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

As she emerged from the Empress's palace, Madam Sun glared at her, "No wonder you obediently followed me into the palace today; so this was your plan."

Ruan Xianrong was overjoyed upon receiving the imperial decree. "Mother," she said, "Aqing and I will get married sooner or later, so what difference does it make?"

"My marriage is settled, so Auntie can rest assured, and you and Dad can rest assured too."

Sun's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Niannian, I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this."

"How could I feel wronged? I truly love Ah Qing, and marrying him is what I want."

"Please don't feel indebted to me. I've enjoyed so many years of good fortune. The Ruan family doesn't owe me anything. You should take better care of Miaoyin; she's the one who has suffered."

Mrs. Sun was pleased that her daughter was so sensible.

After passing through two palace gates, I looked up and saw that tall figure standing in the shade of a tree a few steps away.

Really haunted.

After bowing respectfully, he followed his mother and prepared to leave.

"Cousin, please wait." Xie Chengyan's voice carried his usual smile, sounding warm and gentle. "I have something I want to say to you."

Ruan Xianrong looked around, pointed to herself, and said, "Me?"

Xie Chengyan was amused by her playful expression. "Who else could it be but you?"

She subconsciously took a half step back. What was she planning to do?

She had no desire to return to the Eastern Palace.

Reluctantly, he followed to the side, head bowed and silent.

"look up."

Ruan Xianrong secretly rolled her eyes and didn't look up.

The next second, Xie Chengyan pinched her chin, forcing her to look up, his gaze fixed on her face.

"Why is Niannian always so disobedient?" he asked, gently rubbing her chin with his thumb.

Ruan Xianrong frowned, her face flushed with anger, her fingers loosening, and a hand pinching her cheek.

With his face being pinched, his lips pursed uncontrollably, and the smile in Xie Chengyan's eyes almost overflowed.

She glared at him and tried to brush his hand away.

Seemingly finding her appearance amusing, he squeezed her hand lightly again and whispered, "I do have something to say, so be good."

Ruan Xianrong stopped moving, afraid that he might say something that would cause misunderstanding.

Xie Chengyan then released her, stared at her for a moment, and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

"It's all better now, thank you for your concern, cousin," she replied dryly, raising her hand to rub her cheek that had been pinched sore.

After speaking, Xie Chengyan remained silent for a while before asking again, "Don't you have any questions for me?"

Ruan Xianrong's lips twitched. "Big brother, aren't you tired of this internal battle?"

He didn't call her over because he had something to say, but now he's asking her if she has any questions.

Excuse me, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you looking for trouble?

Forcing a professional fake smile, he asked, "What does 'cousin' mean?"

"I've been busy with official duties lately and haven't had time to visit the Prime Minister's residence. As for what happened last time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Xianrong understood. "Cousin, don't worry, it's nothing serious. I've explained everything clearly."

He had already explained to Miaoyin that he had come from the Eastern Palace to visit her at the Ruan residence and even surrounded her courtyard, so there was no misunderstanding.

Xie Chengyan's smile deepened almost imperceptibly. "That's good. Let's go back."

Ruan Xianrong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly left.

On the carriage ride back, she dutifully recounted her encounter with Xie Cheng'an to her.

Miaoyin was completely confused. Why was she being told all this? She wasn't even familiar with the Crown Prince.

If His Highness hadn't asked so many questions about Sister Ruan today, she and he would have had absolutely no interaction.

Thinking of this, Miaoyin felt somewhat annoyed.

Sister Ruan is clearly her older sister, how long have they known each other? They both want to marry her.

It's one thing to talk about others, but she simply doesn't have the guts or the ability to compete with the Crown Prince.

Upon returning to the mansion, before even entering the courtyard, Yinque came to report that the Zhao State Duke's mansion had recently been plagued by some kind of bad luck, with the younger male members of the family suffering misfortune one after another and all being imprisoned.

"I sent someone to inquire, and the charges weren't particularly serious, but they could cause some trouble if investigated."

"Is it Prince Qian's?"

"I don't know, I only know that it was an official from the Ministry of Justice who went to arrest him."

The Duke of Zhao's mansion enjoys a high reputation in the capital, and the Duke of Zhao was a trusted minister of the late emperor. The Ministry of Justice would not dare to arrest him.

Either there is concrete evidence, or someone is backing them up.

"Young lady, could it really be His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Isn't it all a good thing? Zhao Xuelan wanted to kill me, so this can be considered retribution."

On the way back, before she even entered the courtyard, a young maid rushed out and said, "Miss, you're finally back! Come and see, Young Master Shen is here."

