The Qintian Supervisor was lowering his eyelids and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there will be a heavy rain in the capital in the next few days."

Heavy rain? The emperor didn't take it seriously at first, but then he thought of something, frowned, sat up straight and said, "What did you say?!"

"It's raining heavily," the supervisor reported tremblingly, "I submitted a memorial the other day."

After hearing this, the emperor seemed to remember it.

There had indeed been such a memorial. The Qintian Observatory had the duty to predict the weather, and from time to time it would report some heavy rains, droughts, etc., but he usually just read them and let them go.

"When will the rainstorm come?" the emperor asked solemnly.

"September 23rd."

September 23rd.

The emperor's heart was pounding. It was the day set by the Ministry of Rites for Chu Yuanchen to enter the capital.

When deciding the date, Chu Yuanchen submitted several memorials, and after various negotiations, it was finally decided on September 23. Could it be that Chu Yuanchen and his men also saw from the astrology that there would be a heavy rain on that day, so they made such an arrangement on purpose, thinking of using the heavy rain to cause trouble?

The emperor thought about it and realized that Chu Yuanchen had always been cunning and treacherous, so this was indeed something he could do.

The emperor's face was gloomy at first, but then he suddenly chuckled. He seemed unable to control the ecstasy in his heart. The laughter became louder and louder, and in the end he almost laughed out loud.

The supervisor lowered his head even lower; the laughter made him feel a little creepy.

The emperor kept smiling: "This is all thanks to the blessing of our ancestors."

He was almost tricked by Chu Yuanchen again. Although a small rainstorm would not affect anything, it was possible that some fools would be fooled. Now, Chu Yuanchen and his men were able to fail. For the emperor, this feeling was simply extremely satisfying.

He silently turned his jade finger for a while, and then made a plan in his mind, and ordered: "Come here. The Minister of Rites."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The eunuch bowed and immediately obeyed the order, then hurried down.

The eunuch was standing below. He did not dare to leave until the emperor let him. He cautiously glanced at Xiao Shuo a few times.

Xiao Shuo's eyelids were slightly lowered, and his long eyelashes left a faint shadow under his eyes, covering up the subtle changes in his eyes.

That night, the study was very busy. The palace gates that had been closed long ago were reopened by the emperor's order as an exception. Everyone from the Minister of Rites to the inner cabinet were summoned one after another, just because the emperor wanted to temporarily change the date of Chu Yuanchen's return to Beijing.

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Chu Yuanchen and his entourage had already arrived at the post station, and had already scheduled to go to Beijing on September 23. The Ministry of Rites had arranged everything, and there were only five days left. The emperor's sudden change meant that many things had to be rearranged.

The Minister of Rites had a bitter face and tried to persuade the emperor again and again, but the emperor was very persistent.

The emperor said solemnly, "I have thought about it again and again. Chu Yuanchen has made great contributions to the expansion of the territory this time. I still decided to go and welcome him to the capital in person. Alas, but I have been feeling unwell recently, so I can only postpone it for a few days."

The Minister of Rites was going crazy.

The inner cabinet had submitted several memorials before, all hoping that the emperor would go in person to show his great favor, but the emperor refused. Now that everything has been discussed with Chu Yuanchen and the date has been set, the emperor suddenly changed his mind and wanted to go in person. This is just like changing one's mind every day, isn't it?

"I have already made up my mind. My dear, there is no need to persuade me any further."

The emperor thought about it and realized that the date had already been set, and without a suitable reason, he was afraid that he would not be able to convince the cabinet.

Even if he is the emperor, he cannot do whatever he wants.

In this case, the only excuse he could think of was that he should go to meet her in person.

Choose the lesser of two evils.

The emperor had said so, and the etiquette and regulations for the emperor to personally welcome the bride were indeed more solemn, so September 23rd was definitely not enough time. The Minister of Rites had to go and negotiate with Chu Yuanchen again. It took three or four days of back and forth, and after much discussion, they finally set a date.

After all this running back and forth, the Minister of Rites was exhausted both physically and mentally.

As a result, all the reserved tables in the restaurants in the capital had to change their dates. The owners cursed the Ministry of Rites in their hearts, thinking that they were really unreliable. They could change the confirmed dates at will, and then quickly sent people to inform the guests who had made reservations.

