Chapter 580: Chapter 568: Aren’t You Going to Bow Your Head to Me Again? (Bonus Chapter)
Shen Zhi’s face suddenly flushed red.
After the family had dinner, Shen Zhi hurried to the study.
Shen Hua chased after him: "Brother, where are you going?"
Shen Zhi’s rarely seen brows and eyes were imbued with triumphant joy: "I don’t have many close friends, I need to send a letter to Brother Cui. I must invite him to attend the wedding banquet."
Shen Hua: "Heh."
Your good brother didn’t even notify you when he came to Fengzhou?
This brotherly bond really seems to be teetering on the edge.
————
The next day, when going to the old teacher’s place, unless it was to Muchun Garden, she always rode in a carriage and took Yicui with her.
But when the carriage had traveled halfway, Shen Hua asked the coachman to stop.
She trotted along the side of the road, speaking intermittently with Yicui.
After walking for a bit, Yicui felt that something was off with her lady, but before she could ponder deeper, she blurted out in surprise.
"Why is the residence under Young Master Cui’s name open? Is someone living there now?"
Shen Hua, with utter nonchalance, cocked her little finger: "Who knows."
"It might have been sold."
"After all, Fengzhou is a small place, how could someone of his stature bother coming back, right?"
Yicui: ...
That’s not it.
She saw Ji Qing.
And she saw Cui Yun coming out of the residence at a leisurely pace.
Yicui exclaimed with joy: "My lady, this—"
"Hmm?"
Shen Hua looked over lazily: "Why, do you know this person?"
The words about to be spoken were swallowed back.
The most understanding of Shen Hua’s thoughts, Yicui: "I don’t."
Shen Hua nodded: "Last time I was late to the teacher’s, he gave me a good scolding. We’d better hurry, to avoid his criticism."
Yicui: ...
Then why not take the carriage!
She had thought, why is my lady breaking her routine and getting up so early, and even hurrying to read!
Having said that, Shen Hua looked in Cui Yun’s direction: "We just met yesterday, so it turns out you live here now."
Cui Yun felt weary.
He just saw the girl, who moments ago was hurrying to pursue her studies, looking down and fiddling with the wallet on her waist, saying things he didn’t want to hear anymore.
"I also know the previous owner of this residence."
"But they’re all irrelevant people, there’s no need to mention them anymore."
As she spoke, she was lifted up.
Her body suspended in the air.
"Is this a kidnapping?"
"Please, come in and have a seat."
"Your way of inviting is quite unique."
She was placed to sit on a swing.
Inside the residence, everything had drastically changed. It was tidied up with exquisite taste.
Cui Yun asked: "Why aren’t you wearing the jade pendant?"
"It’s not anything important, I’ve actually been bored of wearing it for a while."
"Really? I saw you with it just yesterday. I thought it was something you wore every day."
Shen Hua suddenly glowered: "What I wear on my body is none of your business, is it?"
"This past year, I wanted to come to Fengzhou, but I could not free myself."
Shen Hua covered her ears.
He pulled her hands down.
"The situation at court is tense, many officials have had their homes raided. Emperor He is extremely suspicious, and in consideration of my brother’s many years of hard-fought battles, he was ordered to recuperate at home."
This rest turned out to last a year.
During this time, no one from Marquis Yangling Mansion took office again.
Nowadays, Emperor He has absolute power.
A slap followed by a sweet date. Even though he’s not yet fifteen, the Emperor sent him to the Ministry of Justice to handle affairs, on the pretext of the saying ’a tiger father will not beget a dog son.’
He thinks he has pacified the Cui family and warned the entire court with his actions.
Cui Yun has a very low official rank.
Well.
Inside, the Minister of Ministry of Justice, the Junior Minister Jiang Zhao, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice... anyone could suppress him.
"There are some things, even if I tell you, you might not understand."
"My father brought disaster on himself. In contrast, my brother would always inform my sister-in-law even when stepping out. Whose fault, whose life is easier, I see everything clearly, and it’s only right to be clear about it."
Shen Hua’s eyes rolled around.
She thought, she really couldn’t blame Cui Yun.
"I write a letter every month, not missing a single one."
Shen Hua turned her head away huffily.
"You have the nerve to say it! Some people send so thick a letter it’s unreasonable, while others send mere thin sheets of paper."
She was going to tell him all about the interesting things that had happened recently.
