Chapter 21 Shen Qingyue's Sober Reflection
"Mother, Yao'er does not want to marry into the Marquis of Wuding's household."
Even if she were to cut her hair and become a nun, Yue'er would not want to marry into the Marquis of Wuding's household.
Even when my father was alive, he was at odds with the Marquis of Wuding's household.
The Empress Dowager once said that the military generals of Dayu should be of one mind, so that Dayu could prosper for a long time.
But all of this was driven by her own selfish motives.
If it's really as my mother said, that she's prepared a grand wedding procession for me to marry into the Marquis of Wuding's mansion.
Even if my father returns in the future, he won't be able to do anything about the Marquis of Wuding's mansion.
My father loved me, my mother loved me, and my maternal grandparents loved me too.
By marrying into the Marquis of Wuding's household, I was essentially handing over a weakness of both the Duke of Dingguo's household and the Shangguan family to the Empress Dowager.
My mother can help me; if I've been wronged, I can cry to her.
But this is not a long-term solution. Yao'er doesn't want to see her mother and maternal grandparents being manipulated by others because of her daughter's situation.
Moreover, the Marquis of Wuding's family is used to being arrogant and domineering, and sooner or later something big will happen.
Song Tianyu was extremely arrogant and had done many things like bullying men and women.
The fact that the Duke of Dingguo's family formed a marriage alliance with such a family ultimately damaged the Duke of Dingguo's reputation.
"So, Yao'er doesn't want to get married," Shen Qingyao said earnestly.
Shangguan Jin patted Shen Qingyue's hand with satisfaction.
That's good; you do have your own opinions.
Not only are they opinionated, but they also have a deep understanding of things, and they are good at analysis and judgment.
Dongmai stood by with a look of satisfaction on her face.
She's definitely a pampered young lady raised by her mistress; she has a whole set of grand principles to her name.
If it were me, I'd definitely stick my neck out and yell, "I won't marry him! I don't want to marry a complete idiot!"
Listen to what the young lady is saying; she has both national and familial righteousness in mind.
“Miss is right. Marrying into a family like that is worse than cutting your hair and becoming a nun!” Dongmai chimed in.
Shangguan Jin glared at Dongmai.
Still want to be a nun?
Is being a nun so easy?
In later generations, the requirements for nuns in any nunnery were much higher; even highly educated people might not be able to get in!
When you can't make it in the secular world, you run to a nunnery?
Hehe, how beautiful you are!
"If you don't want to marry, then you don't have to. Don't worry, Mother will definitely make sure you don't marry into the Marquis of Wuding's household, and she won't make you cut your hair and become a nun," Shangguan Jin assured her.
Shen Qingyue gave a soft "hmm," then leaned against Shangguan Jin without saying a word.
Seeing this, Dongmai also felt he had to say something.
"Miss, do you have a solution?"
"I haven't thought of anything yet, but I'll keep thinking and I'll eventually come up with a solution."
Dongmai gave an "oh" and was just thinking that she wouldn't have any major problems in the future.
Madam Shangguan entrusted her with the task of ensuring that the Duke did not share a bed with any other concubines, and she accomplished this quite well.
And we don't have to worry about this for the next few years.
Therefore, I need to find something else to do.
For example... learn more about the affairs of other mansions and large residences.
After all, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion not only has young ladies waiting to be married, but also three young masters!
Dongmai felt like she had found something new to do.
“Sister Yao, bring Sister Yu to have breakfast with Mother tomorrow morning.”
From now on, you'll eat with me; you won't have to eat alone anymore.
"Also, clean up the yard next door, and you and Yu'er can move in." Shangguan Jin suddenly made a decision.
The Duke of Dingguo's mansion was originally very large. The courtyard that Emperor Xiao Jing bestowed upon it was the residence of a regent in the previous dynasty.
Not far from the palace, the place is large enough, and there is a small martial arts training ground behind the Duke of Dingguo.
Shangguan Jin's five children were also given their own small courtyards.
