The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Xu Zhun was dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Liang Ruochu, who had the same expression as him.

"Miss Liang, is your cousin an old acquaintance of his?"

Liang Ruochu shook her head and said she didn't know. She had only known Shen Hanyu for a few days and knew nothing about Shen Hanyu's past.

But Shen Hanyu was in Suzhou, so how could she possibly know Pei Du?

The two of them racked their brains but couldn't come up with a solution. Xu Zhun didn't dare to eavesdrop on what they were saying and could only wait where he was.

Pei Du stopped under a peach tree, and Shen Hanyu looked up at him.

"I will remember Miss Shen's kindness."

As he spoke, Pei Du took out a black iron token and placed it in front of Shen Hanyu.

"Here you go. If you ever encounter any problems that you can't resolve in the future, you can take this token to me as a way of repaying your kindness."

Pei Du investigated afterward and confirmed that Shen Hanyu had appeared there by accident, which is why he decided to repay this favor.

Shen Hanyu's gaze was complicated. In her previous life, the scene was similar, except that after Pei Du helped her drive away Lin Rushuang and the others, he invited her to come over for a chat. At that time, she had heard a little about Pei Du's reputation, but she didn't dare to go over, so she didn't know that this kind of thing would happen.

Pei Du's token was extremely useful. Shen Hanyu reached out and took it, thanking him for what he had just done.

Pei Du waved his hand: "You wouldn't have suffered any loss if I hadn't come."

Holding the token, Shen Hanyu breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving Pei Du's promise.

The two left separately without much interaction, but Shen Hanyu harbored some intentions of taking advantage of the situation.

Liang Ruochu was still waiting in the same spot. When she saw Shen Hanyu return, she wanted to ask but was too embarrassed to ask.

Shen Hanyu and Pei Du's affair was witnessed by Liang Ruoyan upstairs.

Liang Ruoyan stood by the window, her heart churning with emotions. How could Shen Hanyu know Pei Du?

Before she could make a move, Xu Ying pulled her over.

"The Third Prince is over there. When you see him, behave well."

Xu Ying patted Liang Ruoyan's hand to reassure her not to be too nervous.

Liang Ruoyan gave a soft "hmm," suppressing her doubts.

Sun Qinghe opened the door and saw the Third Prince Li Jun playing chess with a man. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw Liang Ruoyan.

Liang Ruoyan bowed obediently, and her crystal hairpin swayed as she lowered her head. Li Jun put down the chess piece she was holding, got up and walked over.

"Who is this?"

Sun Qinghe said with a smile, "This is Miss Liang from the Marquis of Anping's mansion."

Li Jun realized that it was Liang Ruoyan, the daughter of the Marquis of Anping. His gaze lingered on the crystal hairpin for a few seconds.

Seeing Li Jun staring intently at Liang Ruoyan, Liang Ruoyan also felt a little shy. Sun Qinghe and Xu Ying exchanged a glance and smiled.

Sun Qinghe pulled Xu Ying outside, leaving the young people some space.

“I think this is going to be a good thing.”

Sun Qinghe said in a low voice.

Xu Ying also felt that she had seen some hope.

"If it works out, that would be wonderful for everyone, but I feel it's going too smoothly."

While I was happy, I was also a little worried. Was it really that easy to get into the royal palace?

"Sigh, judging from the Third Prince's attitude just now, as long as Yan'er doesn't make any mistakes, it should be fine. The Third Prince's wife has been gone for several years, and the position of the principal wife is vacant now. This is a good opportunity."

Sun Qinghe patiently persuaded Xu Ying, who put aside her worries. Indeed, becoming the Third Prince's consort would be entirely beneficial for Liang Ruoyan.

Seeing that there was no arguing or quarreling coming from inside, Xu Ying and Sun Qinghe left.

Liang Ruoyan sat inside, surprised that Li Jun would treat her in such an unusual way.

"What does Miss Liang usually like to do?"

As Li Jun spoke, she would occasionally glance at the swaying hairpin, her gaze slowly settling on Liang Ruoyan's beautiful face.

Liang Ruoyan then delivered the explanation she had prepared long ago.

"When I have nothing to do, I like to play the zither or chess to pass the time, or read a few books of poetry and prose."

Li Jun's eyes lit up: "You can play the zither?"

Liang Ruoyan nodded.

She had specifically studied it, and it was all thanks to Xu Ying's careful guidance.

The person sitting on the other side of the chess table finally couldn't help but speak up: "Your Highness, let's go outside. I want to tell you something."

Li Jun turned to look at Zhao Wuxia, who cupped her hands in greeting and stood up first. Li Jun told Liang Ruoyan to stay there, and she and Zhao Wuxia went out together.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

As soon as Zhao Wuxia went out, he asked the question directly. He also noticed that Li Jun's attitude towards Liang Ruoyan was very strange.

Li Jun appeared calm and composed.

"The Liang family girl is very nice. We just chatted a few more words. No need to worry, you're too nervous."

Zhao Wuxia pursed his lips. His intuition told him that things were not so simple. He had been Li Jun's study companion when he was young, and his relationship with Li Jun had never become distant after he entered the court. He knew everything about Li Jun. But today, he keenly sensed that Li Jun was acting strangely.

“Your Highness, if you have truly let go of the Princess Consort, I am happy for you.”

A faint smile appeared on Li Jun's face. As the spring breeze blew by, Zhao Wuxia heard Li Jun say in a gentle voice, "Didn't you say that people should look forward? Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing."

Liang Ruoyan waited anxiously inside. She didn't know what Li Jun and Zhao Wuxia had talked about, but when Li Jun returned, her attitude towards her was the same as before, which made Liang Ruoyan breathe a sigh of relief.

Shen Hanyu and Liang Ruochu found a place to sit down and rest. As long as no one came to cause trouble during this flower-viewing banquet, they were fine.

Liang Ruochu's eyes were conflicted, and after much hesitation, she finally asked the question.

"Cousin, did you know that young master from the Founding Duke's Mansion before?"

Liang Ruochu's palms were slightly sweaty as she observed Shen Hanyu's expression.

Shen Hanyu knew she would inquire, but she didn't reveal what had happened in Suzhou.

"I met him after arriving in Chang'an, but we weren't very familiar. I'm just a nobody, how could I possibly be associated with the Duke of the Founding Kingdom's mansion?"

Liang Ruochu nodded and noted it down. Whether it was true or not, she had at least asked.

Liang Sihan suddenly appeared from somewhere, deliberately avoiding Liang Siyu so that she wouldn't notice him, and moved closer to Shen Hanyu.

"Cousin, I heard that the Lin family bullied you just now, and it was Young Master Pei who came to your rescue."

Shen Hanyu felt disgusted upon seeing Liang Sihan, but she couldn't show it now.

"Yes, Young Master Pei saw injustice and helped me."

Liang Sihan's eyes darted around, as if she had thought of something, and she sat down opposite Shen Hanyu.

"Does my cousin know what's been happening in the Pei family lately?"

Liang Sihan covered her face with her folding fan and smiled mysteriously.

Shen Hanyu was puzzled. She had heard a few words about the Pei family in her previous life, but she didn't know much about it.

Before Shen Hanyu could ask any questions, Liang Sihan began to speak on her own.

"The Duke recently remarried, and his wife brought a boy a year younger than Young Master Pei into the manor. The manor is quite lively now. Cousin, you must not have any designs on him, or you will only hurt yourself."

As Liang Sihan spoke, she reached out to touch the back of Shen Hanyu's hand.