Cui Yun: "The cases handled by the Ministry of Justice are pretty gruesome. Are you sure you want to see them?"
His days were mundane and unremarkable.
Suddenly, Shen Hua felt that Cui Yun was quite wronged.
She just heard him scoff and ask.
"Now that I’m an unrelated person, do you finally remember me?"
"Almost there."
Cui Yun: "How old are you?"
The girl proudly told her: "Ten years old."
He stopped discussing the profound meaning of the jade pendant with her. Instead, he stood up.
"I’ll take you to your teacher."
Shen Hua was momentarily at a loss.
"That’s it?"
"Aren’t you going to lower your head to me again?"
"I already said, ’almost there!’"
What illusion makes you think Yangyang is easy to appease?
Cui Yun glanced at her.
"Keep it for a few more years."
Shen Hua felt that there was something slightly wrong with this person.
————
On the day of Shen Zhi’s grand wedding. Dressed in joyous wedding attire, as gentle as jade he rode on a tall horse with an unwitting, faint smile, followed by a long bridal procession.
Many people in the streets were watching.
There was all sorts of talk.
— "What a big spectacle. He’s only marrying someone from an ordinary family, why all the fuss?"
— "Mind your own business; they are just wealthy. Before long, Miss Shen will even use silver notes to roast fish to eat, just be envious."
Ever since their unpleasant parting, Clan Elder Shen hadn’t gained any favor; his son was a habitual gambler, and the family wealth had long been squandered. Now there were many debt collectors outside. At this moment, his face was gloomy.
"What good are saintly books that he’s read? No matter how well one studies, what use is it? His father is still in prison and he doesn’t show concern, yet he has the audacity to get married?"
"A grown man only knows how to criticize the younger generation. Aren’t you ashamed?"
"What do you know? Those Taoists who passed by the Shen family’s gate in the past few days all said that there is a presence of dark energy in the house, a sign of great misfortune, and a wedding was needed to counteract it. If Mr. Shen doesn’t take a wife, should the young Miss Shen marry someone else?"
Clan Elder Shen, exasperated: "Do you believe such things?"
The passersby stopped talking.
But it’s better to believe in something and be wrong than to not believe and it be true, isn’t it?
They will eventually believe.
Because when Shen Wei dies, it will be because of his immense karmic hindrance, causing the attempt to counteract the bad luck with a joyous event to fail.
Clan Elder Shen declared: "Such descendants, selfish and self-serving, only looking out for themselves. Our Shen family utterly disowns them."
Shen Hua seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"That’s really great. As if anyone cares."
"It seems today brings not just one, but double joy."
"Bring someone! Throw this troublemaking old man out, looking at him is bad luck."
As she said this, Shen Hua’s eyes curved into a smile.
"Today there’s a great celebration in my household, and all of you are invited to come in for a drink. For those who do not come to dine, you can collect some sweets from the front."
Cui Yun arrived as promised with generous gifts, and Shen Zhi felt moved once more after seeing him.
He thought that Cui Yun must have hurried over for his sake.
The newlyweds bowed to each other and then stepped over the threshold, holding onto a red silk handkerchief.
A gust of wind came, lifting a corner of the bride’s veil, momentarily revealing her carefully adorned face.
Zheng Qianyu was cheering delightfully at the side.
"Your sister-in-law is really beautiful!"
She didn’t forget to praise herself: "When it’s my turn to marry, I’ll surely be no less beautiful."
Seeing that the person next to her had no reaction, she nudged them.
"Why are you standing there, speechless?"
Shen Hua was lost in thought for quite some time. She slowly turned her head.
"I feel like I’ve seen sister-in-law in her wedding dress before."
At that very moment, a flash of imagery flickered through her mind.
Xiao Sesu, just like today, was dressed more beautifully than any flower.
She looked deeply into her own eyes, numb as if she was looking right through her at someone else.
— "Is that the younger Miss Shen?"
In the end, with reddened eyes, she wanted to resist, but was coaxed into the flower sedan chair by the Xiao family’s relentless persuasion.
Inside the flower sedan chair, there were suppressed sobs.
Zheng Qianyu burst into laughter with a snort.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Shen Hua also felt she was being silly. She shook her head, casting aside the thoughts.
Zheng Qianyu stealthily leaned in close to Shen Hua’s ear: "Speaking of which, I also want to get married."
Shen Hua sarcastically replied: "With all this spare time you have, you’d be better off helping your Daddy sell an extra bag of rice."
