Shen Zhou sighed and patted his brother on the shoulder: "Things have passed. Now that Feng'er is very sober, he will definitely be able to prosper my Shen family! Why should I be so sad again?"
Although Shen Xuan sent Shen Zangli away and asked someone to bring water to wash his face, the red circles under his eyes from crying had not faded yet. When his younger brother mentioned it, Shen Xuan subconsciously raised his hand to cover it up, but his tone was very calm: "Actually, this is also a good thing."
"A good thing?" Shen Zhou frowned and asked, "Brother, do you mean that Mo Ye can...?"
Shen Xuan shook his head and said: "That's the second best thing. The good thing I'm talking about is that Li Er is so affectionate as a son and daughter, and he cares so much about an illegitimate son he has never met... Although he is such an affectionate person, it is impossible for him to bear the responsibility. He has the important responsibility of taking charge of the Shen family, but he won’t compete with Feng’er for the position!”
"Brother, are you worrying too much?" Shen Zhou was startled and said, "Li'er and Feng'er are direct brothers. Feng'er's martial arts was also taught by Li'er step by step. How could they not be in harmony? Woolen cloth?"
Shen Xuan smiled bitterly and said: "As a parent, who doesn't want their children to be harmonious and friendly? However, things are unpredictable. Not everyone can be as lucky as me to have a good brother like you, second brother, who is willing to help. What's more, Li Er He is still the eldest son! His literary and military talents are actually no worse than Feng'er, and Ming'er is ten years older than Guang'er. Although Ming'er doesn't like reading and has a somewhat naive temperament, the advantage of being ten years older is given to him. Here, Guang'er may not be a gifted person... When the children grow up and we get old, we might get confused if we listen to the villain's instigation. "
Speaking of which, although the old head of the Shen family only had two sons, brothers Shen Xuan and Shen Zhou, the two brothers had quite a few uncles and direct cousins. But after the old valve master left, all these people turned against each other. No one took the initiative to help the two brothers secure the position of valve master. Instead, they formed an alliance in twos and threes to seek the position. Many people also secretly persuaded Shen Zhou and Shen Xuan to compete for the position of clan leader. Fortunately, Shen Xuan and Mrs. Su were quite scheming, and Su Pingzhan was guiding them from behind. Shen Zhou also refused to listen to the instigation of his uncles. , even so, in a key secret fight that year, it was only with the help of Changshan Gong Wei Huan that he won.
This is also the reason why Shen Xuan cultivated him as the future clan leader as soon as Shen Zangli was born - he and Shen Zhou both suffered from their parents' premature death and their own shallow foundation.
Later, Shen Zangli was really not suitable to take over Mingpeitang, so Shen Xuan immediately selected his third son, Shen Zangfeng, from among the other disciples, and vigorously cultivated him. The reason why the second son Shen Lianshi was not chosen was firstly because of the feelings of Mrs. Su, a wife who shared the joys and sorrows; secondly, it was also because Shen Xuan learned that after his parents passed away, his uncles and cousins who were close relatives immediately turned against him. , fearing that his descendants would make the same mistake again, so since he had devoted all his efforts to cultivate his eldest son Shen Zangli from the beginning, he deliberately relaxed his teachings to his second son Shen Lianshi.
Even the second daughter-in-law Duanmu Yanyu was chosen from the weakest room in the Jinxiu Duanmu sect.
So after Shen Zangli disappointed Shen Xuan, Shen Lianshi's best training years had passed. His third son, Shen Zangfeng, was young and easy to train, and he was also very talented - he could be trained for his eyesight at the age of three. The well-known Chang Shangong was full of praise and even took the initiative to propose marriage to his granddaughter, whom he had acquired with great difficulty. Needless to say, Shen Zangfeng's talent.
But Shen Zangfeng was more than ten years younger than Shen Zangli, and the ages of their eldest sons were also different. Now Shen Zangli is still trying to make up for the pain of having an illegitimate child. Shen Zangfeng has begun to take root in Xiliang. The half-grown Shen Shuming is still a little naive. Shen Shuguang, who has only just turned one week old, can't yet tell his true nature. For a while, I couldn't see anything wrong with it, but times have changed, and who can say for sure in the future
... Shen Xuan can't help but worry about whether his brothers will fall out over this in a few years, and whether his two grandchildren will become enemies over this? Under such circumstances, he hoped that Shen Zangli could just live his whole life in such a hesitant and indecisive manner, and not cause any brothers to fight for position.
