In July, the osmanthus flowers began to bloom, with tiny golden blossoms scattered on the branches, shimmering with gold and green, exuding a rich, sweet fragrance. Miaoxiang picked these first blooms and made a dish of osmanthus and chestnut flour cake.
Sheng Yun used two pieces and praised them highly. Wei Shuwan then asked Miaoxiang to pack the rest into a box so she could take them home and eat them slowly.
After accompanying Wei Shuwan to take the calming soup, Sheng Yun stood up and said, "Sister Shuwan, you should rest. I won't cause any more trouble here."
“Hmm, Ah Xiu should be in the study right now.” After saying this in a serious tone, Wei Shuwan raised an eyebrow and revealed a playful smile.
"I came here today specifically to see my sister~"
"Alright, alright, you've seen me, now go see Ah Xiu too."
"Then, then, then I'll go and see Wei Chengxiu for my sister's sake..." The little girl said shyly as she walked, carrying a food box in her hand, her cheeks flushed, her sweet and soft voice disappearing behind the screen.
Miaoxiang went to see the person off, and Ziqiao stood by the bedside and asked in a low voice, "Miss, will Miss Sheng spread this matter?"
Wei Shuwan leaned against the pillow, her lowered eyes gradually deepening: "The autumn hunt in Nanyuan will be in three days, it should happen."
This was something she had planned long ago. From the moment she deliberately invited the Sheng family physician to expose the matter, everything that followed was already predetermined.
However, at this moment, her face did not show the smugness of a successful plan, but instead revealed a trace of guilt.
Zi Qiao understood perfectly well and advised, "Miss, don't be upset. Miss Sheng and you will be family sooner or later. There's nothing wrong with family members helping each other. This can't be considered taking advantage of each other."
"At worst, when the young couple has a disagreement in the future, you can just side with your sister-in-law!"
Wei Shuwan smiled, finding those words quite agreeable: "Yes, there's still a long way to go."
When Miaoxiang returned from escorting the person, she brought back a message: "Miss, the Song family has brought the scapegoat here. The master ordered his men to lock him up in the woodshed in the west courtyard, saying that you are in charge of any beatings or interrogations."
"Have you asked for my name?" Wei Shuwan looked up.
"They say his name is Juan."
A dark glint flashed in Wei Shuwan's eyes. She had been in the Song family for five years and knew that there were only a few truly capable servants, and Hu An was one of them.
This man's life was saved by Song Zichen, so he was more loyal than anyone else. In addition, he knew some rudimentary martial arts skills, so the Song family would entrust him with handling any troublesome matters.
Song Zichen arranged for him to take the blame, clearly because he was afraid that the other servants would not be able to withstand being beaten a dozen or twenty times and would betray their master.
However, if Song Zichen could save his life, so could she. If the Song family could make him loyal, so could she.
A thoughtful look flashed across Wei Shuwan's dark eyes before she calmly said, "Have someone search his body and bring him everything except his clothes."
"yes."
In less than a quarter of an hour, Miaoxiang returned with a saucer and showed it to Wei Shuwan.
Wei Shuwan lowered her eyes and looked around, her gaze sweeping over several unrelated items before finally settling on an oil paper package.
"Open."
Miaoxiang carefully opened the paper package and found that it contained some fine pine frost green powder.
"Girl, what is this?"
Wei Shuwan did not answer, but smiled mischievously: "Put the things away carefully, and then arrange for someone to guard the woodshed. There is no need to beat or scold him, just make sure he has two meals a day."
The moonlight by the window was like water, gradually waking her from her weariness. After giving these instructions, Wei Shuwan yawned and went to bed early.
She had a very busy day.
Nothing major happened in the manor in the following days, so Wei Shuwan obediently followed the doctor's advice and stayed in bed to recuperate. Before she knew it, it was time for the autumn hunt in the South Garden.
Nanyuan was a royal garden in the southern suburbs of Shengjing. The lake water was warm and the vegetation was lush. Even in autumn and winter, foxes and deer would gather there, making it an excellent hunting ground.
Today's hunt is led by the Crown Prince, and those who can come are all sons of marquises and noble ladies.
The men had already gone hunting in the forest with the Crown Prince, while the noble ladies were playing polo in the open field. During the halftime break, someone brought up the recent uproar about the annulment of the engagement between the Wei and Song families:
"I heard that it was the Wei family who broke off the engagement. How could someone from a merchant family be willing to give up such a good marriage? She'll be sisters-in-law with Princess Yun'an from now on!"
"Perhaps the Song family minded that the Wei family's daughter had fallen into the water and lost her chastity, but also wanted to save face for the young lady, which is why they tacitly allowed the Wei family to bring it up first?"
"That Young Master Song is indeed a gentleman."
...
A burst of noise woke Sheng Yun, who was almost asleep in the rocking chair, and she suddenly opened her eyes, remembering her scheme.
He immediately got up and began to move into the crowd.
Seeing that Sheng Yun was willing to get close, the noble ladies all smiled warmly and even revealed their eagerness to befriend him.
This is because Sheng Yun's grandfather was a renowned Confucian scholar of the time, and the teacher the Crown Prince longed to learn from. The vacant position of Crown Princess is precisely the reason they have come here today, dressed in their finest attire.
Unexpectedly, with all the flowers blooming, each one seemed rather ordinary, and as a result, none of them won the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince.
However, if one could befriend Sheng Yun, one could visit the Sheng residence from time to time. It is said that whenever the Crown Prince encountered a problem, he would visit incognito, and even spend the night at the Sheng residence, talking with Lord Sheng by candlelight.
If you seize this opportunity just once, you can soar to the top!
Therefore, when Sheng Yun opened her mouth to speak, all the noble ladies listened attentively and dared not neglect a single word.
"I just heard my sisters talking about the broken engagement between the Wei and Song families. Actually, there are many secrets behind it that you don't know!"
"What secret? Tell me quickly, Sister Yun!"
"Actually, the real reason the two families broke off the engagement was that Young Master Song had an affair with his cousin and was two months pregnant! It was my family physician who diagnosed the pregnancy in public at the Wei residence that day."
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