RWNEFE -Chapter 387 The Crown Prince Is Granted a Kingly Title

“Mother, am I not your daughter?”

“Why do you only care about eldest sister and never about me?”

“Mother, do you even know how difficult life has been for me in the mansion…”

Soon after, Shen Yuantang came out carrying a box.

Shen Lanxi stepped forward to meet her.

“Eldest sister, Mother pitied how hard my life in the mansion has been, so she secretly supported me a bit. You wouldn’t hold that against her, right?” Shen Yuantang said, her tone provocative.

Shen Lanxi looked at her steadily, and two figures appeared beside her.

Shen Yuanjun and Shen Yuanqing stood on either side of Shen Lanxi.

Shen Yuantang’s grip on the box tightened, and her smug smile froze awkwardly, distorting her face.

“Brother… younger brother…”

Shen Yuanjun and Shen Yuanqing frowned at Shen Yuantang, their disbelief still raw and uncontained.

How could someone they grew up with turn out like this?

“It’s fine, I’ll go first,” Shen Yuantang said, lowering her face, and slipped away clutching the box.

Perhaps out of guilt, she lowered her head and quickened her pace as she passed by the two.

“Third sister…” Shen Yuanqing looked back toward the direction Shen Yuantang had gone.

“How did she become like this?” he murmured in puzzlement.

Shen Lanxi: “I’ve warned her no fewer than five times.”

To the two brothers, that sentence felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

When their eldest sister called them here, it was not merely to show them or to say that one sentence.

“Has Eldest Sister given up on Yuantang?” Shen Yuanjun asked, his voice heavy.

Shen Lanxi closed her eyes with the determination of someone making a final decision.

“She is no longer of one mind with us.”

The brothers’ hearts sank further.

“Eldest sister, what will happen to her like this?” Shen Yuanjun asked, knowing that their Shen family did not want to appear so fragile on the surface.

No one could predict when their house might crumble.

Shen Lanxi: “Everyone has their own fate. Since the path she chooses is not aligned with ours, the destination she reaches in the end will naturally be different.”

“Whether it’s life or death, wealth or poverty, it’s her own choice.”

Shen Yuanjun bowed his head, his gaze full of inner conflict.

“Eldest sister, can I go to the northwest to find Second Brother?”

Shen Lanxi: “Not yet.”

Shen Yuanjun: “The people in the capital are too complicated. It’s better to fight at the frontier. Both Dongchuan and the northwest are freer than the capital.”

Shen Lanxi: “If you grow tired of staying in the capital, go ride horses for a while. After Shen Yuanxin’s wedding, I will arrange your marriage with Liu Yangui.”

Shen Yuanjun froze. In the next moment, joy spread across his face.

“Eldest sister, you mean she agreed?”

Shen Lanxi slowly raised the corner of her mouth and shot him a look.

“You think I don’t know you’ve already been together with Liu Yangui?”

Shen Yuanjun’s face instantly turned red.

“Eldest sister, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I—”

Shen Lanxi interrupted: “Boy, I understand young love.”

Shen Yuanjun smiled sheepishly.

“Focus on the tasks I’ve given you. Everything else, I, as your eldest sister, will handle for you.”

Shen Yuanjun’s face lit up with excitement: “Thank you, Eldest Sister!”

Thinking of the items Shen Yuantang had just taken, Shen Lanxi’s smile deepened.

“When arranging Yuanxin’s marriage, the family had to scrape together gifts from all directions. You’ll have to rely on yourself for your own betrothal gifts.”

“Recently, Yuantang has taken many things from Mother. You are also Mother’s child, and you’ll soon be marrying. Go speak to her and see how much you can get for your betrothal!”

Shen Yuanjun was straightforward; he had items in the storage and didn’t want to ask Mother for them.

Shen Lanxi patiently instructed: “If you refuse, let Yuantang take it all to Prince Zhen’nan’s mansion.”

Shen Yuanqing also listened carefully.

“Let’s go talk to Mother about your marriage!”

Before Shen Yuanjun could react, Shen Yuanqing pulled him along.

The next day, Emperor Renxiao issued an imperial edict granting the Crown Prince a kingly title. The edict stated that he would be formally conferred on the day of the late Empress’s death anniversary.

The edict had barely been announced when a gust of wind swept through the harem.

The wind reached Chaoyun Hall, turning into a fierce storm.

“Granted a kingly title for such a trivial matter!” A teapot crashed heavily to the ground.

Consort Shu’s face turned pale, and she smashed things in frustration, sweating profusely.

“Your Highness, calm yourself! Be careful of the child in your womb!”

“Your Highness, Prince Zhen’nan will be returning in a few days. That old, neglected prince cannot compare to our Prince Zhen’nan.”

“Our Prince Zhen’nan is the God of War of the Great Zhou, a hero with great achievements. No other prince could even compare to a finger of our Prince.”

Consort Shu understood the reasoning, but the fire in her heart could not be contained. She just wanted to vent her anger and felt physically uncomfortable.

“I don’t understand why Zhou Rulin suddenly appeared in the capital and the Emperor does not punish him at all?” She realized it was obvious: the Emperor personally called him back.

It must be because of repeated failures in Dongchuan and the northwest, and that little shameless girl provoked the Emperor to dislike her son.

All because of that little wretch.

And Shen Lanxi—if he hadn’t married Shen Lanxi, her son wouldn’t have become a laughingstock.

Which man doesn’t have multiple wives and concubines? Many nobles in the capital maintain mistresses, favor concubines while dismissing wives, or have countless female attendants. No one laughs at them. Why focus only on her son?

The heir to the throne must be flawless. Now her son is tainted. The Emperor was previously tolerant, but this time he surely won’t forgive.

Consort Shu’s eyes were filled with cold determination as she thought of the origin of the events.

First, eliminate the wretched girl who seduced her son, then eliminate Shen Lanxi.

After a year or two, when people forget the matter, the Emperor would surely remember her son’s merits.

“Send someone to deal with that wretch thoroughly.”

“Yes!”

Before the person could leave, a scream rang out in Chaoyun Hall:

“Something’s wrong! Your Highness is bleeding! Quickly summon the imperial physician…”

…

Zhou Cheng’an visited the Judging Grand Mansion once again.

Upon arrival, he knelt before Shen Lanxi.

“Sister Lanxi, thank you for seeking justice for Sister Yunxue!”

Shen Lanxi: “Justice is not fully served yet. The Emperor said that if the Ji Mansion does not pursue it, your sister cannot get the divorce papers nor reclaim her dowry.”

Zhou Cheng’an: “Sister is dead. Those are just material things. I just hope those people stop criticizing her!”

Shen Lanxi shook her head. People with dark intentions don’t care about cause and effect. They will scold without reason.

“Prince Zhen’nan will soon bring your sister’s body back to the capital. She definitely won’t be buried in the ancestral grave.”

Zhou Cheng’an: “That’s fine. She would not have liked the family there anyway.”

This young man was surprisingly open-minded.

“Sister Lanxi, may I stay by your side and help you in the future?”