Chapter 061
After Shen Qi finished drinking, Shuang Qiao quickly brought her some warm water to rinse her mouth, and put a candied fruit in her mouth. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Shen Jin was laughing happily beside them. They didn't take Shen Zi's words to heart at all, and even pretended not to hear them. Such disregard made Shen Zi's face even uglier.
Shen Rong gently touched her scar through the handkerchief. Seeing Shen Zi like this, she actually felt a kind of joy of revenge. If Shen Zi hadn't been unable to see herself clearly, neither her mother, her third sister, nor she would have fallen to the current situation. Her mother was still her father's favorite concubine, and she...
The wound had healed long ago, but a scar was left. Shen Rong was unwilling to go out unless she covered it with makeup.
Lowering her eyes slightly, Shen Rong said in a softer voice, "Second sister, third sister just went to change clothes."
Shen Zi glared at Shen Rong when she heard that, and saw that Shen Rong lowered her head and didn't look at her. Shen Zi frowned because she felt a little guilty, and didn't say anything to Shen Rong. Princess Rui didn't ignore Shen Zi, but just asked, "Are you feeling better?"
After these words came out, Shen Zi's face changed, but she didn't dare to say anything to Princess Rui. After all, she still had to rely on the palace. This time Princess Rui sent her an invitation, which made Shen Zi feel relieved. "It's getting much better. I haven't congratulated big sister on her pregnancy yet."
Shen Qi nodded and said, "Thank you."
After Princess Rui said that, she didn't ask Shen Zi any more questions alone. Shen Zi and Shen Jin were chatting about some family matters beside Princess Rui, and Shen Rong also joined in with a few words. For a moment, the four of them were all smiling, which made Shen Zi even more restless, as if he was excluded by everyone.
After talking for a while, Princess Rui smiled and said, "Let's go to the dining room."
"Yes." Several people responded.
An Ning stepped forward and helped Shen Jin up. Shen Zi finally found an opportunity and sneered, "Third sister is really delicate. Could it be that she is so cautious..." He didn't say the rest of the words, but the meaning was clear to everyone.
Princess Rui's face darkened, and even Shen Qi looked unhappy. Shen Ziguang saw Shen Jin being supported by a maid, and Shen Qi was also helped up by Shuang Qiao. To be honest, she was more careful than Shen Jin. Although Shen Jin's name was mentioned, Shen Qi felt uncomfortable hearing it.
Shen Jin didn't even look at Shen Zi, but An Ping spoke up, "Mrs. Zheng had a miscarriage before she even knew she was pregnant. It's natural for someone who doesn't know she's pregnant to be more careful. Besides, Mrs. Zheng and my wife are not close, so please call my wife the wife of the Earl of Yongning."
"I am the princess, how dare you, a bitch, speak like that." Shen Zi pointed at An Ping and cursed, "Third sister, your maid is a little uneducated, I will help you discipline her, someone come and slap her in the face."
Shen Zi finished speaking, but no one moved. Shen Qi sneered and said, "Second sister, you'd better go back to the Zheng Mansion to show off your power."
Princess Rui seemed not to have noticed any of this and walked out first. Shen Qi and Shen Jin walked behind her. Shen Rong also followed behind but did not get close to her two sisters. After all, they were both pregnant and would be hard to explain if something went wrong.
Shen Zi gritted his teeth and followed behind. When they arrived at the dining room, Prince Rui and his companions had not yet arrived. Princess Rui and her companions sat on the chairs beside them and said, "Cui Xi, go and urge the prince."
"Yes." Cui Xi retreated respectfully.
Not long after, King Rui came with his three sons and two sons-in-law. As soon as he came in, he smiled and said, "I'm late."
Shen Xuan said, "If mother hadn't sent someone to call us, I'm afraid we would have forgotten about it."
Princess Rui smiled and said, "You are all thick-skinned, it's okay to go hungry for a few meals, but don't let my two sons-in-law starve."
Shen Xi smiled and said, "Mother is partial."
