Chapter 087
Shen Jin didn't wait for Chu Xiuming to come back, but she did wait for Chu Xiuyuan to come back. In just a short period of time, Chu Xiuyuan looked much thinner. Not only that, he also had a fierce aura. But after seeing Shen Jin, Chu Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law."
"I asked Madam Zhao to prepare the soup base, and the kitchen also sliced beef and mutton. You can use more of it later. You look a lot thinner." Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuyuan and said with a smile.
Dongdong sat in Shen Jin's arms, looking at Chu Xiuyuan with some curiosity. It was obvious that he didn't recognize Chu Xiuyuan anymore. Chu Xiuyuan smiled at Dongdong and said, "Okay."
Shen Jin smiled and said, "The little guy doesn't even recognize you anymore, go hug him and give him some affection."
As he said that, he asked Nanny Zhao to pick up Dongdong and carry him to Chu Xiuyuan's side. Dongdong looked at Shen Jin who was still sitting next to him with wide eyes, but he was obediently held by Chu Xiuyuan.
After all, Chu Xiuyuan hadn't held a child in his arms for several months, so it was inevitable that he felt a little unfamiliar with the situation. Dongdong cried out twice because he felt uncomfortable. Chu Xiuyuan quickly adjusted the situation and let Dongdong sit on his lap. He held Dongdong in one hand and took out a chain from his clothes and put it on Dongdong.
What came out from Shen Jin was only a piece of amber, which was as big as Dong Dong's fist.
"Eh?" Dongdong reached out and grabbed it, then shouted excitedly.
Seeing Dongdong's happy expression, Chu Xiuyuan's expression softened a lot, and even the murderous aura on his body seemed to be reduced. Shen Jin didn't say much, but just asked, "Did you encounter any danger this time?"
"It's not dangerous." Chu Xiuyuan said with a smile, "It's just a defense. There is no conflict with those barbarians."
In fact, Shen Jin also guessed that if it was really dangerous, Chu Xiuming would not leave Chu Xiuyuan alone.
Shen Jin didn't ask any more questions after hearing that. "I asked someone to send some roasted whole lamb and dozens of jars of Shaodaozi to the military camp in your name."
Chu Xiuyuan held Dongdong with both hands so that Dongdong could stand on him steadily, and stepped on him happily, "Thank you, sister-in-law." He knew that this was Shen Jin giving him face.
Just then, Nanny Zhao said that the pot was ready, so Shen Jin and Chu Xiuyuan went to get the food. They brought some dry food with them this time, so they wouldn't be hungry, but they wouldn't be able to eat anything good either.
Chu Xiuyuan was not polite at home. Dongdong could eat some complementary foods now, but he could not eat hot pot meat and the like, so Shen Jin asked Madam Zhao to carry him downstairs to feed him.
When Chu Xiuyuan finished, the two went to the meeting room and called over Steward Zhao, Chief Steward Wang, and Zhao Duan. It was the first time Zhao Duan saw Chu Xiuyuan. He knew Chu Xiuyuan's identity, so he was inevitably a little excited. He kowtowed directly. Before he could kneel down, Chu Xiuyuan quickly supported his arm, making it impossible for him to kneel down. He said seriously, "Uncle, why do you have to do this? Without the help of the Zhao family, Xiuyuan would not be where he is today."
Zhao Duan's eyes were red as he looked at Chu Xiuyuan with excitement. He didn't expect Chu Xiuyuan would follow Shen Jin in addressing him like this. The Zhao family was willing to help in the first place because they were loyal to the emperor and also because they knew that the prince would be a wise ruler. They felt sorry for the prince, so they took the risk. For these, the Zhao family had done so many things, and yet until now, the Zhao family has been despised by the Qingliu.
The Zhao family had never regretted anything, but when Zhao Duan heard Chu Xiuyuan's words, he felt a little more emotional, thinking that their sacrifice was not in vain.
Chu Xiuming's eyes also turned red, and he continued, "My father told me before he died that the reason why my father and I were able to survive was because more people sacrificed their lives, reputations, and futures for us. My father and I both remember this and will never forget it."
Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuyuan and seemed to see something different in him. It seemed that Chu Xiuyuan was no longer the immature brother of Chu Xiuming at this moment. He seemed to have become the grandson of the crown prince, a person who was given hope by many people and shouldered many things. Zhao Duan felt that such a long wait was not in vain. The Chu family taught him very well. He was sensible and responsible. "Your Highness is a blessing for Tianqi."
Chief Steward Wang and Steward Zhao looked at each other and were equally excited. It could be said that Chu Xiuyuan grew up under their care.
Chu Xiuyuan said, "It is my luck that I have you all, and it is also the blessing of my ancestors."
"We will have many opportunities to meet in the future." Shen Jin had already finished a bowl of tea and eaten a few cakes. Seeing that they were still complimenting each other, he said, "You all sit down first and talk to Xiuyuan about what happened recently. Xiuyuan has to go to the military camp in the evening. You can discuss it together tomorrow."
Chu Xiuyuan smiled when he heard this and said, "Sister-in-law is right. Sit down first. There will be many opportunities for us to work together in the future. We will talk slowly then."
Zhao Duan also realized his own gaffe and said, "Your Highness is right."
After Chu Xiuyuan sat down, Zhao Duan and the others sat down one by one. Chu Xiuyuan said, "Uncle, just call me Xiuyuan."
"It doesn't make sense." Zhao Duan said.
Manager Zhao smiled and said, "It's not appropriate to tell you about your highness's identity right now. Why don't you call him Major General like we do?"
Zhao Duan then said, "That's fine."
After the title was decided, Manager Wang and the others told Chu Xiuyuan about what had happened during this period. When it came to Xue Qiao's matter, Chu Xiuyuan, who had been listening in silence, couldn't help but ask, "Is it true?"
"I don't know." Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuyuan and said, "I'm afraid I have to wait for my husband to come back before I can identify him."
"It should be true." Chu Xiuyuan said, "If he didn't have these supports, the Prince of England wouldn't be like this."
In fact, everyone had thought about this. Chu Xiuyuan then asked, "What are you going to do?"
"If it's true, we have to find a way to bring him back." Shen Jin said, "Xue Qiao is still in prison now."
Chu Xiuyuan looked at Manager Zhao and asked, "Did those people say anything?"
"They don't know anything." Manager Zhao said. They asked everything they could, but these people sent by the Prince of England really knew nothing.
Chu Xiuyuan asked, "What about Xue Qiao?"
"Someone goes to ask her this question every three days, but she hasn't spoken yet," said Manager Wang.
Chu Xiuyuan was silent for a while and said, "Sister-in-law, if the child is real, would my brother agree?"
After these words came out, Shen Jin did not speak, but Manager Zhao and Manager Wang were silent. Would Chu Xiuming agree? They didn't know, and they were afraid that he would most likely refuse.
Shen Jin said, "If possible, my husband would naturally want to exchange the child back, not just because the child is my third brother." Shen Jin did not say the rest of the words, but everyone already understood that no one could guarantee whether a man like the Prince of England would act according to the agreement. If he gave in and got a taste of the sweetness, would he just hold on to the child and ask for more in the future?
Everyone was silent. Chu Xiuyuan pursed his lips and said, "If the child is real, we must keep him."
For him, the Chu family has already sacrificed more. In the current situation, Chu Xiuyuan doesn't want to see any more members of the Chu family sacrificed, let alone a child.
Several people tacitly stopped talking about this matter and talked about other things instead. Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuyuan and said, "Since you are back, the affairs of Border Town will be handed over to you in the future."
Chu Xiuyuan looked at Shen Jin with some doubts. Shen Jin said, "If there is nothing else, I won't come to the meeting room. If you have any questions, please find Xiuyuan."
"Sister-in-law." Chu Xiuyuan said, "You should come."
Shen Jin smiled and said, "I need to take care of Dongdong. Just come to me if you have any problems."
