mtlumby2d Chapter 142: Seeking the Truth
Chapter 142: Seeking the Truth
Zou tried her best to smile appropriately, acting like the mistress of the house.
Shen Li didn't want to stay any longer, so she rejected him directly.
"My brother still has some matters to deal with at the Duke's Mansion, so we won't have dinner here."
Shen Beiqi glanced at her and followed her words, "Yes, then I will have to bother you again another day."
The wheels rolled on the bluestone road, making a "rumbling" sound.
Shen Li leaned against the wall of the car, her drooping eyelashes casting a small shadow on her eyelids.
She thought that with her father's return and the Jiang family's revival, from now on she would be able to have a home that truly belonged to her, just like Shen Zhiyan.
But now?
She was afraid that she couldn’t stay in the Shen family any longer, and as for the Jiang family... she didn’t want to go back for the time being.
It's even more miserable than before.
She chuckled silently.
The emotions in this world, whether it is love between men and women or love between parents, all require time and companionship to maintain.
Compared to those who stay by your side all year round and care about you.
In Jiang Minzhi's heart, this daughter, whom he had not seen for eight years, was a little closer to him than ordinary people.
"Why are you laughing?" Shen Beiqi asked.
The smile on her lips was extremely bitter.
"Reuniting with my father and brother, such a happy event, shouldn't I smile?"
He stared at her for a moment, "From now on, my arms belong only to you."
Shen Li was stunned.
It's nothing strange to see that she's unhappy.
But he could actually see at a glance why she was unhappy.
"Am I childish?" He was actually jealous of a five-year-old child.
Or her half-sister.
He moved closer to her and gently held her in his arms.
She has been without a mother since she was a child, so she must value her father very much.
But now, his father already has another beloved daughter in his arms, so she naturally wouldn't feel good.
He stroked her back and comforted her softly.
"Our little A'li is also a child who needs to be taken care of and loved. If Uncle Jiang can't do it, leave it to me in the future."
With him, she could always be a child and never have to disguise her emotions.
You can cry as much as you want and laugh as much as you want.
Shen Li's eyes were slightly hot, and her voice was a little nasal. "I'm already a virgin."
"Some people are still naughty children when they are nearly fifty years old. You have just reached the age of marriage. By this calculation, you are at most a baby now."
Shen Li burst into laughter with a "puff".
It was undeniable that she did find a little comfort in his arms.
Fortunately, she has him now.
After sending Shen Li back home, Shen Beiqi went back home as he still had some important things to do.
The Jiang family was having dinner. When they saw Shen Beiqi come in, Jiang Cheng took out a set of bowls and chopsticks for him and invited him to have dinner with them.
At the dinner table, Jiang's father frequently toasted Shen Beiqi with a very humble attitude.
Shen Beiqi drank the wine in the glass and said,
"I came here today to ask for something, and I hope Uncle Jiang can agree to it."
Jiang Cheng glanced at Shen Beiqi and saw through him already.
"Master Shen, please feel free to speak." Jiang Minzhi said with a smile.
Shen Beiqi pondered for a moment, stood up from his chair, bowed and said,
"I would like to marry A-Li, and I hope Uncle Jiang can agree."
As soon as these words were spoken, the dinner table fell silent.
Only the child in Zou's arms was left, playing with the spoon in the porcelain bowl on the table, and the porcelain made a slight crisp sound when it collided with each other.
Jiang Minzhi was shocked, "Marry...Ali?"
"Aren't Lord Shen and A'li sworn siblings?" Zou asked.
Shen Beiqi looked calm, "Yes, it is precisely because we are sworn brothers and sisters that I came here to ask for your hand in marriage."
Jiang Minzhi: "This... is Lord Shen serious?"
"This junior has been extremely serious about Ah Li from beginning to end."
Jiang Minzhi understood now. No wonder the high and mighty Duke Jingguo had been so respectful to him today.
He originally thought that he was doing it for Jiang Cheng's sake, but he never imagined that he had this intention in mind.
The Shen family is powerful and influential. Although the Duke of Jingguo is older than A'li, he does not have a wife at home.
If A'li could marry him, his path to the imperial court would surely be easier.
Jiang Minzhi was about to respond, but Zou pulled his sleeve under the table and said with a smile,
"Master Shen is really a fool. How can someone propose marriage by coming to your house? Let's not talk about this today. Why don't you bring a matchmaker with you another day?"
Shen Beiqi heard the evasiveness in Zou's words. In order to show his importance, he did not ask anyone else to do it, but went to propose in person.
Unexpectedly, it became an excuse for Zou to shirk responsibility.
He did not respond to Zou's words, but only asked Jiang Minzhi, "What do you think, Uncle Jiang?"
Jiang Minzhi thought about it secretly, and didn't know what Zou was up to, so he could only smile awkwardly and said,
"My wife is right. I don't know what the marriage rules are in Jiangdu City. According to the rules of our Changzhou, the three matchmakers and six betrothals cannot be abolished. Why don't you go back today and find a matchmaker another day so that we can discuss it in detail."
Shen Beiqi curled his lips into a smile and said no more.
Jiang Cheng sent him out of the alley, patted his shoulder and comforted him,
"Don't worry, my father just needs some time to think about it, and this marriage will probably be successful."
Shen Beiqi glanced at the red lanterns swaying in the wind under the eaves of the street.
"I don't want an approximation, I want a certainty, an absolute, and foolproof."
"Why don't you go and ask for the imperial decree?"
Jiang Cheng suggested, "This will definitely be foolproof."
Imperial decree?
Shen Beiqi lowered his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled slightly, "It's not impossible."
……
"Boom boom boom——"
The next morning, the drum for reporting news was struck in Jingzhao Prefecture.
Some people who got up early heard the noise and gathered around.
The one beating the drum was a woman wearing a snow-white dress with a white cloth tied around her forehead. Her back was thin, but her hands seemed to contain infinite power.
Beside her stood a boy who was about ten years old. He was dressed the same as her, also in a snow-white suit.
"Wow, you actually come here to beat the drum to report the matter. It looks like you have a big grievance?"
"Yes, he is wearing mourning clothes and beating the drums. Could this be a murder case?"
"Hey... I think this woman looks familiar. Is she the proprietress of the Snow Tea House?"
"Muxue Teahouse?"
The person beating the drum was Yue Niang, the proprietress of the Muxue Teahouse.
"mighty……"
Following a few shouts, Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Li Chengyin came out wearing a black official hat with long wings and a scarlet official uniform.
He was also a frequent customer of the Muxue Teahouse. When he saw the familiar face in the hall, he was stunned for a moment.
"Who is in the hall?"
He sat down behind the desk and asked loudly.
"I, a commoner girl, Liu Yueying, and my fellow orphan Song Huaian, are suing the first-rank official, Duke Liang, for the crime of massacring 20,000 villagers from six villages in Tongxiang for his own selfish interests. I ask you to report this case to the emperor and give justice to the people of Tongxiang!"
The onlookers gasped instantly.
Just now they were guessing that it would be a case of annihilation of an entire family, but they never expected it to be the annihilation of an entire village, and six villages at that!
If you add it up, how many people, big and small, have died?
Li Chengyin slammed the gavel, "Liu Yueying, do you know that if you want to file a complaint with the emperor, you must be tortured by having your fingers pinched?"