Reborn Princess

Shen Xilan clenched his fingers as he looked at the words on the letter, almost crushing the paper into a ball.

Zhou Jingmo, it’s about to begin.

Zhou Cechen looked at the letter that appeared in front of him again, clenched his fist and coughed lightly.

Yesterday when he ordered Yanci to deliver a letter to Shen Lilan, he asked Yanci to find an excuse, saying that he happened to see someone delivering a letter at the gate of the palace and so he delivered it to Shen Lilan.

She probably didn't know that the letter had been in his hands. Now that she opened the letter and let him read it, he felt a little guilty.

After reading the content, he frowned. It was a subtle movement that even he himself did not notice, but Shen Lilan, who was sitting next to her, noticed it.

After a while, Zhou Cechen asked, "Are you going to see him?"

Shen Lilan nodded.

"Can't not go?" Zhou Cechen said in a low voice.

Shen Xilan listened to Zhou Cechen's words and recalled what happened in her previous life. In her previous life, she did not receive Zhou Jingmo's letter, but she ran into him in East Market. She had no intention of talking to Zhou Jingmo, but Zhou Jingmo mentioned Zhou Cechen to her.

He said that Zhou Cechen had captured the daughter of an important official without reason, causing all officials to advise him to remove him from the title of Ding'an. He wanted to persuade Zhou Cechen to release those people and not to disappoint those loyal officials.

She knew very well that what Zhou Jingmo said was not entirely true, but she didn't want to put Zhou Cechen in trouble, so in the end she still persuaded Zhou Cechen to release those people, which made Zhou Cechen unhappy.

She didn't want this to happen in her life.

Shen Lilan shook his head. "I have to go see him. Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will be fine, and I won't have anything to do with him."

"I'll take Chunhua and Qiushi with me." Shen Lilan continued.

Seeing the girl's resolute attitude, Zhou Cechen didn't say much. If he was determined not to let Shen Lilan meet Zhou Jingmo, the letter would not have reached Shen Lilan in the first place.

She told herself to believe her.

"Let's release those people in the imperial prison today." Shen Lilan said.

"Okay." Zhou Cechen answered her.

……

In the tea room on the third floor of Fanlou, Zhou Jingmo was pouring tea for Shen Lilan. The tea flowed from the spout of the pot, carrying hot steam up.

Shen Lilan sat by the window and watched the crowds of people outside.

The three floors of Fanlou are high, and the five floors face each other. Each has a flying bridge and railings, connecting the light and the dark, with pearl curtains and embroidered foreheads, and bright lights and candles. It is located at the north end of the main street of the capital, Yujie. From the beginning to the end of this street, you can see the prosperity of Yanjing.

If you have nothing to do, you can sit in Fan Tower and have a panoramic view of the grandeur of Yanjing.

"Jin Ning, are you doing well these days?" Zhou Jingmo placed the poured tea in front of Shen Lilan's desk.

Shen Lilan withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhou Jingmo.

The tea room was extremely quiet, and Shen Lilan did not respond to Zhou Jingmo's question.

Feeling Shen Lilan's gaze, Zhou Jingmo felt a little uncomfortable.

It's not burning, nor is it regretful, but rather calm, as if the water ahead is a pool of stagnant water that doesn't stir up even a single wave.

Zhou Jingmo continued, "What happened to Jin Ning?"

Shen Yanlan suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said, "What does King Xuan want to see me about?"

Zhou Jingmo was somewhat surprised that Shen Lilan's first words were so direct.

"I went to the academy a few days ago and happened to pass by Qinglian Courtyard. I thought of the things I experienced when I was studying there. I felt nostalgic for a while and thought about how long it has been since I last saw you..."

"What happened in the past? I'm afraid that Prince Xuan remembered it wrongly. I only stayed in that academy for half a year, and the number of times I talked with the prince can be counted on one hand. I really don't know what there is to miss."

Shen Yanlan interrupted Zhou Jingmo, "Besides, I'm married to Prince Ding'an. According to our family ties, you should call me - Imperial Aunt."

Zhou Jingmo frowned and was speechless for a moment. He paused and said, "I know my uncle very well. You must have been forced into this situation. He abused his power at the palace banquet a few days ago and arrested so many innocent people. You know this is really against the will of heaven."

"There has been an uproar in the court these days, and all the censors have filed reports against him. The current situation is unstable, and the emperor's uncle's trip may hurt others as well as himself."

"In my opinion, you should persuade the emperor's uncle to release those innocent people immediately."

Shen Lilan listened to him quietly until he finished speaking. Sure enough, his words were the same as in his previous life.

"Is this the reason for King Xuan's trip?" Shen Lilan.

"Then I am willing to give it a try and help those... innocent people."

Zhou Jingmo didn't expect Shen Lilan to respond so readily.

"Jin Ning, please don't be so formal. If you are not doing well in the future, please tell me..."

"King Xuan, there is no need to be sentimental here. You have achieved your goal. I will not accompany you any longer."

"Let's go." Shen Lilan said to Chunhua and Qiushi behind him.

Zhou Jingmo was slightly lost in thought as he stared at the cup of tea that had not yet cooled down.

After leaving the tea room, Shen Lilan staggered to hold on to the pillar carved with flowers. Seeing this, Qiu Shi went to support Shen Lilan.

"My lady, are you okay?"

Shen Yanlan shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm fine. You don't need to help me."

Qiu Shi had no choice but to retreat and wait for Shen Xilan to calm down before leaving Fanlou together.

The palace's carriage was parked on the side of the road. Shen Yanlan got on the carriage and as soon as he opened the curtain, he saw the man sitting in the carriage.

She paused at the car door.

Zhou Cechen raised his eyes to look at Shen Lilan and said slowly, "Don't come in?"

Shen Lilan came to his senses and walked towards the carriage, but he didn't expect the horse to take a step forward. Shen Lilan lost his balance and fell forward.

Zhou Cechen grabbed her.

With her wrist tightly held by the man, Shen Xilan was supported by Zhou Cechen. She bent over and looked at the man sitting in front of her.

Shen Lilan bent her waist even lower, she stared at the man's dark eyes, long eyelashes, straight nose and rosy lips, and kissed him as if possessed.

No one knew how much she wanted to see Zhou Cechen as soon as she came out of the tea room. She hated Zhou Jingmo so much, but she also loved Zhou Cechen so much.

But he came to see her.

Zhou Cechen felt the touch on his lips, he was stunned for a moment, and his eyelashes trembled.

Shen Xilan left after the kiss, but when she was about to move away, Zhou Cechen grabbed her and brought her into his arms.

Shen Lilan sat on Zhou Cechen's lap.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, like the wings of a fluttering butterfly.

Zhou Cechen's kiss was powerful and uncontrollable. He put one arm around Shen Lilan's waist and the other hand around Shen Lilan's neck to pull her towards him.

Shen Lilan was almost imprisoned in Zhou Cechen's arms.

His dark eyes were filled with scorching heat, not allowing her to dodge at all. He drove straight in with domineering intent, conquering her lips and teeth and entwining his tongue with hers.

The tip of the tongue probed into the gap between the lips, causing Shen Yanlan to tremble.

Shen Xilan felt like a floating cloud. She couldn't find any support, so she had to wrap her hands around Zhou Cechen's neck and respond to his invasion awkwardly.

Feeling her response, Zhou Cechen's eyes turned red and he kissed her deeper.

Zhou Cechen didn't let Shen Lilan go until she could hardly breathe.

Looking at the pair of watery eyes in front of him, Zhou Cechen's Adam's apple rolled. He covered Shen Lilan's watery eyes with his hands, unable to bear to look.