Shen Mingjiang was looking at a map in his study. He had heard that Lu Minghe was requesting an audience that morning, and he was so annoyed that he didn't even leave the room. Instead, he reread the letters sent by his former subordinates at the border and pondered the situation at the border while looking at the map.
When the servant came to announce his arrival, he thought it was Lu Minghe causing trouble again. He had just impatiently said "I don't want to see him" when the servant said, "My lord, the Prince of Qin and his wife have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjiang immediately put down the letter in his hand, pushed open the door, and asked, "Zhaozhao is back? Where is she?"
The servant replied, "They're warming themselves by the fire in the flower hall."
Shen Mingjiang's brows relaxed, and he strode towards the flower hall. The servant trotted after him, and then heard him instruct: "Go and tell the kitchen to prepare the roe deer and venison I hunted yesterday, so that Zhaozhao can have a taste."
When he arrived at the flower hall, he slowed his hurried steps, carefully examined his clothes, and only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with them did he walk in with steady steps.
He spotted his youngest daughter sitting by the charcoal brazier, warming herself by the fire.
There was no underground heating system in the village, only two charcoal braziers. At this moment, the youngest daughter was sitting by the charcoal brazier, her hands hanging over it to warm them, while her son-in-law, whose reputation was not very good, sat next to her, occasionally pulling up her drooping sleeves to prevent them from being burned by the charcoal fire.
Shen Mingjiang looked around for a moment with his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, and went inside.
Shen Youying hadn't seen her father for a long time and missed him dearly. Seeing him now, she immediately got up happily to greet him, took his arm, and called out, "Father!"
She carefully observed her father's expression and saw that the white hair at his temples was not much more than when they last met, which reassured her somewhat.
"How have Father and Mother been these days?" She asked cautiously, afraid that her father was still saddened by Shen Muyu's matter.
Shen Mingjiang sat down opposite Xue Shen with an air of authority, sighed and said, "I'm fine, it's just that your mother has been crying too much these days, caught a cold, and has been very ill. She's still bedridden and can't get up."
In fact, he hadn't been able to get a full night's sleep for quite some time, but Shen Muyu's actions were so absurd that he couldn't say too much in front of his youngest daughter and son-in-law, lest they overthink it.
Shen Youying understood her father's difficulties all too well. After thinking for a moment, she decided not to hide the fact that she had exchanged messages with Shen Muyu before: "Actually, after returning to Tokyo, the Prince tried to send a message to my eldest sister, saying that if she was willing to leave the Chen Prince's Mansion, he could help her ask the Chen Prince for a letter of divorce, but my eldest sister said..." Shen Youying paused before saying, "She said she was ashamed to go home and did not want to come back."
"I wonder who he got this stubbornness from, refusing to turn back even after hitting a wall!" Shen Mingjiang clenched his fist in anger.
Shen Youying didn't understand Shen Muyu's choice either, but now that she was married, she had to walk her own path in the future. Even her parents and sisters couldn't make the choice for her.
Shen Mingjiang clearly understood this principle as well. He was angry, but he just sighed and didn't say anything more.
Seeing that the father and daughter had finally managed to meet, yet were still grieving over someone else's troubles, Xue Shen slowly spoke up, "When we entered just now, we saw Lu Minghe at the door. Lu Minghe is now a retainer of the Crown Prince, and since he has made his appearance, it seems only a matter of time before Father-in-law returns to the court. Once Father-in-law regains power, even if Prince Chen treats my sister-in-law too harshly out of respect for Father-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjiang glanced at him, his expression unchanged, and said, "Lu Minghe is here on behalf of the Crown Prince to invite me. If I accept, I will become a member of the Crown Prince's faction. The Shen family has never participated in the struggle for the throne."
This is the real reason why he refuses to see Lu Minghe.
He was wholeheartedly devoted to protecting his country and had no intention of getting involved in these court infighting.
Xue Shen nodded upon hearing this: "Father-in-law is right." Then, he abruptly changed the subject and said: "But Lu Minghe has come to the Shen family from the capital, and the news will definitely not be kept secret. If we let him stand at the door like this, who knows what kind of rumors will arise later."
Rumors and gossip are deadly.
After thinking it over carefully, Shen Mingjiang agreed with what he said. He immediately called the steward and instructed him, "Take a basin of water out and ask Lu Minghe to leave. If he doesn't leave, splash water on him as a sign of his displeasure."
He was a military officer and never bothered with such underhanded tactics. If Lu Minghe continued to stubbornly refuse to leave, he would have no choice but to physically drive him away.
As Xue Shen watched the steward leave, a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
Shen Youying glanced at him, nudged him with her leg, and said with her eyes: You're taking revenge for personal reasons.
Xue Shen met her gaze, raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, not concealing his sinister intentions: Yes, it was to settle a personal score.
"..." Shen Youying didn't want to pay attention to his sudden childish behavior. She enthusiastically ordered the servants to fetch two sweet potatoes and bury them in the charcoal brazier. She wanted to eat roasted sweet potatoes later.
*
When Lu Minghe saw the butler carrying out a basin of water, he gave a bitter smile, knowing that Shen Mingjiang was determined not to see him.
He did not persist in his persistent pursuit. He took two steps back, bowed deeply, and then boarded the carriage that was parked some distance away, ordering the driver to return to the Eastern Palace to report.
The carriage slowly turned around, its wheels rolling over the thick snow, and slowly drove in the opposite direction.
Lu Minghe couldn't help but lift the carriage curtain to look back, only to see Shen Family Village gradually blurring in the wind and snow. He dejectedly lowered the curtain, leaning against the carriage wall in a daze, unable to stop thinking about what Zhaozhao was doing at that moment.
Zhao Zhao is afraid of the cold. Back in Tokyo, whenever it snowed, she would huddle in the heated room with the floor heating, just like a cat afraid of the cold, and was very reluctant to go out.
If he wanted to see her, he could only make an excuse to go find Shen Xiuyi and then pester her to take him to meet her.
At that time, he was thinking that since there was no underfloor heating in his yard, he should lay it down before the wedding. Her hands and feet were always cold, and even a hand warmer couldn't warm them up. After the wedding, he could openly warm her hands in his palms and make sure she was no longer afraid of the winter cold.
But now that the underfloor heating in his yard has already been installed, he can no longer openly warm her hands.
Even glancing at her is a luxury.
Lu Minghe's eyes reddened, and he awkwardly raised his arm to shield his eyes, letting out two hoarse, unpleasant laughs.
*
The two settled down at the Shen family home, still living in Shen Youying's old courtyard.
However, this time Shen Youying had learned her lesson and specially asked Bai Luodanzhu to pack several sets of spare clothes to bring over.
Xue Shen sat by the window, watching her and two maids pack their trunks. He turned his wheelchair and went to the trunk where she used to keep her underwear. He opened it and saw that it was empty. He clicked his tongue in regret.
He also asked, "Where are the clothes that were kept here?"
Shen Youying glanced at him, trying her best to maintain a calm expression, and said, "It didn't fit, so I threw it away a long time ago."
Xue Shen clicked his tongue again, his gaze fixed on her, and smiled wistfully: "I think she can still wear it."
Shen Youying turned her face away, not wanting to pay him any more attention.
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