Chapter 434: Chapter 432: But at that time, he had not yet taken her hand
Xue Ling ascended the final step.
He looked behind Shen Yinning.
The young woman was dressed in a green gauze coat embroidered with jade rabbit patterns, paired with a buttoned jacket and skirt. Her hair was styled into a bride’s coiffure, with fresh, pink Haitang flowers adorning her temples.
From his angle, he couldn’t see her hidden face, but he could almost imagine her tear-rimmed eyes in this moment.
He tilted his head, his thin lips curling into a mischievous sneer. "Xue Mianmian, I’m talking to you. What are you hiding from?"
But she was like a mute gourd, refusing to say a word no matter what.
His eyebrows arched in displeasure, and with heavy steps, he walked toward Shen Yinning, attempting to pull her out from hiding.
"Brother-in-law."
A voice, carrying a trace of laughter, suddenly sounded.
It was Guan Songyuan.
Guan Songyuan bowed politely toward Xue Ling. "It’s been a while since we last met, Brother-in-law. Are you well?"
Shen Yinning looked on with amusement.
Clearly, Guan Songyuan was aware of the punishment Xue Ling had endured by family law, yet he still inquired about his well-being so openly.
Guan Songyuan...
This man was no simple figure.
Xue Ling stared at him without a word, only raising his chin slightly in reluctant acknowledgment.
"I’ve been busy these past days preparing for the Spring Imperial Examination," Guan Songyuan explained. "It’s only after the recent test that I had some free time to bring Mianmian out for the feast and gathering. This time, I felt my answers went smoothly. If nothing unexpected occurs, I believe I’ll earn the title of Jinshi. My father-in-law has promised to introduce me to Prime Minister Shangguan and Chief of Staff Pei. I’m looking forward to it greatly."
The previous Six Ministers’ Chief of Staff had originally been Xue Gong.
After Xue Gong’s resignation, Xue Ling had his sights set on the position. However, he was turned down by Lu Ying on account of his insufficient seniority and was instead granted the role of Five Armies Left Commander. While this title didn’t carry the same rank as the Chief of Staff, it was a direct command under the Emperor, granting authority over 100,000 Imperial Guards within the capital—a position of critical, tangible power.
The current Chief of Staff, Pei, was an old friend of Xue Gong.
For Xue Gong, building connections in the bureaucracy for someone like Guan Songyuan was a trivial matter. Moreover, with his family’s eldest son having caused the scandal of a public bride-snatching, both sentimentally and logically, compensating Guan Songyuan was the appropriate course of action.
Guan Songyuan turned to Xue Mianmian again, his voice gentle: "Mianmian, come here quickly. The banquet is about to start."
Xue Mianmian bit her lower lip and slowly shuffled to his side.
Guan Songyuan entwined his fingers with hers, his usual mild smile unwavering. "Commandery Princess, Brother-in-law, we’ll head in to take our seats first."
Shen Yinning and Xue Ling watched the pair step into Chengxi Palace.
Xue Ling’s voice lowered, the tone dark and menacing: "You’ve noticed his character by now, haven’t you?"
"If his character is poor, can we say Lord Xue’s character is impeccable?" Shen Yinning remarked with piqued interest. "However, what surprises me is how someone as sharp and cunning as Lord Xue could lose to such an obvious fool."
Xue Ling’s face grew grim. "If it weren’t for Xue Mianmian, would I have lost control?!"
She runs every time she sees me, like a rabbit encountering an eagle!
Just looking at her annoyed him. And whenever he was annoyed, he was harsh with her.
Who would’ve thought she’d dare turn around and marry someone else!
He shot a glance at Shen Yinning. "A partnership?"
Shen Yinning clicked her tongue. "Do I need to remind Lord Xue how you treated me?"
"That was then, this is now. You wouldn’t want to see Xue Mianmian spend the rest of her life with a hypocrite like Guan Songyuan, would you?"
Shen Yinning raised an eyebrow ambiguously, noncommittal.
Haitang approached and bowed. "Commandery Princess, the banquet is about to begin. His Majesty invites you to enter."
The hall was filled with the clinking of glasses and lively chatter.
The atmosphere seemed harmonious on the surface, but the guests harbored their own intentions, their scrutinizing gazes frequently falling on Shen Yinning and Lu Ying, laden with suspicion and speculation.
When it came time for the grab-object ceremony, Lu Ying made no effort to hide his presence standing beside Shen Yinning.
A new emperor who had only recently ascended the throne, a consort who was a minister’s beloved concubine, a child surnamed after the concubine instead of the minister, and the audacity to host the baby’s first-month banquet in the Imperial Palace no less...
