The prince of Anjun was getting married, and the people in the capital were talking about the dowry for a long time, but Shen Yanrou's dowry was not inferior.
Mrs. Shen Er's natal family also has a good foundation, and her dowry when she married into Shen's house was very large. Not to mention jewelry and money, there were also many shops, houses, properties, etc. Besides, she has been in charge of the Shen Mansion for a long time and has accumulated a lot of money.
Now that Mrs. Shen is preparing a dowry for her precious daughter, she is naturally willing to do so.
In addition, the Shen Mansion itself has prepared equal shares for each girl, and Mrs. Shen has provided her own personal assistance...
Shen Yanrou's marriage was so beautiful that it made others envious.
Shen Yanjiao looked at it and couldn't help but feel touched:
My sister-in-law's marriage in the previous life was miserable. There was no smile on the faces of the whole family. The playboy's family also had no rules for doing things. Not to mention the shabby betrothal gift, even the etiquette was not thoughtful enough.
Look at the present moment, even though the family is reluctant to leave a woman when she gets married, from Mrs. Shen to the maids and servants in the mansion, which one is not beaming with joy?
I don’t even know how much money the government gave out in terms of rewards.
"Girl, please take a rest first,"
After Shen Yanrou's wedding matters were completed and the house became calm again, Qiu Yu said with a smile, "Otherwise, next year, I'm afraid the girl will be busy again."
If nothing else, her girl will marry the Nie family. Once the haircut is over, the wedding date is agreed upon.
Besides, after the New Year, Shen Yansong, the eldest young master of the Shen family, is also getting married. In the past two years, happy events in the house have happened one after another.
Shen Yanjiao squinted her eyes and looked at the sunshine coming from the window, her mind a little dazed: In this life, she didn't know if she could find a good match, and she didn't know if the person she married was considered a beloved to her.
Now she sees Nie Xiao being honest to her, but back then...
When she married Gu Nazhang based on calculation, she remembered that on the wedding night, she saw a bit of joy on his face, but after a while, that man never saw a smiling face in front of her.
In fact, he didn't even want to say another word. It was even colder than the frost and snow on a cold night.
When she thought about this, Shen Yanjiao suddenly thought that it had been a long time since that cold-hearted man had troubled her. If she hadn't accidentally thought of him today, she would have felt that he was far away in another world.
In this life, I will probably never have any contact with this person again.
The end of the year is the busiest time every year, and the Shen Mansion celebrated the New Year in a busy and bustling manner. After this year, everyone in the house who works in the house is tired and falls on his back.
But after the third day of the Lunar New Year, the first month of the Lunar New Year is the time for entertainment.
The Daning Dynasty, like the previous two dynasties, attached great importance to the Lantern Festival. Therefore, the excitement of the Lantern Festival exceeds that of the Spring Festival.
Especially on Lantern Festival night, there are several places throughout the capital specially designated by officials to enjoy lanterns.
When it comes to lantern viewing, it means fireworks, lantern riddles and poems, and even vaudeville and rap, as well as puppet and shadow puppet shows... it's very lively.
Not to mention all kinds of vendors and footmen, those who carry burdens through the streets, those who set up stalls on the ground, and those who eat and play...all kinds of things are dazzling.
Moreover, according to Daning’s rules, the Lantern Festival is different from other days. No matter whether you are a boudoir or not, you can have fun on this day.
Although the Shen Mansion has many rules, it will not prevent the girl's family from going out to enjoy the lanterns during this festive season. It will just ask more people to follow them to be more attentive.
Shen Yanliu had been looking forward to the Lantern Festival for a long time. Shen Yanjiao was attracted by his interest and was also looking forward to it. She had already told the girls to get ready.
"With Qiu Guo here, I don't have to wait for the servant to follow."
Qiu Yu smiled and said, "But let's not talk about it. This girl Qiu Guo eats so much."