The maid had brought water. After washing his hands, Prince Rui sat down first. Princess Rui then sat down beside him and said, "Rong girl, come sit next to me."
Shen Qi heard this and said, "It turns out that now that I have a fifth sister, my mother doesn't love me anymore."
Shen Rong smiled shyly and sat down without refusing. Shen Qi took Shen Jin's hand and said, "I want to sit with my sister." Shen Jin agreed with a smile and sat down next to Shen Rong. Shen Qi sat on the other side of Shen Jin. The Prince of Yongle sat next to Shen Qi, and next to the Prince of Yongle was Zheng Jiaqu. Shen Zi sat next to Zheng Jiaqu, and on the other side was his younger brother Shen Hao. Shen Xuan and Shen Xi also sat down casually.
After all, Shen Rong is not married yet and Shen Jin's husband is not around, so this arrangement is appropriate.
Yongle Hou's son did not come to the Rui Palace yesterday because he had something to do, but rushed here this morning. He asked in a low voice, "Did you have a good rest last night?"
"Very good." Shen Qi said with a smile, "I just used goat milk with my sister."
"That's good." Prince Yongle said gently.
Shen Jin smiled and said, "Brother-in-law really loves my sister."
Shen Qi was not shy at all. Hearing this, he looked at Shen Jin and said, "Of course."
Prince Rui and Princess Rui naturally saw it. They looked at each other. They were naturally happy that their daughter and son-in-law had a good relationship. Princess Rui said, "You are the naughty one."
Shen Jin smiled and leaned against Shen Qi's body. After all, Shen Zi was pregnant, so she didn't really lean on her. Shen Qi was also smiling. King Rui looked at his two daughters like this and smiled, "They just have a good relationship as sisters."
Yongle Hou's son also said, "With Third Sister accompanying me, I see that Madam's complexion has improved a lot."
Zheng Jiaqu thought of what his mother said and smiled, "Seeing my father-in-law's family expressing their true feelings, I feel envious."
Shen Jin looked at Zheng Jiaqu and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law Junma, you are also from the same family."
Before everyone could react, Shen Qi said, "Yes, the county horse brother-in-law."
The Prince of Yongle looked at Zheng Jiaqu with a subtle look. It was not wrong for Shen Qi and Shen Jin to call him that, but in the past they always called him brother-in-law. Although Zheng Jiaqu had a good reputation, he did not hold an official position after all, and Shen Zi was married to a princess. Now... although it was the truth to say this, it really gave Zheng Jiaqu face.
But looking at Shen Jin's expression, his eyes were curved, as if he just called him casually, and he also said that Zheng Jiaqu meant it as a family member, which was also a good thing, and the third sister had a good relationship with her family, so she said, "Don't you usually call me second brother-in-law? Why did the third sister suddenly call me like this?"
Shen Jin blinked with an innocent look, as if asking if there was anything wrong?
Shen Qi was already angry because of Shen Zi's words, and said, "Just now, Second Sister specifically mentioned that she is a princess, so Sister called her that."
Zheng Jiaqu's face darkened, but he couldn't say anything. He knew in his heart that Shen Zi probably felt ashamed that her two sisters, one was the princess of Yongle Marquis and the other was the wife of Yongning Earl, while he had no achievements, so he emphasized his identity as a princess.
He should have married a virtuous woman, but he married such a woman. Zheng Jiaqu felt extremely humiliated.
Princess Rui seemed not to notice this and said, "Your Majesty, please have your meal."
Prince Rui nodded. He didn't think there was anything wrong. As it was a family dinner, he didn't have too many people to serve him. So he personally picked up a piece of jade fern with his chopsticks and put it on the plate in front of the princess. He also picked up a piece of gongbao rabbit with his chopsticks. Then the rest of the people started to pick up their chopsticks.
