This chuckle finally broke the overwhelming embarrassment.
Shen Changan finally realized what he had just said in Meng Zijun's condemning and contemptuous eyes, his face turned red, and he wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
How could he say what he was secretly thinking? Now, he has not even written out the standard horoscopes, and he is calling his father-in-law and mother-in-law so loudly... It's over, their impression of him must be minimized at this moment. Clicked. Shen Changan, who did not believe in gods and Buddhas, prayed pitifully in his heart. Gods from all walks of life, can you take back what you said?
Mrs. Zheng finally opened her mouth to break the silence: "Young Master Shen is so funny. Even if you want to be the uncle of our Duke Dingguo again, you have to wait until we are engaged in the future. Three matchmakers and six beauties marry Yu'er before you can change your mind." !" Although he meant to teach a lesson, his tone was very gentle.
No matter how stupid Shen Changan is, he still knows that this is his future mother-in-law trying to teach him a lesson. He felt excited and blurted out: "Yes, yes, my mother-in-law taught me a lesson."
Mrs. Zheng: "..."
Meng Zijun couldn't bear it anymore and coughed hard: "Brother Shen, why don't you sit down and rest for a while, drink some tea before talking."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Shen Chang'an offered the gift with a face of shame, then sat down, lowering his head and not daring to say anything again.
Mrs. Zheng composed herself, invited everyone to sit down together, and ordered tea. Everyone present, except Shen Changan, was a master at concealing their emotions. They seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment just now, and started chatting as if nothing had happened.
After the atmosphere became a little more relaxed, Mrs. Zheng looked at Shen Chang'an again, smiled lightly and asked, "I wonder if Mr. Shen is noble this year?"
Shen Changan just lowered his head and reflected for a long time. After learning from the pain, he made up his mind to perform well in the future. After hearing Mrs. Zheng's question, he quickly came back to his senses and responded respectfully: "Auntie, there is no need to be so polite. Call my nephew Chang'an." That’s all. I celebrated my birthday just last month, so I’m exactly twenty-three years old.”
This response was quite appropriate, and Meng Zijun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Zheng also had a smile on her face: "You are the same age as Xinian, but you are a few months younger than Xinian."
Shen Changan hurriedly smiled and said: "Although we are the same age, I am far behind Gu Shixiong. Gu Shixiong became the Minister of Household Affairs at a young age, and he was highly regarded by the emperor. Speaking of these, I am far behind. …”
This was quite appropriate. Meng Zijun was about to secretly sigh in relief when he heard Shen Changan continue: "What's more, Brother Gu married his lovely wife in April this year. The love and sweetness are enviable. I am still alone now. I really don’t know when I will be lucky enough to marry my sweetheart.” Lest others didn’t know what he wanted to express, he even glanced at Mrs. Zheng blatantly.
Meng Zijun looked miserable and turned his head aside silently. He was really wrong. The job of smoothing things over for Shen Changan is definitely not something ordinary people can do!!!
...This Shen Changan is so shameless and courageous, he dares to say anything!
As a noble lady from a well-known family, Mrs. Zheng was accustomed to speaking in a subtle and euphemistic way. Suddenly she met Shen Chang'an, who spoke outspokenly and unconventionally, and she didn't know how to properly communicate.
Not to mention Gu Xinian, who had never looked down upon Shen Changan from the beginning to the end, and when he heard such... an extremely explicit and undisguised statement, his face almost turned dark. If he hadn't suppressed the noble master's demeanor, , I have already turned against you and kicked people out.
Ye Qinglan had been paying attention to Gu Xinian's reaction. When he saw his gloomy face and was about to open his mouth, he knew something was going to happen, so he smiled and opened his mouth to smooth things over: "I heard that the border war is getting serious recently. Even though I stay in the house every day, I have heard a lot of rumors. Mr. Shen is on duty in the Ministry of War, so he must be much better informed. I wonder what is going on now?"
This topic couldn't be more appropriate. The most popular topic among the aristocratic circles in the capital today is definitely related to the war. Of course, the men are worried about the country and the people, but even the women can't help but exchange a few words when they get together. Shen Chang'an is General Shen's Being an only son and holding an important position in the Ministry of War, he was certainly the best person to inquire about military affairs.
Although Shen Changan was rough and informal by nature, he could see that Ye Qinglan was trying to save him. He glanced at Ye Qinglan gratefully and said, "The reports coming from the border are indeed not good. Recently, they have been defeated one after another. Although the casualties are not huge. , but it has a great impact on morale. Recently, the Ministry of War is dispatching soldiers from various places to support, and the capital is also recruiting new soldiers. Once all the recruits are recruited, training must be stepped up, and you may not know which day they will be used. "
As soon as this topic was mentioned, everyone's attention was attracted invariably.
Gu Hong frowned slightly and said: "It's just a matter of dispatching troops from various places to provide support. Even if the new soldiers recruited have been trained, they won't be able to go to the battlefield for the time being!"
Meng Zijun also echoed: "Yes, I feel strange too. Is it too hasty to recruit new soldiers for training at this time?"
