They treated the Shen family mother and daughter like fools and deceived them.
"Flutter" - the banknotes fluttered in the air.
Inside the side room, banknotes rained down, and the scent of ink assaulted everyone's eyes.
Shen Lanyan and everyone else in the room were dumbfounded.
Madam Shen happened to have a note on her face. She took it and looked at it—ten thousand taels of silver!
Her eyes were fixed on it for a moment, and she lost her footing and fell into the shimmering silver mountains and seas.
She toiled her whole life, and even though her son rose to the position of Grand Secretary, she had never seen what 10,000 taels of silver looked like. Yet, Lin Huaiyin's little box was completely full of such silver notes!
Is it true that the Lin family dotes on their daughter?
The grandson is real! The title is real too!
From this day forward, all these things belong to the Shen family!
Now that the grandson has established a ducal mansion, who would dare mention his origins as a tomb guard? Our Shen family is a legitimate and distinguished noble family!
A greedy glint shone in the eyes of the Shen family master and servants. Yu Li and Xie Ao separated, picking up the silver notes while sneering and cursing the bunch of ignorant fools.
Lin Huaiyin saw the infatuated expression on Old Madam Shen's face, and she saw it coldly.
This is the Shen family's strength; a few silver notes are enough to make them dizzy and disoriented. Naturally, her words carry weight.
But this was not Lin Huaiyin's only purpose in showing off her wealth. Her real purpose was to get the money past Madam Shen's notice and make it public so that it could avoid Shen Congyun's clutches.
So Lin Huaiyin smiled awkwardly and said, “Mother-in-law, please don’t be offended. The Shen family is a noble family, and a daughter-in-law should not bring such filthy things. However, the Buddha’s Birthday is approaching, and my mother said that we should go to worship the woman in the white cloak and pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva to bless Congyun’s son to be born safely. Half of this 800,000 taels of silver will be used for offerings.”
Eight hundred thousand taels? A full eight hundred thousand! Old Madam Shen swallowed hard, her heart aching terribly.
Half of that is 400,000 taels of silver. Are we just going to throw it away like that, dumping it in the temple? Even if you have money, you can't spend it like that.
She was really reluctant to part with it, but just then, the crab claw snatched the silver note from her hand. Old Madam Shen blushed, her fingers trembling. She looked at Lin Huaiyin, wanting to ask: What about the other half? Should it be left behind? It must be deposited into the Shen family's internal accounts and disposed of by me.
"As for the other half," Lin Huaiyin looked at Shen Lanyan and laughed happily, "the other half should also contribute as incense money, to pray for a good marriage for our Lanyan."
Upon hearing this, Shen Lanyan's face turned as red as a rooster's comb, and she jumped up angrily—"My affairs are none of your business—"
"Shut up." The old lady unexpectedly interrupted, nodding gently to Lin Huaiyin: "Daughter-in-law, you speak."
Lin Huaiyin quickly nodded obediently, "Mother-in-law, I was ignorant before and thought you didn't care about me and favored Lanyan. Now that I have my own child, I understand your good intentions. Lanyan's marriage has troubled you, how could I, as her sister-in-law,—"
"Mother, don't listen to her, she just wants to harm—"
Shen Lanyan couldn't stand Lin Huaiyin's pretentious manner. As soon as she spoke, Old Madam Shen glared at her, then turned to Lin Huaiyin with a kind and gentle expression: "Ignore her, daughter-in-law, you speak."
"Then I'll be frank." Lin Huaiyin looked at Shen Lanyan with a deep gaze, her lips slightly parted, about to speak but then seemed to suddenly realize something, and gave Old Madam Shen a meaningful look.
Madam Shen understood and immediately sent all the irrelevant people away.
Once only the Shen family mother and daughter, along with Yu Li and Xie Ao, remained in the side room, Lin Huaiyin revealed a profound and unfathomable smile, enunciating each word clearly: "Your Highness, Crown Prince, East Palace."
