Chapter 119 Overjoyed
Ye Mingzhu was surprised.
Jia and Sheng Huai'an were simply overjoyed, showering each other with flattering words as if they were free.
Even Liu Rumei, though a hint of deep complexity flashed in her eyes, outwardly showed gratitude, smiling at Sheng Huai'an and Jia Shi, appearing happy for the Sheng family.
Jia walked up to the ancestor, knelt down and kowtowed to her.
"Thank you so much, Ancestor! With you supervising Huai'an, he'll definitely pass the imperial examination next year! Maybe he'll even come back as the top scholar to show you!"
Sheng Huai'an also knelt down and kowtowed: "Grandmother's kindness is beyond reproach. I... am already short of money, so I will no longer participate in poetry and literature clubs, and will just stay at home to study hard."
The gratitude shown by Madam Jia and Sheng Huai'an softened the old matriarch's expression.
Hearing Sheng Huai'an complain about being poor, she said kindly and lovingly, "Since you think it's good, I will do my best. However, you can't study in isolation. Huai'an should exchange knowledge with his fellow students. So... I'll give you two thousand taels of silver. Spend it as you need, and come back to me when you've spent it all."
As soon as the old ancestor finished speaking, Sheng Huai'an and Jia Shi were overjoyed.
Getting paid is such a wonderful thing!
The Sheng family had been living beyond their means for a long time, and the masters themselves could barely afford meat, so it was impossible for them to pay their servants a monthly allowance.
As a result, the servants secretly complained more and more, and served less and less attentively, which made their masters feel bad.
Now that they have such a gullible ancestor—no, a living bodhisattva—they thanked the ancestor profusely and kowtowed even more willingly.
Ye Mingzhu felt very upset in the face of this scene.
But filial piety is paramount. She was just a granddaughter-in-law, a generation removed from her ancestors. Even if she felt resentful and uncomfortable, she could only endure it.
But what she didn't expect was that while she was willing to endure it, Sheng Yunche was not.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly, then stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Grandmother, isn't this wrong?"
"What?" The ancestor was taken aback and looked at him.
Sheng Yunche's face was cold as he tugged at the corner of his lips: "It's only been two months since Sheng Huai'an poisoned me, and you're already protecting him like this? Aren't you afraid of making your grandson feel disheartened?"
Princess Ronghua also stood up: "When I separated the second branch of the family, I never intended for them to come back! This time, I only allowed them to have a meal at the Duke's mansion to make you happy. But if we allow a viper like Sheng Huai'an to live in the Duke's mansion for an extended period, please forgive me for disagreeing!"
The old ancestor's face stiffened.
During the month or two she spent away visiting Buddha, she had completely forgotten about the matter and had also forgotten what she had told Princess Ronghua.
The matter was interrupted, and Jia's face turned red with anxiety, fearing that the matter would fall through.
You know, by following the old ancestor, Sheng Huai'an not only gets money from the old ancestor, but also breaks off contact with that bitch Liu Rumei. It's such a good thing that you can't find even with a lantern!
She jumped up from the ground, about to start cursing, but Sheng Huai'an grabbed her hand, preventing her from making a sound.
Then, he looked at Princess Ronghua with a sincere expression and pleaded with her for mercy.
But how could Princess Ronghua possibly agree to that?
They refused outright.
Sheng Huai'an could only look helplessly at his ancestor: "Ancestor, since the Princess Consort is unwilling to agree, I dare not force her. Fortunately, my Tingsong Residence is quite spacious. If you are worried that I cannot be self-disciplined, you may move to Tingsong Residence and supervise me nearby."
"Great idea!" Madam Jia's eyes lit up. "If you don't like living in Tingsong Residence, you can give up my Rongshou Hall!"
The old ancestor actually didn't want to go to the Sheng residence.
She was used to living in her Songhe Hall, and everything there was arranged to her liking.
She's worried she won't be used to living in a different place.
But when she looked at Princess Ronghua, who still had a cold and aloof expression and refused to budge, she was half annoyed and half defiant, and said directly, "Fine, then I'll go live in Tingsong!"
