Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 350: What capabilities do you have to think of marrying away my niece?

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: What capabilities do you have to think of marrying away my niece?

Shen Xiheng had served at court for several years, and Li Tianze knew all too well about his thick skin.

But he hadn’t expected the man’s skin to be thick to this extent.

A royal marriage decree?

He was the son of a duke, what was there for him to decree a marriage, and he couldn’t intervene in whom Shen wanted to marry.

Yet, the man had set his sights on his own niece, which caused Li Tianze quite a headache.

Although Shi Zhou didn’t acknowledge him as an uncle, he wasn’t willing to just hand her over to Shen Xiheng.

After all, the man’s reputation in the capital city was notoriously promiscuous.

Thinking of this, Li Tianze snorted with dissatisfaction, "Shen Qing better count his romantic debts first!"

Shen Xiheng felt truly wronged; where had he ever been promiscuous? He clearly hadn’t even touched a lady’s hand.

Moreover, he never frequented places of ill-repute, always spending his time listening to operas in tea houses or discussing the world with friends in restaurants.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged," Shen Xiheng said with a pained expression, "I have never engaged in such promiscuous acts!"

But it was to no avail, his reputation was too bad, no one believed him, not even his good friend of over a decade, Li Mingjue, who gave him a helpless look.

Listening to his pitiful defense, Li Tianze felt a headache coming on and interrupted helplessly, "Enough, whether you did or not, you know in your heart. In any case, marriage is not a matter to be taken lightly, I still need to observe further."

Shen Xiheng had no choice but to give up.

Seeing that the sky was gradually darkening, and remembering his parents anxiously waiting at home, Shen Xiheng was about to take his leave when Li Tianze said, "Today, you all will stay in the palace, accompany me for dinner."

He had wanted to keep Shi Zhou alone, but feared she would refuse.

Although imperial authority was supreme and no one dared to disobey his words, he knew the young girl was very stubborn, and if she said she would not stay, she would not give him any face and leave.

Shen Xiheng, worried that his parents would be anxious, immediately said, "Your Majesty, I cannot stay."

Li Tianze glanced at him indifferently, "Then you may leave, I permit it."

Shen Xiheng swallowed hard and again braved it, "Not only can I not stay, but I must also take someone with me."

As he said this, he tightly clutched Shi Zhou’s hand, fearing Li Tianze would disagree.

Li Tianze was stunned by his shameless words for a moment before he frowned displeasingly, "Why?" frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Shen Xiheng cleared his throat facing his gloomy gaze and said quietly, "Because my parents want to see her."

At these words, not only was Li Tianze fuming with anger, but Shi Zhou was also dumbfounded.

"Your... your parents want to see me?" Shi Zhou asked hesitantly.

Shen Xiheng didn’t want to admit that he slipped up and his parents now urgently wanted to see their prospective daughter-in-law, so he could only offer a half-truth, "I’ve already told my parents about our situation, and they just want to meet you."

Shi Zhou was unusually flustered, "But... but I’m not prepared for anything."

She was just a girl in her teens, how could she not panic in this situation?

Not just her, even Qi Yu, silently enjoying the scene, felt anxious for her.

Shen Xiheng spoke lightly, but the other party was her future in-laws; if she had been prepared it would have been one thing, but being suddenly informed, she was likely to be completely confused.

Qi Yu tugged at Li Mingjue’s sleeve and muttered a complaint, "Lord Shen is really handling this matter in an improper way."

Li Mingjue agreed, then added, "They have to meet eventually, and besides, Duke Shen and Madam aren’t the sort to make things difficult for the younger generation."

Qi Yu gave him a look and arched an eyebrow, "True enough."

Since they had to meet sooner or later, it was better to just bump into each other than to pick a date.

The two of them weren’t directly involved, so their attitude was quite open-minded.

However, the person in question was far from calm, especially Shi Zhou. From the moment she learned of this news, she was completely stunned.

Shen Xiheng, while bearing Li Tianze’s intimidating pressure, comforted her, "It’s alright, my parents like you very much."

Shi Zhou didn’t believe his words at all. Duke Shen and Madam Shen hadn’t even met her yet, so how could they like her?

She had never felt so clueless before, heaving countless sighs in her heart, wanting to escape but unable to do so.

Li Tianze, on the other hand, was not happy, and he challenged Shen Xiheng, "What makes you think you have the ability to take away my niece?"

Shen Xiheng shamelessly replied, "Your Majesty, I have nothing at all, except for this good-looking face of mine."

Upon hearing this, the tips of Shi Zhou’s ears quietly turned red.

Shen Xiheng’s words were not wrong. At first, indeed, she had been swayed by his appearance.

Li Tianze was so frustrated that he was at a loss for words and pointed at him, "I think it’s your thick skin!"

Shen Xiheng, far from being ashamed, smiled and nodded in agreement, "I thank Your Majesty for the compliment."

This enraged Li Tianze, who glared at him, but he didn’t have better words to describe Shen Xiheng.

Qi Yu saw his frustration and, while maintaining a serious facade, was already laughing to herself.

Mingjue, out of the corner of his eye, noticed her eyes brimming with laughter and shook his head helplessly.

Seeing that the situation was becoming tense, Qi Yu purposely coughed to attract the attention of others and then gave Shen Xiheng a meaningful look, signaling him to cooperate with her later.

Although Shen Xiheng did not know what her plan was, he still gave a slight nod in agreement.

Qi Yu furrowed her brows, looking as if facing an immense challenge, and said to Shen Xiheng, "Sir Shen, this should never happen!"

"Why does the Princess say so?" Shen Xiheng, knowing she was starting her act, quickly donned a confused expression and asked earnestly.

Qi Yu first shook her head with a light sigh, then glanced at Shi Zhou with a meaningful look, putting on quite a show for a good while until everyone was on tenterhooks. She then spoke with a pained expression, "Sir Shen has forgotten, the person you love is the daughter of a bandit. How could Duke Shen and Madam Shen possibly let her through the door?"

While Qi Yu was speaking, Shen Xiheng understood what her intentions were.

She was planning to set a trap for His Majesty to give Shi Zhou a status.

In the capital city, one’s status was of utmost importance. The gap between a bandit’s daughter and the Emperor’s own niece was like heaven and earth.

Shen Xiheng got the hint and immediately put on a distressed look, bowing his head, pondering for a moment, and said somewhat somberly, "The Princess does have a point."

Although Shi Zhou did not understand why the two had started talking about her identity, she knew that they would not harm her, so she quietly watched, letting them take the stage.

She was not good at lying, fearing that she might inadvertently mess things up.

Qi Yu, where Li Tianze couldn’t see, shot a look at Shi Zhou, indicating for her to be at ease.

Then, turning to Shen Xiheng, she sighed, "It’s such a pity that Sir Shen is so devoted, but a union between two people with such a massive gap in status is ultimately not meant to be. I hope Sir Shen will think it through."

Shen Xiheng lowered his gaze, appearing to outsiders as deeply troubled, but in reality, he was biting down hard on his teeth to ensure he wouldn’t burst out laughing.

Who would believe it if it was told that they were setting a trap for the emperor in Yangxin Hall?

Though provocation is a cliché strategy, it’s effective.

Li Tianze, having listened for a while, could no longer bear it, and snorted coldly, "On what grounds does Duke Shen refuse to let my niece enter his household!"

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