Chapter 042
Early the next morning, Shen Jin got up without being urged by Nanny Zhao. The gifts for Princess Rui were all prepared in advance. After breakfast, Shen Jin took the two maids Anping and Anning and Chu Xiuming to the Prince Rui's Mansion.
Chu Xiuming did not ride a horse today, but sat in the carriage with Shen Jin. Seeing that Shen Jin was interested in the shouting outside, he said, "Let's go for a walk in the capital in a few days."
"Is it okay?" Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming expectantly. Women in the capital city rarely walk on the streets, whether before or after getting married.
Chu Xiuming curled his lips and smiled, "What's the difficulty?"
Shen Jin played with Chu Xiuming's fingers with satisfaction, "That's true. Anyway, we will go to the border town by then." There is no need to care about those useless reputations.
Chu Xiuming didn't say anything else. When the barbarians besieged the city, Shen Jin worked with the people in the city, and his fingers were cracked and became rough. Later, with the care of Nanny Zhao, they have healed a lot, but they are not as good as they were in the capital.
Shen Jin suddenly remembered that he didn't seem to have told Chu Xiuming about his two brothers-in-law, so he quickly said, "My eldest sister married the prince of Yongle, and my second sister married the eldest son of the Zheng family."
Chu Xiuming glanced at Shen Jin. If he really waited for Shen Jin, he would be in the dark. Looking at Chu Xiuming's eyes, Shen Jin felt a little guilty and said weakly, "I forgot!"
"I do remember that the ham and bacon in their house tasted great, so I ordered a lot." Chu Xiuming said lightly.
Shen Jin blushed and took out a small oil-paper bag from her sleeve. After opening it, she saw a nail-sized pastry inside. She took a piece and stuffed it into Chu Xiuming's mouth. "Madame Zhao made this especially for me. It tastes better than the ones in the palace."
Chu Xiuming stretched out his hand and pinched Shen Jin's earlobe. He did not mention what happened just now, but just said, "That's natural."
Shen Jin felt that Chu Xiuming's tone was too matter-of-fact. He moved his mouth and swallowed the golden curl in his mouth, then took another piece and started eating. It seemed that he was not surprised at all that Madam Zhao could make imperial snacks in the palace, and he was even sure that Madam Zhao could make better ones. Could it be... that this shouldn't be the case?
After thinking for a while, she felt that she couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it. When she reached for the snack again, she found that it was empty. She looked down and found that it was empty. She looked at Chu Xiuming in surprise and then looked down at the oil paper. Could it be that she had just finished eating the pastries without realizing it?
Chu Xiuming took a sip of the tea, suppressed the sweet fragrance in his mouth, and asked, "Madam, is there anything difficult?"
Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming suspiciously, then looked down at the oil paper, then crumpled it up and put it aside and said, "No, my husband, do you think Madam Zhao will still be willing to make this cake?"
"Then Madam, please ask the nanny to find out." Chu Xiuming smiled gently.
Shen Jin wanted to eat it again, but she knew that this pastry was extremely difficult to make. It needed to be stretched into threads and then rolled up to taste good, so she said, "Let's wait." After all, she was reluctant to let Zhao Ma work hard. It would be a bit bad to make Zhao Ma tired for a golden thread roll. After all, jade cakes and butterfly pastries are also good.
Because they were carrying a lot of gifts, they walked a little slowly. When they arrived at Prince Rui's Mansion, the Prince of Yongle and his wife had already arrived. Shen Jin's face lit up with joy, and he walked inside with Chu Xiuming.
The King and Princess Rui were talking to their daughter and son-in-law, but when they heard the message, they laughed and said, "Whoever you say will come."
Shen Qi was wearing a bright red gauze dress today. She stood up and said, "I'm going to go meet Jin girl. I haven't seen her for so long and I don't know if she has gained weight or lost weight."
Yongle Hou's son was not confused either, he smiled and said, "I will go with my wife."
"Everyone, please sit down." Princess Rui said, "Just let Xuan'er and Xi'er go."
Shen Xuan and Shen Xi stood up and said, "Yes, mother hasn't seen elder sister and brother-in-law for a long time. You should spend more time with mother and talk to her."
Shen Qi's eyes flickered but he didn't say anything else, "Go quickly."
After Shen Xuan and Shen Xi paid their respects to Prince Rui, they went out to meet the Earl of Yongning and his wife.
Princess Rui looked at the Yongle Marquis and suddenly said, "I heard from Qi'er that one of the prince's concubines is pregnant. Qi'er is also ignorant. This is the prince's first child. How can the birth mother be a concubine?"
The heart of the Yongle Marquis's son tightened. At first glance, these words didn't seem like a big deal, but when they heard such words about a concubine and the first child, it was clear that Prince Rui was dissatisfied. If it wasn't for that day... the child born by Shen Qi should have been the eldest son of the Yongle Marquis's son.
"I was just about to discuss with the Crown Prince's Consort. When the child is born, no matter whether it is a boy or a girl, she should be brought to her side." The Yongle Marquis's son said gently, "The Crown Prince's Consort is virtuous, and the child she raises will naturally be the best."
Shen Qi's hands froze and she looked at her mother. If she had already given birth to the eldest son, she would naturally not mind raising a illegitimate child by her side, no matter whether it was a boy or a girl. If it was a boy, she could let the two brothers develop a good relationship and help her son in the future. A daughter would only be a dowry and the relationship through in-laws would also be very useful, but the problem was that she had no children by her side now.