Shen Zi was panicked, but now she realized that things had just eased between her and Zheng Jiaqu. If Zheng Jiaqu really misunderstood her, it would be bad. Although Shen Zi was proud, she knew that after Concubine Xu got into trouble, she would never be able to act as recklessly as she did before, because Princess Rui would never let Prince Rui help her out again. She said angrily, "Shen Jin, stop making up rumors!"
"Ah?" Shen Jin heard someone calling her name, so she looked up and saw Shen Zi's grim expression. "Oh." Then she picked up the pork tenderloin, put it on the plate and started eating. Although she had eaten breakfast and the bowl of goat's milk, she was still hungry. She found that she became hungrier more easily since she had a child, just like she needed to eat something after waking up from a nap in the afternoon.
King Rui frowned and looked at Shen Zi and said, "If you don't want to eat, go back. Why are you yelling?"
Zheng Jiaqu's face became even uglier. He glanced at Shen Zi and felt that she was embarrassing him even more. However, this was the Rui Palace after all, and he was not stupid. He lowered his head and picked up some food for Shen Zi with chopsticks and said, "Father-in-law, the princess has been feeling unwell these past two days, so her temper has become a little irritable. I apologize for the offense."
But even though he was speaking for Shen Zi, from the word "Princess" it could be heard that he did mind.
Princess Rui said, "Why call her Princess? Since the second girl has married into the Zheng family, she is naturally your wife."
Zheng Jiaqu smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, I understand."
Shen Zi wanted to say more, but looking at the situation in front of her, she knew that she would not get any good results. However, she hated Shen Jin. If it were not for Shen Jin... If there was no Shen Jin... The thought suddenly made her feel enlightened. If there was no Shen Jin, she would not have fallen to this point. She would still be the pampered princess of the Rui Palace, and her husband should also be...
Although there was Shen Zi's episode, King Rui was soon coaxed by others to forget Shen Zi's existence. The atmosphere became much more harmonious for a while, but Shen Zi's situation became awkward, and even Zheng Jiaqu ignored her.
Shen Jin didn't say much. She put down her chopsticks only after she was full. She held the warm water that Princess Rui had specially prepared for her and Shen Qi in both hands and drank it in small sips. She squinted her eyes and looked satisfied and happy.
Zheng Jiaqu undoubtedly saw Shen Jin's appearance, and sighed in his heart, they are sisters, why are there such big differences?
Shen Jin didn't notice any of this at all. She was leaning against Shen Qi and whispering in private. No one knew what they were talking about, but Shen Jin's eyes curved up with a smile, revealing her dimples. Zheng Jiaqu felt a shock in his heart, and his hand holding the wine glass shook, spilling the wine on his hand. Seeing that Shen Jin seemed to be looking over here, he raised his head in panic and drank the wine, but he choked because he drank too fast.
He quickly turned his head, because the prince of Yongle was sitting on the other side, so Zheng Jiaqu could only cover his mouth and turn to Shen Zi's side, coughing. The maid gently patted Zheng Jiaqu's back, and Shen Zi handed the handkerchief to him. Zheng Jiaqu took it and wiped his mouth, then said with a red face and a bit of embarrassment, "I drank too hastily."
Hearing this, Yongle Hou's son laughed and said, "The wine my father-in-law brought out was mellow and fragrant. No wonder my brother-in-law was like this. I drank a lot too."
King Rui naturally didn't mind and said, "Haha, as long as you like it, when you leave, I'll give you a few jars to drink. Just tell me when you're done."
Shen Zi was inevitably a little drunk, so he took this opportunity to leave and said, "Father, Mother, I'm going to change my clothes."
"Go." Princess Rui smiled gently.
Shen Zi then left with the maid, but Zheng Jiaqu felt embarrassed. He felt that Shen Zi looked down on him, and Zheng Jiaqu was a man of good literary talent and from the Zheng family, so it was inevitable that he was a little arrogant and aloof. Moreover, his original knot had not been resolved and he had just added a new one. Now seeing Shen Zi leaving in a hurry... he felt even more humiliated.
