A smile immediately bloomed on his face as he hastily said, "Excellent, excellent! This servant thanks Your Majesty on my daughter's behalf...!"
Jiang Yu's gaze darkened slightly.
*
*
Once he stepped out of the palace gates, Prince Chen was the very picture of smug satisfaction.
'Well, now. Both of my daughters certainly know how to make their father proud.'
'My precious eldest, a peerless natural beauty with outstanding talent... just a tad lazy.'
'And my second daughter, she goes out once and catches the Emperor's eye. Now she's about to become the Empress.'
'And with her success, the status of the entire Chen Prince Mansion will rise as well.'
Prince Chen couldn't stop grinning, the laugh lines around his eyes deepening with his joy.
When he told Yu Ge the news, she froze, standing stiffly in place with her eyes downcast, her thoughts unreadable.
Still giddy with joy, Prince Chen didn't look closely enough to notice the unnatural expression on his second daughter's face. "Ah, Ge'er," he said casually, "you truly are blessed... Your older sister can't compare to you."
Hearing this, Yu Ge bit her lip so hard her knuckles turned white from clenching her fists. Then, as if she had come to a decision, she slowly unfurled her fingers.
She lowered her head with a shy smile. "Not at all. Sister is far more blessed than I."
Prince Chen nodded, quite pleased. "I only hope that after you enter the palace, you'll look out for your sister... help her find a good husband so she can live a peaceful and stable life."
At his words, Yu Ge's hands clenched into fists once more.
Yet her face was a picture of shy bliss as she said demurely, "Of course... Sister's happiness is my happiness."
But her eyes held an unfathomable emotion, churning like shadows, as if a venomous, tongue-flicking snake lay dormant within.
[System: Friendly reminder, Host. Your opportunity to enter the Imperial Palace is about to be seized by the female lead.]
When the system notification arrived, Shen Huoshui was in the middle of painting her nails a shade of red so vibrant it looked ready to drip.
Hearing this, she simply quirked her lips into a brilliant smile.
"Got it," she replied lazily.
She admired her freshly painted nails with satisfaction, waving a hand at Cui Sheng, who stood nearby. "Look. What do you think?"
Cui Sheng nodded. "They look beautiful."
Shen Lang propped her chin on her hand, utterly bored. Her gaze fixed on a single spot. "How dull."
And just like that, Shen's personal philosophy of being a troublemaker reared its head once more to wreak some havoc.
While everyone back at the mansion was busy celebrating the second young lady's impending rise to Empress, none of them had any idea that their Commandery Princess had already snuck out of the Prince Mansion to go have some fun.
She returned to the same place as last time and found that handsome fellow, Qing Mei.
When Qing Mei saw her, he seemed to stare blankly for a long moment before coming to his senses. "Forgive me," he said hastily. "I know I shouldn't stare, miss, but you look so familiar. I feel as if I've seen you somewhere before..."
Shen Lang flew into a rage. Pointing at her own face so forcefully her fingers nearly poked her in the nose, she lunged toward him. "Take a good look at me! A close look! Are you fucking telling me you really don't recognize me?!"
Qing Mei's lips parted slightly, but in the end, he just lowered his eyes. "...My apologies."
Shen Lang stared at him intently for a good long while before slowly forcing out five words, "You... are really something else."
'It wasn't that she actually liked the guy. It was just... how could a celestial beauty like her not leave even the slightest impression?'
'And what's more, how many days had it even been? Not even two full days, right?'
This dealt Shen Huoshui, who prided herself on her boundless charm, the first devastating blow in her career as a heartbreaker.
'This was simply intolerable.'
The next second, Shen Lang forced herself to calm down. A bewitching smile slowly spread across her face as she said softly, "My dear sir, it seems great men truly do have short memories..."