Shi Qian called Yun Sheng "Master" because before Yun Sheng entered the officialdom, he had been a private tutor in Jiangdu for some time and forged a deep friendship with Shi Qian's father.
At that time, Shi Qian was just starting his enlightenment, so he took Yun Sheng as his teacher.
Even after Yun Sheng went to the capital and became the prime minister, he still maintained close contact with Shi Qian. Occasionally, he would help Shi Qian correct his essays and offer his suggestions on Shi Qian's studies of epigraphy and archaeology.
Shi Qian was a man of great talent and remarkable martial arts skills. He was once praised by Yun Sheng as a man with the potential to be a general or a premier. However, he never set foot in the officialdom.
Although Shi Qian was fond of epigraphy and archaeology and traveled around a lot, rarely meeting Yun Sheng, the bond between the master and the disciple was extremely deep.
Especially after learning that Yun Sheng was imprisoned, Shi Qian immediately dropped everything at hand, gathered several other disciples of Yun Sheng, and rushed to the capital.
He almost exhausted all his connections and financial resources, running around everywhere for Yun Sheng. So far, he had persuaded the people in the Three High Courts to quietly collect evidence to clear Yun Sheng's name!
"Are you Shi Qian? Qian'er?"
The old lady's eyes lit up. She was unable to suppress the excitement in her heart. Her eyes were fixed on Shi Qian as she carefully sized him up.
Because Yun Sheng liked Shi Qian, he would sometimes take Shi Qian home as a guest. So the old lady had met Shi Qian several times in Jiangdu.
But since he was just a young child at that time, she didn't recognize that this elegant young man in front of her was actually the polite little boy from back then.
"Grandma Yun, it's me."
Shi Qian smiled, and the affectionate "Grandma Yun" instantly awakened the old lady's memories from the past. Her heart softened, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"It really is you! Come closer and let grandma take a good look at you!"
Among all her grandchildren, not a single one had ever called her "grandma." They all respectfully addressed her as "grandmother" or "ancestor."
She used to think that this was just how things were in a prominent family. But Shi Qian's "grandma" made her feel a kind of intimacy she had never experienced before. She realized that she had always been longing for her grandchildren to call her like this.
Hearing this, Shi Qian stepped forward respectfully and let the old lady's hand caress his face, smiling faintly without saying a word.
Yun Qi didn't know about the old ties between the Shi and Yun families. Seeing that his grandmother also knew Shi Qian, he introduced Shi Qian's purpose for coming to the capital. He looked at his grandmother with admiration and told her about their progress so far.
Although the road ahead was long and arduous, at least there was a glimmer of hope!
The old lady withdrew her hand and nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Good boy, your master didn't dote on you in vain."
Then, the old lady couldn't help but ask:
"How are your parents?"
Back in Jiangdu, Yun Sheng and his mother had a very difficult life. Moreover, since Yun Sheng had a stain on his record and was not allowed to pursue a career as an official, he found a job as a private tutor in a school.
The Shi family was a well - known and prestigious family in Jiangdu. They had connections both in the local officialdom and in the imperial court.
By chance, Shi Qian's father read Yun Sheng's essays and was deeply impressed. With their compatible temperaments, they gradually became close friends.
The Shi family not only supported Yun Sheng in his daily life but also spared no effort in recommending him in the officialdom. They even helped clear Yun Sheng's father's name, which gave Yun Sheng the opportunity to rise to prominence and eventually become the prime minister!
The old lady had always remembered the kindness of the Shi family and constantly reminded Yun Sheng to repay them.
However, the Shi family preferred to stay in the background and didn't have much contact with the Yun family openly.
Unexpectedly, when the Yun family was in trouble, the first to offer a helping hand was still the Shi family!
The old lady told the two grandchildren about the past between the Yun and Shi families. This made Yun Qi respect Shi Qian even more, and Yun Xi's gaze at Shi Qian also deepened.
After all, there were many who would add flowers to the brocade, but few who would send charcoal in snowy weather.
In her previous life, Yun Xi thought that her father didn't like Jiang Qing and thought she had brought shame to the Yun family, so he had locked her up in the manor for four years.
Later, when Jiang Qing drowned after getting drunk, her father had chosen Shi Qian from Jiangdu for her. She didn't object because she didn't have the right to.
She thought that her father was finally tired of her and wanted to marry her off as soon as possible. She never knew that her father had actually spent so much effort.
This Shi Qian was not the kind of randomly arranged marriage she had imagined. He was the best candidate in her father's mind!
After chatting with Shi Qian, the old lady finally returned to the topic of Yun Xi's marriage.
Yun Qi shared the same opinion as the old lady. They both opposed Yun Xi's hasty marriage because it seemed so unwise!
To persuade them, Yun Xi told them about the time she met the Eighth Princess and even mentioned how the Eighth Princess had plotted against her in the Emerald Tower before.
The root cause was that the Eighth Princess was jealous that the Crown Prince had taken a fancy to her, which had brought so many troubles!
If the Empress Dowager or the Eighth Princess intervened at this critical moment when she was trying to rescue her father, all their previous efforts would be in vain!
"Do I have to wait until the Empress Dowager arranges a marriage for me? By then, it will be too late!"
Based on Zhen Bao's experience, Yun Xi could anticipate such a possibility.
She couldn't just passively accept the unfair fate after things happened. Instead, she had to come up with countermeasures before the worst - case scenario occurred!
"Now, the Prime Minister's Mansion can no longer withstand any more storms!"
Yun Xi's words were well - reasoned, and her mind was made up. There was no room for hesitation.
She had thought it through very clearly. Even if the old lady and Yun Qi didn't agree with her, she would still choose to get married because she didn't want her fate to be controlled by others. She wanted to hold it firmly in her own hands!
She had even thought that as long as she could persuade the old lady, she would immediately call Zhao Chunsheng over.
She would ask him if he was willing to "temporarily" marry her. She would offer him sufficient compensation as long as he agreed to write her a letter of divorce in advance!
Yun Xi had thought out her backup plan and honestly told them about it.
Moved by Yun Xi's words, the old lady and Yun Qi fell into a state of entanglement.
After considering Yun Xi's words, they found that although her decision seemed impulsive, it was actually urgent!
If, as she had speculated, the Empress Dowager arranged a marriage for her, it might not be more "reliable" than her current plan of a fake divorce.
After all, who would dare to defy the Empress Dowager's imperial edict? If the Empress Dowager wanted to punish Yun Xi through a marriage arrangement, she would have to accept it silently without any chance of resistance!
"But father will definitely not agree!"
Yun Qi was in a dilemma. He knew that his elder sister was right, but thinking of his father's love for his elder sister, he was full of worries.
The old lady was almost persuaded by Yun Xi. Hearing Yun Qi's words, she shook her head and echoed:
"Yes, even if your father is rescued and knows that you've made such a great sacrifice, he will be heartbroken! He might even blame me for not stopping you!"
Just when it seemed that the two were about to be persuaded, they suddenly changed their minds. Yun Xi couldn't help but sigh in frustration:
"Why don't you understand..."
Before Yun Xi could finish her words, Shi Qian beside her suddenly spoke slowly:
"Maybe if we change the candidate, Master won't object."
"What do you mean?"
The three of them stared at Shi Qian, their expressions full of confusion.
Shi Qian smiled helplessly. Then he took out a letter personally written by Yun Sheng from his bosom. After hesitating for a moment, he handed it directly to Yun Xi:
"Read the content of this letter first."