Chapter 5 A Good Son-in-Law Returning Home

As the saying goes, "When gods fight, mortals suffer," ever since Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao entered a cold war, everyone in the Eastern Palace has been communicating only through glances, afraid of making a mistake and offending their two masters.

After hearing about this, Liu Mama originally intended to advise Shen Yujiao, but as soon as she reached the entrance of the palace, she saw Mu Jin standing at the door with a group of palace maids, all with bitter faces. Upon asking, she learned that the Crown Princess did not allow anyone to serve her.

Meanwhile, things weren't much better in the Crown Prince's study. All the eunuchs and maids were guarding the outer corridor. Only Zhu Yu, the personal eunuch, could go in to deliver tea and food. However, most of the dishes were brought in and then taken out the same way. Helpless, Zhu Yu had to find the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Chief Eunuch Lian.

Zhu Yu was an old man who had served the Crown Prince since childhood, but this Chief Steward Lian was even more senior than him. He was extremely respectful and cautious in front of Chief Steward Lian: "Grandpa, please give me some advice. If word gets out that the two masters are acting like this, what will we do?"

The steward, holding birdseed in one hand and teasing the birds with the other, said, “Newlyweds are bound to have some arguments. Young couples quarrel in bed and make up in bed. It’s not our place to interfere in the master’s affairs. Doing your job well is what you should be doing.”

"But..." Zhu Yu wanted to say something more.

Steward Lian put down the bird feeder, smiled, and glanced at him sideways: "It's precisely at times like these that you should stay by your master's side. If His Highness can't find you here, what should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu slapped his forehead, quickly bowed and thanked him, and then hurriedly ran back.

Seeing that he had run far away, Steward Lian finally stopped smiling and instructed those behind him, "Keep a close eye on the servants and don't let a word of this get out."

Fortunately, before the two of them could drag out their battle, the day arrived for Shen's parents to pay their respects to the Crown Prince. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao were forced to perform their duties, and the two of them were sitting at the head of the table, waiting for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess.

Although they had met, their expressions remained identically cold; they stared blankly ahead, awaiting the eunuch's announcement.

"The Duke of Cheng and his wife pay their respects—"

As Jiang Chen nodded in acknowledgment, two people followed the eunuch into the courtyard. The closer the couple got, the more one could see their extraordinary temperament. It was the demeanor that a true aristocratic family had cultivated over generations, calm and composed, with a restrained sharpness.

"Your subject Shen Boyi/Your concubine Cui pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Seeing the original owner's parents bowing to her, Shen Yujiao secretly clenched her folded hands. Although she was determined to act according to her own will today, she was worried that the couple would notice something was amiss as soon as they met.

"Your Excellency and Madam, please rise. You are now my elders. If it weren't for the rules, I and the Crown Princess should be bowing to you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, despite her cold war with Jiang Chen, they still had some tacit understanding. Before figuring out the attitudes of the Shen couple, it was safer to let Jiang Chen take the lead.

"Your Highness, my wife and I appreciate your kindness, but the proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be disregarded."

Shen Boyi is a man who values ​​etiquette very much. You can tell just by looking at how formal and proper he is when he talks to Jiang Chen. Cui Shi's words and actions are exactly the same as his. Just by sitting there, she has the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.

After the Shen couple were seated, Mu Jin led the palace maids to serve tea and snacks. Then she left the main hall for the four of them to chat casually. Shen Yujiao sat at the head of the table with her eyes lowered and her expression indifferent, listening to Jiang Chen and Shen Boyi talking.

Jiang Chen began by following Shen Boyi's manner of courtly conduct, inquiring about agricultural taxes in Jiangnan and the smooth flow of water and land transportation in the area. He gradually shifted his focus from general matters to the details of the lives of the people in Jiangnan. When the conversation turned to the everyday life of ordinary people, he naturally asked about the elders of the Shen family. Before Shen Boyi could react, Jiang Chen's perspective had already subtly shifted from the routine inquiries of a superior to the warm greetings of a junior. When the conversation reached its peak, Jiang Chen would even clap his hands and laugh along with Shen Boyi.

