The General's Wife
After Shen Jinxiu finished the last stitch, she carefully cut the embroidery thread and examined it thoroughly before a smile appeared on her face.
The maid who had been standing by smiled and said, "The young lady's embroidery is really good. The princess will definitely like it."
Shen Jin pursed her lips and smiled, but did not take the maid's words seriously. If she calculated like this, then what about the embroidery of the embroiderers in the palace?
Concubine Chen heard the maid's voice, opened the curtain and came in, saying, "It's done, let me see it."
"Mother." Shen Jin made way for him and asked uneasily, "I don't know if Mother will like it."
"Silly girl." Concubine Chen glanced around the room and asked the servants to leave. She only left the personal maid Li Ma behind and took her daughter's hand and said, "Princess, you were born in the Zhao family and married Prince Rui. What good things have you not seen? Even if your embroidery is exquisite, it doesn't matter."
Shen Jin bit her lip. She immediately understood what her mother meant. Giving the princess a gift was just a token of her appreciation. Concubine Chen sighed, "It's all mother's fault. If it were... you wouldn't have to learn these things at such a young age."
"Mother." Shen Jin snuggled into Concubine Chen's arms and said in a soft voice, "My daughter is not little anymore."
Concubine Chen smiled and nodded Shen Jin's head, "Okay, go outside and look at the flowers and plants. The princess sent two pots of peonies today. The colors are very beautiful."
"Okay." Shen Jin was young and playful. Hearing this, he smiled and got up from Concubine Chen's arms and said, "Can I go to the garden for a walk later?"
"Go ahead." Concubine Chen herself didn't like to go out of the yard, but she didn't restrict her daughter.
Shen Jin then called the maid to go outside to look at the flowers. When Shen Jin left, the smile on Concubine Chen's face disappeared. She looked at the handkerchief embroidered by her daughter, sighed slowly, and then finished what she had just said, "It's all my fault that I didn't live up to the prince's favor, so Jin Niang has to find ways to please others at such a young age. Xu... forget it."
Prince Rui is the only brother of the current emperor. His palace is not only large but also beautiful. Shen Jin's favorite is the small pavilion built in the middle of the lake, especially in June when the lotus flowers in the pond are just blooming and are particularly lovely.
But unfortunately today, there was already someone in the pavilion. It was the princess's eldest daughter, Shen Qi. Shen Jin hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether he should go forward to disturb her. Instead, the maid beside Shen Qi came over and invited Shen Jin in.
"Why don't you come over now that you're here?" Shen Qi waved to Shen Jin when he saw her, asked her to sit next to him, and personally took a piece of yam and red bean cake and put it in Shen Jin's hand before asking.
Shen Jin peeled off the outer layer of glutinous rice paper and said with a smile, "Because I don't know what big sister is doing, I'm afraid of disturbing big sister's interest."
Shen Qi smiled when she heard that. She was the eldest in the family and had four younger sisters. Among them, the third sister was the most gentle and cautious, just like the little white rabbit she had raised before. She was not only soft but also very timid. But it was not her fault, because Concubine Chen in the mansion was like a transparent person and would not leave the yard easily.
The cakes made in the princess's small kitchen tasted great. The yam and red bean cake had a milky flavor but was not greasy at all. Shen Jin ate it happily, taking small bites at a time. Her eyes became curved. When Shen Qi saw this, she felt that all her worries were gone. After Shen Jin finished eating, she gave her another piece.
In return, Shen Jin smiled sweetly, "Thank you, big sister."
Shen Qi pinched Shen Jin's face, and it was indeed soft. "Eat it."
"So it's the eldest sister and the third sister hiding here and whispering." Shen Zi saw Shen Qi and Shen Jin from a distance, and immediately brought her sister Shen Jing over. Shen Zi was wearing a bright red long dress with scattered flowers and a pure gold phoenix hairpin on her head. The hairpin was inlaid with dazzling rubies. Although it was a gorgeous dress, it did not look vulgar. Instead, it made Shen Zi look more dazzling. It is not difficult to imagine how stunningly beautiful Shen Zi would be when she was a few years older.
Shen Jing, who was walking on the right behind Shen Zi, was wearing a green long skirt and a pearl hairpin on her head. Although she was not as dazzling as Shen Zi, she looked more charming.
Seeing the two, Shen Jin quickly put down the half-eaten cake and stood up, calling out first, "Second sister, fourth sister."
Compared with Shen Zi and Shen Jing, Shen Jin's pretty appearance is not good enough, but she takes after her biological mother, with fair, tender and smooth skin, and a pair of round almond eyes, which are rare in the Shen family where all the children have peach blossom eyes. Her eyes are especially watery and clear, as if to soften people's hearts. At first glance, she is not as good as her other sisters, but she is very lovable, and the longer you look at her, the more pleasing and beautiful she becomes.
After greeting each other, several people sat down. Shen Qi asked the maid to bring tea to the two of them before saying, "The kitchen has made some new snacks. You can try some." He only said this and did not personally take the snacks and give them to them like he did to Shen Jin.
"Thank you, big sister." Shen Jing took a piece of flower-shaped pastry first and said with a smile, "My mother's people are really skillful. This pastry is so beautiful that I can't bear to eat it."
Shen Jin pretended not to hear what Shen Jing meant. She took the half-eaten cake and continued to sit aside and nibble slowly, occasionally pinching some crumbs to feed the fish in the lake. It was very interesting to watch a group of colorful fish fighting for the food, just like these sisters at home.
