Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 230 Shen Li's Incredible Start

When Shen Li saw Empress Ning again, she could clearly feel that her attitude had become much colder. Although her words expressed concern for her being kidnapped, her tone still revealed her dissatisfaction with her.

In her eyes, this matter could have been avoided; Shen Li was simply too immature.

Shen Li verbally explained that she didn't know the Zhou family was behind this, but inwardly she was quite disdainful.

So Zhou Qianqian planted spies in her house, and she's not allowed to resist?

Does so-called peaceful coexistence have to come at the cost of her? What kind of logic is that?

In her current situation, there is no room for the Zhou family, let alone Li Heng. Just wait and see.

Empress Ning ultimately did not break ties with Shen Li, and waved her hand to let her go see Li Che.

"Master Shen, you've finally arrived. I heard you were quite frightened. Are you feeling better now?" Li Che asked upon seeing Shen Li, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine now," Shen Li replied with a smile.

Of the whole family, only this child has a bit of sincerity; his little eyes are so innocent and endearing.

"That's good. Master, please be careful when you go out in the future," Li Che instructed, looking like a little adult.

Shen Li listened from the side, suppressing a laugh.

"By the way, Master, your sister-in-law has been quite dissatisfied with you lately. If you see her, you should take a detour," Li Che reminded him.

He often heard Zhou Qianqian coming to his mother crying and complaining that she had been framed by her master, her words full of resentment towards him.

He worried that an inevitable conflict would arise if the two met.

The Empress Dowager is pregnant, and if she were to suffer any minor injuries, the Master would be in grave danger.

After listening to all of this, Shen Li asked, "Does Your Highness think it's more likely that she harmed me, or that I framed her?"

“If my sister-in-law were to harm my master, it would be because she is truly foolish, which is unlikely.” After thinking it over, Li Che added, “However, my sister-in-law doesn’t seem very bright, which is the kind of thing she would do.”

While Shen Li chuckled inwardly, she also glanced at the child in front of her a few more times. How could someone so young be able to analyze the pros and cons so seriously?

"If Master wants to deal with the Zhou family, this is indeed a good way, but why does Master want to deal with the Zhou family?" Li Che couldn't understand the reason.

Although this makes more sense, neither he nor anyone else could see any conflict between Shen Li and the Zhou family.

Unless, of course, Shen Li is not a member of the princeling faction.

Li Che's eyes darted around as he looked at Shen Li: "Master Shen, you don't mean you don't want to help the Crown Prince anymore, do you?"

"Your Highness is overthinking it. His Highness the Crown Prince is the rightful heir and the trend of the times. He should be supported by all the ministers," Shen Li said righteously.

“In that case, it must have been my sister-in-law who did it.” Li Che shook his head as he spoke: “To marry such a woman shows a shortsightedness.”

Shen Li coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, "Your Highness, you must not criticize the Crown Prince, or else you will be punished with a ruler."

Li Che quietly tucked his hands into his sleeves and remained silent.

"But what kind of princess does Your Highness want to marry in the future?" Shen Li couldn't help but gossip again.

“Master, you are being disrespectful to your elders. Che’er is still young.” Li Che’s ears turned red when he heard this question.

He does have women he enjoys spending time with, but he doesn't understand whether he should marry them or what feelings are like.

Shen Li touched her nose. She wasn't actually that old, but this little guy did seem to be quite clueless about emotions.

Many times, seeing his mature and composed demeanor, she thought he was also reborn; only his occasional emotional outbursts revealed that he was still a child.

And she's a very cute child.

After the day's lessons ended, Shen Li was about to return to the Hanlin Academy, but as soon as she left the Empress's courtyard, she was stopped again.

It was Xia Shiyin, the long-lost Princess Yi.

"Your subject greets Your Highness." Shen Li bowed as usual.

Xia Shiyin quickly stopped her from bowing and forced a smile, saying, "Sister Shen, it's been a long time. Oh, now I should call you Lord Shen. You look so handsome in your court robes."

Her last sentence came from the bottom of her heart. She had never taken a sixth-rank official seriously before, and she had almost never paid him any attention. But now she found that the blue court robe looked surprisingly good on Shen Li.

"Your Highness is too kind. It is Your Highness who is radiant and makes me feel ashamed of myself," Shen Li said, unsure of her intentions.

"I really miss you, sister, after so long. My courtyard is not far away, and the prince is not here right now. Would you like to have lunch at my place?" Xia Shiyin stepped forward and took Shen Li's sleeve.

Shen Li could already sense that she was being watched from behind by the Empress's palace.

"How can I do that? I have some official business to attend to, so I won't bother Your Highness any longer," she said politely.

But Xia Shiyin held her tightly and wouldn't let go, half-persuading and half-pulling her towards her palace.

Shen Li couldn't refuse, so she went.

When Empress Ning received this news, she frowned at first, but quickly felt relieved. If Shen Li had really switched sides to Prince Yi, Xia Shiyin wouldn't need to work so hard to win her over, and the two would have no contact on the surface.

This further proves that Shen Li has not sided with the King of Chess, but it is hard to say whether she will change her mind in the future.

"Was I too cold to her today?" Empress Ning reflected to the palace maid beside her.

"She's the one who started this whole thing, so it's only right that Your Majesty teaches her a lesson." That was all the palace maid could say.

Empress Ning shook her head and said, "No, the Crown Prince is already about to lose the Zhou family, he can't lose the Shen family too."

"So what should we do? Should we take them back?"

"Go and choose the best set of inkstones and ink that were sent from the local area a while ago, and personally deliver them to the Gu family residence today," Empress Ning instructed.

The palace maid understood; this was a visit to apologize.

It's quite beneath an empress's dignity to do such a thing, but the Shen family is so powerful that the empress probably has no other choice.

Shen Li had lunch at Prince Yi's residence. During the meal, Xia Shiyin didn't talk about anything related to the court; she just tried to build rapport, chatted about everyday matters, and made sure Shen Li ate well.

The intention couldn't be simpler: to win them over.

It seems that it was Yi Wang who instructed Xia Shiyin to do this, but he did not trust Xia Shiyin's abilities, so he only asked her to get closer to them, and did not ask her to make any promises to recruit them.

So Shen Li ate a meal, and the extra food she ate was wrapped up and sent to the carriage.

“Miss, why did you go to Prince Yi’s place like this? Won’t the Empress and the Crown Prince suspect that you have betrayed them?” Lian Qiao only voiced her concerns after getting into the carriage.

Shen Li leaned against the car and asked her, "So you mean we should continue to help the Crown Prince?"

Lian Qiao shook her head repeatedly: "In my opinion, we should not get involved in this factional strife. It doesn't matter to us who wins; on the contrary, we risk being beheaded."