"Since you're here, just treat us well."

"When Young Master Shen met Young Master Cheng, neither of them spoke. This servant thinks something is wrong."

Ruan Xianrong strode into the courtyard and saw two figures standing facing each other in the pavilion from afar.

His eyes were bloodshot, but he refused to back down.

Ruan Xianrong: "..."

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were playing a game where whoever blinks loses.

"Hey you two, you're about to kiss."

Upon hearing the sound, the two instantly snapped back to their senses and turned around abruptly.

Shen Qinghe closed her eyes and blinked hard a few times. Cheng Qing raised her hand to rub her eyes, not wanting her to see her disheveled appearance.

Ruan Xianrong first looked at Cheng Qing, "Ah Qing, Qinghe is a guest. He's being immature. Why are you joining in his nonsense?"

Cheng Qing wanted to explain, but knowing she would lose face, she remained silent.

Shen Qinghe was about to feel smug when he saw Ruan Xianrong protecting him, when he heard her say, "And you too. I naturally welcome you to my home, but Aqing is my person, so you can't make things difficult for him."

Shen Qinghe lowered his eyes and muttered, "It was my fault, Niannian, don't be angry."

Cheng Qing cupped his hands in apology. "Young Master Shen, you are a distinguished guest of the manor. I was impetuous just now, and I am truly sorry."

Shen Qinghe glared at him, then turned his head away and said nothing more.

"I still have books to read, so I'll head back now."

After Cheng Qing left, Shen Qinghe finally looked up. "Niannian, who is he?"

"Don't you already know? Why are you still asking?"

Shen Qinghe's eyes instantly reddened. "You...you're getting married?"

Ruan Xianrong showed him the imperial edict, "Yes, the wedding is next month, so be polite to him when you see him in the future, he is your brother-in-law."

Brother-in-law...

If she's not his sister, then where did this brother-in-law come from?

What's so great about him? He has nothing!

What kind of brother-in-law is he? He doesn't acknowledge him at all!

*

The next day, Xie Chengyan came out of the Hall of State Affairs, and Xie Chengli approached him with a smile: "Did Father Emperor discuss marriage with my elder brother today? It seems that my elder brother will soon be able to settle on a Crown Princess. Father Emperor favors the Zhao family's daughter, and Mother Empress will surely favor the Ruan family's daughter. Your Majesty, I congratulate you in advance."

Thinking about his upcoming engagement to Niannian, Xie Chengyan was in a good mood and returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you."

"I've met my cousin Miaoyin before. Although she grew up away from home, she's well-educated, sensible, and humble—a truly good girl. Zhao Xuelan is also exceptionally talented. I wonder which one my brother favors?"

The smile in Xie Chengyan's eyes faded slightly. He turned to look at him. "Which one?"

Xie Chengli paused, somewhat puzzled, "Wasn't Your Majesty choosing between the two of them?"

Seeing that Xie Chengyan remained silent, he suddenly realized, "Does Your Majesty have another candidate? Could it be that Miss Jiang?"

"But her identity is unknown, and she comes from the countryside. Becoming a Chenghui (a high-ranking concubine) is already the best she can hope for; she can never become the Crown Princess."

Xie Chengyan pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "Third brother is confused. My Crown Princess has already been chosen."

"You've chosen? I wonder which family's daughter she is?" Xie Chengli asked in surprise.

Xie Chengyan raised his eyes slightly and changed the subject, "The floods in Yuzhou have caused many deaths and injuries. I heard that His Majesty takes it very seriously and has summoned the Duke of Rong back to the capital?"

Xie Chengli sighed, "Yes, my maternal grandfather has been guarding the border for many years. This time, he returned from the border and hadn't even rested for two days in Yuzhou before he had to return to the capital. That's why my father summoned me today to talk about this matter."

He paused, as if thinking of something, "But it should still be some time. I need to prepare a wedding gift soon. I heard that my cousin Ruan is getting married next month. Time is tight, and I really don't know what to give her..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Chengyan slowly turned around, his gentle smile still on his face. "What...did you just say?"

Xie Chengli was puzzled. "Your Majesty, do you not know? The Empress herself bestowed this marriage upon us. The wedding will take place next month, and there aren't many days left. Although I am not her cousin, I still have to send a congratulatory gift."

Xie Chengyan listened quietly, his smile unchanged.

Those eyes, which always held a gentle smile, now resembled a bottomless, icy pool.

"I see." He spoke, his voice completely normal, and nodded to Xie Chengli. "Thank you for informing me, Third Brother."

"Thank you for informing me, Third Brother."

As he turned away, the smile in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by frost.