After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The moving of the boxes and trunks in the front yard wasn't finished until dusk.

The welcoming banquet that evening was held in the main hall. Uncle Xu directed the servants to set out a table full of dishes, steaming hot, so hot that the window paper fogged up.

Xiao Changqi changed into a pomegranate red brocade robe, and the white jade pendant at his waist made him even more flamboyant. A gold fan was tucked into his belt, and he walked with a gust of wind.

He plopped down, and before he could even pick up his chopsticks, he saw a wheelchair next to him.

Xiao Changgeng was pushed over by Xuan Qi at some point. He was wrapped tightly in a black outer robe and had an indifferent expression.

"Big brother!" Xiao Changqi's eyes lit up. "Long time no see! How's your leg?"

Xiao Changgeng glanced at him, but did not answer. He simply picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip.

If they remain silent, it means there's no improvement.

Xiao Changqi wasn't annoyed that he ignored him. He chuckled and put a piece of braised pork knuckle into his bowl.

"Eat meat to replenish your body, or you'll become as thin as a bamboo pole."

Xiao Changgeng frowned as he looked at the glistening pork knuckle in the bowl, and silently pushed the bowl half an inch to the side.

Shen Jingque sat next to Shen Yan, her short legs barely touching the ground, wobbling and kicking the chair legs, but her gaze never left the direction of the main seat.

Xiao Mingyue sat at the head of the table, and Shen Yan was seated to her left.

This position is quite delicate.

Logically, the adopted sons should have sat on the left and right, but Xiao Mingyue had Shen Yan's bowl and chopsticks placed there without changing her expression, and no one dared to utter a sound.

Shen Yan sat upright, carefully picking up food with his chopsticks, as if afraid of touching Xiao Mingyue's sleeve next to him.

But Xiao Mingyue wouldn't give him that chance to avoid suspicion.

She glanced at the empty bowls and plates in front of Shen Yan, reached out and picked up a piece of steamed sea bass, placing it steadily into his bowl.

"Fish is warming and nourishing, so eat more of it."

Shen Yan's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

His ears visibly burned, the crimson color spreading from the tips of his ears all the way to the base of his neck, as if someone had lit a fire underneath.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I can do it myself."

He lowered his voice so much that only Shen Jingque next to him could hear it.

Xiao Mingyue didn't say anything more, picked up her wine cup and took a sip, her expression remaining normal.

Shen Yan buried his head and ate the piece of fish, then secretly glanced at the bowl in front of Xiao Mingyue.

She only ate two bites of vegetables, but drank quite a bit of wine.

He hesitated for a moment, then used serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of lotus root from the lotus root and pork rib soup and put it into Xiao Mingyue's bowl.

My hands were trembling slightly with nervousness.

"Your Highness has been busy traveling to and from the palace lately, and drinking alcohol has upset your stomach. Please eat something to tide you over."

After saying that, he buried his head back into his bowl.

Xiao Mingyue looked at the lotus root in the bowl, smiled slightly, and ate it with a calm expression.

Shen Jingque watched with great interest, her cheeks stuffed with rice, her mouth stretched so wide it almost reached her ears.

Goodness, her dad's flirting style is so innocent, it's inexplicably adorable.

Xiao Changqi sat opposite him, chopsticks dangling in mid-air, looking constipated.

He watched the seamless coordination between the two as they passed the dishes back and forth, and his peach blossom eyes were filled with four big words.

It's so offensive!

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, he met Xiao Mingyue's sweeping gaze.

He had no choice but to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue, along with the ribs in his mouth.

"cough."

Xiao Changqi coughed lightly and turned to look for Xiao Changgeng.

"Big brother, did you see that?"

Xiao Changgeng took a sip of soup without any change in expression.

"What do you see?"

"That one..." Xiao Changqi gestured with his chopsticks towards the opposite side.

Xiao Changgeng didn't even lift his eyelids. "I'm not blind."

Xiao Changqi waited for a long time, but nothing came of it. He grew impatient: "That's it? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Xiao Changgeng picked up a cabbage leaf, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and swallowed it.

"My godmother's meaning was already very clear the day the Shen father and daughter entered the mansion."

Xiao Changqi's lips twitched, and he looked at his older brother with disbelief.

