Seeing Shen Minghua full of guilt, Shen Haiyan patted Shen Baozhu in his arms and said sadly, "I thought Grandfather was different from Grandmother. I thought he doted on Baozhu. But I didn't expect... Alas, Minghua, when I came home today, I saw Baozhu squatting in the grass. Do you know why?"
Shen Minghua looked at the dirt on Shen Baozhu's body and shook his head. "I don't know."
"Baozhu was scared! The Third Prince, relying on his noble status, bullied Baozhu. Poor Baozhu has been bullied at such a young age, and there's no one to stand up for her." As Shen Haiyan said this, he even shed a few tears.
This made Shen Minghua feel even more ashamed. He was Baozhu's cousin. Leaving aside his relationship with Haiyan, when Brother Heqing was still in the academy, he often gave him advice.
Shen Haiyan was not only good at acting but also very shrewd.
Although he often took advantage of Old Madam Shen and retorted to Shen Qingshan, among Shen Minghua and some of his peers, he was an absolute poor soul.
Because he had an extremely intelligent elder brother and practiced martial arts himself, he was out of favor with his grandmother, and even his grandfather was cold to him.
This made kind - hearted Shen Minghua feel very sorry for him. From time to time, he would tell some interesting family stories to cheer Shen Haiyan up.
For example, how the grandmother was contradicted, how the grandfather scolded people, and how the eldest uncle lost his temper at home.
At this moment, in order to cheer Shen Haiyan up, Shen Minghua specifically told him that the eldest uncle had been dismissed from office and had been making a fuss at home for a whole day, smashing a lot of things. His mother was heart - broken.
Hearing that the Shen family was in trouble, Shen Haiyan almost burst out laughing. "Cough cough cough, that's really too bad."
Shen Minghua nodded in agreement. "Yes. Auntie spent a high price to buy a famous painting to console the eldest uncle. It was a painting by Master Xu!"
Master Xu was a famous artist in the Great Yong Dynasty. Not only did Shen Yunlin like his paintings, but Shen Minghua also liked them. However, since Master Xu was a relative of Prime Minister Sima, Shen Minghua didn't even dare to look at his paintings in public.
Speaking of this, Shen Minghua was even more puzzled. "Haiyan, let me tell you something strange. Isn't it always my mother who manages the family affairs? Occasionally, when there are problems with Auntie's dowry shops, they are all handed over to my mother."
"Auntie's dowry doesn't seem to be much, but it's like a treasure trove. The money just never runs out."
On the surface, the expenses of the eldest branch of the Shen family were not much. But Shen Minghua lived with them, and Mrs. Shen, the second wife, was in charge of the family accounts. He knew very well how exaggerated the expenses of the eldest branch were. Just relying on Auntie's dowry, it was definitely not enough.
Shen Haiyan kept this matter in mind and then stated his purpose. "Minghua, can you take me to see Grandfather?"
"Grandmother doesn't like me and Baozhu. I've known this for a long time. But I still can't quite believe that Grandfather won't help Baozhu... Alas."
Hearing Shen Haiyan's sad voice, Shen Minghua also felt extremely heart - wrenching.
Now the person in charge of the Shen Mansion was Mrs. Shen, the second wife, who was also Shen Minghua's mother.
He immediately came up with an idea. "Okay. I'll take you and Baozhu secretly into the mansion. Take this opportunity to ask Grandfather what he thinks. Baozhu is his own granddaughter!"
Having achieved his goal, Shen Haiyan didn't directly agree. Instead, he said softly, "This doesn't seem right."
"There's nothing wrong with it. If Grandfather is not willing to stand up for Baozhu, outsiders won't know about it. We can't just let you walk over with Baozhu, and then Grandfather refuses to help. It will make our Baozhu look so pitiful, like there's no one to protect her." There was a bit of pity and disappointment in Shen Minghua's eyes.
The pity was for his younger sister Baozhu, who had suffered so much at such a young age. The disappointment was for Shen Haiyan, as he felt sorry for him carrying Baozhu all the way here.
...
In the Shen Mansion, at the You hour.
The servants had just set the dishes on the table. Mrs. Shen, the second wife, who was in charge of the household, pointed to one of the dishes. "I remember Baozhu likes this crispy duck. Put the duck here."
