Lihoumen

Chapter 67 Birthday Banquet Incident 1
In the evening, just as Shen Han entered the mansion, a maid who had been waiting at the door hurriedly came to greet him: "Third Master, our young lady invites you to come over."

Shen Han recognized that this was the person next to Lin Ruoqing, so he stopped and said, "It's too late today. Go back and tell my cousin that I will be at home tomorrow for a day off. If you have anything to say, we can talk tomorrow."

After saying that, he was about to continue walking forward. Seeing this, the girl hurried forward to stop him and said anxiously, "Third Master, our young lady has been waiting for you for a whole day. Please go over there."

Seeing that Shen Han seemed unmoved, she continued, "Sir, don't think too much. The young lady came to you to ask about the Zhao family's lawsuit."

After hearing this, Shen Han followed the girl to Wutong Garden.

Lin Ruoqing was waiting in the small hall outside. When she saw the maid bringing Shen Han over, she glanced at the maid's face, then laughed at herself and said to Shen Han, "Right now, it's not easy for me to see my cousin."

Shen Han did not respond, but told the truth about the Zhao family's lawsuit: "The Zhao family accused our family of harboring their daughter-in-law. You don't have to worry about this. When you left the Zhao family, the Zhao family's madam gave you a letter of release. Although the letter of release did not have the signatures of the Zhao family's head and mother, since it was written by the Zhao family's madam, it cannot be considered that you escaped. Since their family has filed a lawsuit, this time, I will find a way to make you completely cut off from them and completely restore your freedom."

After hearing these words, Lin Ruoqing bowed slightly to Shen Han and said with a sob, "Thank you, cousin."

Shen Han waved his hand: "No need to thank me." Then he asked: "How is Hao'er these days?"

"Not bad." Lin Ruoqing replied indifferently.

"It's getting late. You should go to bed early. I'll let you know when there's news about the Zhao family case."

After saying that, Shen Han turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Lin Ruoqing.

She walked up to Shen Han, blocked his way, and asked, "If I can completely leave the Zhao family, does my cousin have any plans for the future of us mother and son?"

Shen Han was silent for a moment, then said: "Taifu Lin was wronged. When the Saint takes sole control of the government, I will submit a petition to vindicate the Lin family. By then, you will have your family to protect you, and your life will naturally be better."

After hearing this, Lin Ruoqing smiled self-deprecatingly and replied, "My cousin has really thought about everything for me."

Shen Han looked at her, a hint of impatience on his face, and his tone turned slightly colder, and he asked her: "What else do you want?"

"What can I do?" Lin Ruoqing asked back, and then said aggrievedly: "My mother and I are living under someone else's roof, and we have to live by someone else's face. What can I do?"

Shen Han was furious when he heard this: "My mother asked me to take you as my second wife. Wasn't it you who instigated this behind the scenes? Don't think I don't know anything. I have made it clear to you that since I have already married, it is impossible for me to have other women."

After hearing what Shen Han said, Lin Ruoqing took two steps back in shock, and burst into tears. After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Shen Han with tears in her eyes, saying sadly, "I really don't understand, are you really in love with that woman, or is it because I've been married before that you hate me?"

Seeing Shen Han silent, she gradually regained consciousness, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, came to Shen Han, looked up at him eagerly, and said with a sob: "Cousin, my true feelings for you have never changed. Even if you really fall in love with that woman, I can bear it. You despise taking a wife as a concubine, I am willing to be your concubine, okay?"

"Really, as long as I'm with you, I don't care about status."

"enough!"

Shen Han interrupted her angrily. He looked at Lin Ruoqing in disbelief and said coldly, "I know you have suffered a lot of setbacks, but cousin, you shouldn't be like this. You are so self-deprecating. How can Haoer be independent in the future if you behave like this?"

In the blink of an eye, it was late autumn, and the Xuanping Marquis Mansion celebrated the old lady's 50th birthday.

This was a big event in the mansion. The two young masters of the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, one civil and one military, were very popular in the court. Naturally, the old lady's birthday party was full of distinguished guests. Since Shen Han's return, anyone with eyes could see that he was protecting his new wife, so this time, Li arranged for Qingqing to come out to entertain guests like the other sisters-in-law. The old lady was naturally unhappy, but she never disobeyed her son after all.

The four sisters-in-law had clear division of labor. Li and Liu welcomed the female guests at the gate, while Qingqing and Wang Zhenzhen greeted guests in the inner courtyard.

All the nobles in the capital knew that the third son of the Marquis Xuanping's mansion, who was as precious as gold and jade, had married a commoner girl, so they were inevitably curious. They thought that the old lady would hide the girl as she did before, but they didn't expect that when they entered the inner courtyard, they actually saw the real person.

Qingqing has put a lot of effort into learning etiquette from Nanny Yu recently. Now, her every move and gesture is no different from those of the noble ladies.

When the noble ladies saw Qingqing, they naturally had their own concerns in their hearts, but they all looked friendly. One of the elderly ladies even pulled Qingqing aside and looked at her and praised her a few times: "Tsk tsk, Madam Shen is so lucky. Look at this daughter-in-law. She is so beautiful."

Qingqing followed the rules taught by Yu Mama and bowed to the noble lady: "Thank you for your compliment, madam."

"Well, what a thoughtful child." The woman praised again.

Although this daughter-in-law came from a poor family, she was indeed outstanding in appearance. The old lady curled the corners of her mouth and tacitly accepted the compliment.

The other ladies had thought that the Shen family's daughter-in-law who never showed up might be stingy and timid, but today, when they saw Qingqing's elegant demeanor and dignified manners, their expectations were shattered and they were a little surprised.

"Madam Shen, you are so blessed. Each of your three sons is outstanding, and your daughters-in-law are all filial. Haha, I'm afraid that if the South Pole Immortal saw you, he would envy you."

Someone praised Qingqing, and the other ladies followed suit to flatter the old lady. The old lady felt much more relieved when she saw that her young daughter-in-law did not lose face.

There was joyful laughter in the main room, which made the old lady's face smile like a flower.

Everyone was talking and laughing when a usher came in and said with a smile, "Madam, the wife of the cabinet chief minister Xu is here to celebrate your birthday."

If we talk about nobility, it has to be this lady of the Grand Council.

"Please, please, please!"

Following the old lady's instructions, Wang Zhenzhen quickly left the house and met the old lady, greeting her warmly.

After a while, Madam Li led her youngest son into the palace along with Wang Zhenzhen. When the old lady saw her son, she immediately smiled and said, "Rui'er has grown up so much. Look at this child, he is so handsome, with a full forehead and a square chin. You can tell at a glance that he is blessed."

These words touched Li's heart. She gave birth to five daughters in a row and finally got this precious son when she was over 40. She treasured him as much as the apple of her eye. It was a pity that the child was not gifted by nature and was always plagued by misfortunes. How could Li not be worried? That was why she loved to hear people say that her son was blessed.

"Rui'er, come and pay your respects to Old Madam Shen." Li said, pulling her son.

The child looked no more than three or five years old. He was weak, so he looked smaller than a normal child. However, he was well-behaved. After listening to his mother, he politely saluted the old lady, which led everyone to surround Li and compliment him again.

Li's face lit up and she started talking more. Wang Zhenzhen saw that everyone was talking excitedly, so she ordered the maids in the room, "Take the second brother and Rui'er to play in the yard."

Several maids received the order and took Wang Zhenzhen's second brother and the young master of the cabinet to the courtyard. The ladies were chatting lively in the house. After a while, a little maid brought by Li ran in in a panic and said to Li: "Madam, it's bad. The gold nugget that the young master was carrying is gone."

(End of this chapter)