The old lady didn't want the third wife to covet the power of the family, but she insisted.
The next day, after having breakfast, Shen Wan left Qinglan Garden. However, instead of going to Liushuang Courtyard to pay her respects to the old lady, she went to the front yard with her embroidered belt.
First, go find your elder brother and give him the belt. When Shen Du saw the belt embroidered by Shen Wan, he was surprised, "It's finished so quickly?"
He thought it would take at least two or three more days.
Before Shen Wan could speak, Yin Shuang said, "Miss has been embroidering belts whenever she has free time these past two days. She stayed up all night to finish it last night and didn't even have time to pay her respects to the old lady before sending it to the young master."
Shen Du was deeply moved. "Big brother isn't in a hurry, but if little sister exhausts herself, big brother will be heartbroken."
Shen Wan said, "I'm glad you like it, brother."
It's more than just liking it; Chen Du is absolutely enamored with it.
Shen Wan asked, "Is Father in the study?"
Shen Du nodded, and Shen Wan went to the study to find Shen Jing.
Inside the study, Shen Jing was handling military affairs. Shen Wan walked in, and upon seeing her, Shen Jing put down the official documents in his hand and said, "Why are you here at this hour?"
This was the first time Shen Wan had come to see Shen Jing so early.
Shen Wan said, "I have something to tell you, Father."
Shen Jing asked, "What do you want to talk to Father about?"
Shen Wan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "My daughter wants Third Aunt to manage the embroidery room."
Shen Jing was surprised that Shen Wan had come to him about this. He asked, "Did your third aunt ask you to speak up for her?"
In Shen Jing's heart, his daughter was simple-minded and would never care about these things if no one was instigating her.
Shen Wan shook her head. "It was my own idea. A few days ago, my second aunt copied Buddhist scriptures and let my third aunt manage the household for a few days. Yesterday, my second sister's marriage was settled, and my second aunt couldn't wait to take the power of managing the household away from my third aunt. My third aunt was very unhappy about this, and my grandmother even gave her a pair of mutton fat jade bracelets to appease her. Since my mother passed away, my second aunt has been in charge of managing the household. I am worried that if my second aunt manages the household for too long, my eldest brother will get married and marry my sister-in-law. My second aunt will not be willing to give up the power of managing the household."
Shen Jing chuckled, "You're overthinking it. Your eldest brother's marriage isn't settled yet, it's still a long way off. Once he's married, your sister-in-law will naturally be in charge of the household."
Shen Jing never believed that anyone could take away the head wife's power of housekeeping; it was not something the second wife could simply prevent from taking over.
Shen Wan said, "But has Father thought about it? The stewards in the mansion are no longer Mother's people. How difficult will it be for my sister-in-law to manage the household in the future? It's fine if you and my brother are both in the mansion, but what if you and my brother both go to the battlefield? If those stewards don't listen to my sister-in-law and something goes wrong, Grandmother will definitely take back the power to manage the household and let my second aunt manage it."
The man in the sinking mirror frowned.
He said, "Father will listen to you and let your third aunt manage the embroidery room from now on."
Fortunately, her father listened to her advice, and Shen Wan nodded repeatedly.
At this moment, Shen Du entered. He had changed from an ivory-white brocade robe to a lake-blue brocade robe, with the belt Shen Wan had just given him tied around his waist. He looked handsome and extraordinary. Seeing Shen Jing looking him up and down, Shen Du said, "Father, isn't this brocade robe of mine nice?"
Shen Jing asked, "Have you found someone you like?"
Shen Du, “…”
Shen Wan's words just now reminded Shen Jing that Shen Du was half a year older than Prince Ling, and Prince Ling was about to marry his daughter, but Shen Du's marriage was still not settled. As a father, he had been busy with military affairs and had really neglected it.
Shen Jing assumed that Shen Du was dressed up to meet his sweetheart. He had been young once too, so he naturally understood.
Shen Du shook his head, "Where would I find someone special?"
