Chapter 545 A Family Banquet in the Palace!
If it were anyone else, she would have cursed them for being unlucky.
Who can blame them when Zhou Xinrou is Shen Lanxi's biological mother? That relationship is closer than that between Zhou Xinrou and Shen Lanxi, who is her grandmother.
If her daughter hosts a family banquet and she, as the mother, doesn't attend, it's considered disrespectful to her daughter.
Madam Shen, who hadn't felt this way in a long time, felt a surge of curiosity and wanted to see if Shen Lanxi would treat Zhou Xinrou the same way she treated her son.
...
In the blink of an eye, the Shen family arrived at the palace.
Shen Lanxi personally went to the palace gate to greet them, giving the elders of the Shen family ample face.
"Long live the Emperor..."
Shen Lanxi: "Rise." She glanced at her father, who was standing at the back with a reluctant expression, and then looked away.
“Grandmother, our Shen family is now thriving. In a few more years, we will become a large family.”
Compared to others who talked about having many children and grandchildren in front of Madam Shen, she preferred a more straightforward way of putting it.
Especially the fact that the family has grown from a small clan to a large one is all thanks to her as the matriarch.
“You little brats, hurry up and come over to pay your respects to His Majesty!” Old Madam Shen said.
A group of little children, from teenagers to toddlers just learning to talk sitting in their grandmothers' laps, were all decorative objects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Shen Lanxi looked at the dark mass on the ground and counted the heads with great interest, stretching out her fingers.
"One, two, three... forty-five, good!"
Madam Shen: "There are sixteen girls and twenty-nine boys. Those two maids are Yuan Xin's." Don't mistake the Shen family's offspring.
Shen Lanxi raised her hand, and a eunuch brought over several trays.
"This is a gift from me. It is engraved with the character 'Shen'. Wearing this jade pendant means that you are members of the Shen family."
Many members of the Shen family noticed that the jade pendant, carved with dragon patterns, was a genuine imperial gift!
"Hurry up and thank His Majesty!" Old Madam Shen was overjoyed, but Lan Xi still favored the Shen family.
There were rumors of establishing an heir a couple of days ago, and Lanxi's move is definitely an attempt to choose an heir from the Shen family for adoption.
That would be best; the throne should not fall into the hands of outsiders.
~
Shen Yuantang stood at the very end, neither going forward nor trying to curry favor.
She used to think Wei Dongzhu was hypocritical, but now she thinks Shen Lanxi is no different.
Wei Dongzhu is also a fool. If Shen Lanxi is truly devoted to him, why hasn't she married him yet?
Neither of them is any good.
"Yuan Xin, these are your two children. I heard before that you have changed their surname to Chen?"
Shen Yuanxin looked completely surprised. She had a child too?
"Um, big..." Realizing her slip of the tongue, Shen Yuanxin quickly corrected herself.
"Your Majesty, I don't want my child to have any more entanglement with that family. From now on, my child will only be my child."
Shen Lanxi patted her shoulder: "She's also a child of our Shen family."
Shen Yuanxin covered her face and sobbed softly.
Old Madam Shen shot her a sharp glare: "On such a joyous day, why are you crying?" She looked dejected.
If she weren't so reserved, she would have cursed him out loud.
They're all trying to find bad luck today.
"Grandmother, please don't be upset. It's a blessing that Yuanxin has been spared from the torment of her husband's family. Our family has come all the way from Dongchuan to the Northwest, sharing hardships and joys together. It hasn't been easy for us to get to where we are today!"
When Madam Shen thought of the days she spent in exile in Dongchuan, her anger finally subsided.
"You're right. It's already a great blessing that our family has come this far together, all together."
“Your Majesty, Aunt!” Shen Emei stepped forward and took Shen Lanxi’s hand.
The latter was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and grabbed it with his other hand.
"Emei, do you miss your father?"
“I have thought about it. My father said that if I miss him, I should write him a letter.”
Shen Lanxi asked in surprise, "You can already write letters?"
Shen Emei said proudly, "What's so difficult about that? When I was in the Northwest, I often wrote to my father. If my father hadn't stopped me, I would have liked to write to His Majesty's aunt."
Shen Lanxi: "Really? That amazing?"
Shen Emei snorted proudly: "That's right, I can also ride horses, I know martial arts, and I can hunt. My father often takes me to the army to watch the soldiers train."
Shen Lanxi's smile deepened: "Our Emei are so amazing! How about you practice for me next time?"
“Great! Your Majesty, Auntie. Father says you are very skilled in martial arts. Can you teach me?”
"Sure, but I don't have that much time. If you want to practice martial arts, I'll find you a powerful master."
Shen Emei frowned slightly and thought about it seriously: "Okay, Your Majesty, Auntie can't lie to me."
Shen Lanxi chuckled: "You're so young but so clever, that's exactly what I'm talking about!"
Those following behind silently watched the two people, one big and one small, walking hand in hand ahead, taking their conversation to heart.
“Your Majesty, our Chengfeng has loved martial arts since he was a child, and he’s very strong. He can eat two bowls of rice in one meal now.” Liu Shi hurriedly interjected, afraid that Shen Lanxi would forget about her grandson.
Although Shen Emei was born to the eldest son, she was a woman, while Chengfeng was a man.
Madam Shen glanced at Liu but did not say anything to stop her.
The others remained silent as well.
Shen Congwen said sternly, "If you're going to teach children martial arts, you have to teach them together!"
Liu, Miao, and the others all looked at Shen Congwen with great joy.
"Big brother..." He wanted to say that he was indeed the head of the Shen family, but when he thought of Shen Lanxi, he hesitated.
"My elder brother is thoughtful and considerate, always thinking of the Shen family," Shen Congyi managed to say.
Shen Lanxi saw it all, but her smile remained unchanged.
"The Imperial Academy teaches both literature and martial arts. In the future, when our Shen family's children enter the academy, they can learn the Six Arts of a Gentleman."
Didn't we say we should find a good teacher on our own?
The Shen family members inwardly grumbled.
As they were talking, they arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Shen Lanxi released Shen Emei's hand. Shen Emei wanted to chase after her, but was quickly pulled back by Old Madam Shen, who glared at her.
What's with this little brat showing off? She doesn't act like a girl at all. What's with learning martial arts? That's for boys. When we get back to the mansion, I'll have the eldest son properly teach the children in the room. They don't know any manners at all!
After everyone took their seats at the family dinner, Shen Lanxi glanced around and caught sight of Wu Qingyu, who was seated at the farthest point.
He quietly withdrew his gaze and began chatting with his family.
"During the grand investiture, I originally intended to bestow military ranks upon my uncles. However, the thought that assigning them military ranks would mean they would be scattered and assigned to various regions, unable to observe mourning for their grandmother, troubled me for two days."
"On one hand, there was my uncles' future, and on the other hand, there was filial piety. In the end, it was my sons who persuaded me, saying that my uncles were getting old and had worked hard in the army. Now that the country is at peace, let the elders rest at home and let the younger generation handle the important tasks!"
The Shen brothers had previously been angry about the Da Feng incident and privately complained a lot about Shen Lanxi's betrayal.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't her who destroyed the bridge, but their own brat.
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