Princess Rui narrowed her eyes and looked at the Prince of Yongle. Before she could say anything, she heard laughter outside. Shen Xuan and Shen Xi had already brought Chu Xiuming and Shen Jin in.
Chu Xiuming and Shen Jin first paid their respects to Prince Rui and Princess Rui. Shen Qi pulled Shen Jin to sit next to Princess Rui, and Chu Xiuming sat below Prince Rui and above the Prince of Yongle.
"Sister, I miss you so much." Shen Jin said in a low voice.
Shen Qi felt relieved when she saw her sister. Although she knew she was safe, she hadn't seen her. Among the sisters, Shen Qi had a better relationship with Shen Jin. She said, "Come to my house tomorrow. I just got some fresh fish and raised them in a pond."
"Okay." Shen Jin originally planned to go to Shen Qi's place, and smiled when he heard this, "Big sister still loves me."
Princess Rui saw the two sisters talking and stopped talking. She just glanced at Shen Xuan. Shen Xuan suddenly asked, "Father, what was mother talking about with my eldest sister and her husband just now? Did we disturb them?"
Seeing that Chu Xiuming was handsome and had made great military achievements, King Rui was very respectful to him and felt proud of him. He had just finished talking to Chu Xiuming when he heard his son's question and said nonchalantly, "Your eldest brother-in-law's concubine is pregnant and wants to register the child under your eldest sister's name."
When these words came out, even the youngest Shen Xi felt something was wrong, and looked at Princess Rui for a moment. Princess Rui did not say anything, but Shen Jin said hesitantly, "Is the child's biological mother in poor health?"
Yongle Houzi's face changed. The pregnant concubine, Yongle Houzi's cousin, the person dear to his heart, asked in a deep voice, "Why do you say that, Third Sister?"
"Aren't you?" The one who spoke was Shen Xi, who also looked at the Yongle Marquis's son and asked, "Could it be that you, brother-in-law, are planning to leave the mother and son behind?"
Shen Jin was frightened, and looked at the Prince of Yongle with horror, "Giving birth to a child is a happy event, this... is not good." Later, when she thought about the matter of someone else's family, she couldn't help but feel a little weak.
Shen Xi just felt very happy, "I think what my third sister said is very true. Even if the concubine is not liked by my eldest brother-in-law, she will give birth to children for you..." He shook his head.
The Prince of Yongle was simply stunned. How could he not like the concubine? If he didn't like her, why would he make such plans for her? The child raised by the wife could be mentioned when the time came for marriage.
Prince Rui also frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense, third girl." It was Shen Jin and Shen Xi who were bullying the Prince of Yongle. Prince Rui was reluctant to mention his son, so he mentioned his daughter's name.
Chu Xiuming looked at Prince Rui after hearing this. His calm eyes somehow made Prince Rui feel cold in his heart. Princess Rui finally spoke up, "Your Highness, this is wrong. Jin girl is only thinking about the Prince's Mansion and the Yongle Marquis' Mansion. How can this be considered nonsense?"
Prince Rui was a little embarrassed. He didn't understand for a moment. But Princess Rui looked at the Yongle Marquis's son and said, "I'm afraid the prince hasn't asked the Yongle Marquis' wife about today's matter. Why don't we ask her after we return home? If the Yongle Marquis' wife also means this, then for the sake of the family's heirs, I will accept the bad reputation my daughter has to bear."
Shen Qi understood as soon as Shen Jin started to speak. When the main wife has no children, there are only two or three situations in which the illegitimate children are raised by their side. Either the main wife is unable to give birth, or the illegitimate child's mother dies as soon as the child is born, or the last one is that the husband has an accident.
Shen Qi's situation is different from the other three. It's just that the prince of Yongle loves his concubine, and the concubine has bad intentions and is plotting something bad. If she gave birth to a daughter, it would be better, but what about a boy? The eldest child is raised by the main wife. When the prince of Yongle inherits the title, who will be the prince? It's okay for Shen Qi to have no son. If he has a son, given the favoritism of the prince of Yongle, there will be twists and turns again.
The Prince of Yongle could sit on this position with the help of Rui Palace. The last time Shen Qi had a miscarriage, there were some unclear circumstances. Princess Rui did not pursue it. After all, the child was gone and it would not be worth it to hurt the relationship. However, the Prince of Yongle owed Rui Palace. As expected, after Shen Qi recovered, the wife of the Prince of Yongle handed over the housekeeper's affairs to her.
Shen Jin's words hit the nail on the head. Why would the child be registered under the name of the wife when she had no children? The problem was not with Shen Qi, nor with the prince. It was naturally because the mother of the child was in poor health.
Chu Xiuming, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "A gentleman should cultivate himself and improve his character, so that everything in his family can flourish. Since the prince has married, the affairs of the harem should be handed over to his wife."
The implication is that you, the prince, are actually meddling in the affairs of the harem. "Father-in-law, don't be angry. I think the prince was confused for a moment. Madam and my eldest sister are close, so it's inevitable that she said a few more words. I'll talk to her in detail after I get home."
Shen Jin is now the daughter-in-law of my Chu family. Even if she said something wrong, I am your husband here. Even though you are her father-in-law, you can shut up.
Chu Xiuming's words were elegant as if he was blaming Shen Jin, but the meaning behind his words was simple and clear.
Princess Rui's eyes flashed with a smile, "Okay, I'll take the two girls to the back to talk about some private matters, you men can have a good chat."
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