Old Madam Shen, who had just taken her seat, didn't like her third daughter - in - law, and by extension, didn't like her little granddaughter either. She frowned unhappily. "Second daughter - in - law, why do you suddenly mention Baozhu?"
Mrs. Shen, the second wife, turned around and smiled at her mother - in - law. "I was negligent, Mother. I forgot to tell you. Haiyan and Baozhu will have dinner at home today. I've also asked the kitchen to make Baozhu's favorite pastries."
Among all the people in the Shen family, Mrs. Shen, the second wife, liked the family of Princess Jingning the most. The reason was simple. Princess Jingning was rich, generous, and didn't spend her money.
Therefore, not only did she have no hostility towards Shen Baozhu, but she was also very kind to her. She even wished that Shen Baozhu could come to the Shen Mansion to play every day.
Thinking of the silk that Princess Jingning had given her the last time she helped drive away Bai Xinrou, Mrs. Shen, the second wife, became even happier. She planned to go to the kitchen to supervise, lest those people make the pastries unpalatable. Today, it was Haiyan who brought Baozhu here. He was a vengeful person, so she couldn't be careless.
Mrs. Shen, the second wife, turned around and left without giving Old Madam Shen a chance to ask questions.
Old Madam Shen couldn't figure it out. She clearly told the servants to keep a close eye and inform her in advance if they saw Shen Haiyan coming. Why was there no sign today? The ornaments in the room were all her favorites. She mustn't let Shen Haiyan see them.
For the sake of her beloved ornaments, Old Madam Shen found an excuse and left in a hurry. "I have a headache. I won't have dinner."
In the study, Shen Qingshan had the same thought as his wife.
"Grandfather, I've had a hard time! Not only was I bullied by that heartless brute myself, but I couldn't even protect my younger sister. Look how pitiful Baozhu is!" Shen Haiyan led Shen Baozhu and stood in front of the desk. Both the siblings' eyes were red, looking extremely pitiful.
Shen Haiyan had been a naughty boy since childhood. This was the first time Shen Qingshan had seen him cry so miserably. The scene of General Mu crying also came to his mind.
The picture was so wonderful that Shen Qingshan got carried away and underestimated Shen Haiyan. He comforted him. "Grandfather is also heart - broken. But that person is the Third Prince and the legitimate son of the Queen. Our Shen family can't afford to offend him!"
These words seemed to be a switch. Shen Haiyan immediately rushed to Shen Qingshan's side, scaring Shen Qingshan to take a step back.
Shen Haiyan said sincerely, "Grandfather, although we can't afford to offend him, we can still cause some trouble for the Third Prince."
"I've already thought it through. The reason why the Third Prince bullies others is that he has too much energy. How about finding a martial arts master for him to wear off his energy?"
Shen Qingshan analyzed the feasibility of this matter in his mind and what the consequences would be.
But Shen Haiyan didn't give him a chance to think. He directly led Shen Baozhu to stroll around the study and pointed to the inkstone on the bookshelf. "Baozhu, what do you think of this inkstone? Will Big Brother like it?"
Shen Baozhu stood on tiptoe and grabbed Shen Haiyan's hand to see the inkstone with a golden rim. "Like it!"
"You're right. Big Brother admires Grandfather the most. He must like the things in Grandfather's study." Shen Haiyan picked up the inkstone and stuffed it into his bosom, mentioning Shen Heqing.
Thinking of Shen Heqing, Shen Qingshan swallowed the words of scolding and forced himself to be generous. "Since Heqing likes it, just take it."
Shen Haiyan then picked up the jade ornament on the bookshelf. "Baozhu, what do you think of this ornament..."
"Enough! How did your mother teach you? How dare you touch your elders' things randomly..." Seeing his precious ornament worth a thousand gold being picked up by Shen Haiyan, Shen Qingshan couldn't hold back and blurted out his thoughts.
But before he could finish his words, Shen Haiyan "jumped in surprise" and didn't hold the ornament firmly. He "accidentally" let the ornament fall to the ground and break into pieces.
Shen Haiyan took a few steps back with Shen Baozhu, pretending to be scared. In front of Shen Qingshan, he slapped the desk with one palm, and a crack appeared on the solid - wood desk.
Then, he "fearfully" looked at Shen Qingshan. "Oh! Grandfather, I accidentally dropped the ornament. Will you blame me?"