Chapter 319 To make my family live comfortably and as they please!
Afterwards, Shen Lanxi felt that she was very magnanimous, actually watching others sing, recite, act and fight for a full quarter of an hour.
She gave them the opportunity, but unfortunately, they didn't cherish it.
At dinner, the Shen family gathered together, including Zhang Zifen's children, and no one mentioned pleading for Zhang Zifen again.
It seems that family ties ultimately cannot overcome self-interest!
This was the first time she had seen so many people in her family since she returned from the Northwest.
Shen Yuantang, who is to be engaged tomorrow, is dressed in fine silk and brocade, her figure has fully matured, and her eyebrows and eyes show some resemblance to hers.
"Big sister," Shen Yuantang greeted softly.
Shen Lanxi couldn't help but frown: "When you were in Dongchuan, you also practiced martial arts. How come you're so delicate now?"
The word "delicate" is followed by the word "affected".
Shen Yuantang didn't want to think about her days of exile in Dongchuan for even a moment; those days were simply a disgrace to her. Whenever she walked among the noble ladies, she felt that they were looking at her with strange eyes, and that she had to bow her head lower than the other noble ladies.
Why should she? She used to be the envy of everyone as the daughter of a princess. If it weren't for the Shen family's misfortune, she would be living a life of unimaginable glory now. She wouldn't need to envy others at all.
"Big sister, could you please not mention what happened in Dongchuan? I'm a woman, so it's normal for me to be a little delicate!" Shen Yuantang said, fidgeting with her handkerchief, her voice tinged with displeasure.
Shen Lanxi gave her a deep look, then glanced at the other women in the house. They were all adorned with jewels and ornaments, each holding a silk handkerchief at all times, as if they were all cut from the same mold. She didn't know whether to mock them or feel sorry for them.
“Okay.” Shen Lanxi said and then fell silent.
Several perceptive individuals noticed the awkward atmosphere and immediately began sharing amusing anecdotes from the capital to lighten the mood.
The meal was finally over. Shen Lanxi silently put down her chopsticks and left with a single sentence before departing.
"I work hard outside so that my family can live a comfortable and carefree life. If any of you are unhappy with your marriage, feel free to come to me."
No sooner had she left than Shen Congwen slammed his fist on the table.
"The marriage of children in a family has always been decided by the parents and the matchmaker since ancient times. When did it become her place to make the decisions?"
"Big brother, Lanxi didn't say anything, why are you slamming the table?"
“Lanxi was also thinking about her family.”
Shen Congwen, burning with anger, said, "What do you mean she's working hard outside? Does she think I, her father, am some nobody who does nothing all day and the entire Shen family depends on her alone?"
When the Shen family heard him say this, they all fell silent.
Shen Congwen made a few more rants, but seeing that no one could persuade him, he could only return to his room dejectedly.
The next day was Shen Yuantang's engagement. It was thought that the Marquis of Jining's mansion would invite several prominent figures, but unexpectedly only two uncles from collateral branches of the family and a steward came. The betrothal gifts were also just a few simple items.
It was nothing like the grand occasion Shen Jia'er had envisioned.
The Shen family members all looked rather grim, except for Shen Yuantang, who was happily waiting to be married.
In my memory, my mother never cared about anything or paid any attention to anything. I never expected that when she finally cared about her daughter's marriage, the groom would be so perfunctory and careless.
Even so, could the mother simply turn a blind eye and a deaf ear?
Shen Lanxi overestimated her mother and also overestimated the love that parents have for their children.
From the engagement to its conclusion, it all ended so abruptly. Even the uncles, who were often confused, uttered a few words of dissatisfaction, but the father and mother didn't say a word.
"Big sister, what does the Xue family mean by this? They're really not taking us seriously at all." Shen Yuanjing's tone was filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
Shen Lanxi: "Look at Yuan Tang now. If she breaks off the engagement with the Xue family, she will hate the person who broke off the engagement to death."
After Shen Yuanjing returned to the capital, he didn't talk properly to his younger siblings. In his memory, they were a united and cooperative family. Now, it feels like he's a completely different person.
In any case, this marriage, which was arranged by the Empress herself, should not have been so shabby, even if it was to save face for both sides.
Shen Lanxi: "Go check if something has happened to the Xue family!"
"yes."
That afternoon, someone secretly went to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.
Shen Lanxi never expected that the first person to come to her door would be her.
"Elder sister, I don't want to marry into those aristocratic families. I want to marry into the Zhenbei Army."
Shen Lanxi looked at Shen Yuanruan, who had come to her door, and asked, "Do you have someone you've taken a fancy to?"
Shen Yuanruan lowered her head and bent slightly at the waist.
"No."
Shen Lanxi: "The Zhenbei Army doesn't have the same comfortable life as those who marry into powerful families."
Shen Yuanruan seemed very nervous, her hands gripping her clothes tightly.
I didn't see her at the engagement banquet. Judging from her shabby clothes, it seems some people hold grudges, and she's not doing well since returning to the capital.
"Big sister, I want to marry far away." Shen Yuanruan seemed to have mustered up her courage, and after saying this, she lowered her head even further than before.
Shen Lanxi: "Have you thought this through?"
As if afraid of missing this opportunity, Shen Yuanruan hurriedly said, "I've thought it through."
She thought that returning to the capital would allow her to live the life of a pampered young lady as before, but she was wrong. The people in this family were all selfish, cold-hearted, and vengeful, and they wished they could torment her every day.
A few days ago, she overheard her mother talking to her grandmother about marrying her off far away to be a concubine.
Back in Dongchuan, all she wanted was to survive. What did she do wrong? Why could other women marry into wealthy families, while she had to go far away and become someone's second wife?
How many good wives can a second wife have?
The Zhenbei Army is known for its strict discipline, and with Shen Lanxi in charge, as long as she bears the surname Shen, no one who marries her will dare to do anything to her.
Shen Lanxi: "You can marry far away, but I won't let you marry someone from the Zhenbei Army. Go back and think it over carefully, then come back and give me your answer!"
Shen Yuanruan wanted to answer right now, but hesitated when the words were on the tip of her tongue.
Where will she be married off to if she's sent far away? What if she doesn't become a concubine?
"Big sister, may I know who you're going to marry me off to?"
Shen Lanxi: "Marriage is your own business. I can let you marry far away, but you can choose who you marry!"
When Shen Yuanruan heard that Shen Lanxi didn't want to care about her, she felt resentful again.
Perhaps she shouldn't have come.
"Cherish it while you can, this may be one of the few opportunities you have to choose for yourself!" Shen Lanxi didn't want to look at that calculating face anymore, and waved her hand to see the guest out.
As Shen Yuanruan was being led away, she kept thinking about what Shen Lanxi had just said.
After leaving the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, he immediately curled his lip.
That sounds nice, but if no one supports her, what good options does she have?
If you don't want to get involved, just say so. All this high-sounding talk is just hypocrisy.
...
Shen Lanxi received a secret report
"The imperial tomb caught fire, and all those who guarded it were burned to death!"
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