Because Shen Liankun was going to marry Miss Huo Qingling in the spring of next year, under Mrs. Su's persuasion, Shen Liankun stayed for the time being after being scolded. But Shen Shuming and Shen Cangji were ordered to pack their bags immediately and leave within three days!
Knowing the real intention of her parents-in-law in sending them to Xiliang, Mrs. Liu prepared things for her son with complicated emotions, but it didn't take long before she thought of a very important issue: the strength of the escort.
Due to the turmoil of the current situation, the Shen family did not care that their grandson Shen Shuxie was only half a year old, so they urged Wei Changying to take him back to the imperial capital, and used the reason that it was not safe along the way to send tens of thousands of elite Xiliang troops into the Central Plains. After a difficult battle between Shen Xuan and Shen Zhou in the court, they were arranged to camp two days away from the imperial capital. At the same time, the court sent several supervisors to restrict any soldiers from leaving the camp.
But the tens of thousands of Xiliang troops were useful to the Shen family, and it was impossible to allocate too many to send Shen Shuming and Shen Cangji to Xiliang. Otherwise, there would be little point in urging Wei Chief Ying and his mother to return to Beijing early.
And the reason why the Shen family insisted on having tens of thousands of troops to escort their daughter-in-law and grandson back to Beijing was actually not all nonsense. If there were no decent soldiers and horses to escort them along the way to Xiliang, even if the Shen family's direct descendants from Xiliang were bleeding, They might also be dragged off their horses by those hungry and crazy common people, and they would do whatever they want - no matter how powerful the Shen family is, can they still kill all the people in the world
Could it be that it would be unsafe for his son to leave the imperial capital
Mr. Liu was worried.
Fortunately, she didn't worry about it for long this time, and someone solved the problem for her - Su Yuyin.
Shen Xuan was angry with his son and grandson, and told them to leave the capital within three days, but did not mention his daughter-in-law. But Shen Zangji didn't know when he would be allowed to come back after going to Xiliang this time. The two were newlyweds and were reluctant to be separated. Su Yuyin was also afraid that they would be apart for a long time, even if they were cousins who had been close friends since childhood. , maybe she will quietly let herself be a cheap girl.
So Su Yuyin took the initiative to find her aunt, now her mother-in-law, and proposed to accompany her husband to Xiliang.
Of course her reason is that a woman should share the joys and sorrows with her husband.
At first Mrs. Su didn't want to agree because she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear the bitter cold in Xiliang.
Su Yuyin brought out her third sister-in-law, Wei Changying, and her nieces who were still in Xiliang as examples. Seeing this, Mrs. Su gave a few words of persuasion and it was OK - originally she and Shen Xuan wanted to let the fifth-fang couple They all go to Xiliang.
Because Su Yuyin accompanied her husband to guard the border, her mother Zhang also became worried about her daughter and son-in-law. So the next day after receiving the news, she rushed to the Taifu Mansion in person to inquire about Su Yuyin and his wife's trip to Xiliang.
When she heard that the Shen family only planned to send a thousand soldiers and horses - and only 300 cavalry to escort them, Zhang was worried: "I am a woman and don't understand military formations, but I also know that these two children will be with Ming'er." When traveling far away, the servants alone need to be hundreds, not to mention that there are many things in Xiliang that have to be brought from the imperial capital. If the baggage is more, it will require more than 300 horsemen and 700 paces. Soldier, do you deserve this?"
Mrs. Su smiled a little reluctantly: "This time, both Zangji and Ming'er were punished, so according to my husband's wishes, no servants except one or two servants are allowed to be brought along, so they should dress lightly." It’s better to go to Xiliang quickly. Second brother and sister, you see it’s already autumn, and it’s already snowing over there. If you don’t go quickly, I’m afraid I’ll be stuck in the snow on the road!”
Mrs. Zhang frowned and said, "Sister, does this have to happen if Yu Yin goes together?"
"So I told Yuyin not to go. It's so cold and so far away. It's better to stay under our knees and relax." When Mrs. Su said this, she was naturally taking retreat as an advantage. Mrs. Zhang feels sorry for her daughter, but she is not so short-sighted that she really thinks it is good for her daughter to keep her here and enjoy the blessings when her son-in-law is traveling far away and his return date is uncertain.
