Chapter 7: The entire capital city was stunned.
Liao Youhe also felt sorry for his younger siblings. They had blisters on their hands from making the bed for Shen Wantang, and they were all sweating profusely. He wanted to say something to Shen Wantang, but when he saw Shen Wantang giving money to his younger siblings, he chose to keep quiet.
The youngest, Xiao Wu, was only eleven years old. She did the least work and had the easiest job, which was simply moving the timber back and forth. But Shen Wantang still gave her two taels of silver.
Two taels of silver was enough for their family to eat for more than a month.
Xiao Wu got the money and didn't care about the blisters anymore. She had plenty of blisters from working at home anyway, so she didn't take it seriously.
She clung to Shen Wantang's arm, calling her "sister-in-law" repeatedly, her words as sweet as honey. When the old lady scolded Shen Wantang, she was the first to jump out and argue with her.
After telling Shen Wantang about the hardships Shen Mingxuan had endured, Du Juan hurriedly ran out of the courtyard to continue inquiring about news.
After a while, she ran back, her face flushed with excitement: "Miss, they said that the eldest young lady and the young master had a fight, and the young master won't talk to the eldest young lady anymore. Also, they didn't consummate their marriage at all!"
Shen Wantang glared at her: "Why are you even asking about this? Keep your voice down, it's not good if someone hears you."
As she spoke, she stuffed a grape into Dujuan's mouth, trying to shut her up.
Du Juan ate the grapes and squatted down in front of her: "Miss, now the whole mansion knows, you're the last to know!"
Shen Wantang was speechless for a moment.
Was she the last person in the entire household to find out?
On the surface, that's how it seems, but she actually knew all along that Liao Youhe and Shen Mingxuan could never consummate their marriage.
The problem is, how could Shen Mingxuan let this matter become known throughout the entire mansion? If the entire mansion knows, it's the same as the entire capital knowing, and she'll likely be the subject of much gossip and ridicule in the future.
Shen Wantang did not consummate her marriage with Liao Youhe in her previous life, but no one in the entire Shen family knew about it. Moreover, when she returned to her parents' home, Liao Youhe treated her with respect and protected her in every way.
quarrel?
Liao Youhe never argued with her once in ten years.
Did Shen Mingxuan start arguing just three days after getting married?
Shen Wantang shook her head. How one lives depends entirely on how one manages it. Shen Mingxuan thought that by exchanging marriages, she could live a life that everyone would envy, but she was completely wrong.
Mastering and training men is an art; some people can learn it effortlessly without a teacher, while others spend their entire lives without ever getting a grasp of it.
In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.
Shen Wantang also celebrated her second wedding.
This time, the dazzling ruby crown was delivered to her.
On the eve of the wedding, the tutor sent by the Prince Ning's mansion came to bid farewell to Shen Wantang: "Second Miss, this old servant has completed her mission and is returning to the mansion now. When I see you again tomorrow, I should address you differently."
Shen Wantang smiled and said, "Thank you, Granny Quan, for teaching me manners and making me aware of etiquette. I hope you will continue to guide me when I go to the Prince's Mansion."
As she spoke, she called Du Juan over.
Du Juan handed over a delicate little box.
Shen Wantang took it and placed it in Granny Quan's hands: "Granny, you are also my etiquette teacher. This is a small gift for you. Please don't find it offensive."
Granny Quan glanced at her unexpectedly. She had been teaching this second young lady for half a month, and she had left a very deep impression on her. She was intelligent, beautiful, calm, and down-to-earth.
Sometimes she felt that this second young lady was not like a sixteen-year-old girl at all; she was more worldly-wise and indifferent to worldly affairs than many old people.
I never expected her to give me a gift, and she even came up with such a good excuse.
If it's a tuition fee, then she can accept this gift with perfect justification.
Granny Quan accepted the box, gave Shen Wantang a bow, and then left.
Once she stepped out of the Shen family's gate, she opened the box.
A gold hairpin lay quietly in the box. It was of an ordinary and unremarkable design, but it felt quite heavy in the hand.
Granny Quan nodded in satisfaction. That second young lady was truly intelligent and kind-hearted. Giving her such a hairpin would not be tacky no matter who she gave it to, or she could melt it down and remake it without feeling sorry for the original design.
She quickly returned to the Prince Ning's residence and reported back to the Princess Ning.
Princess Ning sat in her armchair and asked calmly, "How is it?"
Granny Quan replied respectfully, "Your Highness, she is an honest and dutiful woman, simple-minded but not dull-witted, beautiful but not arrogant, and of humble birth but not timid or cowardly. Your Highness has a discerning eye and has chosen an excellent wife for the young master."
Princess Ning was quite surprised. Granny Quan was an old hand in her life, and no one knew better than her how strict she was. She never expected that Granny Quan would praise the young concubine's daughter from the Yuanwailang family so highly.
"Is that child really that good?"
"Once she marries into the family, the Princess will know. This old servant is not exaggerating. Miss Shen must have been hiding her talents before, which is why she was unknown in the capital."
Hearing her say this, Princess Ning was finally reassured: "I don't ask for anything else, I just hope she will be honest and dutiful. Yuan'er is bewitched and has been bewitched by a wicked woman, causing the entire palace to lose face because of him. If he marries another woman with wicked intentions this time, the palace will truly become the biggest laughing stock in the entire capital."
In fact, the Prince's Mansion has become a laughing stock in the entire capital, and Princess Ning has even been unwilling to leave the house for quite some time.
"Your Highness knows that this old servant is always very good at judging people. This time, Miss Shen the Second is definitely the right one. The young master might even change his mind because of this."
“I also hope that someone in the family can keep him in check, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen someone who looks so much like that one. The dignified heir of the Prince of Ning, becoming a monk for something like that, has no ambition at all. I wish I didn’t have such a son!”
Princess Ning coughed in anger, and Granny Quan quickly stepped forward to pat her back and help her catch her breath.
Princess Ning calmed the itch in her throat and took out a pure gold token engraved with tiger stripes: "If Miss Shen is really as good as you say, then I will help her no matter what. Take this token and go and invite the young master back for me!"
Since they've already used this token, it certainly can't be a genuine "invitation."
Granny Quan respectfully accepted the token with both hands and left.
The next day, something happened that shocked the entire capital.
The romantic Prince Ning, who had become a monk to follow his beloved, actually wore a bright red wedding groom's robe and rode a tall horse to the Shen family to fetch his bride!
The crowd of onlookers were buzzing with discussion.
"Am I seeing things? Is the person on horseback really the Prince of Ning's heir, or some brother of his?"
"Are you out of your mind? The Prince of Ning's heir has no brothers. He is the only son of the Prince of Ning. The only person of his generation is his cousin, who is the current Crown Prince! How could the Crown Prince possibly come to fetch the bride on his behalf!"
"But didn't he already have someone he loved and become a monk for love?"
"Tch, men are the quickest to change their minds. Yesterday they were madly in love with someone else, and today they're marrying someone else. What's so surprising about that?"
"It's not necessarily a change of heart. Who in the entire capital doesn't know about the Prince of Ning's infatuation? It must be that the Prince of Ning forced him!"
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