The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

Ruan Xianrong had been away for quite some time and was thinking of going back to find her mother.

Before even entering the tent, they saw palace servants standing outside and knew that the Empress was also there.

She did not go into the inner room, but stood outside waiting.

But before they knew it, they heard voices coming from inside.

"Niannian is sixteen this year, which is the age for marriage. We should discuss it and settle things between the two children."

Ruan Xianrong's heart jumped instantly.

Why bring up marriage when you can just go hunting?

If you make a decision now, you'll regret it later.

The female lead has received news that her mother will not agree, but this situation cannot continue indefinitely.

Emerging from the tent, Ruan Xianrong pondered how to dissuade the Empress from this idea.

After thinking it over, there are only two solutions.

Alternatively, one could leave Kyoto and go far away.

Alternatively, he could find someone to marry; surely the empress couldn't just steal him away, could she?

She has tried the previous one many times, but it seems unlikely to be possible for the time being.

So it's more reliable to find yourself a man.

She knows quite a few people in Kyoto, so finding one wouldn't be difficult, but who should she look for?

Lost in thought, I didn't realize I'd gone astray.

Just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly heard a woman's mocking laughter.

"Hey, look who's here!"

Ruan Xianrong looked up and saw Zhao Xuelan, along with several noble ladies and maids, blocking her way.

As the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhao's family, Zhao Xuelan has always been arrogant. She wanted to marry the Crown Prince, so she found fault with her in every way.

"Zhao Xuelan, a good dog doesn't block the way." Ruan Xianrong didn't want to get entangled with her and turned to walk on the other side.

Zhao Xuelan strode forward and grabbed her wrist. "What's the rush? We've finally run into each other, aren't we going to talk?"

"I have nothing to talk to you about, move aside." Ruan Xianrong shook off her hand.

"Ruan Xianrong, I advise you to be more polite to me. Given your status, it is already a great favor that you are allowed to speak to me here."

Ruan Xianrong frowned slightly. "You've become quite arrogant these past few days."

Zhao Xuelan scoffed, took a few steps forward to stand in front of her, and lowered her voice, "Stop pretending. I've heard that the Prime Minister's daughter is someone else. You're just a fake."

The news hadn't even spread within the Ruan family, yet the Zhao State Duke's mansion knew about it?

Seeing that she remained silent, Zhao Xuelan became even more smug.

Previously, there was a Ruan family in front of the Zhao family. She wanted to become the Crown Princess, and Ruan Xianrong was her biggest enemy. But now Ruan Xianrong is a fake. Even if she really comes back in the future, she will not be as good as her. Her chances of winning have increased.

"If you have any self-awareness, you should know that your status is not worthy of the Crown Prince."

Although Ruan Xianrong wasn't particularly capable, she didn't suffer any injustice. So what if it was fake? She was still a member of the Ruan family.

"Even if I am an imposter, I am still a member of the Ruan family. As long as I am close to the Empress, it is none of your business as an outsider. Get out of my way."

Just as she was about to walk past her, someone pushed her from the side. Ruan Xianrong was on a slope and stumbled and fell to the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her ankle.

Zhao Xuelan looked down at her with a surprised expression: "How could you be so careless? The road is slippery here, Miss Ruan, you must be careful."

Ruan Xianrong was in so much pain that sweat beaded on her forehead. She tried to stand up, but her ankles gave way, and she fell back down.

She glared at him angrily, "You did that on purpose!"

"Intentionally? Who saw it?" Zhao Xuelan looked around, and the people she brought with her laughed.

She regretted sending the people around her away to play earlier; now there were so many people on the other side, they weren't going to let her go.

She endured the pain in her foot and gritted her teeth, saying, "Zhao Xuelan, I advise you not to go too far."

"Is this too much? There's more to come." Zhao Xuelan gave a wink, and two maids stepped forward, one on each side, to grab her and drag her toward the lakeside.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Ruan Xianrong struggled, but her feet hurt and there were too many of them, so she couldn't break free.

"Let me wake you up and see if you're worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince," Zhao Xuelan sneered.

