nycdaug Chapter 214 The king’s heart is unpredictable
Chapter 214 The king’s heart is unpredictable
The day Shen Lanxing got married was clearly a happy day, but the Shen family was extremely low-key.
There were not many guests coming to congratulate, all of them were from noble families who had close contacts with the Shen family, as well as a few daughters of noble families who were close friends of Shen Lanxing.
From the exchange of engagement letters to the holding of the ceremony, it was only a little over a month, which was a very tight schedule.
The old marquis and Shen Junye's family did not come back, and Shen Ruyi, who was recuperating in Guangning Temple, did not show up either.
Even Shen Mingji, the eldest grandson of the Shen family, was sent to Yizhou and was unable to see his sister off to marry.
Shen Junxing even announced to the public early on that because old Marquis Shen and his second brother Shen Junye were far away at the border and could not come back, his mother was old, and the mistress Tang Qingmei was ill, so everything had to be kept simple.
The hostess of Shen Lanxing's wedding was Mrs. Quanfu, the wife of Imperial Physician Jiang, Old Madam Jiang.
The scale of the wedding banquet for Shen Junxing's daughter's marriage was unprecedented in the capital, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was shabby.
Even if it was an ordinary noble family, marrying off their daughter would not be so simple.
However, the Shen family had just offended the emperor, and Shen Junxing had just resumed his original position not long ago. They were at the center of the storm, so the Shen family's low-keyness seemed quite reasonable.
The Shen family's wedding banquet was neither publicized nor invited to the royal family. Even the ministers in the court were not invited.
This made those powerful and wealthy families secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, the Shen family has been making quite a fuss lately, and although Shen Junxing has been reinstated, the emperor's attitude in the court is unpredictable.
On several occasions, the emperor found some excuse to reprimand Shen Junxing mercilessly in public.
After that, even his colleagues in the Ministry of Personnel were affected, and they were simply nitpicking.
This also sent a signal to the powerful families that the emperor still had grudges against the Wu'an Marquisate, and this move was clearly intended to suppress the Shen family.
In such a situation, naturally no one wants to be involved in this scandal, so it is better to avoid it if possible.
It was not until Shen Lanxing was about to leave that the emperor ordered the palace servants to bring the gift to the Shen family, which finally arrived.
The emperor took the lead, and the concubines from various palaces in the palace quickly sent people to deliver gifts to the Shen family.
The powerful and noble family sent their servants to keep an eye on the Shen family's movements today, and then they hurriedly ordered their respective stewards to send the impromptu gifts to the Shen family.
Although Shen Junxing did not invite them to a banquet, the emperor had taken the lead and that was a signal, so they naturally could not lose their manners.
When Shen Lanxing went out, it was Shen Junxing who personally carried Lu Che, the husband she had chosen, to the bridal sedan.
Old Madam Shen drank the tea served to Shen Lanxing and her grandson-in-law, said a few auspicious words, and watched her leave.
Afterwards, Old Madam Shen did not stay long. She forced a smile and briefly showed her face in front of the guests, then claimed to be tired and went back to the backyard.
The guests were entertained by Shen Junling and the Shen family's relatives, who had just returned to Beijing not long ago.
Even if he did not attend the Shen family's wedding banquet, these things that happened at the Shen family's wedding banquet could not be hidden from the eyes of other families.
On such a happy day as her daughter's wedding, Tang Qingmei, as a mother, had never seen such a thing happen from beginning to end, and she couldn't hide it.
This further confirmed the previous speculation that Tang Qingmei, the mistress of Wu'an Marquis's Mansion, should be dying soon, so Shen Junxing hurriedly arranged his daughter's marriage.
If he observes mourning for three years, it would be hard to say when Shen Xinglan's marriage will be postponed.
As for the father, Shen Junxing, his face remained calm from beginning to end. He moved among the guests with a smile on his face, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Not until all the guests had left did Shen Junxing walk alone into the backyard where Shen Xinglan lived before she got married, and stayed there for a long time.
After his daughter returns home in three days, she will follow Lu Che to take up a new post in another city. As a father, he naturally feels very uncomfortable.
It's not that he is cruel, but he has to do it.
Although the Wu'an Marquis Mansion looks prosperous on the surface, it has actually been in danger for a long time.
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger; the emperor's mind is hard to fathom.
On the one hand, he had to make use of the Wu'an Marquisate to check and balance the various parties; on the other hand, he was afraid that the Marquisate would become more powerful than the master, and would produce arrogant and powerful generals, leading to the hidden danger of powerful officials usurping the throne.
The emperor would not feel at ease no matter which prince married into the Shen family.
The reason why Shen Junxing arranged Shen Lanxing's marriage so hastily was not only because of the changes in the court situation and the instructions of his father Shen Weishan, but also because this was naturally the situation that the current emperor Jing Zhaodi most wanted to see.
Shen Junxing has always been very strict in educating his children. This is why Shen Mingji and Shen Lanxing, brother and sister, have not been infected by the gloomy and calculating spirit of Tang Qingmei.
However, Shen Junxing was busy with court affairs every day, so it was inevitable that there would be some mistakes.
He had no idea that Tang Qingmei and his mother had gotten in touch with the Sixth Prince without him noticing when.
It was not until the Sixth Prince asked the Emperor for permission to marry that Emperor Jing Zhao flew into a rage and summoned him to the palace to severely reprimand him, that Shen Junxing learned about this.
No matter how despicable the prince is, the emperor still has to maintain the reputation of the royal family, so Shen Junxing could only endure the emperor's anger silently.
The Sixth Prince's mother's family is too powerful. If they were to marry into the Shen family, which holds military power, it would undoubtedly add a huge weight to the balance of imperial power.
The emperor naturally would not allow such a thing to happen, and the emperor's art of checks and balances was fully utilized at this time.
The next day, Censor Wang's legitimate daughter was directly married to the Sixth Prince.
It was not until Shen Junxing and Shen Lanxing quickly arranged a marriage that Emperor Jing Zhao's attitude towards Shen Junxing changed.
Shen Junxing never mentioned these things to Old Madam Shen because there was no point in mentioning them.
Old Madam Shen had lived too smoothly in the capital in recent years, and gradually lost her keen perception of the court affairs in the superficial glory.
He didn't realize at all that the Shen family had already become a thorn in the emperor's side.
After coming out of the palace that day, Shen Junxing quickly asked someone to arrange a marriage for Shen Xinglan.
He also deliberately avoided the sons of powerful officials in the capital in order to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to his daughter, and at the same time to appease the emperor's anger.
Before deciding on Lu Che, Shen Junxing asked Emperor Jing Zhao for instructions on the matter.
Just as he expected, Emperor Jing Zhao was accusing Shen Junxing of misbehaving.
The old marquis of the Shen family and his second son have been guarding a bitter and cold place, but they let the only granddaughter of the Shen family marry a poor student, and advised him to choose a suitable man of equal status in the capital.
Shen Junxing's heart is as clear as a mirror. Lu Che is from Cangzhou and came from a poor family. His family background is not prominent, and his performance in the imperial examination is also average.
Only such a candidate can make Emperor Jing Zhao feel most at ease.
The slightly raised corner of Emperor Jing Zhao's mouth at that time proved everything. Emperor Jing Zhao was quite satisfied with Shen Junxing's decision to make sense of the times.
The Shen family in the capital city is quiet and deserted, but the village of Changhe Village far away in Taihe County, Ganzhou is full of joy.