On September 23rd, Sheng Xiyan received the new wooden sign from the restaurant.

"Miss," Xigui replied, "the date has been changed to September 28th." That is, it was postponed by five days.

Sheng Xiyan nodded slightly. Chu Yuanchen had already told her when she went to the manor for Ji Mingyang's follow-up consultation.

Ji Mingyang recovered well. His high fever had completely subsided, but he still had a slight cough, hoarseness in his throat, and occasional chest pain. Because of his serious illness, he was extremely weak and had to gasp for air after walking a few steps. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was getting better day by day.

In addition to continuing to take the mustard greens every day, Sheng Xiyan also left him a prescription to strengthen the body and nourish the lungs. Sheng Xiyan estimated that he would be completely cured in ten days or half a month.

Sheng Xiyan said with a smile: "September 28th, this day is not bad." As she spoke, she couldn't stop yawning, like a lazy cat.

She had slept little in the past few days. Apart from a trip to Baicaotang to buy some medicinal herbs, she had spent most of her time in the small study, working until yesterday.

She lazily sat on the beauty couch, just about to take a nap, thought for a moment and said, "Go get my sewing basket. I remember there is a roll of lotus-colored material in the storeroom. Go and help me find it. If you find it, cut a foot of it and bring it to me."

Xigui was stunned for a moment, then hurried away.

Sheng Xiyan has never done needlework since her rebirth, and at most she has done some knitting.

However, once you learn embroidery, it's like it's engraved in your bones and you can't forget it even if you want to.

She first went to the small study with great interest and drew an embroidery pattern by herself. After Xigui brought the material and needlework, she cut and picked the threads skillfully. Then, holding an embroidery band, she leaned back on the beauty couch and began to embroider with great concentration.

She lowered her head slightly, threading the needle, with a faint smile on her lips and the dimples on her cheeks faintly visible.

She used nearly ten shades of green for each bamboo leaf, and kept changing the stitching. The transitions and connections between the different shades of green were extremely natural, and every texture of the bamboo leaf was embroidered so vividly that it seemed as if you could touch it. Xigui was watching from the side, amazed.

She thought the girl was not good at needlework, but she didn't expect that the girl was not bad at it, but just didn't want to spend the energy. Once she got serious, she might not be as good as the best embroiderer in the capital. Who would use more than a dozen green embroidery threads just to embroider a bamboo leaf?

When the first piece of bamboo leaf was almost finished, someone from the main courtyard came to report and asked Sheng Xiyan to go over.

Amber stood below and said respectfully, "It's my aunt and my cousin who are here."

Why are you here again?!

Didn’t you just come here a few days ago? Are you so impatient to come back?

For Sheng Xiyan, she was getting married soon anyway, so she didn't care whether the Sheng family would return home or not, and she didn't want to join in the fun at all.

Without even raising her head, Sheng Xiyan said, "No. I don't have time." She had calculated that it would take two days to embroider the bamboo leaves first, the day after tomorrow to embroider the bamboo joints, then the auspicious clouds, and finally one more day to make the purse. It would be just right!

"Girl." Amber hesitated for a moment and said, "The master is back too."

In other words, Liu has already convinced Sheng Xing'an to take over Zhao Yuanrou's throne?

This has nothing to do with me...wait!

Sheng Xiyan raised her head and narrowed her almond-shaped eyes. The ease and joy in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a sharp look.

"Are they trying to transfer the child to my mother's name?"

Her voice was quiet, but the pressure she brought out was chilling.

Amber's shoulders shrank subconsciously, and she replied, "Yes. I heard Madam tell Master that she wanted to transfer the cousin to the late Madam's name."

Oh.

Sheng Xiyan sneered, threw the embroidery onto the beauty bed, brushed her sleeves, stood up and said, "Then I'll have to go over and take a look!"

Xigui quietly stuffed a silver ingot into the hands of Amber and hurriedly followed.

