Chapter 542 Heir!
"Brother, be careful what you say."
"Brother, how can you address His Majesty by his given name!"
"Brother, be careful, the walls may be listening!"
Although Shen Congwen's heart was racing, he put on a righteous and fearless expression.
"Even if she is..., she is still my daughter!" Shen Congwen still felt awe and dared not say those two words aloud.
Madam Shen rolled her eyes at her eldest son and made the final decision.
"It's settled then. Let's bring Yuan Xin back as soon as possible!"
...
"Your Majesty, Shen Yuantang also went along," the guard reported.
Shen Lanxi, her face grim, ordered, "Go to Jichuan and find out what's going on before they do."
"yes!"
Even at top speed, the journey from the capital to Jichuan would take more than ten days. The Shen family, accustomed to a life of luxury, would certainly not be able to keep up with the speed of the scouts she sent.
Ever since Shen Yuantang was released, Wei Dongzhu has been on tenterhooks while handling his duties.
He remained uneasy, fearing that Shen Lanxi would summon him at any moment and question Qiao Niang and her son about their whereabouts.
"General, His Majesty has not made any arrangements for you."
Wei Dongzhu's former subordinates noticed that he seemed distracted while on duty these past few days and assumed that he was thinking about this matter.
"Your Majesty has his own reasons!" Wei Dongzhu has never questioned Shen Lanxi when it comes to personnel selection.
The old subordinates of Wei's army all knew about Qiaoniang and her son. If they weren't worried about her official position, they were definitely worried about the mother and son.
It's really nothing; it's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines.
Furthermore, the woman and child were already there before she met Shen Lanxi.
Upon closer examination, Shen Lanxi is the one who came later.
Furthermore, they all thought that only a few of them remained in Wei's army. Who would have thought that those they thought were dead would come back to life?
If it were an ordinary woman, she would have taken Qiaoniang and her son into her household and raised them as decorations, and that would have been fine.
But that person happened to be the supreme ruler, an emperor.
These things are giving their general a real headache!
...
After returning to the Northwest, Shen Yuanjing immediately arranged for people to escort the three children to the capital.
A woman with a slightly protruding belly walked out of the room, looking at her three children with a reluctant expression.
"General, are we really going to send the children to the capital?"
Shen Yuanjing was equally reluctant, and he kept telling himself that it was all for the children's future.
"The capital is prosperous and wealthy, with the best teachers and children receiving the best education. All the best things in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty are in the capital."
"The brocade you are wearing is rare in the Northwest, but not uncommon in the capital."
“My elder sister is the empress now, and she has no children. If our children could catch her eye, just imagine what it would be like.”
The woman looked down at the brocade robe she was wearing, her eyes filled with reluctance and hesitation, as if two little people were fighting.
In the end, Shen Yuanjing's beautiful vision overcame her reluctance, and she gently touched her belly.
Even if the children were with her, she wouldn't be able to take good care of them like this. It would be better to do as Yuan Jing suggested and send them to the capital.
"Alright, General, your arrangements are thorough. We will follow your instructions."
When the Shen family went to Jichuan this time, the women only took Shen Yuantang with them, while the other women were busy with the matter of the Shen family's children entering the Imperial Academy.
"Sister-in-law, Qingyu and Chengfeng are getting along very well!" Shen Yuanhao's wife, Zhang Chuchu, supported her pregnant belly with one hand as she slowly sat down.
Hu Jinyu is pregnant again, and she looks tired and exhausted.
"They grew up together, so naturally they have a good relationship."
Zhang Chuchu glanced at the two children who wanted to join her in playing, her eyes sparkling.
“Sister-in-law, the children are getting older every day. It’s not appropriate to let Qingyu play with them anymore.” After all, according to seniority, these children should either call Qingyu “stepmother” or “aunt”. Although she is young, her status and position are clear.
Hu Jinyu's face darkened, and she looked sharply at Zhang Chuchu.
"Sister-in-law, you mustn't let the rest of the family hear what you're saying, especially His Majesty and Yuanxu."
"Everyone in our household knows why my husband married the Prime Minister's daughter. Before, the situation was unclear, but now it is clear. Anyone who dares to question His Majesty's arrangements is committing treason."
Zhang Chuchu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly smiled apologetically, "Sister-in-law, please don't take it to heart, I didn't mean anything by it." Everyone knew that Hu Jinyu had married into the Shen family as a concubine, and in wealthy families, a concubine was just a secondary wife. It would be unreasonable for them to have a concubine in charge of the household when they owned such a large mansion.
Zhang Chuchu was always resentful. Although she came from a humble family, she was still the legal wife. Although according to seniority, it was not her turn to manage the household, she just couldn't stand Hu Jinyu always acting as the head of the household.
Hu Jinyu glanced at Zhang Chuchu. Because of the Emperor's approval, the marriages of the Shen family's children could proceed as she wished. However, she had disliked the wife Shen Yuanhao had chosen ever since she entered the family. She was petty and only cared about immediate gains. She had seen too many people like this, who only schemed against their own people and only cared about themselves.
"Since you call me sister-in-law, I'll give you a couple of pointers."
"His Majesty said, 'Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together.' Now, all the sons of the Shen family are stationed abroad, serving the country and the people with utmost loyalty. As women, since we have benefited from our husbands' families, we shouldn't do anything that harms their interests. What do you say?"
Zhang Chuchu didn't hear anything else, but she took the words "gaining benefits from her husband's family" to heart.
The sister-in-law's words were simply a way of pointing out her humble origins, implying that she was lucky to marry into the Shen family.
She knew that Hu Jinyu had always looked down on her, and saying it so openly was completely disrespectful to her.
“Sister-in-law, now that I’ve married into the Shen family, I will naturally put the Shen family first in everything I do.”
Hu Jinyu could tell from her reluctant expression that she hadn't listened. As a sister-in-law from another household, she was only giving her a reminder because Zhang hadn't lent her any money to her family. If she said anything more, Zhang would definitely hate her even more.
"It's good that you understand!" After saying this, she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.
The successive pregnancies had taken a toll on her body, but thankfully her husband was away on duty. After this baby is born, she'll need a good rest. With two sons and this one in her belly, three children should be enough, right?
Shen Yuanjing's children, along with the Shen family members who went to Jichuan, returned to the capital one after the other.
With four sons and two daughters, six offspring in total, plus the servants, maids, and guards, as well as gifts brought from the Northwest, the entire procession filled fifteen large carts.
Shen Lanxi received the news early in the morning and made a point of setting aside two hours to go to the city gate to greet them.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!" The children must have been taught before, because when they saw Shen Lanxi, they all bowed in a proper manner.
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "Rise. When it's just our family, you can call me Your Majesty aunt."
The eldest girl inside immediately called out in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, Auntie."
Looking at the little girl who resembled Shen Yuanjing by about five points, Shen Lanxi smiled and asked, "Your name is Shen Emei?"
“Your Majesty, my name is Shen Emei. My father said that my name was given to me by Your Majesty.”
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