Chapter 34 Getting Engaged
Shen Anan lowered her eyes, fixed her gaze on the documents on the table, and pursed her red lips slightly, "This year's new Jinshi, Zhang Yeyang."
"How do you know?"
Shen Changhe looked at his sister in surprise, his eyes filled with depth. Thinking of how familiar the two were with each other, he couldn't help but begin to wonder what the relationship between An An and the scholar was.
"That day he came to the mansion to look for you. We met at the Chuihua Gate and listened to a few words he said."
Shen Changhe breathed a sigh of relief.
"That scholar is a courageous man, but unfortunately he is inexperienced and too naive, thinking that the court is simple."
Shen Anan curled her lips and sat down in the chair opposite the desk, "Brother is being euphemistic. It's better to say that he is stupid and overestimates his own abilities."
"Aren't you friends? Big brother is being too blunt. Isn't that giving you no face?"
Shen Anan stared in silence.
Shen Changhe glanced at her, his eyes filled with an ambiguous emotion, "Those people killed tens of thousands of refugees at will, so how could they take us, a group of students, seriously? This move is nothing more than a pebble hitting a rock."
"What will happen to them?"
Shen Anan asked immediately.
Shen Changhe raised his eyes and looked at her for a moment, then took a sip of tea slowly, "An An seems to care a lot about this friend."
Shen Anan was silent for a moment, trying to suppress the strangeness in her heart, and said half-jokingly, "In today's world, it's hard to find a fool with a noble character like him. If he died like this, it would be unavoidable to feel regretful."
Shen Changhe put down the teacup, tapped the document with his fingertips, and answered her previous question, "As for the current situation, it is still uncertain who will win."
Shen Anan's heart moved, and her eyes fixed on the place where Shen Changhe's fingertips pointed, where Zhang Yeyang's hometown seemed to be recorded.
"I have discussed this matter with my father. Even the Fourth Prince doesn't dare to intervene easily. How can a scholar like him change the situation?"
Even though she had never said it explicitly, she knew that this matter must be related to the fight between the princes. The adult princes all had their own power, and one move would affect the entire body. If they wanted to investigate, perhaps one-third of the officials in the court would not be able to escape.
Besides, this incident has already happened, and the prince is related to the reputation of the royal family. Once it is investigated thoroughly, she thinks that the emperor will choose to turn a blind eye and balance the prince's power rather than causing turmoil in the court.
Shen Changhe stared at the document dimly, and suddenly chuckled.
"That's what I thought at first, but half a month has passed and those students are still fine. Maybe things are not what we thought, and that Mr. Zhang may not be as unconventional and open-minded as he appears to be."
Shen Anan was startled, and after thinking for a moment, he understood what his elder brother meant.
"Brother is speculating that there is someone behind Zhang Yeyang fanning the flames and backing up a group of students, intending to expose the Second Prince's evil deeds and take the opportunity to disintegrate his power."
Shen Changhe, "Otherwise, those students would have died for various reasons. After all, the emperor has no intention of investigating, and those people will be even more unscrupulous in doing things."
Shen Anan vaguely guessed something, and her expression froze, “But doesn’t the emperor intend to investigate it in detail?”
"Not investigating it in detail doesn't mean not asking questions. Since there has been a commotion, a few officials will have to step down and take the blame. Those students haven't been assigned any positions yet."
Shen Anan suddenly remembered Zhang Yeyang's righteous and passionate words in front of the hanging flower arch that day, and fell silent for a moment.
Shen Changhe, "It's normal. After all, greed and desire make a man like a living person. After more than ten years of hard study, which man doesn't want to show his skills? As long as what he does does not violate his conscience, it's okay to use some tricks."
Even though he and his father were able to hold their current positions in the imperial court, standing firm and making the Chen family prosperous, they could not say that they were aboveboard and had never done anything against their conscience.
Shen Anan raised the corners of her lips and smiled, her beautiful face nodded, "Brother is right, this is in line with human nature. If you don't ask for anything, it would be too scary."
Only when a person has desires, selfish desires, and weaknesses can he be considered a flesh-and-blood person. It is easy to get along with him/her. Being kind does not necessarily mean being stupid.
Shen Changhe smiled, closed the document and put it aside, picked up another one that had not been annotated, opened it, and casually said, "Staying in the capital has a much better future than returning to Jiangnan to be a county magistrate."
Shen Anan raised her head suddenly, her fingertips pressing on her sleeves turning white from unconscious exertion, and she stared at Shen Changhe who was reading the document with his eyes lowered.
"Brother, where is he from?"
