The eyes of the people in the mansion who were watching were wet without knowing it.
Shen Xinyan bit her lips lightly, looked at him excitedly, but did not step forward, but when he looked over, her lips trembled.
"Ma'am!" Full of longing, he couldn't say anything when he saw this familiar face, Wei Junhang looked at her and called softly.
"You, you're back..." Shen Xinyan's throat was a little congested, and she forced a smile.
"I'm back, Mrs. Hardworking!" Wei Junhang's eyes became softer, even though he was full of words, it was inconvenient to say them.
The eyes of the eldest princess fell on the eldest grandson again, and it was hard to stop the tears that flowed down again. Wei Chenglin felt sad when he saw it, and suddenly stepped forward and knelt down, calling hoarsely: "Grandmother..."
The eldest princess was in tears, she could only hold his hand and nod repeatedly, but she couldn't utter a word.
Shen Xinyan wiped away her tears, stepped forward to comfort her softly, and it took her a while to persuade her. The crowd surrounded the Eldest Princess and entered the room. Wei Chenglin knelt down and kowtowed to the Eldest Princess and Shen Xinyan one after another.
Shen Xinyan helped him up, looked him over carefully, and saw that he had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were piercing, his face was firm, and his whole body still had a bit of condensation from the battlefield. It's just that the watery light in his pupils due to excitement washed away a lot of this condensation.
"Mother..." Wei Chenglin looked back at her, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's good to be back..." Shen Xinyan said softly with a teary smile.
After a while, the juniors from the own mansion came to see the two returning victoriously. Appellations such as uncle, uncle, and eldest brother filled the room with joyful laughter.
"This is Brother Xiang? It's been a long time since I've seen him, and he's already grown so tall!" Wei Junhang bent over, lovingly looking at his youngest son, who was already as tall as his waist.
Brother Xiang's eyes rolled around, but his little hand was tightly holding onto his mother's hand. He hid half of his body behind his mother, looking curiously at the man with a kind smile in front of him.
"Brother Xiang, don't you remember? This is your father!" Shen Xinyan pulled him out from behind and said with a smile.
Brother Xiang tilted his head and stared at Wei Junhang for a long time. Seeing that this person had a friendly smile and looked exactly like the person in the painting in his mother's room, he finally became convinced that the person in front of him was really the one that his brothers had been watching all this time. He was thinking about his father.
"Father!" He called out loud and clear.
"Hey!" Wei Junhang laughed happily, and suddenly stretched out his hand to hug the little guy, just like he did back then, lifting him up high. In an instant, Brother Xiang's happy screams resounded in the air.
"Oh, good boy, it's so heavy. In a few years, Daddy won't be able to hold you anymore." After teasing the little guy for a while, Wei Junhang put the little son down under the reproachful eyes of his mother and wife .
"I've been on the battlefield, and I still have such a mischievous temper!" The eldest princess glared at him angrily, beckoned to signal Brother Xiang to her side, pointed to Wei Chenglin who was standing beside her with a smile, and asked, "Brother Xiang , this is your elder brother, do you still remember? You used to like your elder brother the most."
Brother Xiang didn't hesitate at all this time, and he said "Big Brother" again, which made Wei Chenglin couldn't help stretching out his hand and rubbing his little head.
Suddenly, there was a burst of crying of a baby, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin looked at each other with identical puzzled expressions.
Where did the baby come from? Could it be that the third room in the mansion has been added again
Just when he was puzzled, he saw Wei Yingzhi appearing at the door with a big red baby in his arms. The father and son's eyes widened. They watched Shen Xinyan quickly go up to him, took the child in Wei Yingzhi's arms and coaxed him skillfully.
In just a moment, the child's crying stopped.
"This child is still the closest to his grandmother, and it's not in vain for his grandmother to love him." Yang said with a smile.
"Grandma? What grandma?" Wei Junhang was stunned, and then his eyes widened.
