Chapter 44 They fell in love with each other.
His face froze for a moment, and he glanced at the expressionless Xiao Yuan on the side, and couldn't help asking with a stern face, "Does the Fourth Prince have anything to ask me?"
Before Xiao Yuan could speak, Ling Chenyi smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I just thought that tomorrow is a day off, so I wanted to have a drink with General Shen. I have already prepared wine and food in the restaurant. Lord Shen, please do me a favor and come sit with us?"
At this point, Shen Wen couldn't refuse, but he couldn't help but said, "Your Highness is too polite, but I have some trivial matters at home recently, so I'm afraid I can't sit for long."
"It's okay. It won't take up much of Mr. Shen's time."
After Ling Chenyi finished speaking, he narrowed his dark eyes towards Xiao Yuan and asked casually, "I heard that Master Shen has proposed marriage recently. Is it because of this that you are rushing back, sir?"
Shen Wen showed joy on his face and nodded, but the smile disappeared in an instant and he became silent.
To have been able to climb to his current position in the officialdom and remain standing, no matter how loyal he is, he is not an ordinary person, and his mind is as cunning as a sieve. Ling Chenyi was afraid that Shen Wen would become suspicious, so he did not mention a word about the affairs of the Shen Mansion.
Under the corridor of the main hall, Xiao Yu looked at the backs of the three people leaving. There was an extremely sinister look in his eyes, and his long phoenix eyes narrowed sharply and coldly.
"Second Prince, it seems that the Shen family is really in cahoots with the Fourth Prince." A minister said worriedly.
Xiao Yu sneered, "He wants to marry the daughter of the Shen family and gain the support and military power of the Shen family. He's dreaming."
He turned his head to look at Jin Zhao Yucui, the Golden Throne Hall that represented the royal majesty, raised a corner of his lips slightly, tossed his robe and left.
In the restaurant.
Shen Benwen thought he could leave after sitting for a while, but Ling Chenyi kept urging him to drink one glass after another. After a while, he felt dizzy.
Ling Chenyi still refused to give in.
"No, I have something else to do at home. Let's drink with Master Ling another day." Shen Wen refused and wanted to leave.
Ling Chenyi held his hand, with a gentle smile hiding a meaningful gleam in his eyes, "I finally got to sit with you, how can you leave so soon?"
Shen Wen was helpless, "There really is something going on in my house."
Ling Chenyi waved his hand and said, "Let Madam Shen take care of the marriage of our children."
As he poured the wine, he glanced at General Shen's expression. Seeing that the latter was still smiling and his expression had not changed, a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.
Could it be that he guessed wrong?
Xiao Yuan sat on one side, taking a sip of wine from time to time. He was silent most of the time, which made Shen Wen feel unsure about what kind of secret was hidden in this drinking party.
Military generals love wine, especially good wine. Shen Wen couldn't put down the wine that Ling Chenyi brought specially from the Yongning Marquis Mansion, but he also knew the importance of it and didn't dare to drink too much.
Ling Chenyi couldn't persuade Shen Wen anymore, so he put down the wine jug and talked to Shen Wen, talking about everything under the sun, which made Shen Wen so anxious that he couldn't sit still anymore.
Xiao Yuan said calmly, "Since General Shen has something urgent to do at home, go back first, Chen Yi, don't delay Lord Shen's business."
Ling Chenyi was surprisingly easy to talk to at this moment. He loosened his arm around Shen Wen's shoulders and nodded, "Then I'll take you there, Master Shen."
Shen Wen looked at this and that, his mind was a little confused and his thoughts were unclear.
"Then I'll have to trouble the Fourth Prince and Prince Ling."
"It's just a piece of cake." Ling Chenyi smiled slightly, as if in a spring breeze, and no one could detect any clues.
Shen Wen bowed to Xiao Yuan, then stood up and prepared to leave.
But as soon as his buttocks left the stool, he suddenly felt dizzy, the world turned upside down, and his body uncontrollably tilted to the side along with the objects in his sight.
Ling Chenyi held him and said with a smile, "What's wrong with Lord Shen? Are you drunk?"
Shen Wen shook his head, still feeling dizzy.
That's not right, his alcohol tolerance has never been that bad.
Ling Chenyi also said, "It is said that Lord Shen has a good alcohol tolerance, how come he is drunk after drinking so little?"
He helped Shen Wen sit down again.
Shen Wen held his forehead, still dizzy, and said in a rough voice, "Maybe I got up too quickly. I'll take it easy."
This amount is usually less than one-third of what he gets.
Ling Chenyi hurriedly ordered someone to bring up two bowls of sobering soup.
Xiao Yuan glanced at the wine jar, and tilted his heavy eyes towards Ling Chenyi, and asked in a calm voice, "Where did you get this wine, Master Ling?"
Ling Chenyi raised his eyebrows.
Are you trying to distance yourself from the matter now? Pretending to be a good person?
But he was very cooperative. After all, Lord Shen was his future father-in-law, not his.