Sure enough, she said as soon as she heard this: "Sister, what are you talking about? This husband and wife are one, and they are going to guard the border. Even if Yu Yin is left in the imperial capital, his thoughts are not here. Besides, she is young and has to endure some hardships. It will also be good for the future.”
Afraid that Mrs. Su would really force Su Yuyin to stay, Mrs. Zhang followed, "I'm telling the truth, sister, don't be upset: you also know that Yuyin was spoiled by me since she was a child, and I forced her to learn some rules before leaving the court. She is now like this. Compared with her sisters-in-law on both sides, she is far behind. This time she went to Xiliang with a hidden machine, it will be of great benefit to her to experience and practice with them. . Even if she doesn’t mention it herself, I will ask for this opportunity for her.”
Mrs. Su said: "Since you said so, my second younger brother, Yu Yin must accompany Zangji, and I will naturally not stop him. But I don't want to hide it from my second younger sister. There are only so many people in the Xiliang army now." Come on, there is really no more. Zangji and Ming'er are my biological relatives, and Yu Yin is also my biological niece. How can I not feel sorry for them? But my manpower is limited, and if I don't bring too many servants and things, this will be impossible! A small amount of troops is actually enough to protect ourselves along the way.”
It's just enough to protect yourself, how can that be done? You must be able to have a leisurely and crisis-free journey in order to be able to call your mother at ease! Mrs. Zhang struggled with her again, but when she saw that she couldn't move Mrs. Su, she had no choice but to leave in dismay.
But she was unwilling to give in when she returned to the Su Mansion. She took advantage of dinner and ran to the upper room to tell Mrs. Deng that Mrs. Zhang wanted Mrs. Deng, who was always soft-hearted and doting on the younger generation, to ask Su Pingzhan for someone to escort her. Su Yuyin and his wife. It turned out that Mrs. Deng did ask Su Pingzhan for a group of healthy servants and an elite private bodyguard "Dai Feng" to help her. However, this news spread to the ears of the eldest lady Qian, who was greatly inspired. - She hurriedly sent people to call Su Yuliang, her only remaining parent and child, and said, "Liang'er, go and ask Mr. Pei to pack your bags and prepare to return to Qingzhou."
Su Yuliang had been feeling a little depressed ever since his grandfather made it clear that he had chosen his cousin Su Yuwu. When he heard that he wanted to return to Qingzhou by himself, he didn't bother to ask why, so he just agreed and wanted to resign.
Qian quickly stopped him: "This was Wei mother's idea. You heard Wei mother say that now your grandfather blindly favors the third family. If we were in this imperial capital and your grandfather was here, we would be helpless. But back to Qingzhou But it will be different after that. You are the eldest son, and your status is as orthodox as Su Yuwu’s! After you return, you will be able to win over the clan members and lay a foundation, so you may not have any opportunities in the future!”
Su Yuliang sighed and said: "Mom, although Qingzhou is far away, it is within my grandfather's control. My grandfather can support my fifth brother in the imperial capital. Does it mean that if the child goes to Qingzhou, my grandfather will not be able to take care of the child?"
"Although you are an upright corporal who respects the elderly and supports the weak, is it possible that your grandfather can still stop you from cultivating yourself? You are also his direct blood!" Qian said with a sneer, "What's more, your grandfather is old! He can still If you are partial to Su Yuwu, you will never succeed!"
He whispered again, "The Shen family used the excuse that their daughter-in-law and grandson wanted to return to Beijing for reunion, so they sent tens of thousands of Xiliang troops to the capital. But our Su family's Qingzhou army still has no reason to go north. The world is in such a mess now. Who knows what will happen in the future? If you can win over the generals in the Qingzhou army now when you return to Qingzhou... then your grandfather will not be able to do anything to you! "
Su Yuliang felt that this idea was unreliable: "Grandpa is very shrewd. Now the fifth brother has accompanied the fifth younger brother and sister to Jiangnan to express condolences and has not returned yet. The child is going back to Qingzhou, how can grandfather not be on guard? He may not allow the child to go."