Because of Shen Jin's decision, Zhao Duan inevitably overestimated her a lot. She acted decisively without any power-hungry attitude. No wonder he could see that Chu Xiuyuan truly respected Shen Jin as his sister-in-law.
"Okay, stop talking." Seeing that Chu Xiuyuan was still trying to refuse, Shen Jin said, "It's settled."
Seeing that Shen Jin was really unwilling, Chu Xiuyuan stopped refusing and agreed. Shen Jin felt much more relieved. She was extremely exhausted because of all these things during this meal, and she even asked Nanny Zhao to prepare a lot of walnut kernels, almonds and the like.
After everything was arranged, Shen Jin left with great satisfaction, leaving the few people who remained in the conference room at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "Madam is really..." They did not say what "really" meant, because they did not know how to say it.
In fact, this is exactly where Shen Jin is smart. If Chu Xiuyuan has already returned, and she is still in charge of the affairs of the border town, Chu Xiuyuan, Manager Zhao and Manager Wang will not think there is anything wrong, but people like Zhao Duan will feel uncomfortable. Sitting down like this will be thankless and they will have to let go sooner or later. It is better to take the initiative to bring it up. I think in this way, when Shen Jin takes power again, those people will not be as worried as they are this time.
The most important point, to put it nicely, is that Shen Jin has no ambition, to be more precise, she has no big aspirations. She doesn't like these at all. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Every decision affects many people. Shen Jin doesn't like this feeling. She prefers to be spoiled by Chu Xiuming every day, accompany her son to eat and bask in the sun, and sometimes talk nonsense in front of Chu Xiuming without worrying about anything.
The weather was getting colder. Since he no longer had to go to the meeting room, Shen Jin felt relaxed all over. He started choosing leather early and then discussed the style of clothes with the embroiderer in the mansion.
Not only did Shen Jin make it for Chu Xiuming, Chu Xiuming, Dongdong and Shen Xi, but also for Zhao Duan, Wang Zongguan, Zhao Guanshi and others. Because the winter in the border town is too cold, Shen Jin specially made thicker ones for Zhao Duan and others. Zhao Guanshi and Wang Zongguan had never married, and although Zhao Duan had a wife and daughter, he did not bring them here.
In addition to theirs, Shen Jin also selected a lot of things and had them sent to the homes of other generals in the border town. Not only that, he also sent a lot of cloth and cotton from his private shop to make new clothes and shoes for all the soldiers in the border town.
In this case, because there was too much work to be done, Shen Jin hired a lot of people specifically to do it. They were asked to do as much work as they could. After the work was done, it was sent to the side door of the general's mansion. There would naturally be someone there to receive it. After they were paid and registered, they would continue to get things to do.
Because the pay was high, the requirements were also higher, but no one complained, and there were even many women from the families of soldiers in the border towns who came to get the work. These people were extremely attentive and worked very closely, preferring to go slowly to get it done well. You never know which one of them would be worn by a man, not to mention that the relationship between the military and the people in the border towns was excellent.
Xue Qiao couldn't bear it in the end. After being locked up for nearly twenty days, she told everything. When she was brought out, she no longer had the charm she had at the beginning. In that cold Buddhist temple, although she had enough food and drink, except for someone coming to ask her a question every five days, no one spoke to her anymore. There was not even any sound, not even the sound of footsteps.
Moreover, she couldn't see anyone at all. Every day her meals were delivered through a small window. After half an hour, if she put those things at the small window, someone would naturally take them away, but she didn't let them go, and that person wouldn't say anything.
People live in groups, and this was just loneliness. It seemed as if she was the only one left alive anywhere. In the following days, Xue Qiao would knock on the door every day and beg the gatekeeper to say a few words to her, but no one would pay attention to her.
The moment Xue Qiao was brought out and saw so many people, her expression was distorted and her eyes were dull. This time Shen Jin was present. Seeing Xue Qiao's appearance, he asked someone to bring her warm water and pastries, and then asked, "Are you ready to tell us?"
"I..." When Xue Qiao heard Shen Jin's voice, she felt hatred and fear in her heart. It was this woman who she thought was weak and could be bullied. She said calmly that someone would take her to the Buddhist temple, and then she was locked up. She couldn't help shaking, "I said."
