A servant boy came running over.
"Madam, someone from Prince Jing's Mansion has arrived at the estate."
Lady Liu had originally been avoiding Prince Jing's Mansion as if it were a venomous snake or scorpion.
But things were different now.
Since Shen Qingyuan had already returned to perform the wedding for luck for her Yao'er.
Lady Liu was naturally no longer afraid of Prince Jing's Mansion coming to the door.
Therefore, the shout from the servant sounded as beautiful as heavenly music to Lady Liu's ears.
Finally, she would not have to stay here and suffer the humiliation from these two little sluts.
Lady Liu felt a weight lift from her heart, yet she forced herself to maintain an arrogant expression.
"You are lucky today. There is an honored guest at the estate, so I will not bicker with you!"
She turned to leave, but then paused, turning her head to glare fiercely at Shen Qingyuan.
"I am going to tell Prince Jing's Mansion your name right now and set the time for the wedding for luck. We shall see."
Once Shen Qingyuan married into that place, why would she need to worry about not being able to kill Gu Minglan? There was no need to fight over this moment.
It was all Nanny Liu's death that had caused her to lose her head.
At this moment, Lady Liu felt resentment toward Nanny Liu in her heart.
That nanny really did not know how to pick a time to die.
Lady Liu left, and the servants felt as if they had been granted amnesty.
They wanted to scatter like birds and beasts, but they could not resist the urge to see the visitor from Prince Jing's Mansion.
That was royalty, after all!
Even if it was just a servant, it was a rare sight for them.
After thinking about it, most of them followed Lady Liu and hurried away.
Gu Minglan watched Lady Liu's departing back.
She still felt a bit panicked in her heart.
"Yuan'er, do you really want to marry that Prince Jing?"
Gu Minglan actually had a second half to that sentence that she did not say out loud.
Prince Jing, are you truly certain you can save him?
Shen Qingyuan touched her mother's hand to soothe her.
"Mother, rest assured. Prince Jing would only dare to marry me if I nod and agree."
After all, his little life is still held in my hands.
However, why did Prince Jing send someone to the Shen Family?
✦✦✦
In the front hall.
Steward Chen, dressed in a neat, deep blue silk robe, sat upright in his chair with his back straight.
Beside him, the Shen Mansion's steward served him tea.
"Steward Chen, the Master has gone to court and will not be back for some time."
The implication was that Steward Chen would likely have to wait a while.
Steward Chen took the tea and took a light sip.
The Shen Family was only of the fifth rank, and their salary was not high, yet the tea served to guests was quite decent.
It seemed the Shen Family must have some other businesses.
Steward Chen set down the teacup and spoke calmly.
"It is fine, I am not here to see Lord Shen."
I am here to escort Miss Shen to the Prince's Mansion.
But Steward Chen had not yet had the chance to say that last part.
He saw Lady Liu walk in quickly with an obsequious expression.
Steward Chen had been in the Capital City for many years and had seen her before.
He knew this was the equal wife that Lord Shen had taken in later.
Since she was not the principal wife and not Miss Shen's biological mother.
It was highly improper for a concubine to come out to entertain guests while the Mistress of the House was still in the residence.
However, Steward Chen had been raised with excellent manners while at the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion.
Later, when Prince Jing left the capital, he stayed behind to manage the Prince's affairs, making him even more adept at hiding his emotions.
Seeing that it was Lady Liu who came to receive him, Steward Chen did not get angry.
He simply assumed that Miss Shen and her mother had just returned to the capital and needed rest.
However, since it was a concubine receiving him, Steward Chen had no intention of standing up to offer greetings.
He merely nodded slightly to acknowledge her presence.
Lady Liu hurriedly put on a face full of smiles and stepped forward to greet him.
"Sorry to trouble you, Eunuch, for making the trip yourself. I failed to welcome you from afar; I, Lady Liu of the Shen family, offer my greetings."
Steward Chen was stunned. Eunuch?
Although he did not have a beard, he clearly practiced martial arts, and even if he was older, it was not that obvious.
But this was the first time someone had called him a eunuch.
Steward Chen's impression of this equal wife of the Shen Mansion worsened.
