Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

029 I got on the pirate ship

Inside Huanyuxuan, Shu Yingwen carried the prepared dishes and strolled towards her table.

At this time, there were only three candidates for the Emperor's son-in-law within the entire Huanyu Pavilion.

As he passed by Mu Changge, he suddenly felt something trip him up, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

And a plate of food was instantly spilled all over the floor.

They got up and straightened their clothes immediately, then glared angrily at Mu Changge, who was slowly chewing her food.

"Shu Caizi, how could you be so careless? You can't even hold a plate steady. That shouldn't be the case."

Mu Changge mocked playfully, then casually popped a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

Shu Yingwen flicked her long sleeves: "Young Master Mu, what have I done to offend you? Why are you treating me like this?"

"Humph."

Mu Changge sneered, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and looked at Shu Wenying with disdain.

"Young Master Shu, do you know your own status? What makes you think you can compete with me for the position of the Emperor's son-in-law?"

Shu Yingwen replied, "I naturally know that Young Master Mu is a prodigy from Jiangnan, with a distinguished family background and a powerful sect."

In terms of lineage, I naturally cannot compare to you, but I possess something you lack, which is precisely what His Majesty needs most.

Mu Changge scoffed: "What could you possibly have on you that His Majesty would need?"

Shu Yingwen replied solemnly, "Of course, it is my sincere heart towards Your Majesty. I will fulfill my duties as the emperor's son-in-law and silently protect Your Majesty throughout my life."

"Hahaha."

Mu Changge shook his head repeatedly with a smile.

"You're really naive. I heard that you made a living by selling your calligraphy in brothels during your time in the capital?"

"You frequent such despicable places, how can you speak so blatantly?"

Shu Yingwen replied proudly, "A gentleman remains untainted by the mud, while I rely on my own talent to make a living. How can there be a distinction between noble and lowly? Besides..."

He showed the yang-guarding mark on his arm.

"This is the best proof of my unwavering loyalty to Your Majesty."

Mu Changge slowly stood up and walked to Shu Yingwen.

Suddenly, she grabbed his arm, which was as thick as a lotus root.

"what you do?"

Shu Yingwen felt an unbearable soreness and numbness in her arm where she was being held, so painful that she almost had to bend over.

"Unwavering loyalty? You dare to say such a thing?"

Mu Changge shoved Shu Yingwen to the ground and, before he could get up, stepped on his back.

Shu Yingwen accidentally made close contact with the spilled rice soup on the ground.

"You're a pale-faced man who can't even afford to eat and whose family has fallen on hard times. What qualifications do you have to compete with me for the position of the emperor's son-in-law?"

You have sincerity, and I have it too, even more than you. Besides, I am a martial artist at the peak of the Acquired Realm.

Having won the top literary title in Jiangnan at the age of fourteen, a prodigy favored by powerful families, my identity can bring His Majesty much more that he needs.

What do you have to compete with me on?

Shu Yingwen tried to get up, but her cultivation level was too low, only at the late stage of Body Tempering Realm. Faced with absolute strength, she could only endure the humiliation.

"Take my advice and obediently withdraw from the competition to become the Emperor's son-in-law. Someone like you is simply not worthy of His Majesty's favor."

Only I, Mu Changge, am the man who will stay with His Majesty forever. Do you understand?

Shu Yingwen clenched her fists, but she did not give up despite Mu Changge's threats.

"impossible!"

Three words, spoken softly and gently yet stubbornly.

This infuriated Mu Changge.

"You ungrateful wretch, it seems I have to teach you a lesson so you won't know the power of the Mu family."

After saying that, he raised his foot to kick him in the back again.

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded outside the gate.

With his round belly protruding and his fat waist swaying, Jiang Shangxian entered the Huanyuxuan Hall with Shen Lang.

Mu Changge quickly straightened his posture, stretched out his long arms, and clasped his hands in a salute to Jiang Shangxian: "This humble one greets Your Highness!"

Wang Xianglin, who had been watching the whole thing, also hurriedly stood up and bowed.

Jiang Shangxian glanced at Mu Changge, then at Shu Yingwen, who had just stood up to return the greeting.

Finally, pointing to the spilled food on the ground, he asked, "What happened here? Do you not want the food bestowed by the royal family, huh?"

