The little servant went at the sound, and Mrs. Li hurriedly ordered Chen Niangniang to help Shen Zhen change his clothes, and Tian Mom took Da She back: "Master has a guest."

  Dà Shě looked at Shen Zhēn with a timid expression.

  Ke Shen has already turned around and left.

  Madam Chen's expression sank and she hastily followed Shen Zhen away.

  Tian's mother saw him and hastily hugged the tearful Dashu who was about to fall.

  Shen Yue's disappointment was even more unbearable. This was still her second time seeing Shen Jian. The first time, she only had time to greet him, and this time, she also planned to find an opportunity to talk about her own affairs.

  Only Li's mouth corners had a faint smile, asking Shen Muqing: "Do you know the visitor?"

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said: "Ye Su Ye, it was you who delivered a message to our household that day."

  Mr. Li nodded: "That's what I should thank you for."

  Shen Mu Qing nodded in agreement, but her mind was thinking of an excuse to sneak into the flower hall later.

  Just as Shen Zhen had left, a young maid came in to announce: "Milady, the wife of Dingyuan Marquis has come to visit."

  Li and Shen Muqing were both slightly startled.

  The eldest son of Dingyuan Marquis Liang Yuan, Liang Bogong, married the sixth daughter of Wang Shengyun, Wang Wen Hui. However, Wang Shengyun and Shen Zhen had some disagreements, so although the relationship between Liang and Shen was not bad, it couldn't be called close. The wife of Dingyuan Marquis, Madame Feng, was the eldest legitimate daughter of Deqing Marquis Feng Ke, a renowned virtuous and talented noblewoman in the capital's aristocratic circle. Her virtues and accomplishments had been praised by the Empress Dowager in front of the imperial concubines and princesses. She never left her house or stepped out of her door. Today was neither New Year nor a festival, so why would she come to their home as a guest?

  Li was puzzled in his heart, but he didn't dare to slack off at all.

  In the same dynasty, officials also had a hierarchy of three six nine ranks. The Liang family had a noble title and belonged to the super product, compared to Shen Zhen's first rank, their identity status was slightly higher.

  Li asked Wang's mother to invite the guests to the hall of Chaoxi Tang for tea, while she herself was served by Chen Niang and Orange Fragrance as she combed her hair and changed her clothes before going out to greet them.

  Shen Mu's clear eyes sparkled as she exchanged a few words with Shen Yue Rong, then took the fallen plum blossoms and returned to An Garden.

  She took off the large red silk embroidered jacket with a hundred butterflies and flowers, put on a blue-green satin jacket over her white silk blouse, and didn't let Luomei and Zhuiji follow her. She left An Garden alone from the corner gate.

  Shen Muqing was ready to go to the flower hall of the outer court to see what kind of expression Xiao Sa would have in front of Shen Zhen - no matter what, Shen Zhen was after all a "Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau", she didn't believe that Xiao Sa, a 15 or 16 year old boy, wouldn't have a trace of fear...

  Luo Mei and Zhu Ji saw the excited expression on Shen Muqing's face, which was very different from his usual calmness, and they were both secretly surprised. The two exchanged a look and quietly followed Shen Muqing at a distance.

  Just as Shen Muqing had just walked to the second gate, Qi Mama rushed over, panting: "Miss, miss, the madam wants you to quickly go to the main hall to serve tea!" Taking a closer look, she saw that Shen Muqing was wearing a maid's jacket and her tone became urgent: "The wife of Dingyuan Hou wants to see you!"

  Kyoto is just a small place, and the influential families are limited to just a few. She didn't want Li's family to be misunderstood as being poorly educated because of a cup of tea.

  Shen Mu Qing busily changed back into the large red skirt, put on her hairpins and jewelry, and went to serve tea to Madame Feng.

  Miss Feng had just passed her thirty-ninth birthday this summer. She was tall and slender, with a beautiful face, gentle manners, and a dignified demeanor, clearly a noblewoman born into a prestigious family and married into a wealthy one.

