Chapter 57 Not Very Happy

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly choked and swallowed back the rest of his words.

He understood what Xiao Yuan meant when he looked at him directly.

That group of bandits really had nothing to do with the early court, but it did have something to do with the girl's reputation.

"Xiao Yuan, what are you planning?"

He worked so hard but didn't even get a smile. How come he didn't realize before that he was such a selfless and kind person.

Xiao Yuan lowered his head, picked up the documents piled on the desk and began to make annotations, ignoring Ling Chenyi.

"Alas." Ling Chenyi sighed heavily and went out resigned to his fate. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night!

The next morning.

The sky was foggy and the air was chilly. It was suddenly much colder than usual, as if winter had suddenly arrived.

If you calculate carefully, there are only two months left until the end of the year.

The first thing Shen Anan did when she got up was to write a letter to Old Madam Shen, telling her not to be greedy for coolness in the cold weather and to take good care of herself. She would visit her next summer at the latest.

After her eldest brother's marriage is settled, she can tell her parents about her engagement with Zhang Yeyang. When everything is settled, she can return to Jiangnan with peace of mind.

"Miss." Mo Xiang said as she was putting on her makeup, "Madam has prepared a generous gift and sent it to the Fourth Prince's residence. Should we also prepare one to thank the Fourth Prince for saving us?"

Shen Anan paused as she stroked the satin cuffs, her eyes drooping slightly, “No need, mother’s thoughts represent me.”

According to etiquette, she should hand over a generous gift and thank him in person. After all, he sacrificed a lot to save people. But for some reason, she always felt uneasy in her heart and didn't want to have anything to do with him.

It seems that once you are involved, it is difficult to get out.

"Has father come from the morning court?"

What happened last night will surely cause a huge uproar in the court, and no one knows what the outcome will be.

"Not yet." Mo Xiang inserted a pearl hairpin into her hair, and the originally monotonous bun immediately became lively and bright.

"The master left early in the morning and has not left the court yet."

Shen Anan frowned, feeling a little worried, but then she thought that with so many ministers attacking the second prince together, her father should have a better chance of winning.

Thinking of this, she felt relieved a little, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy about Xiao Yuan. After all, he had saved them, and if he was severely punished by the emperor, the favor he owed would be even greater.

"Tell Uncle Zhong to wait at the palace gate and tell me as soon as there is any news."

"Yes." Mo Xiang immediately went out and told Mo Ran to make the arrangements.

Shen Anan stood up and went out. Standing in the Begonia Garden, she could still hear the noise in the mansion. The servants were busy coming and going, but their faces were full of joy.

"Where's my brother?"

Mo Xiang knew what the girl wanted to ask, and replied, "The young master is in the courtyard and is not on duty today."

Shen Anan responded lightly and breathed a sigh of relief. Today was the betrothal ceremony. If the eldest brother was not here, the Lin family girl would definitely think too much.

Fortunately, my brother is not confused. I hope he can do what he said in the future.

Calculating the time, the team should be leaving for the Lin Mansion. Shen Anan stepped down the stairs and said, "Let's go and sit with Big Brother."

The master and servant walked to Shen Changhe's yard, only to be told by the servants that Shen Changhe was not there. They went to Madam Shen's yard to pay their respects, and then turned back and went to Madam Shen's place.

When he arrived at the yard, he heard Mrs. Shen's worried instructions, which were nothing more than courtesy and attitude, asking Shen Changhe to treat Miss Lin well, be more warm and not have a wooden face, because the girl would feel uncomfortable if she saw it.

Shen Changhe was sitting at the bottom, surprisingly quiet. He only nodded in agreement from time to time when Mrs. Shen was nagging, indicating that he would do it.

At the end of the story, Mrs. Shen was a little surprised. Thinking of her son's attitude towards this marriage a few days ago, and comparing it with now, she just felt incredible.

"Chang He, why are you..."

Don't hold back on any big moves? But on second thought, I felt that my eldest son was not such a child.

Shen Changhe naturally understood what his mother meant, and said calmly, "Don't worry, mother, Miss Lin is a good girl, and I won't treat her badly."

"That's good." Madam Shen was relieved and said, "After we get married, if you dare to treat her badly, mother will not let you go."

In silence, Shen Anan walked in and bowed, "Mom, big brother."

"Why are you up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Mrs. Shen quickly waved for her to sit next to her. Seeing that her daughter's face was still rosy, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You must have been scared last night."

"No, my elder brother is here, so I'm not afraid." Shen Anan smiled and took the tea handed to her by the nanny and took a sip.

Shen Changhe glanced at his sister with his deep eyes, then retracted them and lowered his head to drink tea.

