Forced to die for his loyalty, he was reborn in the arms of the cold and cruel regent!

He looked around and saw that everyone was holding their breath, so he continued, "Today, our prince saved the princess in the woods. Wouldn't the princess pour a glass of wine to express her gratitude?"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar all around, and everyone vaguely realized that the eldest prince seemed to be using this move to get closer to Shen Mengyao.

Shen Mengyao could see it, and she knew in her heart that this would undoubtedly put her at the center of public attention. She took a deep breath, and was just wondering how to deal with it, when she saw Qi Suian had stepped forward and stood between her and the eldest prince.

"Your Highness, the princess is already feeling tired today, and it's getting late, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate to have a banquet. There will be a bonfire party in the evening, so why not invite Your Highness to join us?" Qi Sui'an's tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and his words revealed a firmness that would not refrain from being refused.

The eldest prince looked at Qi Sui'an with a slightly cold gaze. After a moment, a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since Prince Qi said so, this prince will not force it. However, I admire the princess's talent very much. I hope the princess can pay more attention to it in the future. Perhaps, there will be more fate between you and me."

He had long been filled with hatred in his heart. It was abominable that he had been repeatedly ruined by others! But the regent was extremely powerful.

Even though he was a prince, he was helpless for the moment. He couldn't confront him in public, so he had to give up.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mengyao felt unwilling in her heart, but she could only force a smile on her face. She bowed to the eldest prince, and then hurriedly left the crowd accompanied by Lin Youwei.

Returning to her room in the palace, Shen Mengyao finally took off all her disguises, and a look of fatigue appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Lin Youwei hurried forward to comfort her: "Mengyao, don't take it too seriously. Although the eldest prince is in a high position and has great power, he cannot ignore the face of the royal family and act arbitrarily."

Shen Mengyao forced a smile: "I understand."

However, the turmoil in her heart was hard to calm down. She knew very well that today's incident was just the tip of the iceberg, and behind the eldest prince's entanglement and overtures, there might be more complicated struggles and conflicts of interest.

"Youwei, why do you think the eldest prince would show kindness to me so suddenly?" Shen Mengyao frowned, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

Lin Youwei was also stunned when she heard this, and then she pondered: "Maybe... it's because of your identity? You are the adopted daughter of the Queen Mother, and the only daughter of the Duke's Mansion. The Duke's Mansion has a great influence on the border. The eldest prince may want to use this to win you over, or..."

"Or he is using me to achieve his ulterior motives." Shen Mengyao took over the conversation, with a hint of bitterness and helplessness in her tone.

She knew very well that in this era of supreme imperial power, she was just an insignificant chess piece and could be drawn into the vortex of power struggle at any time.

What worries her most is that if the eldest prince fails to win her over, will he retaliate against the national Kung Fu and feel dissatisfied? Sometimes a man is innocent but is convicted of a treasure in his possession.

The Duke's Mansion has a large number of soldiers and generals under its command. Such great capabilities will surely be of great help in the fight for the throne in the future, which is really enviable.

So if you can't get it... it's like a thorn in your heart, making you unable to sleep or eat. Could it be that the chaos in the Duke's Mansion in the previous life was caused by this?

"What should we do? Now that you are a widow, won't that give those thieves an opportunity to take advantage of you?" Lin Youwei asked with a worried look on her face.

Shen Mengyao sighed softly when she heard this, with complex emotions flashing in her eyes. She stood up, walked to the window, looked at the gradually darkening sky outside, and her mind was filled with thoughts.

"Now, we can only strengthen our precautions."

The two of them just sat in the room and drank tea for a while before someone came to report from outside.

"The bonfire party is about to begin. Please go out, ladies."

Shen Mengyao responded calmly: "Got it!"

After leaving the palace, there was a huge plain outside with a bonfire burning on it. The freshly caught prey was skinned and processed and then roasted over the fire.

The aroma of oil mixed with charcoal fire soon wafted out, and the fragrance was so fragrant!

Everyone gathered around the campfire, laughing and talking happily. The firelight reflected on everyone's face, making it look particularly warm and lively.

At this moment, the Fifth Prince came over quickly, holding a roasted rabbit in his hand and handed it to her: "The wild rabbits in the suburbs of Beijing are agile and have firm meat. They are especially delicious when roasted with mutton fat. Try it."

Shen Mengyao came back to her senses, smiled and said, "Thank you."

“You’re welcome. You and I saved each other’s lives, and we’re familiar with each other. Let’s just be friends from now on.” The fifth prince smiled.

Shen Mengyao thought about it in her heart before she humbly said: "The Fifth Prince is of noble status, and I am marrying above my station."

"My status is just like dirt to me, not worth mentioning." The fifth prince smiled bitterly, "If I could, I would rather be a country bumpkin, which would be quite interesting."

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to realize that he had said too much, and smiled faintly, "It's just a casual remark, don't take it to heart."

Shen Mengyao was slightly stunned by the Fifth Prince's words. She did not expect that this seemingly gentle prince would express such straightforward and profound feelings to her.

In the light of the fire, his eyes seemed to hide unknown sadness and helplessness, which made people want to find out.

“Fifth Prince, you are too polite. Identity is just a label bestowed by the outside world. As long as your mind is free, you will have supreme freedom.” Shen Mengyao responded softly, with a little more sincerity and understanding in her tone.

She took the rabbit and took a bite. The meat was indeed delicious and fragrant, and even her mood improved a bit.

“Listening to your talk is better than reading for ten years. If it were true, there would be less trouble in the world.” The fifth prince chuckled, but his eyes were looking into the distance, as if he was recalling something.

He suddenly changed the subject, "Princess, you don't have to worry too much about what happened today. My brother... just acted a little impulsively, but he had no ill intentions."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mengyao nodded slightly, but was thinking secretly in her heart.

How could the eldest prince's actions be simply described as "impulsive"? She knew that there must be a deeper reason behind this, but she just hadn't touched that level yet.

"Thank you for the reminder, Fifth Prince. I will be careful." Shen Mengyao's tone was calm, but her eyes revealed determination. She knew very well that in this complicated palace, the only way to protect herself was to stay sober and vigilant.

At this moment, the Fifth Prince seemed to have seen something, turned around and smiled: "Princess, if that's the case, then I'll leave first!"

Shen Mengyao bowed slightly and smiled politely: "Goodbye, Fifth Prince."