  She looked at Shen Muqing with extremely gentle eyes, smiled and took over the tea presented by Shen Muqing, symbolically took a sip, then put it on the tea table beside her, took off one of the bracelets from her hand and handed it to Shen Muqing: "Meeting the young lady is also a sudden idea - things are ordinary, but they are blessed by Master Jinghui."

  Li listened with emotion.

  This venerable master is one of the few attainments of today, even the Empress Dowager claims to be his disciple, and his status is noble beyond words. The things he has enlightened are unlikely to be ordinary objects.

  "Madam is too polite, such a valuable thing, I dare not accept!" Mrs. Li hurriedly declined.

  "Feng smiled and said: 'Miss is twelve years old this year, the same age as our family's Yu Hui... This lovely appearance makes people happy when they see it. Madam, don't say anything polite, that would be too distant.'"

  It's customary for people from wealthy families to exchange gifts when meeting each other, and the words they exchanged were just polite remarks on the surface.

  Li turned to Shen Muqing and slightly raised her chin, Shen Muqing stepped forward and bowed his knee to thank Feng, then took over the string of beads.

  Because it was said that Jinghui Dashi had opened its light, Shen Muqing took it over and couldn't help but carefully examine it.

  The entire bracelet is made of uniform-sized, pale green jade stones the size of lotus seeds, with a pink jade lotus flower inlaid every twelve stones. The craftsmanship of the lotus flowers is extremely fine, and even the faint veins on the petals are carved out. It's definitely not something that was hastily put together as a gift for meeting someone, as Mr. Feng said.

  Just as Shen Muqing was sizing up the bracelet, Li said with a hint of apology: "I'm sorry to trouble you, madam, for sending me the Tian Shan snow lotus, and now you're also giving such an expensive gift to my daughter..."

  "Feng smiled warmly: 'Last time I heard Master Hou mention that the madam was unwell, I wanted to come and see her. Coincidentally, we were just making offerings to Mazu at our home, so I delayed until today for fear of bringing over the illness.'"

  "Fortunately, it's all right now... When our family's daughter was seven years old, the Mamiya we worshipped scared our whole family to death."

  "Feng nodded and smiled: 'She's fine. But something else happened at home.'"

  Li listened intently with his ear tilted to one side.

  Feng said in a low voice: "My second brother's wife is pregnant."

  "Oh!" Mrs. Li's face was filled with joy, "This is indeed a great joyful event."

  Feng also smiled and his face lit up: "It's not, I've been waiting for five years, just waiting... Because in the first few months, I didn't dare to go out anywhere, just stayed at home and watched her. After three months, I dared to go out. First came to the mansion."

  Shen Muqing had also heard something about Liang Shier's affair with Liang Shujun.

  Dingyuan Marquis Liang Yuan had three sons and two daughters. After Liang Bo Gong and Wang Wen Hui got married, they had two sons in three years, making Liang Yuan overjoyed; however, the second son Liang Shu Xin was married for five years without any news, and during Mrs. Feng's birthday celebration, it was even said that Liang Shu Xin quarreled with his wife about divorcing her. Unexpectedly, by autumn, a major reversal occurred.

  Mr. Li hurriedly said congratulations.

  Feng sighed and said with emotion: "If I hadn't held it back, it would have fallen apart long ago. I'm not afraid to tell you, even if you laugh at me. When I was young, I suffered this injustice, and I won't let my daughter-in-law suffer the same fate. Other people's sons are none of my business, but our family's son will never be allowed to be oppressed by those unruly people and pushed down on top of his wife."

  She said this for a reason.

  Liang Yuan soon took a concubine named Liu after entering the Feng family, and his eldest son Liang Bo-gong and eldest daughter Liang Zhong-kuan were both born to this Liu. Moreover, not long after Liang Bo-gong married Wang Wen-xi, he took a concubine who was an illegitimate daughter of Qin Hui-lian, a wealthy man from Fuyang, and his second son was born to this concubine, with less than a year's difference between the two sons. This matter was widely discussed in the upper circles of the capital for some time.

