Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Youlan Courtyard

In the evening, Su Qianrou sat on the tatami mat, leisurely reading a storybook.

Juxia came in and said, "Miss, Miss Li has arrived."

Immediately afterwards, Li Nanyi walked in.

Su Qianrou looked at her and said calmly, "You're sober now."

Li Nanyi didn't feel embarrassed at all. She walked over and sat down next to her, saying casually, "Thanks."

"No need to thank me, consider this an apology."

"Apologize? What are you apologizing for?"

"She stole your position as regent's wife."

"Speaking of which, I should thank you."

"Thank me, why?"

"If it weren't for you, I would probably have been forced to marry my cousin. Now, I don't have to worry about it anymore. I have to thank you."

Su Qianrou was somewhat surprised, "You don't like the Regent."

"When did I ever say I liked my cousin?"

"Then why do you drink so much alcohol? Isn't it because you're trying to drown your sorrows?"

Li Nanyi then realized that she had misunderstood. "You thought I was heartbroken because my cousin was going to marry you, so I drank to drown my sorrows."

"Isn't that so?"

"Of course not. My cousin is cold and aloof, always with a dark face. I'm terrified of him. How could I possibly like him?"

"Everyone said you were going to marry the Regent, and I thought you liked him, but I never expected... that's not the case."

"That was just what the Empress Dowager, my grandfather, and my father hoped for in order to preserve the glory of the Duke of Su's mansion," Li Nanyi said, her voice filled with disappointment.

"I heard that you had a fight with Lord Li because you failed to establish the Regent's Palace, so Lord Li scolded you."

“Yes and no. In the Duke of Su’s mansion, the purpose of women’s existence was marriage. My eldest sister entered the palace at the age of fifteen and became the late emperor’s concubine. She died less than two years later because she was plotted against during childbirth, which caused massive bleeding and the death of both of them. My father knew that my eldest sister died a violent death, but he still sent me to the palace just to consolidate the position of the Duke of Su’s mansion. If the late emperor had not been seriously ill at the time, I might be the Dowager Consort now.” Then he continued, “Later, my cousin became the regent, and he wanted me to marry him. Fortunately, my cousin was unwilling, otherwise, how could you have become the regent’s wife?”

"Didn't you ever think about resisting?"

“I’ve said before that I don’t like my cousin, but no one cares. For them, whether they like him or not is not important. What matters is whether he can bring benefits to the Duke of Su’s mansion. Today, my father wants me to marry the Prince of Ying. I don’t want to, so I argued with him.”

"And then, what are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know. I'll just take it one day at a time. As for who I marry, that's not something I can decide. I can only follow the arrangements."

"I've accepted my fate."

“What else can I do if I don’t accept my fate? Should I run away from home? If I leave the Duke of Su’s mansion, I’m nothing, and I’ll have trouble surviving.”

"As long as you have the will, even a woman can make a name for herself."

Li Nanyi looked at her and said, "You really are different from others. If this gets out, you'll probably be drowned in spittle. In most people's eyes, women should follow the three obediences and four virtues and should not show their faces in public, let alone someone like you who not only runs an academy but also teaches personally. You can be said to be the first person in thousands of years. However, I admire you quite a bit and envy you."

“What am I envious of? I envy them for criticizing me behind my back for being unconventional and not adhering to traditional female virtues.”

"So you knew all along."

"They threw rotten eggs at my door, how could I not know?"

Even so, you are still unwilling to compromise.

"Why should I compromise? If I compromise, then everything I've done before will have been in vain." Then he continued, "Hurting words hurt because you care. If you don't care, they're just nonsense. The same goes for things. If you don't care, then they're not a problem."

"It sounds like fallacies, but when you think about it carefully, it seems to make a little sense."

"Our future should be in our own hands, not in the hands of others."

"Easier said than done."

"How do you know it won't work if you haven't even tried?"

"To do something you know you can't do is to overestimate your abilities."

"If you don't even believe in yourself, it's naturally impossible for you to do it."

"Why do you insist that I resist?"

"I just think that women should be self-reliant. Besides, you are the prince's cousin, so you are also my cousin. As your sister-in-law, I naturally hope that you can live a happier life in the future."

"You and my cousin aren't married yet, so you're not my sister-in-law yet."

"The imperial edict has been issued; it was only a matter of time."

Li Nanyi did not refute, but lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

The next day, Su Qianrou returned from Shengming Academy and entered the house. She saw Li Nanyi lying in a rocking chair, holding her storybook and reading it with great interest. So she went over and asked, "Why haven't you gone back yet?"

"I plan to stay here for a few days."

"How come I didn't know that our relationship had become so good?"

"What? Didn't you say you were my cousin's wife? You have a problem with my cousin staying here for a few days?"

"If you call me 'sister-in-law,' I might consider letting you stay here for a few days."

"Dream on, wait until you and my cousin get married," he said, then continued reading his storybook.

Su Qianrou looked at her, smiled gently, and then walked to the couch and sat down.

After a while, Juxia came in and said, "Miss, a palace maid from the Empress Dowager's side requests an audience."

"Empress Dowager".

"Ok".

"Please come in."

"Yes".

Li Nanyi sat up and asked, puzzled, "Why did the Empress Dowager's maid come to see you?"

"do not know".

At this moment, a palace maid walked in and said, "Greetings, Princess Ping Le...Greetings, Miss Li."

"You are from the Empress Dowager's palace."

"Yes".

"I wonder what Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's instructions are."

"The Empress Dowager has summoned Princess Ping Le and requests that she accompany me to the palace."

"The Empress Dowager summoned me," Su Qianrou said, somewhat surprised. She wondered why Qin Yulan wanted to see her. She thought to herself, "Could it be that Qin Zhenzhen said something to her and is now trying to settle scores with me? But it's been so long since then, isn't it a bit late to settle scores now?"

"Yes, the carriage is outside. Please come with me, Princess Ping Le."

"Please wait a moment, young lady, while I change my clothes."

"Please proceed, Your Highness."

Then, Su Qianrou got up to change her clothes.

Li Nanyi quickly caught up and walked to her side, whispering, "Why would the Empress Dowager suddenly send you into the palace?"

"I want to know too."

"How about I go with you?"

Su Qianrou looked at her.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Compared to the Empress Dowager, I am more curious about why you suddenly changed your attitude towards me."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Nanyi's face. "Mind your own business."

Su Qianrou didn't ask any more questions and went into the inner room.

Li Nanyi followed them inside.