"It was given to my mother by the Emperor, and my father took it away from her."
Shen Wenqiang perked up and looked at the pot of wine.
It was actually a gift from the emperor!
Xiao Yuan's voice was neither hurried nor slow, with a hint of laziness.
"A few days ago, the vassal state presented dozens of jars of local strong liquor as tribute. It tastes mild and not spicy, but it is very strong. Two cups can make an ordinary man drunk and unconscious. Lord Shen just drank so many cups and was able to sit still. He can be considered a big drinker."
Shen Wen, "..."
He felt dizzy, but his mind was still somewhat clear.
He raised his head and looked at Xiao Yuan, his eyes filled with an indescribable expression.
I was wondering, since you know this, why don’t you tell me?
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes and nodded at the wine glass. His tone was calm and innocent. "Prince Ling changed the wine pot. I didn't recognize it. It was only when he mentioned the imperial gift that I suddenly remembered that the taste was somewhat similar to the one in my father's study."
Shen Wen silently withdrew his gaze. Being able to get the Fourth Prince to explain a few words was already enough of a face-saving thing for him.
Ling Chenyi glanced at Xiao Yuan with a dark look, playing the game well as if it had nothing to do with him and looked innocent.
“Master Shen, if you go back like this, I don’t think you can help much, and you have to make Madam Shen worry about you. There are private rooms in the restaurant, why don’t you lie down and rest for a while, and leave when you sober up.”
Shen Wen really wanted to say no, but he didn't want to be carried back home by the servants, as his lady would definitely blame him.
My daughter's lifelong affairs have not been settled yet, and she is drunk like this.
"Don't worry, Lord Shen. It won't take long. Although this wine is strong, you will sober up quickly and won't have a headache."
Without saying anything, he stood up and helped Shen Wen up.
When leaving, Shen Wen glanced at Xiao Yuan on the side with his dazed eyes, the meaning of which was unclear.
Ling Chenyi came back after settling Shen Wen in the private room on the third floor. Qingfeng was reporting something to Xiao Yuan in the room. He had his head lowered, looking a little nervous.
Ling Chenyi keenly noticed the abnormality in the room, raised his eyes to look at Xiao Yuan, who had a sullen expression and was tightly holding the wine cup.
"What's wrong?"
He walked forward. Xiao Yuan exuded a cold and solemn aura. He consciously turned his head to look at Qing Feng.
Qingfeng swallowed and whispered, "Someone from the Ministry of Personnel sent me a message saying that... Zhang Yeyang's appointment date has been postponed for half a month."
Upon hearing this, Ling Chenyi immediately turned around and looked at Xiao Yuan.
It turned out that Shen Wen went to see Lord Wang today for this matter.
What does this mean?
Doesn't this mean that the scholar and the girl from the Shen family are already engaged and are in love with each other? The Shen family's intervention means that they have agreed to this marriage!
And we should support that scholar.
Now that his appointment has only been postponed, the next step should be to use his connections to arrange an official position in Beijing.
He did not dare to look at Xiao Yuan's ugly face and sat in the chair silently.
Suddenly, a fleeting figure appeared in his mind, and his brows frowned slightly.
I just came back from Xiangjue Temple when this happened. Could it be that the two of them were...
He looked up at Xiao Yuan, seeming to want to say something but hesitated, not knowing whether he should say it or not.
Xiao Yuan had suppressed his emotions and regained his outward calm, only the knuckles of his hand turning the thumb ring were slightly blue and white.
He glanced at Ling Chenyi and said in a cold voice, "What do you want to say?"
Ling Chenyi hesitated for a long time, but finally said it.
"Now that I think about it, it must have been Miss Shen who left the temple courtyard that day, but her maid was guarding there at the time, so I didn't pay too much attention to it."
I never thought that the girl was so bold as to have a secret meeting with a man in the temple.
Xiao Yuan's face was gloomy, his jawline was tense, and a few sharp cold rays flashed in his dark eyes that were filled with resentment.
That day.
That day, he didn't follow, but the woman moved very quickly.
Ling Chenyi didn't dare to speak and sat in silence.
If he knew that she was going to meet Zhang Yeyang to express her love, he would have stopped her no matter what.
He considered it over and over again, and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Yuan, it's already this time, you should stop being so pretentious. If you really like that girl, just marry her, no matter what means you use."
Ling Chenyi knew that as long as Xiao Yuan was willing to take action, the marriage would definitely not be successful. With Concubine Shen's support, it would not be difficult to achieve a good thing.
If things get worse, the emperor's order is hard to disobey. Once the imperial decree is issued, will the Shen family dare to disobey it?
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes and stared at the table, his eyes dim and unclear, and he remained silent for a while.
Ling Chenyi added, "General Shen is drunk now, and Shen Changhe is out of reach in the palace. If you want to take action, this is the best opportunity. Send someone to send a letter to the Ministry of Personnel to get him away. When Shen Wen wakes up, you can still get him back."