The first time they saw Qiu Guo eating, they were almost shocked. Having said that, Qiu Guo's rice was not in vain, and her strength was astonishing.
Even so, when the girl in the mansion goes out, she has to follow a few more servants.
"Half of a girl,"
Qiu Yu took out a half-face mask and handed it to Shen Yanjiao, "The new one I bought this time was designated by the girl. I want one with a tiger head-"
Shen Yanjiao took it and tried to put it on, Qiuyue and the others couldn't help but pursed their lips in joy.
This half-noodle is also called "half-noodle to cherish blessings" by people in the capital. In fact, to put it bluntly, it is prepared for girls at home who are particular about others.
Although they went out to enjoy the lanterns, some ladies from noble families were afraid of causing unnecessary trouble, so they chose to wear this half-face cover.
Later, girls from ordinary people's families saw it and followed suit. Therefore, most of the girls playing on the night of the Lantern Festival wore half-faces of various colors. And some half-faces are exquisitely and richly made, which makes them even more beautiful and unique when worn.
In previous years, the girls would choose some pretty flower-like half-faces, but this year the girl must have a tiger-headed one. With their graceful and graceful figure, wearing such a powerful and domineering tiger-headed half-face, it looks really... a bit funny. .
The mansion has already prepared carriages and horses, as is the custom every year, and everything is in order.
Shen Yanqiao followed her mother, Mrs. Shen San, and Shen Yanwan squeezed into Shen Yanjiao and Shen Yanliu's car, chatting and laughing along the way.
After arriving at the place, when Shen Yanjiao and the others got off the car, Shen Yansong also threw the riding whip in his hand to the boy and walked over.
"Why are you wearing something like this?"
Seeing Shen Yanjiao's half-faced tiger head, Shen Yansong couldn't help but laugh, "We have arranged for people to follow. You can just hang out here."
Just as he was talking, Shen Yanbai and Shen Yanzhang also dismounted and walked over.
"Both the eldest brother and the second brother have friends to greet them tonight,"
Shen Yanzhang smiled and said, "Sisters, just play, I will follow you tonight to make sure you have fun."
Shen Yanzhang has a big frame and a heroic appearance. He is the strongest among the four brothers. However, he is not very good at reading. He likes to hang out with some of the children from the Beijing patrol camp and practice horse riding and archery skills.
Every year, the Shen brothers would take turns finding someone to play with the sisters, also for the safety of the girls in the family. If there is any emergency, the waiter can be promptly summoned to respond.
"I'm here too!"
Before Shen Yanzhang finished speaking, a joyful voice came from the side, "Second sister, third sister of the Shen family, I know which family has the best lanterns."
Shen Yanjiao turned around and met Nie Xiao's eager and expectant eyes.
It's been a long time since I last saw Nie Xiao. Nie Xiao is a little darker than before, but he looks more powerful.
Shen Yanzhang was obviously very fond of Nie Xiao, and immediately greeted him excitedly: "Let's go together, Brother Nie, let's go together!"
Faced with the eagerness of Nie Xiao's pretty eyes, Shen Yanjiao could only smile back. Nie Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Brother Gu?"
At this moment, Shen Yansong suddenly waved to the other side, "I couldn't see you before, and I was planning to have a drink with my friends. Are you coming too?"
Hearing this sound, Shen Yanjiao, who had not yet walked over, paused slightly, and inexplicably felt a cold gaze on her body.
She looked back in confusion, only to see Gu Nanzhang talking to Shen Yansong and not looking over.
Shen Yanjiao retracted her thoughts, took Shen Yanliu, and slowly walked and played with everyone.
Gu Nazhang glanced over there and saw Nie Xiao following closely beside Shen Yanjiao. He couldn't help but squint his eyes and put away the greed that was almost overflowing from his eyes——
Want to marry someone else?
Ah.
"I have something else to do tonight,"
He declined Shen Yansong's invitation and said with a smile, "I happened to be passing by here - I will meet you for a drink after tonight."
