Chapter 111 The Old Lady Enters the Palace
"Not only will Master Zhang lose his job, but the entire Zhang family will also suffer. It's hard to say whether they can save their heads. Just like in your village, those who disregard moral principles will probably be drowned, right?"
Sister Yue was stunned and stared at Shen Anan blankly.
How can that be possible?
If she couldn't get any share of Yangdi's wealth and glory, then why did she come to her for help?
"No, no." She immediately denied it and shook her head.
"It's nothing. Miss Yue, you have to think carefully before answering. Aren't you and Master Zhang siblings?"
Sister Yue bit her lips tightly and didn't say a word.
She thought that the wife of an official should be adorned with gold and silver, have a host of servants, and be high and mighty, instead of staying in a restaurant and having to work hard just to have a full meal.
She slept in a woodshed that was not even as big as the thatched house in her hometown, and worked from dawn to dusk all day long.
It was only by chance that she learned of Shen Anan's noble status, and she almost regretted it.
She thought that if Brother Yang and the Shen family became relatives, the Shen family was so rich that they would definitely lend a hand. Even if she became a concubine, she would enjoy endless wealth and glory, and have servants to serve her.
“Miss Shen, whether we are siblings or not, it will not affect the relationship between you and Brother Yang.” Sister Yue said in a very low, pleading voice.
"Miss Yue's words are really interesting." Shen Anan sneered, with a hint of coldness on the corners of her lips.
"No matter how poor my Shen family is, we would never do anything like breaking up marriages or forcing innocent people to marry. At first, Master Zhang didn't tell me that you were the fiancée his parents bought for him. Later, when you came to the capital, I didn't make it difficult for you and cancelled the marriage immediately."
"But why did you stop me on the street and try to link me with your brother Yang? What did you mean?"
"As a daughter of the Shen family, I am not going to marry a man who lies to me and has a fiancée, and I am living with him. Is that my fault?"
The people's discussions gradually became louder, like steel thorns piercing Sister Yue's eardrums.
"I thought the Shen family was just being nagging at my wealth, but I didn't expect that she wasn't my biological sister, but my fiancée. This girl is a lady from a wealthy family anyway, and it's already very merciful that they just canceled the verbal engagement."
"Who said it wasn't? I just secretly cursed the Shen family."
"Hey, Miss Yue," someone called out, and asked with a smile, "Why are you so obsessed with Miss Shen? Do you and your wife want to get close to the Shen family and rise to prominence?"
The people are poor, but they are not stupid.
Isn't this a blatant attempt to take advantage of the Shen family's wealth and background?
"I didn't, no," Miss Yue hugged Yaomei. Yaomei stopped crying at this moment. Tears filled her big eyes. She blinked and stared at Shen Anan.
"Ms. Yue is a smart person, but there are not many fools in the world. Don't treat girls from powerful families as fools who don't know the world. Your brain and knowledge are a little lacking."
After saying that, she ignored Sister Yue's trembling body, half squatted down and asked her, "However, there are two things I am very curious about. First, what does it mean to wait for a girl? Second, how did your fiancé die?"
"Does Zhang Yeyang doubt you? I don't think so. He is a loyal man. If he knew, I'm afraid he would find it hard to accept."
"I... I don't understand what the girl is saying." Sister Yue stood up hurriedly and pulled Sister Yao out, but the ground was covered with snow and it was difficult to walk.
"Sister Yue, Sister Yao." Zhang Yeyang pushed through the crowd and walked in. He was still wearing the clothes of a restaurant waiter and his breathing was a little heavy.
"Chen, Miss Shen." He first awkwardly greeted Shen Anan, rubbing his hands on his clothes, feeling a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know Sister Yue would come to see you. I'm really sorry."
He bowed deeply to Shen Anan, and then hurriedly explained to the people around him that everything was his problem, that he had cheated on her, and that it had nothing to do with Shen Anan.
Sister Yue listened to his words, tears started to flow, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.
He bowed to Shen Anan guiltily, not even having the face to look up at her.
"Aren't you...going to Jiangnan to take up your new post? This dress..."
Although he worked as a helper in a restaurant before, it was just a simple bookkeeping job. How could he end up wearing the clothes of a waiter?
Zhang Yeyang rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "We're leaving the day after tomorrow. We don't have enough money for the trip, so I'll do some more work to save some money."
Before, I could earn a considerable income just by keeping accounts.
He also knew that the restaurant owner wanted to establish a good relationship, but a few days ago, several officers and soldiers from the Ministry of Personnel came to the restaurant and said something to the owner, and everything changed.
He could only rely on his own hard work and endure some hardships, but it was basically the same. But the food and accommodation for Sister Yue and Sister Yao have not been taken into account, so now it can be said that we can barely fill our stomachs.
Especially Sister Yue, who used to be so hardworking, is now unwilling to do any work and is always complaining that he is so useless as an official.
These days, he can be said to be in a state of chaos.
Shen Anan guessed that something must have happened to his father and brother, and the Ministry of Personnel was unwilling to make things easier for him, which was why Zhang Yeyang's life was so difficult.
But she didn't say anything, because the gloomy look from behind almost pierced a hole in her.
"I heard that the Shen family is not doing well recently. How are you? Is there anything wrong?"
Shen Anan shook her head lightly, "It's getting late, Master Zhang should take my sister away quickly. I hope Master Zhang will teach me a lesson when he returns. If it happens again, don't say I don't care about our friendship."
"Don't worry." Zhang Yeyang nodded, turned around, pulled Sister Yao, called Sister Yue, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
When the onlookers saw that there was no more show to watch, they all walked away with their hands in their pockets and their necks hunched.