In the main hall of the main courtyard, both Sheng and Zhao Yuanrou were there. Since the day they parted at Princess Yong'an's residence, Sheng Xiyan hadn't seen Zhao Yuanrou for some time. Now she looked a little thinner. She glanced at the nanny standing behind Zhao Yuanrou with a serious face. She recognized her as the nanny who served the wife of Marquis Yongning. She seemed to be surnamed Wang.

Zhao Yuanrou was also looking at her, her eyes full of inquiry.

She stood up and greeted Sheng Xiyan, smiling casually, "Cousin Yan, I heard that Princess Jingle gave you a nanny, how come you didn't see her?"

Sheng Xiyan said indifferently: "It's not convenient to use, so I returned it to the princess."

Returned? Zhao Yuanrou simply couldn't believe her ears.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning got this Nanny Wang for Sheng Xiyan because she heard that Princess Jingle gave a Nanny to her. This Nanny was really annoying. She controlled her drinking water, eating, and even going out. She endured it again and again and didn't send her back. She thought that the rules of the Zhenbei Palace must be more than those of the Marquis of Yongning Palace, and Sheng Xiyan must be worse off than her. Unexpectedly, Sheng Xiyan actually sent her back?

Sheng Xiyan said as a matter of course: "It was originally sent by the princess to serve. Since it is not convenient to use, there is no need to keep it." She said with a smile, "Cousin Rou, what do you think?"

Sheng Xiyan understood what she was angry about. Since her last life, what Zhao Yuanrou hated most was someone using rules to control her in every way. The wife of Marquis Yongning boasted that she was born in an aristocratic family and attached great importance to rules. Although Zhao Yuanrou had the title of a legitimate daughter in the past, she was not a legitimate wife of the crown prince. In addition, with Zhou Jingxun's protection, the wife of Marquis Yongning could only turn a blind eye. But now, the wife of Marquis Yongning would not easily accept a crown prince's wife with an ordinary family background, mediocre rules, and even disobedience to etiquette.

Zhao Yuanrou: “…”

She was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Cousin Yan, what you said is true. If it's not convenient to use, what else can I keep?"

She added a lot of meaning to the last half of her sentence.

Originally, she thought it was better to have less trouble than more, but, even Sheng Xiyan, who was so law-abiding and took "Nu Yi" and "Nu Xun" as her life rules, could return the nanny given by Princess Jingle, so why couldn't she?

Zhao Yuanrou pursed her lips, a sense of competitiveness rising spontaneously. How could she be inferior to Sheng Xiyan! If Zhou Jingxun really cared about her, he should stand up for her.

After Sheng Xiyan sat down, she asked directly, "Father, what is the matter that you called your daughter here for?"

If something is settled early, she still has to go back to embroider her purse!

Sheng Xingan stroked his beard and said, "Sister Yan, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly and looked at him.

Originally, this was not a bad thing for Sheng Xingan. Zhao Yuanrou was about to marry into the Yongning Marquis's mansion. If the two of them could go from being cousins ​​to real sisters and support each other in the future, the glory of the Sheng family would be just around the corner.

But when he met her eyes, he felt a little guilty. He cleared his throat and said, "It's like this. Your uncle has passed away for many years. The Zhao family has bullied your aunt and her daughter in every way. We, the Sheng family, have been bullied like this. As a father, I can't stand it. So, I plan to discuss with the Zhao family to let your aunt bring Sister Rou back home."

Sheng Xiyan's expression remained unchanged, and she only asked, "And then?"

Sheng Xingan couldn't tell what she was thinking, so he could only continue, "If she returns, her cousin will be left without her family to rely on, which is not good at all. So your aunt discussed with me about adopting your cousin under my name. What do you think?"

Sheng Xiyan smiled but said nothing.

Inheritance usually means inheriting from someone of the same clan with the same surname. When Sheng's daughter got married, even if they really wanted to change their daughter's surname and clan, as long as the Zhao family had no objection, it would be fine to have her be under the name of Sheng. But to adopt the child of the husband's family to the uncle's family was a bit outrageous.

Sheng Xingan seemed to be greatly encouraged by her good attitude and continued, "I've thought about it. Your mother only has you and your brother. Your brother...ah, so, I plan to..."

Sheng Xiyan interrupted him and asked with clasped hands, "Father, are you planning to send more people to look for my brother?"

