When Princess Heyuan looked up and saw that it was Shen Miao, a twinge of jealousy welled up in her heart again. She said coldly, "Rise!"
Shen Miao stood up. Pretending not to notice the coldness in Princess Heyuan's tone, she still greeted her warmly as before, "I didn't expect to meet Your Highness here today! What a coincidence!"
Princess Heyuan glanced at her bright - smiling face. She had to admit that Shen Miao was extremely beautiful, gentle and graceful, with a generous bearing.
However, just thinking about the scene when Xiao Hanzhi stood up for Shen Miao that day made Princess Heyuan feel a pang of discomfort in her heart.
When she knew that Shen Li had a crush on her cousin before, although she was jealous, she thought Shen Li was just daydreaming and humiliating herself. But now, this Shen Miao made her feel a sense of crisis.
"Since you've paid your respects, you may leave if you have nothing else to do," Princess Heyuan said with a cold face, trying to get rid of her.
Before coming here, Shen Miao had been prepared to be bullied by Princess Heyuan. Without changing her expression, she stepped forward and affectionately took the princess's arm.
"A few days ago, I sent a post to Your Highness, but you didn't see me. I knew you must be angry with me! Please give me a chance to explain. If you're still angry after that, you can just ignore me!"
Princess Heyuan snorted but said nothing. So Shen Miao continued.
"I know Your Highness has feelings for the Fourth Prince. From an outsider's perspective, I can see that the Fourth Prince also has a place for Your Highness in his heart."
Most girls would either be annoyed or blush shyly upon hearing such words.
But Princess Heyuan was different. After hearing this, her expression softened and she nodded.
Other people would just flatter her by saying things like how noble and beautiful she was. She was already tired of hearing such words.
But Shen Miao was different. She always knew how to please the princess. Knowing that the princess was in love with the Fourth Prince, she only talked about how the prince had feelings for her.
"Moreover, Your Highness grew up with the Fourth Prince. Your childhood friendship is something that others can't compare to!"
"I know that the Fourth Prince spoke up for me several times at the Shen Mansion that day, which might have caused some misunderstandings for Your Highness and made you angry with me!"
Caught in her thoughts, Princess Heyuan felt a bit embarrassed on her face, but she still said, "I'm not such a petty person. I won't get angry over such a small thing!"
"Your Highness is right! Even if Your Highness isn't angry, I still need to explain. Your Highness also knows that my cousin has always had feelings for the Fourth Prince. Last time, in order to please the prince, she even fell into the water and almost lost her life!"
Mentioning Shen Li, Princess Heyuan showed a look of disdain, "Humph! She, Shen Li, doesn't even look at herself in the mirror! My cousin is such a handsome and outstanding person. How could she even dream of him!"
"Your Highness is absolutely right! Shen Li is vulgar in behavior and weak in character. She's not even a fraction as good as Your Highness."
Shen Miao took the opportunity to flatter Princess Heyuan, which made the princess very happy.
"Moreover, Your Highness also knows that Shen Li has pestered the Fourth Prince many times. The prince was naturally annoyed by her and never showed her a good face. So that day, when Shen Li tried to frame me, the prince naturally wouldn't let her succeed. That's why he spoke up for me later."
"Well! My cousin naturally looks down on Shen Li. Of course, he would oppose her in everything!"
Although Princess Heyuan believed Shen Miao's words, she still thought it was necessary to warn her. "I ask you, what do you think of the Fourth Prince? Do you have other feelings for him?"
"The Fourth Prince is handsome and upright. Your Highness and the prince are truly a perfect match!"
Shen Miao showed a shy look typical of a young girl. "I really don't dare to have such thoughts. To be honest with Your Highness, I already have someone I like. I'll wait for him to pass the imperial examination next year and then tell my parents about it!"
Princess Heyuan was satisfied with her answer. Although she looked down on Shen Miao for liking a down - and - out scholar as a noble girl in the capital, she still comforted her, "Don't worry. If your parents don't agree next year, just come to me. I'll ask my mother to go to the palace and ask for an imperial edict to arrange your marriage!"
Shen Miao declined politely for a while and then turned the conversation back to Shen Li.
"Your Highness may not know what kind of life I've been living at home! Since Shen Li took charge of the family, she has been constantly scolding the servants. Most of the servants in the mansion have been sold.
"My father just said a few words to her about it, and she threatened him with the land deeds, saying that she would drive our whole family out! My mother has been crying all day long."
Hearing this, Princess Heyuan was furious. "Is there really such a thing? How dare Shen Li be so bold?"
Shen Miao wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief and said aggrievedly, "Your Highness really doesn't know. Since she woke up after falling into the water last time, she seems to have changed into a different person. Her personality is completely different from before, and even her courage has grown!"
"Your Highness was there that day. She not only beat me but also contradicted my father! Now our whole family has to live according to her mood."
Princess Heyuan recalled that day. Shen Li was indeed very different from before. She was no longer timid and cowardly, but became articulate and much smarter.
Even her overall demeanor had changed. She looked more imposing than the princess herself.
"How could a person's personality change so much all of a sudden? Maybe she's just pretending to scare you!"
Shen Miao knew Princess Heyuan's personality very well and deliberately lured her into the trap. "It's possible that she's pretending. But what's her purpose? It can't be to attract our attention, right?"
Princess Heyuan first waved her handkerchief and denied, "Who would want to look at her? Who would pay attention to her?"
Then her face suddenly turned ugly as she thought of a possibility.
"Could it be that she's doing this on purpose to catch my cousin's attention?"
Shen Miao thought for a while and said uncertainly, "I don't think so!"
The more Shen Miao denied it, the more convinced Princess Heyuan became that Shen Li had changed her personality just to catch Xiao Hanzhi's attention.
"No, no! Now that I think about it, my cousin talked to her a lot that day. Before, my cousin didn't even look at her!"
"Also, when Shen Li was injured that day, my cousin showed a worried expression. It was also my cousin who asked me to hand the person over to her, which gave her the opportunity to buy over Wang Ze and frame you!"
The more Princess Heyuan talked, the more certain she became that Shen Li had ulterior motives and that Xiao Hanzhi had been deceived and was paying more attention to Shen Li. Jealousy welled up in her heart.
Shen Miao sneered inwardly, thinking that Princess Heyuan was now completely under her control.
The princess was easily deceived by just a few words and now hated Shen Li. She didn't know that Shen Li and the Fourth Prince had already confessed their feelings to each other.