Shen Yuanxu’s memorial requesting to return to the capital was delivered to Shen Lanxi’s desk. The memorial lay there for ten days before Shen Lanxi finally picked up her brush and wrote a reply.
Approved!
Along with the reply, a letter of appointment was also sent out. Since Shen Yuanxu was returning to the capital, someone naturally had to be assigned to fill his post.
“Send word to the Shen family,” Shen Lanxi ordered.
A pale-faced eunuch personally went to the Shen residence.
“This servant has come to offer congratulations to Second Master. His Majesty has already approved General Yuanxu’s request to return to the capital. If the general completes the handover quickly, he may even make it back in time to celebrate the New Year.”
For a moment, Shen Conglian did not react. It had been approved so easily?
Did His Majesty have some other plan?
Before, he had only worried about what would happen if the request were refused. Now that it had been approved, he did not know what to do instead.
“Eunuch, do you think I should enter the palace to offer thanks?” Shen Conglian asked ingratiatingly.
The eunuch thought for a moment. “His Majesty is currently busy preparing for the southern inspection. If you wish to offer thanks, it might be better to wait until General Yuanxu returns, and then you father and son can go to the palace together.”
Shen Conglian quickly agreed.
As soon as the palace messenger left, Shen Conglian immediately shared the good news with the rest of the family.
Seeing his second brother so happy, Shen Congli felt uncomfortable. Yuanxu was returning, and the second branch would once again have someone to rely on. But what about their third branch?
After returning home, he immediately discussed it with Madam Miao.
“How about we call Yuanhao back as well?”
Madam Miao’s eyes lit up. Ever since Yuanhao’s wife had died, he had never remarried. This matter had always weighed heavily on her mind. In recent years, so many things had happened to the Shen family that she often woke up in the middle of the night in alarm.
“We can tell His Majesty that we’ve found a suitable match for Yuanhao and want him to return to the capital to meet her. Once he comes back, we can proceed step by step.”
Shen Congli nodded. His Majesty required people to guard the frontiers; surely it was unreasonable to expect a man to remain alone all the time without even a woman to attend him.
No one could find fault with such a reason.
Shen Congli acted on two fronts. First he sent a letter to his son, and then he had another letter delivered to the palace.
The very next day, the palace sent a reply: Approved.
Immediately afterward, two imperial edicts were dispatched from the capital—one summoning him back, and one appointing a replacement.
With two sons returning in succession, it was an immense joy for the Shen family.
“Our Shen family hasn’t had such happy news in a long time. Let the household purchase whatever is needed without restraint. This New Year must be celebrated in the liveliest way possible. Let the people of the capital see that our Shen family has not declined,” Shen Conglian said, feeling proud and relieved.
At the academy
“Sister Emei, I heard that two of your uncles from the Shen family are returning from the frontier. Will your father be coming back too?” Several classmates gathered together chatting.
Shen Emei had already reached marriageable age, yet her family had made no arrangements. Privately, the Shen family hoped that the Emperor would personally bestow a marriage, but the palace had shown no signs of doing so. There had also been no news from Shen Yuanjing in the northwest. Others, being somewhat distant relatives, would occasionally mention it but nothing more.
The changes of recent years had taught them a lesson: the more one spoke, the more mistakes one made; the less one spoke, the fewer mistakes; and doing nothing meant making no mistakes at all.
Seeing her attendants looking at her with curiosity, Shen Emei naturally did not want to be looked down upon.
Her father and the Emperor were full siblings born of the same mother. The Emperor had no heirs, and her father was the eldest son, so their branch was the most honored.
She herself was the eldest daughter—her status was therefore exceptionally noble.
“My father will naturally return,” she said. “But there are many matters in the northwest, and many foreign tribes are watching hungrily. Before he can return, everything must be properly settled. So even if he does come back, it won’t be so soon.”
Two days earlier she had already written to the northwest. Ever since her grandfather and grandmother passed away one after another, she had begun to feel that the Shen family paid less and less attention to her.
Though no one openly neglected her, when it came to major matters—such as recalling elders who were guarding the frontiers—the two great-uncles had not even consulted the main branch.
Although no elder from her branch who could make decisions was in the capital, she herself was still there.
It was obvious that her great-uncles did not take their branch seriously at all.
“Sister Emei, when will your father return?” someone asked again.
This question stumped her. She did not know.
She did not even know whether her father would request a transfer back to the capital.
“Matters like frontier generals returning to the capital—are these things you can casually inquire about?” Shen Emei retorted arrogantly.
Hearing that the matter involved court affairs, her companions quickly changed the subject.
“Did you know? Shen Chengfeng is meeting the daughter of a Household Ministry official today,” one of them said excitedly.
Hearing the name Shen Chengfeng, Shen Emei frowned instinctively, her expression showing disdain. “You mean the one who keeps blinking and winking during class?”
“Yes, that’s her. She doesn’t do that anymore, and she actually looks quite good now. Her house is next to mine. Several times I’ve heard her in the courtyard talking with her maids about the young men of the capital, acting completely lovestruck.”
Shen Emei’s eyes lit up, and she immediately asked, “What’s her name?”
“Gao Mingyue.”
If Shen Chengfeng married a woman with eye problems who was foolish and infatuated, he would surely be ridiculed by the entire capital.
At that time, Shen Chengfeng would lose all face, and no one would ever overshadow her again.
She decided she must help bring about this marriage.
“Where are they meeting?”
Her companion shook her head. “I don’t know. I only heard someone mention it in passing.”
Shen Emei felt frustrated at her incompetence and urged angrily, “Then hurry and find out!”
“All right, I’ll go right now!”
Just imagining Shen Chengfeng’s future chaotic married life filled Shen Emei with unprecedented satisfaction.
Relying on his status as a man, Shen Chengfeng had overshadowed her for too long. She was clearly the eldest daughter of the Shen family and should have enjoyed the exclusive favor of her imperial aunt. Yet because of him, that attention had been divided.
A mere descendant of a collateral branch daring to compete with her, the legitimate daughter of the main line—truly shameless.
In the imperial palace
“Your Majesty, Song Daoxi has arrived at Jinmen.”
Shen Lanxi said, “He completed his mission well. Jinmen is a good place—let him retire there in peace.”
“Yes.”
“Your Majesty, I worry… what if Song Daoxi encounters Yuan Lang? If they meet, does Your Majesty still remember—you once promised Yuan Lang something.”
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow and smiled. “If they meet, they meet. If the two encounter each other, Yuan Lang will naturally understand my meaning.”
Three days later, a memorial arrived from Jinmen. It contained no official business, only a few words:
This minister has lost.
“Yuan Lang truly lives up to being a disciple of the thatched cottage—he’s not foolish.”
Could someone from Guigu be impersonated, and for so long at that? Anyone with a brain could guess that behind the counterfeit stood the real person.
“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from the northwest.”
It was not a formal memorial, but a letter.
Shen Lanxi glanced at the name, opened it, and after casually reading the contents, simply wrote a single word: Approved.
The next day, two imperial edicts were sent at top speed to the northwest.
This year, the Shen family would surely be very lively.
“Should we inform His Majesty about Chengfeng’s marriage with the Gao family?” Madam Liu felt very conflicted. On one hand, she felt resentful that her own grandson’s marriage would require another’s approval.
On the other hand, she also felt that if the palace did not bestow the marriage, it would be a great loss…
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