Chapter 64: How are you going to thank me? (Brother is back...
He did nothing. Indeed, he did not do anything. He just hugged her whole body and pressed her naked body face to face. But it was more embarrassing than doing something else.
"Don't hold me so tight, loosen up a bit." The area where he had bitten and kissed me was slightly swollen and painful, and I couldn't stand his tight squeeze. "I'm not comfortable like this."
"Okay then." He relaxed slightly, and gently stroked her back with his big hands. "My dear, can we consummate our marriage after I pass the Imperial College?"
If it was before, Shen Yunshu would definitely agree immediately, but now...
If he entered the palace, he naturally wouldn't have to worry about passing the entrance exam to the Imperial College, as there would be better teachers to teach him.
"Why aren't you talking, madam?" Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Pei Huaian looked down at her and kissed her on the forehead.
Shen Yunshu closed her eyes: "I'm sleepy, can I sleep?"
"Okay." Pei Huaian was already very satisfied to be able to sleep with her in his arms without any barriers tonight. He also had to fall asleep quickly, otherwise that part would wake up again later.
The winter nights are long. When the first ray of crab-shell green appears in the east, it is already the hour of Mao.
At this hour, my father should be getting ready for the morning court session.
Shen Yunshu went to see her father before he left the house and asked him if he would petition the emperor today.
Father Shen nodded and said, "Your second brother's portrait was delivered to His Majesty some time ago. This misunderstanding cannot be delayed any longer."
Although it now seems that my father and father-in-law have worked together to protect the royal heir, they were the ones who deceived the emperor first. This matter probably cannot be resolved by simply petitioning.
"Father, I won't be going back to the Pei family these few days. My brothers and sisters and I will be waiting for you at home."
Shen Tingyu also knew that he might not be able to return home so soon after entering the palace this time: "With you at home, your father can rest assured."
When Pei Huaian learned that she was going to stay at the Shen family for a few days, he was reluctant to return to the Pei Mansion, but she persuaded him to go back on the pretext of studying.
Sure enough, my father did not come back that night. At night, people from the Dali Temple suddenly came to the house. They held the imperial decree and gathered everyone in the mansion in the front yard. Starting with the mistress, they went into the hall one by one to be questioned.
It is cold in winter, especially at night. People standing in the yard will be frozen in no time.
Shen Youran came out suddenly, without even a cloak on, and was shivering with cold. She wanted to hug her sister to keep warm for a while, but was stopped by the people from the Dali Temple, who told them not to get too close to each other, so as not to be suspected of collusion.
Shen Youran was about to cry, crying from the cold.
Dan Ruotinglan's maids were dressed even thinner, and their lips were so cold that they turned purple.
It was unknown how long this interrogation would last. Shen Yunshu looked at her sister and the others worriedly, thinking about how to plead with the people in the Dali Temple, but she saw a yamen runner with a knife in the hall walking straight up to her.
"Lord Xiao has allowed two people to bring some charcoal to start a fire to avoid the cold. Please arrange for two people, and I will accompany them to get the charcoal."
Shen Yunshu thanked him and quickly assigned two strong servants.
Then he glanced into the hall from afar.
Xiao Ci in the hall noticed her gaze, nodded slightly to her, and then concentrated on the case again.
The interrogation lasted all night until the last servant was questioned. The people from the Dali Temple let them go back, but they kept Shen Changyu and wanted to take him back to the Dali Temple.
At the same time, the Shangshu Mansion was temporarily closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave.
Fortunately, Shen Changyu was sent back the next day and told them that his father and the third master of the Pei family were both imprisoned in the Dali Temple, but had not been tortured.
The ban on the Shangshu Mansion was lifted on the fifth day, and my father finally returned safely. He told them that His Majesty would no longer pursue their crime of deceiving the emperor in consideration of their contributions in protecting the royal heir. However, they still had to be punished for not reporting the incident in the past two years. He was demoted to half his position and fined for half a year. Pei Yuanzhou, on his part, donated most of his family property to fill the national treasury. Only then did the matter pass without any danger.
"What about Pei Huaian?" Shen Yunshu asked.
