Chapter 167 The Shen Family's Plans!
It was time for Shen Lanxi's daily patrol again, with Chunxia Qiushuang carrying her stick behind her.
Every so often, you could hear soldiers shouting the garrison system.
"Anyone who fights or brawls in the garrison will be beheaded!"
"Anyone who gambles in the garrison will have their hands chopped off!"
“Those who commit violence out of lust shall be castrated, and the victim shall chop the perpetrator into human pigs!”
"Anyone who abandons their post without authorization shall be executed!"
"Anyone who disobeys orders will be executed!"
"Those who insult others shall have their tongues pulled out and their ears cut off!"
...
After going through the entire process, not a single body remained intact!
All the soldiers were on edge, not daring to breathe, their skin taut, until Shen Lanxi was far away, then they quickly breathed in fresh air!
The new recruits had never seen Shen Lanxi's domineering side before, and upon seeing him, they were quite dismissive.
After seeing Shen Lanxi sitting on the tiger-skin throne and knocking five strong men away with a single blow of her staff, they all became obedient.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, most of the snow has melted, and spring has arrived in Dongchuan!
Two more things to do every day: prepare for farming and prepare for building the fort!
Wang Songbai came looking for him that day.
"My lord, I wish to go to Suiyuan Prefecture to inquire about my sister and brother-in-law!"
Shen Lanxi readily agreed: "Go!"
This surprised Wang Songbai. Why let him leave so easily? Wasn't he afraid that he would tell others about what happened here?
Wang Songbai waited for a while, and seeing that Shen Lanxi had no other instructions, he left nervously.
"Fifth Brother, have our men follow him. If he talks nonsense, he won't need to come back!"
The wind nodded five times!
...
After returning home from his vacation, Shen Conglian conveyed Shen Lanxi's original message.
"Mother, what do you mean by Lanxi?" Shen Conglian was a little confused.
They could understand why Lanxi wasn't close to them, since she had been taken to the palace at a young age and raised by the Empress Dowager.
They had escorted them back to Dongchuan without provoking her, and things had been peaceful. But now she had started promoting her own sons and was concerned about the continuation of the family line, which puzzled them.
"Hmph, what else could it mean? Only with the prosperity of our Shen family can we help her. Does she think she can manage so many men under her command on her own? Those people only care about the number of men in our Shen family." Old Madam Shen looked as if she had seen through everything.
Shen Conglian felt that wasn't the case. Before they were promoted, Lanxi had a smooth life.
Didn't they approach Lanxi on their own initiative?
"Second Brother, how's the garrison? Are you tired?" Shen Congyi finally couldn't help but ask.
As soon as Shen Conglian heard him say that, he knew what he meant.
"It's fine. I just sit in my room every day, drink tea, and copy down the list of recruits."
Shen Congyi's eyes lit up: "Where's Third Brother? What did Third Brother go there for?"
Shen Conglian: "He was also a recruit. I lived far away from him and only met him once. After that, he took his cotton-padded coat and went to recruit soldiers in other counties!"
Shen Congyi's eyes were like a ruler, measuring Shen Conglian from top to bottom. His second brother not only didn't suffer from frostbite, but he had also gained weight, and his face looked healthier.
Old Master Shen sighed and said, "All our in-laws in the capital broke off their engagements because our family has fallen on hard times."
When Madam Shen thought of the women who used to fawn over her, her face darkened.
"Those are all sycophants and opportunists. It's good that the engagement was called off. Consider it a good opportunity for us to see their true character. Our Shen family will not marry into the family of scoundrels and villains!" Old Madam Shen was so angry that her blood boiled when she thought about how they were when she left the capital.
Those people were just taking advantage of her to disgust and humiliate her. Now that the Shen family has risen again, it will be their turn to cry!
The thought of their children and grandchildren returning to the capital after achieving success must have filled those who severed ties with them with deep regret.
Thinking of this, Madam Shen clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
"My children, you must live up to your expectations! Our Shen family is all counting on you!" Old Madam Shen said earnestly.
Shen Conglian glanced at his mother, who was about to go crazy, and tentatively asked, "Mother, Yuanxu is already twenty years old this year. It's fortunate that Wu didn't have any children. Our Yuanxu can find someone even better!"
Liu was furious at the thought of Wu: "Pah! That Wu is sickly and weak. She has been married for more than two years and still has no children. She won't let us take a concubine. If it weren't for the fact that she is the legitimate daughter of the Left Prime Minister, I would have made Yuanxu divorce her long ago!"
Shen Conglian said impatiently, "We're already divorced, why bring her up again? I think the divorce is a good thing. I always thought she was capable of causing trouble, but her connections in the palace kept her in check. Someone like her, if we end up in her hands when we're old, we won't get anything good!"
Madam Shen was also unwilling to mention Wu Shi any further and quickly interrupted.
"Yuanxu has grown up. It's all our fault for being so busy settling things in these past few days that we've neglected the children's important matters!"
After thinking for a moment, Old Master Shen said, "If it's not easy to find a proper wife, let's find two concubines for Yuanxu first, so that our Shen family can have more children!"
Liu muttered, "How can someone take a concubine before even marrying their wife!"
Old Madam Shen glared at her: "Long hair, short brains. When looking for a wife, shouldn't you find someone of equal social standing who can help Yuanxu?"
Liu's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded.
"Mother is right!"
After considering all the options, Madam Shen found them all unacceptable.
"Our Shen family is about to rise to prominence. I wonder how far Yuanxu and the others can go. If they achieve great things and become high-ranking officials, and their wives are the daughters of minor officials..." Old Madam Shen shook her head at the thought.
They're not a good match!
Madam Liu: "No way! My Yuanxu is going to be a great general someday. I don't want a daughter from a humble family to bring shame to our Yuanxu!"
Miao said, “Mother, although Yuanpeng and Yuanhao were not engaged before, they have been discussing marriage. They still need you to help them make arrangements.”
Not to be outdone, Madam Tian quickly added, "Mother, what about the children of our fourth branch?"
Madam Shen was getting a headache from all the nagging from her three daughters-in-law.
"Shut up, all of you! This is about adding a new member to the Shen family. I need to discuss this with your father. Any ugly, sickly, or ill-mannered people with a bad reputation shouldn't even think about entering our family!"
Everyone in the room nodded quickly.
...
Knock, knock, knock, the sound of knocking on the door rang out.
Shen Lanxi: "Go in!"
Liu Yan brought in a paper package.
"I happened to run into a tea shop on my way to Fuchun County a couple of days ago..." Liu Yan's gaze fell on the earthenware jar in the center of the table, and she couldn't finish her sentence.
Shen Lanxi: "What happened? Why are you not saying anything?"
Liu Yan instinctively hid the paper package in her sleeve.
“It’s okay, I…” Liu Yan steeled herself and took out the paper package again.
"I've found a great tea, pre-Qingming Longjing!"
Shen Lanxi: "You and Hu Zhu bought them from the same store, right?"
Liu Yan raised an eyebrow, and said awkwardly, "That's possible!"
Shen Lanxi: "I poured some out to the kitchen to make Longjing shrimp, and the jar just happened to be empty!"
As she spoke, she reached out her hand to Liu Yan.
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