The servant had been gone for quite a while and hadn't returned. Old Madam Wang checked the time, her brows furrowing deeper and her face gradually darkening.
"Not here yet?"
The maid Cui'er shook her head.
"Has Yuanbao, the servant, returned yet?"
The maid Cui'er still shook her head.
"Where are the Marquis and his wife?"
The maid Cui'er stepped forward and reported,
"Madam, the Marquis has gone out to visit friends, the Madam has gone to the study to organize household affairs, the eldest young master has returned to Qinghong Courtyard to study, the fourth young master has gone to a poetry gathering with his classmates, and the eldest young lady has gone back to Mingzhu Courtyard to play with her feline overlord!"
"Her feline overlord? Playing with pet is a waste of your time!"
"Madam, His Majesty the Cat Master likes it very much, so we cannot be disrespectful."
Shen Changshan whispered a reminder to his mother from the lower seat.
After finishing his tea, and seeing that there was still no news from Shen Jiaojiao, he stood up and said...
"Mother, my eldest brother has gone out to visit friends, and I am going back too! I think Jiaojiao is just so-so, Mother, don't worry about her anymore!"
"Hmph! Now you think you can lecture me?"
Shen Changshan said, "Mother, look at what you're saying. I'm just worried about you."
"Snort!"
Madam Wang gave a light snort, waved her hand, and the second branch of the family quickly left.
On the other side, Shen Changyuan went to the Ministry of Justice's residence with a smile.
I heard that Lord Ye bought two pieces of women's clothing, so he came to take a look.
Hehe~~~
Youlan Courtyard.
Ye Rongyi changed into his newly bought women's clothes and admired himself in the mirror. He looked so beautiful!
Qin glanced at him, then lowered her head to study the score in her hand.
The more she read it, the more addictive it becomes.
Wonderful, wonderful~~~
She's truly a genius!
......
The Marquis of Changping's residence, Mingzhu Courtyard.
Shen Mingzhu hugged her cat, teased it, and lifted it high in the air.
"My feline overlord, let's fly higher and farther together!"
Meow~~~ No problem!
"My feline overlord is the best!"
Meow~~~ Mingzhu is the best too!
[Host, your father went to the residence of the Minister of Justice to see Lord Ye dressed as a woman!]
Shen Mingzhu: ?
My dad went out?
[Yes, he's visiting a friend! He's acting like he's on very good terms with Minister Ye!]
[Guagua, does my dad have a bad relationship with Minister Ye of the Ministry of Justice? The ministers of the Six Ministries should have a decent relationship, right?]
[Host, the six ministers are all respectable on the surface, but they're all old foxes playing a game of tales from a Chinese folktale.]
Okay, Guagua, they're all cunning old foxes!
[Host, I have good news for you. Madam Qin is currently having Lord Ye Rongyi sing "Conquer"! Your father overheard it, hahaha... Minister Ye is going to be furious!]
Hahaha...
"Minister Ye, your son should kneel down to sing; it doesn't feel right like this!"
"Minister Shen, aren't you feeling unwell? I'll have someone escort you back to your residence."
Shen Changyuan immediately straightened up and said in a serious tone,
"Minister Ye, seeing how well the young Master Ye and his wife are getting along, I immediately felt better too!"
Minister Ye's eyes bulged with anger, like a big frog.
He glared at Ye Rongyi, his eyes shooting out one dagger after another.
Knowing his father was losing face, Ye Rongyi immediately grabbed Qin Shi and ran away...
"Look at this child, he's getting shy!"
"That won't do!"
Shen Changyuan spoke earnestly to Ye Tianming.
"Minister Shen, isn't today your second daughter, born of the principal wife, returning home after her wedding? Why didn't Prince Xuan bring her back with him?"
The smile on Shen Changyuan's face immediately disappeared when this was mentioned.
This is mocking him!
Snort!
He immediately spoke up.
"Sigh... It's a long story! It turns out that Shen Jiaojiao is not my wife's biological daughter. I've discussed it with my family, and Jiaojiao will go back to her biological parents. I've also asked the clan elders to set a date to remove her name from the family register, since she's not of the Shen family bloodline."
"Oh? Even Minister Shen and his wife are willing to do that?"
Ye Tianming raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Changyuan.
"Haha~~~ A gentleman does not take what others love, so how could we possibly take away someone else's daughter who was born after ten months of pregnancy! Our Changping Marquis's mansion would never do such a thing!"
Ye Tianming: ...You really managed to put on a show!
The two exchanged barbs, one saying a sarcastic remark and the other a reply, drinking tea all morning before Shen Changyuan happily returned home.
Sure enough, when he returned, his mother shook her head at him.
Although I had expected it, hearing the result still left me feeling a little disheartened.
"Go and make sure things are handled properly. I've already written a letter to the clan elders!"
"Okay~"
Mother Shen responded softly.
"Where is Mingzhu?"
"She's in her Courtyard!"
At this moment, Shen Mingzhu bought a lot of snacks from the system store, and was lying on the chaise lounge, reading a storybook and eating snacks, having a great time.
"Mingzhu, lunch is almost ready!"
"Father, you've returned to the manor!"
"Yes, I'm back!"
Looking at the snacks on the table,
"This is?"
Shen Mingzhu smiled sweetly.
"Dad, these are snacks. I bought them by chance from an overseas merchant. Try them, they're pretty good!"
Shen Changyuan was also curious, so he ate a bag of chocolate bars, then a Snickers bar, and finally a cranberry cookie.
"The taste is really good! I hope I can find that traveling merchant again and buy more. It would be great for visiting relatives and friends or for my own enjoyment."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhu
"Shall I go look for him?"
Shen Changyuan smiled.
"Yes child."
He then had a servant bring him five thousand taels of silver.
"Buy anything good you see when you see him. Oh, and don't forget to have your meal later."
"Yes, Father."
Shen Mingzhu happily put the silver notes into the system space.
[Guagua, I never knew my dad was so generous!]
[Host, your family is, after all, a marquis's mansion, a century-old family. By your father's generation, he inherited the marquis's mansion, and there's still a considerable fortune to be had! Don't be fooled by your father's usual low-key demeanor and constant complaints of poverty in court; the Shen family isn't actually poor, it's just that the national treasury is empty.]
[Alright, alright! Guagua, I understand now! The emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was the poorest of all!]
[That's not entirely true; even emperors had private treasuries. It's just that Emperor Jingyuan wasn't as wealthy as previous emperors.]
Shen Changyuan: ...
I haven't gone far yet!
Shen Mingzhu: Father, I don't know!
[Host, something's wrong! Your fourth brother has been tricked!]
Upon hearing that the fourth son was in trouble, Shen Changyuan immediately stopped in his tracks.
What happened?
Wasn't he off to go out with his classmates to compose poems and discuss academic matters?
[Guagua, what happened?]
[Host, someone has realized that Shen Qingbo comes from a prominent family. Instead of making friends through poetry, he's actually making money by composing poems and couplets!]
[Guagua, aren't scholars supposed to be the most principled? How come they've all become tainted by the stench of money?]
[Host, the theme of their poetry gathering this time is "There are golden houses in books! There are true talents in books!"]