"What grandmother? Of course it's your grandson's grandmother!" Yang sarcastically joked.
"This, this, this, is this born to Ying, Ying, Ying'er?!" Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin asked in unison.
"Who else could it be if it wasn't born by Ying'er?" The eldest princess asked with a smile, and waved at Shen Xinyan, "Mrs. Chen, quickly bring the child here, so that his grandfather and uncle can have a good look at it."
Wei Yingzhi covered her mouth and snickered, it was the first time she saw such an interesting reaction from her father and brother.
Wei Junhang and his son were leading the army, and they were the only ones who had the opportunity to send letters back, but it was inconvenient for everyone in the mansion to write letters. Shen Xinyan was even more afraid that they would miss their home while they were away in battle, so she didn't even think about sending letters.
Therefore, Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin did not know about Wei Yingzhi's happiness and success in giving birth to a son until today.
"Don't, don't, don't get too close, I'm cold, it won't be good if I startle the child." Wei Junhang shook his head and waved his hands, not daring to get too close to that little baby.
Wei Chenglin, on the other hand, took a few steps back in awe, also not daring to approach.
Everyone couldn't help laughing out loud.
"He said he was a general! If you want me to say, our little You'an is the most powerful, he scared the two generals away at once." Wei Chengyue said with a smile.
You'an is the nickname given to her great-grandson by the eldest princess. She not only hopes that the child will live a safe life, but also hopes that her son and eldest grandson from far away will return safely.
When everyone heard this, they immediately laughed even harder.
In the end, it was the Eldest Princess who wiped away the tears from her eyes, and said, "Both of you, father and son, hurry up and change your clothes."
Wei Junhang and his son were a little embarrassed by everyone's laughter, they quickly responded when they heard this, turned around and were about to go down to change their clothes, when Wei Yingzhi asked, "Father, brother, where is Yunfu? Why didn't you come with you? "
"Yunfu was summoned by the imperial concubine, I think he will come here soon." Wei Chenglin replied.
Wei Yingzhi was a little disappointed, but after hearing his words, she breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "Father and elder brother are going to change their clothes. After changing their clothes, we must hug You An."
Wei Chenglin pretended not to hear it.
Just kidding, such a soft child looks like a boneless child, he dares to hug him to hell, if he doesn't control the strength well and hurts him, wouldn't he regret it for the rest of his life
Wei Junhang also had the same thought, he responded perfunctorily a few times, and hurriedly went down to change his clothes.
Shen Xinyan didn't know what their father and son were thinking, so she couldn't help lowering her head.
When the eldest son and youngest son were born, that person did not dare to hug them. The same goes for the eldest son. When Brother Xiang was born, all the children in the house were eager to hug Xinde's little brother, but he just didn't dare.
When Wei Junhang and his son changed into normal clothes and came in again, Yunfu had arrived at some point, rubbing his palms and staring at the child in Wei Yingzhi's arms excitedly, as if he wanted to go forward and hug him, but he didn't dare.
The father and son immediately felt balanced in their hearts.
Look, look, even Yunfu, his own father, dare not hug him!
Yunfu never dreamed that there would be such a big surprise waiting for him in the mansion. No wonder when he left from his aunt just now, his aunt had that mysterious smile on her face, so she was waiting for him. !
"Father-in-law, elder brother, look, I've become a father!" Seeing their figures, Yun Fu strode up to meet them, his face flushed with excitement, and his eyes sparkled.
Wei Junhang laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Congratulations, kid Fu, for getting a kid An!"
Yun Fu giggled straight, but the smile looked a little silly.
"This silly daddy." Shen Xinyan shook her head amusedly.
That night, to celebrate the safe return of Wei Junhang, father and son, and Yunfu, a grand family banquet was held in the Duke's mansion. Everyone from the eldest princess to the infant Zhao Youan attended. Even the Fang family was allowed to participate.
