RWNEFE -Chapter 373 The Tenth Princess’s Meeting Gift

Zhou Cheng’an looked flustered: “She’s the legitimate daughter of a merchant family.”

Shen Lanxi immediately understood, thinking of the situation at the Ji Prince’s residence. They were clearly pushing an illegitimate son forward in exchange for wealth and status.

Though merchants have money, in the social hierarchy of scholar-gentry, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants rank lowest. For a merchant to marry into the Ji Prince’s household was ambitious at best.

“Have you seen this girl before?”

Zhou Cheng’an frowned: “I have.”

“Do you like her?” Shen Lanxi asked casually.

Zhou Cheng’an immediately deflated: “It doesn’t matter whether I like her or not; the elders have already arranged this marriage.”

Shen Lanxi: “Judging by your expression, it seems you don’t like her.”

Zhou Cheng’an hesitated, embarrassed, fumbling over his words.

“You used to follow Yunxue around and play with us freely, always speaking your mind. Now that you’ve grown up, you’ve learned to hide your thoughts and not speak the truth,” Shen Lanxi teased half-jokingly.

“No, Sister Lanxi, it’s just that…” His years in the northern estate had taught him one thing: it was already fortunate to be marrying a girl from a respectable family. He dared not wish for more.

Shen Lanxi lifted the corner of her mouth: “Since you came to me, it shows your trust. Go back with peace of mind and wait for my news!”

Zhou Cheng’an had expected endless questioning but was surprised that she didn’t pry. He let out a relieved breath.

“Sister Lanxi, please help Sister Yunxue. I promise I will repay you in the future!” Zhou Cheng’an carefully assured her.

Shen Lanxi waved her hand: “I’ll have someone escort you out. Don’t tell anyone you came to me.”

Zhou Cheng’an immediately promised: “I definitely won’t tell anyone.”

As soon as he was sent off, she summoned the secret guards.

“One person tail him. One person investigate whom he contacts after returning to the capital. Also, verify in the north whether what he says is true.”

“Yes!”

At times like these, anyone near her had to be treated with caution!

…

The Shen daughters had assumed that Shen Yuanhe and Shen Yuanrui would open the Tenth Princess’s boxes on the way home.

But when they arrived, even after returning to their rooms, neither mentioned the gifts.

Several of the women’s faces darkened.

Once in their rooms, Shen Yuanhe and Shen Yuanrui immediately took out the boxes.

Gifts from a princess would naturally be exquisite. If they had opened them in front of elders and sisters earlier, how should they have behaved—showing respect, being polite?

Their possessions were few, and since these were gifts from the princess, they carried great meaning. They would undoubtedly be preserved for their children in the future.

No matter what others thought, these were gifts from the princess to them as future sisters-in-law—they would not use them to curry favor.

“Sister, what’s in your box?” Shen Yuanrui asked excitedly.

“I’ll open it after washing my hands. Don’t rush me!” Shen Yuanhe said, equally excited.

When they finally opened the boxes, both were stunned.

Inside were ordinary gold bracelets. Back when the Shen family had not been raided, such pieces weren’t even worth looking at—they were used as small tips for servants.

“Could it be that the princess’s attendants brought the wrong ones?” Shen Yuanhe quickly examined the bracelet, expecting some hidden feature, but there was nothing—lightweight and simple.

“Why does the weight feel off?” Shen Yuanhe questioned, and Shen Yuanrui’s heart sank as she quickly opened her box.

An identical bracelet, clearly from the same gold shop.

“Yours is the same as mine.” Shen Yuanhe picked up her sister’s and compared.

Even the weight matched.

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Shen Yuanrui asked, still not understanding.

Shen Yuanhe’s face darkened: “I didn’t expect the princess to send us such cheap pieces just to get rid of us.”

If they had known, they would have opened the boxes in front of the other Shen daughters earlier.

Hearing this, Shen Yuanrui almost cried.

How could a princess of the imperial family send such low-quality gifts? These weren’t just any people—they were the princess’s future sisters-in-law, the two closest to her. Why treat them like beggars?

“Sister, do you think the princess did this on purpose, or did the palace maid bring the wrong items?” Shen Yuanrui still held some hope.

Shen Yuanhe snorted: “Wrong items? How could the palace have such poorly-made goods? This is obviously cheap stuff from an inferior gold shop!”

If word of this spread, it would not only shame the princess but also embarrass them.

“The princess clearly looks down on our status and is using these bracelets to lecture us.”

Shen Yuanrui’s face fell immediately.

“I’m going to tell brother. Once the princess marries in, brother will deal with her.”

Shen Yuanhe had initially thought a royal princess was untouchable. But on second thought—even a princess shouldn’t treat her future sisters-in-law like this.

“Come, I’ll go with you!”

Since Shen Yuanxin was disciplined, he had been confined to his room to recover. His confinement was not yet lifted, but other matters were already handled according to his legitimate status.

Visitors came to see him, and the household did not stop them.

Tomorrow, the ancestral hall ceremony would formally record Shen Yuanxin under the name of Princess Minrou. From then on, he would officially be the legitimate son of the Shen family. The emperor’s decree was clear: anyone who spoke against it would be considered rebellious.

“Brother, today we went to the Eldest Princess’s flower-viewing banquet and met the Tenth Princess.”

“She gave each of us a gold bracelet. The craftsmanship is poor, a mere thin layer of gold. It’s obvious she looks down on our status as illegitimate children, using the bracelet to lecture the three of us?”

…

The ancestral hall ceremony was a major event. Shen Lanxi had taken a day off on purpose.

She had also invited Wei Dongzhu to attend the ceremony.

This was a family-only ritual, with clear symbolic meaning for all to see.

Wei Dongzhu was delighted; it showed Shen Lanxi valued him and considered him part of her family.

He had returned from outside the city the night before. After bathing and changing, he stayed at the Juding Mansion for over an hour before returning home.

Before dawn, he began preparing his attire and gifts.

He had known the night before that Lanxi would wear red, a festive color. Naturally, he couldn’t wear full red.

But he had a set with red trim, a gift from her, which matched perfectly with her attire that day.

Previously, Wei Dongzhu would never have imagined putting such thought into dressing.

Now he understood what “love extends to everything” meant. Loving someone meant putting thought into even the smallest things—if it matched her even a little, it brought secret joy.

…

Early in the morning, Shen Lanxi arrived at the Shen residence. The younger generation immediately greeted her.

“Big sister, hello!”

Shen Lanxi appeared energetic, wearing a vibrant red outfit. Her presence exuded overwhelming power, making those around her instinctively look up.