In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it was easy to see that Shen Boyi's face had lost the seriousness he had shown when he first entered. Not only did his eyebrows and eyes show a hint of a smile, but his expression even carried a touch of excitement. Shen Yujiao saw this, turned her head to look at Cui Shi, who had a kind face, lowered her eyes, nodded, and then slowly stirred the covered bowl in her hand.

Jiang Chen has always been like this; since childhood, he has always been deeply loved by his elders.

The two families had a very good relationship, and they would visit each other's homes during holidays. Over time, their relatives all got to know them. Shen Yujiao had been pampered by both families since she was a child, so she couldn't say anything unpleasant to some difficult relatives. Whenever this happened, Jiang Chen would pop out from the side, smiling and joking with these relatives. Without exception, they would be tricked into going somewhere else, and in the end, they would be in a very good mood.

Although he never said anything, Shen Yujiao knew that he was trying to help her out of a difficult situation.

The image of the little boy in her memory overlapped with the figure in front of her, and Shen Yujiao's eyes and brows softened unconsciously. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and when she looked up, she saw Jiang Chen looking over.

Her smile vanished abruptly, her lips twitched twice, and she asked awkwardly, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"I will go to the study with my father-in-law to discuss matters. Your Highness, please spend more time with your mother-in-law."

Jiang Chen seemed oblivious to her unease. After speaking, he got up and walked outside. Upon seeing this, Shen Yujiao quickly stood up, curtsied, and respectfully said, "Yes."

Shen Boyi followed Jiang Chen to the front courtyard, while Shen Yujiao led Cui Shi to the main courtyard. After the two sat down, Cui Shi and Shen Yujiao exchanged a few pleasantries. Once the palace maids had finished serving tea and refreshments, they dismissed everyone and the mother and daughter had a private chat.

“Jiaojiao,” Cui Shi held Shen Yujiao’s hand, her expression gradually becoming emotional. Looking at her daughter who had married someone else, her eyes reddened slightly. She looked Shen Yujiao up and down several times before smiling with some relief: “You look much better.”

When facing Shen Boyi, Shen Yujiao felt inexplicably nervous and awkward. However, when facing Cui Shi, whether it was Mu Jin's words that had a suggestive effect or the mother-daughter connection between Miss Shen and Cui Shi, she felt much more relaxed.

"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince treats me very well, and everyone in the Eastern Palace is extremely respectful to me. The other day when I entered the palace, His Majesty and the Empress bestowed upon me many treasures. I am safe and sound here, Mother, you can rest assured."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Madam Cui felt relieved and nodded emphatically: "It's wonderful that you think this way."

Afterwards, Cui held Shen Yujiao's hand and asked her many questions. Fortunately, they were all about whether she was used to the food and daily life after marrying into the Eastern Palace. Shen Yujiao answered fluently and vaguely when she encountered something she didn't understand. The two chatted smoothly like this.

As they were talking, Cui seemed to suddenly remember something. She called out to the outside, and immediately a maid came in carrying a brocade box. She walked to the table, bowed, handed the box to Cui, and then left.

The brocade box was exquisitely crafted just by looking at it. Cui picked it up and slowly opened it. As she did so, a crystal-clear jadeite bracelet appeared before her eyes. Shen Yujiao looked at the quality of the bracelet and estimated that it was at least a high-grade icy jadeite. It was smooth and lustrous, and when it was placed there, it shone with a luster like the flowing moonlight.

"Come."

Cui lifted Shen Yujiao's hand and put the bracelet on her wrist. The size of the bracelet fit her wrist perfectly, making her arm look even more slender, which complemented her elegant and noble Crown Princess attire.

