The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

That night, inside the Jiaofang Palace, Wulan Yun personally poured Shen Wangxi a cup of warm wine.

"Your Majesty, now that the political situation has been stabilized, the palace should also be filled with some joy." Her voice was gentle.

"I think it would be better to hold a spring banquet and invite some young men to the palace, so that the children can relax a bit."

Shen Wangxi accepted the cup, his expression relaxed. He had never interfered much in these trivial matters of the harem, leaving them entirely to Wulan Yun to manage.

"You can arrange it." He took a sip of wine, his tone indifferent, without giving it much thought.

Wulan Yun observed his expression and, seeing that he showed no displeasure, continued in a gentle voice:

"Speaking of which, Qingruo is already sixteen years old and has spent a year by the side of the Emperor of Daliang. Staying in the palace all the time will not do her any good for her reputation."

"If there is a virtuous and talented young man available, Your Majesty may grant her a marriage, which would fulfill the bond between you and her as father and daughter and give her a place to settle down."

Shen Wangxi paused slightly in the hand holding the cup.

Marry someone? The image of his youngest daughter flashed through his mind.

For him, finding her a stable marriage and a peaceful life together seemed like a good arrangement.

It's better than letting her live forever in the shadow of Ah Yan in this deep palace because of her awkward status, feeling wronged and pitiful.

"Alright." Shen Wangxi put down his cup. "The selection of a person needs to be careful. They don't need to be from a noble family. As long as they have a clean family background and good character, that's enough. You can take care of this matter."

"Your Majesty understands," Wulan Yunrou replied compliantly, a hint of relief in her eyes. As expected, His Majesty had not objected.

When the news reached Qingyi Palace, Shen Qingruo was dressing up in front of the mirror.

Upon hearing the palace maid's cautious report, her hand, holding the jade comb, froze in mid-air.

A spring banquet? A marriage proposal for her?

Ha, that mother and daughter, on the surface they say nice things for her own good, but in reality they just can't wait to kick her away, this eyesore of a stumbling block.

Did they ever consider what kind of good family she could be given to, given her title as a former concubine of the previous dynasty?

They were nothing more than some impoverished families who needed to rely on Princess Shang to climb the social ladder and gain imperial favor, or some petty people who just wanted to use her as a raft to curry favor with Shen Wangxi.

They didn't care whether she lived or died; they just wanted to get her out of their sight.

"Aruo..." Xiao Jiu called out worriedly in her mind.

Shen Qingruo took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Don't panic, don't lose your composure.

"Understood." She spoke calmly to the palace servant who had come to deliver the message. "Thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty. Aruo will follow your instructions."

After the palace servants left, the hall returned to silence.

Shen Qingruo walked to the window and looked at the spring scenery in the courtyard.

Her voice was soft, yet firm, "Xiao Jiu, they want to marry me off and force me to accept my fate."

"But I won't."

The Empress acted swiftly, and the Spring Banquet arrived in no time.

The banquet was held by the Qinfang Pavilion in the Imperial Garden, where a warm breeze rustled the willows and a hundred flowers were just beginning to bloom.

Shen Qingruo wore a light-colored, fitted long dress, her black hair simply tied up and adorned with a plain hairpin. She was dressed more simply than any of the noble ladies present.

But as soon as she appeared, she still attracted a lot of attention. She had a full chest, a perky butt, an excessively delicate face, and fair, translucent skin.

A look of amazement flashed in the eyes of many young people, but soon that amazement turned into weighing and estrangement.

Who doesn't know Princess Qingruo's true situation? A princess born out of wedlock, not valued by His Majesty, and even once married off as a hostage to the former emperor for a year.

His Majesty's decision to bring her back now is merely to save face; the real power lies with the Empress's sons, the Prince of Xiaoyao and the Princess Protector of the Nation.

Marrying her might seem like climbing the social ladder, but in reality, it's like taking on a hot potato.

They may have gained some favor from His Majesty for now, but what good will come of it when the Prince of Xiaoyao or the Princess ascends the throne? What kind of fate awaits these families who married former concubines of the previous dynasty?

Furthermore, a woman who had been with a former emperor, no matter how noble her status, was no longer innocent.

Who in a wealthy and powerful family would want to marry such a woman as their principal wife? It would only make them a laughingstock.

Therefore, most of the truly outstanding young talents from prominent families would only glance at them from afar before looking away and turning to chat and laugh with other noble ladies, or fawn over Shen Jingyan and Shen Yinian.

Only those sons of lowly families, or those from families on the verge of collapse, eager to seize the opportunity before them, would cast their eager gaze upon Shen Qingruo.

Among them, Sun Hongwen, the son of a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of War, was the most blatant.

He wore a royal blue brocade robe and tried his best to appear elegant, his gaze fixed on Shen Qingruo, lingering on her chest.

His family had long since fallen on hard times, and his father was a marginal figure in the Ministry of War. If he could marry a princess, even this awkward one, it would be an immense windfall of wealth.

As for whether the princess was innocent, he scoffed inwardly. He figured he'd just gotten a free high-class prostitute; such a beauty would surely be intoxicating to have under him.

Shen Qingruo sat upright in her seat, her eyes lowered and obedient. Feeling that nauseating gaze, her fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.

"Xiao Jiu," she called out coldly in her heart, "help me investigate that person."

The orb of light flashed rapidly: "Aruo, we've found it."

"Sun Hongwen's father, Sun Ming, is a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of War. On the surface, he appears respectable, but in reality, he is a scoundrel and a regular at brothels in the capital. He is also heavily in debt and has almost squandered the family's wealth."

Shen Qingruo felt a chill.

Just then, Wulan Yun, sitting at the head of the table, swept her gaze across the entire room, noticing Sun Hongwen's eager eyes and the indifference of the other high-ranking family members towards Shen Qingruo. She then made a plan in her mind.

She turned her head and said softly to Shen Jingyan beside her, "Ayan, look at that young master Sun, he's quite handsome, and he seems to care a lot about Qingruo."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingyan nodded repeatedly.

But she turned around, picked up a round fan to cover half her face, a pleased smile on her lips, and whispered to Shen Yinian beside her, "Brother, look, Mother has taken a liking to that Young Master Sun. Isn't she good-looking? They seem quite well-matched."

Shen Yinian waved his folding fan, looking relaxed and detached. Hearing this, he simply smiled and did not reply.

He knew perfectly well what kind of person Sun Hongwen was, but he couldn't be bothered with such a trivial matter.

What does it matter to him who his unimportant sister marries?

The mother and her two children, one satisfied and the other watching the show, tacitly pushed Shen Qingruo into the fire pit.

Shen Qingruo took it all in stride: Wu Lanyun's bewildered and perfunctory satisfaction, Shen Jingyan's undisguised malice, and Shen Yinian's indifferent detachment.

She lowered her eyes, concealing the disgust and coldness in them.

She will never let those cold-hearted people have their way.