The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 416 Extra (Establishing a Lifetime 2)

The passerby paused slightly, then said, "A young master asked me to give this to your young lady."

Shen Qingwan came over upon hearing the sound. She took the exquisite wooden box from Zhen'er and opened the lid.

Colorful pastries were neatly arranged all over the table, and one of the yellow pastries looked like something she had eaten before.

So this pastry was... sent by Jiang Yuyan?
Shen Qingwan walked quickly out of the Shen residence. She looked around but didn't see anyone. At the end of the alley, she could see a person riding away on horseback.

Is it really him?

By evening, the things were finally mostly packed up, and Shen Qingwan and Shen Wenqian's family sat around the food trays to have their dinner.

"Wanwan, the Seventh Prince just sent word that he wants to take you to see the lanterns on the street tomorrow night. Would you like to?" Shen Wenqian paused and continued, "If you don't want to go, your father will tell him."

“Isn’t that a bad idea?” Madam Shen said with concern. “The Seventh Prince is currently the most favored by the Emperor among the princes, and his mother is a Noble Consort. If he sincerely invites us and our Shen family refuses him, will he hold a grudge against our Shen family because of this? We have just arrived in the capital, and we cannot afford to offend someone like him.”

Shen Wenqian remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he let out a long sigh. How could he not have such concerns?

Now he couldn't figure out what the Seventh Prince really meant to Shen Qingwan. If he really had feelings for Shen Qingwan, given the current situation, he might very well become the Crown Prince and the future heir apparent.

What merit or ability do they possess to be associated with the position of the Empress?

Even if the Seventh Prince is truly in love with Shen Qingwan, I'm afraid that after weighing the pros and cons, the Imperial Concubine will only choose a woman whose maternal family is more powerful and who will be more helpful to him when he ascends the throne.

So at that point, wouldn't Shen Qingwan only be able to enter the palace as a concubine?

Who can guarantee that the Seventh Prince's feelings for Shen Qingwan will remain unchanged? If the imperial concubine selection continues and more concubines are added to the harem, his favor with the emperor will be hard to maintain...

Shen Wenqian suppressed his concerns and said gently, "Wanwan, if you don't want to go, don't force yourself. Your father will talk to him. Your father believes that the Seventh Prince is a polite person and will not make things difficult for our Shen family over such a small matter."

"you really……"

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen's face darkened. "You really are willing to risk your life for your precious daughter? You promise? I'm really curious, what can you promise?"

"You!" Shen Wenqian's lips twitched with anger. "You really don't care about the child at all. She's still an unmarried girl, walking down the street with a man like this. What will happen in the future..."

Shen Wenqian paused here, there were some things he didn't want to say in front of Shen Qingwan.

If Shen Qingwan doesn't end up with the Seventh Prince in the future, wouldn't her reputation be ruined?

How important a woman's reputation is!

"You always think of her first, but you don't care about the Shen family at all. The Seventh Prince has already spoken up, so he must have taken a liking to our Wanwan. Otherwise, how could he have received the news in the palace and sent someone to deliver the message as soon as we arrived in the capital?"

“He is a man, and a prince, so naturally he doesn’t care about reputation or anything like that. Our Wanwan is a girl, how can she be like him? So what if he is a prince? I have never expected Wanwan to marry into a wealthy family. I just hope that she can find a good husband and live a peaceful life.” Shen Wenqian’s voice was deep.

"Ha." Madam Shen sneered. "You've got a good idea, thinking you don't even care about the most favored prince right now. Actually, I think since the Seventh Prince has spoken up, it wouldn't hurt to let Wanwan get to know him. Anyway, he's a prince. Even if he's just a concubine in the future, he can live a life of luxury. It's much better than me marrying someone like you, having to manage a whole family every day."

“Concubine?” Shen Wenqian’s breath hitched. “It’s amazing that you, as her own mother, could say such a thing, to accept more of your daughters as concubines.”

"So what if she's a concubine? The Seventh Prince's birth mother, Consort Ying, is also a concubine, yet she's the most favored concubine in the palace, the one the Emperor cherishes. Don't forget, when our Wanwan was born, auspicious clouds filled the sky, and even the monks said that our Wanwan has the destiny of a phoenix and is destined for wealth and nobility."

“That monk was talking about auspicious clouds and phoenixes, referring to clouds, and it was just a casual remark. I’m warning you, this is the capital, not Rongcheng. Don’t keep saying things like that and invite trouble for yourself,” Shen Wenqian said with a hint of warning.

"Alright, alright, I won't say it then. If the Seventh Prince really does inherit the throne in the future, then what the monk said might come true."

Shen Wenqian sighed helplessly and put down his chopsticks.

Madam Shen seemed completely unaffected by these arguments; after all, the two of them would argue every few days, and she had grown accustomed to it.

Madam Shen ate the rice in her bowl with gusto.

Shen Qingwan, on the other hand, would feel her mood plummet to rock bottom every time she heard her parents arguing.

She carefully put down her chopsticks. "Father, Mother, please stop arguing. Since the Seventh Prince has invited me, I will go. As for the rest, I will be careful."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenqian sighed inwardly, "Be careful when you go out with the Seventh Prince. After all, he is a prince, and the one the Emperor has doted on since childhood. If he really gives you a hard time, don't get into a conflict with him. You must protect yourself."

"Don't worry, Father, I will," Shen Qingwan said slowly.

"If you're so worried, why don't you just let Ruyan go with Wanwan? If the two girls go together, there won't be any issues with their reputation that you're concerned about."

Liu Ruyan?
Upon hearing this name, Shen Qingwan's fingers paused heavily.

She looked up and glanced in Shen Wenqian's direction, noticing a hint of hesitation on his face.

“Mother, the Seventh Prince didn’t say he would invite anyone else. It’s not appropriate for me to just bring Ruyan along.”

It's not that it's not very good.

She didn't want to take Liu Ruyan with her at all.

She knew her mother's temperament too well; if she refused directly, she would probably be subjected to another long lecture.

She knew that her mother favored Liu Ruyan.

But she just couldn't understand how her mother could be so biased, treating that niece better than her own daughter.

Even when the Seventh Prince accepted the invitation, she didn't forget to bring her along, which made Shen Qingwan feel inexplicably annoyed.

At this moment, Shen Wenqian spoke up, "It is indeed better to bring Ruyan along. If someone sees her and spreads the word, it won't affect Wanwan's reputation."

Reputation, reputation again.