Chapter 142
What happened after the second election
Although Chu Xiuming did not come to see Shen Jin off, he came to pick up Shen Jin in person. Sitting in the carriage, Shen Jin showed him the list, which was similar to what Chu Xiuming had thought, but there were a few families that were not on the list. Chu Xiuming was not surprised, as he was thinking more about the family.
Chu Xiuyuan's current status does not require him to rely on the power of his father-in-law's family to balance the government, so when choosing a queen, he does not need a prominent family. Instead, he needs a family with no fools. The most important thing is character and vision.
Although the queen's job is only to manage the harem and raise children so that the emperor has no worries, these are often very important. A mother's influence has a great impact on the growth of her children, both through words and deeds.
When children are young, they tend to stay with their mothers. Although it is not certain that a child's character can be judged by the age of three, it also represents the importance of these three years. When the child grows up, the father should keep the child by his side. It is just like the way Emperor Cheng treats his enemies. He has ambition but lacks the strength to match his ambition, and those methods are too despicable.
Princess Rui excluded those families, probably because there was something inappropriate about the girls from those families.
Shen Jin said, "Actually, my mother's niece is very good." She had spent quite some time with that girl, "but she's not suitable."
Chu Xiuming lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Yes."
Shen Jin didn't say anything else, "Then I'll write the post when I get back."
"Add a few more." Chu Xiuming said. They couldn't let anyone know that they were only choosing from these few. Adding more could also serve as a cover. "How are you going to choose?"
Shen Jin leaned over to Chu Xiuming's ear and whispered. Chu Xiuming had a smile in his eyes. He put his arm around Shen Jin's waist and held her in his arms. He pinched a piece of candied fruit and put it in her mouth. Shen Jin puffed up her cheeks and ate it slowly. It felt like they hadn't reached home for a long time, so she opened the car window, looked out and said, "Hey, this is not the way home."
"Didn't you want to try the fish sashimi from West Street the day before yesterday?" Although Chu Xiuming didn't laugh, his voice was very gentle. Shen Jin's casual remark was remembered by him.
As expected, Shen Jin's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously, "I heard about it from An Ning as well. Yue Wen took An Ning to eat there and said it tasted great."
Chu Xiuming squeezed Shen Jin's hand. She had lost a lot of weight before, but now she was fatter. However, Chu Xiuming was not satisfied at all. He always felt that she was much thinner than when he first saw her.
There is a restaurant on West Street that makes good fish sashimi. The fish is very fresh and the chefs are skilled. It is said that the boss originally came from the coastal area to do business, and the craftsmanship is passed down from generation to generation. The seafood in this restaurant is pretty good, without too much seasoning, and tastes delicious. However, the rest of the dishes are only average. Shen Jin did not eat much because the imperial physician also said that she was a little weak and needed to take good care of herself. She could only taste seafood and the like.
After finishing his business, Chu Xiuming found a ready-made clothing store and took Shen Jin to change into the clothes he had prepared in advance. Then he stopped the carriage and drove around West Street. There were many snacks on West Street, and it was especially lively at night. Many people would bring their families here to play after a hard day, and buy some gadgets or food. The things here were not expensive.
It was Shen Jin's first time here. Looking at the lively scene, it seemed that the fatigue and laziness of the past few days had disappeared, and the whole person became energetic. Chu Xiuming held Shen Jin in his arms, and the guards also changed their clothes and dispersed to follow them. Even the maids were sent away by Chu Xiuming, letting them go and play by themselves.
The things here are not precious, but they are very interesting to look at. There are various small animals made of bamboo, and a small attic made of straw and bamboo. Shen Jin liked them so he bought some more to take home for the children to play with. In addition, there are also things like clay figurines and dough figurines. Shen Jin also bought some sugar paintings and had them wrapped up. These were handed over to the guards following behind. Shen Jin naturally knew that someone was following him, but as long as they didn't disturb them, Shen Jin wouldn't care.
