Shen Baozhu finally behaved herself and obediently sat beside her mother.
Lin Yu couldn't bear to see her looking so wronged. "Baozhu, you can tell your mother that you went to avenge Miao Chun," she said.
"Yes, I... I planned to tell Mother in a few days," Shen Baozhu stammered, struggling to articulate her thoughts.
The Dragon King piped up. "You don't understand. Our little cutie sneaked out. No matter what her purpose was, it's a big mistake for a child to sneak out. The princess is bound to be worried."
"Right now, the princess is angry. Even if she knows the little cutie meant well, she'll still punish her, just less severely."
"But by the time the emperor intervenes and the news reaches the princess, she'll have cooled down. When the little cutie then tells her the truth, the princess will feel sorry for her."
Shen Baozhu nodded vigorously. Yes, that's exactly what she had in mind, but she just couldn't put it into words.
Shen Haiyan also entered the courtyard. The small round table was now full, creating a lively atmosphere.
Bai Zhi brought in fresh fruits and handed the biggest and reddest one to Shen Baozhu.
Shen Baozhu held the fruit and took small bites.
"Bai Zhi, Ru Xia will be staying at the princess's mansion for a few days. She has brought her maids. You just need to arrange their meals. Qing Dai has already led some people to clean the courtyard," the Princess of Jingning said, glancing at Shen Baozhu before turning to Bai Zhi.
Shen Haiyan was a bit curious. "Why did Chen Ru Xia bring her maids? Has something happened in the Marquis's mansion?"
Chen Ru Xia explained. "The Marquis's mansion is going to整顿 the servants. Many of them will probably be sold. The maids who serve me are quite considerate. I don't want to replace them, so I brought them here to the princess's mansion to avoid any trouble."
After chatting for a while, the topic turned to Chen Miao Chun.
Chen Ru Xia told Chen Miao Chun about the engagement with the Yan family. "Sister, Yan Ming Li is a good match. He's good-looking, a bit clumsy, and most importantly, he comes from a good family. His father is the Minister of Revenue, and all his cousins have academic achievements. It'll be beneficial for you."
"Although we were engaged, we've only seen each other from afar twice. It was my godmother who found him for me. You can trust my godmother's judgment."
Chen Miao Chun was feeling a bit hungry watching Shen Baozhu eat the fruit. She carefully selected the second-biggest one from the plate. Just as she was about to take a bite, she heard her name.
Learning that she was engaged, Chen Miao Chun was overjoyed. She had been in the countryside for so many years without getting married, but within a few months in the Marquis's mansion, she was going to be married. It seemed that it was easier to get married in the Marquis's mansion.
The Princess of Jingning patted her on the back. "Miao Chun, this is a major decision in your life. You need to think it through."
Chen Miao Chun was hesitant. Biting her lower lip, she finally looked at Shen Baozhu. "Baozhu, what do you think of Yan Ming Li?"
Hearing the name of her new friend, Shen Baozhu looked up and said firmly, "He's a good person. Yan Ming Li is a good person!"
A good person who shared food with her!
"And he really likes Sister Miao Chun," she added.
According to the Dragon King, it was love at first sight.
Chen Miao Chun was flattered. "Really? Does Yan Ming Li really like me?"
"Of course!" Shen Baozhu was very sure. Her new friend had even gone on a hunger strike and eaten only pancakes for Chen Miao Chun, which showed that he really liked her.
Although pancakes were delicious, having only one kind of food was so pitiful, except for the delicious shrimp dumplings.
Everyone thought Shen Baozhu was just trying to comfort Chen Miao Chun and didn't take it seriously. Chen Miao Chun gave the fruit she had carefully selected to Shen Haiyan. If it weren't for the fact that Shen Baozhu couldn't eat too much fruit because dinner was coming soon, she would have given it to Shen Baozhu.
Chen Ru Xia was in poor health and couldn't eat this kind of cold-natured fruit.