Disappointed, Shen Jing said, "If you don't have someone you like, why bother changing into a brocade robe just to leave the manor?"
Shen Du pointed to his belt and said, "My sister just gave me this belt. It didn't fit the outfit I was wearing, so I changed it."
Seeing Shen Jing looking at the belt, Shen Du said with satisfaction, "My sister's embroidery skills are no less than Mother's."
"That's really good," Shen Jing said, then looked at Shen Wan and asked, "Where's Daddy's?"
Shen Wan, "..."
Looking at her father's expectant eyes, Shen Wan couldn't bear to say that she wasn't prepared.
I had no choice but to lie. "We couldn't find the dark-colored silk that Father liked in the storeroom, so we embroidered it for my eldest brother first. I'll embroider it for Father when I get back, and it will be even more beautiful than my eldest brother's."
Shen Jing looked pleased. "She's truly a good daughter of her father."
Shen Wan left the house filled with guilt.
With the sunlight shining directly on him, the man's belt had to be pushed back even further.
Shen Wan went to the storeroom to get a piece of dark brocade before going to Qinghui Courtyard to pay her respects to the old lady. This was the latest Shen Wan had ever paid her respects to the old lady, except when she didn't go to pay her respects at all.
As soon as she entered, Shen Rong said, "If you had come a little later, you could have greeted Grandmother with your afternoon greetings."
Honestly, if it weren't for the need to sow discord between the third and second wives, Shen Wan wouldn't have been willing to give the third wife such an advantage, allowing them to seize control of the household affairs.
Shen Wan was displeased, but she remained outwardly calm and said, "I went to the outer courtyard to see my father."
The old lady was serving tea when she heard this and said, "Your father is busy with official duties. Why are you bothering him?"
Her father rarely entered the inner courtyard, and he was busy with military affairs. If she didn't take the initiative to see him, she was afraid she might not be able to see him even once every five or six days.
She didn't understand before and listened to the old lady's words, not wanting to bother her father. Later, her father's "old illness relapsed" and he died. How much she regretted it! In this life, she can go see her father whenever she wants, and no one can stop her.
Shen Wan lied through her teeth, saying, "I went to find my father for my grandmother."
Was it for her?
The old lady frowned. "Why are you going to find your father for your grandmother's sake?"
Shen Wan said, “I heard from the maids in the mansion that Grandmother wanted Third Aunt to manage the embroidery room to help Second Aunt with some of the work. However, it was Father who wanted Second Aunt to manage the household affairs. You didn’t dare to bother Father for such a small matter, so you comforted Third Aunt by giving her a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets. It just so happens that Father is off today. I was afraid that Father might have something to do and would have to leave the mansion, so I went directly to Father without paying my respects. Father agreed to let Third Aunt manage the embroidery room.”
The second wife's face instantly darkened.
The old lady suddenly flew into a rage, "Which maidservant was gossiping about you?"
Shen Wan exclaimed "Ah!" and said, "Could it be that what the maid said is wrong? Does Grandmother not want Third Aunt to manage the embroidery room?"
Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh.
If Father has already agreed, and the old lady disagrees, it will surely break Third Madam's heart.
In front of the Third Madam, the Old Madam had no choice but to think about it.
The old lady gritted her teeth, suppressing the anger rising in her throat, and said, "Grandmother just thinks you shouldn't bother your father over such a trivial matter."
Shen Wan smiled and said, "My father is busy with military affairs and has not been able to take care of everything. I should help my father to be filial to my grandmother."
The Third Madam was overjoyed. Although the Old Madam had given her a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, she was still angry for half the night. She never expected that Shen Wan would tell the Marquis that she would be in charge of the embroidery room from now on. It was like a pie falling from the sky, making her dizzy.
For the first time, Shen Rong looked at Shen Wan with a hint of shame. If she had known that her elder sister had gone to help her mother get the authority to manage the embroidery room, she certainly wouldn't have been sarcastic about her elder sister's late arrival to pay her respects.
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