Although the confinement order of Princess Fang's family has not been revoked, in fact, there are not many restrictions on her, but Fang's family is not sure if she has been locked up for too long, and she is used to the quietness, so she doesn't go out much on weekdays , still quietly staying in her own room, embroidering, or drawing flowers, with a calm expression, as if nothing in this world can disturb her heart.
Besides, during the daytime, Zhou Mao went to the palace to meet Emperor Yuanyou, and listened to Emperor Yuanyou telling him about the disposal of Zhou Mansion—exile.
Knowing that His Majesty was planning to let his family go, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard that Emperor Yuanyou planned to transfer him into the Sixth Division and asked him what he meant, his heart tightened, and he knelt down slowly on the ground, bowed his head for a while, and then slowly said: "I wish to use this to enter the Sixth Division." In exchange for the safety of my unworthy daughter for the rest of her life."
Emperor Yuanyou was startled, he did not expect that he would say such a thing.
As early as after Zhou Guanning was brought back by the third prince, he became murderous. How could the royal family keep such an unfaithful daughter-in-law? If the third prince hadn't wanted to protect her life and death, Zhou Guanning would have passed away by now. up.
"Have you ever thought it through? If Ruozhen no longer intends to take your daughter's life, you still want to do this?" He asked calmly.
"It's the minister who failed His Majesty Long En. However, I have the courage to ask Your Majesty to do it!" Zhou Mao replied resolutely without any hesitation.
So what if the daughter is not in danger of dying now? If you have the heart, it is not difficult for a person to "die of illness" quietly. So what if the third prince still protects her now? Waiting for a long time, will he really be able to beat His Majesty? Does he really dare to offend His Majesty just because of a woman? If he can't, his daughter's hard life will truly come.
And he, even if he can protect her for a while, is it possible that he can protect her forever
Seeing that he responded without hesitation, even without blinking his brows, Emperor Yuanyou knew that his mind had been made up.
"You have to know that this is your last chance. I will not give the same person a second chance. If you give up this time, your official position will come to an end in this lifetime."
"Your Majesty understands, please let me do it." How could Zhou Mao not know this, but he had no choice but to watch his daughter lose her life, how could he be willing to do so!
"Okay, okay, okay, it really is the heart of a loving father. Since you are determined to do so, I will fulfill you. I promise you, as long as she lives in peace and contentment from now on, I will not pursue the past. Be her third concubine. So, are you satisfied?" Emperor Yuanyou asked with a sneer.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Zhou Mao lowered his head lower and said respectfully.
Emperor Yuanyou sneered again, but didn't say anything else.
Since Zhou Guanning returned to Beijing, she has been under house arrest in the Third Prince's Mansion, and cannot go out easily.
Under Emperor Yuanyou's signal and Qiao Liu's control, rumors gradually spread in Beijing that the third concubine's appearance was flawed due to illness, so she has been hiding in the mansion and dare not see people. This also explains why the rumors spread so fiercely earlier, and she didn't show up to clarify.
After all, a woman with outstanding appearance like her naturally cherishes her appearance even more, so how can people see her imperfect side.
Of course, not everyone believed these words, but no matter what, they spread in the end.
Emperor Yuanyou's sentence on Zhou's mansion also came down. Except for the long house who had made meritorious service in saving the family and had never participated in the conspiracy, all other people in the house, including the former Zhou Shoufu, were all exiled for thousands of miles.
The day before the decree was handed down, Zhou Shoufu scolded the eldest son who went to visit him in prison, put down his words and drove him out of the house. From now on, the Zhou clan has nothing to do with him, Zhou Mao.
Zhou Mao kept his head down to be scolded by his father, and was kicked out in the end. He still knocked his head respectfully outside the prison door several times, sobbing to thank his parents for their kindness in raising them. This scene made many passers-by look at him seriously, and after he left in great grief, they found out the reason after a little inquiring.
