The old lady's funeral was not difficult to arrange, but the difficulty lay in the fact that the Shen family had no male heirs.
The one who should have been married was Shen Changlin from the second wife, but he died a few days before his mother, and Shen Ming also died.
In the end, this matter should fall on Shen Yu's shoulders, but although Shen Yu is nominally at the Shen family's ancestral home, he is actually hiding somewhere in Dongyue.
The journey to Dongyue was too long, and Shen Ning couldn't bring the person back even after several days.
As for Liu Chunsheng, he wasn't even listed in the family genealogy, so this matter has no place for an unnamed illegitimate child like him.
After discussing it among the families, they decided to let Gao Junyu take the lead. He was the husband of the eldest aunt and had two sons, so it wouldn't be impolite for him to preside over the matter.
Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate for Jiang Shu to handle this matter, since Shen Xia is the old lady's biological daughter. However, it would take Jiang Shu several days to get back, and they couldn't keep waiting.
Even after the matter was settled, Zhao Shi couldn't calm down. She glared at Shen Ning, her eyes and nose glaring at him.
"Are you satisfied now? This huge Shen family can't even find a single male heir. If the Shen family line dies out one day, you will be a sinner for all eternity!"
"How could the Shen family have produced such a scourge as you!"
Taking advantage of their numbers, Zhao's voice rose considerably, and her surging hatred was impossible to suppress.
Shen Ning straightened her sleeves, not even looking at her directly: "I understand that Second Aunt is emotional after the old lady's passing, but don't get too emotional, it's not good for your health."
Out of respect for the dead, she'll let it slide for now, but don't push your luck.
She just didn't want others to think that she had killed everyone else in the Shen family, but that didn't mean she couldn't deal with her.
Shen Ning went out and straightened her hempen clothes, knelt down in her place, threw a handful of paper money into the brazier, and closed her eyes to listen to the Taoist priest chanting.
The old lady was disrespectful to her elders, and Shen Ning really didn't want to kneel before her, but given her seniority and the pressure of filial piety, she had no choice but to kneel.
She wasn't kneeling before the old lady, but rather for her own dignity and reputation.
In the dead of winter, the warmest place is right next to this brazier, and she hates winter!
----
"Chen Ning!"
A man walked towards Shen Ning and stood in the middle of the road, blocking her way.
Shen Ning had no choice but to stop, tucking her frozen hands into her sleeves: "Big Cousin."
My cousin Gao Yang, the eldest son of my aunt Shen Sui, is twenty-five years old and already a father of two.
Gao Yang looked at Shen Ning's pale face and smiled, unable to help but laugh, "So afraid of the cold? Look how cold you are."
Shen Ning rolled her eyes at him, noticing that her face was all white from the cold. Why did he have to stop her in this drafty corridor?
They have no sense of propriety at all.
"Is something wrong, cousin?"
Gao Yang: "It's nothing, I just wanted to say hello. I've been so busy these past few days that we haven't had a chance to talk. We haven't seen each other for years, and you've become even more outstanding."
Shen Ning was speechless. This person was chatting with her in such a strong snowstorm. Did he think she would be moved?
With a forced smile, he said, "Cousin, you flatter me. I'm just so-so. My clothes are wet, so I'm going to change. Goodbye."
Without waiting for his reply, she hurriedly left.
Gao Yang was shoved and frowned as he looked at Shen Ning's back.
Is this impatient and rude cousin really the person her father described as someone who could help him get his official position back?
The Shen family's male members were all dead except for Shen Yu, who was sent to the old mansion. Apart from money, he had nothing else worth considering.
Gao Yang went back and told his father his thoughts, but he was immediately scolded by his father.
"Shortsighted and ignorant!"
Gao Junyu pulled Gao Yang out and pointed at the woman who was rushing inside with something in her hand: "Do you know who that is?"
Gao Yang recognized her: "Du Yunzhi, Du Sande's daughter."
Gao Junyu: "Do you know who her fiancé is?"
Gao Yang obviously didn't know this. Gao Junyu snorted: "Her fiancé is Ye Feiyan, the son of the Minister of Rites."
Gao Yang's eyes immediately changed.
Gao Junyu walked in with his hands behind his back: "These past two days I've been helping to collect funeral gifts. Do you know what kind of families came to give them?"
"The Prince of Qi's residence, the Prime Minister's residence, the Grand Tutor's residence, the Minister of Rites' residence, the Minister of Works' residence, and the Duke's residence..."
Gao Junyu recounted each one as if they were his own treasures, his words and expressions revealing his awe and longing.
“Yang’er, even if your father knelt down and begged these people, they might not even see me. Yet they sent gifts to this small mansion.”
"While your maternal grandfather and uncle certainly have influence in this matter, it's likely that the person maintaining these relationships is Shen Ning, the current head of the Shen family. If she were to contribute even a small amount of this favor, how could I not be reinstated?"
He patted his son on the shoulder: "You'll be taking an exam next year. Whether you succeed or not, you'll need her help. Your mother is a bit harsh and you often offend her, but that's our generation's fault, not yours. Build a good relationship with her and have your wife visit often. You'll reap the benefits."
Gao Yang nodded earnestly: "My son has learned a lot."
Shen Ning was unaware of the Gao family father and son's schemes, but even if she did, it wouldn't matter; it was nothing.
She doesn't have time to deal with them right now because she's caught a cold and fallen ill.
I was fine in the morning, but in the afternoon my head felt dizzy and then I started to have a fever. In less than an hour, I was so feverish that I was delirious and unable to get out of bed.
The illness came on suddenly and struck without giving Shen Ning any warning.
Du Yunzhi went to find a doctor and brought Ye Feiyan along to keep things under control, fearing that if Shen Ning fell ill, these people would bully him.
Zhao had initially been sarcastic, saying that Shen Ning was faking it. But when she learned that Shen Ning had been weakened by the previous incident and was still very frail, she burst into maniacal laughter in the mourning hall, slapping the old lady's coffin lid and telling her to get up and see Shen Ning's retribution.
"She deserves it, she deserves it! She killed her cousin and her uncle, she deserves her retribution."
She patted the coffin lid: "Grandma, why don't you just take that scourge with you and let her go down to apologize to Chang Lin and Ming'er?"
"Take her away and send her to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Zhao's outburst and madness shocked everyone.
As soon as she realized what was happening, someone rushed over to pull her up, covering her mouth as they did so.
This wasn't Shen Ning's people; it was Gao Junyu and Jiang Shu who, at the same time, had their wives step forward to help pull the person away.
After pulling Zhao away, the two men offered a perfunctory apology, saying, "She's too traumatized and her mind is clouded. Let her go back and recuperate."
"Yes, she needs to rest and recuperate."
Shen Ning hadn't done anything these past few days, but the two men were clearly quite shaken by the funeral. Regardless of whether Shen Ning had said he could help them get promoted, they were willing to do him a favor.
Those who have been in officialdom know best how ruthless it is, and they also understand the importance of connections.
Even if their relationship with Shen Ning was bad, they were still related by blood.
Repairing and patching things up is always beneficial.
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