Qinghui Courtyard, main hall.
Today is the day Shen Wan and Shen Ying return to their parents' home, and the elders and younger generations of the Marquis's mansion have all gathered at the old lady's place.
The old lady sat on the daybed, wearing a brocade jacket with her hair neatly combed and adorned with jade on her wide satin headband, making her look even more energetic and joyful.
Shen Ying became the Princess Consort of Jin as she wished, and the only Princess Consort of Jin. No one was on equal footing with Shen Ying. The old lady was very happy, not to mention the second madam. The marriage was granted by imperial decree. If the Prince of Jin were to seize the throne and be made the crown prince, then Shen Ying would be the crown princess. If the Prince of Jin ascended the throne, Shen Ying would be the empress who would rule the world.
These past few days, the second wife has been walking with a swagger, she couldn't be more smug.
Seeing Prince Jin accompany Shen Ying back made the Second Madam even happier, but this joy faded somewhat when she saw Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan.
Shen Wan was clever and realized in time that she had boarded the wrong bridal sedan chair. The Second Madam was happy, but when she thought about how Shen Wan's lavish dowry had been carried into the Ling Prince's mansion, she felt a little regretful. She had never thought that the plan would fall through, and she had always regarded Shen Wan's dowry as her daughter's own. She never thought that there would be any accidents, so she did not have any designs on Shen Wan's dowry. Thinking about it now, she felt that she had lost a lot.
However, no matter how much dowry Shen Wan received, the thought that the Prince of Jin would succeed and that the entire Great Chu would eventually belong to her daughter made the Second Madam's heartache lessen considerably. One should have a long-term perspective; temporary gains and losses are nothing.
Shen Wan stepped forward and bowed to the old lady. The old lady smiled, but the smile in her eyes was faint. "You almost had an accident on the street yesterday. Was it Prince Ling who saved you?"
This is common knowledge, and Shen Wan cannot and will not deny it.
The old lady said, "Grandmother knows you've always enjoyed shopping, but it was really inappropriate to have Prince Ling accompany you shopping on the second day after your wedding, and almost cause an accident."
She was criticized on her first homecoming after her marriage, and in front of so many people, that was really inappropriate!
Shen Wan was displeased when she heard Xie Jingyan say, "Yesterday I asked Wan'er to go shopping with me."
His voice was deep and resonant, tinged with a hint of indulgence, which left the old lady speechless for a long while.
Shen Wan secretly gave Xie Jingyan a grateful look, but after she did, she realized that she hadn't planned to go shopping yesterday. It was he who kept changing his mind and even kicked her off the carriage. She really shouldn't have been scolded by the old lady, and she didn't need to thank him.
Withdrawing her grateful gaze, Shen Wan glared at Xie Jingyan instead, leaving him completely bewildered. How could this woman change her attitude so quickly?
The old lady was a little embarrassed, but fortunately, Chen Jing came in at that moment.
He sat down, and the old lady said, "Let's serve tea."
Now that Shen Wan and Shen Ying are princesses, even juniors no longer need to kneel when serving tea.
Shen Wan didn't even need to kneel, let alone Xie Jingyan. Even the Empress Dowager and the Emperor didn't kneel, so how could the old lady possibly kneel?
Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan offered tea to the old lady, who drank it and then gave Xie Jingyan a Duan inkstone.
Then it was Shen Ying and Xie Jingyin who paid respects to the old lady. The old lady also gave Xie Jingyin a Duan inkstone.
However, even though they are both Duan inkstones, you can tell at a glance that the one belonging to the Prince of Jin is of a higher quality.
After paying respects to the old lady, we then paid respects to Chen Jing.
Shen Jing treated everyone equally, giving each person a military treatise.
Shen Wan was speechless at the gift her own father had given her. Prince Jin had no interest in leading troops into battle, so this military treatise was practically useless to him. Xie Jingyan's leg was still not healed, and her father was really not afraid of upsetting Xie Jingyan by giving him a military treatise.
However, Shen Wan also knew that her father's favorite books were military treatises, and he would not give them to anyone who was not someone he liked.
She genuinely liked Xie Jingyan, but she had no choice but to give it to Prince Jin. Both were sons-in-law of the Marquis of Pingyang and sons of the Emperor. The old lady could show favoritism, but he couldn't.
After offering tea to Shen Jing, Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan finished their tea ceremony. Shen Ying and Xie Jingyin then offered tea to the Second Master and Second Madam.
The second master and his wife were all smiles, beaming with joy. They gave Xie Jingyin a jade pendant, which, judging by its quality, was definitely the best jade pendant the second master could present.
Having a son-in-law with too high a status is not good either. Even the best things you can give may not be to his liking, but you dare not refuse to give them.
The tea ceremony ended there. Shen Jing sat for about half a cup of tea's time before getting up and leaving. Shen Du said to Xie Jingyan, "Come on, it's still early for the homecoming dinner. Come play chess with me."
Xie Jingyan didn't like being with this group of people either. He glanced at Shen Wan and let Shen Du push him away.
After the Second Master invited Xie Jingyin to the study to talk, there were only a few people left in the main hall, which had been full of people just moments before.
Shen Wan thought she would sit for a while and then go watch Xie Jingyan and her elder brother play chess. The old lady sat on the daybed, picked up her teacup and gently stirred it. The second wife smiled and said, "I never thought that our Pingyang Marquis's Mansion would produce two princesses."
The third wife sat there, her face extremely pale, beyond words.
Shen Rong didn't even show up for such a lively tea ceremony. Her two cousins married so well. Even though Prince Ling had a broken leg, he was still a prince. Unlike her cousin, Young Master Wu, who had no family background, no looks, and no character. She, the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the family, was not as well off as Shen Wei. This was more painful than having her heart ripped out with a knife.
If it weren't for the fact that the third wife couldn't be absent, she wouldn't have wanted to show up either.
The old lady took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and looked at Shen Wan, saying, "You and Ying'er are not only sisters, but also sisters-in-law. With Prince Jin's affairs still unresolved, you and Prince Ling should do your best to help him."
Shen Wan had no idea how the old lady could open her mouth. She and Xie Jingyan wanted to support Prince Jin as the crown prince and ascend the throne. Why did her father stop her from choosing Prince Jin in the first place?
Shen Wan feigned ignorance and asked, "How can Prince Ling and I help Prince Jin?"
Shen Wan pretended not to understand, and no one suspected her. After all, she had only recently come of age, so it was normal for her not to understand the affairs of the court.
Furthermore, the help they needed wasn't for Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan, but for the Yun family behind Shen Wan.
The old lady didn't speak, but Shen Ying said, "If there's anything that my elder sister and Prince Ling can do to help, I'll ask you. If Prince Jin succeeds, given our sisterly relationship, he certainly won't treat you and Prince Ling unfairly."
Will they treat her and Prince Ling unfairly?
In consideration of their help, should we leave them with a complete corpse in the future?
Shen Wan sneered inwardly, but said calmly, "If you need anything, Second Sister, just tell me. If I can help, I definitely will."
Don't even think about helping her, but if she tries to do something wrong, she'll definitely be the one to make things worse.
Shen Ying smiled broadly, and the old lady and the second wife were also very satisfied with Shen Wan's reply.
The room was filled with laughter and a harmonious atmosphere until a maid entered, curtsied, and said, "Madam, Madam Wu has arrived."
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