Chapter 45 The secret of Duke Jing’s Mansion?

Shen Yun was puzzled by his daughter's question, but when he looked at her again, he didn't notice anything wrong, so he didn't take it to heart.

Shen Yuan didn't watch the next few competitions seriously. Although his eyes were fixed on the water, his mind was thinking of Lord Xie who was standing on the dragon boat just now, looking so handsome and strong, and then he thought of Qin Ruyue and his servant whom he had just met, so his mind was in a mess.

[Did Madam discover something...Why is she so cold towards Niuniu? She even claims to be sick and doesn't go out on such a day. It's really unlucky.]

[The fortune teller said that my Niuniu was born rich and destined to marry the third prince and become the crown princess or queen in the future.]

[So this is what Niuniu said about the young lady from the Shen family being more attractive to the princess than her. She is so reckless and doesn't act like a lady at all.]

Shen Yuan was speechless when she heard this. No matter what happened in the Qin family, it was none of her business. Why did he scold her as well?

Shen Yuan thought for a while and found that he had no impression of Duke Jing's family. Madam Qin had seen them from a distance at a banquet before, but as for Duke Jing... he had probably only seen his back from a distance on one previous New Year's Eve when the Emperor hosted a banquet for his ministers.

There was no way. The family of a fourth-rank official was a million miles away from the emperor. Even if she somersaulted in her seat, the emperor probably wouldn't be able to see it.

Then, Shen Yuan couldn't help but think that Lord Xie's family background was only higher than that of Duke Jing...

"What are you sighing about?"

Shen Yuan came back to his senses, "I sighed? You must have heard it wrong."

She quickly cheered up. She, Shen Yuan, was never the kind of person who would worry about things that hadn't happened yet. Everything is within human control and nothing is impossible.

Shen Yuan decided to put the matter of Lord Xie aside for the time being. After all, she couldn't do anything about it right now. She couldn't just jump in and swim to him to express her feelings, because if she did that, the ancestors of the Shen family would probably come and take her away.

"Dad, I just found out a while ago that Duke Jingguo has a daughter."

Well, it's always a good idea to discuss problems with her father...

Shen Yun didn't know why his daughter suddenly mentioned Duke Jing's family again, but he still patiently answered: "It happened that her daughter was brought back when you were sick, and his family didn't have much contact with ours, so I didn't tell you."

"Look, it just so happens that on the first dragon boat, the one beating the drum in the middle is Duke Jing, and the one at the back is his second son."

This was the third group of dragon boat races. The dragon boat that Jing Guogong was on was ranked first, and was obviously much faster than the three boats behind it.

The drummer on the dragon boat can be said to be the person who controls the rhythm on the dragon boat. Shen Yuan saw Duke Jing, who was wearing a black short robe in the middle with red cloth strips around his waist and forehead. He danced with the drumsticks vigorously, his body was like an iron tower, and he did not shake at all while standing on the dragon boat.

"Duke Jing is in good health and can probably fight on the battlefield. However, since his eldest son also holds an important position in the army and his second son is also an official in the court, he took the initiative to resign due to illness in order to avoid suspicion."

Moreover, when he resigned, the emperor only tried to persuade him twice before finally agreeing, which proved that his decision was not wrong.

However, the emperor is not such a ruthless emperor. The two sons of the Qin family are indeed capable. After Duke Jing resigned, Duke Jing's eldest son Qin Can was promoted twice and is now a general.

Soon, Shen Yuan heard applause and cheers coming from outside, thinking that Duke Jing's dragon boat had crossed the finish line first.

Shen Yuan looked outside, and then said casually, "So that's the case. No wonder the Queen and Consort Xian Gui both wanted his daughter to be their daughter-in-law."

Shen Yun snorted and laughed. His daughter was not cunning at all. "You are still beating around the bush with your father. Tell me, what have you discovered about the daughter of Duke Jing?"

Shen Yuan didn't plan to say anything when she heard those words just now. She was also confused and didn't know where to start. It would be better to wait until she figured it out before speaking.

Therefore, I only told my father about what happened last time at Princess Kangle's villa.

"And I ran into her when I came back just now. We almost bumped into each other at the corner of the stairs. I felt like she didn't like me very much."

Shen Yun didn't think much of it, thinking she was just being naughty, so he joked to his daughter, "You are a rich man, so why should everyone like you?"

Then he comforted his daughter, "If she doesn't like it, then she doesn't like it. We don't care. Just say she won't bother you. If she says something bad to you again in the future, just say it back. You don't have to swallow your anger."

The Shen family cannot compare with the Duke Jingguo Mansion, but he, Shen Zigeng, does not rely on the Duke Jingguo Mansion for food, so he is not afraid of him.

"I know, Dad. When have I, your daughter, ever been wronged?"

Shen Yun nodded and patted his daughter's head. As for whether Miss Qin would marry the third prince or the eldest prince, Shen Yun did not tell his daughter here.

Just in case the other side of the wall has ears... You can't say such things outside.

The Empress and Consort Xiangui's previous actions were quite significant. Not only the harem, but also the previous dynasty knew about their plans, but no one took it to heart.

Because everyone knows that the emperor will definitely not agree to the Qin family girl marrying either the eldest prince or the third prince.

If she is promised to the eldest prince, it will give him an extra bargaining chip to compete with the legitimate son. Promising her to the third prince is naturally not an option. The Empress's mother's family is already powerful enough now. If the third prince is given a Yue family with military power... then the Emperor will probably not be able to sit securely on the throne.

Even if the emperor wanted to give honor to the Qin family, the most he could do was to choose a prince whose mother's family was not prominent and who was not favored as a marriage partner.

This is what an emperor is like. He has the final say on what respect you receive.

"Dad, my brother and sister-in-law are back!"

"Yeah." He also heard the servant's greeting outside the door, "Why are you back?"

He Ying smiled and said, "Father and mother drove us back."

Shen Yun also laughed. The in-laws were too particular about rules. They must have felt that since their daughter was married, it was not good for her to stay with her family and leave her husband's family alone, so they urged her to come back.

"Okay, in that case, after the dragon boat race is over, let's have dinner here together. There's no need to rush back."

Shen Yuan was the first to say excitedly: "Okay, okay!"

"Little cat, how about I make a bet with you?"

"What?"

Shen Su pointed outside and said to Shen Yuan, "Let's bet on which of the four dragon boats will win. The person who guesses wrong will pay for today's meal."

Shen Yun interrupted and said, "Didn't I give you both the money?"

"That's different. The monthly allowance given to us is ours."

Shen Yuan thought his brother's bet was meaningless. "It would be better to bet that the person who guessed wrong would give five taels of silver to the person who guessed right. Anyway, it was Dad who paid for today's meal. Don't you agree, Dad?"

"Well, you are really Dad's good girl."

"Okay, as you say."

Seeing this, He Ying suggested: "Why don't we get some paper and pen and write down our answers?"

After hearing what the children said, Shen Yun also became interested, "Just do as Yingniang said and write it down on paper."