After Li Jian left, Lu Ruoxi came in with a bowl of hot soup, placed it on Shen Yi's desk, and said softly: "Then the kid is gone?"
"Um."
Mr. Shen yawned and said, "He knows that after coming to my place, he is still a little smart. If he goes south blindly, he will only come back in disgrace."
Lu Ruoxi thought for a while and said, "Husband, what do you think of this child?"
Shen Yi looked up at his wife and said with a smile, "What? Does your wife like this son-in-law?"
"Not yet."
Lu Ruoxi smiled and said: "But he did have some thoughts. Since the imperial court moved to Yanjing, many people have taken a fancy to our Sangsang family. Many people have already come to see me, including some wealthy families. The young lady deliberately approached Sangsang, presumably to clear the way for her brothers at home."
"During this period, these people have disappeared without a trace."
Master Shen was a little surprised when he heard this and said, "Did he do it?"
"Mostly."
Lu Ruoxi smiled and said: "We can't just stop coming all of a sudden?"
Mr. Shen touched his chin: "This is quite interesting."
Lu Ruoxi moved a chair, sat next to Shen Yi, and said softly: "There is also the matter of the eldest princess, which is also a troublesome matter. The queen invited me into the palace a few days ago and said that the eldest princess is very taciturn in the palace now. Sometimes I don’t eat for a whole day.”
"The Queen also said that the girl is going to find a Taoist temple to become a monk and become a nun, and she will never get married again."
Lu Ruoxi sighed softly: "If she never gets married, we Yuan'er will be so sorry for her."
Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and said softly: "I probably told you on purpose."
"I guessed it too."
Lu Ruoxi said silently: "That's why I didn't answer the phone from beginning to end, but I also watched the eldest princess grow up, and now it's like this, it's really..."
She shook her head slightly and sighed.
Shen Yi said helplessly: "Your son didn't want to stay in the capital all his life. He chose his own path. I didn't force him not to be the consort, let alone beat the couple."
Lu Ruoxi stood up, walked behind Shen Yi, and gently squeezed Master Shen's shoulders: "I don't blame my husband for anything, it's just this matter..."
"It's not quite satisfactory after all."
"There are not so many perfect things in the world."
Shen Yi said in a dull voice: "When Ling Su's son married the Duke's daughter in Jiankang, didn't he then hear that there was a childhood sweetheart in his hometown in Taizhou? In the end, this matter did not end well, and Ling Zhan has not known it to this day. I dare not go back to Taizhou Prefecture."
"Moreover."
"If the eldest princess really becomes a monk..."
Mr. Shen shook his head and did not continue.
The eldest princess actually has no say in whether she becomes a monk or not. It is His Majesty the Emperor who really has the final say.
Being born into the royal family, you will naturally be rich and well-dressed, but while enjoying the benefits, you also have to take on responsibilities. People in the royal family, especially the women of the royal family, have always had no choice but to do what they want.
But now, to put it bluntly, if the royal family wants to pursue maximizing interests, then the eldest princess Li's becoming a monk is actually the behavior that is most in line with the interests of the Li family.
Because, the future head of the Shen family must be Shen Yuan.
Using an "insignificant" woman to make Shen Yuan feel guilty towards the Li family for the rest of his life was the perfect deal.
However, it seems that Emperor Hong De is not this unkind emperor. He will probably still think of ways to find a suitable husband for his daughter.
But no matter what, this matter has little to do with the Shen family and Shen Yi. After all, the two families did not really make any engagement.
At best, it is the young Marquis’s own personal emotional problem.
Lu Ruoxi squeezed Shen Yi's shoulders and said: "This Fourth Highness is a year or two younger than Sangsang. At his age, he is going south to do the important thing of clearing the land..."
"Can it really be done?"
"Whether it's done or not, it's not up to him."
Shen Yi yawned and said calmly: "The key lies in who His Majesty will send to go south with him. If he is allowed to go south alone with some officials from the Ministry of Revenue, then it will be impossible to do it no matter what."
"If His Majesty sends a few capable candidates, there might be some hope for this matter, but..."
Mr. Shen shook his head and said: "Neither Your Majesty nor I expect that this child can really accomplish this. The reason why we let him do it is just to see what his character is and whether he can accomplish it. potential.”
Lu Ruoxi smiled: "If he is really good material, my husband would be willing to marry Sangsang to him?"
"Two different things."
Mr. Shen shook his head and said: "After all, marriage is a consensual relationship, and this guy has impure intentions for our family. We need to take a good look at him."
Lu Ruoxi said "hmm".
"What about Yuan'er?"
She whispered: "After we get married, do we really want him to go to Korea?"
"It's not to go to Goryeo, but to garrison the border between Goryeo and Liaodong."
