Chapter 333 The Shen Family Daughter Chooses a Son-in-Law!
The student who was being considered by Shen Yuanruan came from a remote place in the north called Donglin. He was the student from the farthest away from Shen Congwen.
On the day of Shen Yuanruan's engagement, Shen Lanxi went through the motions.
Because it was the most joyous occasion in the Shen family manor, even though it was the third branch's children, there were still people willing to attend, and the event was quite lively.
Taking advantage of the engagement, Shen Yuanruan spoke a few words to Shen Lanxi in private.
“Elder sister, this scholar has been examined by my uncle. He is very learned, and I am very satisfied with him. My uncle's intention is to arrange our marriage after the imperial examination, and I will go to Donglin with him then.”
Shen Lanxi: "You can decide for yourself!"
Shen Yuanruan approached the older sister with another purpose.
"Big sister, could you please talk to my uncle and ask him to let my future husband come to our home and study with my other brothers?"
Shen Lanxi looked at the calculating person and decisively refused.
"I can't help you. You should talk to my father yourself!"
Shen Yuanruan's upturned lips stiffened, and she said with a wry smile, "Big sister, no one in the family likes me. If I tell my uncle, he definitely won't talk to me either."
Shen Lanxi: "You can have your father tell my father that he only criticizes me every day and dislikes me very much. I can't help you!"
Upon hearing that they had refused to this extent, Shen Yuanruan became anxious and blurted out, "Big sister, can you help my future husband?"
Shen Lanxi said with a half-smile, "Yuan Ruan, you've only known that student for a few days and met him a few times, yet you came to me for him. Do you really think you have a lot of influence over me?"
Shen Yuanruan could no longer laugh.
"I've spared you the dignity of the Shen family, so you should cherish it, understand?" Shen Lanxi said coldly.
Shen Yuanruan felt a chill run down her spine, finally remembering how this person could kill without blinking an eye. She had only forgotten Shen Lanxi's cold-blooded nature because Shen Lanxi had previously said she would protect her family and ensure their well-being.
"Big sister, I was wrong, I will never do it again."
Shen Lanxi gave a low, resonant "Mmm": "You made the right choice to marry far away. I hope you will always walk the right path in the future!"
Shen Yuanruan watched Shen Lanxi's departing figure, her eyes growing colder and colder.
...
On the day of Shen Yuanruan's engagement, the Jining Marquis's residence also sent congratulatory gifts. This time, the gifts were sent in a very high-profile manner, suggesting a reconciliation of old friendships.
Old Madam Shen directly rejected her, but Zhou Xinrou said a few words.
"The Marquis of Jining's family is a prominent and wealthy household, so they naturally have a lot to consider when it comes to such an important matter as marriage. Given the chaos in their household before, it's no wonder that the Marquis of Jining's family would break off the engagement."
This was the first time that Madam Shen had clashed with her eldest daughter-in-law, who was a princess.
"Marriage is not a game. When we were engaged to the Marquis of Jining, their attitude was bad, and when they broke off the engagement, their attitude was even worse. Our family doesn't need to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. I can't just stand by and watch my granddaughter suffer such humiliation before she's even married into the family!"
Madam Shen's meaning was actually quite simple: you looked down on the Shen family before, but after seeing that the Shen family had gained the emperor's favor, you came back to befriend them. The Shen family also cares about their reputation.
Furthermore, after this incident, she has seen through it all. All those powerful and influential people, once something goes wrong, run faster than rabbits, and are best at disclaiming all responsibility; they're not even as good as ordinary people.
Because of this insistence on saving face, Old Madam Shen ordered that the congratulatory gifts from the Marquis of Jining be returned directly.
Soon it was Shen Yuanxin's turn to get married. Shen Congwen also chose a promising scholar for her and arranged the marriage before the imperial examination.
Shen Lanxi went through the motions and sent over a set of hairpins.
"Elder sister, Father intends for my future husband to come to our home and study with Mr. Ruohua."
Shen Lanxi thought about it for a moment and understood why she said that; she saw through it but didn't say it.
"Previously, none of Shen Yuanruan's future husbands were arranged to study at home, because her father was afraid that the third branch of the family would have objections."
Shen Lanxi replied ambiguously, "Father is free to make arrangements; you don't need to worry about it."
Shen Yuanxin lowered her head and hesitated, saying, "Elder sister, I don't want to marry far away. I want to stay in the capital and stay at home."
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow: "So, you didn't approve of this future husband?"
Shen Yuanxin quickly shook her head: "No, that's not what I meant." Could it be that her older sister is trying to sabotage things?
"Big sister, I really like my future husband, that's all."
Shen Lanxi: "That's good. Remember, our family doesn't need marriages between women!"
Shen Yuanxin didn't think it was a marriage of convenience; she just felt that her older sister's words were disrespectful. If she didn't want to speak to their father on her behalf, she should have just said so directly. Why beat around the bush and scare her like this?
Following this, the marriages of the other concubine's daughters were also put on the agenda, and all the candidates were chosen by Shen Congwen from among the students.
Shen Congwen has felt a great sense of accomplishment in recent days.
His own children were disobedient, but the children in the other rooms were all at his beck and call.
He had examined all those students, and they were destined to become pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty with limitless potential. In a way, these people had joined his ranks and become his disciples.
The thought of having three thousand students in the future, who are not great scholars but are even better than them, made Shen Congwen laugh in his sleep.
Just as Shen Congwen was busily arranging marriages for the women in his family, Zhou Ruan quietly returned to Beijing.
As a meritorious official who recovered the Northwest, he was supposed to be given a grand welcome by the court. But who let his absurd affair with Zhou Qiwu's children come to light? This matter was finally suppressed by the imperial examination, so he had to keep a low profile as much as possible.
Zhou Ru'an secretly entered the palace, and when she came out again, the handprint on her face was clearly visible.
Within a day, the absurd affairs of Zhou Ru'an and Zhou Qiwu's children once again spread among the common people.
Emperor Renxiao frowned as he held the list that Wang Bao had given him.
"Is Shen Congwen trying to recruit all the pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty into his Shen family?"
Wang Bao then snorted coldly: "Shen Congwen has some nerve, daring to snatch someone from His Majesty."
Emperor Renxiao stared at the list with a dark expression, his mood shifting between light and dark.
Wang Bao: "Your Majesty, this old servant has a plan..."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Renxiao's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Let's do it your way!"
"yes."
"Wang Bao, did you say that Shen Congwen handled the matter with Shen Lanxi's authorization?"
Wang Bao chuckled twice: "This old servant heard that Shen Lanxi killed Shen Congwen's concubine, and the two parents are now at odds at home. This old Lord Shen is the kind of person who only knows how to drag Shen Lanxi down!"
Emperor Renxiao raised an eyebrow, and soon chuckled.
...
"My lord, the Shen family sent their steward to ask for help, saying that the young master of the third branch of the family, born out of wedlock, got drunk and harassed a woman, and has been imprisoned by the Dali Temple."
Shen Lanxi frowned: "Go verify its authenticity. Who sent you?"
"It's the old lady."
Shen Lanxi walked towards the Shen residence with a sullen face. She had finally managed to have some free time these past few days, but she had spent it all dealing with family matters.
"Lanxi, you're finally back! Please save Yuanzhan!" Shen Congli rushed forward to plead for his illegitimate son as soon as Shen Lanxi entered.
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