diskusbooks Chapter 178 Guests at Home
Chapter 178 Guests at Home
"Are you sure?" Lin Wan'er's first reaction after hearing Shen Li's solution was that she must have misheard.
Shen Li nodded while sipping her tea: "Is there a problem?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Wan'er smiled and exclaimed, "So this is what you're like. It seems I need to get to know you all over again."
"Anything is fine, just don't forget to thank me after it's done." Shen Li smiled at her, "If you have the latest model of short flintlock pistol, you must share a few with me."
"You still need a musket?" Ever since witnessing Shen Li's power, Lin Wan'er regretted giving her a musket for self-defense before the expedition.
That's her precious treasure.
“My husband needs them. He’s a very accurate shooter, so I thought I’d keep a few for him to use in case he needs them,” Shen Li explained.
After she finished speaking, she sensed that Lin Wan'er's expression was somewhat unfriendly.
Shen Li blinked, and after a moment of realization, she suddenly understood: "You didn't want to talk to me the other day because of this, right? Because I was happy?"
Lin Wan'er ignored her again.
Shen Li was both amused and exasperated: "Fine, fine, I won't talk about him in front of you next time, okay?"
"Then you promise," Lin Wan'er finally spoke, but her eyes still held a hint of resentment.
"I..." Shen Li wanted to make a promise, but after starting, she hesitated and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. You know, love is hard to hide, and you never know when you might lose control of yourself."
"...Go away." Lin Wan'er didn't want to spend any more time with her.
Both are reborn, so why is there such a big difference?
Shen Li had hoped to get another meal, but that plan ultimately failed. She went out when the maid knocked gently on the door again.
Knocking on the door means that the corridor is empty and you can pass through at any time.
So Shen Li and Lin Wan'er met like this. Afterwards, Lin Wan'er left first, and Shen Li ate something and rested for a while before preparing to leave.
It was already evening when Shen Li left the private room and went downstairs. But as she went downstairs, she heard people talking about something, and she vaguely heard the words "Princess Consort Yi".
"Peony, take Rain Butterfly to listen," Shen Li instructed.
"Don't worry, we'll find out everything." Peony and Rain Butterfly readily accepted the order.
She boarded the carriage through a separate door not shared with the guests on the first floor. Lianqiao helped her into the carriage before laughing and saying, "Look how happy they are."
“They’re just kids, always running around and getting into the fun,” Shen Li said indulgently, her expression revealing curiosity. “But I really do want to know what that princess has gotten into this time.”
"Miss, do you think this Prince Yi will be able to ascend the throne? I've been hearing a lot about his deeds and His Majesty's favoritism lately, it's like I've already seen him ascend the throne."
"It wasn't easy," Shen Li said simply.
With the current well-established systems of the imperial court, it would be extremely difficult for Prince Yi, who is neither the eldest son nor the heir apparent, to attain that position.
"Then it seems to be just a rumor." Lian Qiao firmly believed Shen Li's opinion.
If the young lady says it's impossible, then whatever others say is false.
After waiting for a while, Peony and Rain Butterfly returned to the carriage. Peony had already spoken when the carriage started moving:
"The incident started today when Princess Yi met Miss Cheng from Shuntian Prefecture. The two had a disagreement, and Princess Yi slapped Cheng Ruojin. The news has spread."
Yu Die chimed in, "Yeah, it's hard not to spread the word when you get a ticket in front of so many people."
Upon hearing this, Shen Li looked at Lian Qiao and said, "It seems that the chances of Yi Wang winning are less than 30% at present."
Everyone says it's related to Xia Yuan, who was sentenced to death. If Shuntian Prefecture hadn't gotten involved, Xia Yuan wouldn't have died, and Minister Xia wouldn't have been dismissed for covering it up.
As a result, the Xia family's power collapsed by more than half. Although Minister Xia was still the Minister of War, he was getting old, and once he retired, there would be no one left to support the Xia family in this generation.
It's no wonder Xia Shiyin lost her temper, but the timing of her outburst was completely wrong.
"This is too impulsive." Lian Qiao shook her head slightly. From an outsider's perspective, she felt that this matter was extremely foolish.
Shen Li already foresaw how lively the court would be tomorrow; the censors and officials would not let this matter go unnoticed.
However, this was a good thing for her, because it meant that the Prince of Yi would have less energy to stop the dispatch of people to supervise the repair of the river embankment. Compared to the factional struggles, Shen Li was more concerned about the river embankment.
I hope nothing bad will happen in this life.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
In front of the Gu family mansion, a family of three dressed as wealthy gentlemen clashed with the servants.
"Gentlemen, you should go back first. I will inform the master later, and the master will make his decision," the servant said politely.
"Do you know who I am? Even your master has to call me 'uncle' when he sees me. How dare you stop me?" the man said angrily. "Let us in quickly."
Shen Li's carriage arrived at the gate of the mansion at this moment, and the middle-aged man said, "Otherwise, when I see Gu Chang'an, I will definitely make him kick you out."
The servants disregarded the threat, because although their master was strict, that was before the lady married into the family.
After the lady married into the household, the master once lost his temper with the servants, but was reprimanded by the lady. Later, it developed to the point that the master would report all matters, big and small, to the lady.
In the Gu family, it doesn't matter whether you listen to the master or not, but if you offend the madam, then you're finished.
They are not afraid of this kind of threat.
"How dare you... How dare you!" The middle-aged man was furious. He turned around and saw the carriage of the Gu family. He jumped up in time.
As soon as Shen Li got out of the car, she saw these people running towards her.
Lianqiao and Shaoyao stepped forward, their hands already touching their weapons, ready to act immediately if they sensed any ill intent.
"This must be my nephew's wife. She is indeed as beautiful as if she stepped out of a painting," the woman said.
Shen Li had no memory of Gu Chang'an having any relatives. She was very cold to him, and even when he was down on his luck, he carried it all alone. She had never heard of any family members who could help him.
There was only one charge of filial impiety against Gu Chang'an when he was convicted, which was brought against him by his maternal uncle to the court. I wonder if it was the man in front of me.
"Who are you?" Shen Li asked.
“I’m Gu Chang’an’s maternal uncle. I took care of him a lot when he was a child, but now that he’s become successful, he’s started to disown us. He’s utterly ungrateful,” the man continued.
Several passersby glanced at them.
Shen Li narrowed her eyes slightly, but her expression remained unchanged: "So you are elders from my hometown. My apologies. Please come in, let's have a chat in the inner room."
Although the tone was calm, it gave off an undeniable aura.
The middle-aged man and woman immediately fell silent. The daughter, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, was quite pretty and simply followed along without saying a word.
Shen Li led the person to the central hall and learned that this was indeed Gu Chang'an's uncle's family, and that Gu Chang'an only had this one uncle.
It seems to be him. I wonder why he betrayed his nephew at that crucial moment in his previous life. She needs to keep him around and observe him carefully. If he can't be tamed, she should get rid of him as soon as possible to avoid leaving any more trouble.