Chapter 141 Her feelings for him faded
"Third brother." Shen Qingtan said seriously, "Where are your rules?"
Shen Shaobai looked at Shen Qingtan in disbelief.
"He's your brother-in-law, not some so-called Second Master Zhao." Shen Qingtan thought of Liu Ruojiao's words and softened his tone, "You didn't greet him when you saw him at the gate of the mansion."
Shen Shaobai was not convinced and refused to recognize this brother-in-law at all.
But when he thought that Shen Qingtan had to rely on Zhao Yi for his livelihood, no matter how unhappy he was, he still gave in.
"Brother-in-law." Shen Shaobai called out stiffly, and said with a sour face: "Can I have a few words with Big Sister in private?"
Zhao Yi agreed, "You guys chat." Then, he said to Shen Qingtan in a gentle voice, "I'll go to the room first."
"Okay." Shen Qingtan came out of the house and said to him softly, "Third brother may have misunderstood you, don't take it to heart."
"No." Zhao Yi glanced at the impatient Shen Shaobai and said with a smile on his lips: "You two siblings haven't seen each other for a long time, so I won't disturb you from catching up."
After saying that, he took people to his father-in-law's room.
Shen Qingtan entered the room and heard Shen Shaobai muttering behind him: "They are good at pretending to be good people. Are all scholars so hypocritical? Shen Shaohuai is like this, and so is Zhao Yi."
"Your brother-in-law is not that kind of person." Shen Qingtan looked at his childish behavior, and her eyes softened unconsciously. "I was married off, and so was he? He could just produce the marriage certificate and deny the marriage, and it wouldn't affect him in any way. But it's different for me. I'll become a laughing stock in the capital, and it will be difficult for me to find another good match."
Shen Shaobai opened his mouth to refute, but he couldn't.
Because after the engagement is confirmed, both families will have a marriage certificate.
The one who negotiated marriage with Shen Qingtan was Zhao Jue, and the one who was going to marry Zhao Yi was Shen Mingzhu.
The two brothers married the two sisters by mistake. If Zhao Yi does not recognize this marriage, he can simply send Shen Qingtan back to the Shen family.
Zhao Jue is willing to make the best of a bad situation so that he can continue his marriage with Shen Mingzhu.
"But he made you cry." Shen Shaobai said stubbornly: "You could have lived a better life."
Shen Qingtan asked in return: "Then who caused all this?"
Shen Shaobai pursed his lips tightly, the instigator was the Marquis' Mansion.
"Third brother, there is no man in this world who treats me better than the Second Master." Shen Qingtan smiled. "He treats me very considerately. He has entrusted all his wealth to me and gives me respect as his wife. My father-in-law and mother-in-law are also very good to me. They send all the good things they get to my courtyard. The old lady asked me to learn how to manage the household and recognized me as the eldest grandson's wife. No one in the mansion dares to neglect me."
Shen Shaobai took what she said to heart. If it was really as Shen Qingtan said, her life would not be difficult at all. Instead, it would be better than that of most women.
"I'm very grateful to my parents for marrying me off and helping me find my true love." Shen Qingtan pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him to wipe his face. "Third brother, if you respect the Second Master, you are respecting me as your sister."
Shen Shaobai clenched the handkerchief: "You have lost weight."
"The weather was hot and humid a few days ago. I couldn't eat or sleep well, and I lost a lot of weight." Shen Qingtan pointed to the ice basin in the corner: "When the Second Master found out, he ordered someone to bring ice and put it in the house."
At this point, she couldn't help but ask, "Third brother, if your wife is afraid of heat and you're not feeling well and can't stand the cold, would you cover yourself with a thicker blanket and put ice in the house?"
Shen Shaobai frowned, not quite understanding.
He could just sleep in the study in the front yard.
Why do you sleep together and cover yourself with a thicker quilt?
Suddenly, he reacted.
Zhao Yi would rather cover himself with a thicker quilt than sleep separately. Doesn't this also show his feelings for Shen Qingtan?
So...he really misunderstood?
If that's the case, then Shen Shaoheng lied to him?
Shen Shaobai wasn't so sure.
It is also possible that Shen Qingtan was afraid that he would worry, so she deliberately lied to him that she was living well.