This arrangement was as peculiar as it seemed ominous.
The palace maids started placing small objects neatly on the table.
Xue Mianmian held a delicate Purple Gold Gourd in her hand and teased Shen Jin’an. "Zhuoyu, look! This gourd is the prettiest! Grab it!"
The gourd, with its homophonic connection to "blessings and prosperity," symbolized long-lasting fortune and protection from evil.
The little child, wearing a tiger-head hat, blinked his large, grape-like eyes at it for just a moment before crawling away.
Leaning against the table, Xue Ling chuckled lightly. "Such old-fashioned things. Kids these days don’t like them."
Xue Mianmian bit her lip.
The gourd carried such auspicious meaning—how could he dismiss it as outdated?
She wanted to retort but dared not.
Xue Ling shook the seal in his hand and said, "Zhuoyu, come grab the seal. You’ll become a high-ranking official in the future!"
But the child gave him no face either, crawling straight past him.
Standing beside Shen Yinning, Lu Ying gazed indifferently at Shen Jin’an, his cold eyes laced with faint disdain.
He despised holding a first-month banquet for Cui Ji’s child. Just the sight of Shen Jin’an irritated him—he wished he could banish the boy far away.
He’d only agreed to the event to please Zhaozhao.
Feigning interest in the child, he asked, "Zhaozhao, what do you think he’ll grab?"
Shen Yinning responded indifferently, "It doesn’t matter. Nothing on the table is inauspicious anyway."
Lu Ying caught on to her lack of willingness to engage with him further.
Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being on Shen Jin’an, he hid his action behind the wide sleeves of his robe and suddenly clasped Shen Yinning’s hand.
Shen Yinning stiffened, staring at him in disbelief.
Lu Ying ignored her reaction, provocatively tracing her palm before interlocking their fingers.
He lowered his voice. "When Zhaozhao first returned from Gan State, you visited Shengguo Temple to pray. Back then, I was distributing congee at the temple. I remember you wore a veil and asked me for steamed buns. At that time, you..."
Lightly brushed against his palm.
But back then, he regarded her as worthless and treated her with disdain.
He hadn’t held her hand.
But now, he wanted to hold it tight.
Shen Yinning tried to pull away.
Yet his grip was like iron clamps—she couldn’t break free.
As they silently struggled, Shen Jin’an bypassed Upper Secretary Shangguan Min’s brush, Yu Qingheng’s treasured ancient books, Wen Liluo’s golden abacus, and Lu Jiazhe’s eagerly presented gemstone dagger.
Copper coins, blessing bags, bamboo flutes, food—everything was passed by.
He stopped in front of a painting.
The little boy reached out his chubby, white hand and embraced the scroll tightly.
"A painting?!" Lu Jiazhe exclaimed in disbelief. "He wants to be a painter in the future?!"
"Finding solace in landscapes and capturing the human experience—how wonderful!" Yu Qingheng stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly.
Shen Yinning raised her eyebrows subtly, equally surprised.
A curious guest asked, "What’s in the painting?"
Xue Ling picked up the scroll, glanced at it, and then paused before casually rolling it back up and tossing it to Shen Yinning. "Just an ink painting of the Four Gentlemen."
While heading toward the side chamber to change clothes, Shen Yinning glanced at Haitang.
Haitang took the hint and carried Shen Jin’an along with her.
After closing the chamber door, Shen Yinning pinched the child’s soft cheeks. "Why did you pick a painting?"
Shen Jin’an merely squinted his eyes and smiled.
Shen Yinning unrolled the painting and gradually detected the scent of milk.
Haitang furrowed her brows. "Was milk poured onto the painting to attract the young master?"
As the contents of the painting became clearer, Shen Yinning suddenly laughed.
Haitang was puzzled. "Commandery Princess?"
Shen Yinning handed the painting to her. "Take a look."
Haitang’s expression shifted abruptly. "The Map of the Boundless Empire..."
While the grab-object ceremony was meant purely for celebration and held no real significance, the fact that Shen Jin’an, a child of common birth, chose a grand painting of the Boundless Empire—coupled with Shen Yinning and Lu Ying’s relationship—was bound to arouse dangerous speculation. Those unaware might even interpret it as a sign that Shen Jin’an aspired to be Emperor!
Haitang’s body trembled. "I distinctly remember preparing a Pine Crane Painting. Who replaced it with this Map of the Boundless Empire?! Commandery Princess—"
Shen Yinning raised a hand to silence her.
She spoke slowly, "Today, I owe Xue Ling a favor."