On the first day at the Shen family in Yangzhou, Wan Jinlan slept exceptionally soundly.
Although she was in good health, she was exhausted from traveling for more than half a month, and she had been restless since arriving, and went shopping with the Shen sisters, so it was inevitable that she was tired.
The next morning, after washing up and having breakfast, I heard from the servants of the Shen family that the concubine of Prince Guangling had arrived with her children.
Before coming to Yangzhou, Wan Jinlan had only met her uncle from the Shen family, and she didn't recognize any of her mother's relatives.
My second aunt was wearing a Xiangfei-colored dress embroidered with peony patterns. She was forty years old, but her cheeks were rosy and plump, with no signs of aging at all.
Wan Jinlan felt that women in Jiangnan didn't look their age very well, like her mother and her second aunt.
Second aunt's eldest son Xiao Lang has reached adulthood and is already married. As for Xiao Sirui, she is about the same age as Wan Jinlan and her marriage has not yet been decided. She looks like second aunt and has the charm of a Jiangnan beauty.
"This is Jinlan, right? Kyoto and Yangzhou are quite far apart, and my aunt has never been there, so it's inconvenient to travel. This is my first time meeting you."
As Chen Bi spoke, she took off a bracelet from her wrist.
Wan Jinlan took it readily and said with a smile, "Thank you, auntie. You are a beauty, and I was struck by your beauty the moment I saw you. You and my mother are indeed sisters."
Chen Bi smiled with her eyes curved, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, "Listen to this girl's mischievous words."
There was laughter and joy in the hall.
"Okay, let's go play in the garden." The wrinkles at the corners of Mrs. Shen's eyes smoothed out.
Over the years, the second daughter has been able to come back home often, but the third daughter married too far away and married into a wealthy family, so it is really not easy for the family to reunite.
After the younger generation had dispersed, the eldest lady of the Shen family stood up with a perceptive look, saying that she was going to prepare lunch, and left with the fourth lady.
In the entire hall, only the old lady, Shen Bi and Shen Qing were left.
The two sisters haven't seen each other for many years, so they naturally want to reminisce about the past.
The two of them talked about their experiences over the years, and the old lady listened with a relaxed expression, her eyes full of satisfaction.
"Has Lan Niang decided on a marriage?"
Shen Qing shook her head, "My mother-in-law has already chosen one, and I think it will be settled when I return to Beijing."
"That girl is smart and likable. If Lang'er wasn't already married, I would have wanted to shamelessly try to marry her." Chen Bi sighed softly, looking a little sad.
"Sister, what's the problem?"
Even Old Madam Shen looked over with worried eyes.
"Today is a good day for us sisters to get together. I shouldn't have said such unpleasant things and made my mother and sister feel miserable with me."
Chen Bi took the handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with talking to each other between you and me." Shen Qing looked at the old lady, "Mother, why don't you go back and rest."
The old lady would never leave. She really wanted to know what had happened to her second daughter.
Everything has been fine for so many years.
In the backyard of the Guangling Prince's mansion, the second daughter, although a concubine, had a son and a daughter, and was very confident. Although the second concubine came from the governor's mansion, she was not favored by the Guangling Prince because of her appearance and only gave birth to a daughter.
The entire Yangzhou city knew that Prince Guangling preferred Concubine Shen to his second concubine.
The Crown Prince is in Kyoto. Among all the sons of Prince Guangling, Xiao Lang, who is also the son of Concubine Shen, is the most favored by Prince Guangling.
Shen Qing comforted her for a long time before she knew what her sister was worried about.
Prince Guangling planned to marry Xiao Sirui to the Governor of Youzhou as his second wife.
Shen Qing was confused when he heard it, thinking he was hallucinating.
How old is this Youzhou Governor? He seems to be over forty.
Even though Shen Qing had no political acumen, he still found something wrong with this marriage.
"Why did Prince Guangling make such a decision?" Shen Qing asked blankly.
Chen Bi said, "The prince said that he was once assassinated on his way to his fiefdom, and it was the governor of Youzhou who saved him."
Shen Qing was in a daze, "Then there is no need to sacrifice my daughter's marriage in return."
"The Governor of Youzhou has no children? So we can't marry their children to each other?"
Chen Bi took a deep breath, "There were some, but they all died on the battlefield one after another. The governor's wife couldn't bear the blow and passed away. Now the governor of Youzhou is left alone."
Not to mention the inappropriate age and generation, even the fate sounds a bit scary.
Chen Qing even thought that perhaps the Youzhou governor was born with bad luck, and the bad luck was too strong, so he didn't leave behind a single son.
Not to mention Chen Qing, even Chen Bi thought so.
Shen Bi wiped her tears, and Old Madam Shen also felt uncomfortable.
"When I wanted to arrange a marriage for Rui'er, the princess's own daughter's marriage was not going well, and she obstructed it in many ways, which led to my Rui'er falling into this situation."
"When the prince proposed it to me, he said that one should be grateful and repay kindness in order to live up to the heavens and the earth. But Rui'er is a piece of my flesh and blood, and she is still so young. How could I marry her to the forty-year-old Youzhou governor and let her live a hard life in the bitter cold of Youzhou?"
Shen Qing didn't know how to comfort her. This was not the Duke's business, and she had no right to interfere. She could only listen and feel uncomfortable.
"Can't you let Prince Guangling choose another daughter?"
Shen Qing knew that what she said was selfish, but if she had to marry a daughter over, why did it have to be Xiao Sirui?
Chen Bi said, "The prince said that Si Rui is the most beautiful of all her daughters. And there are not many daughters of marriageable age in the mansion, and the only ones who haven't been engaged yet are Rui Er and Xiao Ming Yi."
If they had been engaged, her Rui'er would not have had to marry a widower in his forties.
When Chen Bi mentioned this, she was filled with hatred towards Princess Guangling! If she hadn't intervened, things wouldn't have come to this!
Chen Bi cried in front of her mother and sister. After calming down, she said, "Rui'er doesn't know yet, and the princess probably doesn't know either. The prince just mentioned it to me first, and nothing has been decided yet. Sister, please don't let anyone know."
Shen Qing nodded naturally.
Kyoto, Taiji Palace.
Xiao Feng, dressed in a dark blue prince's robe, was playing chess with the emperor.
After the game, Emperor Jian'an said with a smile, "Brother Feng has been able to play chess since he was young. When you were young, I could beat you. Later, I won less and lost more. How come you didn't win a single game today?"
Xiao Feng casually threw down the chess piece in his hand and said with a faint smile: "Brother, have you ever considered that your chess skills have reached a higher level?"
Emperor Jian'an laughed, then stood up and walked to the low table where the memorials were placed, picked up an account book and handed it to Xiao Feng.
"Look, these are Yangzhou's tax account books for the past ten years."
Xiao Feng looked through it for a while and said, "The difference in salt tax is too great, but the other problems are not serious."
Emperor Jian'an nodded. "I don't need to think about it to know that illegal salt is rampant. I will order you to be the Imperial Salt Inspector to deal with the salt corruption problem in Jiangnan."
Xiao Feng said, "The Wu family has not been dealt with yet, and the person behind the robbery of the government silver has not been identified. Is your Majesty not looking for him anymore?"
Emperor Jian'an's expression turned grim. "The Wu family is implicated in the official silver case. I will not keep them. As for the person behind the scenes, I know who is behind it."
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