Chapter 373 The Tenth Princess's Greeting Gift!
Zhou Chengan said helplessly, "She is the legitimate daughter of a merchant family."
Thinking of the situation at the Ji Prince's Mansion, Shen Lanxi immediately understood that the Ji Prince's Mansion was pushing out an illegitimate son in exchange for wealth and status.
Although the merchants had money, they were still considered to be of the lowest social class, following the traditional hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. For them to be able to associate with the Prince Ji's household was a great honor.
Have you seen that woman before?
Zhou Chengan frowned and said, "I've seen him before."
"Do you like it?" Shen Lanxi asked casually.
Zhou Chengan immediately deflated: "Whether I like it or not is irrelevant; the elders have already made the marriage decision."
Shen Lanxi: "Judging from your expression, you don't seem to like that woman."
Zhou Chengan was somewhat embarrassed and stammered.
“You used to follow Yunxue around and play with us, always speaking your mind freely. Now that you’re older, you’ve learned to keep things to yourself and not tell the truth anymore,” Shen Lanxi said half-jokingly.
"No, Sister Lanxi, I just..." The experience of being sent to the north for so many years made him realize one thing: it was already difficult enough for him to marry a daughter from a respectable family, so how could he dare to ask for more?
Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth: "Since you've come to find me, it means you trust me. Go back and wait for my news!"
Zhou Chengan had expected to be questioned relentlessly, but to his surprise, no one asked, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sister Lanxi, I'm entrusting Sister Yunxue's matter to you. I will definitely repay you in the future!" Zhou Chengan carefully made his promise.
Shen Lanxi waved her hand: "I'll have someone escort you out. Don't tell anyone about your visit!"
Zhou Chengan immediately assured him, "I definitely won't tell anyone."
No sooner had they sent the person away than they summoned their bodyguards.
"One person is keeping an eye on him, and another is investigating who he's been in contact with since returning to the capital. Also, we're going north to verify whether what he said is true!"
"yes!"
At this time, anyone who comes to her side, no matter who they are, should be treated with caution!
...
The women of the Shen family assumed that Shen Yuanhe and Shen Yuanrui would open the box given to them by the Tenth Princess on their way back.
When they got home, neither of them mentioned it once, even after they went to their respective rooms to rest.
The women's expressions turned somewhat grim.
After Shen Yuanhe and Shen Yuanrui returned to their room, they immediately took out the box.
The gift from the princess must be luxurious and exquisite. If it had been opened in front of all the elders and sisters, should we have offered it as a token of respect? Should we have been polite and modest?
They didn't have much to begin with, and since it was a gift from the princess, it was of great significance. They would definitely keep it to pass on to their children.
Regardless of what others think, this was a gift from their sister-in-law, the princess, and they would never use it as a favor.
"Sister, what's in your box?" Shen Yuanrui asked Shen Yuanhe excitedly.
"I need to wash my hands before opening it, don't rush me!" Shen Yuanhe said happily.
When they opened the box, they were both stunned.
Inside the box was a plain gold bracelet. Before the Shen family's property was confiscated, they wouldn't even glance at such items; they were used to reward their servants.
"Could it be that the princess's people took the wrong one?" Shen Yuanhe hurriedly picked it up to look at it. She thought there might be some secret on the bracelet, but there was nothing there, and it was very light.
"The weight is wrong?" Shen Yuanhe asked in confusion. Shen Yuanrui's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly opened her box as well.
The gold bracelets are exactly the same, clearly ordered from the same goldsmith shop.
“Yours is the same as mine.” Shen Yuanhe picked up her sister’s desk and weighed it in her hand.
Even the weight is the same.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Shen Yuanrui hadn't thought of those things yet.
Shen Yuanhe's face turned ugly as she said, "I didn't expect the princess to send us away with two inferior women."
If they had known this would happen, they would have opened it in front of the women in the household.
Shen Yuanrui almost cried after hearing Shen Yuanhe's words.
How could a princess of the royal family send them something that looks like a mere decoration?
If they were just some unimportant people, it would be one thing, but they are the princess's future sister-in-law, two of her closest relatives. How could they be treated like beggars?
"Sister, do you think the princess did it on purpose, or did the maid take the wrong thing?" Shen Yuanrui still had a glimmer of hope.
Shen Yuanhe snorted coldly: "How could you possibly have taken the wrong one? How could the palace have such crudely made goods? This is obviously a cheap item bought from a third-rate gold shop!"
If this gets out, it won't just be the princess who loses face, it will be all of them.
"The princess clearly looks down on our background and is deliberately using the bracelet to put us in a bad light."
Shen Yuanrui's face immediately fell.
"I'm going to tell my brother." Once the princess is married, he'll have his brother deal with her.
Shen Yuanhe initially thought that since she was a royal princess, they couldn't afford to offend her. But then she thought, even if she was a princess, they shouldn't treat their sister-in-law like this.
"Come on, I'll go with you!"
After Shen Yuanxin was punished according to family rules, he was confined to his room to recuperate. He has not yet been released from confinement, but in other aspects, he has been treated according to the duties of a legitimate son.
When people came to visit him, the servants in the mansion did not stop them.
The ancestral hall will be opened tomorrow, and Shen Yuanxin will be registered under Princess Minrou's name. From tomorrow onwards, Shen Yuanxin will be the legitimate son of the Shen family. His Majesty has issued an imperial edict, and anyone who dares to say a word against it in public is considered disobedient.
“Brother, today we went to the eldest princess’s flower-viewing banquet and met the tenth princess.”
"The princess gave each of us a gold bracelet. The bracelets were crudely made, with only a thin layer of material. It was obvious that she looked down on us, who were born out of wedlock, and was using the gold bracelets to put us three siblings in a bad light."
...
Opening the ancestral hall was a big event, so Shen Lanxi took a day off.
She also invited Wei Dongzhu to attend the ceremony.
This is a clan ceremony that only family members participate in; its meaning is obvious and understood by everyone.
Wei Dongzhu was very happy, which meant that Shen Lanxi valued him and had already regarded him as one of her own.
He returned from outside the city the night before, and after bathing and changing his clothes, he stayed at the Juding Duke's mansion for more than an hour before returning to his residence.
Then, before dawn, they started getting up to prepare their attire and gifts.
He already knew the night before that Lanxi was going to wear red today. It was a festive color, so he... naturally couldn't wear all red.
However, he had a suit with red piping, a gift from her, which matched her outfit perfectly.
In the past, Wei Dongzhu would never have believed that he would ever pay attention to his attire.
Now he finally understood what "love me, love my dog" meant. When you like someone, you want to rack your brains to be like them in every way possible, and you'll be secretly delighted.
...
Shen Lanxi went to the Shen residence early in the morning. Several younger members of the family immediately went to greet her when they saw her arrive.
Hello, big sister!
Shen Lanxi was full of energy, and with her red outfit, she exuded an aura of boundless power, making people look up to her involuntarily.
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