Chapter 4 The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole follows behind
Shen Zi naturally knew what her mother meant. There was a lot of rumors outside, but she didn't know. She was just telling herself in a subtle way that no matter what the outside said, she must not lose her identity.
"Father." Shen Zi saluted Father Shen, then raised her head with a firm expression, "Zi'er knows her father, and her mother loves Zi'er the most. Now is the time for Zi'er to repay the Shen family. For the sake of the Shen family, Zi'er wants to temporarily If you don't want to break off the marriage with the Gu family, because the situation in the DPRK is unstable, now is not the time to fall out with the Gu family."
Shen's mother thought that Shen Zi was still thinking about Gu Jinghuan and still had a crush on him, and wanted to persuade them to allow her to marry the Gu family.
She shook her head in disappointment and sighed, "Zi'er, mother knows that you and the Gu family have had a deep friendship since childhood, but we can't hang ourselves on a tree, let alone"
"Mother." Shen Zi interrupted Mother Shen's words, and then said to Father Shen, "The Gu family is just a marquis, Zi'er is not like that, not to mention that our Shen family has a prominent family background, how can we not compare with his Gu family, but Gu family , the Lu family suddenly got in touch, my father has to take a long-term approach to this matter."
Father Shen's hand suddenly stopped picking up the tea cup.
One sentence breaks down the current situation.
This matter is indeed a bit strange.
The sound of crackling charcoal fire interrupted the tranquility in the room. Shen Zi's expression was calm and steady, "There is only one prince in the court now, and he is still young. He was born from the belly of a palace maid. Although his background is somewhat unworthy, he is the one your Majesty has here. The only prince at that time, the importance in His Majesty's heart is obvious. His mother died of a hemorrhage during childbirth, so he has no support from his maternal family."
"Your Majesty's beloved Concubine Jia comes from southern Xinjiang. She was injured when she gave birth to Princess Yongning. She has been judged by the Taiyuan Hospital to have difficulty conceiving in the future, and the queen has never been able to get pregnant. You said, if this continues in the palace, then there will be What happened? The only prince is the most reliable choice in the future, but why did your majesty give him to the upbringing of Concubine Yi, who has no family background, instead of letting the queen educate him? And why didn’t the queen go to your majesty to fight for it? Custody rights? Do you think the Queen doesn’t want to fight for it?”
"No, it's just because the Queen's family is deeply involved with the Gu Hou Mansion. The Queen and the Gu family are avoiding suspicion at the moment. No matter what the outcome is in the future, as long as she is His Majesty's son, she will be the Prince's legitimate mother. This is a fact that cannot be changed, unless His Majesty I have a desire to become a waste queen."
Father Shen looked surprised and looked at Shen Zi with doubt.
How could a twelve-year-old girl, who had always been in boudoir and never been in court, analyze the current situation so clearly? Is she still her own daughter?
Shen Zi accepted the scrutiny of the Shen Mansion openly, her posture still upright and her expression calm and solemn.
She continued, "If the daughter's analysis is correct, the Gu family wants to use the Lu family's help to make the daughter give up the marriage, or to make the daughter become jealous of Lu Li, lose her mind, and do something excessive. Their Gu family is good Let's take this opportunity to shirk it. Why don't we ignore the Lu family's affairs for now, treat it as if we can't see it, and wait and see what the Gu family does before we make any plans."
Father Shen, who has been riding high in the imperial court for many years, has changed from being suspicious just now to being serious, and his eyes looking at Shen Zi seem to be shining brightly.
"There are no unreasonable benefits in this world. My father should know how capable the Lu family has been over the years. I am afraid that the daughter of the Lu family has long become a topic of conversation in Beijing. This time she was not punished by His Majesty for the fake goods, but it is inevitable Your Majesty can tolerate her a second time."
"If we were really fooled by the Gu family, I'm afraid that my father would have written a memorial to His Majesty to dissolve the marriage. Then the Gu family would have used other excuses to prevaricate, and the direction of public opinion would have changed. Even if we have ten thousand mouths, The explanation is unclear, and as long as we do nothing, the Gu family will not be able to voluntarily withdraw from this marriage, and the Gu family party will not grow stronger."
Shen's mother was not an ordinary and ignorant woman in a purdah. Shen Zi's analysis of the current situation in the court made her wake up from a dream.
The little girl stared at Father Shen with clear eyes, like a deer in the forest.
Father Shen's heart paused twice. It was related to the turmoil in the court, and he had to be more cautious in doing things. If he made a wrong step, not only the Shen family, but also the whole world would be overthrown.
Father Shen looked around. Aunt Yu had the foresight to lead everyone out. Seeing that there were only three people left in the room, she said, "You have been in the boudoir for a long time, how did you know about the actions of the court and the Gu family? Those words just now, Did you figure it all out by yourself?"
Shen Zi responded respectfully, "Back to father, it was the daughter who thought about it alone. The daughter had been away from home for many days, but no one from the Gu family sent a greeting. The daughter felt strange, so she asked people to inquire more, and then she learned about what happened in the capital. It was figured out by combining it with some interesting things in the palace later."
There is another matter that Shen Zi plans to hide to the end. Lu Li is not the real daughter of the Lu family, and there is also the matter of her own rebirth. I am afraid that the fewer people know about it, the better!
Father Shen, who was sitting at the top, heard this and looked at Shen Zi with joy. His daughter was worthy of being the most talented girl in the capital, but it was a pity that she was born a girl... If she were a man, she would definitely be no worse than her brother. The first half may be better than blue.
"What should Hao'er say? Although he is five hundred miles away, he will return home in a month. If he asks about Zi'er and the Gu family, he will definitely be anxious!" Mother Shen was a little worried. asked.
Shen Zi had already thought about it and said, "Go back to mother. I have asked someone to send a letter to my brother. I think I will receive it tomorrow! My brother has been smart since he was a child. He can understand it when he sees it. Besides, the imperial examination is coming, so it is hard to hide it. It’s not a good thing, it’s better to tell my brother openly so that he can be less distracted.”
Father Shen saw that she was so assertive, so he said tentatively, "So, Zi'er, you mean to let the Lu family and the Gu family go?"
Shen Zi shook her head, "My daughter is not asking her father to let the Lu family and the Gu family go, but after thinking deeply, she feels that this is not the time. No matter the Lu family or the Gu family, the fundamentals are not endangered for the time being. It is better for the father to deal with the two families. , let the Gu family distance themselves from the Lu family."
Father Shen put down his teacup and leaned against it, "Then what are you going to do for me?"
"First, the daughter hopes that her father will not be held accountable no matter what the daughter does in the future. Second, there is an undercurrent in the court, and she hopes that her father can escape unharmed." Shen Zi looked at Father Shen with clear and clean eyes.
When Father Shen heard this, a smile appeared on his face, "Your father and I can sit here partly because of Shen's truth, but I, Shen Linsheng, have been in the court for many years and I am not a vegetarian. Otherwise, where would I be?" My prestige can help Your Majesty to protect the common people in this world, but I missed you."