When Shen Yunjin married into the Crown Prince's residence, she brought with her four matrons and eight maids, two of whom were her people.
Therefore, ever since Shen Yunjin married into the Crown Prince's residence, Shen Yuan has had her own spies within the residence. Shen Yunjin's every move is under her control.
Not only that, she could even find out some of Xiao Yuncheng's movements.
She was not surprised to learn that Xiao Yuncheng had been summoned to the palace by the Emperor, because no sooner had Xiao Yuncheng left than she saw the gatekeeper carrying a letter in Shen Wei's handwriting.
However, Shen Yuan found it strange that Xiao Yuncheng frequently entered and exited the Flying Swallow Hall of the Crown Prince's residence.
As far as she knew, before Shen Yunjin married into the Crown Prince's residence, there were already seven or eight women in the residence. These women included maids who had served Xiao Yuncheng since childhood, as well as daughters from families of officials of the fourth or fifth rank who were concubines in the Crown Prince's residence.
However, Xiao Yuncheng only felt a slight novelty towards these women, and after more than half a year of them entering the manor, he had completely forgotten about them.
How could he neglect his newlywed wife for these women and stay in their courtyard every night?
Unless, the person living in Feiyan Hall was carried into the Crown Prince's residence around the same time as Shen Yunjin.
However, apart from the servants and Xiao Yuncheng who served in Feiyan Hall, no one in the entire Crown Prince's residence knew which family's daughter lived there.
Such concealment only arouses more suspicion.
Shen Yuan said to Bai Zhi, "Pass on the message that we should hold back for now. The Second Miss is more concerned about who lives inside than we are. Just tell them to take good care of the Second Miss."
Bai Zhi nodded and noted it down.
As the two were talking, a maid suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard: "Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince is carrying a few willow branches and says he has come to apologize to Master. He is kneeling outside the gate and refuses to get up no matter how much we try to persuade him."
Shen Yuan's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
It is only right that the Emperor should punish the Crown Prince by making him kneel when he has made a mistake. However, the Crown Prince can kneel anywhere—at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, in the Imperial Study, or in the Golden Palace—but he must not kneel at their General's Mansion.
Making the crown prince kneel before his subjects is truly putting the subjects in a difficult position.
I wonder who came up with this vicious scheme!
Shen Yuan knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately rushed to the study.
Inside the study, Madam Jiang stood anxiously by the door with Shen Qingshu and Shen Changshu. Shen Wei had just asked her to go outside the mansion to ask the Crown Prince to get up, but the Crown Prince refused to get up no matter what she did, so she had no choice but to slink back and report.
"Master, you must go and see! His Highness the Crown Prince is kneeling in front of our mansion, which has attracted a large crowd of onlookers. If Jin'er finds out about this, she will be in a very difficult position!"
Shen Wei said with a stern face: "Let him kneel if he wants to! Every ancestral tablet in my Shen family ancestral hall is for a martyr who sacrificed his life for the country. Are they not worthy of a mere prince kneeling and bowing?"
"Just assume he's here to kneel before my father!"
Seeing that Shen Wei was unmoved by reason, Jiang Shi had a bitter expression on her face. She turned her head and saw Shen Yuan being escorted into the study by maids and servants. She quickly stepped forward and took Shen Yuan's hand.
"Yuanyuan, you've finally arrived!"
"Go and persuade your father to get up and invite the Crown Prince into the mansion, accept his apology gifts, and let the matter rest. His Highness the Crown Prince is of noble birth; how can we allow him to kneel at our doorstep!"
Shen Yuan pushed Jiang's hand away expressionlessly.
She raised her eyes and glanced at her indifferently: "General Shen is seriously ill and cannot easily get out of bed. As Madam Shen, shouldn't you be concerned about your husband first?"
Jiang choked, "But..."
Shen Yuan: "If the Crown Prince sincerely wanted to admit his mistake, why would he deliberately kneel in front of the mansion gate and refuse to get up no matter who tried to stop him? I don't think he came here to admit his mistake, but rather to force General Shen to admit defeat!"
Shen Wei nodded approvingly; what Shen Yuan said was exactly what he had in mind.
The father and daughter were really on the same page.
Shen Yuan continued, "General Shen was unable to rise to greet His Highness the Crown Prince earlier. If he were to stand and go out now, wouldn't that confirm that General Shen was faking illness?"
"Deceiving the emperor is a serious crime. As the matriarch of the Shen family, has Madam Shen ever considered the lives of these dozens of people in the Shen family?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang's face paled, and she retorted weakly, "This...this matter...is not as serious as you make it out to be?"
"Even a child like Shen Yuan could think of this, but you couldn't? Aren't you ashamed?" Shen Wei sneered.
Jiang pursed her lips and said, "Then tell me, what should we do now? Are we just going to let His Highness the Crown Prince kneel outside our General's Mansion until dawn?"
Shen Yuan: "Of course not."
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang hurriedly said, "Then hurry up and persuade your father to get up and come with me to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince into the mansion."
Shen Yuan smiled faintly, “My father is injured and unable to get out of bed, my grandmother is old, and my wife and I are both women. Currently, there are only two younger brothers in the manor who can represent my father to meet the Crown Prince.”
"In that case, I'll trouble my two younger brothers to make a trip and persuade His Highness the Crown Prince."
Madam Jiang: "They are just teenagers. His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't even give face to the Master, so how could he possibly give face to Qing Shu and Chang Shu?"
"Besides, you said it yourself, the Crown Prince deliberately knelt outside the mansion gate, in front of all the officials and common people in the capital. How could he easily get up?"
“If the Crown Prince does not rise, then my two younger brothers shall also kneel! Whenever the Crown Prince rises, then my two younger brothers shall rise!” Shen Yuan’s face still wore a smile, and her tone was neither hurried nor slow.
Jiang was furious when she heard Shen Yuan's words.
"If His Highness the Crown Prince continues to kneel, won't my Changshu and Qingshu have to kneel with him until dawn?"
"Then kneel until dawn."
"They're both so young! How can they possibly handle it?"
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