The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Empress Wang smiled sincerely and extended her hand: "Good child, come here to me."

Shen Hanyu walked over, and Empress Wang took Shen Hanyu's hands in hers just as she had during the spring hunt.

"Why are you so thin? You should eat more. You work hard at girls' school, so you should treat yourself well."

This concern came from the bottom of her heart. In the past, she only felt sorry for Shen Hanyu being bullied by Xiao Ran, but now that Shen Hanyu and Pei Du were engaged, Empress Wang also extended her love to Shen Hanyu.

Shen Hanyu understood everything, and despite her repeated thanks, nothing major went wrong.

The three Liang sisters at the lower end of the table seemed to be spitting fire in their eyes.

"Mother, I also went to the girls' school, but you don't even care whether I've lost weight or not."

Li Huaijiang's voice came from outside. She was wearing thin clothes, which made her look even thinner.

Empress Wang said helplessly, "You went to the girls' school, but you only went for three days and then dried your nets for two. Once the novelty wore off, you didn't want to go anymore. You just stayed at home every day. Isn't that comfortable enough?"

Li Huaijiang pursed her lips and sat down in the empty seat.

Empress Wang released her hand, and Shen Hanyu sat down next to Liang Fangrong.

The situation calmed down a bit, but people kept staring at Shen Hanyu.

Pei Du saw that most of the people here were ladies and young women from noble families, so he left after dropping Shen Hanyu off here.

The nanny whispered a few words in Empress Wang's ear, and Empress Wang nodded, her expression unchanged.

"The palace banquet hasn't started yet, so everyone is free to walk around the palace. If you don't want to move, you can stay here and rest for a while."

Empress Wang's tone was calm, which made the others feel more relaxed.

"Looking at it this way, Miss Shen and Young Master Pei are truly a perfect match."

The speaker was a woman whom Shen Hanyu did not recognize. She had little memory of this person and she must have appeared less frequently in her previous life.

Shen Hanyu smiled slightly: "Thank you for your praise, Madam."

The lady looked Shen Hanyu up and down, revealing a meaningful smile.

Some people were dissatisfied, but dared not show it at this time.

Yang Yueying took a sip of tea. Wei Ming, who was beside her, was already itching to go. Yang Yueying raised her chin and gestured for Wei Ming to go to Shen Hanyu's side.

Ji Yuxiu was also there. She was unusually quiet and met the gazes of Shen Hanyu and Wei Ming.

The three sat together, and Empress Wang smiled.

"It's so lively here, Mother."

Princess Yongning also arrived. She looked around and saw that everyone had come.

When Empress Wang saw Princess Yongning, she asked her to sit on Li Huaijiang's lap.

"Has Yongning gone to see your mother?"

Princess Yongning nodded: "My mother is not in good health and I'm afraid she will not be able to attend the palace banquet today."

Empress Wang nodded: "The Consort Xian's illness has lasted for several years and has not improved. Has the imperial physician been sent to examine her?"

“My mother said it wasn’t necessary, and I couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so I sent Li Jun to reason with her.”

Liang Ruoxue and Liang Ruoyan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the news about Li Jun.

Liang Ruoxue tugged at Lin Lihua's sleeve, and Lin Lihua glanced at her, indicating that she could leave.

Liang Ruoyan had been keeping a close eye on Liang Ruoxue's situation. Her eyes flickered, and she had already decided what she was going to do.

After Liang Ruoxue left, Liang Ruoyan also found an excuse to say goodbye to Xu Ying and left after a while.

Xu Ying pulled her along, saying, "Wait a little longer."

Li Jing will definitely come to Empress Wang's side, so wouldn't it be better to meet with the Crown Prince later?

Liang Ruoyan didn't want to wait any longer, and her face showed reluctance.

"Mother, I really have something to say."

Xu Ying didn't want to get entangled with Liang Ruoyan here, so she had to let Liang Ruoyan leave first.

Before Li Jing arrived, two members of the Liang family had already left, leaving only Liang Ruochu obediently staying by Lin Lihua's side.

Lin Lihua glanced at Liang Ruochu, her eyes full of disdain.

Liang Ruochu is nowhere near as good as her daughter. If what happened today is really as Liang Ruoxue said, then she will finally be able to hold her head high.

Once Liang Ruoxue becomes the Third Prince's wife, at least half of Xu Ying's household management power will have to be handed over to her.

She knew that the old lady was extremely snobbish, otherwise she wouldn't have allowed Xu Ying's family to dominate for so many years.

Lin Lihua felt happy just thinking about it.

Shen Hanyu didn't miss a single expression on the faces of the Liang family members. Liang Ruoxue was so confident that she had inadvertently revealed the information.

Once Liang Ruoxue's wish comes true, that will be the time when the two of them officially turn against each other.

She dealt with these people one by one, slowly.

Shen Hanyu was a little unsure about what Liang Ruoyan was going to do today. After all, she had a smooth life in her previous life and had never done anything so crazy.

There was no point in staying with Empress Wang, so Shen Hanyu got up, bowed, and left Fenghua Palace.

Ji Yuxiu had been feeling incredibly bored for a while, and when Shen Hanyu started talking, she quickly pulled Wei Ming over.

"I don't want to hear a word those ladies are saying. Just now, someone even tried to arrange a marriage for me. I'm really at my wit's end."

Ji Yuxiu held her head in her hands, looking bitter and resentful.

Wei Ming sighed. Just now, someone had tried to arrange a marriage for her, but Yang Yueying had refused them all.

She's busy with scientific research now, she doesn't have time to deal with these things.

Moreover, not everyone can be like Pei Du, entrusting Shen Hanyu with deciding the wedding date.

Once married, it would be troublesome to go to the girls' school again. The foundation that had been built up with great effort would be wasted, and Wei Ming was not happy about that.

The three sat down in the pavilion, and Ji Yuxiu then said, "Qin Ju's mother was over there just now, so I really didn't dare to say anything."

Shen Hanyu suddenly realized, no wonder Ji Yuxiu could be so quiet sometimes.

After being out for a while, Liang Ruoxue found out about the Consort Xian's palace. She kept watch nearby and looked back. Seeing that no one was following her, she felt a little relieved.

As Li Jun emerged from Consort Xian's palace, he immediately spotted Liang Ruoxue under the tree.

He looked somewhat pleased. Zhao Wuxia stood behind Li Jun and knew about the relationship between Li Jun and Liang Ruoxue.

Zhao Wuxia tactfully left first, giving the two of them some space alone.

"What brings Miss Liang here?"

Liang Ruoxue smiled shyly: "When Her Majesty the Empress told me that His Highness was with Consort Xian, I came over right away."

Li Jun was even happier, and he gently took Liang Ruoxue's hand.

"Today is the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, and Father is in high spirits. I would like to ask Father for a decree to allow me to marry you. Xue'er, are you willing?"

Liang Ruoxue's heart nearly leaped out of her chest with joy, and her voice trembled as she said, "Your Highness, I am willing."

She held Li Jun's hand tightly, as if she were grasping the rest of her glorious life.

Li Jun was unaware that this was a huge deception. He had already decided to request permission today. Now that he had made up his mind, there was no need to hesitate any longer.

Liang Ruoxue took a deep breath to calm herself down. After months of planning, she had finally succeeded. From today onward, no one could afford to neglect her.

Standing at a distance, Liang Ruoyan saw Li Jun and Liang Ruoxue's hands clasped together, and a bittersweet feeling welled up in her heart.

Liang Ruoxue, you just wait.

Liang Ruoyan turned and left.