Shen Zhiheng stopped what he was doing and pulled the thin blanket beside him to cover Xiangdong.
"Hush, I'll go see them."
It was embarrassing enough that he was hanging out with his concubine in the study in broad daylight. If he was caught by his son and daughter-in-law, where would he put his old face?
After straightening his clothes and confirming that there was nothing unusual, Shen Zhiheng said in a deep voice, "Let them in."
When Shen Zhao and Li Chaoyun came in, Shen Zhiheng was already sitting behind the desk writing.
The couple bowed to him and then sat down on the armchair by the window.
Shen Zhiheng also put down the pen in his hand and looked up at the two of them. "Why are you here together? What's the matter?"
Shen Zhao looked at Li Chaoyun, signaling her to speak. It was Li Chaoyun who had originally suggested meeting Shen Zhiheng, and Shen Zhao didn't quite agree.
Li Chaoyun cursed Shen Zhao for being useless in his heart, but his face showed no unusual emotion.
She bowed towards Shen Zhiheng and said, "Father, the young master is here to apologize. He just spoke rudely. Please don't take it personally."
"It's okay. How can a father and son hold a grudge? Is that all you want to talk about? I'm not angry, so go ahead and reply."
Li Chaoyun couldn't leave until his goal was achieved. He continued, "Father, we still want to talk to you about the eldest young master's visit to the Zhanshi Mansion."
Shen Zhiheng raised his hand to stop Li Chaoyun's words, "There's no need to discuss this matter any further. Besides, it's better for women to refrain from interfering in men's affairs in the court."
Li Chaoyun naturally felt uncomfortable after hearing this, but she still smiled and said, "Father, you are wrong. We are husband and wife. It is also the wife's responsibility to support her husband's future."
There was one more thing Li Chaoyun didn't say: all the money her mother-in-law had embezzled over the years hadn't been used to support his career? So although Shen Zhiheng's words sounded righteous, she only felt they were hypocritical.
Shen Zhiheng was thinking about Xiangdong, so he spoke without much patience.
"The help you mentioned means letting him serve the Crown Prince at the Zhanshi Mansion? This will put your Third Uncle in an awkward position and even implicate the entire Shen family."
Speaking of the latter part, Shen Zhiheng's tone suddenly became stern.
Li Chaoyun's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Isn't it enough that Father has been oppressed by Third Uncle for so many years? Is he also going to sacrifice the eldest young master's future?"
"Father, think carefully. Has the Shen family been making concessions for Third Uncle all these years? In Grandmother's heart, Third Uncle is also hers."
"If this continues, the Shen family's eldest branch will only be reduced to a foil for the third branch."
"Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appreciates the eldest young master, everyone in the palace is criticizing him. Is this really for the good of the Shen family, or do they want us, the eldest branch, to step forward?"
Li Chaoyun's tone was a little sharp, and his speech was not fast, but there was a faint sense of oppression.
Shen Zhao lowered his head, not daring to look at Shen Zhiheng. Just when Shen Zhao thought Shen Zhiheng was about to lose his temper, he heard Shen Zhiheng say, "Go on."
The voice was a little low, and there was no emotion in the tone.
Li Chaoyun was delighted, as this meant that he had listened to her, and continued to speak frankly.
"My daughter-in-law hopes that my father can pave the way for the young master in the court in the future."
"I don't expect the Shen family to make plans for the young master, but at least our eldest branch should prioritize the young master's future."
Shen Zhiheng looked thoughtful. "What do you mean by paving the way?"
Li Chaoyun smiled and said, "Once the eldest young master enters the Zhanshi Mansion, he is equivalent to the prince's cousin's man."
"Once our cousin Crown Prince ascends the throne, all of his former subordinates will have a bright future."
"My daughter-in-law hopes that when the eldest young master's future conflicts with that of the third uncle, my father will side with the eldest young master."
Having said that, Li Chaoyun hesitated for a moment, but still said the most important words afterwards.
"When the time comes, we can find an opportunity to pull Third Uncle down from his high position. Then the real person in charge of the Shen family in the future will definitely be our eldest young master."
After saying that, Li Chaoyun carefully looked at Shen Zhiheng's expression.
Before he could see the clues, he heard Shen Zhiheng say, "You guys go back first. I have an idea."
Li Chaoyun was surprised. Why did the eunuch seem to be chasing them away? He hadn't heard anything was going on in the mansion today.
She looked around and saw nothing unusual.
After exchanging a glance with Shen Zhao, they both stood up and left.
The moment he turned around and walked out, Li Chaoyun's eyebrows suddenly moved slightly, as if he heard a rustling sound similar to that of someone turning over.
She shook her head, thinking she must have heard it wrong.
The study door was closed again, and Shen Zhiheng stood up and went into the compartment. He saw Xiangdong had closed her eyes and was breathing evenly.
He felt relieved and walked over to cover Xiangdong with a blanket. He kissed her cheek again and turned back to the desk in the outer room.
After a long while, Xiangdong's eyelids moved slightly and he let out a long sigh.
After dinner, Su Qingyu was looking at the account book sent by Shen Yue, marking out the irregularities and planning to tell her about it tomorrow.
Feicui walked in cautiously and whispered, "Madam, Concubine Xiang wants to see you secretly in the small pavilion in the northwest corner of the garden."
Su Qingyu closed the account book and asked casually, "Is the Third Master still busy in the study?"
Speaking of the study, Su Qingyu recalled the scene at the desk in the study today. Her face turned red and her heart beat violently.
The Third Master was really ridiculous. That was a place for handling official business, and he actually...
She decided not to go to his study for the next few months until she had completely forgotten about it.
Feicui replied, "The Third Master is still in the study talking to his staff. He said he would be back very late today and asked his wife to go to bed early."
Su Qingyu hummed, and sneaked out of the West Courtyard with the jade. Since Xiangdong wanted to see her quietly, the more secretive the better.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