For some reason, I remembered Shen Jin's smile just now and couldn't help but look over. Shen Jin drank some water and put the cup down. She felt someone was looking at her, so she looked over and saw it was Zheng Jiaqu.
Shen Jin looked at Zheng Jiaqu with some confusion. He thought he was about to speak, but he saw that she was just looking at the front. Shen Jin thought carefully about what he had just done to cause Zheng Jiaqu to be like this. Suddenly, Shen Jin felt that he understood what Zheng Jiaqu meant. She was afraid that she had choked just now, so she wanted to drink water, but she was embarrassed to say that she was like this because she drank water. But after understanding it, Shen Jin felt a little embarrassed.
It's not that Shen Jin was reluctant to give up a glass of water, but because what she and Shen Qi drank was specially prepared by Princess Rui. It was neither plain water nor tea, but something for pregnant women to nourish their bodies. Then she thought that Shen Zi was Zheng Jiaqu's wife, and it was not her who gave it to Zheng Jiaqu on her own initiative, so she called Anping and whispered a few instructions.
Shen Qi, who was sitting next to Shen Jin, naturally heard it. A smile flashed in his eyes, but he had no intention of stopping it. Zheng Jiaqu saw Shen Jin talking to the maid, sighed in his heart but stopped watching, and clinked glasses with Yongle Hou Shizi and drank them again. Suddenly, he saw a maid bringing a glass of water over. The maid looked familiar as well, as she had been standing behind Shen Jin and serving him.
Zheng Jiaqu looked over with an idea in his mind, and saw Shen Qi and Shen Jin talking together, but not paying attention to this side. He took the cup, thanked them and drank the water. He didn't know what kind of water it was, it tasted bitter and sour, but Zheng Jiaqu felt much more comfortable after drinking it.
Yongle Hou's son also saw it, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He said, "Brother-in-law, drink slowly. Drinking too hastily is harmful to your health."
"I understand." Zheng Jiaqu held the cup and put it down when he saw that Shen Jin didn't look at him.
Shen Qi and Shen Jin were also talking about this matter.
"You bad girl." Shen Qi said in a low voice.
Shen Jin said, "Didn't my sister stop him? Besides, he is my brother-in-law after all. He can't be reluctant to give me a glass of water after watching me for so long."
Shen Qi thought it was harmless, so he let out a sigh of relief, gently squeezed Shen Jin's hand, then looked at King Rui and said, "Father, you are well now, but don't drink too much."
"I understand." King Rui smiled when he heard this.
Shen Rong, who had been sitting among the few people, probably saw it most clearly. Unlike Shen Qi and Shen Jin who didn't pay much attention to that side because they didn't like Shen Zi, Shen Rong noticed Zheng Jiaqu's loss of composure, her eyes flashed, and she made a decision in her heart.
After everyone had finished drinking, Shen Zi had someone bring over a few bowls of hangover soup, and personally handed it to Prince Rui and said, "Father, I saw that you were happy and drank more wine, so I specially made some hangover soup. Father, please use some of it as a filial daughter."
Prince Rui's expression eased a little and he continued, "You're already married, how come you're not as sensible as your two sisters?"
In fact, Prince Rui didn't mention any one in particular, but Shen Zi heard that he was saying that she was not as good as Shen Jin. She was annoyed but endured it. Princess Rui smiled and said, "Since the second girl has cooked the hangover soup, you guys should all drink it."
"Yes, thank you, second sister." Shen Xi also drank some wine and took the lead in taking a bowl of sobering soup and drinking it.
Shen Xuan and the others also thanked them and drank it. Princess Rui looked at Shen Qi and Shen Jin and said, "You two are pregnant, go back and rest. Fifth girl, stay with your sister and talk."
Before Shen Rong stood up and said anything, she heard Shen Zi say, "Mother, I haven't seen my sisters for a long time. Why don't we go to the garden and talk?"
Shen Qi frowned, and even the Yongle Marquis was a little unhappy. What was wrong with Shen Zi? Didn't he hear his mother-in-law say that his wife was pregnant and needed to rest? Why did he still pull her to talk?
