Chapter 567 The Old Imperial Uncle Seeks Refuge with Zhou Ruyuan!
She is Shen Lanxi's younger sister, born of the same mother, and should rightfully be a princess.
She saved the people and won their support, but Shen Lanxi only gave her a minor county princess title, which was a slap in the face!
What kind of lousy county princess is she? She doesn't want one!
Shen Yuantang forcefully slammed the imperial edict into a corner.
...
"Shen Yuantang has been granted the title of County Princess, she's bound to become even more arrogant!"
"She's been acting so strangely these past few days, saving the children in the mansion and rescuing people on the street. It all seems like a coincidence, but there aren't that many coincidences in the world."
Shen Yuanxin was somewhat flustered. She was already being targeted by Shen Yuantang, both openly and secretly, while she was in the mansion with her two children. Now that Shen Yuantang had gained power, her status in the mansion would definitely rise. She could no longer sit idly by and wait for her doom.
Soon, Shen Lanxi received another letter from her family.
Shen Yuanxin and the second son of Liu Mao, the registrar of the Imperial Observatory, are in love and the matchmaker has already come to propose marriage.
The document also included reviews of Liu Mao and his second son, as well as introductions to their families.
Liu Yun passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Chongwu reign (1653) and was subsequently assigned to the Imperial Observatory by his father. He currently serves as the Director of the Imperial Observatory's Calendar Department. He is known for his honesty and integrity. Last year, he separated from his family and received a mansion, along with a considerable amount of gold, silver, and shops. He is widowed and has no children.
"Go and investigate the home of Liu Mao, the Imperial Observatory official!"
She quickly received a reply, which included a portrait of Liu Mao's second son and information about his wife's death.
It's obvious that the family says the two are in love, and it wasn't through a matchmaker who proposed marriage; the matchmaker has already made the proposal, and the two may have already secretly pledged their lives to each other.
If she disagrees, she will become the villain who breaks up the couple.
With a few drops of ink, I picked up the brush and wrote down two characters.
agree!
Upon receiving the reply, the Shen family immediately began making arrangements for Shen Yuanxin.
Although the Liu family was a small and humble household, and Liu Yun was only a minor fifth-rank official, if Shen Yuanxin were still unmarried, such a family wouldn't even be worthy of carrying their shoes.
It's because Shen Yuanxin has already been married once and has two children.
Although Liu Yun had been married once, he had lost his wife and had no children. It was like a newlywed marriage. Moreover, Liu Yun was handsome and two years younger than Shen Yuanxin.
He is barely a good match for Shen Yuanxin.
When Shen Yuanxin got married for the first time, her dowry was very small, and after the divorce, she received only a limited amount back. At that time, the future of the Shen family was uncertain, and everyone was too worried to focus on the marriage of a concubine's daughter.
Things are different now. Shen Yuantang's appointment as a county princess has sent a signal to the women in her family.
One day, they too could be granted the titles of county princess or county princess, and by imperial decree, they could be made princesses.
The wedding banquet should not be taken lightly, and neither should the dowry.
Upon hearing the news that Shen Yuanxin had arrived at the palace, she immediately went to see her aunt.
After a long period of recuperation, Wei Rulan finally recovered and sat in the pavilion that Shen Congwen passed by every day, waiting.
Dressed in brocade, with a neat and clean plant on the table, he hesitated and murmured. That night, Shen Congwen rested in Wei Rulan's room.
The next day, Shen Congwen approached Zhou Xinrou to discuss the dowry.
"Don't worry, I'll make the arrangements even if you don't tell me."
Zhou Xinrou's cold and indifferent demeanor sent a chill down Shen Congwen's spine. Having received these words, he considered it a fulfillment of his promise, and after leaving the main courtyard, he immediately went to Wei Rulan's courtyard.
"Princess, now that Shen Yuantang has been granted the title of County Princess, all the monsters in the courtyard have come back to life," the old woman said maliciously.
Zhou Xinrou's face darkened. Thinking of the memorial she had submitted to Huang Yu requesting an official title last time, she was furious.
