On the 14th day, after the family dinner, Ye Chen and Shen Qiu returned to the Duke's Mansion together. It was already past the hour of Xu.
At this time, the old Duke and the old Lady had already gone to bed, and someone came to tell them to come back and go to bed early and not to overwork.
When Ye Chen and Shen Qiu came out of the palace, they naturally had to receive some rewards. The queen said that this was for today, and she would reward them in front of everyone tomorrow. Those people also had to give some gifts and asked them to come back to clean up a warehouse.
Shen Qiu thought, is this really possible? As expected, the richer and more powerful a person is, the easier it is to make money.
The next day, Ye Chen asked the housekeeper to clean up a storage room in Qiuchen Courtyard and turn it into a warehouse.
The state banquet was also held in the evening. At 3 p.m., all the ministers and their families would enter the palace. Ye Chen and Chen Qiu entered the palace at the end of 3 p.m.
The state banquet was held in the palace. After Chen Qiu entered, she greeted Madam Zheng who had helped her before, nodded and smiled at Madam Chen Gu Ruojin, and then was helped by Ye Chen to sit behind Ye Chen.
Below her is her grandmother. Although she is the granddaughter in terms of seniority, she is the wife of a duke in terms of status. A duke is more noble than a marquis.
Because the old Duke and Madam Xiao are old, Ye Chen has been attending such occasions on their behalf for six years. So you can see Ye Chen, a young man, sitting in the middle of a group of white-haired old men in front.
As soon as Ye Chen and Shen Qiu sat down, someone shouted: "The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived!"
Everyone knelt and shouted: "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, a thousand years and a thousand years of life for the empress."
Although Ye Chen was close to the emperor and empress, that was only in private. In such grand occasions, the emperor was the emperor and the ministers were the ministers. They all abided by their duties. He did things in a measured way and never lost face for the emperor in front of outsiders, allowing the emperor to gain enough face in front of the world.
After the emperor and empress sat down, they looked at each other, and the emperor raised his hand and said: "Stand up! Sit down!"
Everyone took their seats, and the banquet began. The emperor raised his glass and said, "Mid-Autumn Festival is a night of reunion, a night of family, country, and the world. For me, family is country, and country is home. Come, let us drink to the righteousness of all the monarchs and ministers!"
After a glass of wine, the emperor said, "Today there is a lantern festival. After the singing and dancing, let's go to the lantern festival. I have also prepared many lantern riddles for you in the Imperial Garden. I hope you will enjoy it!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, and with a voice of "The music starts, the dancing starts, the banquet begins!", the musicians who had been prepared on both sides of the palace began to play music, and as soon as the music started, dancers came walking over.
At this time, everyone started talking and drinking with each other. Ye Chen was worried about Chen Qiu and looked back at him from time to time. Xing'er knelt beside Shen Qiu and picked up some food for him.
Old Madam Shen spoke to Chen Qiu: "Qiu'er, have you received the letter from your parents?"
Chen Qiu put down his chopsticks, shook his head and said, "I received a letter on my birthday, and I haven't received any since. Grandma, what happened?"
Madam Shen shook her head and said, "Nothing happened, but I haven't heard from them for a long time, so I'm a little worried!"
Chen Qiu smiled and said, "It's only been a little over a month. Maybe he got delayed on the way. Why not wait a little longer?"
Chen Qiu asked again, "Grandma, how is my second sister? And has my second aunt caused any trouble?"
Madam Shen said, "She has been stupid since her fever subsided, as you know, and she hasn't gotten better."
"As for your second aunt, she made a few noises at first, but now she's quiet. However, I'm still a little uneasy. She's just like that Zhao. Once she's quiet, she's pent up. I'm afraid they'll do something. After all, they have nothing now, and they both don't want to be left behind."
"They have nothing to fear, but we are different. They must hate the Shen family and the Duke's Mansion now, but we can only guard against them and can't do anything to them!"
After listening to Madam Shen's words, Chen Qiu was lost in thought. Ye Chen suddenly came to Chen Qiu's side, sat down in the place where Xing'er had sat before him, took Chen Qiu's hand and said, "It's okay. I'll take care of everything. They can't cause any trouble!"
Then he smiled at Chen Qiu, pried open a crab for her, and said, "Crabs are cold, so just eat less. I'll buy you more when the little one comes out, okay?"
Shen Qiu smiled and nodded. Old Madam Shen didn't hear Ye Chen's words clearly, but asked Shen Qiu again: "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, do you want to go back to the Shen family to stay for a few days?"
Ye Chen said directly: "Grandma, if you miss Qiu'er, it's not impossible for you to stay at the Duke's Mansion for a few days. My grandmother misses you too. You haven't been to the Duke's Mansion for a long time, right?"
Qiu'er couldn't afford to make any mistakes right now. Who knew what those two people from the Shen family were up to? What if it harmed Qiu'er? He couldn't stay overnight at his wife's family home. If something went wrong, he would be too far away to do anything. He had to nip those possibilities in the bud.
The old lady of the Shen family is also confused. She can't handle the Shen family well, so how dare she let Qiu'er go back to live there? Or does she want Qiu'er to go back and clean up the mess for them?
Old Madam Shen was choked by Ye Chen and didn't know what to say. Shen Qiu pulled Ye Chen's sleeve, and Ye Chen said again: "Don't worry, grandma, it's just that Qiu'er is not feeling well now and can't go back. After my Qiuwei exam is over, can you come over and talk to Qiu'er and help her relieve her boredom?"
When Mrs. Shen saw Ye Chen's soft words, the unhappiness in her heart disappeared, and then she smiled and said: "I didn't know Qiu'er was uncomfortable. If I knew, why would I torment her?"
"Come to think of it, it's time to go visit my elder sister. However, I'm tied up with all the troubles at home and can't leave. I'll go to the Duke's Mansion to visit my elder sister in a few days!"
Just as Chen Qiu was about to say something, an inopportune voice suddenly appeared: "This Duke is so considerate that he even peels the crabs himself before his wife eats them."
"However, forgive me for being blunt, this woman is there to serve men. A man acting like this is not acting like a man, especially in front of so many people. This lady is really unvirtuous and doesn't know when to act. Others may not know what she does at home, but when she goes out, she must make her husband look good!"
The speaker was the Minister of Works.
Because the Great Yin Kingdom had always been peaceful and prosperous without any major natural disasters, this emperor only built a few dams after he came to power and no other major projects took place.
Originally, the emperor wanted to renovate the mausoleum for the eldest princess, but was stopped by Ye Chen. Later, the emperor wanted to build a temple, but was also stopped by Ye Chen. Last year, the emperor wanted to build an observation tower, but was stopped by Ye Chen again.
The Minister of Works spends most of the year sitting down. Although he receives a monthly payment even when sitting down, he can only earn extra income if there are projects. Ye Chen is blocking his path to wealth in disguise, so he is so sarcastic.
Ye Chen didn't pay much attention to what he said earlier, but the more he listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. Is this old man tired of living? He actually dared to criticize his Qiu'er?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