Shen Yi turned back to look at Lu Ruoxi, and his expression became serious: "Madam, since he wants to inherit the family business, he must do this. At most, let him bring the girl named Su with him. Enter the room."
Mr. Shen stood up, took his wife's hand, and said softly: "Madam, our family is in the north and we have been the master for more than ten years. In the past, the court was in Jiankang, and both sides went their own way. Now the court has come to Yanjing. , our family must find another place, otherwise, there is a high probability that you and I will be fine, but the children may not be safe in the future."
"The Su and Xue families may not be able to be saved."
"If Yuan'er wants to inherit the family business, he must go to Goryeo to try his luck. It's best..."
Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and said softly: "It would be best if he, the son-in-law of Korea, can become the loudest person in Korea, so that our family will have a way out."
"Yuan'er, he..."
Lu Ruoxi sighed: "After all, I don't have much experience, so I'm a little worried mentally and physically that he won't be able to do it. Besides, for such a big thing, it would be more appropriate for you, not my husband, to do it?"
Mr. Shen was silent for a while.
"Su Ding will help him."
"As for why I don't go."
Mr. Shen was silent for a while and held his wife in his arms.
"There is a person in Yandu City who needs me to do something for him. The friendship we have had for more than twenty years is really..."
"It's hard to refuse."
…………
In the blink of an eye, another few months passed.
By this time, it had been more than three months since His Highness the Fourth Prince led his people south.
The weather is gradually turning into autumn.
At this time, the major case that lasted for nearly half a year finally came to an end.
Under the auspices of the Third Law Division, nearly a hundred officials were directly involved in this major case! Half of them were directly removed from their posts and questioned!
The other half are also demoted, demoted, and retired.
In the court, a large power vacuum was immediately created.
And these "holes" were quickly refilled under the operation of the officials. Only a small half of these vacancies were filled by officials from the south, and most of them were surrendered ministers of the old Qi and new officials from the north in the past ten years. Scholars of the Jin Dynasty.
A political force that clearly bears the label of "Northerners" grew rapidly under Emperor Hong De's almost counterproductive methods.
As for this part of the political force, their current background may not be deep enough, and their foundation may not be solid enough, but they actually occupy a considerable number of important positions and gradually begin to have some preliminary rights to speak.
In this process, no one knows what role Mr. Shen, the "personnel manager", plays.
As the weather enters autumn, the swallows gradually become deserted.
In the back house of Marquis Shen's Mansion, two brothers sat across the table from each other. Shen stretched out his hand and filled up his brother's wine, and then filled himself up again. The two brothers clinked their glasses, and after drinking them all, Shen let out a long sigh. Tone: "Brother, now I am also a Dajiu Qing."
Mr. Shen put down his wine glass and smiled dumbly: "Is the imperial edict coming?"
"Um."
Shen nodded and said: "The old Minister was ordered to become an official by His Majesty, and my younger brother took up the position of Minister of Rites."
"Don't feel uneasy."
Master Shen poured wine for him and said: "You are a Jinshi in the tenth year of Hongde. The officials of your contemporaries in the imperial court are all young now. You have been in the officialdom for twenty years and you have become the Minister of Etiquette."
Shen hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked: "This matter... has the eldest brother taken over?"
Mr. Shen's wine glass stopped in mid-air and smiled: "Is this important?"
Young Shen Shangshu nodded and said: "It may not be important to others, but in my eyes..."
"is important."
Mr. Shen clinked his wine glasses with him.
"I didn't speak."
After the two drank it all, Mr. Shen breathed out a breath of alcohol.
"As for what Your Majesty thinks, it's hard to say."
Mr. Shen said with a smile: "After all, it's not my fault, so I can't force myself to take credit for it, right?"
Little Shen Shangshu nodded silently, and then asked: "Yuan'er is getting married soon. Is there anything you can do for me, brother?"
"Of course there is."
Mr. Shen smiled and said: "That day, Zi Chang came to work a lot."
Shen then smiled and said, "Who is hosting the wedding?"
"If Uncle Zhao doesn't come, it will probably be Senior Brother Zhang."
Mr. Shen lowered his eyebrows and said, "My mentor and father are coming over. There are things I can't take care of. Please give me more snacks."
"Brother, what you said is beyond the pale."
Young Shen Shangshu raised his head and took a sip of wine: "Isn't that also my mentor and father?"
Master Shen smiled hoarsely, refilled Shen's glass of wine, and then patted his brother on the shoulder.
"Now that you are a Dajiuqing, many things will become beyond your control, but Zi Chang must remember not to get trapped among the princes."
Shen looked thoughtful, then his expression changed slightly.
"What do you mean, brother?"
"Shh."
Mr. Shen made a silent gesture and shook his head slightly.