Qian shouted: "You are really stupid! How did the Shen family get the Xiliang Army to come to the capital? Your grandfather didn't say anything, how could he not be thinking about how to get the Qingzhou Army here? Just say that you put your heart and soul into it. For the sake of my family, I plan to learn the methods of the Shen family in person, return to Qingzhou first, and then ask Qingzhou to send an army to send you to the imperial capital, isn’t it?”
Su Yuliang pondered: "What if my grandfather really does this? As soon as the child returns to Qingzhou, he orders Qingzhou to allocate a large army to escort the child back to the imperial capital. What's the point of going back like this?"
"Don't worry, the Shen family has already played this trick first. Your uncle rolled up his sleeves and fought with the princes several times to secure the Xiliang army." Qian said contemptuously, "Now the Su family is here too. How could the princes agree to this move? Otherwise, when your uncle sent his descendants to Xiliang to work hard, how could he openly and secretly say that they would not be allowed back in a short time? Was it because the princes were afraid that he would come again and send a large army? Escort your son and grandson back to the imperial capital, and bring tens of thousands more Xiliang troops here. By then, won’t the imperial capital’s surname be Shen?”
Su Yuliang couldn't help being speechless and said: "In this case, how could my grandfather agree?"
"You first said that you want to learn the methods of the Shen family. Your grandfather refused, so you can go and talk to your grandmother." Qian said with a sneer, "Your grandmother is soft-hearted. Today, the second wife is marrying off her daughter. Go tell me that your grandmother asked your grandfather for help, let alone your grandson? My mother said that you were actually unhappy in the imperial capital and just wanted to go back to Qingzhou to relax. I must feel sorry for you and will intercede with your grandfather."
Su Yuliang said disheartenedly: "Mom went to tell her first and then we'll see, but the child thought that grandpa might not agree." Su Pingzhan was not someone who listened to his old wife in everything, and who didn't know that Mrs. Deng was soft-hearted? , it’s better to talk. Mrs. Deng has requested many people and things from Su Pingzhan over the years. Su Pingzhan himself knows what should be agreed to and what should not be agreed to.
This grandfather has clearly revealed his intention to cultivate his cousin Su Yuwu, so how can he give himself any chance
It was just to Su Yuliang's surprise that he went to the study room on Qian's order to tell his grandfather that he wanted to return to Qingzhou. Su Pingzhan thought about it for a while and actually agreed. He also said that the end of the year was approaching, and since he wanted to go back, It's best to leave as early as possible.
Su Yuliang was greatly surprised. If Su Pingzhan hadn't repeatedly told him not to relax his studies after returning to Qingzhou, he must insist on studying and not be distracted by trivial matters in the clan... The underlying meaning of this was of course to make Su Yuliang Return to Qingzhou, but don’t think about trying to win over the clan members and continue fighting with Su Yuwu... Otherwise, Su Yuliang would almost think that his grandfather had not yet decided on the choice of successor...
Let’s not talk about the Su family, let’s talk about the Shen family. Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and when it was time for Shen Zangji and Shen Shuming to set off, everyone in the Shen family got up early in the morning, and everyone except Shen Xuan and his wife rushed to say goodbye.
Although Mrs. Zhang specially arranged for her daughter to have a group of guards from the Su family to increase the safety of the trip, Su Yuyin thought over and over again and still did not follow Mrs. Zhang's idea for her daughter, bringing hundreds of slaves and all her own servants with her in the imperial capital. I want to enjoy everything that Xiliang does not have, but I choose to travel lightly and simply. In addition to personal maids and wet nurses, she only brought a few rough servants with her, and even packed the most basic things - this was after she consulted the advice of Wei Changying, who had lived in Xiliang for several years. decision made.
Wei Changying has been more pampered than Su Yuyin since she was a child. Even she can just pack up her things and go to Xiliang to live for a few years. Su Yuyin feels that she is more okay. However, in this time of great chaos, relying on the military escort to bring a large number of luxurious things easily attracts thieves, and it is not good for the Shen family's reputation - the Zhu family's wine and meat stink, and there are freezing bones on the road.
There are many people in the world who are well-dressed and well-fed. There is no need to be criticized for being extravagant and inconsiderate to people's livelihood just because you came to office with your husband. It's better to keep a low profile in everything. (To be continued)