For several days afterward, the old lady ignored Lin Shi and left her hanging for days.
Even Third Master Shen Shuchun never stepped into Yuehua Courtyard, spending all his time in Biyue Tower, where Aunt Liu lived.
Aunt Liu was a skilled swimmer. Biyue Tower was built next to the lotus pond in the back garden. After summer, the lotus leaves flourished and covered half of the pond. Shen Shuchun often painted or read here.
A gentle breeze blows the green umbrella, and the clear water reflects the red sun; it is indeed quite elegant.
Less than half a month later, news spread that Aunt Liu was pregnant.
The old lady, holding her prayer beads, instructed Granny Tian with a half-smile: "Find a few reliable and capable people to take good care of Concubine Liu. Under no circumstances should anything go wrong. Our Shen family hasn't had any new additions for many years."
Granny Tian understood and left as instructed.
Snap!
As soon as Qiuyue returned with the news and entered the house, she was slapped across the face by Lin.
Lin Miaoqiu and Shen Mingshu were playing chess cross-legged on the kang (heated brick bed) by the west window when they were startled by the commotion. They exchanged a glance and quickly got up to go to Lin's side.
"Mother, what happened?"
Lin Miaoqiu looked at Granny Jiang and asked what had happened.
"There's good news from Biyue Tower."
Shen Mingshu was also shocked and widened her eyes. Then she looked at Lin Shi and said, "Mother, if that fisherwoman gives birth to a son for Father, Father will care even less about us in the future!"
These words sent chills down Lin's spine. Yes, if Liu Huihui were to have another son, she would probably disregard her even more.
A sinister glint flashed in Lin's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Who said she was definitely going to have a son?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Jiang's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.
Aunt Liu is pregnant, and as the daughter of the third wife, Shen Mingzhuang should go to Biyue Tower to visit Aunt Liu.
Manhuan found some fine brocade in the trunk and took two handkerchiefs embroidered with pomegranates with her to Biyue Tower.
Aunt Liu was twenty-seven years old, but she was very well-maintained and had fair and smooth skin. There was not a single wrinkle at the corner of her eyes. When she smiled, she was radiant and beautiful. Her beauty was subtle yet unforgettable.
"You sisters won't be able to get along for more than two years. Once you get married, the house will probably become quiet. Now, all I can do is give you two more younger brothers and sisters to make the house more lively."
Aunt Liu spoke gently and softly, without the slightest trace of affectation.
Listening to her speak, Shen Mingzhuang vaguely understood why Shen Shuchun liked living in Biyue Tower; Lin Shi was indeed incomparable.
Shen Ming'e, however, was not very happy. She sighed and said, "Yes, I will be getting married in a few years, but I won't be able to live with my aunt anymore. When my aunt gives birth to my younger brother, I won't be able to stay with her either."
Because Aunt Liu was pregnant, the old lady asked Shen Ming'e to move out and live with her sisters so as not to disturb Aunt Liu's pregnancy. She didn't want to live with Shen Mingshu, and besides, the room next to Shen Mingshu's was occupied by Shen Mingxi, who would occasionally come back.
It was even more impossible for her to live with Shen Mingrong. That sickly woman couldn't stand the slightest noise. If she lived with her, she would have to be careful even if she yawned. After thinking it over, she decided to move to Cuixuan Residence to live with Ninth Sister.
Shen Mingzhuang had no objections, but the old lady was a little worried that she might be unhappy, so she sent Granny Tian over to ask her opinion.
For the next two weeks, the Shen family finally enjoyed a period of peace.
Before they knew it, the dog days of summer had arrived, and the mansion began to provide ice basins. However, news came from the palace that the third daughter of the Shen family was summoned to the palace to serve the Empress Dowager.
Madam Lin had been waiting for this news for a long time. Upon hearing it, she immediately instructed Granny Jiang: "Quickly, go and invite the embroiderers and the people from the Golden Pavilion to make clothes and jewelry for Shu'er!"
This rare opportunity to enter the palace naturally deserves to be presented to my daughter in a grand and glorious manner; perhaps she might even catch the eye of some royal relative…
As Lin thought about it, she felt that the difficult days had taken a turn for the better, and she immediately felt like she had been injected with chicken blood, and her whole body was full of energy.
These days, whenever she has free time, Shen Mingzhuang goes to Shou'an Hall. At first, Old Madam Shen suspected that she had some ulterior motive, but every day when she went there, she only read books to the old lady, massaged her legs, burned incense and served tea, and did not say a word else.
The old lady then lowered her guard, guessing that she might just want to find a backer in the mansion. After all, Lin was unreliable, and Zhao and Gu were just distant relatives, so they couldn't control her. Only she herself had any influence in the mansion.
Also frequently seen at Shou'an Hall was the quiet and gentle Shen Mingrong. Having learned etiquette from Madam Gu, she would come to Shou'an Hall, sometimes serving tea and sometimes arranging flowers. Quiet and gentle, she was the most favored by the old lady among the Shen family's daughters.
However, since these things were done by others, it was inevitable that they would be suspected of being obsequious, but she did them in a generous, natural and upright manner, leaving no room for criticism.
With Shen Pinzhen often bringing Hu Xianglian over, Shou'an Hall became unusually lively. The girls' silvery laughter was very pleasant to hear. As the old lady watched, she couldn't help but wonder which families these girls would marry in the future.
The current situation in the court is unclear. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are locked in a power struggle, and it is still unknown who will win. The Shen family is currently helping the Emperor, but they have sent two girls to the Empress Dowager's side, which makes her quite worried.
The Shen family is currently in a stalemate. To break this stalemate, they need to win over a powerful family and tie them to the same boat, so that the Shen family's small boat doesn't capsize at any moment.
That evening, she called her eldest son, Shen Bochun, over for a talk. After listening to his mother's concerns, Shen Bochun stroked his beard and pondered, "Mother's worries are not without reason."
Then he looked at Granny Jiang, who understood and left the room to stand guard at the door.
"But the Emperor still keeps Shen Mingzhuang in our household, which means that the current situation cannot be decided in a day or two. Our family has always followed the Emperor's lead. We cannot choose our in-laws casually, because it can affect the whole situation if we do something wrong."
Madam Shen smiled and pursed her lips, "That makes sense, but does that mean our family's daughters won't get married until the Empress Dowager and the Emperor have settled their differences?"
Shen Bochun remained silent.
"Besides, you are a scholar, and you should know that indecisiveness is a big no-no." Seeing her son lower his head and ponder, the old lady continued, "I think the young men who came to our house last summer solstice were all quite good, and they have always been on good terms with our family. Ming Shu and Ming Xi are both of marriageable age and should be getting married soon. You should ask Zhao Shi, as their aunt, to take this matter seriously."
If we're talking about the older members of the family, it should be Shen Mingshu and Shen Mingrong, but the old lady directly said it was Shen Mingshu and Shen Mingxi, which shows what she's worried about.
The reason why the Empress Dowager has remained in power is because of the strength of her maternal family, the Song family. The three generals of the Song family defend the border of Tianzhong, and the Emperor has no choice but to rely on the Song family. But now that her "good son" has a rebellious heart, the Empress Dowager cannot just sit and wait for death.
Shen Bochun also knew about Shen Mingxi's experiences in the palace. The fact that the Empress Dowager did not intervene to stop Princess Jiayuan showed that she wanted to use Shen Mingxi to tell the Shen family that if she was unhappy, the Shen family should not expect anything good! Even if they followed the Emperor, so what? Has the Emperor ever stepped in to protect the Shen family?
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