Shen Hao lowered his head and didn't say anything. Shen Xuan and Shen Xi looked at Shen Zi with some annoyance. King Rui said directly, "Your sister and sister both need to rest. You and the fifth girl are from the same family. Go and talk."
Shen Zi's eyes turned red when she heard this, and she said, "Father, I know that I was willful and ignorant in the past, and I became a little estranged from my sisters. Today, I specially prepared some things, and I was anxious for a moment..."
Prince Rui pursed his lips and looked at Princess Rui. Princess Rui said, "It doesn't matter if you wait a little longer. Qi'er and Jin'er are heavy and easily tired. They came to accompany me early this morning. Second girl, you should talk to the fifth girl first and let them rest for a while. You sisters can get together later."
Having said that, Shen Zi felt that any more requests would be a bit too much, so he could only reluctantly admit it and said, "My daughter knows."
Shen Rong said, "Second sister, let me accompany you to walk around the garden."
"Yes." Shen Zi finally agreed.
Princess Rui looked at Shen Jin and Shen Qi and said, "You two should go back and rest."
"Yes." Shen Qi and Shen Jin agreed and left with their maid.
Shen Rong held Shen Zi's arm and stayed beside Princess Rui affectionately. Although she didn't say anything, she didn't let Shen Zi move. After Shen Qi and Shen Jin left, she said, "Mother, I'm going to play with my second sister."
"Go ahead." Princess Rui said with a smile.
Shen Rong greeted Prince Rui and the others again, and then went out with Shen Zi warmly. Who knew that as soon as they left the courtyard, before Shen Zi could say anything, Shen Rong let go of her hand, her face turned cold, and she said, "I think Second Sister is also familiar with the scenery in the mansion, why don't you find a place to sit for a while."
"What's your attitude?" Shen Zi said angrily as he looked at Shen Rong's ambiguous tone.
Shen Rong sneered, ignored her, and walked directly towards the garden in the mansion with the maid.
Shen Zi chased after her, grabbed Shen Rong's arm and said, "What do you mean?"
Shen Rong then stopped and turned to look at Shen Zi, sneering, "Second sister, what attitude do you want from me?"
"You..." Shen Zi took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I won't bother with you. It was wrong of me to hit you, but I also had a miscarriage."
Shen Rong looked at Shen Zi's expression, and suddenly smiled and said, "I was just joking with Second Sister, is Second Sister angry?"
Shen Zi carefully looked at Shen Rong's expression and found nothing unusual, so he said, "Boring."
Shen Rong's eyes flashed as she said, "I only have two relatives: my second sister and my younger brother." There was melancholy and sadness in her voice. Then she took Shen Zi's arm and walked towards the garden again.
Shen Zi bit her lip before asking, "What's going on between mother and fourth sister?"
Shen Rong lowered her eyes slightly and whispered, "My mother doesn't allow us to talk about it."
Shen Zi glanced at the servants around him and walked faster. When he reached the pavilion in the garden, he sent them out and said, "You can talk now."
After Shen Rong sat down, she slowly spoke, "Mother knew that my sister had a miscarriage..."
Shen Qi and Shen Jin left together and separated after leaving the main courtyard. The places where they lived were not on the way. An Ning whispered, "Madam, please be careful."
"What's wrong?" Shen Jin asked.
An Ning said, "It seems to me that Madam Zheng has ill intentions towards Madam."
Shen Jin nodded, thought for a moment and said, "I won't be able to see him anyway. Anping, tell your mother that I'm feeling unwell and won't be going to the main courtyard for dinner tonight."
No matter what her plan is, Shen Zi can't just rush into Mo Yun Courtyard. If she really comes in, it's hard to say who will suffer, but it won't be her.
An Ping smiled and said, "I understand. If Madam does this, then whatever Madam Zheng planned will be in vain."
Shen Jin complained quietly, "It's uncomfortable to eat together."
