Reborn Princess

"I will teach you." Zhou Cechen said.

Shen Lilan turned her head to look at him happily, her eyes bright as if they were filled with starlight.

Shen Lilan raised his head and looked at Zhou Cechen with his deer-like eyes.

Zhou Cechen lowered his head with a slight smile between his eyebrows.

After preparing the rice paper and spreading it out, Zhou Cechen approached Shen Lilan.

He bent down slightly, and held Shen Lilan's pen-holding hand with his large hand. The masculine aura surrounded Shen Lilan.

Shen Lilan's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

With a stroke, Zhou Cechen slowly moved her hand.

The character "Lan" slowly took shape.

Shen Lilan felt as if he was in another world when he looked at that word.

Seeing Shen Yanlan staring at the words in a daze, Zhou Cechen asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Xilan was distracted for a moment, and she...wrote the word that she had not written in five years.

Shen Yanlan came back to her senses, and she asked, "Your Majesty, can you teach me calligraphy in your free time?"

Zhou Cechen did not answer her, but stared into Shen Lilan's eyes, trying to find out something from her. Shen Lilan turned her face away in confusion.

"Do you want to learn so much?" Zhou Cechen asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay." Zhou Cechen's voice was a little gentler. "When I have time in the future, I will come to teach you."

……

At dusk, the sky was covered with clouds and the sun was setting. Zhou Cechen left Xiaolanxuan and went to Liyuan Pavilion.

Stepping into the yard, the servants were sweeping the floor in an orderly manner.

Zhou Cechen did not enter the house, but walked through the corridor and came to the pavilion in the middle of the lake in the west courtyard, where he saw a dim light on.

He walked into the pavilion and saw that the bamboo curtains on three sides of the pavilion were half-drawn down. There was a chessboard on the stone table, and hot tea was bubbling on a small stove nearby, emitting white steam.

A servant was fanning the scarlet charcoal in the stove with a small fan.

Green ant new wine, red clay stove. But this wine was replaced with tea, and he enjoyed it.

Sitting on the stone bench was a man, wrapped in a frosty white fox fur coat with gold embroidery. He calmly placed the black piece on the chessboard.

After the chess piece was settled, the man took a sip of tea, savoring the taste.

"Has Ken come back from your gentle place?" the man asked in a gentle voice.

Zhou Cechen sat down opposite the man, picked up the tea that had just been poured and took a sip.

"What's the matter?" Zhou Cechen asked him directly.

"Tsk." The man shook his head and looked at the man opposite him. "I've been waiting for you for more than two hours. I've even changed two or three cups of tea. Why are you so cold to me?"

Zhou Cechen said calmly, "I think Young Marquis Lu is enjoying it very much."

Lu Hanze smiled, his slightly red lips raised, his eyes were very clear, as if they could make people fall deeply into them.

"Today is strange. I have never seen you stay in your princess's courtyard for so long. Is your princess willing to let you stay longer?"

"Are you curious about the relationship between her and me?"

Lu Hanze still smiled and said, "I hope you and your princess can live in harmony as soon as possible."

Zhou Cechen took a sip of tea and said nothing.

Seeing him like this, Lu Hanze didn't want to make himself look boring, so he ended the topic.

He said, "Yang Qian has defeated Yanbei this time and will return to the capital soon. The emperor is very pleased and will probably make him a general. The status of the Yang family is probably at its peak."

Zhou Cechen raised his eyelids and listened to Lu Hanze continue speaking.

"Yang Zhen is the prime minister of the dynasty, his son Yang Yuanming is a Hanlin scholar, his grandson Yang Qian is about to be appointed general, and if the queen in the palace gives birth to a prince..."

"When the previous emperor was in charge of government, in order to consolidate his position, the four families of Shen, Cao, Zhao, and Yang had always checked and balanced each other."

"But now the Yang family is trying to break the situation and dominate the market."

At this point, Lu Hanze chuckled and said, "Your maternal grandfather, the Yang family, is really powerful."

