When Wei An came back, it was getting dark. The lanterns in the mansion had been hung up. She helped Lan He get off the carriage and saw that Aunt Hua beside Old Madam Wei was already waiting. She asked her in surprise, "Why did Aunt Hua come here in person?"
Aunt Hua smiled and stepped forward to put a light silk cape on her before leading her inside: "The old lady asked me to wait here. The Marquis has been waiting for you for a long time."
Wei An paused.
Does Shen Chen have nothing to do recently? Why does he come to Dingbei Marquis Mansion more and more frequently
She frowned unconsciously, feeling a little confused.
Lan He and Yu Qing looked at each other, their eyes filled with smiles.
In fact, in their opinion, the Third Young Master and Shen Chen are similar.
Both of these people are good, the only difference is which one Wei An likes more.
The Third Young Master seemed to have trouble getting along with Wei An. No matter what he said, he would remain silent after only a few words. However, Shen Chen was different. He always had a way to make Wei An forget his restraint and express himself in front of him comfortably and freely.
This is already very rare.
What’s even more rare is that Shen Chen is truly sincere.
Aunt Hua noticed Wei An's hesitation and stopped as well. She took a look at Wei An's face with the help of the lantern on the tree and asked softly, "Does the princess not want to see him?"
The steps are already covered with fallen flowers. Autumn is almost here, and the leaves on the trees have begun to turn yellow. When the wind blows, they swirl in the air and fall down.
Soon, many leaves and fallen flowers piled up on Wei An's shoulders. She reached out to brush them away and shook her head, "Since he wants to see me for something, there's nothing wrong with that."
Then he asked Aunt Hua, "Is he in the old lady's He'an Courtyard?"
Aunt Hua replied with a smile.
Wei An didn't even go back to his room to change his clothes, and went straight to He'an Courtyard.
Shen Chen was talking to Old Lady Wei about the customs and culture of southern Fujian. They mentioned that there was a lot of water there and that there were many pirates on the sea. Just as she was about to say something else, Wei An came in, stood up and greeted her with a smile.
When he smiled, there was a smile in his eyes, like the warm sun in winter, which seemed to dazzle people's eyes. As soon as Wei An came into contact with his smiling face, he turned his head away to face Old Mrs. Wei.
Shen Chen understood something and sat back quietly.
Old Madam Wei had already beckoned Wei An over. There was nothing that could not be asked in front of Shen Chen, so she asked her softly, "Has the affairs of Third Master Xie's family been settled?"
Mr. and Mrs. Xie San invited Wei An over this time to discuss the matter of returning to Jingxi.
Wei An nodded and told her, "Master Xie San and Madam Xie San have decided to return to Jingxi and will leave tomorrow. Most of the properties here have been sold out. As for the Xie clan, after what happened to Master Xie Er, they have already figured out who they can trust and are no longer willing to speak out."
Old Madam Wei raised her lips sarcastically: "Second Master Xie is dead. How he died and where his body is are all known to the Xie family. Under such circumstances, what else do they want to do? Are they going to stand up and say that Second Master Xie is missing and is in the capital? They are not that stupid. They are willing to accept Third Master Xie at this moment and they are just bowing to the situation."
She paused and said, "But Ah Cheng is a very smart kid. With this huge handle and our help, it won't be a problem to subdue the Xie family."
Wei An hummed.
Shen Chen coughed beside him before speaking: "What will happen after the Xie family is conquered? Third Master Xie will be in charge of the Jingxi Xie family from now on. Will Second Master Xie continue the smuggling business that he used to do?"
Mr. Xie was engaged in business such as selling war horses and smuggling pig iron weapons, which was logically considered a serious crime of treason.
In the past, Master Xie was a man of the King of Chu, and later he joined Chu Jingxing and Princess Chang'an, so they could not do anything to him. But now Master Xie is dead, and although these businesses have huge profits, they really cannot be exposed to the public.
Old Madam Wei shook her head firmly: "We can't do it anymore. Even if all this money is given to Prince Linjiang in the future..." She didn't hide anything. She glanced at Shen Chen and said directly: "If someone with ulterior motives exposes it one day, can the prince take the blame for the Xie family? By then, the Xie family will still be dead. After all, the Xie family has now completely become an ally of our Wei family. We can't do such a thing."
They cannot be allowed to bear this risk and infamy.
Shen Chen restrained the smile on his face, and after a long while he said, "You're right, so I think the escort agency that An An mentioned before can be started. Smuggling is naturally not a long-term plan, but now the Tatars are clamoring to open a trade every day. If there is a trade, an escort agency will be indispensable. The Xie family has an innate advantage, and the Ping An Escort Agency is a time-honored brand... If we can monopolize the line outside the Great Wall, the profit will surely not be low."
He always speaks to the point.
Old Mrs. Wei glanced at Wei An, meaning that this method was feasible.
But she felt that something was not right. After thinking about it, she realized that it was the way he addressed her that was wrong - Shen Chen actually started to call Wei An by his nickname.
Wei An himself also noticed this, looked up at him, and then lowered his eyes again.
After a moment of silence in the room, Wei An said softly, "Let's go out for a walk."
Shen Chen hummed.
Old Madam Wei then asked Aunt Hua softly, "What happened?"
Aunt Hua was also puzzled. She shook her head helplessly and said, "I don't know. She was fine when she got off the carriage, but she was not very happy after hearing that the Marquis was here." She slapped her forehead with sudden realization and said, "I'm afraid she is embarrassed, right?"
Girls tend to be shy around a boy who expresses his feelings to them.
But Mrs. Wei shook her head, her expression solemn and with a hint of worry.
If you're sorry, that's fine.
This means Wei An likes Shen Chen.
But the problem is, Wei An didn't feel embarrassed at all, he clearly looked like he felt the burden was too heavy.
This child is good in every way, but seems to be missing a string in this way, and is extremely defensive towards feelings. This is true whether it is towards Lin Sanshao or Shen Chen's kindness.
It is good to keep oneself clean, and it is also straightforward to reject someone you don't like, but if you are always so ruthless in avoiding relationships, then it is worth worrying about.
She coughed before coming back to her senses and told Aunt Hua: "Let's not talk about this for now... Go and ask the kitchen to prepare dinner first."