Anping and Anning both laughed. In Mo Yun Courtyard, all the food was what Shen Jin liked to eat. Concubine Chen also took good care of her during meals, so Shen Jin was naturally very comfortable.
Shen Jin thought about it carefully, wrinkled his nose and said, "Don't look at the large table of dishes, but you can only use what's in front of you, there are only a few in total."
"Madame Zhao will definitely feel sorry for Madam if she knows this," Anping said.
Shen Jin really laughed and said, "Anping, you are so smart."
Anping smiled and said, "Madam, is there anything you would like to use?"
"Sour bamboo shoots and duck soup." Shen Jin said without hesitation, "I was thinking about it while I was eating."
Anping said, "I'll remember this."
Shen Jin nodded in satisfaction, then sighed and said, "I just don't know how my husband is doing outside."
An Ping and An Ning looked at Shen Jin's expression and wanted to persuade him, but they didn't know how to persuade him. Who knew Shen Jin continued, "I think you are not as comfortable as at home. Those dry food and so on..."
Thinking of the taste of dry food, Shen Jin pursed his lips and said, "It's really not tasty, dry and hard."
"Madam, don't worry. The general will take good care of himself." Anping said gently.
Shen Jin nodded, "Well, thank goodness I don't have to eat it."
Anping and Anning looked at each other. Did they worry in vain?
Shen Jin touched her belly and sighed, "The baby doesn't need to eat, but my husband is really pitiful. Forget it. I will use half a bowl of rice later, just to help my husband eat."
Anping and Anning were now certain that their worries were in vain. Anping said calmly, "Madam Zhao will not allow it."
Shen Jin thought about it and slowly exhaled. Aunt Zhao said that if you sigh too much, the baby will be born wrinkled. After Shen Jin recalled the elderly people with wrinkles on their faces, he dared not sigh anymore, "Then my husband should come back soon to accompany me."
Chu Xiuming, who was worried by Shen Jin about not having enough to eat and drink, was leaning on a cushion in a brocade robe. The low table in front of him was filled with delicacies from land and sea. Because Fujian is close to the sea, some things that cannot be eaten in the capital or border towns are placed on the table. Two delicate and charming women in gauze were kneeling beside him. Whenever Chu Xiuming glanced at a dish, they would serve it to him.
There were four other low tables like this around Chu Xiuming, with four middle-aged men sitting on them. The women next to them were giggling. One of the men had already put his hand under the skirt of the woman next to him. The woman lay limp on the man, twisting her body in an especially seductive manner.
In the open space in the middle, there were several girls dancing gracefully. They were only wearing bright-colored cloth bags and silk long skirts, with light-colored gauze covering the outside. They had golden bells on their wrists and ankles, and their eyes were charming and their dancing postures were seductive.
Chu Xiuming's eyes fell on the plate of fish lips, and the woman picked up a piece and wanted to feed it to Chu Xiuming's lips, but when she saw Chu Xiuming's eyes, she felt a chill in her heart and didn't dare to act rashly. She just put the thing on the small plate in front of him, but found that Chu Xiuming had no intention of tasting it. She felt a little strange in her heart, but she didn't know that Chu Xiuming was thinking about his wife at this time. If she saw so much food, she would be happy.
Even the Prince Rui's Palace might not have such luxury as that in Minzhong. Just like the dish of fish lips that Chu Xiuming just saw, only the lips of each fish were taken, and the rest were discarded. Chu Xiuming had been in Minzhong for a few days, and there were such banquets every day, as if they were testing Chu Xiuming's bottom line, and each time was more extravagant than the last.
"But it's not to Earl Yongning's liking?" The man who was hugging the woman saw Chu Xiuming's appearance. They had been observing him these past few days, but found that no matter what situation Chu Xiuming encountered, his expression did not fluctuate at all. He was not even in a hurry to ask about the pirates as they had thought.
