The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Seeing Xu Ying's serious expression, Liang Ruoyan dared not mention telling Liang Chengxuan again.

She clenched her fists, feeling annoyed at the thought of Li Jun's attitude towards her.

"Mother, what should I do?"

Xu Ying actually felt that the Third Prince's approach was not going to work after hearing what Li Jun said to Liang Ruoyan, but now that she told Liang Ruoyan, Liang Ruoyan was still unconvinced.

"Don't rush. If you can't get it, you can't give it to Liang Ruoxue either. How innocent is Liang Ruoxue? When things are exposed, she'll probably suffer a worse fate than you."

Liang Ruoyan also thought so, and Liang Ruoxue also relied on scheming; in a way, they were the same.

So why is she the only one being treated like this by Li Jun?

“Liang Ruoxue has lied even more, and so has that Shen Hanyu. If the Third Prince finds out,” Liang Ruoyan smiled, “they will definitely be in a worse situation than me.”

Xu Ying nodded, telling Liang Ruoyan not to rush things for now, and that she could explain the rest to Liang Ruoyan gradually.

Liang Ruoyan left her side, and Xu Ying looked at Granny Song.

"What do you think should be done with Shen Hanyu?"

Granny Song's eyes were dark and unfathomable.

“Madam, in my opinion, our previous methods were too mild. As long as Shen Hanyu stays in the manor, we will never have a moment of peace.”

The Third Prince and Princess Yongning haven't realized for so long that Liang Ruoxue approached them with ulterior motives, not to mention that Liang Ruoxue saved the Third Prince's life. I suspect Shen Hanyu must have made some preparations to tell the Third Prince, but he might not believe it.

This was also what Xu Ying was worried about; Shen Hanyu's recent behavior showed that she was really difficult to deal with.

Therefore, we have to start from elsewhere.

"I'll think about what to do."

Xu Ying felt a headache and sat down in a recliner.

Shen Hanyu and Pei Du had just decided who should go to Suzhou, but to be on the safe side, Pei Du asked Jin Chui to take a group of people and go there himself.

"Yu Qi's situation still needs to be investigated carefully, which will probably take some time. Please wait."

Pei Du had arranged both matters, so Shen Hanyu was naturally relieved.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to Young Master Pei."

Shen Hanyu didn't have as many people around her as Pei Du, especially when it came to gathering information.

I'll let you know as soon as I have any news.

The two did not linger and left separately.

Upon returning home, an invitation was delivered to Shen Hanyu; it was brought by Liang Fangrong.

Liang Fangrong looked puzzled.

"This time, it was the Crown Princess who took the initiative to invite you over."

Shen Hanyu opened it and saw that it was the Crown Princess's birthday banquet, which was about this time of year.

She pursed her lips, actually not really wanting to attend the birthday banquet.

Seemingly sensing Shen Hanyu's thoughts, Liang Fangrong advised her, "The Crown Princess specially sent an invitation. If you don't go, there's no good reason to refuse, and the people in the manor won't allow you to do so."

Shen Hanyu knew, of course, that the Marquis of Anping's family had sided with the Crown Prince, and these matters would eventually pass.

"I know."

Having accepted the invitation, she had to prepare in advance for whatever might happen at the banquet.

At her birthday banquet, Shen Hanyu carefully recalled the details of her previous life, not daring to miss a single one.

Back in the room, Miao Cui noticed that Shen Hanyu seemed distracted after accepting the invitation, so she asked, "Miss, should we go out and investigate?"

Shen Hanyu nodded: "There are some things that you need to investigate personally."

She whispered a few words to Miao Cui, who readily agreed and then left the Marquis's residence.

Shen Hanyu looked up. There had been some activity from Xu Ying these past two days, and it seemed to be targeting her.

It should be about Liang Ruoxue and Li Jun. She's not worried about that. The Dragon Boat Festival banquet is just around the corner. Whether it will work out or not depends on how Li Jun behaves at the banquet.

The Marquis's mansion has sided with the Crown Prince, who might be the mastermind behind her assassination. Xu Ying and the others see her as a thorn in their side, so things are really getting complicated.

However, Shen Hanyu felt a little uneasy, as if she had forgotten something.

Miao Cui didn't return until it was almost dark.

“Miss, everything is arranged. But when I went out, I heard something that you might be interested in.”

"what's up?"

"The Guangning Marquis's residence is preparing to welcome Lu Lingyue into their home."

Shen Hanyu raised an eyebrow. So fast. She wondered who had persuaded Xiao Ran. Come to think of it, Xiao Ran hadn't caused any trouble for a while.

"Let them make a fuss over their own. Let's leave the Guangning Marquis's residence alone for now, but we need to keep a close eye on Xu Ying."

Miao Cui noted it down, determined to ensure nothing went wrong at the Crown Princess's birthday banquet.

There was a performance segment at the banquet. Shen Hanyu stroked her chin, thinking that it would be better to keep a low profile.

Before the birthday banquet even started, someone came to the mansion, and it was an acquaintance.

Ding Wenxi's first blind date was different from others. He was a scholar from a respectable family. Shen Hanyu had a vague impression of him after meeting him twice.

At that moment, this person appeared on his only way and shyly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Miss Shen."

Shen Hanyu crossed her arms and looked at him. Ding Wenxi's sudden appearance must be suspicious.

"Why is Young Master Ding here?"

The fact that the Marquis's residence allowed Ding Wenxi to enter was most likely at the behest of Xu Ying and the old lady.

Ding Wenxi's face flushed, and she didn't know how to explain it.

This was something Shen Hanyu hadn't investigated; it was her oversight.

"I was preparing for the imperial examination in Chang'an. The Marquis's family investigated my affairs and were willing to sponsor my stay here, and also made arrangements for my family."

Shen Hanyu gave a meaningful "oh" and walked past him.

Seeing Shen Hanyu's cold attitude, Ding Wenxi couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Miss Shen—"

"Young master, please have some self-respect."

Miao Cui stood between the two, and Ding Wenxi could only see Shen Hanyu's back getting further and further away from him.

Ding Wenxi, who was left behind, was very anxious. What should she do now?

Granny Song came out from the corner and looked Ding Wenxi up and down.

"Who told you to say those unnecessary things?"

Ding Wenxi shrank his neck.

"Just do your job well. If you fail, can you bear the consequences?"

Ding Wenxi knew he couldn't take the responsibility, so he had no choice but to agree.

Seeing how easily Ding Wenxi could be manipulated, Granny Song sneered, inevitably recalling how stubborn Ding Wenxi had been back then.

But she didn't say anything more, only telling Ding Wenxi to take care of herself.

Ding Wenxi's appearance made Shen Hanyu somewhat wary. She knew what Ding Wenxi was there for; although he wouldn't succeed, he was certainly disgusting.

Moreover, if she and Ding Wenxi were to have some kind of falling out, things could get complicated.

Fortunately, she now spends most of her time at the girls' school, which prevents Ding Wenxi from getting in and avoids many problems.

“Miss, how should we deal with Ding Wenxi? If he keeps clinging to you, it will be quite annoying and will also affect your reputation. This way, we can do what they want.”

Miao Cui was a little worried. Ding Wenxi was clearly after this. If Shen Hanyu was really forced to marry Ding Wenxi, that would be truly unbearable.

"Don't worry, he won't cause any trouble. Let's deal with the birthday banquet first."

She couldn't pay too much attention to Ding Wenxi; the matter at hand was more important.