"After his identity was confirmed, he was taken into the palace. Once he leaves, the real Pei Huaian will be able to return." Shen Tingyu looked at his eldest daughter, "Shu'er, you must also prepare to enter the palace."
"Father, does His Majesty have any doubts about my marriage to him?"
The emperor was suspicious and naturally suspected that the Shen family had deliberately married their daughter to the emperor's grandson. However, compared to finding the emperor's grandson, this matter seemed less important: "Time reveals a person's true character. Shu'er, no matter what, you are already husband and wife..."
The day after my father came back, someone came from the palace with the emperor's oral order and summoned Shen Yunshu into the palace.
The imperial decree was difficult to obey. Even though Shen Yunshu was worried about her younger brothers and sisters, she had no choice but to leave the Shen family and get on the carriage to the palace.
Shen Youran watched the yellow-covered carriage leave, her mind filled with her sister's embarrassment. She thought that if the marriage had not been exchanged and she had married Pei Huaian as usual, then it would be her who would enter the palace today.
If she entered the palace, I can’t imagine how she would get along in the palace?
I think with my sister's personality and talents, she should be liked by the people in the palace.
Shen Youran prayed silently in her heart, hoping that the emperor would not be suspicious of her sister and that everything would be safe and smooth in the palace.
*
Counting the time, Pei Huaijin has been sent out for more than twenty days.
When he left, he told her that he would be back in half a month at the fastest, or before the New Year at the slowest.
There are still more than ten days until the Chinese New Year, and he should be back soon.
While waiting for his return, Shen Youran taught his second brother to read in the mansion.
His father originally wanted to hire a teacher for him, but he was afraid that the teacher's severity would scare away the son he had finally found, so he asked Shen Youran to teach him the Thousand Character Classic in his spare time.
In the past, Shen Youran was forced to study for two years by her sister using a ruler to coerce and bribe her. Now the ruler has been passed down to her. She follows her sister's example and if her second brother doesn't study hard, she will raise the ruler to scare him.
But he was not afraid at all, and he smiled and stretched out his hand for her to hit.
Shen Youran looked at the thick calluses on his palms and couldn't continue beating him. She threw away the ruler and touched the calluses on his palms. Turning it over, she saw dark red chilblains on the back of his hands and fingers. "Didn't you say they loved you? Why did they raise you like this?"
"Well, what's the big deal? One winter, I had a high fever and no medicine was working. They came up with a plan and threw me into a snow pit to cool me down. After my fever subsided, I crawled back out on my own." Shen Changyu said disapprovingly, "It's true that they love me, but it's also true that they don't know how to raise a child."
Shen Youran looked at his second brother, who had a calm and composed expression. He wore a newly made, narrow-sleeved, Tianshui green robe with a waistcoat. His hair was neatly combed, and a long green headband of the same color flowed down his back. His face was much better than before. Shedding his bandit-like aura, he was now a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, much better looking than before.
Shen Youran felt sorry for her second brother and took out the slingshot she had bought at the temple fair: “Second brother, you can’t read today, so this is for you to play with.”
As expected, Shen Changyu liked it very much. He took it and gestured with it: "I also had a slingshot before. My second father made it for me with animal bones. I played with it for many years. I polished the bow frame made of animal bones until it turned jade-colored..."
Then he asked her how a girl could have this?
When Shen Youran heard him mention his second father, she thought of the time when the second-in-command held her hostage and was shot in the forehead by Liang Xu with an arrow, killing him on the spot.
Fortunately, the second brother did not know Liang Xu, and Shen Youran did not plan to introduce the two to each other in the future.
"My eyesight isn't very good, so a friend taught me this, saying it would help my eyes recover."
"What happened to your eyes?"
"I cried so much when I was little that my eyes got damaged."
"How much could you cry when you were a kid? Did you even cry your eyes out?"
"After you got into trouble, Mom and Dad divorced. I couldn't stay with Mom and was taken back to the capital by Dad. I missed her so much that I kept crying..."
Speaking of my mother, after my father was released from the Dali Temple, my sister was summoned to the palace the next day. My mother came on the third day and cried bitterly while hugging her son who had been separated from her for many years.