Chu Xiuming looked over and didn't say anything, just raised his glass. The man who was speaking smiled and raised his glass, then drank it first. Chu Xiuming then drank the wine, and the woman next to him took the wine pot and filled his glass.
The other three also toasted, and someone laughed and said, "I'm afraid these women are too worldly, not the type that Earl Yongning likes."
"Or does Earl Yongning not like women?" another one also laughed.
Chu Xiuming just looked at the man until cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he involuntarily avoided Chu Xiuming's gaze. Then he said, "I'm married."
"I heard that the Earl of Yongning married a princess from the capital?" They knew this and asked deliberately.
Chu Xiuming did not answer. He did not like talking about his wife with these people. Even if these people mentioned it, he felt it was an insult to his wife.
"If Lord Yongning likes anything, just let him know." The man who spoke first suddenly asked.
Chu Xiuming lowered his eyes slightly and sat up straight, "What do you want?"
Hearing Chu Xiuming say this, the man waved his hand, and the women around him and the dancers all went down. The man then said, "I wonder what the Earl of Yongning is planning?"
Chu Xiuming just asked, "What does Lord Liang think?"
Lord Liang was promoted to his current position by Emperor Cheng. As long as it did not endanger himself, he would of course listen to Emperor Cheng. However, Emperor Cheng's orders now really made them feel awkward, especially trying to get the pirates to kill Chu Xiuming? If they just wanted to kill Chu Xiuming, they could still fight, but the pirates? Would the pirates listen to them? In addition, Chu Xiuming's position in the army meant that even if Minzhong was their territory, those soldiers were not all theirs. If any word got out, they would be finished.
Moreover, who knows whether Emperor Cheng will kill them to keep the secret or hand them over to appease the anger of all the military officers? Moreover, Chu Xiuming and his men are in the northwest, while Minzhong is in the southeast, so their interests will not be involved.
"Of course I won't let Earl Yongning fail in his mission." Lord Liang said.
Chu Xiuming lowered his eyes slightly but did not speak. Lord Liang was relieved when he saw this. If he agreed immediately, they would think that Chu Xiuming had no intention of cooperating. At this time, he continued, "It will not tarnish the reputation of the Earl of Yongning."
"I want to collude with the official of the pirates." Chu Xiuming finally spoke.
"It was the pirates who colluded with those untouchables." Lord Liang said.
After Chu Xiuming finished speaking, he picked up the wine glass and slowly tasted the wine in it without saying anything else.
Lord Liang said, "When the time comes, we will naturally hand over those untouchables to Earl Yongning."
Chu Xiuming acted as if he didn't hear anything. He picked up the wine jug and slowly filled the glass. His eyes became more cold and arrogant.
Lord Liang looked at Chu Xiuming's expression and said, "Then let's do as Earl Yongning said."
Chu Xiuming then raised his glass to toast to Lord Liang, who also raised his glass and said, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"Yeah." Chu Xiuming responded, and the two of them drank the wine.
Lord Liang smiled and said, "I wonder what Earl Yongning's next plan is?"
Chu Xiuming said, "I hope you can move faster."
"Well? What's the urgent matter, Lord Yongning?" asked Lord Liang.
Chu Xiuming said casually, "My wife and children are in the capital."
Lord Liang understood immediately. Just like Emperor Cheng was concerned about Chu Xiuming, Chu Xiuming also had concerns. "Congratulations to Earl Yongning in advance."
Chu Xiuming responded and said nothing more, and Lord Liang also stopped talking.
In Moyun Courtyard, Shen Jin was sleeping soundly in bed. Anping and Anning had already told Madam Zhao and Concubine Chen about Shen Zi's abnormalities. Madam Zhao asked, "What did Madam say?"
"Madam asked me to go and apologize to the princess, saying that I couldn't come because I was not feeling well." Anping said with a smile.
Concubine Chen chuckled when she heard this, "Then go ahead."
"Yes." Anping agreed.
Madam Zhao also said, "Madam, this is also good."
