Chapter 038
It took Shen Jin less than an hour to get rid of all the people in the general's mansion. This matter had already reached the ears of Emperor Cheng when Chu Xiuming was unaware of it. His face changed again and again.
Because of this incident, Emperor Cheng originally wanted to send Princess Rui and Concubine Chen home after meeting Chu Xiuming, but now he decided to wait a little longer and let the Queen test Shen Jin first. Could it be that Chu Xiuming was the one who suggested this?
If you really count it, this is the first time that Chu Xiuming has appeared in front of so many people. At this time, everyone in the imperial study cursed in their hearts, this is called a ferocious face? Where can they put their old faces?
Emperor Cheng saw that the expressions of the old ministers had eased a lot, and the hatred in his heart became stronger. He smiled and said, "The Earl of Yongning has been guarding the border city for a long time, and it is also hard. It is a good opportunity for him to stay in the capital for a while on the birthday of Prince Rui and relax for a while."
"Yes." Chu Xiuming had a serious expression and his official uniform made him look even more handsome.
Even Prime Minister Chen, Emperor Cheng's father-in-law, sighed inwardly. He wondered how many ministers would be upset after seeing Chu Xiuming. Rumors really misled people. When he thought that he had spread those rumors at the suggestion of Emperor Cheng, even Prime Minister Chen couldn't help but feel guilty.
Even though Emperor Cheng wanted to kill Chu Xiuming immediately, he was afraid that if Chu Xiuming died, the border would be unstable, so he had to pretend to be kind to his meritorious officials. Therefore, the Yongning Marquis's Mansion in the capital was quite large. After Shen Jin drove the people away, the mansion was a little short of manpower. "Only one main courtyard and one guest courtyard were left, and the rest were all locked up."
Zhao Ma's eyes lit up, she understood what Shen Jin meant, and said, "I will do it right away."
Shen Jin nodded and said, "Sorry to bother you, Madam. Please make sure we send those people out as soon as possible."
"Yes." Nanny Zhao responded respectfully.
Anping went to help Aunt Zhao, but An Ning stayed to accompany Shen Jin. The little one squatted at Shen Jin's feet, wagging its tail comfortably, while Shen Jin brushed its fur with a special brush. Even if he occasionally hurt it with the wrong force, it would not struggle. After brushing its back, he would lie on the ground and brush its sides, which was a great enjoyment.
"Madam, how could you think of just chasing people away?" An Ning asked from the side.
Shen Jin said directly, "Because I don't know who I can trust, I just drive them all away."
An Ning thought about it, nodded and said nothing more.
Emperor Cheng invited Chu Xiuming to have lunch. When Chu Xiuming came back, Shen Jin was already taking a nap. Chu Xiuming felt something was wrong as soon as he entered the Yongning Marquis's Mansion. When he went to meet the emperor, he brought a servant with him, and left all the people he brought from the border town to Shen Jin. These guards had no idea of being gentle with women and were extremely capable of executing orders.
Several people worked together, one hand gave the indenture and the other hand gave the money, and then threw the person out. What else? Sorry, Madam didn't say.
When she met Chu Xiuming, Nanny Zhao told him everything. Chu Xiuming said, "Okay, let's do as Madam said. Search the house several times in the next few days."
"Yes." Aunt Zhao said with a smile, "I didn't expect Madam to be so thoughtful and not act until today. Yesterday, those people packed up the gifts overnight just to show off."
Chu Xiuming paused and looked at Nanny Zhao, only to see that Nanny Zhao was still praising Shen Jin, saying things like "although she usually looks confused, she is very capable in big things." He opened his mouth but said nothing, perhaps because Shen Jin had not thought of this at all. She slept when she entered the mansion yesterday, so she was sent away today.
"I never thought of such a simple method." Zhao Ma sighed, "I was still thinking about how to find out the spies and get rid of them without leaving any trace."
Chu Xiuming changed into his regular clothes, smiled, and then asked, "What did Madam have for lunch?"
"Because it was so chaotic this morning, Madam sent someone to buy some ready-made food from the restaurant." Madam Zhao said, "Madam actually had a few more bites of the sweet and sour fish."
Chu Xiuming nodded and said nothing more. Nanny Zhao also stopped talking. He first looked at Shen Jin who was sleeping soundly, then went to the study room next door. He called Manager Zhao over and asked, "How is it?"
Manager Zhao was Chu Xiuming's military advisor. Hearing this, he asked, "What aspect are you asking about, General?"
"Madam." Chu Xiuming looked at Manager Zhao with a smile.
Manager Zhao thought for a moment before saying, "Unexpected."
Chu Xiuming nodded, and did not talk about this matter again. Instead, he told the palace about what happened. Manager Zhao frowned and said, "I'm afraid that Emperor Cheng will ask the Queen to summon Madam to the palace tomorrow."
"Yeah." Chu Xiuming also thought of this after knowing what Shen Jin had done. He narrowed his eyes and said, "No problem."
Manager Zhao did not mention it again, but simply said, "It would be better for the general to meet Princess Rui in private."
Chu Xiuming exhaled slowly, "I'll contact those people in Beijing later."
Manager Zhao also understood that, regardless of how many of those people were left, whether there were any betrayers among them, they would definitely attract attention as soon as they arrived in the capital, and some things would be difficult to handle. "If Madam is trustworthy, it would be better to entrust the matter to Madam."
