Chapter 40 Sending to Prince Cheng's Bed
Wen Lanting almost thought he had misheard.
Everyone in the capital knows that the two daughters of the Shen family are betrothed to the Marquis of Dingyuan, so it's impossible that they would still have designs on Shen Shu.
So, does Prince Cheng mean he wants Xiao'er?!
No, absolutely not.
Wen Lanting interrupted, "What kind of pipe dream is he having? He's a rotten cucumber, yet he dares to covet my Xiao'er!"
Steward Zhao: "...Then this servant will go and report back."
Wen Lanting suddenly remembered something: "Wait, come back."
She thought to herself: Maybe Prince Cheng really has the guts to covet the future wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan?
In any case, Prince Cheng is deeply favored by His Majesty. If he were to personally ask for Shen Shu, His Majesty might agree.
Even if they disagree, Shen Shu is caught between Prince Cheng and Lord Lin, uncle and nephew. Perhaps His Majesty will order Shen Shu's death in order to save face for the royal family?
Thinking of this, Wen Lanting was delighted.
She instructed, "Go and tell His Highness Prince Cheng that our agreement still stands, but we have to wait for the right time."
Shen Qiushan wondered if Wen Lanting had taken the wrong medicine. Although Shen Xiao had made a fool of himself in front of everyone, he was still the child he had raised and watched over.
Although Prince Cheng is of noble status, everyone knows that he is rotten to the core. Anyone who marries their daughter to him is insane.
"Are you really willing to marry Xiao'er off to Prince Cheng?"
Wen Lanting scolded Shen Qiushan and whispered his plans in his ear.
Shen Qiushan's eyes darted back and forth: "If that's really the case, we don't even need to lift a finger; His Majesty will take care of her for us?"
Wen Lanting nodded: "Prince Cheng and Marquis Dingyuan are uncle and nephew. If Shen Shuzhen can provoke them to fight, His Majesty will order Shen Shuzhen's death in order to save face for the royal family."
Shen Qiushan: "But I think Prince Cheng wants Xiao'er. Even if he's confused, he wouldn't fight with his nephew for her, would he?"
Wen Lanting said, "Xiao'er and Shu'er have almost identical facial features. When the time comes, we can pretend that Shu'er is Xiao'er. Once the deed is done, Prince Cheng will naturally have no way to refuse."
Shen Qiushan didn't understand: "What do you mean by that, Madam?"
Wen Lanting explained, "Your Excellency has forgotten? His Majesty ordered us officials' families to go to the royal temple to copy scriptures? We'll be spending several nights there."
“Isn’t Prince Cheng currently reflecting on his mistakes in the royal temple? When the time comes, we can send Shen Shu to Prince Cheng’s room, and we’ll easily get rid of this major threat.”
With few people around and located outside the city, this was a perfect opportunity presented by heaven.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiushan's eyes lit up instantly, his previous confusion vanished, and a ruthless smile appeared on his face.
He stroked his beard, paced back and forth a couple of times, and said in a low voice.
"What a brilliant scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work! In this way, we don't have to get involved, yet we can ruin Shen Shu's reputation and drag Prince Cheng down with us, making him completely break ties with Marquis Dingyuan. To quell the situation, His Majesty will probably have no choice but to sacrifice Shen Shu."
Shen Qiushan thought about it more and more and felt that the plan was brilliant. He had always been quite resentful that Lin Wei had crippled Shen Lian, and now that he could get back at Lin Wei, how could he not be happy?
He couldn't help but clap his hands: "Madam's move is truly brilliant, achieving multiple goals at once!"
Wen Lanting sneered, a calculating glint in her eyes. This time, she would definitely not let Shen Shu escape.
She wanted to make Shen Shu return everything she had invested in her and her two children.
...
I woke up to a clear, sunny day.
Shen Shu was preoccupied with Fang Lanzhi's matter and didn't sleep well all night.
As soon as Fang's mother came in, she saw that Shen Shu had two panda eyes, so she quickly got two eggs to apply to Shen Shu's eyes.
Madam Fang said, "Second Miss, we must go to Qiyun Temple tomorrow to pray for the Empress Dowager. You haven't rested well, and you might not be able to walk tomorrow."
Shen Shu opened her eyes abruptly: "So soon? Tomorrow?"