Living in Rongshou Hall is impossible; she truly dislikes that fool, Jia Shi.
Sheng Huai'an was someone she had watched grow up, and he carried the blood of her favorite second son. It was only right that she take extra care of him.
What she told Ronghua back then was true: Ronghua could punish the second branch of the family, as long as he didn't kill them or extinguish their bloodline.
But... Sheng Huai'an didn't leave any bloodline after all, so her handling of the situation wasn't wrong.
That's how it was settled.
After this meal, the old ancestor would move to the Sheng family mansion next door and live in Sheng Huai'an's Tingsong Residence.
Princess Ronghua, considering the behavior of Madam Jia and her son, and mindful of her ancestor's advanced age, still spoke up, sincerely wanting to advise her to think things through.
But after trying to persuade her, she couldn't get through to her. Instead, the old lady seemed to be using the opportunity to control her, so she gave up.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the hall became even more suffocating.
"Alright," the old ancestor said wearily, "You've finished eating. Seeing that you're all just going through the motions and not enjoying your food, it's better to call it a day."
Ye Mingzhu looked at Princess Ronghua, and seeing Princess Ronghua nod to her, she stood up after her and together with Sheng Yunche bowed to the ancestor to take their leave.
...
As soon as they stepped out of Linfeng Hall, Sheng Yunche took Ye Mingzhu's hand and looked at her with his dark phoenix eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
“Not good.” Ye Mingzhu naturally wouldn’t hide it from him. “I originally planned to expose Sheng Huai’an and Liu Rumei’s scandalous affair and deal with them within a month or two, but with the old ancestor’s actions, things are not so easy to handle anymore.”
Putting everything else aside, with the ancestors watching over him, Sheng Huai'an would never openly take Liu Rumei out to fool around.
She had fewer opportunities to expose their scandals.
“I understand, but it’s better to wait and see.” Sheng Yunche changed the subject and asked, “Did you send someone to investigate Madam Sun?”
Ye Mingzhu asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Sheng Yunche pinched her earlobe and chuckled, "I'm your bedmate, how could I not know? But Madam Sun is involved with the Third Prince, and the waters run deep. You can take this opportunity to withdraw your people to avoid future troubles."
Fearing she wouldn't understand, he added, "It involves the struggle for imperial power; the slightest misstep could lead to the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan."
Ye Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise: "Liu Rumei... no, is Madam Sun really the Third Prince's person?"
"Most likely." Sheng Yunche nodded.
Ye Mingzhu had only suspected it before, but now it has been confirmed.
Without hesitation, she agreed.
"I'll take you out shopping tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want," Sheng Yunche added, sounding quite wealthy and generous.
Ye Mingzhu smiled and didn't stand on ceremony with him: "Okay."
The two walked hand in hand, and she quickly composed herself.
So what if our ancestors favored Sheng Huai'an?
She knew perfectly well that Sheng Huai'an was all show and no substance, a beautiful exterior but rotten inside.
He was quite good at composing poems and couplets, and thus had a considerable reputation for talent in Yanjing (Beijing).
But when it comes to policy essays, he is quite ordinary.
If it weren't for this, his great Confucian teacher wouldn't have been so dismissive of him.
In her past life, she was devoted to Sheng Huai'an, managing everything around him meticulously so that he could focus on his studies.
Despite such favorable conditions, Sheng Huai'an still failed to qualify for the imperial examination on his first attempt.
In this life, he indulges in sensual pleasures and doesn't study as hard as he did in his previous life. He's also distracted by a lot of other things, so it's even less likely that he'll pass the exam, isn't it?
Besides, who said that she couldn't do anything before Sheng Huai'an took the imperial examination?
She had already planted people around Sheng Huai'an long ago.
Liu Rumei's "pregnancy" was also a very thorny issue for Sheng Huai'an. How could she possibly let Sheng Huai'an handle it properly?
Oh!
Before Sheng Huai'an took the imperial examination, she would constantly waste his time and disrupt his composure to ensure that he would fail without any chance of doing so.
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