Shu Yingwen was about to explain, but Mu Changge spoke first: "Your Highness, Young Master Shu accidentally spilled his food just now."

I couldn't stand by and watch, so I said a few words to him, but Young Master Shu not only didn't appreciate it, he also...

He even lost his temper at the villain, saying he was going to scratch the villain's face.

The little boy accidentally pushed him, and that's how things turned out this way.

Jiang Shangxian frowned after hearing this and asked Shu Yingwen, whose face still had a few grains of rice on it, "Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Shu Yingwen wanted to retort, but suddenly a sentence came to her mind.

"If you dare to say it out loud, I'll break your legs later."

This was Mu Changge's telepathic communication technique, which made Shu Yingwen's heart tighten.

Faced with Mu Changge's blatant threat, Shu Yingwen struggled internally for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I was impetuous and presumptuous just now. Please punish me."

Jiang Shangxian had no interest in dealing with this matter; he had more important things to do.

"Alright, it's all a minor matter. Since you've admitted your mistake, I won't pursue it further. Just be more careful in the future and don't resort to sweeping raids so easily."

He then turned to Shen Lang and smiled, "Brother, today is your first time dining in the palace. As your superior, I should show you around properly."

Shen Lang was speechless: "What do we need to get to know each other just for a meal? Your Highness, aren't you being too sensitive?"

"Hey hey hey..."

In response to Shen Lang, Jiang Shangxian responded with a sinister laugh that came from the bottom of his heart.

"Come on, brother, sit here."

Jiang Shangxian led Shen Lang to a seat, wiped the bench with his sleeve, and asked with a smile after they sat down, "What would you like to eat?"

"I'll eat whatever's available; I'm not picky."

"That's good. Wait here for a moment while I prepare some food for you. Don't move, just sit quietly."

Jiang Shangxian was exceptionally attentive. After calming Shen Lang down, he quickly got up and went to the kitchen to prepare vegetables.

Before long, Jiang Shangxian placed a plate of imperial food in front of Shen Lang.

Mu Changge and Shu Yingwen were dumbfounded.

How could a prince like Jiang Shangxian treat a subordinate like this?

This relationship made the two of them feel a pang of jealousy.

At the same time, Mu Changge had another question.

Who exactly is this Shen Lang? He's just a lowly fifth-rank martial artist, so why is he qualified to dine at Huanyu Xuan?

Don't you know what Huanyuxuan represents?

Jiang Shangxian didn't care what Mu Changge and Shu Yingwen were thinking at all; he just kept putting food on Shen Lang's plate.

Shen Lang was quite uncomfortable with this sudden enthusiasm.

After taking a sip of the bird's nest and shredded chicken soup, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Speak, what do you need me to do this time? Just say it directly, no need for this. This is very unusual to me."

"Hahaha……"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shangxian's eyes disappeared from his smile.

"My dear brother, there's really nothing to worry about this time. Just eat. After you're done, I'll take you for a tour of the palace so you can get familiar with the surroundings. Hahaha."

Shen Lang shook his head: "No thanks. Once this lousy job is over, I'll basically never go to the palace again, and I won't bother getting familiar with it."

"Don't speak so confidently!"

Jiang Shangxian patted his shoulder and smiled even more broadly.

"Who knows, you might become a regular here in the future, hahaha! Come on, try this dish, it's called 'Flying Together'."

There's another dish called "Growing Old Together in Perfect Harmony," and then there's an even more extraordinary one called "A House Full of Children and Grandchildren."

The bird's nest you're drinking is called "Dragon Marrow Holding Phoenix," hahaha, eat more, the more the better...

Shen Lang felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Jiang Shangxian's smiling face, he really wanted to slap him.

"Your Highness, would you like something to eat?"

"Me? What right does this king have to eat here? Hahaha... Brother, do you even know what kind of place this Huanyu Xuan is?"

"I don't know, could you tell me?"

"Hahaha... Huanyuxuan corresponds to Chuxiuge, hahaha..."

Shen Lang was stunned. Looking at that increasingly distorted smile, he really couldn't understand what was so funny.

But he didn't understand, while Mu Changge and Shu Wenying already did.

Chuxiu Pavilion was the residence for the imperial concubines selected during the imperial concubine selection process, while Huanyu Pavilion...

It was the place where the empress took her son-in-law, and where the prospective emperor's son-in-law lived