Madam Shen sighed, "To be honest, this is all the work of Miss Lin and the Fourth Prince, especially the Fourth Prince. In order to save you, I'm afraid he suffered a lot of losses. I don't know how the Emperor will punish him. Mother sent someone to prepare a generous gift and sent it to the Fourth Prince's mansion, which is also a token of her appreciation."

Compared to what the Fourth Prince had done, their gratitude was truly insignificant.

Shen Anan lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions in her eyes, and responded softly.

In her previous life, she had never realized that he was so kind. If then...

The thought only lasted for a moment before Shen Anan suppressed it. She was just taking advantage of Duan Mengmeng, so why should she think so much?

She will remember the favor and will repay it if she can.

Shen Changhe seemed to be drinking tea, but in fact his eyes never left Shen Anan's beautiful face. When he saw her mention Xiao Yuan, his eyelashes trembled slightly, his brows slightly frowned, and then he withdrew his gaze indifferently.

Putting down the teacup, "Mom, go check on the betrothal gifts. I have something to say to An An."

Mrs. Shen looked at her children, agreed readily without asking any more questions, and left happily.

There were only the brother and sister left in the room, and Shen Anan happened to have something to say to Shen Changhe, so she took the initiative to stand up and said, "Let's go out for a walk."

Shen Changhe nodded, and the brother and sister left the yard together, avoiding the noise and going to the relatively quiet rockery in the backyard.

Next to the rockery, there is a small artificial lake. The trees on both sides are bare at this time. Standing by the lake, there are gusts of cold wind and it is a bit cold.

"What do you want to say, brother?"

Shen Changhe strode to her side, shielding her from most of the cold wind, "Brother wants to ask, what exactly is the conflict between An An and the Fourth Prince?"

Shen Anan was stunned, raised his eyes and looked at Shen Changhe, not understanding why his elder brother suddenly asked this question.

Shen Changhe said, "You seem to have an inexplicable hostility towards the Fourth Prince. Is it because your aunt wants you to marry him, and you have someone in your heart?"

Shen Anan didn't know how to answer. After a moment, she nodded perfunctorily and said "hmm".

Shen Changhe's deep eyes locked onto her tightly, "But brother feels that you don't really like that scholar."

At most, it's just appreciation rather than dislike.

Being hit in the heart, Shen Anan was a little afraid to look up at Shen Changhe's eyes.

"An An, did you choose Zhang Yeyang because you don't want to marry the Fourth Prince and don't want to stay in the capital?"

Although it was a question, Shen Changhe's tone was very deep, as if he was very sure.

"No." Shen Anan immediately denied, "I like him."

Shen Anan suppressed her guilty conscience, raised her head and looked directly at Shen Changhe, "I like Zhang Yeyang, and wanting to marry him has nothing to do with anyone or anything."

"really?"

"Really." Shen Anan nodded without hesitation.

She couldn't admit it, otherwise, given her eldest brother's temper, he would never agree to let her marry Zhang Yeyang again.

Now, every day she stayed in the capital, she felt more uneasy, especially every time she saw Xiao Yuan, the uneasiness would become more intense, as if something was gradually getting out of her control.

If it weren't for this accident, Xiao Yuan would have been able to wield all the power in the court and would have definitely become the emperor of all the nine provinces in the future.

With the imperial concubine in the middle, she cannot stay and leave any hidden dangers for herself or the Shen family.

Shen Changhe withdrew his gaze from Shen Anan's unwavering gaze and looked far away at the center of the lake.

After a long silence, he quietly recounted everything that had happened in the Second Prince's residence last night.

Shen Anan felt cold all over when he heard it, and something seemed to explode in his head. He stood there for a long time without moving.

"How is that possible?" she murmured and shook her head.

How could Xiao Yuan possibly be trying to save her? And based on the scenes her eldest brother described, she couldn't believe that the cold-hearted man would lose control for her.

"Maybe... he did it for Mengmeng."

Shen Anan bit her lip tightly, recalled everything in her past life, and her heart immediately calmed down.

Maybe it's just a guess. Maybe he knew Duan Mengmeng was in there, so he was so bold as to go to the South Camp to mobilize troops.

But the eldest brother was so sure... Shen Anan felt a little confused.

Shen Changhe, “Although Big Brother has never experienced it, as a man, he can see it clearly.”

He turned sideways and looked at Shen An'an, "An'an, the Fourth Prince is very cunning. If he really has feelings for you, it may not be easy for you to leave under his nose. If you really care about that scholar, after today, I will tell my father to let you get married as soon as possible and send you away."