Even though she already knew she wasn't related to the Shen family by blood, she still supported them, showing absolutely no regard for her.
"Call Huang Yu over tonight after she finishes her shift!"
"Princess, this won't do. There are so many eyes watching the inner quarters right now."
Zhou Xinrou also realized that she had been too impulsive. If she hadn't been thinking about Pingjinmen, she wouldn't have been so hesitant and timid.
After waiting for a few days, news came again from Tianjin that the old imperial uncle Zhou Yanji had led his men to surrender to Zhou Ruyuan.
The Tianjin Express was delivered to Shen Lanxi via 800-mile express courier service.
"This Zhou Yanji, he usually stays in the sand dunes growing radishes, pretending to be indifferent to the world, but I didn't expect him to be the first to stand up!" Mei Nanhua frowned and criticized Zhou Yanji.
Liu Mingxin also expressed his concerns: "This person was law-abiding before, and was the first to stand up and submit when the late emperor ascended the throne. The more like this a person is, the deeper his scheming is behind the scenes."
Shen Lanxi disagreed, believing that a truly skilled hunter would not be so easily lured out.
"We must respond forcefully to the imperial court's urgent reports."
The following day at court, senior officials, led by Mei Nanhua, Liu Mingxin, and Wu Yanzhi, launched a strong attack on Zhou Yanji.
"He has forgotten his ancestors and actually served and colluded with foreign traitors. This is no different from betraying his country and colluding with the enemy!"
"Zhou Ruyuan angered the late emperor to death, which is disobedient and unfilial. To associate with such a person is to be an accomplice to a tyrant and bring about one's own destruction!"
The court officials were immediately swayed and began to criticize Zhou Yanji. Shen Lanxi took the opportunity to strip Zhou Yanji of his title and label him a traitor.
Zhou Xinrou, who was about to take action against the Shen family, slowly put down her knife.
"I never expected that old man would actually step forward."
"Princess, His Majesty is right. Now is not the time for us to make a move. Let's just sit here and watch how they fight it out!"
Zhou Xinrou didn't believe the information she received, so she immediately gave it to the secret guards in Tianjin and asked them to find out more.
Her orders were only halfway through when a secret letter from the Tianjin secret guards arrived in her hands.
"It's actually true!"
"That old scoundrel Zhou Yanji, he's been putting up with it for so long, why doesn't he just keep putting up with it?"
“Princess, Her Majesty is, after all, a woman. How could any man in the world willingly be overthrown by a woman? She is destined not to be able to hold onto the throne.”
"Instead of us taking action, wouldn't it be better to have her pave the way and clear the obstacles for us?"
Zhou Xinrou was persuaded to stop.
...
Che Mingyuan sent word that he was ready to activate the second contingency plan they had discussed.
Shen Lanxi replied with a "yes," and three days later, Che Mingyuan began his duel with Zhou Ruyuan in Dongchuan.
"Zhou Ruyuan, take a look and see who they are?"
"They are the women and children of your inner quarters. If you want them to live, carry a bundle of thorns on your back and follow me to the capital to plead guilty before His Majesty and the people of the world!"
Che Mingyuan wasn't stupid. Instead of approaching the entrance, he started his challenge and criticism in the heart of Dongchuan, surrounded by heavy troops.
This ensured their safety while also infuriating Zhou Ruyuan.
The news quickly reached Zhou Ruyuan's ears, and even Zhou Qiwu's men couldn't cover it up.
The news spread like wildfire, and the entire Dongchuan was talking about it.
“If Zhou Ruyuan does not agree, he is disregarding the lives of the women and children in the inner quarters, and is vicious and heartless, and has no regard for his own family.”
"If he agrees..."
Che Mingyuan didn't say anything more, because he knew that Zhou Ruyuan wouldn't agree so easily.
What followed was a tug-of-war of advance and retreat, depending on whether Zhou Ruyuan wanted to preserve his reputation.
Whether he wants it or not, the label of being cold-blooded, ruthless, and heartless will definitely be attached to him.
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