As long as the engagement is not finalized, there are many ways to ruin the relationship. Moreover, they are far apart and cannot see each other. How deep their friendship must be to keep their original intentions?
He got Shen Wen drunk with this trick in mind.
Xiao Yuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze fell on the pot of wine, but he seemed to be looking at something else, his dark eyes flickered and were unclear.
He clenched his five fingers several times, until his knuckles turned blue and white, and only then did he suppress the roaring anger in his chest and retain a trace of clarity.
He raised his eyes, his voice was as cold as ice, "How long will it take for the person you sent to Jiangnan to investigate to come back?"
"It will take at least ten days."
Ling Chenyi frowned, "Why are you asking this? Even if there is something wrong in his hometown, it will be too late by the time someone passes the message back."
Xiao Yuan said nothing, stood up and walked to the window, opened it, and looked at the people crowded on the street.
The breeze was blowing gently, and he stood there for a long time before he let go of the jealousy and the dark thoughts that he couldn't suppress in his heart.
"Xiao Yuan."
"I won't interfere." Xiao Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, facing the light, his voice calm and cold.
Ling Chenyi almost thought he had heard it wrong. At this time, was this person still trying to be stubborn?
"Xiao Yuan, this is a matter of a lifetime, aren't you afraid of regretting it in the future?"
Xiao Yuan raised a hint of ridicule on his lips and turned back to look at Ling Chenyi, "I never do anything that I will regret."
"If she wants him to stay, then let him stay."
He sneered.
He is a man of high moral character, a gentleman of integrity, unconventional, and a man of noble ideals and benevolence, right? …
She was really naive, so he let her take a good look at what kind of person that scholar was.
There are no perfect people in this world, there are only smart people who are good at hiding darkness. How can smart people who rise from humble backgrounds have so much love?
He lowered his head and slowly turned the jade ring with a sneer on his lips.
Ling Chenyi stood behind him and felt a slight chill on his back.
Xiao Yuan, who was so gloomy and dark, seemed to have everything under control, making people feel uncontrollably fearful.
——
When Shen Wen woke up from the restaurant, the sun had already set halfway, leaving only a faint afterglow that cast a yellow glow, illuminating the sky.
Ling Chenyi and Xiao Yuan have already left.
He packed up his things in a hurry and returned home.
Shen Anan had already received the news that Zhang Yeyang had postponed his appointment, and she was half happy and half worried.
She was afraid that her parents would want to let Zhang Yeyang stay in the capital.
"Mo Xiang, get dressed and go sit in my mother's yard."
Two quarters of an hour later, Shen Anan appeared at the gate of Madam Shen's courtyard. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard Madam Shen's angry accusations and Shen Wen's low explanation.
"My hair is turning grey with worry, how come you still have time to drink outside?"
Shen Wen rubbed his still dizzy forehead and explained awkwardly, "It was hard to refuse Prince Ling's kindness. I didn't know that the wine was a gift from the emperor. It was so strong that I got drunk after just a few glasses."
Mrs. Shen was still sulking and didn’t say anything.
Shen Wen half-hugged his wife in his arms and comforted her softly.
Shen Anan stood outside for a while before sending a little maid in to deliver the message.
Mrs. Shen immediately withdrew from Shen Wen's arms.
When Shen Anan came in, Shen Wen stood up and was about to leave.
"father."
Shen Wen nodded in response and wanted to say something to his daughter, but after thinking about it, he did not say it out loud. It would be more appropriate for his wife to talk about his daughter's family affairs.
The father and daughter said hello, and Shen Wen left for the study.
Madam Shen asked the nanny to serve tea and asked Shen An to sit next to her, "Your father has gone to see the Minister of Personnel, Lord Wang, and has kept the scholar for the time being."
"Mom, his name is Zhang Yeyang."
Mrs. Shen was helpless and sighed, “Okay, Zhang Yeyang.”
Shen Anan laughed and pulled Madam Shen to shake gently, “Thank you, mother, you love me the most.”
Madam Shen stroked her head and said, "Fortunately, you have a decent character. I will let your father promote you in the future."
Give it to a Beijing official to stay and keep an eye on him from now on. I believe that scholar will not dare to treat An An badly, and she will also be able to take care of him if anything happens.
Hearing this, Shen Anan's eyes flashed, "Mom, he has a very good position now. The place given to him by the Ministry of Personnel is rich, and it is easy for him to make achievements. Wait for three to five years, and then let Dad lend a hand. When he returns to Beijing, he will be promoted step by step."
Mrs. Shen's face changed, and she tilted her head to look at her daughter, her eyes full of disbelief, "An An, you are not planning to follow him to Jiangnan, are you?"
How rich can a small county be, no matter how rich it is, and it’s so far away.
What she wanted was to keep the person this time, no matter whether he had real power or not, as long as he could be an official in Beijing, and the rest could come later.
But from what my daughter said, it was clear that she had no such plan.
Mrs. Shen was hit again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