The cold wind mixed with snowflakes was indeed very cold, but Shen Anan didn't want to go back for a while. Even without looking back, she could feel Xiao Yuan's cold eyes.
She was all too familiar with this feeling.
Xiao Yuan saw her standing there motionless, staring at the direction Zhang Yeyang left. His already unhappy eyes became even more gloomy, and his breathing became heavier due to anger.
The words were sarcastic and icy, "Such heavy snow can't stop Miss Shen from looking eagerly, do you want me to let Qingfeng catch up so that you can see enough at once!"
“…”
Shen Anan was not stupid, so she naturally knew that he was squeezing her, so she turned around stiffly and walked towards the carriage.
Xiao Yuan snorted coldly, but still stretched out his hand to let her use the force to get into the carriage.
He glanced at her red face and hands from the cold, said nothing, but silently turned on the heater to make the fire burn more vigorously.
The atmosphere was tense for a long time, but he couldn't help but said, "You still have some brains."
I was not fooled by the scholar's elegant and ambitious appearance.
Shen Anan glanced at him and said, "I'm not as smart as you, but I can't say I'm stupid either."
She had long expected that Sister Yue would come looking for her.
Zhang Yeyang was a low-ranking scholar, and he was also rigid and ignorant of the ways of the world. In the capital city full of powerful people, he was not even worth mentioning.
To put it bluntly, just twisting your hands is like killing an ant.
Zhang Yeyang's wife is not as rich and valuable as Sister Yue thinks. If she cannot control the local officials in the future when she arrives in Jiangnan, her life will be equally difficult.
A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Shen family does not have an official position, they still have money to make things easier. Sister Yue wants to live a good life, and now that she has a preliminary understanding of powerful officials, finding her is the best way out.
"The Zhang sisters have bad intentions, but Zhang Yeyang is not a villain for saying those words in public."
Xiao Yuan's expression, which had just eased, turned sour again. He glanced at her coldly, "If you want to praise him as a gentleman, you can just praise him directly. There's no need to be so tactful."
“…”
She was only saying this because she was being realistic.
I wanted to say something, but suddenly I felt that it was a bit weird that the two of them kept talking about Zhang Yeyang over and over again.
She simply shut her mouth and stopped talking, and just listened to his sarcastic remarks.
It doesn’t hurt anyway! !
She lowered her head and said nothing, with an appearance of being submissive. Xiao Yuan's anger gradually subsided.
It wasn't easy for the two of them to get to where they are today, so he couldn't push his luck any further.
With self-knowledge, he kept his mouth shut.
Along the way, neither of them spoke. The carriage soon stopped in front of the Shen Mansion, and Shen Anan got off immediately, her steps appearing to be very hurried.
Xiao Yuan was not very happy again.
Was she avoiding him, didn't want to be around him so much?
The first thing Shen Anan asked was the housekeeper in the mansion, "How is grandma? How is her health? Have you asked the doctor to take her pulse again?"
The housekeeper glanced at Xiao Yuan who got off the car right after him, and bowed hurriedly, "Don't worry, young lady. This morning, the guards beside the Fourth Prince brought the imperial physician's order to check the old lady's pulse and left a prescription. The old lady drank the medicine and she is in much better spirits."
Shen Anan breathed a sigh of relief, and when he was about to enter the mansion, he suddenly remembered Xiao Yuan, turned around and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Fourth Prince, for your trouble."
Xiao Yuan said nothing, staring at her with a heavy gaze.
Shen Anan frowned. She was not sarcastic, nor did she squeeze him. She said thank you sincerely. What did his eyes mean?
Xiao Yuan thought that her cold and elegant look when facing the scholar just now seemed much more pleasing to the eye than her respectful and polite look now.
The more I think about it, the more unhappy I feel.
Seeing Shen Anan frowning and looking at him, Xiao Yuan pursed his lips and restrained his expression a little.
Forget it, I just said that you can’t push your luck.
"Let me go in with you to see the old lady."
“…”
Just go and take a look, why should you add someone else to accompany me?
"Okay." Shen Anan smiled gently, without any complaints on her face.
The two of them walked up the steps to enter the mansion, and the housekeeper suddenly said, "Miss, Fourth Prince, the old lady is not in the mansion."
"Not in the house? Where did grandma go?" Shen Anan was stunned, wondering if grandma got the news and went to the prison to pick up her father and brother?
The housekeeper shook his head. "I don't know. The old lady didn't say anything. But when she left, she was wearing the clothes of an imperial decree and only took Aunt Yang with her."
Shen Anan tilted her head and looked at Xiao Yuan, her face slightly pale.
Wearing the imperial robes, he could only go to the palace.
Her body was trembling slightly, her mind was thinking rapidly, and her hands and feet began to feel cold.
"Don't panic, I'll send someone to the palace to inquire."
"I want to wait at the palace gate. If anything happens, I can find a solution as soon as possible." Shen Anan spoke very quickly, and her heart was inexplicably panicked.
"good."
Without saying a word, Xiao Yuan grabbed her wrist, turned around and got on the carriage again, and told Qingfeng to go to the palace gate.
The snowflakes were still falling, and the snow on the road was trampled into ice by pedestrians, making it very slippery for people to walk on.
Several carriages on the road overturned due to speeding. Qingfeng did not dare to drive too fast and was extremely careful.
Shen Anan was anxious, but she was a hitchhiker after all, so it was not easy to rush him. Xiao Yuan was of noble status, so safety was his top priority.
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