"What! Your Highness?"
Shen Lanyan's heart skipped a beat, and she stood up straight.
Seeing her like this, Lin Huaiyin was secretly delighted: "Yes, Crown Princess, you truly have an air of prestige and dignity that makes one's imagination run wild. It's perfect for dangling a handful like you, a troublemaker who's just been jilted. You Shen family members should try to get closer to the Crown Prince. He's such a capable person; he's sure to see through your Shen family's dirty tricks."
It's quite amusing to think about the scene where Shen Congyun and Princess Pingyang get involved together, and you mother and daughter are so eager to curry favor with the Crown Prince.
Haha, I'm such a naughty girl.
Lin Huaiyin felt an indescribable sense of relief and spoke gently, "I specifically asked my brother, and he said that since His Highness the Crown Prince is currently overseeing the country and His Majesty is seriously ill, the reason His Highness hasn't appointed a Crown Princess is because he's worried that a hasty marriage would displease His Majesty. I didn't quite understand what he meant, but my brother said that our Shen family is a newly noble family, a family of impeccable character, without those complicated and entangled relationships, and His Highness the Crown Prince actually favors us."
"really?"
Is this really true?
Shen Lanyan and Madam Shen spoke in unison.
“Absolutely true.” Lin Huaiyin’s eyes were sincere, and then she said, “Lan Yan is bright and lively, far superior to those dull and vulgar people in the capital. His Highness the Crown Prince is a dragon among men, and naturally he can tell the difference between good and bad.”
With a few words, Lin Huaiyin flattered the Shen mother and daughter, making them very happy. Then, thinking of the mastermind behind the scenes whom she had never met before, she continued, "I'm praying to the Bodhisattva with real money to put my mind at ease, but Mother-in-law, we should also take the initiative. For example, my second uncle is returning to the capital in a few days. He has made meritorious contributions in disaster relief, and the court will naturally reward him. Why don't we invite Princess Pingyang to the banquet to celebrate, so that she can see Lanyan and strengthen their relationship?"
When Princess Pingyang was mentioned, Madam Shen suddenly realized that Lin Huaiyin's words were most likely true.
The reason is that her husband died saving Princess Pingyang, and the Crown Prince is the princess's own brother. Grateful for this kindness, it is only natural for him to take the daughter of the Shen family as his Crown Princess.
“Alright.” Madam Shen made a quick decision: “I will go and invite her myself. She will definitely come. For our Lan’er, it’s worth doing anything.”
“Mother.” Shen Lanyan blushed shyly, then rolled her eyes at Lin Huaiyin: “Mother still loves me the most. Lin Huaiyin, don’t even think about trying to please me.”
Lin Huaiyin almost laughed herself to tears, teasing her with a mischievous smile: "I just want to please you. You are my husband's sister and my child's aunt. In the future, when you become the Crown Princess and the Empress, my children and I will have to rely on our aunt."
Upon hearing this, Shen Lanyan blushed even more, flicked her handkerchief, and bit her lip shyly: "What Crown Princess? What are you saying?"
Lin Huaiyin wouldn't let her off the hook. She exchanged a glance with the old man, both of them beaming with joy, and then she called out, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess."
"Ugh!" Shen Lanyan bit her lower lip, covered her face, and ran away in a flash.
It was dark outside, and a cool breeze was blowing. Shen Lanyan felt a sudden chill in her heart as she thought of Liu Langjun, who had broken off their engagement, and the gossipy man who said she would never be able to get married again.
"I want to marry!" Shen Lanyan clenched her handkerchief and thought bitterly: "I want to marry in a glorious way, to marry His Highness the Crown Prince, and become the most noble Crown Princess in the empire. His Highness the Crown Prince will avenge me, and he will slap those who bullied me, beat them to death or maim them, drive their fathers and brothers out of the court, and sweep them all out of the capital!"
