Chapter 105: Imperial Examination Cheating
Shen Zhang was caught off guard and scolded, feeling a little aggrieved, but he didn't take it to heart. He just thought that Shen Yuan felt sorry for Shen Shuwei who had been separated for many years and didn't want her to suffer after returning home.
Shen Shuwei narrowed his eyes, sensing something strange in Shen Yuan's words.
She smiled calmly and came to Chen Zhang's rescue, "Father, my eldest brother is going to the examination hall today, so I thought of making some breakfast for him. Please don't blame my second brother and the others."
Shen Yuan suppressed his anger and looked at Shen Shuwei with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but suppressed it. "It's not your job to do these things. I'll ask the kitchen to make a new one. You can't eat the leftovers."
Shen Shuwei did not refute, and Shen Zhang was afraid of being scolded again, so he kept his mouth shut.
During the meal, Shen Shuwei listened to Shen Zhang's chatter and Shen Yuan's talk about his time in the Imperial Guards, and Shen Yuan would occasionally remind him not to be too ostentatious and not to seek the limelight.
Shen Shuwei listened quietly beside him, and then sent Shen Yuan away with Shen Zhang.
"Second brother, are there any obvious characteristics of the Shen family, such as birthmarks?" After watching Shen Yuan walk away, Shen Shuwei suddenly asked.
Chen Zhang was startled by her question, frowning and thinking for a moment, "I heard from my father that Mom had a brown, round birthmark on her right arm, but my eldest brother and I didn't inherit it. Only Ayang has a birthmark on his right arm that's similar to Mom's, but it's a little bigger."
"Why are you asking this suddenly?"
Could it be that she was scolded by her father and felt that she was no longer a member of the Shen family? But her father didn't scold her, he only scolded herself.
Chen Shuwei's heart sank. She didn't have any brown round birthmarks on her body.
At first, she followed the memory of her past life. She had never seen the Shen family in her past life. It was Chu Xinrou who said that she was taken away by mistake. The midwife who delivered Ji Jinglan that year testified that Chu Xinrou had the same butterfly-shaped birthmark on her back as Ji Jinglan.
In this life, she returned to the Shen family, and the Shen family naturally thought that Chu Xinrou and she were taken away by mistake. In addition, the Shen family had suffered a great disaster at that time, so no one investigated how the two were taken away by mistake.
But now considering Shen Yuan's attitude, Shen Shuwei always felt that she was not a member of the Shen family, but she had an inseparable relationship with the Shen family or Shen Yuan, which made him recognize her as his daughter.
"But third sister, your eyes are very similar to those of our family. Xiao Chifeng once told me that one of the reasons why the old general took special care of me was that my eyes looked like those of an old friend of his. But after meeting you, he said that your eyes must be more similar." Chen Zhang said casually.
The national general, Xiao Chifeng...
Chen Shuwei subconsciously thought of Princess Rongyang. Normally when she was with Princess Rongyang, she seldom looked directly at her face out of respect, and therefore did not pay attention to her expression.
Until the incident with the refugees in the suburbs of Beijing, she was detained by the prince's men and met Princess Rongyang's gaze. After that, she frequently exchanged glances with Princess Rongyang.
To be honest, she felt that Princess Rongyang's expression when she looked at her was too complicated, as if she was looking at someone through her.
Is it because he is the one in the Shen family who looks most like the old friend mentioned by the general? Or is it because -
Shen Shuwei let out a light breath, feeling that his idea was absurd and didn't dare to think about it any further.
"Second brother, do you have a portrait of our mother when she was alive?" Shen Shuwei asked without giving up.
Chen Zhang blinked and thought hard for a moment. "I remember when I was little, my father would paint a picture for my mother every year on her birthday. But after my mother passed away, those portraits disappeared. I don't know if my father kept them or burned them."
"If you want to see it, Ayang and I will go look for it. Maybe it's still there somewhere in the house."
Shen Shu smiled and thanked Shen Zhang.
When he returned to his yard, he found Jing Yin still standing there, with a bowl of autumn pear soup beside him.
This was the sweet water that Jing Yin had replaced since she caught a cold last time. It was also mixed with some warming herbs prescribed by Doctor Yun. No one knew how Jing Yin cooked it, but the soup only tasted sweet, without any trace of medicine. Chen Shuwei also liked to drink it.
If Jing Yin's identity was not in doubt and it seemed that he had hidden a lot of things from her, Shen Shuwei really wanted to keep him as a son-in-law.
After all, he is truly virtuous.
"The young lady is here." Zhao Yun saw Shen Shuwei, showed his usual gentle smile, and stood up to greet her.
It was just like a young wife who was doing housework at home saw her husband coming back from work and went up to him to ask how he was doing.
Shen Shuwei sat down with him, drinking the bowl of autumn pear soup, thinking about things absentmindedly.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will take root and sprout in the heart, just like she had previously doubted Jing Yin's identity, now it is her turn to doubt herself.
Zhao Yun held the handkerchief and tucked the sweat off her forehead very considerately. "What have you been doing, young lady? Why are you sweating?"
"I was busy in the kitchen for a while, maybe it's hot." Shen Shuwei replied.
She drank half a cup of soup, put down the bowl, looked at Zhao Yun, and asked seriously: "Jing Yin, do you think I look like the Shen family?"
It is best to ask outsiders to clearly know the appearance of family members.
Zhao Yun raised her eyebrows slightly, chuckled softly, and said in a gentle voice, "The eyebrows and eyes are still similar. Why did you suddenly ask this question, Miss? Do you think you are not the daughter of the Shen family?"
Chen Shuwei lowered his eyes, scooped a spoonful of pear flesh and ate it, and said vaguely: "No, I just asked casually, and don't tell my second brother that I asked you this question."
-
The four days and three nights of the Autumn Examination passed quickly. During these days, the Shen family had been worried, fearing that Shen Heng would not be able to hold on in the examination room and would be carried out early.
Chu Yunlan went to take part in the Autumn Examination despite having a lame leg, but he could not endure it until the third day. He said that his cell faced the toilet and the stench was terrible. He was vomiting and having diarrhea and was carried out.
This matter spread in a small circle in Luojing. When it reached Shen Shuwei's ears, it had become a story about the lame son of Marquis Jingning who overestimated his own abilities and took part in the Autumn Examination, and was eventually carried out and suffered a great loss of face.
Fortunately, today is the last day, and the candidates can go home after submitting their final policy essays.
Shen Zhang's superior was an old general who defended the country. He knew that someone from the Shen family was taking the exam this year, so he approved half a day off for him without waiting for Shen Zhang to mention it to him.
Chen Shuwei and the other two changed into new clothes and waited for the time to pick up Chen Heng.
"Miss, something happened." Qingdai, who was happily instructing the servants to clean the courtyard outside, suddenly came in hurriedly, her brows twisted, and her face showed sudden uneasiness and anxiety.
"A group of soldiers came outside, saying that the eldest son and a group of candidates were suspected of cheating in the imperial examination. They have been detained!"
"What?! If someone told us, how could big brother cheat?" Chen Zhang was the first to stand up, his eyes full of disbelief.
Shen Zhiyang's face fell in shock, and she subconsciously looked at Shen Shuwei, "Third sister, we all trust our eldest brother's character. Even if he fails the exam, he would never cheat!"
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