"So you knew all along? And you didn't tell me?"

"You're in Lingnan." Xiao Changgeng finally looked up at him. "Did you send a message by carrier pigeon to tell your adoptive mother that she's taken a liking to a man?"

Xiao Changqi rolled his eyes, speechless.

The meal lasted for most of the hour, and everyone at the table was stuffed with dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

Shen Yan was so embarrassed that she buried her head in her bowl all night.

As soon as the last dessert soup was removed from the table, he stood up almost as if he had been launched into the air.

"Your Highness, I will take Little Sparrow back to rest now."

Before Xiao Mingyue could answer, he had already grabbed Shen Jingque and strode towards the door.

Shen Jingque was held under her father's arm like a little chick being carried away, her legs dangling in the air.

"Dad! I haven't finished that osmanthus cake yet!"

Shen Yan ignored him and fled as fast as he could.

Back at Xiling Residence, Shen Jingque kicked the door shut.

Shen Yan was forced into a chair by her.

His ears were still red, his hands were twisting his sleeves, and his gaze was fixed on the patterns on the table, but he dared not look at his daughter.

Shen Jingque moved a small stool and sat properly opposite him.

She looked up at him without saying a word.

Shen Yan, who had been stared at for a long time, finally spoke.

"You... just ask whatever you want."

"Father, what happened between you and Her Highness the Princess?"

Shen Yan swallowed hard, his voice broken and intermittent.

"His Highness came to the library to see me after returning from the palace today."

"Um."

"She said... the Empress Dowager arranged for a man named Wang Changhe in the Cining Palace to force her to agree to the marriage in person."

Shen Jingque nodded and waited patiently.

"His Highness said she has a blank marriage certificate bestowed by the late Emperor." Shen Yan's voice trailed off. "All that's needed is to fill in the consort's name, and it's equivalent to an imperial decree bestowing the marriage upon her. No one can disobey it."

"She planned to finalize the marriage before the Empress Dowager issued the decree."

"His Highness asked me if I was willing."

Xilingju was extremely quiet, with only the occasional soft popping of the oil lamp wick on the table.

Shen Jingque dragged the small stool forward half an inch. "What was your answer?"

Shen Yan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his ears were red all the way to his collarbone.

I said...I'm willing.

He paused, then added, his voice carrying a sense of grievance and timidity that even he himself didn't realize.

"I'm just a little worried, Your Highness, do you really not mind someone as useless as me?"

Shen Jingque sighed inwardly.

Her father is great in every way, except for this stubborn inferiority complex, which is as persistent as psoriasis and impossible to shake off.

Fortunately, Xiao Mingyue acted decisively.

Other women have to go through a period of ambiguity and testing before they can date.

Her Highness the Eldest Princess, on the other hand, went straight to the point. Decisive and efficient, without any hesitation.

No wonder he's the powerful figure she most wants to curry favor with.

Shen Jingque stared at Shen Yan for a long while.

"Father, I have a question for you. Think it through before you answer."

Shen Yan raised his head and looked at his daughter with unusual seriousness.

"Did you agree to Her Highness's request because you felt you should repay the favor by marrying her, since she saved my daughter and me, or do you genuinely have feelings for the Princess?"

Shen Yan's expression was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.

His lips moved, and he frowned in embarrassment.

His eyes darted away, but he finally couldn't withstand his daughter's probing gaze.

He jumped to his feet.

It's getting late.

Before Shen Jingque could react, her father lifted her off the stool and pushed her and the stool together to the doorway.

"It's time for the children to go to sleep."

The door slammed shut in front of her, almost pinching the tip of her nose.

She heard a rustling sound coming from inside the door, and slowly a smile curved her lips.

No need to answer.

The answer was already written on her father's face.

Shen Jingque turned and walked towards her small room. The night breeze blew into the covered corridor, making it chilly, but it couldn't blow away the smile she couldn't hide on her face.

Halfway there, the system's voice suddenly rang in her mind.

[Ding! New side quest detected: Shen Yan is about to become the consort of the Princess Zhenguo, and the host's social identity will undergo a major change.]

[Hint: The male lead, Xiao Jingchen, has begun investigating the host and is expected to meet the host within three days, thus beginning a new storyline.]

Shen Jingque paused, her smile fading considerably.

Three days?