Wouldn't that mean I wouldn't have time to visit Fang Lanzhi at the villa in the suburbs of Beijing?
This round trip will take several days, and it will probably take several more days to arrive.
Thinking of the villa that Lin Wei had taken her to yesterday, Shen Shu asked, almost as if possessed, "Aunt Fang, is that royal temple also in the suburbs of Beijing?"
Mrs. Fang said, "Yes, it's in Fengshan."
She thought for a moment, then added, "I've heard that Lord Lin has a villa at the foot of the mountain, which was supposedly bestowed by His Majesty himself."
Isn't this just a convenient way to go?
Shen Shu's heart was beating a little fast. She thought to herself that Lin Wei and she were really destined to meet, as if she could run into him anywhere.
Seeing Shen Shu's expression, Fang's mother tentatively asked.
"Who knows, you might even run into Lord Lin. I think he treats you very well. Yesterday, that gatekeeper didn't know what was good for him and stopped you, but he gave him a good scolding. Look around the capital, which woman gets this kind of treatment..."
The mother said the voice gradually faded...
Because she realized that she seemed to have let something slip.
Shen Shu tilted her head: "Aunt Fang, how much silver did you receive from Lin Wei?"
When the gatekeeper was punished yesterday, Madam Fang wasn't even there. She came back, dealt with Shen Qiushan and Wen Lanting, and then went straight to sleep. She didn't mention it to Madam Fang at all.
How did Fang's mother find out?
Shen Shu now understood why Lin Wei knew so quickly that she had gone to see Pei Jiming, and why Lin Wei rushed to Yunyan Pavilion to find her so quickly.
It turns out that his mother had tipped him off!
With a mournful face, Madam Fang knew she couldn't hide it from the Second Miss for long: "That's what I was thinking, and the Marquis is just concerned about you..."
A pack of wolves and tigers from the Uncle's mansion were eyeing Shen Shu covetously, and Madam Fang was also afraid that Shen Shu would suffer losses or be wronged.
Since Shen Shu was going to marry into the Dingyuan Marquis's household anyway, and she had followed Lord Lin's instructions beforehand, it's not entirely unforgivable...
Fang's mother looked at Shen Shu with a pitiful expression.
With her chubby face, Shen Shu couldn't get angry at all; instead, she laughed.
Shen Shu was now relieved, even somewhat fortunate.
She had been worried that Madam Fang might be a high-ranking spy sent by Wen Lanting, but now she was relieved. If Madam Fang's background was really not clean, then Lin Wei wouldn't have used her.
This can be considered as helping her eliminate some potential crises.
Shen Shu silently gave Lin Wei extra points in her heart.
…
The next day, Madam Fang woke Shen Shu up early in the morning, saying that the madam and the eldest daughter were already urging her to hurry up.
She then picked out an elegant dress for Shen Shu to change into, since she was going to the royal temple to copy scriptures and pray for the Empress Dowager, and couldn't dress too brightly.
Shen Shuyou perfectly complemented the simple decorations, dazzling Shen Xiao the moment she appeared.
Shen Xiao looked at her with eyes full of jealousy.
Although Shen Xiao was also dressed in white, compared to Shen Shu, she looked as bland as a widow who had lost her husband.
Shen Shu looked like an ethereal fairy, and her crystal-clear eyes made her breathtakingly beautiful.
In this situation, even if they are twins, no one would confuse them.
After all, the difference is too great.
Shen Xiao glanced at Shen Shu resentfully, then turned and got into Wen Lanting's carriage, muttering under her breath, "Vixen!"
There was only one carriage parked in front of the door. When Madam Fang saw that Wen Lanting had not prepared any extra seats for Shen Shu, but instead let the old women and maids sit there, she was so angry that she blew her nose and glared: "Madam, where is the second young lady supposed to sit if you arrange it like this?"
Shen Xiao sneered, "Since there's nowhere to sit, let's walk. Anyway, my sister grew up in the countryside and is used to running around in the fields. This short distance shouldn't hurt her."
Just as Mrs. Fang was about to retort, a woman's voice rang out faster than hers.
"Since the Earl's mansion is so poor that it can't even spare a spare carriage, why don't you ride in my carriage, Second Miss?"
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