The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Shen Hanyu blushed at Pei Du's words. Although she understood that he was speaking to them, Shen Hanyu was still a little shy about such things.

With the imperial decree issued, Zhou Yurong's many skills were now useless.

Liang Chengxuan stood up, his brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Pei Du led Shen Hanyu to look at the people in the Marquis's mansion. Liang Fangrong nodded and hesitated, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

Xu Ying had no choice but to step forward, but before she could speak, Pei Du said, "Move all these betrothal gifts to the future madam's storeroom."

"Where in the world is there such a domineering guy?" This was the thought that came to everyone's mind.

All the betrothal gifts intended for the bride's family ended up in Shen Hanyu's hands, and no one else was allowed to touch them.

Pei Du whispered to Shen Hanyu, "The wedding date is undecided. I know you have to take the imperial examination, so I'll leave the decision of the wedding date to you."

Shen Hanyu was even more surprised. She met Pei Du's gaze and lowered her head, captivated by the intense light within it.

"Thank you."

Pei Du chuckled. He was still burdened with a lot of baggage, and so was Shen Hanyu. They could talk about these things later.

After leaving his belongings behind, Pei Du circled the Marquis's residence. From this day forward, no one could underestimate Shen Hanyu.

Pei Du returned the way he came, but was stopped by Pei Mingjian as soon as he got home.

When Pei Mingjian was leaving court, Li Jiangui stopped him and congratulated him with a smile. Only after asking did he learn that Li Jiangui had issued an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon Pei Du.

When he found out that he was marrying Shen Hanyu, he was immediately stunned. He went back to the Duke's mansion to change his clothes and then chased after her, only to be told by the gatekeeper that Pei Du had already gone to present the betrothal gifts.

"Are you out of your mind? You actually used an imperial edict to ask for Shen Hanyu's hand in marriage! Who is Shen Hanyu? You are simply being unreasonable!"

Pei Mingjian was so angry that his face turned red. Pei Du looked at him jumping up and down and found it funny.

"Father, what I do is none of your business anymore. Just mind your own business."

Pei Mingjian's forehead veins throbbed: "You've made this fuss just to tell everyone that the position of heir to my Founding Duke's Mansion is still yours. You have the Emperor backing you up, so even I can't have any complaints about you. Pei Du, do you really dislike those two so much?"

"Yes," Pei Du readily admitted, having said this countless times.

However, he has no interest in the position of heir that Pei Xingzhi has always valued. He just wants to wait and send a divorce agreement to Pei Mingjian, and then sever all ties with the Founding Duke's Mansion.

Pei Mingjian rubbed his temples: "I've said it before, I don't agree to you marrying Shen Hanyu. If you really like her, it's not impossible to bring her in as a concubine. There are girls of higher status for you to choose from, but it will definitely not be her."

"see a visitor out."

Pei Du walked back, and the servant closed the door.

Pei Mingjian pounded his fist twice, but no one answered, which made him feel a headache coming on.

In the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion, Han Yueru and Pei Xingzhi sat together, also thinking about what had happened that day.

Pei Xingzhi had just been included in the Pei family genealogy when he heard about the emperor's bestowal of a marriage.

“Mother, the Emperor has agreed to bestow a marriage upon Pei Du. Do you think the Emperor means that he has acknowledged Pei Du’s status as the heir? How can I compete with him now? All our plans over the years have gone down the drain.”

Han Yueru was also annoyed, mainly because she couldn't figure out the Emperor's attitude, while Pei Mingjian's side was easier to deal with.

"It's not all bad news. Pei Du is marrying Shen Hanyu, who has no background or status and can be of little help to him. Moreover, this has offended your father, so the two of them will definitely have some trouble. Let's not rush things and wait and see."

Pei Xingzhi clenched his fists. He had finally seen a glimmer of hope when Pei Du jumped out.

He was both lucky and difficult to deal with; several assassination attempts failed to kill Pei Du.

However, Han Yueru's words were not without reason. They could only wait and see how the winds shifted before deciding what to do.

Han Yueru got up and went back to her room. Sure enough, she couldn't keep Pei Du around.

Marrying Shen Hanyu? Han Yueru narrowed her eyes. She needed to investigate the relationship between Pei Du and Shen Hanyu thoroughly.

The news of Pei Du and Shen Hanyu's engagement spread rapidly throughout the elite circles of Chang'an.

On the day of starting school, Wei Ming sidled up to Shen Hanyu, and even Ji Yuxiu came over during their break time.

The two stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing Shen Hanyu thoroughly.

"Tell me the truth right now, what exactly is going on between you and Pei Du?"

Wei Ming put her hands on her hips and began questioning him. She had noticed something amiss earlier, but she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

Shen Hanyu pinched her earlobe and whispered that it was nothing.

Ji Yuxiu raised an eyebrow: "I don't believe it. You've already asked the Emperor to bestow a marriage upon you. You know, once a marriage is bestowed, don't even think about changing it easily. But don't you still have to take the imperial examination? What are you planning to do?"

“Pei Du said that I should decide the wedding date,” Shen Hanyu repeated Pei Du’s words.

Wei Ming and Ji Yuxiu exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously curving into crescents.

"Hanyu, he is definitely in love with you."

Wei Ming said something that was sure to shock everyone.

Shen Hanyu was speechless. To be honest, she didn't know if Pei Du was infatuated with her, but the current situation was obviously much better than she had expected, and she was already very satisfied.

Seeing that Shen Hanyu really didn't understand and was also very shy, Wei Ming didn't point it out. Instead, she nudged Ji Yuxiu next to her with her elbow.

"Speaking of which, our General Ji has been quite troubled lately."

Shen Hanyu looked over curiously, while Ji Yuxiu's lips twitched slightly.

She has indeed encountered some trouble recently, which is causing her a lot of distress. The reason is that Qin Ju, the young master of Qin Shoujie, the Minister of Rites, seems to have taken a liking to her.

She saved Qin Ju's life during the spring hunt. Qin Ju later said he wanted to thank her and embroidered a sachet for her. The stitches were rough, and the pattern was unclear, whether it was a bird or some kind of animal. Ji Yuxiu tried to identify it for a long time but still refused.

But Qin Ju was not discouraged. Two days later, he somehow found a long spear.

Ji Yuxiu took the spear, swung it a few times, and the shaft broke.

Qin Ju felt even more guilty and would come to see Ji Yuxiu every few days. Ji Yuxiu finally sensed that something was wrong.

Qin Shoujie learned of this matter.

Then every day, as soon as he opened his eyes, he would go to court. Qin Shoujie would first glare at Ji Yuxiu, and then seize any opportunity to impeach her in front of Li Jiangui.

During this period, impeachment memorials piled up on Li Jiangui's desk like snowflakes. Ji Yuxiu was summoned by Li Jiangui once, not to blame him, but after learning the reason, she was ridiculed by him.

Ji Yuxiu felt a headache just thinking about it.

"Sigh." She couldn't help but sigh.

Wei Ming chuckled, "This rescue has actually brought me a blooming peach blossom."

Ji Yuxiu rubbed her head: "Don't tease me. Minister Qin is really difficult to deal with. He thinks I stole his son away and he impeaches me every day. I really can't take it anymore."

She had talked to Qin Ju about it, but every time she did, Qin Ju would give her a pitiful look, as if she were the one bullying him.

Ji Yuxiu couldn't stand that kind of expression, so she could only turn a blind eye and let him come.