Although no one thinks Shen Zi has much ability, Shen Jin is pregnant now, so it is better to be careful. Besides, it is not as comfortable over there as in this courtyard.
After meeting Anping, Princess Rui also said, "Let Jin girl have a good rest. I will tell the prince."
Anping responded respectfully, and when he saw that Princess Rui had no other instructions, he withdrew.
In the garden, Shen Zi's face changed again and again after hearing what Shen Rong said. Shen Rong was happy in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She just stood up and said, "If you want to visit mother and fourth sister, just go to Yilan Garden over there. I'll go back and change my clothes first."
Shen Zi was in no mood to talk to Shen Rong. He was struggling in his heart. Shen Rong took the maid but did not return to the courtyard where she lived. Instead, she asked, "Have you arranged it?"
"Yes." The maid said, "The third young master has already led the eldest young master of the Zheng family over there."
Shen Rong nodded slightly, and walked towards the plum garden with the maid. Because it was not the season for plum blossoms to bloom, the garden was a bit deserted. After Shen Rong and the maid went there, they sat in the pavilion. There was a rockery not far from the pavilion. The scenery in the whole garden was scattered and orderly, and it also had a unique flavor.
A lantern swayed in the distance, and the maid asked, "Miss, are you telling the truth?"
"Yeah." Shen Rong sighed and said with some discomfort, "I just found out that it was my second sister who was supposed to marry Earl Yongning. However, the border town is cold, and after hearing the rumors about Earl Yongning, my second sister was unwilling, so she asked mother for help. At that time, mother was favored and had some respect in front of father, and my third sister... finally snatched my third sister's marriage, making my third sister..." She sighed with some melancholy.
The maid said, "Then why did the second princess blame the prince for being unfair? She should have married the Earl of Yongning."
"What nonsense." Shen Rong said.
The maid said, "I am not talking nonsense. If it weren't for this, Concubine Xu..."
As if because of the mention of her mother, Shen Rong said with a bit more sadness, "Rumors are not to be believed. Who would have thought that Third Brother-in-law is such a person? Second Sister would regret it... But Second Brother-in-law is also very good. It's just that Second Sister always likes to put Third Sister first, so she is unhappy."
Behind the rockery, Zheng Jiaqu's face turned pale and he covered Shen Hao's mouth with his hand. Shen Hao was the youngest son of Prince Rui and also the biological brother of Shen Zi. Zheng Jiaqu knew in his heart that the Zheng family needed a backer in their current situation. When Prince Rui was in trouble, they avoided him for fear of being implicated. But now it seems that they were wrong, so they urgently needed to build closer relations with Prince Rui's Mansion. Shen Zi seemed to have a bad relationship with the people in the mansion, so when Shen Hao showed goodwill, Zheng Jiaqu was happy, and the two of them talked alone.
The two of them accidentally walked into the Plum Garden, and when they came over, they found someone talking. They recognized it was Shen Rong and her maid, and wanted to avoid them, but they never expected to hear what they heard. When Shen Hao wanted to speak, Zheng Jiaqu quickly covered his mouth.
"Does the third princess know?" the maid asked in horror.
Shen Rong sighed, "I know. Concubine Chen and my third sister begged my father, but my father... Concubine Chen couldn't say anything in front of my father."
The maid said, "No wonder the Third Princess doesn't want to talk to the Second Princess."
Shen Rong shook her head and said nothing more, "Forget it, I'll go visit my mother."
"The girl is just too kind. If it weren't for the Second Princess, how could she have a scar on her face?" The maid felt a little aggrieved.
Shen Rong said, "Second sister didn't mean it."
"I heard that the second princess deliberately trimmed her nails like that?" asked the maid.
Shen Rong pursed her lips and said, "My second sister and I are sisters. She would never treat me like this. She just feels that she has lost to my third sister and second sister..."
"Is the Second Princess planning to hurt the Third Princess?" the maid exclaimed.
Shen Rong said quickly, "Don't talk nonsense, let's go."
"Yes." The maid said no more and helped Shen Rong leave.
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