As for the others, the Shen family is there to support them, and the favor will be repaid by Shen Changhe.

Shen Anan nodded dazedly, her heart in a mess.

What Xiao Yuan did to her was something she had never imagined and felt would never happen.

Could it be that she changed the course of her previous life and also changed the entanglement between the two? Master Wen Yin's words suddenly appeared in her mind, and cold sweat instantly crawled up her back.

Could it be that the two of them will become entangled again in a different way?

No, you can't.

Both brother and sister were silent.

Shen Anan calmed down and spoke again, "There is something I want to ask my brother to help me check, the sooner the better."

"you say."

Shen Anan frowned, “I want to check Zhang Yeyang’s hometown. He said he has an older sister and a younger sister. I want to know the details.”

Although Zhang Yeyang repeatedly assured her that he was not engaged, and she believed in his character, she still felt that it would be more reliable to check it out. After going through so much, she knew what it meant to know a person's appearance but not his heart.

Everything depends on evidence.

"He has a sister?" Shen Changhe was a little surprised.

He remembered that in the files he knew, Zhang Yeyang had only two siblings, and no older sister.

"Yes, he said a few days ago that he has an older sister who will be getting married soon."

Shen Changhe nodded, "Okay, I'll send someone to check it out right away."

Shen Anan nodded, and a servant came to report that it was getting late and the marriage proposal team should set off. Shen Changhe turned around and was about to leave. Shen Anan hesitated for a long time, but finally called him.

"There is one thing I think I need to tell my brother."

Shen Changhe turned around and looked at her, obviously waiting for her to say something.

Shen Anan pursed her lips lightly, her voice was very soft and slow, "It's about Miss Duan Er. In fact, I knew from the beginning that the person my eldest brother saved was her."

Shen Changhe's eyes deepened, but he said nothing.

"The reason why I didn't say anything is because I felt that she wasn't the right person for Big Brother. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and I didn't mean to stop Big Brother from being with her."

She had always been taking things as they come, but what happened yesterday made her feel that the girl was far from being as pitiful and weak as she appeared to be.

"Yesterday, she was not among the people captured by the Second Prince at first. She took the initiative to walk into the Second Prince's mansion when she knew that the person in the carriage was not Miss Duan San. She said that the rules and etiquette of the Duan Mansion were strict and that the arrest of Miss Duan San could not be publicized, so she did not look for anyone to rescue her."

But she knew clearly what the Second Prince felt towards Duan Mengmeng, and knew what fate Duan Mengmeng would face if she stayed in the Second Prince's mansion.

So whether it was out of rules and etiquette, or was it because she had been suppressed for too long and wanted to take revenge, she didn't say it, but I'm sure her eldest brother would have considered it in his mind.

Of course, there is nothing wrong in dealing with someone who has been bullying her for years, but her disguised behavior and pretentiousness are not pleasing.

She is completely different from the gentle and weak girl that big brother has in mind.

Of course Shen Changhe understood what his sister meant. He stood there, stunned for a long while before he raised his feet again, said "hmm" lightly, and turned to leave.

In fact, it didn’t matter to him. No matter what kind of person that girl was, it would have nothing to do with him for the rest of his life.

Even if he had been moved, he would not be as crazy as those infatuated men and women in storybooks. Love was just something dispensable.

Responsibility and commitment are what a man should bear throughout his life.

Madam Shen had already prepared everything. The long betrothal gifts were lined up in a queue, forming a long dragon in front of the gate of the Shen Mansion, which was lively and spectacular.

When Shen Changhe walked to the corridor, the servant suddenly reminded him in a low voice, "Sir, is the robe you are wearing not appropriate?"

Shen Changhe lowered his head and glanced at the moon-white brocade robe on his body, frowned, turned back to the yard and changed into a dark red suit before going out.

The Lin Mansion was equally bustling, and the girls in the fresh and elegant boudoirs had been looking forward to it for a long time.

She looked at herself in front of the bronze mirror, and every time she heard the maids' and old women's voices of praise, her heart would be relieved a little.

“Has Master Shen arrived?”

"Not yet." The old woman smiled, "Don't worry, young lady. The good time hasn't come yet. The future son-in-law should also be keeping track of the time."

Lin Yurou's face flushed and she nodded slightly, feeling happy yet uneasy.

But she thought that since he had agreed, he would definitely come. She would accompany him for countless days and nights in the future and would always be able to eliminate the person in his heart.

"Miss, Miss, the team from the Shen Mansion has already set out. The betrothal gifts are as long as a whole street. It's very impressive." The little maid ran in happily to report the news.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Lin Yurou glared at the little maid, lowered her eyes shyly, and half of her face turned red.