Chu Xiuming narrowed his eyes, shook his head slowly and said, "It's too dangerous, wait a little longer."
"Yes." Manager Zhao responded.
Chu Xiuming looked at Manager Zhao and said, "First, sort out the account books in the mansion. Don't worry, I know what to do."
Manager Zhao agreed, and when he saw that Chu Xiuming had no other instructions, he took his leave.
"Enter the palace?" Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming in surprise, "Aren't you going to visit mother and the others tomorrow?"
"Princess Rui and the others are still in the palace." Chu Xiuming said.
Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming with confusion on his face. Chu Xiuming explained, "I'm afraid that Emperor Cheng will ask the Queen to ask you about what happened today, and then let Princess Rui and the others leave the palace with you."
"It's really troublesome." Shen Jin said angrily, "Why... do I have to take care of the affairs of the backyard?"
Chu Xiuming touched Shen Jin's face and said, "Don't be afraid in the palace. I will pick you up."
"Yes." Shen Jin agreed, "It's okay, mother is here."
Chu Xiuming suddenly asked, "Did Princess Rui teach you all the housekeeping stuff?"
"Yes." Shen Jin said, "After my eldest sister got married, my mother took me with her."
"What about today's situation?" Chu Xiuming needed to know what kind of person Princess Rui was. Although he could ask Shen Jin directly, he needed to make his own judgment on some things.
Shen Jin nodded, "My mother said that if I can't guess something, I shouldn't guess or judge it. I should just solve it directly and not spend too much time on irrelevant things."
"Did something happen?" Chu Xiuming asked.
Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming in surprise, as if to say, "How do you know that?"
Chu Xiuming stretched out his hand and pinched her ear. Shen Jin hesitated for a moment before saying, "At that time, my father... and the wife of a servant in our family... and then promoted that person to be the steward. That steward was a little arrogant and stretched his hands too far. He offended my mother, and my mother directly ordered people to tie up their whole family, poured hot oil into them and sent them to the government, saying that they had stolen things from the mansion."
"Because my eldest sister is married, mother took my second sister and my two younger sisters to deal with this matter." Shen Jin hesitated not because she didn't want to tell Chu Xiuming, but because this matter was really hard to say. "Mother also said that as the head of the family, if you can't even take care of the affairs of the main courtyard, then you should just not care about anything."
"You haven't been back to the Earl's Mansion for so long. I'm afraid these servants have their own ideas. We might as well drive them all away." Shen Jin said confidently, "I can't tell who is useful and who is not, so I won't use any of them. Anyway, there are only two of us and the people we brought from the border town are enough."
Chu Xiuming felt that it was a pity for Princess Rui to marry the King Rui. Princess Rui saw it clearly and handled it cleanly. It's not that she doesn't care, but she will ignore you when you don't touch the bottom line. But once you cross the line...
"Did you have a nightmare?" Chu Xiuming asked.
Shen Jin shook his head, "My mother didn't allow me to see it, but she still asked the maid to make me some calming soup."
Chu Xiuming nodded, and Shen Jin smiled, "My mother told me specifically that if I try to play tricks, I will never be able to beat others. So when I meet someone of lower status than me, I should just ignore them. As for those who are higher than me... when I don't know what to do, just smile." As he spoke, he smiled, his eyes slightly curved, and the two dimples at the corners of his mouth were particularly cute. With such a smile, even those who wanted to make things difficult would be softened.
"It will be fine if I enter the palace tomorrow." Chu Xiuming was completely relieved. With Princess Rui around, Shen Jin would not suffer any loss. Not to mention that Shen Jin was born in the Rui Palace, Princess Rui's thoughts...
Shen Jin agreed obediently. Before the two of them could talk for a while, someone in the palace came with a message saying that the Queen would summon Shen Jin tomorrow and also invited Princess Rui and Concubine Chen to chat together.
After hearing this, Shen Jin was relieved. Although she still needed to dress up, she didn't need to wear the formal dress of the lady of the baron. However, the words "talking about family matters" were a bit subtle. Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming and lowered her eyes slightly. It's not that bad, is it? Emperor Cheng is trying to alienate the relationship between them? This is too... mean.
However, there was no harmony between Chu Xiuming and Emperor Cheng. Emperor Cheng and the Queen should have known this very well, but the three words "casual conversation" pointed out Shen Jin's identity. Shen Jin felt an indescribable feeling while picking his fingers.
Nanny Zhao reacted faster than Shen Jin. She sneered in her heart but didn't show it on her face. She just said, "What will Madam wear when she enters the palace tomorrow?"
Shen Jin turned to look at Madam Zhao and said, "Madam, please take care of it."
"Yes." Nanny Zhao retreated respectfully.
Chu Xiuming patted Shen Jin's hand and said, "No need to think too much."
Shen Jin responded and said, "I miss my mother and mother a little bit."
Chu Xiuming held Shen Jin's hand, walked back and said, "We'll see you tomorrow. If you like it, we can stay at the Rui Palace for a few days."
Shen Jin nodded.
In fact, Shen Jin was not nervous at all about entering the palace. After all, she went there once every holiday. But this time the feeling was a little different. Chu Xiuming personally sent Shen Jin to the palace gate. When she entered the palace, she was accompanied by a maid named An Ning. Nanny Zhao did not follow her. Shen Jin did not ask much. She turned her head to glance at Chu Xiuming who was still standing outside, and a smile appeared on Shen Jin's face again.
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