"Big sister, I dug out a few boxes of silver from the stables at the Liu family's ancestral home in Guanzhou and asked Big Brother to help me transport them. If Brother-in-law Zhao...is no longer around, I'll take you back home under the pretext that my mother is ill and I need you to take care of her. I'll also find a way to take you to a better place to live."
Shen Shaobai was thinking about the large sum of money. After deducting the hard work expenses for Shen Shaoheng, the rest would be enough for Shen Qingtan to have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life.
Shen Qingtan received a letter from Shen Shaoheng, in which he explained that Shen Shaobai had dug up a batch of silver, which he had originally intended to bring back to the capital to share with her. In the end, he bought grain from Gu Zongci and donated it all.
Now, after hearing what Shen Shaobai said, I knew he was still kept in the dark.
"Third brother, I have something to tell you." Shen Qingtan didn't give him time to calm down and continued, "My eldest brother donated the money and became a tribute student, studying at the Imperial College."
Shen Shaobai was dumbfounded: “What did you say?”
Shen Shaoheng picked his peaches and became an official?
"Third brother, that money was originally extorted from the people. It's only right to use it for their benefit." Shen Qingtan said no more, but looked at his dusty robes. "How did you get yourself into such a mess? Did you sneak back from Guanzhou and come straight to the Duke's Mansion to find me?"
Shen Shaobai suppressed the grief and anger in his heart and nodded aggrievedly.
"What are your plans for the future?"
"Return to the Marquis' Mansion."
Shen Qingtan pondered for a moment and thought it would be better for him to go back. After all, he was Marquis Cheng'en's biological son, and no one would really hurt him.
"When you go back, don't mention me in front of them." Shen Qingtan warned, "And don't stand up for me."
Madam Shen poured all her efforts into Shen Shaohuai, hoping that he would be appointed as prime minister and given a title of nobility, and she controlled him very strictly.
Mrs. Shen used to be very strict with Shen Shaobai, but after knowing that he was not a good student, she let him go.
Mrs. Shen has feelings for Shen Shaobai. If she has to choose between him and Shen Shaohuai, she will definitely abandon Shen Shaobai without hesitation and save Shen Shaohuai.
After all, Marquis Cheng'en and his wife could even kill their own brother, which shows that they have little conscience.
It's always right for them to be cautious.
Shen Shaobai nodded.
"Have you eaten?" Shen Qingtan said softly, "Go wash up first, have a meal, and then take a nap before returning to the Marquis' Mansion."
Shen Shaobai shook his head: “Big sister, I will go back now.”
Shen Qingtan did not try to keep him. The closer he was to her, the weaker the Marquis's feelings towards him would become.
She sent him to the gate of the courtyard and told Liu Yue to take him to the corner gate.
Shen Shaobai looked back every few steps, feeling empty inside, because during this meeting, he always felt that there was an invisible and intangible barrier between the siblings, and they could never be as close as before.
But he was powerless to change all this.
Shen Shaobai took the handkerchief in his hand and wiped his eyes. When he was about to wipe them, he paused and suddenly stuffed the handkerchief into his arms.
When walking out of the Moon Gate, Shen Shaobai stopped and looked back at Lanxueyuan. He saw Shen Qingtan standing at the door, looking in his direction, her skirt fluttering in the spring breeze.
Just like before she got married, every time he went to the academy, she would stand at the gate of the mansion and watch him go with gentle eyes.
He clenched his fists. This time when he returned to Beijing, he wanted to stay in the Marquis' Mansion and not let his parents hurt her again.
Thinking of this, Shen Shaobai turned his head and left in big strides.
——
When Zhao Yi got the news that Shen Shaobai had left, he returned to Lanxue Garden and saw Shen Qingtan sitting behind the desk in a daze. He could probably guess that she was thinking about Shen Shaobai.
If the Marquis' Mansion is to be eliminated, Shen Shaobai will also be deeply implicated.
He came to Shen Qingtan and was about to discuss Shen Shaobai with her.
“Knock knock!”
There was a knock on the door, and Liu Yue said from outside, "Second Master, Second Madam, Jiang Chao has returned from Nanling Prefecture and said he has something urgent to report."
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