Unexpectedly, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, who looked so powerful at the city gate, had not even taken control of the Third Prince's Palace.
However, she was also prepared for Song Fu to go. It was just that one was the fifth prince, and the other was the concubine of the third prince who had exchanged identities with her. Shen Jia was a little embarrassed to make a decision for a while.
Perhaps sensing Shen Jia's embarrassment, Zhao Yuanyou offered, "Since someone is anxiously looking for the County Master, I'll leave for now and come back to chat with her next time I have the chance."
Shen Jia went along with it, "I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate this time. Next time, Mr. Zhao, please let me know in advance, and I'll make sure to prepare a bed for you."
Then he opened the door and said to Fuqiu outside, "Fuqiu, please see Mr. Zhao off. I'll go see Concubine Song first."
Fuqiu was already worried that Shen Jia would be bullied by Song Fu when he was alone. Now that she saw Song Fu sending her away, she felt even more uncomfortable. Everyone could see the confusion on her face.
Shen Jia could only console him, "I can handle it on my own. Don't forget my current status. Go see the distinguished guest off first. If you're really worried, you can go in and take a look while serving refreshments."
Only then did Fuqiu feel at ease. She looked respectfully in Zhao Yuanyou's direction and whispered, "My dear, please come in."
Shen Jia also turned around and followed the staff's instructions, walking towards the room where Song Fu was.
Shen Jia was not very familiar with the maid serving outside the door, but she immediately opened the door as soon as she saw Shen Jia. Inside the door stood Song Fu, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had red and green hair.
Shen Jia hadn't expected that Song Fu's taste had deteriorated to such an extent after just a few years of not seeing her. If her face hadn't changed much, Shen Jia would have thought he had entered the wrong room.
Song Fu had never expected that after all these years, Shen Jia, who had experienced exile and business, still had the secret to maintaining his youthful appearance. She felt a little unhappy in her heart.
But when she thought of her current status, she subconsciously raised her chin, slightly widened her eyes, and looked at the person who came with arrogance, with pride in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
Shen Jia couldn't help but hum softly, and strode forward. Under the incredulous gaze of Song Fu's maid, he sat down gracefully.
The maidservant beside him roared angrily, "How dare you! You don't even greet the Concubine before meeting her. Do you have any manners?"
Song Fu raised the corner of her mouth slightly, raised the teacup beside her, and gently touched the edge of the teacup with her lips. She turned her gaze to Shen Jia and said politely:
“Huian, no need. After all, Madam Shen is my sister. There is no need for formalities when family members meet.”
Shen Jia didn't want to tolerate the other person's fake temper. "As a county lady, my rank is higher than that of a prince's concubine, but I don't have such a good temper as you. Just a simple greeting will be enough. I won't make it difficult for you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Fu was immediately furious at Shen Jia's attitude. She had originally wanted to suppress Shen Jia's momentum today, but she didn't expect that she would be outmaneuvered by her.
Moreover, because she was used to the life of luxury in the Third Prince's Mansion in Shengjing, and was also used to the good attitude of the various mansions in Shengjing towards her in the past year, she did not change her temper when she suddenly met Shen Jia.
In her impression, Shen Jia was just an unlucky guy, a commoner who was exiled with the Shen family.
Although Shen Jia is now the Princess of Jiahe County, Song Fu did not feel much reality about this matter. She was caught off guard and was slapped in the face by her, and she froze instantly.
Fortunately, after Shen Jia entered, the maid outside quickly closed the door, otherwise the embarrassing scene of the third prince's concubine would have spread throughout the entire Shengjing City tomorrow.
Looking at Song Fu, whose face was turning pale with anger, Shen Jia repeated himself, "The polite Concubine Song, why don't you set an example quickly? Otherwise, the reputation of the Third Prince's Mansion will be bad if it gets out."
Faced with the aggressive Shen Jia, Song Fu was so angry that she couldn't speak. However, the maid beside her was not angry enough and continued to attack Shen Jia.
"So what if you're a county princess? Our queen is willing to give you a chance to pay your respects, but that's just to give you, a servant who's been taking advantage of our queen for over a decade, a chance to marry up. You won't even have the chance to see our queen in the future. How can a mere county princess compare to the future..."
While speaking, Jin Hui'an did not forget to kneel and salute towards the sky. It was obvious what the other party meant. In the future, Song Fu would definitely be the emperor's favorite concubine, and her rank would not be low.
When Shen Jia saw the other party's open attitude, he knew which direction the wind in Shengjing was blowing.
The prince is barely even a baby, but he's already acting like an imperial concubine. If the ending is the same as in the book, Shen Jia won't have a good life from now on.
Song Fu was obviously well aware that she really couldn't handle Shen Jia, this tough guy, for the time being. She didn't refute Hui An's words, and the smile on her face became more and more intense, as if she had seen Shen Jia groveling in front of her in the future.
With a haughty face, he said softly, "I didn't come here today specifically to ask Sister to pay her respects. Mother came to you the day before yesterday and told you our intentions, right? If you still have any business acumen, you will know what to choose now.
I'll be away for quite some time today. If you've thought it through, you can go back to Changle Hou Mansion and tell Mother. I'll find a suitable opportunity to meet you later."
The look of being sure of victory really turned Shen Jia off.
It seems that she should have a heart-to-heart talk with the Fifth Prince as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Zhao Yuantan continues to maintain his advantage, the probability of the Fifth Prince seizing the throne will become even lower.
