Chapter 558 Zhou Xinrou recognizes Huang Yu as her adopted daughter!

Tianjin

"Your Highness, Shen Lanxi is distorting the truth. Everything she's doing now is to deceive the people of Great Zhou. She cannot be trusted!" Jiang Wuyai said angrily after receiving the news from the capital.

Zhou Ruyuan sat there blankly, seemingly lost in thought or pondering something.

"Wei Dongzhu has a wife and children."

Upon hearing Zhou Ruyuan speak, Jiang Wuyai immediately explained, "That woman is Wei Dongzhu's maid in the Northwest. He has been hiding this from Shen Lanxi. You can imagine how angry Shen Lanxi was when she found out."

Zhou Ruyuan had many thoughts, but reality defeated them all; it was no longer possible for them.

"Her taste isn't very good either!" Zhou Ruyuan blurted out without thinking, for reasons unknown.

Jiang Wuyai said anxiously, "Your Highness, now is not the time to dwell on personal feelings. Wei Dongzhu has been sent back to the Northwest. Now is the best time for us to take advantage of the situation."

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes lit up.

“After this incident, Shen Lanxi will definitely turn against Wei Dongzhu. If a woman wants to maintain her power, she will definitely need the support of men. In the past, Wei Dongzhu supported her, and the men under her were all convinced. Now that she has turned against Wei Dongzhu, who will listen to her?”

Seeing that Zhou Ruyuan had already made up his mind, Jiang Wuyai immediately advised, "Your Highness, we should act swiftly, or things may change!"

Zhou Ruyuan composed himself and immediately ordered, "Go and find out the truth of the news immediately. I think this matter may be a trap deliberately set by Shen Lanxi."

Jiang Wuyai looked at Zhou Ruyuan with disbelief, never expecting that the prince would think of this.

"Your Highness's considerations are indeed comprehensive."

Zhou Ruyuan: "The enemy is strong and we are weak. We only have Tianjin, so we have to be on guard!"

Jiang Wuyai's eyes lit up: "So Your Highness had already chosen Tianjin as the location."

Zhou Ruyuan nodded: "Although Tianjin has a small land area, it has a vast sea area. As long as our soldiers are trained to be proficient in naval warfare, we can take over the north upstream and reach the south downstream. This place is a treasure."

Seeing that the prince was interested, Jiang Wuyai immediately told Zhou Ruyuan the information he had gathered over the past few days.

"Your Highness, the Third Princess is colluding with pirates!"

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes darkened: "I understand. You continue to keep an eye on things."

"yes!"

The Northwest also received news from the capital.

However, it wasn't through undercover agents, but through urgent reports.

"The imperial examination has come to a successful conclusion, and the top scholar of this year's examination is a woman."

"The top scholar in the martial arts examination was also a woman."

"And there's more... His Majesty has taken two concubines, heavens above..."

Everyone in the council chamber looked up at Shen Yuanjing.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Other emperors have three palaces and six courtyards, so what if my eldest sister takes two concubines?"

"A lot?"

Having grown accustomed to the ruggedness of the Northwest, Shen Yuanjing's speech and mannerisms were now indistinguishable from those of the Northwest people.

"Not much, not much. Your Majesty truly lives up to your title; you have the makings of a wise ruler."

Shen Yuanjing said with a proud look, "That's right, our Emperor is simply unprecedented and unparalleled, truly a great emperor for all time!"

"What should we do, General Wei?"

Shen Yuanjing: "..."

Yes, what if General Wei finds out about this?

"He already has a wife and children, so be it. He can't have a family and leave my older sister all alone!"

"Pah, pah, pah! My eldest sister is an empress, how dare anyone interfere? Let's not mention this matter. He has a habit of reading the news, let him read it himself!"

Shen Yuanjing already harbored resentment towards Wei Dongzhu. What kind of person was his elder sister? And what kind of person was Wei Dongzhu? How dare he deceive his elder sister? It was simply unforgivable.

If he were the older sister, she certainly wouldn't have let Wei Dong be driven back to the Northwest so easily, much less let him take command of troops again.

...

Soon the day of the family reunion banquet arrived. Huang Yu invited many of his colleagues from the capital's guards, and Zhou Xinrou also sent invitations to other prefectures, which brought many people to the event.

Even without these posts, the high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the capital would still come because of Shen Lanxi.

"See? The mistress is the mistress, she's just not like us!"

"Say less, what if someone overhears?"

"I'm not stupid, I must have said that when no one was around."

Shen Yuanhe and Shen Yuanrui hid in a corner and whispered to each other.

"Look at how Shen Yuanxin fawns over the mistress, it's disgusting."

"Shh, stop talking! I'd love to try and curry favor, but I wouldn't dare!"

Since Shen Lanxi's coronation ceremony, the young lady of the Shen family has been living in the Shen family and has not returned home.

Their reasoning was also quite sound. At the beginning of His Majesty's reign, he would certainly hold banquets frequently. As members of the Shen family, if they were to miss their own family's banquets, they would definitely be dragging His Majesty down.

After much deliberation, Madam Shen allowed them to live in the Shen family home. However, these young women were afraid that they would attract too much attention and be driven away, so they stayed in the courtyard and rarely went out.

At today's family reunion banquet, they were all dressed in their finest attire, which made the Shen family appear prosperous and pleased Old Madam Shen.

During the banquet, someone brought up Shen Yuanxin's marriage again.

Now that Zhou Xinrou is in charge of the household, Old Madam Shen is counting on Zhou Xinrou to make all the decisions.

Shen Yuanxin listened anxiously, but dared not show any disapproval.

The fact that the mistress was now in charge of the household gave her a sense of impending crisis. After reflecting for a few days, she was already considering giving in.

The betrothal letters sent by the matchmaker last time were either from a declining noble family or from a remarriage; she didn't like any of them.

This time, she intends to choose someone she likes from among the people attending the banquet, hoping to find someone who catches her eye.

Huang Yu, dressed in a striking red outfit, walked confidently to the table.

"Is the princess's daughter betrothed?" asked Madam Liang, the Prime Minister's wife.

Zhou Xinrou smiled and said, "My daughter has already joined the Imperial Guard. In the future, she will definitely need to find a husband to carry on the family name."

Many ladies who had harbored such intentions immediately abandoned their plans upon hearing her say this.

They easily smoothed things over with a joke.

While Zhou Xinrou was changing her clothes, many of the ladies wentssiping among themselves.

"I heard she was this year's martial arts champion."

"She was skilled with knives and guns, and had such a long scar on her face. She didn't look like a woman at all. She definitely wouldn't be able to get into an ordinary family."

"Didn't you hear what the princess just said? She wants to find a husband to marry into her family, and she might even follow His Majesty's example and have three husbands and four concubines."

A frivolous and disdainful laugh rang out.

Shen Yuantang, who was listening from the side, was furious. Why did his mother say that? Didn't she know that it would make her a laughing stock?

And that Huang Yu, don't think she can't see it, she's imitating Shen Lanxi.

Shen Lanxi also loves to wear red.

When Zhou Xinrou returned, the two old women were carrying two things in their hands.

"This fire fox cloak was a gift from the Empress Dowager. Today, I present this cloak to Huang Yu."

"Huang Yu, come here, let me put this on you!"

Zhou Xinrou's leg injury had not yet healed, so Huang Yu stepped forward and knelt down.

"And this set of jewelry, also a gift from the Empress Dowager, is being given to you today!"

The old woman opened the box, revealing a complete set of ruby ​​jewelry, with the hairpins shaped like phoenix heads.