As soon as this matter spread, the ruling and opposition parties naturally despised the Zhou Mansion even more. At the same time, he became more and more sympathetic to Zhou Mao.
For such an unfaithful and unrighteous family, it would be better to leave, but it's a pity that this long-lived Mr. Zhou, a person with such a noble character, should be part of such a family.
"The old man did something good before he died." Qiao Liu snorted coldly after learning about it, and poured himself a glass of wine casually.
Wei Junhang, who was tidying up the case, paused when he heard this, but after a while he put the case file back into the cabinet as if nothing had happened, and said unhurriedly: "It's better to say that our old man did a good deed this week than that we Mr. Zhou reacted quickly enough to clear himself up in one fell swoop, and he could also win the sympathy of the government and the public, from now on, no one will dare to say that he is not filial."
"So that's the case, he is really a person not to be underestimated!" Qiao Liu suddenly realized.
"He has never been a simple person, otherwise how could he stand out from the crowd in the Zhou Mansion? Zhou Manor has experienced so much in these years, and he can retreat unscathed when he returns, and he has never made His Majesty suspicious of him. If it wasn't for his family Tired, I'm afraid that he will not be far from being an extreme minister now."
Speaking of this, Wei Junhang still felt somewhat regretful.
On the day when the Zhou Mansion was exiled for thousands of miles, many people in the capital went to watch and point at them. It was unknown who started it. Suddenly, the voice of "Kill this traitorous beast for glory" resounded from the crowd. Before it fell, an egg flew out of the crowd and narrowly hit Fang Birong on the head, causing her to scream.
Immediately afterwards, countless vegetables, eggs, etc. were thrown at them one after another, and the officers and soldiers did not intend to stop them, but in an instant, the heads and bodies of the people in Zhou Mansion were covered with all kinds of rotten vegetables, rotten eggs, etc. Dirty, very embarrassing.
Among them, Fang Birong was the most embarrassed.
I don't know what's going on, but things always fall on her more than others.
When she learned that Fang Birong had killed someone while in exile, Shen Xinyan was preparing a congratulatory gift for Shen Huiran.
Earlier, because of the matter of the second prince, the crown prince and the third prince were imprisoned in the clan mansion, and the imperial army was once defeated. The Chen family, who was a relative of the princess's natal family, didn't have much intention to hold a happy event.
And the two governments don't want this marriage to be hastily done, and if it's a good deal, they simply postpone it.
Therefore, Shen Huiran still treats her to her boudoir at the age of eighteen.
Now that the war has subsided, this marriage cannot be postponed any longer. The two governments have re-fixed the wedding date, which will be on the 18th of this month, that is, three days later.
When her natal niece got married, Shen Xinyan was naturally extremely happy. Taking advantage of the free day, she simply went to the warehouse to choose the gift herself.
"Madam, something happened to Madam Qi." Chunliu came in with a serious face, and lowered her voice beside her.
It took Shen Xinyan a while to realize that Mrs. Qi was referring to her concubine, Shen Xinlan who hadn't seen her for many years.
Ever since Shen Xinlan came to the door for her husband Qi Liuxiu to no avail, the two sisters had never been in contact with each other. Shen Xinyan had also learned from Xu Sumin earlier that Shen Xinlan and Fang Birong were relatively close, and the two had somehow gotten along with each other. The Salt Gang got in touch and made a lot of ill-gotten wealth in private.
"What happened to her?" She closed the brocade box in her hand and asked with a frown.
"Madam Qi is dead, she was killed by Mrs. Fang Wu who was on the way to exile!"
What? ! Shen Xinyan's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't believe what she heard.
"How do you kill people during exile? The guards are still watching! Besides, what is Shen Xinlan going to find that Fang Birong for no reason?"
After the palace change, Emperor Yuanyou cleaned up the court, and the new Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Qi Liuxiu, was sacked before he could sit still. He was directly thrown into the prison. Not long ago, he was also sentenced to confiscation of his home and exile.