"I think the eldest brother is overthinking." Shen Zhou shook his head and said, "Li'er did make a mistake about Princess Di Ren, but young man... Feng'er was not determined to marry the Wei family at the beginning. We have watched them grow up. Even if they have minor faults, they are not bad in nature and will never end up like our uncles."
Shen Xuan said: "You have always loved them, but these words are a bit unreasonable. How can the third daughter-in-law be the same as the Di Ren princess? The Di Ren princess is from a foreign race. Although she is a princess among the Di people, she is a Di Ren princess. Princess, how can she compare with the golden branches and jade leaves of my great Wei family? She is more pampered than the legitimate daughter of a noble family in our Wei people. Her level of nobility is very limited. Before, she and Li Er did not go through their parents and elders, so at most they were decided privately for life! The third daughter-in-law is the legitimate daughter of the Wei family. Like Feng'er, she is a descendant of the clan. She is destined by her parents to be Feng'er's legitimate fiancée! Although Princess Di is known as a princess, she has a status in our Shen family. , she didn’t get the consent of the eldest daughter-in-law, so she wasn’t even considered a concubine, she was just a concubine. Feng'er's original choice is why I want to give Li'er a try today."
Shen Zhouyi frowned and said, "Brother?"
"Feng'er is very responsible in the matter of the third daughter-in-law. Although the husband and wife are said to be one, the third daughter-in-law has not yet married at that time, and the rumors spread are things that ordinary men cannot bear." Shen Xuan sighed, "Originally, I thought that I would take on the bad reputation for him, but in the end, he chased after him personally... If that's all, it doesn't matter. Didn't Li'er try his best to protect Princess Di Ren and the boss's wife? ? What I value is that when Feng'er comes back from Fengzhou, he immediately sends away the pretty maids who have been waiting for him to grow up! "
Shen Zhou nodded and said: "The third nephew's reputation was completely ruined at that time. Those maids have been serving Feng'er for many years. They have deep qualifications and are pretty. They were originally prepared by my sister-in-law to serve Feng'er on the mat. If those things hadn't happened to the third nephew , with the status of being married to Mingming and the direct descendant of Ruiyu Hall, I am not afraid that they will disrespect the mistress, but the situation of the third nephew at that time really makes it inappropriate to keep them in the backyard. "
Shen Xuan sighed: "This is where Feng'er is soberer than Li'er: the third daughter-in-law is the fiancée he only met once when she was a baby, and the maidservant is the person who has served him for many years. Although he can choose to marry the third daughter-in-law, The usual maid is still retained, but this choice seems to have the best of both worlds, but it must be dissatisfying to both parties - the third daughter-in-law cannot suppress the maid, how can she feel happy even though the maid has no hope of becoming the main wife? However, because the mistress's reputation was not good, she would inevitably do something to deceive the mistress. Both parties felt wronged, and no one was happy! When the Wei family found out, they thought it was not a good idea for Feng'er to marry the daughter of their family. The treatment will dilute the kindness of continuing to perform the engagement despite rumors! "
"In the end, Feng'er matched his servants with reliable people, and gave the ambitious ones to high-ranking officials. In this way, the relationship between master and servant was fulfilled. When the third daughter-in-law came to see her, she saw that she had not married yet, and her husband-in-law I just cleaned up the backyard for myself. Which woman wouldn't be extremely moved?" Shen Xuan said, "Both parties are so satisfied. How can the Wei family not be overjoyed now that they have received a letter from their third daughter-in-law? I'm afraid Feng'er is just a little bit younger than her direct granddaughters and grandchildren. If Mrs. Song were asked to choose between her concubine and Feng'er, Mrs. Song would definitely choose Feng'er!"
Shen Zhou nodded and said: "Anyway, everyone has already married. If you don't treat her well, your previous kindness will be in vain, and it will be easy to make grudges. It's better to treat her well... When those maids were sent away, I heard Zhu'er say After a while, it was said that there were a few people who refused to leave, so Feng'er insisted on asking people to get out of the door. It was difficult to have both sides, so it was better to choose one side and give up the other completely, which was better than Ru Li'er... Feng'er was indeed better than Li'er thought. clear."
"It's not like Li'er can't figure it out." Shen Xuan said happily, "Even if he can't figure it out himself, haven't we told him this? Your sister-in-law has told him so many times in private, especially when she was born tomorrow After that, let him just think that the mother and son over there in Xiliang were already dead—but look, what’s happening now..."
He shook his head, "Easier said than done. What I like most about Feng'er is that he thinks clearly and does things simply! It's just that he is so affectionate and righteous to his wife, and he doesn't treat his family badly. I treat Shen I leave the house to him, so I don't have to worry that he will only care about his own house and not care about others. However, he is not the eldest son, and Ming'er is so much older than Guang'er, so I am afraid that when I am old or gone, others will be confused and call him. It’s embarrassing! So I have to know what Li’er is thinking. This time Li’er’s answer made me sad, but also relieved.”