Zhou Cechen's voice did not convey any emotion or joy. "This is exactly the situation I want."

"In the future, I will make the Yang family more prosperous." Zhou Cechen's voice suddenly became colder.

Seeing Zhou Cechen's cooling momentum, Lu Hanze also became serious, "Jinzhi, the Yang family has been a family of scholars for generations, and the family has complicated connections inside and outside. You know that the Yang family's connections are all over the Da Qi."

"You must not lose your sense of proportion when it comes to the Yang family's affairs."

There was a slight smile in Zhou Cechen's eyes, but his aura did not drop at all.

When Lu Hanze saw his expression, he knew that what he had just said was in vain. This master might have even thought about how to deal with the aftermath of the Yang family's destruction.

Lu Hanze shook his head in self-mockery. After all, he still couldn't figure out Zhou Cechen's cunning.

Lu Hanze picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard. He looked up and smiled softly at Zhou Cechen, "You solve this game."

That night, heavy snow began to fall intermittently again, and the roofs of every household in Yanjing City were covered with a thick layer of white snow.

The ground of Prince Ding'an's Palace, which had been swept during the day, was covered with a layer of snow, and the snowy night was unusually cold.

At this moment, the lights in Xiaolanxuan had already been turned off, and the courtyard was silent and peaceful.

But the people in the warm room were not at peace.

Shen Lilan's face was pale and his brows were furrowed. His slender body curled up in the inner corner of the bed, with a few drops of sweat on his temples.

It’s so cold and painful.

Shen Lilan felt as if his entire body was chilling to the bone.

Her whole body felt as if it had been cut by a sharp knife.

Shen Lilan clenched her fists, curled herself up tighter, and bit her arm.

This pain started to occur last night and it was even worse tonight.

It seems that this is the suffering she deserves to endure in her next life.

Thinking of this, Shen Lilan smiled, with tears in his eyes. What was this little bit of suffering to be able to see Zhou Cechen?

She suffered it.

A tear fell from her eye, but her eyebrows were smiling and her eyes were shining, as bright as stars.

……

At noon the next day, Shen Lilan was awakened by Lu Nong. Lu Nong saw the dark circles under Shen Lilan's eyes and began to worry.

"Your Majesty, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Shen Lilan shook his head.

Seeing Lu Nong's worried face, Shen Yanlan chuckled and said, "Your frown is almost as deep as when Nanny Lin complains. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"My lady, please stop teasing me. The prince has been waiting in the dining hall for more than half an hour."

Shen Lilan suddenly lost all her sleepiness. She asked, "What time is it now? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Seeing her queen so anxious, Lu Nong smiled and said, "The prince loves her and ordered us not to disturb her. If Nanny Lin didn't think it was against the rules for the prince to wait too long, you would still be sleeping."

"Hurry up and wash me, hurry up."

……

When Shen Lilan arrived at the dining room, Zhou Cechen was sitting on a chair nearby, reading a book.

The book must have been picked up randomly from a nearby shelf. He flipped through the pages slowly, revealing a hint of laziness.

The maids and old women beside them all lowered their heads and dared not breathe.

Shen Lilan took two quick steps into the dining room.

"Your Majesty."

Zhou Cechen put down the book and looked up, his eyes directed at Shen Lilan.

He had never seen her wear the lotus-colored double-breasted jacket and skirt that she was wearing today.

Seeing Zhou Cechen looking at him but not responding, Shen Yanlan called out "Prince" again.

"Hmm" Zhou Cechen came back to his senses.

"Serve the meal," he instructed the maid beside him.

As soon as the two of them sat down at the pear wood table, Liuchun came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Madam Shen's attendant, Madam Shen, is here."

Lu Nong and Chao Yun stood behind Shen Xilan and looked at each other. Liu Chun came in and only paid his respects to the prince, not paying any attention to the rules.

