The second and third wives both laughed good-naturedly.
The Second Lady glanced at Shen Chen and said jokingly, "That's right. We heard from people outside that he had returned, but we couldn't see him. The old lady was extremely anxious. It turned out that our Marquis had tripped him up."
The third lady became even more mischievous, and after looking at Wei Jie, she said, "It's fine if you want to trip him up, but our A-Jie has also been sitting outside in the cold wind for so long, and the Marquis treats his uncle like this?"
The family's relationship has become more harmonious and affectionate after going through ups and downs, and they have fun joking around.
Wei An's face turned red from teasing, and he couldn't help but glare at Shen Chen while burying his head in Mrs. Wei's chest. He had already delayed a little while talking to Wei Jie, and now it was too late after being stopped by Shen Chen. Now even if he told them that he was talking to Wei Jie, he was afraid that the other party would not believe it.
Shen Chen was still thick-skinned. He smiled and greeted them and begged for mercy: "Aunts, please forgive me. It's okay for you to tease me for being thick-skinned, but An An is shy. If she gets angry, I will be the one who suffers in the end. You two should just treat me as a poor boy and stop making fun of us!"
The second and third wives were greatly amused by him and laughed for a while before they stopped.
Old Madam Wei was also happy to watch them joke around. When they stopped talking, she asked Shen Chen, "Just came out of the palace?" After a pause, she asked through the flickering candlelight, "Is everything okay?"
She knew that the matter was almost settled. All those who were supposed to die were dead. Apart from the Prince of Linjiang, there was no better candidate among the royal family. At this time, the wishes of Emperor Longqing himself were not so important.
It’s just that Shen Chen has been going to the palace too frequently recently, so she couldn’t help but ask.
"All is well." Shen Chen answered tactfully: "The imperial doctors are all on duty. The cabinet now has Censor Chen, Lord Xu, and Lord Qian taking turns to stay overnight. They are all on duty in the West Garden."
The fact that the cabinet directors have all started to stay in the palace and refuse to leave can only mean that Emperor Longqing's health is getting worse and worse, and it must be weakening at a speed visible to the naked eye. Otherwise, the ministers would not stay like this, for fear that he would die and have to issue a will, or they would be afraid of being taken advantage of.
Old Mrs. Wei felt no pity at all, she just sneered faintly.
Emperor Longqing sent her family to hell, and all the members of the family died in his hands. Even later, when Emperor Longqing realized his mistake and began to make amends to the Ming family and to her, it was just hypocritical. In the eyes of Old Lady Wei, it was not worth the life of a member of the Ming family.
Emperor Longqing's suspicion really frightened people. How many people were driven to death by his suspicion
It's really the best thing that he died.
She stopped talking about this person and asked Shen Chen again: "Is everything all right? Will there be any accidents? We should prepare for what needs to be prepared earlier to avoid any trouble at the last minute."
Shen Chen knew what Old Lady Wei was asking. Seeing that the Second and Third Madams were listening attentively, he said, "Don't worry, everything is ready. Censor Chen and Marquis Ping'an are both in the palace, and they are taking care of each other. Father has already arrived in Cangzhou, and should be in Beijing the day after tomorrow at the latest."
By then, everything will be settled. The Second Madam and the Third Madam will be happy from the bottom of their hearts. As long as Prince Linjiang ascends the throne, they will be real heroes. With the affection of Old Madam Wei and the marriage of Shen Chen and Wei An, the lives of their two rooms will only be better.
When Mrs. Wei heard what Shen Chen said, she looked at him more and said, "People in high positions and with great power have unfathomable thoughts. You must be careful in everything you do."
The fact that Xu Anying proposed to marry Princess Linjiang shows that he had ambitions to move up the career ladder and become one of the first close and important ministers around the King of Linjiang.
But this is the relationship between Shen Chen and Princess Linjiang.
Xu Anying might do something to Shen Chen on behalf of Princess Linjiang, so we have to be on guard.
Wei An's eyes also turned slightly colder. He glanced at Shen Chen and lowered his head again.
Shen Chen agreed. Knowing that Old Lady Wei was talking about Princess Linjiang, he thought for a moment and said, "Old Lady, I have a request."
Mrs. Wei raised her eyebrows: "Speak."
"If something happens to the emperor, my father will ascend the throne. After ascending the throne, marriage and banquets should be prohibited on the 27th. I think..."
This was really a bit outrageous, but the people in the room were all the closest to each other, and there was nothing to hide. Shen Chen looked at Wei An and whispered to Mrs. Wei: "Madam, it's better not to wait too long and have more dreams. I want to hold the wedding when the time comes."
The longer the night, the more trouble one may have. Of course, he was worried that Princess Linjiang would interfere and cause some trouble.
Shen Chen was not afraid that Princess Linjiang would plot against him, but he was afraid that Princess Linjiang would use her tactics against Wei An.
But now the arrow is on the string, the situation is pressing, Prince Linjiang is ready, he is only one step away from ascending to that position, and there cannot be any mistakes around him.
Chu Jingwu also cannot have a mother who cannot ascend to the throne of empress while Concubine Yu and Chu Jingan are eyeing her covetously. Otherwise, Chu Jingwu's position as the crown prince will seem illogical and he will not be able to live up to his promise.
Mrs. Wei understood what Shen Chen meant, and she sighed and hummed: "You said that, although it is a bit hasty, it is not impossible to prepare, but all the etiquette still needs to be complete."
She didn't want Wei An's marriage to be unhappy, as it would become a topic of gossip.
Shen Chen quickly agreed: "Don't worry, I understand everything. I don't want to let An An down, and I will definitely marry her to the Pingxi Marquis Mansion in a grand manner."
It's the Pingxi Marquis' Mansion, not the palace.
Shen Chen must have made up his mind and didn't want to live as the adopted son of King Linjiang anymore. Old Madam Wei knew it very well. She didn't bother to ask about the wedding and asked him first: "Have you decided?"
You know, even if he is an adopted son, he is much closer than a nephew.
If Shen Chen stayed with Prince Linjiang, he would inevitably become a prince in the future.
Shen Chen nodded: "Yes, I have decided. Maybe if I take a step back, I can have more peace and quiet. That's worth it. I don't want to wrong An An and offend too many people. If I have nothing, I'm afraid I can't protect her. But I don't want her to follow me and make her a target for others... In this way, maybe I can have the best of both worlds."
Wei An was a little moved. She didn't expect Shen Chen to be so thoughtful and even try to take care of her thoughts. This is what it feels like to be loved wholeheartedly.
Even the Second Lady couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Wei An's good fortune, having a husband who protected her like this. (To be continued)