In the side room, Lin Huaiyin and Madam Shen, a loving mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were affectionate and their eyes were warm.
Crab and Fish carefully put away the silver notes, and Old Madam Shen also elevated her status, no longer having any intention of keeping them. Her grandson was to be granted a title, and her daughter was to enter the Eastern Palace; she looked down on her daughter-in-law's money and disdained to even touch it.
Seeing her sitting upright, exuding an unprecedented air of elegance, Lin Huaiyin was delighted. She then frowned slightly and said with feigned difficulty, "Mother-in-law, I have a concern."
"Go on," said Madam Shen, pushing a cup of tea towards Lin Huaiyin, gesturing for her to sit down.
With that push and that glance, Yu Li and Xie Ao instinctively pinched Lin Huaiyin.
They had only mentioned it casually in the car, never expecting that after their young lady returned home and caused such a scene, the old hag would actually try to appease her and be considerate of her.
So all the kindness and tolerance the young lady had shown them in the past couldn't compare to a few fabricated lies.
What a bunch of hopeless fools! If they had treated the young lady any better, she could have provided them with money and respect. Why were they treated like this?
The two were both angry and relieved. They pinched Lin Huaiyin until her fingertips turned white, but they still had to put on a show of being flattered and carefully sit down.
Holding the hot tea offered by her enemy, Lin Huaiyin felt a surge of satisfaction, yet she spoke cautiously: "Congyun is of noble character and disdains currying favor with the powerful. Should we wait until things are more settled before discussing Lanyan with Congyun? I'm afraid Congyun will scold me. Mother-in-law, you don't know, Congyun is very fierce, and I'm afraid he'll reprimand me for instigating this—"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here." Madam Shen raised her hand, gesturing for Lin Huaiyin to have some tea. She thought to herself for a moment: Cong Yun was indeed proud and arrogant. Even though his family was so poor, he was still honest and upright, unwilling to tarnish his reputation. Her daughter-in-law's worries were indeed reasonable.
“You’re right.” Madam Shen nodded solemnly. “It’s really not good for a young lady to be too eager. Let’s keep this a secret for now. Once His Highness the Crown Prince makes his decision, Congyun won’t be able to say anything.”
"Mother-in-law is indeed very thoughtful." Lin Huaiyin smiled sweetly, lowered her head and mixed her cold gaze into the tea, then picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
She put down her teacup, placed her hands on her knees, and bowed her head obediently.
Madam Shen looked at her with delight, and suddenly realized that she had never really looked at her properly before. Upon closer inspection, she found that her daughter-in-law was quite beautiful.
With a full, oval face, almond-shaped eyes glistening with dew, and lips shimmering with moisture, and a figure that is perfectly proportioned, beautiful and plump, this charming young daughter-in-law is like a budding branch, blooming with a rich fragrance in its curves. It's just that she lacks water, and the bud is shy and timid, lacking some of her charm.
The beauty lies in the fact that it was about to be released but hadn't yet.
If such a small flower bud were seen by the roadside, Old Madam Shen would definitely pick it up and shake it. Only her clueless and foolish son would do something like that, neglecting people in Qingyin Pavilion every day.
Madam Shen finally took notice of Lin Huaiyin. Her previous disdain stemmed from hearing too much gossip, but she was discerning and knew that if this young woman had truly been harmed by thieves, she probably wouldn't be able to have children. But her daughter-in-law was pregnant on her first try, so those unfounded rumors were nothing but nonsense and didn't need to be bothered with.
What's even more admirable is that this child is kind-hearted. She can tolerate Lan Yan's personality. She would be a good daughter-in-law for my Shen family.
The more Madam Shen looked, the more satisfied she became. Her gaze lingered on Lin Huaiyin's belly, and thinking of the little golden grandson inside, she felt great.
"Alright, go back to your room and rest, don't tire yourself out." She immediately started making arrangements: "Go back and take a bath and change your clothes. I'll have the kitchen prepare some dinner for you to have some of."