Shen Jin looked at Manager Wang. Chu Xiuyuan was a little curious because he knew that his sister-in-law had never treated Xue Qiao unfairly.
Manager Wang asked, "How did you send the message out in the first place?"
Xue Qiao was eager for someone to talk to her, no matter what it was. After hearing what Wang Zongguan said, she said, "In the beginning, I was sent to the border town by the prince of the King of England."
When these words were spoken, several people frowned. "What's going on?" Manager Zhao asked in a deep voice.
"It was the Prince of England who saved me." Xue Qiao no longer concealed the truth and said directly, "My house was broken into by bandits and my whole family was killed. Several people protected me. When I thought I was going to die, it was the Prince of England who saved me. He was so heroic and extraordinary that he bent down and helped me up. I was so humble and insignificant at that time, but he..."
Shen Jin looked at Xue Qiao's blushing face and her lustful look, and suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about how the Prince of England came at such a coincidence?"
Xue Qiao looked at Shen Jin and said seriously, "Because this is the fate between me and the prince. It is destined by God that he will save me!"
Chu Xiuyuan didn't know what to say when he saw Xue Qiao's expression. Shen Jin looked at Aunt Zhao. Was this person like this at the beginning? Aunt Zhao shook her head slightly and whispered in Shen Jin's ear, "He looked very normal at the beginning."
Shen Jin thought that was because these people didn't tell her about the Prince of England at the beginning. "You misunderstood me. What I meant was that the Prince of England had someone pretend to be a bandit to kill your whole family, and then rescued you."
"Impossible." Xue Qiao retorted without hesitation.
Shen Jin looked at Xue Qiao, shrugged and said, "Forget it, it's hard to explain."
Steward Wang said in a deep voice, "What does the Prince of England want you to do?"
Xue Qiao kept his mouth shut, and Manager Zhao said, "You've already achieved your goal, so there's nothing wrong with talking about it now, right?"
As if he thought what Manager Zhao said made sense, Xue Qiao said, "The prince asked me to sow discord between Chu Xiuyao and Chu Xiuming, and to pass on some information."
"Who is the contact person?" asked Manager Wang.
Xue Qiao was silent again. Shen Jin looked at her and said directly, "In that case, send Miss Cousin back to the temple to continue recuperating."
"I said." Xue Qiao trembled, his face turned pale, and he said a few names. These people were the ones they had cleaned out after the incident.
Shen Jin looked at Manager Zhao, who nodded slightly. Chu Xiuyuan said in a cold voice, "Are you worthy of your aunt? She was so good to you, but you schemed against her only remaining son."
Xue Qiao pursed his lips and said with some sadness, "I don't want to do this either, but... I can't let the prince down. If there is no prince, I won't be who I am today. I will work like a slave in my next life to repay you."
Shen Jin looked at Xue Qiao and didn't know what to say.
"Then how did you plot against the Third Master?" Manager Wang said coldly.
Xue Qiao did not hesitate at all this time, "Because Third Brother thought I would be Chu Si's wife, he had no defense against me at all. He can drink a lot, but he can't drink tea."
"So it was Third Brother you were planning to deal with from the beginning." Shen Jin finally understood. But it made sense. Her husband was a very cunning person and he was calculating and cautious. Chu Xiuyao, who had a rough personality and weaknesses, was naturally much easier to deal with.
Madam Zhao asked, "Is the child really the Third Master's?"
"Yes." Xue Qiao showed a bit of sadness on his face, "I didn't do anything I wanted to do. How could I use such a thing to deceive people? I also don't want to see my third brother's incense die."
"Who is the child's mother?" Shen Jin asked without any warning.
Xue Qiao was stunned for a moment, his face turned a little ugly, and then he said, "Of course I gave birth to you after ten months of pregnancy."
