How to deal with Shen Muyu.
Fang's body trembled, and she looked anxiously at Shen Mingjiang, wanting to say something but not daring to, her lips trembling and turning white.
Shen Mingjiang tried to remain calm, but his back was slightly hunched. He looked at Shen Youying and asked for confirmation, "Is what the Prince of Qin said true? Is it..." The short sentence carried a heavy weight: "Was it your sister who invited you?"
Looking into her father's weathered eyes, Shen Youying hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Madam Fang shook her head hurriedly and said, "Is there some misunderstanding? Does Yu'er not know about Prince Chen's plan?"
Shen Youying spoke softly, "She knows." After a moment's hesitation, she added the details, "But she may not have done it willingly. Prince Chen treated her... very badly."
Although Shen Muyu was arrogant and domineering, she was not a ruthless person. At least when she was in the Shen family, she never mistreated the servants around her, nor did she use any tricks on Shen Youying. She mostly just made sarcastic remarks and said a few unpleasant things.
This is also why Shen Youying always felt a soft spot for her.
Hearing this, Fang was stunned. After a moment, she covered her face and cried, "This silly child, when I went to see her last time, she wouldn't say a word..."
Shen Mingjiang also closed his eyes briefly, his hands clenched into fists on the armrests of the chair, veins bulging on the back of his hands, clearly indicating his extreme anger.
But he was still mindful of his youngest daughter, so he softened his tone and asked, "Zhaozhao...do you have any thoughts?"
Shen Youying understood his concerns and said frankly, "Elder sister has done something wrong and deserves to be punished. We should bring her home and discuss it further." She thought of Chen Wang's various methods and realized that if Xue Shen had arrived a little later that day, she might have followed in Shen Muyu's footsteps. She felt a chill run down her spine.
Shen Mingjiang breathed a sigh of relief and patted his daughter's shoulder hard: "Bring the person back first, and I will give you an explanation."
Shen Youying nodded, but then asked with some doubt, "Father, how do you plan to bring them back?"
Shen Mingjiang ordered someone to fetch his spear and chuckled, "Now that your father has no official position and is just a commoner, how can he possibly handle this? Naturally, he'll just storm into Prince Chen's mansion with a spear and snatch him away." Seeing his daughter's worried and disapproving expression, he reassured her, "Don't worry, the border is starting to stir again. The officials won't kill me over such a trivial matter."
Although he was dismissed from his post and stayed at home, he secretly contacted many of his former subordinates in order to find his eldest son and was very clear about the situation on the border.
The Great Wei was wealthy, and the northern barbarians and Tibetans on its borders had long coveted it. When Emperor Taizu was still alive, he had led several northern expeditions to subdue these small border states. After Emperor Taizu's death, Emperor Cheng'an ascended the throne, and disturbances on the borders began to resurface. Emperor Cheng'an followed Emperor Taizu's example and launched a northern expedition, but it ended in failure. To save face, he sent envoys to negotiate peace with the border states, exchanging large sums of gold and silver annually for border peace.
He had initially opposed it, but Emperor Cheng'an's northern expedition failed, causing him to lose face. He was also wary of military generals gaining too much power, so he forcibly suppressed the dissenting voices.
Over the past five years, thanks to the large amounts of gold and silver, the borders have indeed been peaceful for a while. As a result, the voices of the pro-peace faction in the court have grown louder and louder, and the voices of military generals have become weaker and weaker.
But how could those ruthless and aggressive nations be satisfied with mere annual tribute? The ever-increasing tribute not only fueled their ambitions but also made them increasingly covetous of the Central Plains.
In a recent letter that Shen Mingjiang received, his former subordinates mentioned that the Northern Di people were secretly amassing troops on the border and had begun small-scale incursions.
The news has likely reached the emperor's ears by now.
The government prioritizes civil affairs over military matters, resulting in a shortage of capable military leaders. If there were to be a war, the only ones who could be of use would be these veteran generals.
Shen Mingjiang was devoted to serving his country and had no intention of using this opportunity to seize power. However, now that his eldest daughter was trapped and humiliated in the Prince Chen's mansion, he had no choice but to take a risky approach.
Shen Youying still felt it was too inappropriate, but then she heard Xue Shen beside her say, "If my father-in-law and mother-in-law trust me, I can go and negotiate with Prince Chen first."
Shen Mingjiang showed obvious hesitation upon hearing this.
To be honest, it was already surprising that the King of Qin had come all the way here today, and now he had even offered to help... He subconsciously looked at Shen Youying.
Shen Youying hadn't originally intended to involve him, but when he brought it up himself, she pursed her lips and said softly, "Your Highness is right. Father, please don't act impulsively. This matter needs to be considered carefully."
Shen Mingjiang looked at the two of them thoughtfully, and finally listened to Shen Youying's advice.
Although Fang was anxious, she knew that among the four people present, the one most likely to persuade Prince Chen to release the man was Prince Qin. Therefore, she could only suppress her anxiety and instruct her servants to prepare dinner.
After dinner, Shen Mingjiang called Shen Youying into his study.
After a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "You and the King of Qin..."
Shen Youying felt somewhat embarrassed discussing such a topic with her father. She suppressed her shyness and lowered her eyes, saying, "The King of Qin is different from the rumors. He treats his daughter... very well."
Shen Mingjiang looked thoughtful. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll speak with the Prince of Qin."
By the time Shen Mingjiang and Prince Qin emerged from the study, it was already completely dark.
The atmosphere between the father-in-law and son-in-law, who were initially somewhat estranged, eased considerably when they came out together. Shen Mingjiang cupped his hands to Xue Shen and said politely, "It's getting late and inconvenient to travel. I'll have someone prepare the house. Your Highness, please rest here for the night before returning."
Xue Shen naturally wouldn't refuse and immediately agreed.
After Shen Mingjiang and Fang Shi left, Xue Shen finally dropped his serious expression, hooked his little finger around Shen Youying's finger, and pulled her hand over to hold it: "Zhao Zhao, won't you lead the way for me?"
Shen Family Manor was not large, and Shen Youying was a married woman. Since she was staying overnight at her parents' home, she naturally stayed in the old courtyard.
There were servants around. Shen Youying tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't. She could only move closer to him with a flushed face, hoping to use her sleeve to cover their clasped hands.
She led Xue Shen to the courtyard where she used to live.
The courtyard had already been cleaned by Fang Shi, and it was very clean. All the utensils were the ones Shen Youying was used to using at home, and even the incense was lotus incense that she had made herself at home.
Xue Shen took her hand and followed her inside, glancing around from time to time, and said, "Although the estate is not as luxurious as the one in the capital, it has its own unique charm."
The items in Shen Youying's room may not be anything of great value, but trinkets such as lotus lanterns and plum blossom urns are quite unique.
Even the curtains hanging beside the canopy bed were made of light pink and light green to form a hazy blooming lotus flower—this was made by Shen Youying herself when she came back for a short stay in the summer and had nothing to do.
Shen Youying touched the lotus lantern on the table and said, "Every plant and tree on the estate was personally selected and planted by my father. This lotus lantern was also carved by my father himself."
Xue Shen never expected that a general like Shen Mingjiang, who had fought on the battlefield, would carve a lotus lantern for his daughter, and couldn't help but show a touch of tenderness.
Back when his father was still alive, he would disregard his status as the emperor and secretly take him out of the palace to ride horses and fish, without telling his mother.
"When we return to the capital, you can come to the estate for a short stay from time to time." Seeing the worry between her brows, Xue Shen reached out and smoothed the wrinkles between her brows, placing a light kiss on her forehead.
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