Although the second brother has returned, father and mother have long lost their fate as husband and wife. Shen Youran and the second brother can only go to the Lu Mansion to see her when they miss their mother.
"I didn't expect you were such a crybaby when you were little," Shen Changyu teased her, "Come on, let's go play slingshots."
Shen Changyu was very good at playing with the slingshot. He could hit whatever he pointed at. When the brother and sister were having fun, the doorman just happened to bring in two guests, who were the Liang brother and sister.
"Sister Youran!" Liang Qingluo walked over happily and took Shen Youran's arm. "I heard that your Shangshu Mansion was sealed off by the Dali Temple a few days ago. I was very worried. Today, my sixth brother and I came to see you..."
“Sister Qingluo, Mr. Liang…” Shen Youran’s heart tightened when he saw Liang Xu.
What you fear will come true.
At that time, she was still thinking that Liang Xu had shot and killed her second brother's adoptive father with his own hands, and she must not let the two of them know each other. Unexpectedly, the Liang brothers and sisters came over at this time and happened to meet her second brother.
Now that she had met them, she had to bite the bullet and introduce them to each other: "Second brother, these two are Liang Liulang and Liang Jiuniang from the General's Mansion..."
Then he introduced to the Liang brothers and sisters: "I'm sure you've heard that my second brother, who had been lost for many years, has been found."
"Second Master Shen," Liang Xu recognized him at a glance. The slingshot in the other party's hand was the one he had chosen for Shen Youran at the temple fair. "You play slingshot well."
"Thank you for the compliment," Shen Changyu shook the slingshot in his hand, "Does Mr. Liang know how to play?"
“Of course, this slingshot was given to Madam Shen by me.”
"So it was you who gave it to me," Shen Changyu grabbed a handful of marbles made of mud balls and gave them to him. "Would you like to compete?"
Liang Xu responded calmly: "Come on."
Shen Youran and Liang Qingluo stood aside, watching the two of them shooting slingshots back and forth. They were surprisingly evenly matched, and their eyes revealed admiration for each other.
Shen Youran felt uneasy: Seeing that they have similar interests, they are not going to become good friends, right?
Sure enough, after the slingshot competition, Liang Xu praised his second brother and then asked him, "Second Master, you are good at slingshot shooting. I wonder if you can shoot arrows?"
This happened to touch upon Shen Changyu's strengths: "Of course, I can not only shoot arrows, but I can also shoot arrows while riding a horse."
Liang Xu seemed to have thought of something, so he asked Liang Qingluo to get his bow and arrow from the carriage and handed it to Shen Changyu: "Try it."
"Good bow!" Shen Changyu grabbed the bow, weighed it, and plucked the bowstring. After roughly understanding the strength of the bow, he slowly drew the bowstring. The string shot out, and a white-feathered arrow flew straight towards the copper coin three meters away, nailing the copper coin to the courtyard wall...
Liang Qingluo ran over to take a look and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! This arrow hit the center of the copper coin!"
Shen Changyu proudly put away his bow and arrow.
Shen Youran didn't expect that his second brother's archery skills were so superb: It seems that they are destined to become friends.
Liang Xu handed him a few more arrows, and seeing that he was indeed skilled, he mentioned something to him: "In seven days, envoys from foreign countries will come to pay homage to His Majesty. His Majesty will hold a banquet in the Southern Imperial Court. In addition to selecting members of the archery team to accompany the shooting, the court has also been recruiting skilled archers from the public. I see that you have excellent archery skills and are a talent the court is looking for. Would you like to give it a try?"
"Go to the Southern Imperial Court to accompany the archery?" After hearing this, Shen Changyu's eyes were filled with excitement, but when he thought about his roughness, he still let down his temper, "Forget it, I'm just a rough man, I'd better not go and embarrass myself."
"The imperial court has always been open about selecting archery experts. As long as you are a good archer, that's enough." Liang Xu encouraged him, "If you are interested, I can recommend you."
Shen Changyu was indeed moved.
He has been at home for so long and has always felt very inferior. Now that he has a rare skill that he can show off, he naturally wants to try it.
"Then I'll discuss it with Daddy later."