But at that moment, everyone noticed something was wrong. Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes, and Zhao Ma understood even more. This was the first time Shen Jin was so angry. Even when he was treated like that by Princess Ruyang in the capital, Shen Jin did not get angry. But now, he just couldn't understand how there could be such a person. "Since you love the Prince of Ying so much, and even think of him as a god, and are willing to do so many things for him, how could you lose your virginity to your third brother! And the Prince of Ying, who is abnormal, would not let you do such a thing, because he has finally controlled you, how could he allow the slightest change."
When Shen Jin said this, everyone understood, especially Aunt Zhao, who understood it even more clearly at this moment.
In fact, there are some things Shen Jin did not say. From what the Prince of England has done during this period, it can be seen that he has a strong possessiveness, which means that no matter whether he likes Xue Qiao or not, he will not tolerate Xue Qiao having other men. Moreover, if a woman has her own child, it is inevitable that there will be some deviation in her heart. The Prince of England does not want Xue Qiao to do anything bad and ruin his plan because she loves the child. So the best way is to let everyone think that the child is born by Xue Qiao for Chu Xiuyao, and even let Chu Xiuming misunderstand that Xue Qiao wanted to plot against him, but because Chu Xiuming and Chu Xiuyao look too similar, there is a deviation.
It's just that the Prince of England made all kinds of calculations, but he met someone like Shen Jin who didn't do things according to common sense.
In the eyes of the Prince of England, Xue Qiao deals more with the queen's wives. So how can he make Shen Jin misunderstand the relationship between Chu Xiuming and Xue Qiao? Then, through various behaviors and hints, and with the support of the child, people in the border town will not dare to treat her badly.
Xue Qiao is best at the fights between women in the backyard, the kind that involves killing without blood and verbal confrontations, but Shen Jin just won't play with her, and won't even follow their ideas.
Do you want to tell me or not? If you don’t, I’ll lock you up.
Guan is honest now, will you tell me? If you are willing to tell me, then come out and tell me.
It’s that simple, just like when you encounter an enemy, you just beat him up without saying anything. After you beat him enough times, he will naturally behave himself.
Not only that, whether it was due to blood relationship or some other relationship, Shen Jin guessed the thoughts of Prince Rui and Prince Ying accurately. The several conditions in the letter were actually made just to allow Xue Qiao to stay in the border town.
The Prince of England thought he had achieved three goals with one stone. The first was to tie Chu Xiuming's hands, the second was to divide the relationship between Emperor Cheng and Chu Xiuming, and the third was to keep Xue Qiao in the border town.
Now there is probably no way to do the last point, but the first two things have made the Prince of England get what he wanted.
"So later on, you stayed with the Prince of England all the time?" Manager Zhao asked coldly.
Xue Qiao nodded. They didn't ask about the child's mother. According to the Prince of England's temperament, he would kill the mother and keep the child. Not only that, he might have calculated the time specially and let the people they prepared have a relationship with Chu Xiuyao. After confirming that she was pregnant, he set a trap and left with people.
Shen Jin looked at Xue Qiao and asked, "Is it worth it?"
Xue Qiao said, "As long as I can stay with the prince, it's worth it no matter what."
Aunt Zhao asked, "How many children have you given birth to the Prince of England?"
A woman who has given birth is different from a woman who has not. It was obvious at first glance that Xue Qiao had given birth, which is why they did not doubt that the child was Xue Qiao's.
Xue Qiao pursed her lips and said nothing. Nanny Zhao sneered, "But you gave birth to a son? The prince of the King of England promised that after the matter is completed, he would make your son the crown prince?"
Seeing Xue Qiao didn't say anything, Shen Jin said, "He lied to you. If someone really cares about you, why would he let you take risks?"
Xue Qiao glared at Shen Jin and said, "It's impossible. Besides, the prince only has one son, Lin'er."
"Because of poor health and inability to give birth?" Shen Jin asked casually.
Xue Qiao looked at Shen Jin with surprise and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Oh, it seems to be true." Shen Jin took a sip of the red date soup and said, "Then I was wrong just now. Since you only have one son, you can't have another one in the future. If it really happens, I'm afraid your son can really become the prince. But why do I remember that the prince of England has other sons?"
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