"Miss Zhao, what are you doing?" a cold voice rang out.

Zhao Xuelan was startled. She turned around and saw Shen Qinglian standing not far away. Her expression darkened.

Shen Qinglian walked over, his gaze sweeping over Ruan Xianrong's disheveled appearance before finally landing on Zhao Xuelan. "Miss Zhao, the royal hunting grounds are not a place for you to act recklessly."

"General Shen, are you going to meddle in other people's business too?"

Shen Qinglian said coldly, "His Majesty is here today. Does Miss Zhao really intend to act this way? If I remember correctly, last time you injured the daughter of the Vice Minister's family because of a hairpin, and the Duke of Zhao helped you settle things. Today, this lady is from the Prime Minister's residence."

The prime minister holds real power, and the Ruan family also has an empress residing in the central palace. If things really escalate today, they will not fare well.

Zhao Xuelan finally realized she was scared, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Young Master Shen, you misunderstand. I was just joking with Miss Ruan."

"A joke?" Shen Qinglian glanced at Ruan Xianrong, who was being supported by a maid. "Miss Zhao's joke isn't very funny."

He walked over to Ruan Xianrong and gestured for the two maids to let go.

Ruan Xianrong's legs hurt and she couldn't stand steadily, so Shen Qinglian reached out to support her arm. "Can you still walk?"

Ruan Xianrong shook her head; her ankle hurt whenever she moved it.

Ruan Xianrong stopped beside Zhao Xuelan, looked at her, and suddenly smiled.

"Slap!" A slap landed on his face.

"Zhao Xuelan, you dare to harm me! Just you wait, today I will have my father submit a memorial to the Empress."

She has an empress aunt and a prime minister father; I don't believe they can't handle her.

This is the time to use the power of a dog that relies on its master.

Zhao Xuelan's face turned pale, and she wanted to say something.

Shen Qinglian then said to Ruan Xianrong, "I apologize for the inconvenience."

After saying that, he bent down and picked the person up in his arms.

Ruan Xianrong exclaimed in surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Shen Qinglian, what are you doing?" she said, embarrassed and annoyed.

Shen Qinglian ignored her and carried her steadily toward the camp, mocking her as they went: "You're incompetent, yet you dare to run here alone. If you think life is meaningless, you might as well find a place to hang yourself."

Ruan Xianrong was so angry she wanted to hit him, but her foot hurt terribly, so she had to endure it.

"As Shen Qinghe's brother, he's not likable at all," she muttered to herself.

Shen Qinglian heard this, snorted coldly, but said nothing more.

After the two left the woods, they encountered the maid they had been searching for.

Shen Qinglian handed Ruan Xianrong to a maid, "Go and fetch the imperial physician."

The maidservant quickly agreed.

At this moment, Xie Chengli walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I suffered a minor injury," Ruan Xianrong said, not wanting to elaborate.

"A minor injury?" Shen Qinglian frowned slightly. "Do you think this injury isn't serious enough? How about I help you out now?" As she spoke, she took out a knife and pretended to chop at him.

Xie Chengli quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, hurry back and fetch the imperial physician."

Ruan Xianrong was speechless. Every time they met, he would be sarcastic and sarcastic. What was wrong with him?

The female lead hasn't even appeared yet. Once he falls for her, he'll probably hate her even more.

Actually, they've known each other since childhood. When Xie Chengli took her to play as a child, he was always there too.

But as they grew older, their relationship faded.

That face is handsome, but it has a foul mouth; it can't utter a single nice word.

In the future, they will blame the female lead for their resentment at not being able to get her; she is truly pitiful.

She was carried back. Xie Chengli snapped out of his daze, patted Shen Qinglian on the shoulder, and said, "They're all gone, what are you still looking at?"

He looked away, pursing his lips and remaining silent.

Xie Chengli shook his head. "You clearly helped someone, but you offended them with just one sentence. It's a thankless task. Why bother?"

Shen Qinglian turned her head to look into the distance, clenched her fist, and then relaxed it.