"The Ministry of War has issued an official document and dispatched garrisons from Zhejiang, Hunan and other places to border passes for support." Shen Chang'an spoke confidently: "However, dispatching garrisons is only a temporary measure. We cannot all move garrisons to border passes, at least we have to Leave some to guard various places to prevent some gangsters from taking the opportunity to cause trouble. I don't know when the war will end. Recruiting new soldiers is just in case. If the war drags on for too long, new soldiers will definitely be needed to supplement it. At this time, recruit new soldiers and train three It will be barely usable in about a month. Even if the war ends early, there will definitely be a lot of casualties among soldiers. At that time, new soldiers can be incorporated into the army to supplement the establishment."
This statement was straightforward yet well-organized, fully demonstrating Shen Changan's competent and excellent side as a military commander.
Gu Hong nodded secretly in his heart, his impression of Shen Changan finally improved, and his tone became much gentler: "So, you will have to work hard in the future." Training new recruits is definitely not a pleasant job.
Shen Chang'an noticed the subtle change in Gu Hong's attitude, and was secretly happy. He puffed up his chest and responded: "This is all my responsibility, and it is not hard work. Compared with those soldiers who were fighting and bleeding at the border, this is nothing. .”
Gu Hong smiled and said nothing, but there was a hint of approval in his eyes.
When Shen Changan received the admiring look from his prospective father-in-law, his whole body suddenly felt light-hearted, and the smile on his face was extremely bright. Gu Xinian felt uncomfortable with his appearance, so he snorted: "What you said is so light. , Don’t you need to spend money to recruit new soldiers? The Ministry of Revenue is already exhausted just to provide food and grass for the border war, and a flimsy official document from your Ministry of War requires the people in the Ministry of Revenue to flip over it."
When Shen Changan met Gu Xinian, his voice became much softer: "There is nothing we can do about it. You can't stop recruiting troops or fighting just because you are afraid of spending money! The money in the treasury is originally obtained from The people are for the people. Now that we are experiencing war, we must put the stability of the court and the safety of the people first. Where else would the money be spent if not at this time?"
...To call him a vulgar martial artist is really unfair. He understands everything he needs to understand!
Gu Xinian twitched the corners of his lips with a half-smile: "It's true that the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the money in the treasury, but there are places where money needs to be spent. You have to spend money on wars, and the palaces in the imperial city also have to spend money. Should we build it? Do we need to provide disaster relief after the disasters reported by various provinces? Also, will the salaries of officials of all sizes in the capital be paid? People who come to the Ministry of Household Affairs every day to ask for money can line up from here to the city gate. Are you going to ignore all the urgent matters and keep all the money in the treasury for the Ministry of War?"
…
It was Gu Xinian's turn to be sharp and tough. Even the ten Shen Changan were no match for Gu Xinian. He was immediately defeated: "That's not what I meant..."
Gu Xinian glanced at him sideways: "If it doesn't mean this, what else could it mean?" It's not his style to settle for what he says, but to pursue the victory in the best possible way!
Shen Changan grimaced and winked at Meng Zijun repeatedly. Brother, hurry up and help save the situation!
As expected, Meng Zijun smiled and opened his mouth: "Why is Cousin Gu so excited? As the Minister of Household Affairs, you naturally have to consider these issues from the perspective of the Household Department. As a military general, Brother Shen must stand from the perspective of a military general. This There is nothing to argue with. When the country is peaceful and the people are safe, the Treasury of the Ministry of Finance must be sufficient, so there is no need to rack your brains and work hard. Now that the border war is urgent, it is the time to test the Ministry of Revenue. I think, with Cousin Gu’s ability, You will definitely not be troubled by these trivial matters!" When he said the last sentence, he finally showed a hint of provocation and ridicule.
Gu Xinian raised his eyebrows and smiled lightly: "What Cousin Meng said makes sense. I really don't take this trivial matter to heart."
The two of them tried their best to restrain their tit-for-tat aura, and only exchanged glances once before changing the subject as if nothing had happened.
Shen Changan was frustrated one after another and did not dare to say anything anymore. He sat there obediently. Meng Zijun had no choice but to take on the task of testing his tone, and intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to the marriage: "...Shen Changan The eldest brother is already a grown man and has not yet gotten married. Not to mention himself, even I am secretly worried about him when I look at him."
The same meaning, when spoken from Meng Zijun's mouth, is much more euphemistic and pleasant to the ears.
Mrs. Zheng smiled and said implicitly: "General Shen is not in the capital, and there are no other elders in the house to take care of his marriage. It is indeed a bit difficult."
Sure enough, there is drama!
Meng Zijun suddenly became energetic and said tentatively: "It is the elders who should take part in life-long matters. However, General Shen is at the border and he may not be able to return to the capital in the short term. If he waits like this, I am afraid it will delay Shen. As for eldest brother’s marriage, it’s better to settle the marriage first and wait until General Shen’s squadron returns to the court before getting married. It just so happens that good things come in pairs.”
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It’s been another month. Thank you for all the pink and recommendation votes you gave Xiaoqing this month. Thank you for your continued subscription support. I won’t say anything more. From tomorrow on, I will work hard to code and update ~ next There will be a third update of unfixed engagements every week~o(n_n)o~ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)