Shen Zhou smiled bitterly and said: "Of course Feng'er is good, but Li'er is not suitable to be in charge of my Shen family, but he is not stupid enough to commit fratricide... Let's get down to business, brother, listen to your tone just now , haven’t you told him that Mo Ye is always being protected secretly by someone from our family?”
"Tell him what to do?" Shen Xuan said with a sneer, "There are indeed few male grandchildren in our family, but no matter how few, the ones who are not included in the genealogy will not be named Shen! Back then, I sent someone to keep an eye on Princess Di Ren. I wanted to Get the evidence of her conspiracy to seduce Li Er, so that she can teach Li Er a profound lesson! As for protecting Mo Ye and teaching him bow skills, it's just a matter of course. I don't want that old guy Kuo Da Chuo to be able to do it. , the flesh and blood were just accused of having an affair with the Wei people and they were thrown out, no matter whether they were alive or dead! After so many years, no irrefutable evidence was found... Alas!
"The Di girl is so stubborn that she never asked Li'er for help." Shen Zhou also sighed and said, "Speaking of which, Li'er is a little too confused. He is the eldest son of my Shen family, how could it be possible? To marry a Di girl as a concubine is something we only agree to if we love him." Then he said, "Now that Mo Ye has spoken to our family, Li'er will definitely speak for him. Brother is willing to accept it. how?"
Shen Xuandao: "What do you think?"
Shen Zhou pondered: "This child is indeed the blood of our Shen family. Everyone around Li'er can prove this. Speaking of which, he is very innocent... Are what he said to Feng'er true? "
"It's all true." Shen Xuan nodded slightly and said, "The Di people were defeated, and Ayitahu's children were also damaged in the escape. But he had a little daughter Mansha whom he loved the most, and he always kept him with him. It is said that Ayitahu favored this little daughter more than most of his sons. Therefore, many nobles among the Di people hoped to marry Mansha, if Ayitahu had not been defeated again and again at the hands of Ugomon. The heavy baggage will make it difficult to survive the winter, and I will not bring Mansha to Moye. "
Shen Zhou thought for a while and then said: "I think there is nothing wrong with helping him. Although we defeated the Di people and killed Mushuer before, the baggage we have accumulated for several years has been exhausted. . Feng'er has not been in Xiliang for a long time, and he has not yet fully grasped the power of the clan. It will take some time to consolidate his power. In any case, Feng'er is the future leader of the Shen family, and the Shen family is his foundation."
What he said naturally meant that he agreed with Mo Ye's request.
But after hearing this, Shen Xuan lowered his head for a long time and remained silent.
Shen Zhou was surprised and said: "Brother, you think you can't agree to him?" Shen Zhou knew that Shen Xuan was different from Shen Zangli, and he always looked at Di people with the mentality of "if they are not of my race, their hearts must be different."
Especially after Shen Zangli's accident, Shen Xuan still believed that the Di Ren princess named Xin Yi had evil intentions and must have been secretly ordered by her father and brother to seduce the Shen family's eldest son. If he didn't know the thoughts of the clan leader, Xin Yi was pushed out of the carriage when he was retreating with the tribe. The people placed by the Shen family to protect Mo Ye in the Di people were nearby at the time, and they would not have stood idly by and allowed her to be trampled to death. - Shen Xuan only regretted one thing about Xin Yi's death, that is, she never said anything until her death that her approach to Shen Zangli was a conspiracy, so that he could not use this matter to give Shen Zangli and Teach other descendants a profound lesson.
This is true for Xin Yi, and for Mo Ye, who was born from Xin Yi, although he is still Shen Xuan's biological grandson, Shen Xuan himself does not have many grandchildren, but Shen Xuan does not feel much pity for the grandson born of this foreign woman. , but full of suspicion.
However, Shen Zhou felt that Mo Ye was also a descendant of the Shen family. Even though he was an illegitimate child, he actually suffered a lot compared to the environment in which the grandchildren of the Shen family grew up. Now that it doesn't harm the interests of the Shen family, it doesn't hurt to give him a hand.
Of course, Shen Zhou was more concerned that Shen Zangfeng also needed time to control the Shen family. He had no time to send troops during this period, so he felt that this was just a favor.
But Shen Xuan pondered for a long time and then said: "What if Mo Ye's real purpose is not to marry Na Mansha at all?" (To be continued)