Shen Yue is dignified, gentle, yet stubborn.
Zhang Pan first glanced at Su Qingyu, and knew that this was Shen Yue’s bottom line.
He looked at Shen Yue again and asked in a calm voice, "Are you and Li Yunzhou engaged?"
Shen Yue was startled, then shook her head, "Not yet..."
She wanted to say that they hadn't officially gotten engaged yet, but privately, the two families had decided on it.
But as soon as she said two words, Zhang Pan spoke anxiously and angrily.
"He didn't even propose marriage?"
"Sister Shen Yue, don't be afraid, I will go and propose marriage."
"I don't care about reputation or anything like that. I don't care what happened between you and Li Yunzhou in the past. And as for my grandmother, I've made up my mind. If she treats you badly, I'll persuade her more. If she punishes you, I'll bear it. If she asks you to set the rules, I'll set the rules too."
Zhang Pan spoke quickly and hurriedly, fearing that Shen Yue would not listen, so he said everything at once.
Shen Yue naturally didn't want him to say anything more, so she quickly interrupted him.
"Marquis Xuanwu has misunderstood. Although Brother Yunzhou and I haven't officially been engaged, the marriage has already been decided. It was decided in person by the elders of our two families. We will get married when he returns from the Northern Frontier."
Shen Yue spoke gently, but her tone was resolute.
"Is Marquis Xuanwu here to pick up the old lady? She should be coming out soon. The old lady was just thankful that the Zhang and Chen families broke off the engagement. Marquis Xuanwu should find a good wife to take charge of the household and live a good life together."
"Also, Brother Yunzhou and I are in love with each other. I didn't marry him out of helplessness, but with great joy."
It wasn't that Shen Yue was cruel, but she wanted to stop Zhang Pan from having any thoughts. The harsher she spoke at this moment, the better it would be for Zhang Pan.
Being fussy and vague will only hurt everyone in the end.
Su Qingyu looked at Zhang Pan helplessly, feeling a little sympathy in her heart.
From the old lady's perspective, the Zhang family only has this one child. It's normal to not allow him to go to the battlefield and to protect him closely.
From Zhang Pan's perspective, his grandmother was his only relative. On one hand, he wanted to marry the girl, and on the other hand, he had to deal with filial piety, which was a dilemma.
From Shen Yue's perspective, even without Li Yunzhou, Zhang Pan is not her ideal man. Such a family deserves respect, but it is not worth marrying into.
So it’s just a difference in standpoint, and it’s hard to say who is wrong.
The one who suffered the most, of course, was Zhang Pan.
Zhang Pan stood in a daze under the palace lantern. Shen Yue's words were like a lingchi knife, cutting off his last bit of hope.
He suddenly said in a low voice: "Sister Shen Yue is really tolerant of Li Yunzhou. She is willing to wait for him."
Chen Yue slowed down her tone, "Marquis Xuanwu should know that he is currently in the northern border dealing with the Tartars. He is fighting for his country and protecting the people. Why can't I wait?"
"I believe I can wait until he returns victorious. Even if something unexpected happens, I will always stay with him."
Zhang Pan suddenly recalled that day at the Shen residence, when Shen Yue had said, "You are the dignified Marquis Xuanwu, and yet you are almost twenty years old and still hiding under the protection of the old lady. Even if you cannot fight on the battlefield like the ancestors of the Zhang family, please be a man of honor and do not disgrace the Zhang family's integrity."
He often thought of this sentence during this period.
In the past few years, he really hasn't lived like a man.
Shen Yue didn't know what Zhang Pan was thinking, she just found that he seemed to come alive suddenly.
The expression that was previously blank also became more colorful.
Zhang Pan bowed gracefully to Shen Yue, and then said, "Sister Shen Yue, when you get married, I will definitely come to ask for a glass of wedding wine."
Shen Yue smiled and nodded, saying, "My Lord, if you say so, I couldn't ask for more."
Just at this moment, the old lady of the Zhang family came out. Her grandson had agreed to come and pick her up, so she looked for him everywhere after leaving the hall.
When I turned around, I saw Zhang Pan and Shen Yue talking, and he even bowed to Shen Yue.
The old lady was immediately furious. How could a man from her Zhang family bow to a woman?
"Zhang Pan, what are you doing?"
"Did she say something to you again? I'm telling you, people like that are absolutely not allowed to enter the Zhang family's gate."
In the past, Zhang Pan would have definitely trotted over to the old lady and coaxed her a few more words.
But today, Zhang Pan apologized to Shen Yue and Su Qingyu first. "My grandmother is old and a little confused. Third Madam and Sister Shen Yue, please don't be offended. You can leave the palace. It's windy today, so be careful on the road."
Seeing Su Qingyu and Shen Yue about to leave, Old Lady Zhang asked Su Qingyu again, "I haven't settled the score with you yet. What did you scold me for just now?"
At the palace banquet, she kept thinking hard. She even tried to recall the shape of Su Qingyu's mouth when she spoke, but to no avail. She asked everyone around her, but nothing came out.
The more she didn't ask, the more she felt that Su Qingyu had said something unpleasant. She planned to find out the truth and go to the Shen family to settle the score. She wanted to ask the old lady of the Shen family how she disciplined her daughter-in-law.
Old Lady Zhang had a somewhat fiery temper when she was young, but at least she was reasonable then. But after the entire Zhang family perished in battle, leaving only her young grandson, her temper became increasingly erratic and difficult to get along with. Even the servants who served her had to be replaced twice a year.
She is mean and unreasonable to everyone and treats them indiscriminately.
Su Qingyu said to Zhang Pan apologetically, "Before the palace banquet, the old lady said some harsh words to Shen Yue. I was so angry that I deliberately kept silent in rebuttal. The old lady thought I said harsh words and others didn't dare to tell her. Go back and explain it to me. I was impulsive today."
She told Zhang Pan the truth clearly and told him that she did it on purpose to vent Shen Yue's anger.
As long as Zhang Pan goes back and asks about this matter, he will know everything clearly. It is better to be frank and make it clear.
Zhang Pan knew his grandmother's personality and could guess what she would say about Shen Yue. So, his face was filled with even more apology. "Third Madam, that's not right. It's my Zhang family that should apologize. You guys go back. I'll explain to Grandmother."
After watching Su Qingyu and Shen Yue leave, Zhang Pan went to Old Lady Zhang again.
He said to her, "Grandma, I just wanted to talk to Sister Shen Yue, and she didn't want to enter our house. Grandma, please don't say that in the future. It seems that you are unreasonable and taking advantage of your age."
After saying this, he didn't care whether the old lady was willing to leave or not. He supported her and walked outside.
It’s said to be helping, but in fact it’s the same as dragging away.
When the old lady heard Zhang Pan's words, she thought her grandson was crazy. He actually embarrassed her in public for the sake of the girl from the Shen family.
What she didn't know was that Zhang Pan had been lost in thought the entire time. His expression became increasingly resolute, as if he had made a decision.
When Su Qingyu returned from the palace, it was already the beginning of the Xu hour.
Shen Zhizheng was waiting for her. When he saw her come back, he asked someone to bring the food.
This kind of palace banquet was never enough to satisfy her, so he ordered people to prepare food in advance, fearing that she would be hungry.
Su Qingyu sat down at the dinner table, thinking about how to tell Shen Zhixiu that she wanted to thoroughly investigate Mr. Zhou's affairs.
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