"Madam Wen had wanted to propose marriage between our two families before, but our family had been hesitant to agree. Now Madam Wen is also somewhat hesitant, but seeing the conditions our family has offered, Madam Wen is tempted and says she will come to our house soon to discuss this matter with the old lady."
As soon as Granny Tian finished speaking, the old lady let out a long sigh.
“If it weren’t for the long-term interests of the family, and the fact that our family is currently in the eye of the storm, our Shen family’s daughters wouldn’t be in such a hurry to get married.” As she spoke, she seemed to have thought of something, and her tone became serious: “However, it is a blessing for the Seventh Miss to be able to marry into the Wen family. After all, her status as an illegitimate child is what it is. Her father was born out of wedlock, and she was born to a concubine. No matter how bad the Wen family is, Wen Han is still the legitimate son, so he has not disgraced her!”
Thinking of Shen Mingxi's tearful complaints when she returned last time, Granny Tian was also a little worried. Leaving the palace as soon as possible was the most important thing. The Wen family was indeed a good marriage prospect for the Seventh Miss.
What kind of good terms did the Shen family offer the Wen family that made Madam Wen agree to let her own son marry a concubine's daughter? Shen Mingzhuang was about to listen further when Granny Tian's scolding voice came from inside the room: "Who's outside the window?!"
The sound startled Shen Ming, who thought he had been discovered. But then he heard the window lattice inside the room being pushed open, and Granny Tian's voice rang out again: "I don't know where this little maid came from, she actually dared to come here to rest without knowing what's good for her."
Madam Shen didn't say anything more, and Shen Mingzhuang breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left.
Shen Mingzhuang couldn't sleep until she found out what agreement the Shen and Wen families had reached. She was also suspicious of why Jiang Wang wanted to see her. She was not old enough yet, and this was his own arrangement. So he shouldn't have broken his own plans to come see her.
She had a vague feeling that something must have happened in the court.
Shen Mingzhuang returned to Cuixuan Residence with mixed feelings. Manhuan noticed that her young mistress was troubled. After Xue Rong served tea, she dismissed the servants in the mansion and asked in a low voice, "Miss, what happened?"
Who was the person who met with Miss Wen at the Wen residence? What did Miss Wen hear in the main room of Meishou Hall? As a trusted confidante of her young mistress, Manhuan felt it necessary to find out, lest she be completely ignorant and ruin Miss Wen's plans.
Seeing Man Huan's concerned expression, Shen Mingzhuang felt a warmth in his heart. Remembering how well-liked Man Huan was in the household, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Go and find out something for me..."
Manhuan returned around dinnertime.
Seeing her strange expression, Shen Mingzhuang's expression hardened. "What did you find out?"
Manhuan carefully considered the words before whispering a few words in her young mistress's ear.
Shen Mingzhuang's expression turned serious, and a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.
Something has indeed happened in the court.
Last month, Huainan was hit by a major flood, which inundated thousands of miles. Shen Bochun's uncle, Lu Shizhong, the second master of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, was involved in disaster relief while serving in Huainan. He was impeached for embezzling public funds, abusing his power, and using inferior goods. He is now being escorted back to the capital.
The fact that Man Huan was able to find the news means it had obviously spread.
Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but regret her slow reaction. Although this matter was not mentioned in the book, it reflected that she had too little control over information from all sides. As a result, she was easily lulled into a false sense of security, which affected her decision-making.
If the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is impeached, the impact on the Shen family could be significant or minor, if the allegations are true.
On a larger scale, Lu Shizhong's abuse of power and embezzlement directly affected the flood victims in Huainan. If the victims harbored resentment, they were bound to cause trouble, which often led to popular uprisings.
Since this matter concerns the stability of the country, in order to appease the people, the court must do something to make the disaster victims believe that the country cares about its people. Killing one person is not enough to vent their anger; it may also implicate the related relatives of the person involved, that is, to punish them as a result, so as to set an example for others.
On a smaller scale, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. Although the old lady is a daughter of the Duke's mansion, she is also a daughter-in-law of the Shen family. There is still room for her to exonerate herself and she will not be implicated by the Duke's mansion.
The old lady's series of actions were probably intended to create more room for maneuver, so that when the Shen family's affairs were affected, even those in power would have reservations.
Now that the Empress Dowager is wary of the Emperor, she will inevitably try her best to suppress the court officials who follow the Emperor. If such a thing happens now, and Shen Bochun can be removed and replaced by her own people, it would certainly be something the Empress Dowager would like to see.
Ultimately, the winner and loser will depend on whose methods are superior.
Regardless of what she was thinking, in the eyes of the Shen family, she was also the Emperor's person. The Shen family would never disobey Jiang Wang for her sake. To think that the Shen family would agree to her marrying into the Pei family was simply wishful thinking!
This made Shen Mingzhuang feel irritated, and the tassels of the sachet she was holding were tied into knots. When Man Huan saw her like this, she thought that she was worried that the Shen family would be implicated and suffer as a result. She wanted to say a few words of advice, but she knew very little about the matter, so she closed her mouth again.
"Miss, I'll go and inquire some more."
Manhuan wanted to go out, but Mingzhuang stopped her.
"Don't go. If you ask too many questions, it will only arouse suspicion. Let's leave this matter alone for now."
In the following days, Shen Mingzhuang continued to learn the rules and then go to Meishou Hall as usual. Over time, he and Shen Mingrong grew closer and closer.
Shen Mingrong was originally a cold and aloof person. She had always kept her distance from the sisters of the third branch of the family. However, after spending time with Shen Mingzhuang these days, she discovered that this ninth cousin was different from the other sisters. She was very sensible and knew how to advance and retreat. She spoke humorously and interestingly, but all her words were reasonable. She liked her very much and developed a sense of closeness to her.
"Is Ninth Cousin ill?" Shen Mingrong was wearing a light blue dress with two white jade hairpins in her hair. She looked simple and elegant, and refreshing in the sweltering summer heat.
Although she usually didn't concern herself with outside affairs, she knew that the Third Madam disliked illegitimate children very much. Seeing that Shen Mingzhuang, who was usually lively and cheerful, was sullen today, she couldn't help but worry that the Third Madam's family hadn't sent her an ice basin, and that she was suffering from the heat.
Cui Xuan Ju is not a place where people would get too hot, but Shen Mingzhuang did not explain. She just smiled at Shen Mingrong with a pale face and said, "Fifth cousin, don't worry. I'll go sit with Grandmother for a while."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong indeed said nothing more. When they arrived at Meishou Hall, the old lady immediately noticed Shen Mingzhuang's unusual behavior.
"What's wrong?" she said, while instructing Granny Tian, "Quickly go and fetch a doctor to examine Miss Jiu's pulse."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang knew that his opportunity had arrived.
“Grandmother…” she called out in a slightly hoarse voice.
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