“If Her Majesty agrees, even if you enter the household together, a secondary husband will always be inferior to the primary husband. Not only will you be suppressed in every way, but the more the Fifth Princess dotes on you, the more he will resent you. You would be sending yourself into a fire pit. If Her Majesty doesn’t agree, after yesterday’s ostentatious send-off, it would be an insult to the Liu family.”

“Father, yesterday I was just feeling defiant, which is why I spoke rashly,” Shen Yuan lowered his head, mumbling gloomily, “Since childhood, Liu Ming has always loved to compare himself with me. Recently, he received an imperial marriage decree, and every time we meet, he uses his status to suppress me.”

“Is that all?” Wen Rong naturally knew Shen Yuan’s temperament – proud and awkward, exactly like his wife-master. However, this morning’s events were sudden, and he had to ask for clarity.

“Father, what else could there be?” Shen Yuan secretly popped a green plum into his mouth, asking with puffed cheeks.

Seeing him still as greedy as he was in childhood, Wen Rong chuckled, but didn’t want to ask too directly, only saying tactfully, “Yuan’er, did you have a dream?”

Dream?

Shen Yuan didn’t react for a moment, nodding blankly, “Mm, I don’t know what’s been happening lately, but every few days I seem to dream of some strange things.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t all strange. For example, last night…

Wait, in the past when he had dreams, when had his father ever personally asked about them? It seems the old man was implicitly asking about this morning’s matter.

But what had he just blurted out!

Every few days?!

Shen Yuan regretted it so much his back ached. Just as he was about to look up and explain, he saw his father’s eyes full of complexity.

“Father, let me explain…” The words he wanted to say trailed off.

Shen Yuan was crying out in distress internally. The green plums his father had were too sour; he accidentally bit into one, and an overwhelming sourness made his features scrunch up tightly.

His face turned red then white, then white then red again.

Seeing him so flustered, Wen Rong reached out to hand him some tea, “Never mind, if you truly have feelings for the Fifth Princess, with your mother’s influence…”

“Father! There are no romantic feelings between the Fifth Princess and me!” Shen Yuan hurriedly clarified.

“Then you?”

Shen Yuan’s eye twitched, not knowing where to begin explaining. Should he start from when the kite flew over the wall, or from when he saw the beautiful scenery?

But no matter which one, it would only result in a good scolding and an enraged father.

After thinking it over, he decided to cut out the beginning and end, “Father, this morning was truly just an accident.”

Just as he was speaking, a servant’s cheerful voice came from the corridor outside, “Master, the Madam has arrived at the mansion gate. Madam also said that Miss Su from the outer courtyard will be joining for lunch today, and asks the Master to prepare more home-style dishes.”

Hearing this, Wen Rong recalled the servant’s report from yesterday and looked somewhat worriedly at Shen Yuan, whose ears were bright red, “Alright, we’ll not speak of this matter for now. Today we have guests in the mansion, you must not cause any trouble, understand?”