"Jiangnan." After saying that, Shen Changhe took the time to look up at Shen Anan, and said meaningfully, "You grew up in Jiangnan, did you know him before?"
"No, I didn't know he was from Jiangnan before."
Shen Changhe nodded, not knowing whether he believed it or not. He lowered his head and continued to read the document, saying, "That scholar does have some talent, but he is a bit pedantic. However, if the joint memorial is really as I thought, that person may achieve something in the future."
At this time, the sky was completely dark. Looking out the window, only the faint light emitted by the glass lamp could barely see things. Shen Anan looked out of the yard, as if he was looking at something else through the yard.
"Jiangnan is no worse than the capital."
There are mountains, water, grandmother and freedom.
It was already late when I left Shen Changhe's yard and returned to Begonia Garden.
After Mo Xiang finished making the bed and folding the quilt, he saw his daughter still standing in front of the window, so he quickly took out a cloak and put it on her.
"Although the capital is not as humid as the south of the Yangtze River, it is still very cold at night. Girl, please don't catch a cold."
The window was wide open, and the cold wind poured into the room, blowing on Shen Anan's slender body, who was only wearing pajamas, and it was really freezing.
She gathered her cloak together, revealing only her pretty little face, which was unusually rosy and pretty, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, as if she was in a very good mood.
"Mo Xiang, let's go back to Jiangnan."
When he heard the girl say that she wanted to go back to Jiangnan again, Mo Xiang just smiled and didn't believe it. After all, the lady and the master would not agree.
"The old lady hasn't written to you for a few days. Is the young lady worried about her again?"
Shen Anan turned back to the bed without further explanation.
Mo Xiang hurried forward to take the cloak and put it away, then covered Shen Anan with a brocade quilt, left a candlelight, and retreated.
——
Shen Anan told Mrs. Shen that Shen Changhe was really busy, and Mrs. Shen finally gave up her thoughts. However, it was not the thought of not letting him get married, but Shen Changhe's dominance over the marriage.
Skipping the groom's wishes, the bride was chosen directly.
She acted quickly, and within a few days she asked a matchmaker to tip off Mrs. Lin of the Hanlin Academy. Whether it was the family background of the Shen family or the talent of Shen Changhe, he was the best among the officials in the capital and there was nothing to complain about.
According to the matchmaker, Mrs. Lin agreed to the marriage on the spot and was very happy about it. Now they are just waiting for the two families to exchange engagement letters and for the Shen family to go and give gifts and finalize the marriage.
Shen Anan was stunned for a while when she heard the news. She hadn't been to Madam Shen's yard for just a few days. Was her eldest brother going to get married so soon?
Does big brother know?
"Mom, shouldn't you ask big brother for his opinion?"
"It's the parents' order and the matchmaker's words. He is busy with government affairs all day long, so how can he have the time to take care of it?"
Mrs. Shen said Shen Changhe's usual rhetoric in a calm and expressionless manner.
“…”
"Forget it. Wait for him to come back in the evening and go inform him. Don't go back and see Master Lin. Miss Lin doesn't know what's going on."
Hearing this, Shen Anan's lips twitched, "If mother didn't tell me, my daughter wouldn't know she was my future sister-in-law when she saw her."
The speed of this person's movements is incredible. It's not even possible to get engaged or buy vegetables so quickly.
Madam Shen glanced at Shen Anan, sighed faintly, and put down the teacup.
"It's really not right for your eldest brother to put off his marriage any longer. He's already 23 years old. Mother keeps urging him to get married, but he always uses his official duties as an excuse to brush her off."
"If we keep delaying like this, there will be no chance for her to be a daughter of a good family. Mother can only marry him like this. When the girl from the Lin family comes into the family, we can slowly cultivate our relationship."
Shen Anan felt that her mother was too optimistic. If love could be cultivated, there wouldn't be so many resentful couples in the world.
"But...what if we can't cultivate him, or does Big Brother already have a lover?"
"impossible."
Madam Shen waved her hand, looking very confident.
"He spends all day in the Royal Guards, all of them are rough men, how can he have the opportunity to interact with girls? Your eldest brother is quiet and dull, it's hard for any girl to be interested in him."
"As for feelings, sometimes they are not that important. As long as you get married and have children, you will have responsibilities. Your eldest brother is not an irresponsible person, and Miss Lin is gentle. Life will not be too bad."
Hearing her mother think of everything, Shen Anan could only remain silent.
When leaving, Mrs. Shen, who had vowed to do so, suddenly stopped her, hesitated for a long time, and said, "Otherwise, you can ask your eldest brother in a roundabout way."