Even the youngest, Shen Qingyu, has a small courtyard.
But now Shangguan Jin was thinking, why doesn't such a smart daughter live closer to home?
Every day, they would come over in the morning and evening to pay their respects, and then return to their respective courtyards.
It does not help to improve the relationship between mother and daughter at all.
No wonder Shen Qingyue has always been more respectful than affectionate towards Shangguan Jin!
“Mother… but there are still things to tell you.” Shen Qingyue was a little surprised.
Shangguan Jin shook her head.
"There's nothing much to tell you. You're all grown up now, and there are many things I need to teach you."
"I've been so busy with your father's affairs these past few years that I've neglected you all," Shangguan Jin sighed.
Shen Qingyue's eyes reddened.
How much suffering my mother has endured these past three years is something others may not know, but how could she not know?
Every day, the mother would sincerely pray before the Bodhisattva, hoping that the father would come back soon.
"Mother, Father...can he come back?" Shen Qingyue asked through gritted teeth.
"He came back when he was supposed to. While he's not back, all we need to do is live our lives to the fullest."
"Don't worry, Mother can handle it," Shangguan Jin said calmly.
Shen Qingyue nodded and stopped talking, simply resting her head on Shangguan Jin's shoulder.
The sight of the winter wheat growing nearby was heartbreaking.
She was racking her brains trying to think of something else to say to cheer up the mother and daughter when she heard a noise outside the door.
"Madam! Madam! People from the palace have arrived and are in the front hall!" Lin's mother said anxiously at the door.
Shangguan Jin and Shen Qingyue stood up immediately.
Dongmai was also stunned for a while.
No one from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion has entered the palace for three years.
The last time she went to the palace was when her younger sister, Shangguan Yao, suddenly passed away, and Shangguan Jin went with the people from the Shangguan family.
Even though the Duke of Dingguo had disappeared, no one in the palace said they wanted to summon Shangguan Jin.
What's going on? We just had a banquet that wasn't even finished, and now people from the palace are here?
Shen Qingyue and Dongmai hurriedly helped Shangguan Jin tidy up her clothes.
Shangguan Jin let the two of them tidy up while asking Lin Mama outside the door.
"Which palace sent them? And who are they?"
"He's from the Empress's palace. Judging from his attire, he should be a sixth-rank eunuch from the Empress's palace," Mama Lin whispered.
Shangguan Jin understood what was going on and glanced at Shen Qingyue.
"Yue'er, there's a box on the bottom shelf of the round-cornered cabinet in Mother's inner room. Go and prepare it."
Shen Qingyue was taken aback at first, but quickly understood what Shangguan Jin meant.
She strode into the inner room and took out the item that Shangguan Jin had mentioned from the round-cornered cabinet.
Soon, a small purse was delivered to Shangguan Jin.
Shangguan Jin looked at herself in the hat mirror.
It's alright, just casual attire, as long as it's not inappropriate.
Get ready. By the time Shangguan Jin led Lin Mama to the front hall, the eunuch from the palace had already drunk half a bowl of tea.
He was dressed in a bright red robe, around forty years old, with a fair complexion, no beard, and a slightly hunched posture.
"Greetings, sir. It's so late, and you've gone to all this trouble." Shangguan Jin said with a smile, while giving Lin's mother a wink.
Lin's mother immediately stepped forward and stuffed the small purse into her father-in-law's hand.
"My surname is Hu. I used to serve in the imperial court, but later my legs became weak, so the Empress took me in."
"I'm currently serving Her Majesty the Empress."
As the old eunuch casually pinched his purse, his smile became a little more genuine.
"Eunuch Hu, please have a seat!" Shangguan Jin said hurriedly.
"I wouldn't dare! Madam, I'm just here to deliver a message."
"Her Majesty the Empress summons you to the palace tomorrow at 1-3 PM to have a chat," Eunuch Hu said in a low voice.
How about we chat about everyday things?
Shangguan Jin narrowed her eyes.
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