After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Chapter 203 Unkind Invitation

Wen Jiayue was stunned. She never expected Li Zhilan to ask such a question.

She pursed her lips and remained silent; no response would be appropriate.

Hesitantly, Shen Fuhan spoke first: "What the Eldest Princess said seems somewhat inappropriate."

"I was just asking casually," Li Zhilan said with a smile. "Why is Lord Shen in such a hurry?"

She wanted to hear his answer.

Unexpectedly, Shen Fuhan coldly replied, "Could it be that the Princess wishes for me and my wife to divorce?"

Li Zhilan's expression stiffened: "Of course not."

“Since there is no such thing, this statement is meaningless,” Shen Fuhan said calmly. “Please, Your Highness, focus on your meal.”

After being refuted one after another, Li Zhilan lost face and stood up abruptly.

"I'm full, please enjoy your meal."

After saying this, she got up and left her seat, walking out of the hall.

Li Zhixu asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Imperial Sister?"

Shen Fuhan said calmly, "Perhaps I'm not hungry."

"Is that so?" Li Zhixu said. "She seems angry."

He then changed the subject, saying, "However, my elder sister speaks rather bluntly, and I find it hard to listen to. I apologize on her behalf."

Wen Jiayue was immediately terrified. The Emperor himself was apologizing; she couldn't accept that.

Just as she was about to get up and bow, Shen Fuhan secretly pressed down on her hand, stopping her from doing so.

"Your Majesty need not apologize. This is the Princess's nature, and I am used to it."

Wen Jiayue was quite surprised that Shen Fuhan not only accepted it calmly, but also confirmed the fact that Li Zhilan had a bad temper.

Li Zhixu sighed and said, "Yes, I almost forgot, my elder sister used to bully me when we were little."

Shen Fuhan said calmly, "There is such a thing, but the princess was young at the time, so it was probably not intentional. She must have great respect and love for the emperor now."

Wen Jiayue was a little confused. Why did he say bad things about Li Zhilan one minute and good things about him the next?

“Now…” Li Zhixu sighed, “there is indeed some sibling affection between them, but when she gets willful, even I can’t do anything about it.”

Shen Fuhan spoke casually: "Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king. The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and all people in the world should obey the emperor's orders, and the eldest princess is no exception."

Wen Jiayue lowered her eyes and finally understood his intention.

By instilling in the emperor the idea of ​​hierarchy, the emperor will remember this phrase if Li Zhilan ever offends him again.

The more I think about it, the less I like Li Zhilan anymore.

“I understand,” Li Zhixu said. “While I sometimes go along with my elder sister, I naturally have to restrain her on ordinary days.”

"Too much of a good thing is bad," and with that thought, Shen Fuhan stopped talking about the matter.

Seeing that the two of them had started eating, Wen Jiayue was about to reach out her hand when she found that her hand was still being held by Shen Fuhan.

She was startled and struggled slightly, but Shen Fuhan did not let go.

They sat close together, and their sleeves were wide enough that, thanks to the cover, it was impossible to tell that their hands were already clasped together.

Wen Jiayue was inexplicably flustered. This was in the palace, right under the Emperor's nose!

Why isn't Madam Shen eating?

The Emperor suddenly asked a question, and Wen Jiayue felt her scalp tingle. She stammered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Shen Fuhan said, "My wife is worried about Consort Yun, so she has a poor appetite."

Wen Jiayue immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I wish to go to Chunhe Pavilion. I have been in the palace for so long and have not yet visited Consort Yun. I feel a little guilty about it."

“That’s true,” Li Zhixu nodded. “In that case, Madam Shen, please go ahead.”

Wen Jiayue breathed a sigh of relief. With the Emperor's decree, he couldn't possibly refuse to let her go, could he?

Unexpectedly, Shen Fuhan gently stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I have a request."

"You said."

Shen Fuhan said frankly, "Recently, Consort Yun has been inviting my wife too frequently, which has delayed the affairs of the household. I would like to ask Your Majesty to persuade Consort Yun."

Wen Jiayue pursed her lips slightly. He didn't want her to leave the manor, which was indeed a good excuse that could be used anywhere.

Li Zhixu was taken aback: "This... Minister Shen, aren't you being too strict with your wife? You even have to control her friendships?"

Shen Fuhan said shamelessly, "It is a woman's duty to manage the affairs of the household after marriage; everything else is secondary."

As he spoke, he looked at Wen Jiayue and asked, "Does Madam think the same way?"

Wen Jiayue could only nod shyly: "Once married, one must obey one's husband, so naturally one should listen to one's husband in everything."

Li Zhixu opened his mouth, intending to advise him not to be so old-fashioned, but since even Madam Shen thought so, and one was willing to give and the other was willing to receive, he had no choice but to shut up.

After a long pause, he said, "Alright, I'll have Consort Yun invite Lady Shen twice a month from now on. Is that alright?"

Shen Fuhan thought for a moment and said, "Once is enough. It would be best if you could come during my free time. I can come along with you."

Wen Jiayue: "..."

His bargaining methods are going too far.

But it was indeed for her own good, otherwise it would have been bad if she had run into Li Zhilan herself.

Li Zhixu was completely speechless and had no choice but to agree.

Wen Jiayue then went to Chunhexuan.

Upon entering the hall, she was greeted by an unusually strong scent of incense, which made her frown.

However, perhaps because of the smell of medicine, she didn't ask any further questions.

Yunxi was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, resting. When she saw her come in, she opened her eyes and a happy smile appeared on her slightly pale and haggard face.

"Sister Jiayue, you've arrived."

Wen Jiayue explained, "Axi, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The Marquis insisted that I go to Hanliang Palace with him, which is why I'm late. What do you want me to do in the palace?"

Yunxi said, "It's nothing serious, I just remembered that the last two times I saw you, I didn't invite you to have a meal."

She spoke too much in one breath, so she paused before continuing.

"I was thinking of eating with you this time, but haven't you already eaten at the Emperor's place?"

Wen Jiayue smiled and said, "You're saving your appetite. Come on, I'll go have a meal with you."

Yunxi agreed and slowly sat up with Rong'er's help.

Wen Jiayue's smile immediately faded, and she asked, "Why do you look weaker than when I last came here?"

Rong'er pouted and said, "Her Highness the Princess came by half an hour ago. She complained that the smell of medicine in the palace was too strong, so she had incense lit. The concubine couldn't stand the smell, but dared not say so."

Wen Jiayue was stunned for a moment, then looked around and realized that the doors and windows were all open to let the smell dissipate.

She suddenly felt a little guilty. Li Zhilan had come all this way for her sake, and it had caused Yunxi to feel unwell.

She quickly said, "If you're really feeling unwell, you should lie down."

Yunxi nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked Wen Jiayue to come closer.

Then she spoke softly, "Sister Jiayue, I feel that the Princess is hostile towards you. Be careful."