Seeing Sheng Xingan's expression was a little subtle, she smiled lightly and said, "Could it be that I was wrong? Could it be that father wanted to adopt my cousin under my mother's name?"

"My brother hasn't been found yet, and you want to put a stranger into my mother's lap, and you even call it 'her lap is empty'. I don't think my father would do such a shameless thing."

She suppressed her smile and looked at Sheng Xingan intently. The mockery on her face made Sheng Xingan feel uneasy.

He had also looked for Sheng Jue after he went missing, but after so many years, there was still no news. What could he do?

He coughed lightly to cover up, and said stiffly: "Of course I don't mean that..."

"That's good." Sheng Xiyan smiled, looking very relieved, "My daughter also thinks that father is not so outrageous."

"Sister Yan!" Sheng couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily, "This is the Sheng family's business. How can you, a young lady who is about to get married, have the right to interfere?! What's wrong with my sister Rou that you would dislike her like this?"

Sheng Xiyan's cold eyes swept over Liu and Sheng. Liu shuddered and dared not say a word, for fear that the anger would burn her.

This adopted child is no different from a biological child, and will be able to share her dowry in the future. Liu felt that although her dowry was not much, it was to be left to her biological children, and she couldn't let others share it. She was also reluctant to give up the 12,000 taels of silver promised by Sheng, so she thought of finding another way.

Mrs. Liu didn't dare to look at her, but Mrs. Sheng didn't care at all and scolded Sheng Xiyan: "Sister Yan, you are really becoming more and more unruly..."

"Aunt, are you dying?"

Sheng Xiyan tilted her head and said with a smile, "I don't think you will go to the underground to see your uncle anytime soon. Why are you in such a hurry to adopt your daughter?"

Sheng's eyes were filled with anger, and she squeezed out a voice from between her teeth: "Sheng Xiyan!"

I haven't settled the score with Zhao Yuanrou for falling into the water last time. Is she thinking that I have a good temper? It's only been a few days and she has become so arrogant!

She rushed to Sheng Xiyan and raised her hand to slap her in the face.

Of course Sheng Xiyan would not sit there and get beaten in vain, she had the horsewhip hanging at her waist, she pinched it casually, and without saying a word, she swung it towards Sheng.

Bang!

The whip hit Sheng's feet with a crisp sound. Sheng was startled and stepped back with a pale face, almost falling to the ground. She pointed at Sheng Xiyan and screamed, "Sheng Xiyan, what are you doing!?"

Zhao Yuanrou rushed over in fear and supported Sheng.

"Sister Yan!" Sheng Xingan was furious. He walked over quickly and tried to grab the horsewhip.

Sheng Xiyan held the whip and pretended to swing it twice, saying lightly: "This was given by Princess Jingle. It is said that it was used by the old princess in her time."

She raised her chin and said, "The princess said that if anyone dares to disrespect me, she will whip them. If anyone thinks it is inappropriate, they can go to the Zhenbei Palace to file a complaint."

The words that Sheng Xingan was about to curse were choked back in his throat, making him cough. He put down his hand that was about to grab the whip and said, "Sister, you came to my house and laid hands on my daughter. You really don't respect me at all!"

"You said you wanted to come back, and I agreed considering that the Zhao family treated you and your daughter badly. But now you haven't come back yet, and you're yelling at Sister Yan. If you really come back, won't our Sheng family be in turmoil because of you!"

Sheng's eyes widened, her chest aching with anger. It was clearly Sheng Xiyan who whipped her, and she had never seen anyone lie so openly.

Sheng Xingan flicked his sleeves and said, "In that case, you and Sister Rou don't have to come back."

He actually said this to scare Sheng. Compared with an aunt who had just returned home, and a daughter who was about to marry into the palace and was loved by the princess, the daughter was of course more important.

Sheng Xingan just wanted to make Sheng know her limits and stop acting like a lady. He also wanted to tell Sheng Xiyan that he was still on her side.

However, Sheng was shocked. She didn't expect Sheng Xing'an to slap her in the face in front of Sheng Xiyan.

Now she is the one who has been wronged, it is Sheng Xiyan who is the eyeless elder!

