After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Chapter 181 Meeting the Eldest Princess (3)

Wen Jiayue noticed Shen Fuhan's gaze and looked at him.

He didn't meet her gaze; instead, he lowered his eyes and put down his teacup.

Wen Jiayue didn't look at him much, keeping her eyes lowered and remaining silent.

Li Zhilan looked at their expressions and curled the corners of her lips.

After a long silence, Li Zhixu finally spoke up: "I'm a little hungry. Why don't we eat and chat at the same time?"

The four took their seats in order. This time, Wen Jiayue sat next to Shen Fuhan and opposite Li Zhilan.

The food served on the pleasure boat consisted of freshly caught fish and shrimp, and was prepared to be exceptionally delicious.

But Li Zhilan's expression was not good, and he said with a stern face, "How did you do your job!"

Her voice was crisp and clear, and it sounded even more forceful when she was angry.

In an instant, a group of people knelt down below.

Li Zhixu asked, puzzled, "Elder sister, what's wrong?"

He thought the dishes tasted quite fresh.

The imperial kitchen in the palace made all the dishes too exquisite, which made them lose their flavor.

Li Zhilan sneered, "It's all fish, how can Lord Shen eat that?"

Li Zhixu then suddenly remembered that Shen Aiqing did not eat fish.

"However, I feel that my elder sister understands Minister Shen better than Madam Shen does?"

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Li Zhilan paused for a moment, then calmly explained.

"Lord Shen is a guest. Only when the guest eats well can both host and guest be happy."

As she spoke, she looked at Wen Jiayue and asked with a smile, "Does Madam Shen have any dietary restrictions? I forgot to ask earlier."

Wen Jiayue gently shook her head.

She could tell that Li Zhilan had no intention of asking her at all, and was just making up a story about it later.

However, she did gain a new understanding of the current relationship between Shen Fuhan and Li Zhilan.

Li Zhilan could have simply remained silent about what the Emperor said; his tacit agreement only fueled further speculation.

However, Li Zhilan tried her best to conceal it, clearly not wanting the Emperor to know her thoughts.

However, two and a half years later, Li Zhilan will stop at nothing to take her life.

What exactly happened in between?

"Pass down the order: everyone on the pleasure boat today shall receive ten strokes of the cane."

Li Zhilan's voice pulled Wen Jiayue back to reality.

Shen Fuhan suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, please don't get angry. It's not appropriate to punish servants for such a trivial matter. I can eat something else."

Li Zhilan frowned and said, "But I remember you can't even stand the smell of fish..."

After a pause, she suddenly realized that Shen Fuhan still showed no change in expression after all this time.

Wen Jiayue's heart skipped a beat. Would Shen Fuhan reveal that she ate fish in front of him every day?

If she were to actually say it, Li Zhilan would definitely hate her even more.

She was racking her brains for a solution when she heard Shen Fuhan speak calmly.

“My nephew loves to eat fish. These days, he has been having dinner in my courtyard. It’s just a matter of satisfying his appetite. So, after smelling it so often, I’ve gotten used to it.”

Wen Jiayue was stunned. He actually didn't tell the truth?

In an instant, she understood his intention.

The more distant he appears from his wife, the more likely he is to win the favor of the princess in the future.

Wen Jiayue chuckled self-deprecatingly. It was a shame she was still trying to come up with a solution, when it turned out the other person had no intention of revealing the truth at all.

However, she and Shen Fuhan arrived at the same destination by different paths, so she should actually thank him.

Her mind raced, but Wen Jiayue showed nothing, focusing on her meal.

Li Zhilan had already discussed Shen Chengyao's matter with Shen Fuhan.

"How old is Lord Shen's nephew?"

Shen Fuhan said, "He is not yet five years old, so I will temporarily act as his teacher."

Li Zhilan nodded slightly, then changed the subject: "I remember, Lord Shen's daughter must be about six months old, right?"

Mentioning Zhao Zhao, Wen Jiayue instantly tensed up.

The image of Zhao Zhao's pale face kept flashing through my mind, and my hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.

Afraid of losing her composure, she simply put down her chopsticks.

The slight noise caught Li Zhilan's attention, and she smiled and asked, "Why isn't Madam Shen eating?"

Wen Jiayue forced a smile: "I wasn't hungry to begin with, I was full after just a couple of bites."

Li Zhilan then asked her about Zhaozhao.

Wen Jiayue clenched her fists tightly before calmly replying, "My daughter is seven months old."

"Lord Shen and Madam Shen are both beautiful, so their daughter must be quite pretty too. I'd like to see her."

Wen Jiayue's breathing suddenly became rapid. What was Li Zhilan planning to do?!

She knew that Li Zhilan wouldn't take action at this stage, and that he was probably just being polite, but the things that happened in her past life still made her afraid.

Before she could politely decline, Shen Fuhan said, "Your Highness is of noble status, why should you condescend to visit my humble abode? When Zhaozhao grows up, I will have her pay her respects to you."

Li Zhilan smiled and said, "Minister Shen has thought things through very well."

Wen Jiayue immediately felt her strength give way.

The painted boat slowly cruised around the river before returning to its original location.

As dusk fell, Shen Fuhan, using the excuse that he still had to tutor his nephew that evening, took Wen Jiayue back to the mansion first.

Li Zhilan smiled and nodded, but his expression slowly turned cold after he turned away.

She stared at their backs as if she wanted to bore holes through them.

There was still some distance between them, and they didn't even touch each other, but for some reason, she could sense a certain intimacy between them.

Li Zhilan's eyes flashed with jealousy and resentment.

She can't even stand openly beside Shen Fuhan, so what right does the Wen family have?

As the two figures receded into the distance, Li Zhilan gradually returned to normal.

He's just a man, after all. She waved her hand. What kind of man can't she get? Why hang herself on Shen Fuhan?

"Sister, what are you looking at?" Li Zhixu came closer.

Li Zhilan came to her senses and said with a smile, "Look, how well-matched Minister Shen and Madam Shen are."

“Yes,” Li Zhixu agreed wholeheartedly, “I have long felt that they are a good match.”

Li Zhilan narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean by that?"

Li Zhixu said, "On the day of the New Year's Eve palace banquet, I let the couple stroll in the Imperial Garden. I secretly followed them to see how they got along, and I felt that they were a perfect match."

"How did Your Majesty figure it out?" Li Zhilan asked casually.

"Huh? How do you explain that?" Li Zhixu scratched his head. "You can tell by looking at it."

He felt that although they looked awkward together, they had compatible personalities.

Li Zhilan clenched her fists.

Then Li Zhixu spoke again: "However, today, the two of them seemed much more distant, and they didn't say more than a few words. I need to find an opportunity to advise Minister Shen."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhilan's expression immediately softened considerably.

She said calmly, "Your Majesty is meddling too much. You should first take better care of your own harem."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhixu sighed deeply.

"Your Majesty, you really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics. I've lost all interest in sightseeing. Let's go back to the palace."