After saying that, he saluted Shen Yansong, got on his horse, and quickly disappeared around the corner of the street.
He is really in trouble.
On the Lantern Festival night in the previous life, the eldest princess's only grandson was drugged and taken away while walking around the lanterns, which immediately became the biggest surprise in the capital the next day. Later, the child was ripped off by gangsters who were eagerly pursued by the government, which was another tragic news.
He was going to save this child tonight.
Then by saving the child, he killed two birds with one stone: first, he asked for marriage, and second, he used the excuse of being injured to avoid the Shanglin Banquet in the future.
Gu Nazhang rode his horse to the famous Chunzhifang Street in Beijing. This area is also one of the official lantern viewing places in the capital every year during the Lantern Festival. It is almost as lively as the street where the Shen family visited before. It is also convenient for people to enjoy it nearby.
Having a target is easy to search for, and Gu Nazhang quickly targeted the people in the eldest princess's house.
This time, there were actually quite a few people following the eldest princess's house, but the people who stole the child this time were not ordinary kidnappers, but a group of gangsters with an inside handle.
Prince Yan, the son of the eldest princess, had lost money in gambling and led his men to raid a gambling house in the capital. The master behind the gambling house had a grudge and colluded with an old slave in the eldest princess's house to plot this kidnapping. people.
This group of gangsters originally thought that Prince Yan was not very effective, and the officials did not pay much attention to him. They extorted some money so that they could teach Prince Yan a lesson.
Unexpectedly, the eldest princess is not of ordinary importance in today's hearts. When the eldest princess cries, the emperor becomes furious, and under the thunder, the government investigates like crazy.
The gangsters panicked and tore up the tickets as they fled.
As soon as Gu Nazhang walked into the Lantern Festival, he was surrounded by many young women, pretending to be intentional or unintentional, passing by him from time to time, with silent affection in their eyes.
Before he walked a few steps, some silk flowers and even some colorful fruits were thrown into his arms from nowhere.
Gu Nazhang: "..."
The young man behind him covered his mouth and laughed. It's no wonder that his young master has always disliked this kind of festival.
Gu Nazhang took out a half-noodle from the waiter next to him with a cold face. The boy quickly paid and looked at his young master with a speechless expression, just like the girl, he also brought a half-noodle.
Fortunately, this half of the face is a tiger head.
After Gu Nazhang locked his target, he followed him around slowly. There were a lot of people. As the night got darker, the number of people seemed to increase.
This way, if he follows, he won't attract anyone's attention.
Unknowingly, almost an hour later, Gu Nazhang noticed that the servant who was carrying the child on his shoulders to watch the lantern suddenly turned and said something to another stout boy, and then the stout boy walked towards the stall on one side. Go, so the servant carrying the child is left here.
Gu Nazhang immediately followed him.
When he passed by, the child had been taken off the man's shoulders. He didn't know what kind of medicine was used, and he fell asleep on the servant's shoulders.
In a blink of an eye, the man had handed the child to a man in black without anyone noticing.
The man in black held the child and rushed out of the crowd.
Gu Nazhang waved his hand to his boy. The boy became anxious when he saw this, and immediately shouted, "Grab the child—grab the child—"
"stop."
Gu Nazhang also jumped up a few times, came to this person and gave a light drink.
The man in black was obviously surprised. He probably didn't expect that he would be discovered so quickly just after he left the crowd and reached a less crowded place.
But seeing Gu Nazhang dressed as a scholar, he didn't panic. After blowing a whistle, three or four more people rushed over soon.
"Knowing the signs - ah!"
The man in black never expected that such a thin-looking scholar would attack quickly and harshly. The most important thing is that he actually had...a knife in his hand!
The man in black felt a chill on his thigh, and before he could finish speaking, he felt a sharp pain. When he looked down, he saw the sharp blade in Gu Nazhang's hand.