It was hard enough for her to marry into the Zhao family and be a widow for so many years. Now even her parents’ family can’t tolerate her! ?

Sheng's face showed sorrow. She covered her chest with her hands and her whole body was swaying as if she would fall down at any time.

"Mom." Zhao Yuanrou held her in panic and shouted anxiously, "Don't scare me."

"Sheng Xiyan, you've gone too far." Zhao Yuanrou stared at her angrily, her voice filled with repressed hatred. "I know you hate me, but don't take your anger out on my mother. My mother is innocent. She just loves her daughter."

Sheng Xiyan played with the whip in her hand and said nonchalantly, "What should I do about what cousin Yirou wants me to do? Should I sit here and get spanked by your mother?"

Zhao Yuanrou said firmly: "My mother is your elder."

Sheng Xiyan smiled. Without saying anything, she strode towards Zhao Yuanrou and made a gesture to raise her hand.

Zhao Yuanrou sneered and pushed her shoulder. Sheng Xiyan took a step back, raised her hand and dropped it to her own hair, pushing the hair scattered on her cheeks behind her ears.

Zhao Yuanrou still kept pushing her, with both hands awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

"Cousin Rou, you also called me cousin, so I should be your elder, why are you fighting back?" Sheng Xiyan said with a smile, "Besides, I haven't hit you yet. Why are you so nervous?"

Zhao Yuanrou slowly clenched his hands into fists, gently put them down, and looked at her silently.

After a while, she sneered, "Cousin Yan, I have always regarded you as my cousin and respected you in everything, but you have disappointed me so much."

"You suppress me in every way for your own selfish reasons, that's fine, I'll just put up with it. But just because I put up with you again and again doesn't mean I can tolerate you forever. Since you can't tolerate me like this, then I'll just go home."

Zhao Yuanrou supported Sheng, hatred swirling in her eyes: "I just hope you won't regret treating us mother and daughter like this in the future."

This is how the world works. Because of her poor family background, she was bullied everywhere. If the wife of Marquis Yongning had not said that her family background was too poor and she was not worthy of the Zhou family, how could the Sheng family have thought of marrying the eldest daughter and how could they be willing to pass their only daughter on to someone else? !

In fact, according to her, this is not necessary at all.

What's the matter with the Sheng family? It's just a third-rank official's residence. She doesn't have to rely on the Sheng family. Zhao Yuanrou's back was straight, as proud as a plum blossom.

Zhao Yuanrou said directly: "Mom, let's go back."

She can't stand this kind of grievance!

Sheng was a little anxious. Her daughter was lucky to be able to marry into the Yongning Marquis's mansion. If the Yongning Marquis's wife looked down on her because of her family background, how could her daughter have a good life in the future? ! Moreover, her daughter didn't understand that day, but she heard it clearly. The Yongning Marquis's wife had already hinted that the Zhao family's family background was too poor, and once she married into the family, she would have to choose a good concubine for Zhou Jing.

"Mom, listen to me." Zhao Yuanrou held her hand and said solemnly, "I don't want this marriage."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked, except Sheng Xiyan, who had a calm expression. He sat back in his seat, put the whip on his knees, and just watched the show.

When Nanny Wang, who was brought by Zhao Yuanrou, heard her keep saying "no marriage", her face suddenly turned pale and she couldn't help but scolded: "Miss, you should be careful with your words. Being careful with words and actions is the duty of a woman..."

Zhao Yuanrou ignored her and supported Sheng, saying, "Mom, don't worry. I've said that I will never let you suffer any injustice in the future. Let's go back! Nanny Wang, you don't have to come with me. Go find whoever asked you to come. We, Zhao Yuanrou, can't afford to support you, a big Buddha."

After saying this, she hastily bowed to Sheng Xing'an, half pulled and half dragged Sheng away.

As she stepped out of the main room, she turned her head again coldly.

The Sheng family only allowed Sheng Xiyan to bully them in every way because she was about to marry into the Zhenbei Palace. When the Zhenbei Palace was destroyed and the Sheng family was implicated, she wanted to see who they could ask for help? !

On that day, she will make them prostrate themselves before her.

Therefore, she must climb to a height that they will look up to before that day comes.

The shame of today will be repaid tomorrow.