After walking for a while, Chu Xiuming took Shen Jin to a teahouse to rest. Unexpectedly, they saw a beggar in dirty clothes curled up in a corner not far from the teahouse. Several people were kicking and beating him. Shen Jin was stunned, "Is there no one to take care of it?"
Chu Xiuming took a look and stopped paying attention, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, "Who knows."
Shen Jin remembered that there were soldiers patrolling the capital. If they really wanted revenge or disliked the beggar, these people should not be in such a place. If they were discovered, they would be locked up in jail for three to five days at the least, or even more severely punished. Shen Jin didn't know what happened during the reign of Emperor Cheng, but Chu Xiuyuan was not a soft-hearted person. Since he ascended the throne, the political laws have been strict, and such a thing should not happen.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Shen Jin was stunned and said, "Then send them all away..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw a servant step forward to drive away the men who beat him, and shouted, "What grudge does this beggar have against you? You are so cruel. Even my daughter can't stand it. Why don't you get out of here?"
"Do you know who we are?" the gangster who beat the man asked angrily.
The servant said coldly, "If you are not convinced, go to Yao's house..."
Chu Xiuming stopped listening after hearing this and asked in a low voice, "Are you still going to have tea?"
Shen Jin nodded and said, "Let's take a break." She was a little tired.
Chu Xiuming responded and took Shen Jin to the teahouse. Unexpectedly, the situation changed again. The people who beat him ran away. Then a girl with a veil was supported by a maid and walked to the side of the beggar. Because they were close, they could hear the girl's voice. The girl asked the maid to take some silver to the beggar, and then said, "You have hands and feet, use this money to do some business."
The beggar's eyes turned red in an instant, and he knelt down and kowtowed to the girl, expressing his gratitude. The people around also saw this, and they all praised the girl and the Yao family's tutor in a low voice.
Shen Jin and Chu Xiuming stopped looking and went straight into the teahouse. After asking for a private room, Chu Xiuming ordered some cakes and tea, and asked for a pot of warm water. The warm water was for Shen Jin to drink. The guards were all outside, so they didn't disturb the two of them. Chu Xiuming poured Shen Jin a cup of warm water and asked her to drink it slowly. Then he said, "That person is from the Yao family, it should be Yao San."
Yao San? The third daughter of the Yao family is now fifteen or sixteen, which is the right age for her to get married. No wonder, although they did not hide any traces, the Yao family was able to find out so quickly and arrange this scene. "They are well-informed." Shen Jin said after drinking a few sips of water.
Chu Xiuming responded. He sat by the window and looked down casually. "Too much is as bad as too little."
This scene in the Yao Mansion was just to promote Yao San, a girl who was kind but not overly kind and had insight. She was a very suitable candidate for the queen. Even if she was not the queen, there were other positions for her in the harem.
But from the very beginning, Chu Xiuming and Shen Jin felt something was strange. In fact, the Yao family had planned very well, but they had never been to the border town and did not know the situation there. Chu Xiuyuan's governance of Tianqi largely borrowed from the governance of the border town, and his management of the people in the city was particularly loose on the outside but tight on the inside.
Shen Jin nodded and said nothing more. Anyway, Yao San was not on the list given to her by Princess Rui.
Chu Xiuming filled Shen Jin's cup to eight-tenths full before saying, "Invite her over when the time comes."
Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming in confusion. Chu Xiuming smiled and squeezed Shen Jin's hand and said, "She is quite scheming. Use her to test others."
"Oh." Shen Jin said nothing more and nodded.
The two of them rested for a while and then took the things they bought back home. The invitation was written by Shen Jin herself. Because of Chu Xiuming's guidance, her handwriting was much better than when she was in the capital. The paper for the invitation was prepared by Nanny Zhao. Shen Jin didn't know what kind of paper it was, but she just thought it was very beautiful. However, the people who received it were all connoisseurs. This paper was a tribute. It looked ordinary at a glance, but if you look closely, you will find that there are dark patterns on the paper, which are patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, mountains, rivers, lakes, etc. The words on it do not appear messy, but have a unique freehand style.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com