"What do you want to ask?"
"You kid." Mrs. Shen glared at her daughter, and when Shen Anan smiled, she stretched out her finger and poked her forehead.
Shen Anan immediately took a few steps back, “Don’t worry, mother, I will ask even if you don’t tell me.”
It was still early when she left Madam Shen's yard. Shen Anan hesitated for a moment at the hanging flower archway and went directly to Shen Changhe's yard.
When she arrived, he hadn't come back yet, and Shen Anan was invited to the study by the servant.
She sat down in the chair opposite his desk skillfully, and the servant served her tea. "Wait a moment, young lady. The young master will be back soon."
Shen Anan nodded, took the teacup and casually glanced at the furnishings in Shen Changhe's room. There is a big difference between people who practice martial arts and literati. In addition to the documents piled on the desk, Shen Changhe's study is almost full of military books and weapons.
Her eyes were fixed on the half-opened document on his desk. The faint afterglow poured in from the window lattice, covering half of the desk, reflecting a golden halo that was blinding. She couldn't see the contents at all.
After thinking for a moment, she placed the teacup on the small table beside her, stood up and walked over.
The secret documents in my eldest brother's study do not involve the confidential matters of the court like my father's, so there is nothing wrong with taking a look at them.
She walked to the desk, picked up the document and started reading. It was indeed the result about the refugees. She read it carefully and put the document back to its place.
Just as the eldest brother had thought, the Emperor was furious, but after many considerations, he only punished some officials who were in office but doing nothing, and quelled the unrest. The high-ranking officials who were truly involved and could shake the foundation of the country were all kept safe.
But this is also a heavy blow to the Second Prince. Although the Emperor turns a blind eye to it, it does not mean that he will let it go and not take action against his followers.
Being unable to move for a while does not mean being unable to move forever. Any force can gradually disintegrate. The Second Prince does not seem to have suffered any major losses, but his wolfish ambitions and power have been exposed to the suspicious king.
But...big brother is the commander of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the safety of the capital, so why are there these documents?
Her eyes fell on the pile of documents beside her. Was her elder brother paying too much attention to the refugees, or was he...
While he was thinking, the door creaked open from the outside and Shen Changhe strode in.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?"
"No." Shen Anan came out from behind his desk and looked at Shen Changhe with a barely perceptible look of inquiry in his eyes.
Shen Changhe didn't notice it. He glanced at the documents on the desk that had obviously been moved, then looked away.
Then he glanced at the empty desk and said with a smile, "Nowadays, I don't even bother to be perfunctory. I came here empty-handed."
"Do we need to be polite as siblings?" Shen Anan smiled faintly and sat back in the chair.
The servant brought a basin of water, and Shen Changhe went over to wash his hands before sitting down at the desk, closing the document and putting it aside.
“I have.”
"Yes." Shen Anan did not hide it, staring at Shen Changhe with almond eyes, and asked directly, "Is the person behind those students the Fourth Prince?"
Shen Changhe's expression paused, he looked up at Shen Anan, and said vaguely, "I don't know, the court changes rapidly, who can say for sure."
Shen Anan gave his eldest brother a deep look.
Changing the subject, "Did those students really escape unscathed?"
"Now it seems, yes."
Shen Anan stopped talking, and had reached a conclusion in her heart. She would not doubt anyone else except Xiao Yuan in order to protect the person from the Second Prince.
"I think those students should be assigned to new positions soon."
Shen Changhe glanced out the window and lowered his voice a bit, "Even if there is no one behind the scenes to help, those students have made contributions this time. Whether the emperor is happy or not, he will promote them and do it for the world to see. That Mr. Zhang should get a good position."
After saying this, he raised his head and looked at his sister who was distracted by something unknown, then picked up the teacup and took a sip.
After a long while, Shen Anan barely suppressed the thoughts in her heart, raised her head and glanced at her eldest brother, and said in a calm voice, "My mother asked me to come here today."
"Um?"
Shen Changhe uttered a syllable and began to look through the documents to show how busy he was, so that he could directly refuse after Shen Anan spoke.
Unexpectedly, Shen Anan's subsequent words made him change his expression directly.
"Mother said that you are too busy to take care of your lifelong event, so she arranged for you to marry a girl from the Lin family of the Hanlin Academy. The two families will exchange engagement letters soon and choose a date to propose marriage."
The wolf hair brush in Shen Changhe's hand lingered on the document for a moment, leaving a large stain of ink, soaking the document and blurring out the words on it.
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