"Okay." Lin Huaiyin held onto the handrail, slowly rose and curtsied: "I'll do whatever you say."
"If you're not feeling well, then don't bother with the formalities anymore," Old Madam Shen said with concern, glancing sideways at Yu Li and Xie Ao with displeasure, as if she wanted to scold them for not knowing how to serve people.
The two men were practically bursting with laughter, but they forced themselves to help Lin Huaiyin up. The three of them pinched each other's palms, suppressing their laughter, and slowly left under the watchful, concerned gaze of Old Madam Shen.
As soon as they stepped out of the side room, ten lantern-bearing maids were assigned to escort them.
Lin Huaiyin sniffed the air and turned her gaze to the ancestral hall.
In the darkness, she couldn't see the thick smoke seeping out from the cracks in the doors and windows, but she could feel that the air was filled with the smell of incense, which was choking her to death. She wondered and wanted to ask, but the maids hesitated and advised, "It's getting dark, please go back to your room to rest as soon as possible, Madam."
Everyone looked embarrassed. Lin Huaiyin knew something was amiss, but the smoke was coming from the Shen family ancestral hall and the Shen family members. What did it have to do with her, a daughter of the Lin family? So she stopped asking and walked slowly.
Wherever there were potholes on the road, the maids would smooth them out in front of them. Whenever there was a person, they would stop at a distance and respectfully call out "Madam". Even fish and crabs were called "Miss" affectionately, with ardent eyes.
The entire Shen family was united in purpose and action: as long as they held onto their mistress, their rise to prominence would be just around the corner.
——
Qingyin Pavilion.
Lin Huaiyin and the other two entered the bedroom, chased away the maid who lit the lamp, closed the small door, and without even looking for stools or chairs, leaned against the door and burst into laughter.
"Keep your voices down." Yu Li frowned. "You two need to be more careful, or someone might overhear."
"That's hilarious!" Crab Claw couldn't help but cover his mouth. "Miss is cunning and has been fooled into becoming a fool."
"I call it being influenced by one's surroundings." Lin Huaiyin said seriously, then chuckled and rolled her eyes. "In the end, for the next two months, the three of us can walk around the Shen residence with our heads held high. By then, the child in my belly will most likely die in the hands of Shen Lanyan or Shen Congyun, and the old hag won't be able to do anything to me."
Upon hearing "Chen Congyun," Yu Li and Xie Ao fell silent. They knew that their young lady had already tried very hard to protect the money and prevent them from being bullied, but such temporary peace could not solve the problem at all.
The lively atmosphere vanished in an instant. Lin Huaiyin sensed something was wrong and raised her hand to slap one person on the forehead with each slap. She then turned around fiercely and scolded, "Two months, sixty days and nights, isn't that enough for us to escape this den of thieves? Tell me, do you have confidence?"
"have!"
"have!"
The two spoke in unison, like soldiers on a drill ground.
"Go get some hot water if you have any." Lin Huaiyin's anger turned to joy, and she couldn't help but scratch her back: "I've been scratching myself all day, it's so uncomfortable."
"Okay, okay, I'll go right away."
Fish hide in food boxes, crab claws go out to call for water.
Lin Huaiyin scratched herself as she went into the inner room.
She took off her purse, pulled out a kingfisher feather hairpin, and began to ponder the Crown Prince.
The Erwang Temple harbored traitors and weapons, and Princess Pingyang is absolutely guilty. How will His Highness the Crown Prince deal with her? Will he suspect Princess Pingyang, or even see through her ambition?
Thinking of the Crown Prince's control over Shen Congyun in the imperial prison, Lin Huaiyin felt absolutely certain that Princess Pingyang and Shen Congyun might be imprisoned there when she woke up from her sleep.
Your Highness is mighty.
Lin Huaiyin was filled with anticipation, but her mind wandered, and the torches of the imperial prison swayed before her eyes once more.
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