Wait, exile? Shen Xinyan suddenly had a thought, and asked: "Could it be that Qi Liuxiu's exile is the same as Fang Birong's, and the two met on the way?"
"Ma'am is right." Wei Junhang's voice sounded behind him, and Shen Xinyan hurriedly handed the things in her hand to Chunliu, and went forward to meet her.
"I'll talk to Madam carefully when I go back to the room." Wei Junhang led her back to the room, and gently pressed her on the soft couch.
"It's very strange to say this matter, the two teams met halfway, somehow that Mrs. Fang Fifth and that Qi Liuxiu got together to avoid people's eyes and ears, and somehow she was rushed to see Mrs. Qi for a ride. They bumped into each other, and the two wives began to fight, and during the entanglement, Mrs. Fang Wu accidentally killed Mrs. Qi."
"Now, the government is discussing how to deal with Mrs. Fang Wu because of this matter."
Wei Junhang told the story slowly, until Shen Xin's face changed a few times.
For a moment, she frowned: "This matter is really weird..."
Wei Junhang stretched out his hand, and gently smoothed her eyebrows, seemingly casually said: "Actually, after careful investigation, I can more or less guess who designed this behind the scenes, and what is the reason for it."
"Since you know, why don't you tell me quickly." Shen Xinyan pulled his hand away impatiently.
It was rare to see her so anxious, Wei Junhang laughed dumbfounded, and did not want to tease her anymore, cleared his throat and said: "Earlier, it was reported in Beijing that the third concubine was kidnapped by thieves, Madam, do you still remember?"
"Naturally."
"The source of these words is that Mrs. Fang Fifth."
Shen Xinyan raised her eyebrows slightly, but she was not surprised, because she also suspected that Fang Birong did it.
"So... Mr. Zhou did what happened today? To vent his anger on his daughter?" She asked tentatively.
Wei Junhang looked at her approvingly, with a look of pride: "My wife is really smart."
Shen Xinyan ignored him, and continued to ask: "It's just that Master Zhou is not afraid of doing this..."
"What is there to be afraid of? Apart from their first room in the Zhou mansion, the other rooms have already completely annoyed His Majesty. Especially the fifth lady, she is really smart. The third concubine is not just a member of their Zhou family." Girl, but she is still a member of the royal family, if her reputation is ruined, will the royal family spare her?"
"Master Zhou also understands this point after thinking about it, so he didn't hesitate to take action. That fifth lady, the next days will definitely be more difficult than being exiled for thousands of miles." Wei Junhang shook his head.
Mrs. Fang Wu and Mrs. Qi, one is the sister-in-law's younger sister, the other is the wife's younger sister, neither of them is a fuel-efficient lamp. It seems that they have to blame for their current fate.
Shen Xinyan sighed a lot, she didn't expect Shen Xinlan in this life to die at the hands of Fang Birong, she felt a little complicated.
She deeply hated Shen Xinlan's failure to frame her with outsiders in her previous life, but caused Qiutang's tragic death instead. In this life, she just hoped to be a pair of strangers with her, but she never thought about what to do to her, never thought that she would end up in such a fate.
"Brother has sent someone to collect the funeral, and her two children have also been taken back to the uncle's residence." Wei Junhang said again suddenly.
Shen Xinyan was surprised, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was the most normal.
Shen Xinlan died, Qi Liuxiu was exiled, the Qi clan wanted to avoid their family like snakes and scorpions, so how could they collect her body, let alone take in her surviving children. All of this naturally fell on the head of Shen Xinlan's natal family, now Uncle Jing'an.
Besides, with Jing Anbo's soft temper, it's not surprising that he would do this.
only…
Shen Xin frowned even more.
I'm afraid that this pair of children will be like their mother, two unfamiliar white-eyed wolves, and the elder brother will lead the wolf into the house.