  But isn't she always known for being virtuous? And everyone isn't very familiar with her, so how could she say something like that at a time like this.

  Deep and quiet, mysteriously wonderful.

  Li also felt unexpected, but she didn't make a sound, just followed Feng's words and continued speaking.

  "It's often said that a man without children is truly childless. What business is it of ours women? Ordinary people, after seeing three to five years without an heir, will quarrel and take on a concubine; as for us women, we have no say in the matter."

  "That's exactly the reason!" Mr. Feng looked at Mrs. Li with a gaze that was long overdue, "At that time, I was dead set against letting Uncle Xin take the concubine by his side as a wife, let alone divorce..."

  The two people chatted about this topic for half a day, until Li's face showed signs of fatigue, before Feng bid farewell.

  Li and Shen Muqing escorted Fengshi to the Second Gate, then Shen Muqing took over from his mother to escort Fengshi to the Angle Gate.

  Feng led Shen Muqing by the hand to the horse-drawn carriage: "Your mother only has you, it's a pity that you're so cold. If you have nothing to do, come to our house and play."

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and responded, and Madame Feng then boarded the carriage.

  Back in Chaohui Hall, Li had already lain down on the kang by the west window of the second room, and there was still a black lacquer decorated with gold and inlaid with mother-of-pearl box on the low table.

  Li saw Shen Muqing measuring the box and smiled: "It's said that the young master had her send it over."

  Shen Mu Qing opened the box and saw a few white flowers that looked like withered jasmine, she couldn't help but say: "This is the Tian Shan Snow Lotus!" Originally, what she had seen in books was something crystal clear, icy and pure.

  Mr. Li smiled and asked Wang's mother to put the box away in the warehouse.

  Wang's mother smiled and said: "Let's count the days, Mr. Liu should have arrived too, why not take it out to show him, use it in medicine."

  "Let you keep it, you just keep it - why waste it."

  Wang's mother naturally didn't dare to disobey, but Shen Muqing's heart skipped a beat as she listened. She was just about to advise Li a few words when Shen Jian returned.

  Shen Mu Qing was taken aback: "The guest is leaving so soon?"

  Aunt Chen helped Shen Zhen change his clothes, and Shen Zhen said lightly, "I accompanied him in drinking two cups of tea."

  Serene and calm with a hint of smile.

  Shen Zhen is a person who can make you feel honored just by having him accompany you for two cups of tea.

  "Anyway, it's all thanks to her that our family's daughter is helped, we can't let the girl lose face."

  Shen Zhen responded absent-mindedly, "I didn't think that Xiao Xiao was actually the legitimate son of the Xiao family from Lincheng, Shanxi."

  Shen Muqing suddenly thought of the expression on Wang Zongguan's face when he mentioned Ye Su and Xiao Jia doing business together, and couldn't help but ask: "Is the Xiao family from Shanxi Lincheng very famous?"

  "Hmm!" Shen Zhen muttered, "Among the four major merchants, the Xiao family is ranked last, but they are the richest in Shanxi. However, I think it's not necessarily... Since he was studying at the Imperial Academy, he should be the son of Xiao Qian, the fourth son of the Xiao family. Only Xiao Qian has served as an official among his generation... Who would have thought that the Xiao family had such a talented and promising young man..."

  No wonder he's so upright, it turns out that money is at play!

  But was able to get Shen Zhen's praise, and among the younger generation, it can be considered a rare talent.

  Shen Muqing suddenly thought of the inscription on the "Analects".

  It seems that Xiao Xiao's biological father must be a merchant, for the sake of his son's future, so he continued to pass him on to his fourth uncle who had already served as an official, otherwise, how could he take the imperial examination...

  (Around 7 pm, one chapter will be updated normally! Sisters don't forget to give some votes O(∩_∩)O haha~)