Seeing the children getting along well, the Princess of Jingning tapped Shen Baozhu on the nose. "You, will you dare to run around again?"
Shen Baozhu nestled into her mother's arms and coquettishly said, "Baozhu knows she was wrong. Mother, don't be angry. I just wanted to come home earlier."
The Princess of Jingning finally smiled. "I'm not angry anymore, but the pastry punishment still stands. You must learn your lesson!"
...
Early the next morning.
At the Yan family's mansion.
Early in the morning, after a simple wash, Father Yan grabbed a steamed bun and rushed off to court.
After Father Yan left in a hurry, Mother Yan opened her eyes. Looking at the empty side of the bed, a hint of joy appeared on her face.
After being married for more than twenty years, Father Yan could still sleep in on his day off. But she had to manage the household and had hardly had a day of rest. She had to get up before the rooster crowed. Now that her daughter-in-law was in charge of the household, it was finally her turn to lie in bed and watch her husband get up early.
Just thinking about being able to rest while her husband had to work hard for a few more years made Mother Yan feel happy.
She said to the nanny with a smile, "The eldest son already has a son and a daughter, and now the second son's wife is pregnant. Once Ming Li gets married, my life will be complete."
The nanny echoed her words. "Madam is blessed. You just need to enjoy your life and wait for the third young master to bring back a little young master."
Thinking of her youngest son's behavior, Mother Yan waved her hand. "With his irresponsible attitude, I just hope the eldest miss of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion won't dislike him."
"He's always wandering around outside, causing trouble. I'm afraid a girl from a lower-ranking family won't be able to handle him. The eldest miss of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion is the goddaughter of the Princess of Jingning. The Princess of Jingning is the only daughter of General Mu, and her husband is the third young master of the Shen family. I heard he's very favored."
Mother Yan's eldest and second daughters-in-law were both chosen by her sons themselves. Their families were of a lower rank, but they had good characters, and her sons liked them.
When it came to her youngest son, Mother Yan was at a loss.
Compared to his two promising elder brothers, Yan Ming Li was far behind. He was always wandering around and had no sense of responsibility. When she asked him to go to banquets to meet girls, he refused after only two times, saying he didn't want to get married and wanted to be free.
Later, the Princess of Jingning chose Yan Ming Li as a husband for Chen Ru Xia. When Mother Yan told Yan Ming Li, he flatly refused at first.
Mother Yan had no choice but to force him to go to a banquet to see Chen Ru Xia from afar. Only then did Yan Ming Li agree to the engagement. His reason was that Chen Ru Xia was in poor health and looked like she was about to die. He could just keep her at home, which almost made Mother Yan faint with anger.
Mother Yan told the Princess of Jingning Yan Ming Li's true thoughts. After a careful discussion, Mother Yan learned that the Princess of Jingning was worried that Chen Ru Xia would marry the wrong person, but she trusted the Yan family's character.
The Princess of Jingning discussed with Mother Yan that if the two children didn't develop feelings after marriage, the Yan family just needed to let Chen Ru Xia's household register be included in the Yan family. Chen Ru Xia had the dowry left by her mother and could support herself.
As a mother, Mother Yan understood the Princess of Jingning. Since she didn't want to force her son, the two sides went with the flow and arranged the marriage.
As for a few days ago, when Chen Ru Xia discussed changing the engagement with her, Mother Yan agreed.
Anyway, Yan Ming Li didn't care. It didn't matter who he married. She heard that Chen Miao Chun was staying at the princess's mansion, and Mother Yan trusted the children raised by the Princess of Jingning.
Speaking of this, Mother Yan added, "I sent someone to inquire. Chen Miao Chun and the little princess get along well. Shen He Qing teaches them both to read. When my silly son learned that Shen He Qing disliked the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, he kept the engagement a secret, afraid that Shen He Qing would be disgusted with him."
"Now that I've found him a student of Shen He Qing, he'll definitely be over the moon."