I quickly stopped her. “What happened? How did General Shen provoke you?”
“It’s because—” She pointed towards the guest inn, then froze. Following her gaze, I saw General Shen walking out alongside a tall, elegant woman in purple. They seemed to be in conversation, the woman graceful and noble, clearly from a distinguished family.
I glanced at my sister, who was staring intently, her lips tightly pressed.
If it’s really like this, my little sister is too pitiful. The matchmaker is unfair; why can’t he help her find a more reliable red thread?
No matter the outcome, I must get to the bottom of it. After dinner, I called General Shen into the room and explained the marriage proposal from Yan Huo, seeking his opinion.
General Shen’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly answered, “Not possible.”
“Why not?” I asked anxiously.
“There’s a conspiracy.”
“A… conspiracy?” I was stunned.
General Shen glanced at me, seemingly disdainful of my reaction. “Yan Di has ill intentions.”
I pondered for a moment and understood. “Are you saying Yan Huo has another purpose in arranging this marriage?”
“His purpose is Nanrui’s military strength.” He added a clarification, indicating my lack of understanding.
Talking to him was exhausting. If he could express something with one word, he’d never use two. His willingness to explain so much showed great respect for me, the princess.
General Shen was crucial in Nanrui, and Yan Huo wanted to use this marriage alliance to investigate military strength through him.
I had considered this possibility but didn’t expect that while he seemed indifferent, he was actually meticulous, shrewd, and cautious.
However, this reason was quite different from what I wanted to hear. So I continued to probe. “If we set aside that factor, what are your feelings about Princess Qinghe herself?”
General Shen looked at me strangely, probably thinking I was being nosy. “Didn’t notice.”
Didn’t notice? But he had been polite and patient with Princess Qinghe!
For my sister’s happiness, I barely suppressed my agitation and guided him gently. “So you don’t like her? I thought you were quite special towards her…”
“Intentional,” he answered concisely, seemingly impatient. “Princess, please speak directly.”
I slammed my hands on the table and stood up suddenly. “Do you like Xiao Ya?”
