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

Chapter 90 Shen Li's Stance

"How could this be?" Shen Li immediately refused: "I appreciate the Prince and Princess's good intentions on behalf of my husband, but I absolutely cannot accept this treasure."

Xia Shiyin had been watching Shen Li's expression ever since she took out the Black Silk Robe. She thought she would see a look of shock or at least a clear emotional fluctuation, but she didn't see anything at all.

Shen Li's gaze remained unchanged throughout, as if she had anticipated this situation, which made her very anxious.

Is it even possible to get this done?

“Sister Shen, I’d better not beat around the bush. My lord really has a favor to ask of you. Just take it, otherwise I won’t be able to explain myself when I get back.” Based on her previous experience, Xia Shiyin got straight to the point.

The prince meant for her to observe Shen Li's emotions and make appropriate demands, probing forward step by step. However, she realized that she couldn't get past Shen Li by beating around the bush, so she might as well be straightforward.

"Then I absolutely cannot agree. My husband and I appreciate your kind offer, Your Highness, please return." Shen Li said as she rose to see the guests off.

Seeing that things had gone wrong, Xia Shiyin disregarded all decorum and immediately flew into a rage:

"Shen Li, you're still holding a grudge about what happened last time, aren't you? Even though my girl pushed you, you still threw us into the water. I haven't even bothered you yet, and you're already putting on airs!"

"Does the princess not want to cause me trouble?" Shen Li found the question amusing.

"..." Xia Shiyin: "In short, you can't use your position to settle personal scores. You have to accept what you have today, whether you want to or not."

"Someone, see the guest out." Shen Li didn't even bother to deal with her.

Xia Shiyin tried to stop her, but Shaoyao had already come in and stopped her without saying a word.

"Keep the tonics, and send the clothes and ancient books back to the Prince's residence," Shen Li said again.

"Shen Li..." Xia Shiyin wanted to say something, but as soon as the door opened, the servants outside were all watching, so it was clear that she could no longer say anything undignified.

Shen Li shook her head after walking behind the screen; this Princess Yi was far too naive.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xia Shiyin returned to the palace and waited until the evening for Prince Yi to return. Prince Yi had indeed been very busy lately. The affairs of the inner palace could be handled by the female officials, and he needed to take care of the affairs of the court.

On the Empress Dowager's birthday, officials paid homage and foreign countries offered tribute. He had to go over all the reception arrangements and etiquette procedures with the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial step by step, for fear of making the slightest mistake.

Yet, with so many procedures, money still had to be saved, for fear of being labeled as extravagant and wasteful. Even someone as capable as him had to review and give instructions on every single detail, which was incredibly troublesome.

"Your Highness." Xia Shiyin bowed respectfully, not daring to look at Prince Yi's cold and stern expression.

The King of Chess glanced at her, entered the room, and sat on the couch, leaning casually against the cushions.

"Your Highness must be tired after a long day. There's a nourishing soup simmering on the stove. Please have some before you rest," Xia Shiyin said, squatting down to take off Prince Yi's boots.

"Did you mess it up?" King Yi glanced at her at his feet, his voice icy.

"Your Highness," Xia Shiyin knelt on the ground in fright, "I've tried everything I could, but Shen Li just won't accept the gifts. How about I try again tomorrow?"

"Not good." King Yi washed his hands in the golden basin brought by the palace maid, threw his handkerchief into the basin, and casually picked up a crisp date from the small table to eat: "Get up."

“Your Highness…” Xia Shiyin carefully got up and stood beside him.

She has been married into the household for over a year, but she has not served the prince in bed many times at night, and there has been no contact with him during the day. Now she feels that she can't figure out what this prince is thinking.

In her eyes, the King of Chess was much the same as in the eyes of outsiders—unpredictable and capricious.

Yi Wang turned his head in her direction, and she immediately reached out her hand, taking the date pit from his mouth with her fair hand and handing him a handkerchief.

"Did she say anything?" King Yi asked, wiping his mouth casually.

"She said the treasure was valuable, and even said something about not being able to accept a reward without merit, and that it was unacceptable." Xia Shiyin said as she spoke, "In my opinion, she is just stubborn, and her whole family is stubborn and loyal to the Crown Prince."

“You’re wrong. Shen Jiazhong’s support has never been for the Crown Prince, but for the ancestral laws.” Prince Yi said calmly, “If I were the Crown Prince, they would support me.”

The civil service group never cared about the crown prince's qualifications, but rather that he was the eldest son of the legitimate wife. This was the succession rule established by the ancestors, a rule that even the emperor could not easily change.

From a public perspective, if a precedent is set where a son other than the eldest legitimate son inherits the throne, future princes will inevitably harbor ambitions to seize the throne, leading to fratricide and chaos in the state.

Privately, the ancestral rules and calendar were weapons in the hands of civil officials, who could even use them to check and balance the emperor. Once the rules could be changed, the civil officials would have very little power left.

Both for public and private reasons, civil officials would protect the crown prince, because their interests were always intertwined.

Xia Shiyin had heard her father say similar things, but she had never thought carefully about the reasons behind them.

"I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me, Your Highness." She truly couldn't understand what else she needed to do.

"That's why I wanted to kill her before, but after the last time I discovered that her stance wasn't so firm." King Yi's gaze deepened as he thought of Shen Li.

Despite Shen Li's repeated insistence that she would only help him once, how could someone as clever and meticulous as Shen Li not know that once she opened this door, it would be difficult to extricate herself from the situation?

Moreover, if you look closely, Shen Li had helped him before, namely by handling Chen Wenjin's case leniently, in exchange for Shen Zizai's entry into the cabinet.

Isn't this also a form of seeking personal gain?

All indications suggest that Shen Li is not as selfless as she claims.

Should one not accept rewards without merit?

He laughed. Wasn't the hint obvious enough? Only someone like Xia Shiyin wouldn't be able to grasp the hidden meaning.

“You don’t need to do anything.” Yi Wang looked at her. Xia Shiyin was not bad looking, but her head was really empty.

Xia Shiyin was completely confused.

"Help me pack everything up. Make sure you keep every single item she returned safe and don't lose it." King Yi had no choice but to give the explicit instruction: "She's taken a liking to something."

"what?"

"Rest now." King Yi tossed the handkerchief at her and got up to walk toward the bed.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Your Highness, I've inquired. Shen Li sent all the valuables over there, and when that princess came out, her face was dark." Zhou Qianqian said while massaging Li Heng's shoulders on the bed.

“Ancient books, calligraphy and paintings.” Li Heng, wearing his undergarments, lay on the bed with his eyes closed and hummed, “He is willing to spend money, but where does his money come from? It comes from officials from all over the country.”

"Your Highness, please calm down. His Majesty is furious this time, and the Censors are all our people. Prince Yi's source of income is bound to be cut off," Zhou Qianqian said with a smile.

Li Heng was not as optimistic as Zhou Qianqian. He always felt that Shen Li's attitude was not quite right. Even though she was still on his side, her loyalty was questionable.

Although refusing the King of Chess's gift made him feel a little more at ease, he still couldn't completely relax. This list was his test, and he hoped that Shen Li wouldn't disappoint him.