"Okay, as soon as possible." Liang Xu saw that he couldn't let go of the bow in his hand, so he said generously, "Brother Shen, if you think this bow is suitable, I will give it to you."
"That's not right. This is our first meeting, how can I accept your things?" Chen Changyu wanted to return the bow to him. "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Liang."
“Brother Shen, there is no need to refuse.”
"Then I'll take it..."
Just now they were calling each other Young Master Shen and Young Master Liang, but now they were calling each other brothers. Shen Youran felt more and more uneasy, so he found an excuse to pull Liang Xu away and talk to him alone for a while.
She pulled him under an ancient cypress tree, and after confirming that her second brother wouldn't hear them from such a distance, she told Liang Xu the truth: "Mr. Liang, I wonder how much you've heard about my second brother's affairs."
"There aren't many rumors out there. I only heard that he came from a humble background."
"He's not just a gangster. He was kidnapped by assassins when he was a child. Later, those assassins changed their profession and became bandits. The bandits who kidnapped me last time, my second brother is in the same group with them..."
Liang Xu looked surprised.
"The man you shot dead with one arrow in Songlin'ao last time was my second brother's adoptive father. I can see that my second brother has a deep affection for his adoptive father. You must never mention that matter in front of him again..."
Liang Xu was stunned for a moment before nodding and saying, "I understand what you mean."
Although he looked stern, he was actually a very easy-going person, and he had helped her many times before. Shen Youran finally made a request: "I only told you the identity of my second brother, you have to keep it a secret for me, okay?"
"good."
"Thank you."
She had thanked him several times before and even wanted to visit him to express her gratitude, but he declined every time. So she never took the initiative to look for him again.
The relationship between the two ended there.
He helped her and never thought of asking for anything in return, but today, he suddenly wanted to get involved with her a little more: "Then...how are you going to thank me?"
Shen Youran was stunned for a moment, and then a blush spread across her cheeks: he had just given Second Brother a bow and arrow, helped recommend him, and even promised to keep Second Brother's secret for her. A superficial thank you was obviously not enough, and she should thank him properly.
She thought about it and decided to give him what he wanted: "Young Master Liang just gave a good bow to my second brother. I will find a better one and give it to you someday."
"I have plenty of bows and arrows, you don't have to spend money."
You are not allowed to send bows and arrows.
Shen Youran didn't know what to give him, so she asked him, "Besides archery, what other hobbies does Mr. Liang have?"
"Apart from the bow and arrow, I don't have any other hobbies. However," Liang Xu looked down at her. She smiled with her eyebrows curved, and her eyes seemed to be filled with a shallow pool of water, rippling slightly in the winter sun. "But there is one thing I like..."
Shen Youran stretched his neck and listened carefully: "What is it?"
"you."
"Huh?" Shen Youran didn't react for a moment, "What's wrong with me?"
"It's you."
"Me what?" Shen Youran blinked, wondering what he was going to say, when he suddenly remembered his previous sentence.
To put it together, the one he likes... is her?
Shen Youran's eyes widened, and he was stunned for a moment: "What are you talking about?"
Having said that, Liang Xu simply said it more directly: "Madam Shen, Master Pei is not a good son-in-law. Have you ever thought about divorcing him?"
"..." What was she talking about? Why did she want to divorce Pei Huaijin for no reason? "Pei Huaijin treats me very well. I have never thought about divorcing him."
"If he's really good to you, why would you go back to your parents' home?"
"I went back to my parents' home, not because he treated me badly..."
"But I heard Qingluo say that he wants to take a concubine."
"It wasn't his idea to take a concubine, it was my mother-in-law who insisted on it. I went back to my parents' home to piss off my mother-in-law."
She refuted both of these reasons. Liang Xu didn't want to tell her the last one, but he couldn't bear to see her being kept in the dark. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said it: "Then you know, he has a hidden illness and can't, can't be humane..."
"ah?"
When did Pei Huaijin become ill?
How is he inhumane?
He is so humane!
"Mr. Liang, do you have any misunderstandings about my husband?"
"Yes, Master Liang," a low, chilling voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the ancient cypress tree. "How could Pei not know that he was suffering from a hidden illness?"
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