Shen Zi took a sip of tea and suddenly saw the coral necklace on Shen Qi's wrist. She raised her head to look at Shen Qi's ears and saw that it was indeed a matching pair of coral earrings. When she heard that the palace had awarded a set of red coral jewelry, she acted coquettishly and wanted to ask Prince Rui for it, but Prince Rui did not agree to her. She did not expect to see it on Shen Qi today, and she was wearing it so casually.
Shen Zi's eyes were too explicit. Not to mention Shen Jin who had been paying careful attention to her surroundings, even Shen Qi who didn't care much about these two concubine sisters noticed it. He glanced at her wrist and understood. He couldn't help but sneer in his heart, put down the round fan in his hand, took off the string directly, pulled Shen Jin's soft hand, and helped her wrap it around, "I see that the color on your body is a bit plain, so I'll give this string to you to play with."
Shen Jin couldn't help but secretly groan in her heart. She had already hidden aside to feed the fish, so how could she be involved? But it was not easy to say much at this time. She just raised her wrist and shook it. The red coral beads looked so beautiful on her hand. She said happily, "Thank you, big sister. I liked it very much when I first saw it." Anyway, the necklace belonged to her. She had already offended Shen Zi, and it would not be good to offend Shen Qi again.
"Third sister, you really know what's good. This thing is a rare treasure in the palace." Shen Zi tightly grasped the handkerchief in his hand. Although he was furious, he had a smile on his face. "You must keep it carefully and don't lose it. I'm afraid that even the concubine has never seen such a good quality one."
These words were so sour that Shen Jin felt a toothache, but the second sister really liked red things, she was almost dressing herself up as a lantern.
Shen Qi smiled and said, "A family like us doesn't have everything we want. The only thing is the color of this thing. If you lose it, I will find a better one for my third sister." The implication was that he was mocking Shen Zi for being short-sighted.
Shen Zi's face changed, and he suddenly smiled and said, "Big sister is right, but I heard that mother is arranging a marriage for sister. Could it be that mother is preparing this thing specifically for..."
Shen Jin's eyes widened. How could she not know about this? It turned out that her eldest sister was going to get married. Wait, something is not right. This is not something that girls like them can talk about. If the princess finds out, they will be severely punished.
As expected, Shen Qi frowned, and Shen Jing also realized something was wrong, and quickly pulled Shen Zi's sleeve. Shen Zi didn't care at all, and continued, "You want your sister to be happy?"
"Someone come here." Shen Qi was not angry at all, and said calmly, "Tie up all the maids around my second sister." After saying that, he stood up. Shen Jin felt that he was unlucky today. Why did he come out for no reason? He was afraid that he would cause trouble for his mother again. Shen Qi was naturally not afraid of Shen Zi and the others, but Shen Jin was afraid. Moreover, the princess would definitely not let go of this opportunity. Not only the maids around her second sister, but even Concubine Xu would be punished.
"Sister, what are you doing?" Shen Zi stood up angrily and said anxiously and angrily. If Shen Qi tied up the people around her today, she would become a laughing stock in the mansion tomorrow.
Shen Jing quickly said, "Big sister, Second sister was just joking. Let Second sister give you a bad name. Let's forget about it."
Shen Zi didn't even look at them, and walked out holding the maid's hand, "Second sister, you should go with me to mother's place." Then he glanced at Shen Jin, and saw that Shen Jin's eyes were round, like a frightened little animal. His heart softened, and he softened his voice and said, "Third sister and fourth sister, go back first."
Shen Jin immediately said, "Yes." He turned around and was about to walk out, but perhaps he felt something was not right, so he stopped and said, "Then big sister, second sister, and fourth sister, I'll leave first." After that, he waited for Shen Qi to nod before leaving with the maid.
Shen Jing thought about it and decided to go back to her mother for help. After secretly giving Shen Zi a wink, she left.
Shen Jin actually regretted it so much that she went straight to the main room to find Concubine Chen. She ignored the maids in the room and went into her mother's arms, hugged her waist tightly, and smelled the faint fragrance on her mother's body with her little nose. Only then did she feel relieved. She still had to remind her mother about this matter. When Concubine Chen saw her daughter going into her arms as soon as she came back, she reached out and gently stroked her daughter's back and ordered, "Madam Li, go get a cup of honey water."
"Mother, I was just..." Shen Jin whispered what happened, then took off the string in his hand and put it in Concubine Chen's hand, and asked, "What should I do?"
Concubine Chen was secretly resentful in her heart. The eldest and second daughters were fighting, but no matter what they did, they had to drag her daughter into it. She was afraid that her daughter would be wronged again when she went to the study tomorrow. The second daughter was also a person who did not learn her lesson. No matter how favored Concubine Xu was, the princess was the one who called the shots in the backyard.
But it was not a good idea to say that now, lest she scare her daughter. She just said, "Don't be afraid. What happened today has nothing to do with you. Since this necklace is a gift from the eldest girl, you can just wear it. I have never seen such a beautiful coral necklace. It is perfect for your new goose yellow skirt."
Shen Jin came out of her mother's arms and drank half a cup of honey water. "I think it's beautiful too. By the way, the yam and red bean cake is delicious."
"Silly girl, if you like it, ask the kitchen to make some and send it to you today." Concubine Chen pinched her daughter's earlobe and said with a smile.
Just as Shen Jin was about to say a few more words, she saw Aunt Li coming in from outside, with a look of worry in her eyes, "Madam, the princess sent someone to invite the third young lady over, saying that she wanted to ask a few questions."
"Mother?" Shen Jin bit her pink lips.
Concubine Chen patted her hand and said, "Don't panic. Just tell the truth to whatever the princess asks." After thinking for a while, she still felt uneasy, so she stood up and held her daughter's hand, "I'll go with you."
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