After locking himself in his room to compose himself, he would go out again, and once again, he would be the dignified and refined Lord Lin.
[Host, the Marquis's residence has received so many visiting cards these past few days that your beautiful mother is overwhelmed!]
[Guagua, autumn is the harvest season, so isn't it normal for Shengjing to have many banquets? Just from what I know, there are chrysanthemum appreciation banquets, crab feasts, poetry appreciation banquets, poetry competition banquets, and literary gatherings held every now and then, right? My eldest brother, Shen Qinghong, is also a scholar, and my fourth brother, Shen Qingbo, is a student at Bailu Academy. Add to that the social interactions of the Marquis of Changping's family, and the invitations will naturally increase.]
The entire court of officials nodded in agreement.
That's true.
Recently, their family has also received several visiting cards.
[Host, you're overthinking it. Most of the visiting cards we received are from people wanting to arrange a marriage with the Marquis's family!]
Are my older brothers really that popular?
[Host, isn't that all because of you! Look at you, you're now the Crown Princess, and you're such a good person. Any daughter who marries into a marquis's household will become a close confidante of the Crown Prince. Many officials of lower rank want to send their daughters to the marquis's household to be your brothers' concubines.]
[Guagua, do you have to be so proactive? Big brother is still preparing for the exam! Don't let his nonchalant attitude fool you, he's actually taking this exam very seriously. Big brother is truly talented, and he'll pass this time if all goes well!]
Crown Prince: Indeed.
He knew Shen Qinghong, the eldest son of the Shen family. Among the nobles in Shengjing, he is quite promising and studied very hard.
Shen Changyuan: May my son pass the exam this time, thanks to Ru Mingzhu's auspicious words!
All the officials thought: It seems that Minister Shen's eldest son will soon be entering officialdom!
[Host, but your elder brother should get married soon. He can't be afraid of everything! A virtuous wife will bring prosperity to three generations! And someone will help your beautiful mother manage the household affairs.]
[That's true, Mother can take a look now. When my eldest brother passes the imperial examination in two months, it will be a double celebration, wouldn't that be wonderful!]
Shen Changyuan thought about it for a while, and his lips were almost splitting to the back of his ears!
Just thinking about it makes him happy!
All the officials: Look how happy Minister Shen is!
Who wouldn't want to be associated with the Marquis of Changping's household these days!
Thinking of my their own daughters, it would be wonderful if they could become related by marriage!
In the Crown Prince's residence, the Crown Princess demanded a lifelong commitment to one person. Although the Crown Prince outwardly refused, he eventually complied. They had already given up hope of getting into the Crown Prince's residence.
Then the only option is to go to the Marquis's residence!
[Host, host, the Second Prince Yan Yunxuan and Shen Jiaojiao are arguing!]
[Because of Qingyu?]
[Yes, yes, host is so clever, you guessed it right away!]
[Ahhh! Shen Jiaojiao is so domineering! She directly forced Qingyu to drink safflower, and the Second Prince Yan Yunxuan was furious. He lashed out at her and almost hit her!]
Shen Mingzhu: ...
Emperor Jingyuan frowned slightly. Had the two started arguing after only one day in the house?
At this moment, in Yaohua Palace, Consort Li got up early in the morning to dress up, and specially made a wig overnight to wear, just waiting for Yan Yunxuan to bring Shen Jiaojiao to pay her respects today.
But no matter how long they waited, no one came.
"What happened?"
"Your Highness, the newlyweds are still very much in love! They're probably on their way!"
Consort Li covered her lips and chuckled softly.
"Great news! Great news! No rush!"
[Wow! Guagua, I never knew the Second Prince had the potential to be a domestic abuser!]
[Host, the Second Prince is furious! After all, that's his first child. Even if she didn't want the child, she should have informed him so he could make the decision, instead of just giving her a bowl of safflower to abort the child! Where does Shen Jiaojiao place the Second Prince Yan Yunxuan by doing this?]
[Guagua, look at what you're saying! Shen Jiaojiao was overjoyed to marry the Second Prince, but on their wedding night she didn't see her groom and instead found herself with a child! Do you think she'd be furious?! I bet Qingyu is going to be in trouble too!]
Shen Mingzhu frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.
[Guagua, do you think their relationship won't crack?]
[Host, what are you thinking! The Second Prince Yan Yunxuan and the fake heiress Shen Jiaojiao are a match made in heaven, no one can separate them! Once the Second Prince's anger subsides, Shen Jiaojiao can sweet-talk him and say a few nice words, and the two will reminisce about their sweet past, and they'll be back to normal in no time!]
[Oh, that's good! They are a match made in heaven, stay together forever, and don't ruin other people's lives!]
Shen Changyuan: ...
Jiaojiao really went too far!
He glanced at Emperor Jingyuan at the head of the table and, seeing that his expression remained unchanged, breathed a slight sigh of relief.
[Host, I'll tell you in on a little secret. Because Shen Jiaojiao is dissatisfied with her dowry, she's not planning to return to the Shen family after being invited back three times. Rumors are circulating in Shengjing's elite circles that her beautiful mother mistreated her, withheld her dowry, and gave her only worthless items...]
Upon hearing this, Shen Changyuan's face darkened. If Shen Jiaojiao really dared not return to the Marquis's mansion when she returned home after the three summons, he planned to go back and discuss with his wife and the others about removing Shen Jiaojiao from the family register and revealing her true identity to the public.
If you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust.
Listening to Mingzhu's thoughts, Jiaojiao realized that she wasn't on the same page as them. A wise person doesn't stand under a dangerous wall; it's time to take action!
[Guagua, Shen Jiaojiao is truly wicked! This time I'm going back to talk to my parents and we'll send her back to her biological parents' home!]
Shen Changyuan: That's a great idea!
That's what we'll do!
After the court session, he immediately went to take care of it.
...
After much anticipation, Yan Yunxuan finally brought Shen Jiaojiao into the palace.
They first went to Kunning Palace to see Empress Lin, and then went to Yaohua Palace.
As they passed by Yikun Palace, both of them frowned upon seeing the still somewhat charred ruins.
How did it burn so badly?
I wonder how my mother is doing?
Upon seeing her son and daughter-in-law, Consort Li's face immediately broke into a smile.
"Mother."
The two offered tea, and Consort Li presented a gift. Afterward, she touched her nose several times, feeling a strong, foul odor wafting towards her nostrils.
At first, she thought it was the smell of her burnt hair, but the more she smelled it, the more something seemed off.
Thanks to the help of the divine physician Zhou Hanchuan, Shen Jiaojiao's body odor had become much less noticeable. She then applied a thick layer of incense, thinking she had concealed it well, but Consort Li still managed to smell it.
Fortunately, she refrained from asking any further questions.
Most of the concern was for the couple's relationship, encouraging them to work together and move forward.
To be honest, because of Shen Jiaojiao's background, she didn't actually like her, but her son was determined to marry her, so she had no choice but to accept it!
Fortunately, she only had to give up the position of a concubine, so she could still choose a wife from a prominent family for Xuan'er.
While the mother and son were showing affection, the main hall was quiet.
Shen Mingzhu had just discovered that someone was selling a batch of cheap, aged rice in the mall, and she bought it without hesitation. Now she was thinking about where to put the rice.
Emperor Jingyuan: The four major granaries of Shengjing are the most suitable!
Shen Changyuan: There are granaries at home and in the suburban estate. The Xie family and the Marquis's mansion also have rice shops and warehouses for storing grain, which can be used by my precious daughter at will.
Crown Prince: The Crown Prince's granary and his own warehouses are all usable!
[Guagua, isn't buying 20,000 shi of grain at once too much?]