Reborn Princess

Zhou Cechen said nothing, but Shen Jiyuan replied, "As a general, I wish to serve my country for the rest of my life."

Zhou Cechen picked up the teapot and poured another cup of tea for both of them.

……

When the banquet started at noon, men and women sat separately.

There has been a rule in the Duke's Mansion for generations, that is, a man can only marry one wife and cannot have concubines. The Duke has two daughters and one son, and they all brought their young ones back to the mansion today, making it very lively.

Li Helai's eldest daughter and eldest son were not in the capital, so only Shen Xilan and Zhou Cechen came to the Duke's Mansion together, but Li Yishu's son and daughter were both there, so Li Linxu and his wife were busy entertaining them.

"Cousin" Shen Lilan picked up a piece of meat for Jiang Zhiyao using a serving chopstick.

"My sister is so partial. She prefers my cousin to my cousin." Li Xihe deliberately scolded.

Shen Lilan picked up another piece of fish for Li Xihe and said, "Good sister, good sister, I want both."

Jiang Zhiyao is the daughter of Li Yishu, and Li Xihe is the daughter of Li Linxu. When they get together, they have endless things to talk about.

"Sister, are you really in love with Prince Ding'an?" Li Xihe asked in a low voice.

"Don't be fooled by the man's sweet words. Although I'm not married yet, from my experience, love is the most illusory thing."

Jiang Zhiyao nodded and said, "Sister, you have to be careful and not entrust everything to others."

Shen Xilan initially picked up some food for the two of them just to test their nerves. She didn't even dare to imagine how Zhou Cechen would respond when he was facing his cousin, grandfather, father, uncle, and aunt at the outer table.

As a result, I was unable to speak because of what my two sisters said.

"It is important for a woman to settle down and have feelings for her husband, but the most important thing is to live comfortably. I will not pin all my emotions on him, but I will pursue the affection and love I want."

"Don't worry, sisters." Shen Lilan said.

"Regardless of anything else, I agree with what you said." Jiang Zhiyao said.

"Today's banquet will be very lively. Your father can drink so much. You really have to worry about your husband."

Shen Lilan was not worried that the elders would get Zhou Cechen drunk. After all, their wives were too independent to allow them to drink too much. But it was different for her cousins. She had lived two lifetimes and knew how angry her cousins ​​were with Zhou Cechen.

"But you don't have to worry. They know what they are doing." Li Xihe said after drinking a sip of soup.

……

"Proper manner?" Li Qirui said while holding the wine jar, "Jiang Huan, didn't you say you wanted to get him drunk today? What's the point of being proper manner?"

At the banquet outside, several elders had left, leaving only a few younger generations at the table as if by tacit agreement, while the others went out to read or ice-fish.

Zhou Cechen looked at the bowl of wine in front of him, his dark eyes deep.

Today he went back to the mansion with Shen Lilan. Everyone in the Duke's Mansion treated Shen Lilan as a treasure. She had cousins, and after coming out of the study, he saw her chatting happily with those sisters and brothers.

Shen Lilan also smiled very happily.

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Lilan had so many people around her who participated in her growth, but he could not grasp those passing years that he could not see.

He wanted to go over and hold her hand, even if it was just holding without saying anything, but he knew that neither of them would be able to have a pleasant conversation if he went over, so he simply leaned against the pillar under the pavilion in the yard and watched her.

It's nice to look at her, too.

Another bowl of wine was poured down, and Li Qirui said: "Prince Ding'an used a good trick to marry our Fu Fu."

Jiang Huan was actually a little drunk. When he heard Li Qirui say this, he tried to stop him but was slapped away by him.

"What? You dare to do it but you can't let us say it?"

Zhou Cechen drank the glass of wine and chuckled, "You can say whatever you want."

This sentence angered Li Qirui again. He slammed the table and said loudly: "Do you know that you ruined Fu Fu? She was almost able to be with the person she loved."

This sentence scared Jiang Huan again, "Qi Rui, shut up." He pressed him down.

"You don't dare to say it, but I do. Our Fu Fu was almost engaged to the Qinghe Cui family, if it weren't for you!" Li Qirui pointed at him and said, "If you hadn't forced her to marry, she would have been free and unrestrained, and there would be no need for her to go to your royal family to be subject to so many rules and constraints."

"She has been trapped by the rules for so many years. Fate plays tricks on her, but you let her escape from one cage and then be locked in another. Zhou Cechen, how can you be a gentleman by acting this way?"

Jiang Huan rubbed his temple, wondering how could he speak so arrogantly.

"Okay! Li Qirui, you are drunk." Li Qirui pushed Jiang Huan away.

"I have never called myself a gentleman, nor am I a good person." Zhou Cechen spoke lightly, his voice couldn't be calmer.

"If you can't even marry or protect the one you love, don't say it's fate. There will always be someone who can protect her."

"I will not pursue the matter of the person you mentioned because you are drunk, but if you bring him up again in the future and ruin Lan'er's reputation, don't blame me for being merciless."

Zhou Cechen stood up with the help of the table, but was stopped by Li Qirui. "This jar of wine is yours."

A jar of wine was pushed in front of Zhou Cechen.

"Your Highness has drunk too much and should not drink any more." When Jiang Huan was about to take the jar of wine away, the jar was picked up by Zhou Cechen.

He drank the jar of wine gulp by gulp without frowning, as if he was just drinking a jar of plain water.

The last empty wine jar was thrown on the table, gurgling around, and a few drops of wine dripped onto the table. Zhou Cechen walked out and bumped into Shen Xilan who was running in.

Shen Lilan covered her forehead with her hands and raised her head to see Zhou Cechen, who was hugged in his arms.

The smell of alcohol wafted into Shen Lilan's nose, and she frowned, such a strong smell of alcohol.

Shen Lilan thought Zhou Cechen just wanted to hug her, but when she was about to leave, he held her tightly in his arms.

"How much did you drink?" Shen Lilan asked.

Zhou Cechen didn't say anything, he just hugged her.

This was the scene Jiang Huan saw when he helped Li Qirui out.

"Cousin." Jiang Huan called her.

Shen Xilan turned her head to look at the two of them. She stepped out of Zhou Cechen's arms and held his hand.

"Did you give him alcohol?" she asked.

No one spoke.

"We were just drinking together," Jiang Huan explained.

Shen Lilan looked up at Zhou Cechen and clenched his hand again with heartache.

"Nothing else?"

Jiang Huan remained silent.

After finishing her meal, Shen Xilan wanted to look for Zhou Cechen, but her aunts and uncles kept talking to her and she couldn't get away. When she arrived, she saw that they were all drunk.

She pulled Zhou Cechen and was about to walk out, but was stopped by her aunt who came rushing over.

"Fufu, your grandmother has something to tell you."

Shen Lilan frowned. It seemed that no one in the Duke's Mansion approved of Zhou Cechen. Seeing how drunk he was, Shen Lilan didn't want to look back.

"Go ahead." Zhou Cechen's voice was low and hoarse, and turbid with drunkenness.

Shen Yanlan said to Yanci: "Help the prince return to the carriage."

After that, Shen Lilan looked up and said to Zhou Cechen, "Wait for me in the carriage, please."