Chapter 108 The Child If She Had a Child...
*
"Which Prince Chen?"
This surprised question came from Li.
She was so surprised that her face was full of shock, and she was somewhat out of control.
The one who came to deliver the imperial edict was Eunuch Qin, a favorite of the current emperor. Eunuch Qin held the imperial edict in his hands. Although the edict was not opened, someone like him who served the emperor knew its contents.
When Shen Linlang asked when the decree was issued, he wanted to curry favor, so he first offered repeated congratulations and then explained why he was so happy.
Shen Linlang didn't have time to react, looking somewhat bewildered. When she heard Li ask her question, she finally came to her senses. Naturally, she didn't care about Li's attitude and was full of doubts.
Seeing their reaction, Eunuch Qin thought to himself that this was truly unexpected.
"Under the whole heaven, is there another Prince Chen?"
"How is this possible?" Li murmured.
Even if we disregard her opinion, Shen Linlang, as the mother, thought that her daughter and Prince Chen were not very related, so how could they be betrothed?
When the emperor's trusted confidant delivered the decree, Shen Linlang was not foolish enough to question whether there had been any mistakes. Instead, she immediately adjusted her emotions, appearing both surprised and grateful.
Grandpa Qin was all smiles, looking to be in a very good mood.
Especially when he saw Shen Qinglu, his smile looked even more amiable.
Shen Qinglu recognized him at a glance; he was the attendant of the man who had spoken to her on the day Prince Chen returned to the capital. He was a favorite of the Emperor, so his master's status was self-evident.
He unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud in a high-pitched voice.
Finally, the imperial edict was handed to Shen Qinglu, "Congratulations, Miss Shen."
Shen Qinglu accepted the imperial edict and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency."
When she looked up, it was as if she had just recognized him; a slight ripple appeared in her dark, jade-like eyes, which quickly disappeared.
The old man admired her composure in the face of danger and her perfect and steady response, and congratulated her again.
This joy belongs to the Shen family. Even though they all received the imperial decree at the same time, some people don't feel that they have benefited from it or that they can share in the joy. Instead, they are filled with jealousy and hatred, and their hearts are filled with indescribable discomfort.
Seeing her daughter's sullen face and undisguised thoughts, Li quickly gave Zhao Danxin a meaningful look.
Zhao Danxin seemed to see nothing except Shen Qinglu, who was holding the imperial edict.
"Quickly stop looking so miserable and smile!" Madam Li was anxious and had to come over to remind her.
She forced a smile, which looked more like a grimace. "Mother, she knows everything..."
"You know everything?" Madam Li's attention was still on the Shen family mother and daughter. She watched them talk to Eunuch Qin and then walked him a few steps away. She only glanced at her daughter out of the corner of her eye. "I just mentioned to your cousin that a family with a daughter is sought after by many families. This is not something to be ashamed of."
"No, it's not that... it's about my older brother... There's something I haven't told Mother. My cousin Tang'er came to see my older brother the day before yesterday..."
Upon hearing this, Li was greatly alarmed.
"What did you say? Why didn't you say so sooner!"
She, as a mother, couldn't possibly be completely unaware of what her son was thinking.
Previously, the Shen family had no interest in the Zhao family, and Yu Liuzhu didn't think much of them either. She held a grudge and often tried to dissuade her son from pursuing them.
Later, when news broke about the real and fake Shen family nieces, she was afraid that her son, being hot-blooded, might do something outrageous in a moment of impulsiveness, so she sent people to keep an eye on him every day.
"I knew he'd suddenly changed his mind; it turns out he'd been misled..."
When she heard that her son wanted to marry into the Shen family, she thought that young people are not easy to get along with, and that Shen Qinglu was more beautiful than Yu Liuzhu, which caused her son to fall in love with someone else.
After much deliberation and weighing of the options, she realized that the General's Mansion clearly valued Shen Qinglu, and that Shen Qinglu had climbed up to Feng Chengying, which led to today's arrangement.
"I've been on guard day and night, planning and scheming, but I never imagined it was you who ruined things!"
She kept her voice down, and you could vaguely hear her grinding her teeth, but she wouldn't do it in someone else's house.
"Mother, what should we do? She knows everything..."
"You mean she knows your brother is interested in her?" Madam Li frowned, then quickly relaxed. "It doesn't matter. It just shows she's a good girl, and your brother has good taste."
Zhao Danxin dared not hide it any longer, her voice barely audible, "She knows that Cousin Tang'er went to see my eldest brother..."
"What!" Li's gaze was somewhat frightening, as if her eyes were about to pop out. "How did she know?"
"I...I don't know, she just knew, it wasn't me who said it..."
After Eunuch Qin left, the servants of the Shen family could no longer contain their joy. They beamed with happiness and kept saying congratulations to the madam and the young lady.
Shen Linlang waved her hand and said that everyone would receive lucky money, which drew cheers from everyone.
Seeing this, Li suppressed her anger and shock, pulled her daughter aside, and said in a tone that was both angry at her daughter's lack of self-control and commanding, "Stop acting like this, and don't think about this again!"