"Ouch——"
The man in black screamed in pain and couldn't hold the child in his hand. After Gu Nazhang snatched it away, he immediately pulled out the knife on his thigh and stabbed him hard in the abdomen.
The man in black didn't have time to react. He clutched his abdomen and stared at Gu Nazhang before falling to the ground.
When the man in black's companion rushed over, he saw that his companion had fallen to the ground. He was so shocked that he was about to take action, but he saw people starting to surround him...
Thinking of a quick victory, these three or four people immediately engaged Gu Nazhang.
Unexpectedly, the scholar was holding a child and could fight with them for a few rounds. At this time, Gu Nanzhang, the boy, rushed over with a wooden stick.
Unable to gain the upper hand for a while, and it was unknown if any of the people surrounding them were from the Beijing patrol camp, the gangsters saw that the situation was not going well and immediately wanted to escape.
Gu Nazhang only pretended to pursue him for a few steps, calculating the opportunity. When no one was paying attention, he slashed the knife on his waist with his backhand, and blood suddenly spurted out.
Gu Nazhang swayed a few times and pretended to collapse while holding the child.
"Ah - my young master was beaten, my young master was beaten -"
The boy was heartbroken and said, "My young master was injured because he was trying to save this child. Wuwuwu——"
"Child, where is the child——"
At this time, the people from the eldest princess's house had already rushed over. They were frightened to death when they saw this. While they went to hug the child, these people rushed to help Gu Nazhang.
"Quickly, send him back to the other courtyard here quickly,"
A servant in the eldest princess's house hurriedly ordered, "There is a doctor in the other courtyard, hurry, hurry -"
Their eldest princess's mansion has a separate courtyard on this street. Since it is close to the place where people can enjoy the lanterns, they often spend the Lantern Festival nights in this courtyard for convenience.
So, several people took the child and Gu Nazhang back to another courtyard, arranged for others to guard the body on the ground, and asked people to report it to the officials.
After arriving at the eldest princess's villa, the eldest princess, who was playing sparrow cards with her family members, was suddenly surprised.
After losing his cards, he hurriedly looked at his grandson, called him doctor repeatedly, and then asked about Gu Nanzhang's injury.
Seeing that he was the young master of the British Duke's palace, the eldest princess quickly thanked him again and again, not daring to be careless, and repeatedly asked the doctor to bandage the wound carefully.
Fortunately, after being diagnosed by a doctor, the child was only poisoned by some of the medicinal properties. After falling asleep for two hours, he was fine after taking some detoxifying medicine.
Gu Nazhang's wound was a bit deep, and the clothes around his waist were stained with blood. The boy turned pale with fright.
"I……"
Gu Nazhang smiled at the eldest princess and said, "It doesn't matter...I——"
Before he finished speaking, he fainted.
The doctor was also startled: "She must have lost too much blood."
However, after the diagnosis, the pulse seemed to be nothing serious... The doctor frowned in confusion.
After applying medicine and bandaging for Gu Nazhang, the doctor frowned for a while and then prescribed some blood-tonifying medicine for him to cook.
Seeing that her grandson was safe, the eldest princess felt grateful and did not leave for a moment. Instead, she stayed here and listened to Gu Nanzhang's explanations and reports one by one.
"Shen...Shen..."
At this moment, Gu Nazhang, who was unconscious on the couch, suddenly said something vaguely.
The eldest princess came over and listened carefully.
"Shen...san...girl..."
Gu Nazhang called in a daze.
The eldest princess was confused at first, then thought of something, couldn't help but laughed again: So, that's it. This young master of the Gu family has someone in his heart, the third girl of the Shen family.
I was afraid that I had made an appointment with someone to watch the lanterns tonight, but something like this happened halfway.
She saved her grandson, but lost her promise to the beautiful woman.
How could she be so complacent?
Besides, she loved playing matchmaker the most. By using this matter to reveal a message to the emperor, the emperor would definitely be willing to grant him a rare honor.