It was only his upbringing at the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion that prevented him from bickering with the elderly, weak, women, and children.
If it had been someone narrow-minded, Lady Liu would be in serious trouble right now.
Steward Chen's expression did not change, but he picked up his teacup and took another sip to clear his throat.
When he spoke again, his voice was a few degrees deeper, clearly carrying more masculine tones than before.
"Madam must have mistaken me for someone else. My surname is Chen, and I am the steward of Prince Jing's Mansion, not a palace attendant."
The smile on Lady Liu's face froze instantly, and a flush of embarrassment spread rapidly from her neck to her earlobes.
She had actually mistaken the Prince's Mansion's steward for a eunuch! This was an enormous breach of etiquette!
Lady Liu now only hoped that the steward who had come was responsible for the outer courtyard and not the head steward of the entire mansion.
The head steward of such a high-ranking household was usually a trusted confidant of the master and held immense authority.
That was not someone a fifth-rank official like her husband could afford to offend.
"Ah... this, this..."
Lady Liu was momentarily speechless, flustered, and hurriedly tried to think of a way to remedy the situation.
"Steward Chen, please forgive me. It is my own eyes that were dim; I have never seen a person of such extraordinary bearing as yourself, and I, I mistakenly thought a noble from the palace had arrived... I beg Steward Chen to be magnanimous and not hold it against a woman like me."
Steward Chen knew that Miss Shen likely did not like this lady before him, so he had no intention of saving face for her.
Steward Chen set down his teacup, his voice neither salty nor bland.
"I see. Madam has reminded me; after I return to the mansion, I must remember to inform the Prince that in the future, when the mansion sends people to your esteemed residence, it would be more appropriate to send eunuchs or palace attendants, so as to save your esteemed Madam the trouble of distinguishing, and to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
These words were spoken plainly, yet every word was laced with thorns.
It was as good as saying the Shen Family was of low status and shallow knowledge, unable to tell the difference between a eunuch and a normal man.
Lady Liu's face turned red and white, and the handkerchief in her hand was gripped so tightly it dug into her skin.
Lady Liu naturally did not dare to continue this topic and hurriedly changed the subject.
"I wonder what instructions you have for coming today, Steward Chen?"
Steward Chen did not intend to continue embarrassing Lady Liu.
After all, he did not yet know Miss Shen's attitude toward the Shen Family.
If he did something wrong and the young lady refused to treat his Prince, that would be a major disaster.
"It is nothing major. I heard His Majesty bestowed a marriage. The Prince is still in a coma, so I have come to invite the young lady to the mansion to get acquainted with the place first."
Currently, the official story from Prince Jing's side was that he was still in a coma.
Steward Chen naturally could not say that this was the Prince's order.
He intended to use 'getting acquainted' as an excuse to bring Miss Shen into the mansion today.
Although in the Great Yong Dynasty, marriages were arranged by matchmakers and the orders of parents.
It was not truly a case of blind marriage.
Before the wedding, the man and woman were allowed to meet and get to know each other.
Since it was a marriage bestowed by His Majesty, bringing her to the Prince's Mansion in advance to get acquainted and learn the rules was perfectly normal.
When Lady Liu heard this, she felt even more relieved.
So this steward was planning to come directly to take that little slut to the Prince's Mansion.
He was not here specifically to formally present betrothal gifts or exchange birth dates.
Looking at it this way, it seemed the three letters and six rites would likely be skipped entirely.
It appeared Prince Jing's Mansion did not hold Shen Qingyuan in very high regard either.
That was to be expected; how much pomp could there be for a wedding for luck for a Prince who was in a coma?
It was mostly just going through the motions.
The smile on Lady Liu's face became warm again, even carrying a hint of imperceptible superiority.
Even if that little slut had snatched the title of Legitimate Daughter from Yao'er, so what?
She was just being taken in for a wedding for luck; what kind of bright future could she have?
She was nowhere near as good as her Yao'er.
Her husband had said that he would definitely secure a position as the Crown Prince's Concubine for Yao'er in the future.
Once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Yao'er would be a consort in the palace.
✦✦✦