"Beautiful, beautiful. Zhiju is such a thoughtful child. Even I couldn't find such good material."

Shen Yujiao, who was examining the bracelet, was taken aback by what she heard. She asked incredulously, "Zhiju...brother?"

"Yes, besides your brother, who else cares about you like this? He's always wanted to make you a nice bracelet as part of your dowry. Even though he couldn't make it back for the Crown Prince's wedding, he still had someone deliver this bracelet to me. The northern frontier is bitterly cold; I don't know how he found such a skilled craftsman there..."

Cui continued speaking, but Shen Yujiao seemed unable to hear the rest of the words: Zhiju, Zhiju, He Zhiju.

He was the older brother who played with her when she was little, and also the senior who took care of her in every way after she entered middle school. To her, He Zhiju was like a real older brother, like a summer breeze or a winter sun.

“Brother Zhiju, he—” Shen Yujiao snapped out of her daze, grabbed Cui Shi’s hand, and then, after calming down, asked, “Where is he now?”

Madam Cui was startled by her reaction, then scolded her, "Where else could your brother be? Of course, he's guarding the northern border for His Majesty. He has military orders to keep and cannot return to the capital without an imperial edict. But he knows you're getting married and he's very concerned about it. Look at him, isn't that right?" As she spoke, she shook Shen Yujiao's hand, which was adorned with the Imperial Concubine's Bracelet.

"Hmm," Shen Yujiao smiled, "Then, when will he be back?"

"That's hard to say. Your brother hasn't mentioned it either. However, he must be doing quite well in the army. The letter that came back with this bracelet mentioned that your brother is now a heavy cavalry captain in the army."

"A letter?" Shen Yujiao asked nervously. "Did Mother bring it with her today?"

Seeing her like this, Cui smiled and said, "How was I supposed to know that you siblings would miss each other so much? I've never seen you so excited when Zhiju wrote home before. If you want to see it, I'll have someone send it over before your father and I leave tomorrow."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Mother. Also—"

Shen Yujiao wanted to ask more about He Zhiju, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she heard Mu Jin call out from outside the door: "Your Highness, Madam, the people in the front courtyard say that the banquet has been prepared and His Highness the Crown Prince invites the two masters to dine."

"Okay, we'll head over now."

Upon hearing this, Madam Cui agreed. Seeing this, Shen Yujiao didn't dare to ask any more questions and could only accompany Madam Cui to the front courtyard for a meal.

Today, the kitchen in the East Palace prepared all the dishes from Jiangnan. Seeing the admiration in Cui's eyes, Shen Yujiao knew that Jiang Chen had also won over his mother-in-law. Although everyone ate properly during the meal, judging from the actions of the palace maids serving the dishes, it was clear that the Shen couple were extremely satisfied with this family banquet.

After lunch, Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao personally escorted the two to the main gate of the East Palace and watched them board the carriage, thus officially concluding the meeting.

When the Shen couple arrived, they came in a single carriage, but when they left, a long procession of carriages and horses followed behind, all carrying "return gifts" for their son-in-law, Jiang Chen. At a glance, the procession was grand and impressive.

Standing at the door watching the convoy leave, Shen Yujiao praised with a forced smile, "They've certainly gotten a good son-in-law."

“Likewise,” Jiang Chen said calmly. “Those two in the palace also got good daughters-in-law.”

As the convoy drove far away, Shen Yujiao lost interest in arguing with Jiang Chen at the door. She gave Jiang Chen a slight bow, turned around and was about to walk into the mansion, but as soon as she lifted her leg, Jiang Chen reached out and pulled her back.

"Where did this bracelet come from?"

Looking at his expressionless face, Shen Yujiao felt that this man was inexplicable. She wanted to shake him off and leave, but she still remembered that this was the main entrance and countless eyes were watching. She placed her other hand on Jiang Chen's wrist, secretly exerting force to break free from his grasp, and then smiled demurely.

"Your Highness, is it any of your business?"