Shen Jia pretended to be still thinking and did not reply for a long time, which made Song Fu angry again.
Seeing Shen Jia's stubborn attitude, Song Fu didn't want to torture him any further, so she left after saying a few words.
"Sister, don't think Shengjing is the same as the Northern Territory. If you encounter difficulties in the future, asking me for help again won't be as simple as today."
Then she let her maid help her leave, and did not cover her face when she left. She was seen by the officials' wives who were going upstairs. They all bowed and greeted her humbly, and their voices even reached Shen Jia's ears.
"As soon as I went out today, I saw magpies calling on the branches in the courtyard. It turned out that I would meet the Concubine today. It is truly an honor for me."
"Does the Concubine also like this glass item? I heard that it was once presented to His Majesty. We are here to join in the fun today."
Shen Jia couldn't hear the rest of the words clearly, because Fuqiu, who had sent the Fifth Prince away, had returned and stood beside Shen Jia, asking with concern:
"Jia Niang, how should we respond now? The royal family is not someone we can handle, and it looks like if you don't agree to what Changle Houfu wants, our lives will probably be difficult in the future."
"When the enemy comes, we will stop him; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. Shengjing is the only one that stands out."
"Can……"
"Don't worry. Remember to quietly send a letter to Prince Qi's mansion later and ask him to meet you at the Glazed Pavilion when he's free."
Hearing Shen Jia's words, Fuqiu was very surprised, "Jia Niang, when did you become friends with the Fifth Prince, Prince Qi? I remember that you and Prince Qi had no personal relationship."
"Do you remember the gift we gave you on the Fifth Prince's birthday last year? It was the treasure that was our flagship when the Glazed Pavilion opened, and it was later sold to the King of Qi as a birthday gift."
"With this kind of business relationship, will the King of Qi believe that we are truly befriending him?"
Shen Jia recalled the occasion when he met the Fifth Prince and nodded, "Probably."
When Zhao Yuanyou received Shen Jia's letter, he thought he had read it wrong. Thinking that the other party was a good friend and someone he loved, he still made time to meet him in Liuli Pavilion.
This time, Shen Jia no longer played dumb. He bowed and greeted Zhao Yuanyou who came in and took a seat. "Greetings to the King of Qi!"
When they met for the first time, Zhao Yuanyou knew that he could not hide his identity from Shen Jia, but he was very curious as to why the other party chose to expose it now.
"I had my reasons for concealing my identity before, I hope the county lady will forgive me."
"Your Highness, you are too polite. I understand. I came to you this time because I want to find a suitable backer."
"If I remember correctly, the county lady has a close relationship with the Changle Marquis's Mansion. The eldest lady of the Changle Marquis's Mansion is even married to the Third Prince, the Prince of Chu, as his concubine. Why would the county lady choose to go far away?"
"Let's be frank. Because I've offended Song Fu, if I choose the Third Prince, nothing will be left of me. Does Your Highness understand what I'm saying?"
Zhao Yuanyou immediately thought of the scene he saw the day before yesterday. At that time, Song Fu had looked for Shen Jia. Now it seems that the relationship between the two sides has reached an irreconcilable level.
Since Shen Jia did not choose to help Zhao Yuantan, he can also be considered his ally.
Moreover, Shen Jia was someone his good friend cared about deeply, so he couldn't just do nothing. So he said:
"The county lady and I are good friends. We don't need each other's support. If you need help in the future, please send a letter to Prince Qi's mansion. It's getting late today, so I'll go back to the Ministry of Works to handle some official business."
"I apologize for the inconvenience, King Qi, and I hope you will forgive me."
After seeing off King Qi, Shen Jia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't expect that King Qi would be such an easy-going person. This would provide her with some security in Shengjing in the future.
Although the King of Qi rejected Shen Jia's advances, she couldn't just do nothing.
"Fuqiu, go to our storehouse and pick out a few fine glass ornaments and send them to Prince Qi's mansion. Remember to put 30,000 taels of silver in the box as my test money."
Knowing that Shen Jia had succeeded, Fuqiu's heart, which had been tense for several days, finally returned to normal. She responded hurriedly:
"Okay, I'll do it right away and I'll definitely choose the best one to send over."
When the King of Qi finished his work and returned home, he saw the good things sent by Shen Jia, smiled and shook his head, and then immediately went to the study to deliver a letter to his good friend.
At the same time, it also added fuel to the fire in the already tense Shengjing, making those who were interested temporarily unable to take care of other things.
After working hard, Yan Xu received the letter from the King of Qi in half a month.
Seeing that it said that the King of Chu coveted the property in Shen Jia's hands, he couldn't help but crush the letter in his hand until the original shape could no longer be seen. After calming down, the biggest thought in his mind was: he must return to Shengjing as soon as possible.
So he shouted to Yan Zhou outside the tent: "Someone come!"
"General, what do you want me to do?" Yan Zhou immediately entered the tent as soon as he heard the voice.
"Is Hu Yanyan, the third Xiongnu prince we saw earlier, still lying in ambush thirty miles away?"
"According to yesterday's report, the other party should still be here. I don't know when they will come over here."
"In that case, gather a team of elite soldiers today and march with me at night to capture this enemy army in one fell swoop! Remember not to tell too many people about this, and do it in secret."
"Yes, General!"
Yan Zhou, who was assigned tasks, immediately turned around and left, going to the most elite cavalry camp of the Yan family army to gather people. Cavalry is the best for traveling at night.
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