The cold wind at night made people feel a little chilly. The Third Lady was waiting at the Chuihua Gate for Old Lady Wei and Wei An to return.
Several sheep-horn lanterns hanging along the osmanthus tree emitted dim light, making the night look less desolate and more warm. Madam Kong put a cloak on her and said softly, "When the old lady left, she specifically told you not to wait for her and to rest first. It's getting colder today, and you just came out of confinement not long ago, so you can't catch a cold."
The Third Madam has been in confinement for three months. Normally, she should be able to go out, but she gave birth to a child at an advanced age, which always makes people particularly worried.
Both Old Madam Wei and the Third Master were very indulgent towards her and specifically told her that she could rest for a while and not have to worry about these trivial matters at home.
The Third Lady gathered her cloak and shook her head anxiously, "How can I feel at ease? Mother is good to me, I know that, but I am also very worried. The Master and the Fifth Uncle haven't come back yet..."
The Peng family was shattered and could not cause any trouble, but how many people were involved in the Peng family incident? Just like the third master said, the Wei family might have to be cautious for a while.
She was afraid that something might happen at the palace banquet today.
As she said, just as Madam Kong was about to say something else, the housekeeper came trotting in to report that the masters had escorted Madam Wei back.
The Third Madam heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this, smiled and thanked Lin Hai for his hard work, then quickly asked him to go and have some hot tea and take a rest, then turned around and told Fa Zi's family, who was in charge of the kitchen, to prepare hot rice, hot dishes and hot soup.
How could the food in the palace be edible? No matter how delicious the food was, it would be cold by the time it was brought from the imperial kitchen to the banquet. Every time she went to the palace to eat a banquet, she would have a stomachache.
This time, Mrs. Wei and the others came back so late, they must be starving.
Fa Zi's family quickly replied with a smile: "Don't worry, we have prepared it long ago. The hot soup has been simmering on the stove all morning. It will be served directly later!"
As they were talking, the carriage had already come in. The Third Madam nodded to Aunt Hua who was bowing, smiled and stepped forward to support Old Madam Wei's hand, carefully helped her get off the carriage, and then said, "Mother is back. Did you have a smooth journey?"
Old Madam Wei smiled and said, "Everything went well. The curfew was lifted today. We were afraid that things might not go smoothly, so the Wucheng Army and the Military Command personally escorted us back. How were you at home?" Then she complained to her, "Why did you stand in the cold wind waiting for us on such a cold day?"
The Third Lady greeted the Fifth Master, and then she and Wei An, one on each side, supported Old Lady Wei's hands and walked back: "You and the Master are not here, and I can't sleep, so I just came here to wait. It didn't take long, and I was wearing warm clothes, so how could I be cold?"
When everyone arrived at He'an Courtyard, the Third Lady ordered food to be served and asked everyone to eat again to get rid of the cold.
The charcoal stove in the He'an Courtyard was burning brightly, and after drinking the hot tea, all the coldness in her body was completely driven away. Old Mrs. Wei felt relaxed all over, and smiled as she praised the Third Madam.
Then he turned around and asked the Third and Fifth Masters: "What happened in the palace? Why were the Fourth and Fifth Princes brought back one after another?"
One of them had blood all over his face, and when he saw Concubine De, he burst into tears. All the officials were scared, fearing that something had happened to the two little ancestors.
The third master and the fifth master looked at each other and whispered the reason to Mrs. Wei.
Old Mrs. Wei seemed to be thinking about something.
The Fourth Prince did seem to have a rather impatient temper, and the same could be seen from the way he treated Queen Fang herself. At that time, Queen Fang reached out to hug him, but he reached out and pulled Queen Fang's hair, looking very irritable and anxious.
For a child with such an impatient temper, it seems that pinching and hitting others is a common occurrence and a very normal thing.
Just like he could actually beat up the Fifth Prince in the hall today, in front of Emperor Longqing.
But Mrs. Wei happened to notice some details.
That is, the wet nurse who was holding the Fourth Prince - whether it was due to luck or other reasons, she was never beaten or angered by the Fourth Prince from beginning to end.
The Fourth Prince also stayed in the main hall for a short time. During that time, Queen Fang was still angry and anxious while holding him, but as long as the wet nurse gently waved her hand at him, he would stop making trouble and keep his eyes fixed on the wet nurse.
Children's dependence and innocence cannot be faked.
The Fourth Prince must have liked this wet nurse very much, and this wet nurse must have been with him for a long time.
But being with him for a long time, treating him well, and gaining his trust does not necessarily mean that you truly like him.
There was a complicated light flashing in Mrs. Wei's eyes.
Emperor Longqing was still worrying about other people's family affairs, but he didn't know that his own backyard was never peaceful.
But what does this have to do with her
She pulled the corners of her mouth and smiled, then asked the Third Master: "What happened to Shen Chen? When he came to the back today, Princess Linjiang looked so ugly that she looked like she was about to faint."
The third master glanced at Wei An.
He didn't believe that Wei An didn't know the reason for this.
This little fox has been very close to Shen Chen recently.
Wei An knew what he meant as soon as he saw his eyes. He smiled and explained to the old lady in person: "Prince Linjiang punished Princess Linjiang and Prince Chu Jingxing for his matter. Only today did he reluctantly lift the Prince's house arrest because he had to attend a palace banquet. But this is of no avail. Shen Chen wants to recognize his ancestry and inherit the title of Marquis of Pingxi. It's about time that His Majesty makes a decision."
Is there still a need to decide
All the groundwork had been laid. In the past, perhaps some ministers might have been able to stop this matter by saying that they appreciated Shen Chen's upbringing, but now Shen Chen was unwilling to do so, and the discord between the brothers in the Linjiang Palace became known to everyone.
Prince Linjiang himself probably didn't have the face to say that there was anything wrong with Emperor Longqing agreeing to let Shen Chen return to his ancestral home.
In this case, letting Shen Chen return to his ancestral home is just a matter of worldly concern.
Old Mrs. Wei glanced at Wei An.
She knew that this time, Wei An had delayed the completion of the Peng family's matter for so long, in fact, he also wanted to cooperate with Shen Chen and help Shen Chen eliminate Liu Biping.
Now that Liu Biping has escaped easily, Shen Chen is probably in big trouble.
At this time, Shen Chen was able to split up according to the original plan, which meant that he had made up his mind to help King Linjiang take over the shipping in Fujian.
With such an adopted son, what more could I ask for
Shen Chen may look like a dandy boy, but he is actually a good boy who values friendship and loyalty.
Just being loyal and righteous is not necessarily a good thing, because most people in this world are not so loyal and righteous, they often value interests more.