After saying that, he pulled Zhao Danxin forward.
"Congratulations!" She tried to appear proud and smiled at Shen Qinglu. "I knew this child was extraordinary the first time I met her, but I never expected her to be so lucky."
Shen Linlang recalled her previous hints about arranging a marriage, her eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled as well, "Heaven have mercy, my Ali has suffered so much in the past, but now that the suffering is over, everything will surely go smoothly for him in the future."
“Of course, this child has suffered for more than ten years, and I, as her aunt, feel sorry for her. Now that everything is better for her, I am happier than anyone else, and I also hope that she will be rich and carefree in the future.”
They went back and forth, and seemed no different from before.
Apart from Zhao Danxin, who was still slightly unable to control her emotions, the whole scene seemed harmonious.
The Zhao and Shen families are related by marriage, and the better the Shen family prospers, the more the Zhao family benefits. Madam Li is a shrewd woman; she knows that personal grudges are far less important than the greater good of the family, so no matter what, she will outwardly be happy for the Shen family.
She was a sensible person and knew that under such circumstances, it was not advisable for her and her daughter to stay any longer. Just as she was about to take her leave, Gu Ruxu arrived.
Gu Ruxu had clearly received the news; her face was flushed, making her already beautiful features even more radiant.
Shen Changting, who came along, ran fast and arrived in front of Shen Qinglu early, acting like a little adult and spouting words of congratulations.
Shen Linlang smiled as she looked at her cousins, and exchanged a glance with Gu Ruxu.
Gu Ruxu said, "As soon as I heard that the people from the palace were heading straight for you, I couldn't sit still and hurriedly followed. I just ran into Eunuch Qin at the alley entrance. I never expected it to be such a joyous occasion."
Since Li was unable to leave, she was inevitably subjected to another round of flattery. After praising her repeatedly, her smile grew increasingly stiff. Just as she was about to take her leave again, Meng and her daughter Gu Shizhi arrived.
Gu Shizhi, like a cunning little man, followed Shen Qinglu on either side of Shen Changting.
"Sister, now that the Divine Strategist is my brother-in-law, can I ask him for advice anytime?"
"Sister Ali, you and the Divine Strategist are the most beautiful people I have ever seen. I even secretly thought that it would be great if you two could become husband and wife. I never thought it would actually be true."
"Sister, what do you think I, as his brother-in-law, should call him?"
"Sister Ali, I've also thought that if you two were husband and wife, your child would definitely be the most beautiful child in the world."
They talked back and forth, each saying their own thing, which made the adults chuckle.
Gu Ruxu laughed out loud and gave her son a reproachful look, "Look at you, it's exactly what he wanted that Ali was betrothed to His Highness Prince Chen."
“And Zhi’er.” Madam Meng laughed as well. “Look at her, it’s like she can’t wait for Ali and His Highness Prince Chen to have a child.”
The word "child" made Shen Qinglu pause for a moment.
She had thought about everything, but never this question.
In both her past and present lives, her only goal has been to live. All her thoughts and ideas revolve around herself. Whether she lives or dies, it is all her own business.
If she has children...
Images of Mu Hanshi flashed through her mind, switching back and forth between cold, mad, noble, and gloomy.
No.
They were just cooperating; they had no feelings for each other.
Perhaps the reason her biological parents abandoned her in her past life was because they didn't love each other.
So how could she possibly want a child!
"Stop talking, Ah Li is so shy, he looks like he can't even stand up straight." Li's voice interrupted, sounding like a senior protecting a junior.
But in fact, among those present, she was the furthest removed in terms of blood relation.
Both Gu Ruxu and Meng Shi had somewhat subtle expressions, especially Gu Ruxu, whose face could be described as cold.
When Zhao's mother was still alive, she had a harmonious relationship with her mother-in-law.
Because of Zhao's mother, she has had frequent and close interactions with the Zhao family over the years. Otherwise, she would not have entrusted Shen Qinglu to Zhao Danxin when Shen Qinglu went to Princess Fangfei's spring outing last time.
Although Zhao Danxin promptly sent out information after the incident, and her explanations were all quite reasonable, in her view, many things deserve deeper consideration.
She gave Li a meaningful look, then turned to Shen Qinglu, "Ali, are you alright?"
“Aunt, I’m fine.” Shen Qinglu also looked at Li Shi, her gaze calm and indifferent. “Aunt, you’ve misunderstood. Getting married and having children are normal things. Why should we be so taboo about it when relatives talk about it?”
"I misread it. I thought you were just embarrassed," Li said awkwardly, her expression somewhat embarrassed.
The lively and festive atmosphere of the room seemed to exclude her.
She was angry, but dared not show it because the Zhao family was clearly inferior to the Gu and Chen families.
But Zhao Danxin was not like her; she not only failed to control her jealousy and dissatisfaction, but also revealed it in her words.
A voice, seemingly concerned but actually harboring malice, rang out: "It is indeed a cause for celebration that Cousin Ali has found such a good match. I remember His Highness Prince Chen once said that he already has someone he loves. I wonder if that person is Cousin Ali?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
