had a woman I admired. As an elder, he has always hoped that I could get married and start a family as soon as possible."

Shi Jinyan's words came so suddenly and abruptly that Gu Fanchu was caught off guard for a moment and found it difficult to immediately understand and digest the meaning.

and then?

Shi Jinyan was seen tightly gripping the teacup in his hand, as if trying to calm his inner turmoil.

The tips of his originally fair ears were now slightly flushed, making people wonder what had caused this usually calm man to lose his composure.

"Both my parents have passed away. Without the pressure and pressure from the elders, there are naturally fewer constraints and troubles."

Shi Jinyan took a deep breath and said slowly:

"Similarly, because there is no interference from the elders, I can handle many things according to my own wishes."

Having said that, he paused for a moment, his eyes falling on the teacup in his hand, as if he could see his past years in the clear tea.

Then, Shi Jinyan raised his head and continued:

"Furthermore, I have no brothers or sisters. I studied diligently from a young age, and after enduring hardships, I finally passed the imperial examinations. Since then, I have single-handedly shouldered the heavy responsibility of carrying on the glory of the Taifu Mansion. I have worked hard all the way to where I am today. Although my achievements may not be particularly glorious, I have at least lived up to the reputation of my ancestors."

Gu Fanchu listened quietly to Shi Jinyan telling his life story, and a hint of doubt gradually arose in his heart.

She didn't quite understand why the other party suddenly said this to her. What did it mean?

Just as she was thinking to herself, she heard Shi Jinyan say again:

"If I'm lucky enough to marry and start a family, my wife won't have to worry about the complicated relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, nor will she have to worry about socializing with people from the same clan. After all, although my family has no elders, we do have a lot of precious things passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors."

As the conversation deepened, Shi Jinyan's expression became more earnest:

"When that time comes, everything will be fully managed by my wife. And please believe me, I am not a womanizer, and my family has never had the custom of taking concubines."

After saying that, Shi Jinyan's eyes were like torches, staring straight at Gu Fanchu, who was still in confusion. His fiery gaze seemed to penetrate her soul.

Faced with Shi Jinyan's sudden and sincere confession, Gu Fanchu was really at a loss.

She widened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her blankly. Her mind was in a mess and she couldn't make sense of anything.

"Shi... What on earth does Master Shi mean by this?"

Gu Fanchu widened his bright eyes and looked at Shi Jinyan in front of him with confusion.

You know, she is not stupid, she can even be said to be quite smart.

At this moment, if you still cannot understand the deeper meaning of the other person's words, then you are really pretending to be stupid.

However...what is going on?

Shi Jinyan actually said this to herself... Could it be that it was simply because His Majesty kept urging the marriage, and the relationship between him and Ji Yunchen was difficult to get everyone's blessing, and it happened that she was also eager to get married and start a family as soon as possible, so Jinyan set his sights on herself?

Thinking of this, Gu Fanchu couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Shi Jinyan's face was calm and composed, without any sign of panic, and he slowly said:

"My point is actually very simple and clear. Prince Xiao is not the best candidate for your partner."

He spoke ill of others in a serious manner, as if it was all natural.

"From what I understand, Prince Xiao suffers from a heart condition. I'm sure you had some concerns about this, but you ultimately decided to choose him as your husband. This shows that you certainly don't have much genuine affection for him, but simply value his status as the Crown Prince and the benefits this marriage could bring."

"But you probably haven't inquired about the character of the Xiao family's Patriarch. He was close to the late emperor, but during the change of dynasties, he was able to escape the conflict by using the body of Prince Xiao. This shows that he is not a simple person."

"If you marry him and Prince Xiao lives longer, you can live happily and comfortably for a longer time. But if he dies suddenly, I'm afraid your life will not be easy. The Xiao family only has this one precious son. If you fail to successfully conceive a child for the Xiao family, I'm afraid you won't live long either."

At this moment, Shi Jinyan's eyes, burning like flames, were fixed on Gu Fanchu, like two blazing lasers, as if they would completely burn the girl in front of him in the next second.

At this moment, Gu Fanchu was still immersed in great shock, and her whole body was stunned. However, her brain was running wildly like a high-speed machine at this moment.

What does Shi Jinyan’s look mean?

Could it be that he actually wanted to form a fake couple with me in name only, so as to silence those gossipers?

If you think about it carefully, it is not impossible!

After all, both Shi Jinyan and Ji Yunchen were noble young men from prestigious families. The power behind them was immense. How could their parents easily allow their sons to bear the label of "homosexuals"?

Thinking of this, Gu Fanchu couldn't help but start to seriously think about what benefits would come if she really married Shi Jinyan.