Shen Lilan looked at Liuchun leisurely, she really knows how to dress up.

Zhou Cechen said nothing. He turned to look at Shen Lilan and asked, "Do you want to see me?"

Shen Yanlan responded, "Yes."

She raised her red lips slightly and said leisurely, "Please come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone came in, followed by four maids.

Shen Lilan looked at this group of people, thinking that he would not disappear.

Nanny Shen came in and greeted everyone, but she looked at Shen Xilan calmly.

When Zhou Cechen saw this scene, his brows furrowed and his demeanor became a little colder.

He said in a deep voice, "Is this the rule that Old Madam Shen taught you?"

Nanny Shen had no choice but to lower her head. She smiled and said, "Our old lady knows that the princess likes to eat snacks, so she just hired a cook these few days. His cooking skills are very good, and she asked the maids to bring some cakes."

Just as she was about to open the food box of the maid beside her, Birui came with the maids from the palace to bring breakfast.

I saw the meal dishes, soups and porridge, placed on the pear wood table one by one, more than a dozen in total.

Nanny Shen withdrew her hand angrily.

"The old lady said that she hasn't seen you since you got married and she misses you very much. She hopes you can visit her when you have free time."

Shen Lilan didn't answer her. She chuckled and said, "Thank you, grandma. Remember that I like snacks."

Nanny Shen was not as afraid of Shen Lilan as she was of Zhou Cechen, but she did not expect Shen Lilan to answer her like this.

Before she married into the palace, Miss Shen Third had always abided by the rules. She would never be so condescending and tease herself with interest.

"Of course the old lady is worried about the queen."

"Then I will naturally choose a good day to go back and see my grandmother." Shen Lilan said.

After Nanny Shen left, Shen Xilan was not affected. She picked up the spoon and started drinking the porridge, and also served a bowl to Zhou Cechen.

Lu Nong said, "Your Majesty, that Shen Ma is too arrogant. We had to tolerate her when she was in the Shen Mansion, and now she has followed her to the Wang Mansion."

"He's just taking advantage of the power of his master." Shen Lilan said.

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the dining room became even quieter.

As if she realized what she had just said, she was about to save the situation when she heard Zhou Cechen say "hmm".

Zhou Cechen said, "Now that you are Princess Ding'an, no one can force you to do something you don't want to do."

Shen Lilan's mood suddenly improved.

Shen Lilan drank a mouthful of porridge, then picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of sour bamboo shoots for Zhou Cechen.

Zhou Cechen ate it, and Shen Lilan picked up another piece of yam and put it into Zhou Cechen's bowl.

Zhou Cece looked up at Shen Lilan, but saw that she was still lowering her head to pick up food for him: pickled water chestnuts, steamed cakes with sugar, shrimp dumplings...

She took most of the dishes and snacks on the table for herself. Zhou Cechen lowered his eyes to look at his plate, which was already full of food.

What does she mean? Zhou Cechen felt more and more as if he had never understood the person sitting in front of him.

Shen Lilan stopped eating and looked up, seeing Zhou Cechen looking at him. Their eyes met, but this time Shen Lilan did not look away, but looked at Zhou Cechen with a smile on his face.

"Does Your Majesty have any official business to attend to tomorrow?" she asked.

"I will discuss this matter with Mr. Wang Zongzheng tomorrow," he replied.

Shen Yanlan continued to ask, "What about the day after tomorrow? I promised my grandmother that I would go to her place. Can the prince accompany me?"

Zhou Cechen still looked at her steadily. She wanted him to accompany her to the Shen Mansion?

"Prince?" Shen Lilan called Zhou Cechen again.

"I have nothing to do tomorrow." Zhou Cechen's voice was slightly hoarse.

"Didn't the prince say that he would discuss matters with Wang Zongzhengqing tomorrow?"

"My king remembered it wrongly. The meeting will be held the day after tomorrow."

Shen Yanlan nodded, "Then Your Majesty, can you go with me?"

"it is good."