The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 421 Extra (Establishing a Lifetime 7)

Jiang Yuxian took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table where the scholar was setting up the lanterns. The moment he turned around, the jade pendant bumped against the corner of the table, making a crisp sound.

Following the direction of the sound, the scholar lowered his eyes.

A dragon was carved on that white jade pendant.

dragon?
Could that well-dressed young man just now be a prince? If he is a prince...

The scholar recalled Shen Qingwan calling out "Brother Xian" just now.

羡？
Among the current princes, only the Seventh Prince, Prince Rui, has the character "羡" in his name.

Could he be Prince Rui, Jiang Yuxian?

So... which family's daughter is the woman with him?

Seeing the young master blushing as he looked at her, could she be the future Princess Consort of Prince Rui?
Prince Rui is already over seventeen years old, and it is indeed time for him to marry a wife.

After all, among the many princes, those who had not yet been officially appointed had already married and had children.

Because Prince Rui's marriage has been delayed, many rumors about him have already circulated in the court.

But what was said more often was that since the current emperor intended to make this Prince Rui the crown prince, then his wife would be the future empress.

The choice of a woman to serve as empress is indeed not to be made hastily; it must be carefully selected.

How much is this lantern?

"Boss, if I guess the riddle for the remaining lanterns correctly, can I take them?"

Amidst the commotion, the scholar suddenly came to his senses.

He belatedly realized that the young master and lady who had left him a silver ingot had long since disappeared.

"Wanwan, wait for me, why are you walking so fast?"

Jiang Yuxian ran several steps before catching up with Shen Qingwan.

"It's all your fault, what kind of guesses did you make?" Shen Qingwan used anger to cover up her embarrassment and said in a deep voice, "It's so embarrassing in front of so many people."

"Wanwan, you've wronged me. It was clearly that scholar who set the question like this. I was just answering the question seriously so that you could get this little rabbit."

After Jiang Yuxian finished speaking, he placed a small rabbit he had won in Shen Qingwan's hand. "Wanwan, although I only solved the riddle to help you win this rabbit lantern, I've truly thought of you every single day during these six years apart, you..."

After a pause, Jiang Yuxian continued, "...Have you ever thought about me?"

Shen Qingwan was taken aback for a moment.

She felt as if she were wrapped in a steamer, and her cheeks instantly burned. She lowered her head, afraid that Jiang Yuxian would see her shyness.

Her heart was pounding like she was holding a little rabbit.

Although she kept her head down and didn't say anything, the shyness on her face was undeniable.

Jiang Yuxian's lips curled into a wide smile, his mind already set on it. "Wanwan, when it's your birthday next year, I'll ask Father Emperor to grant us a marriage, okay?"

Shen Qingwan still didn't dare to look up at her, but slowly nodded through the veil.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuxian's smile deepened. If there weren't so many people on the street, he really wanted to pick her up and spin her around three times.

God knows, when he asked that question, his palms were sweating with nervousness, and his heart was pounding in his throat. Wanwan agreed!
Shen Qingwan agreed!

He felt like he was dreaming.

The sudden sound of rapid hoofbeats behind him brought Jiang Yuxian back to his senses.

"Hurry up~~~" Jiang Yuyan gripped the reins tightly, looked down at him, and said with a solemn expression, "Seventh brother, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for so long."

"Third Brother, what's wrong?" Jiang Yuxian's lips still held a deep smile, but with each word he uttered, the smile on his face diminished.

He gradually became uneasy.

Jiang Yuyan's expression gave him a strange sense of foreboding. "What happened?"

"After having dinner, Father Emperor intended to stroll in the Imperial Garden, but unexpectedly, he fainted halfway there." After Jiang Yuyan finished speaking, he glanced down at Shen Qingwan, and when his eyes swept over the rabbit lantern in her hand, he paused for a moment before continuing, "Stop playing around here and come back to the palace with me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuxian's face turned ashen with fright. This was the first time since birth that he had not spent the Lantern Festival in the palace.

At this moment, he was not only worried about his father's illness, but even more worried that if his mother knew that he had left the palace tonight to enjoy the lanterns with Shen Qingwan, it might cause her trouble.

If his mother were to implicate her in her anger, she would definitely…

Jiang Yuxian dared not think about it, and felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.

"Third...Third Brother, you go back to the palace first. Wanwan came out with me tonight, and I must make sure she gets back safely." Jiang Yuxian used almost all his strength to calm himself down, but the words he spoke were somewhat incoherent. "Third...very...very soon, Third Brother, you...go back first."

The Emperor has fainted?

Shen Qingwan naturally knew how big of a deal this was.

"You don't need to worry about me, I can go back by myself." Shen Qingwan reached out and grasped his wrist, she could clearly feel that his wrist was trembling violently.

“No way.” Jiang Yuxian refused immediately, as if by reflex. “You came out with me, so of course I have to take you back safely. It’s so late, how can I let you go back to the Shen residence alone?”

"Stop dawdling. Dawdling only wastes time." Shen Qingwan pushed him toward Jiang Yuyan's horse and turned to leave.

Jiang Yuxian paused for a moment, then grabbed her arm. "No."

He knew perfectly well that he shouldn't be hesitating here; he should return to the palace immediately.

Jiang Yuxian suddenly seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lit up, "Third brother, give me a horse, I'll send Wanwan back first, and then return to the palace."

“Absolutely not!” Jiang Yuyan’s eyes darkened, and he said firmly, “There are so many people on the street. If you ride your horse back to the Shen residence like this, it’s against the proper etiquette for men and women to be so close. Wouldn’t that ruin Miss Shen’s reputation?”

Jiang Yuxian finally snapped out of his daze. "Third Brother is right. What should we do then?"

"Alright," Jiang Yuyan said to the men following behind him, "Go find a carriage, and you two must make sure Miss Shen gets back safely."

After saying that, he stretched out his hand to Jiang Yuxian, "You must come back to the palace with me immediately."

Jiang Yuxian glanced at Shen Qingwan, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Jiang Yuyan's hand and mounted his horse.

"drive……"

With the sound of horses' hooves, Jiang Yuyan and Jiang Yuxian disappeared into the street...

"Miss Shen, I'll escort you back..."