Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 222: Match
Shen Qingzhou stepped into the room and immediately saw Shen Zhui scrambling to his feet from the ground.

He glanced at it only once before looking at Shen Bo sitting next to the stove.

"Father."

Young Master Shen nodded slightly at the door. His tall and much stronger body was draped in brocade robes, and the jade crown, covered in snowflakes, was set off by his dark hair, giving it a lustrous sheen. He exuded an air of undeniable nobility.

Shen Bo's usually resolute gaze softened unconsciously: "Come and sit down."

As Shen Qingzhou walked over, he could clearly feel Shen Zhui straighten his hunched back.

He ignored it and sat down in the spot he had been sitting in before, saying, "There's something I'd like to talk to my father about."

"Go ahead."

Shen Bo closed the book and glanced at Shen Zhui again. The latter immediately snapped out of his daze, ran out the door, and considerately closed it behind him.

Shen Qingzhou said, "Ever since Father returned, the Yan family has been restless. Father must have heard about this?"

Shen Bo nodded: "That's perfectly reasonable."

"I recently heard some news that the Yan family wants to arrange a marriage for me. I'm sure Father can guess what that means."

Shen Bo frowned: "How does he plan to stuff it in?"

“I don’t know how he plans to stuff things in, or who he plans to stuff in, but I think he will find a way to accomplish what the Yan family wants to do.”

"He can only do it if I agree."

Shen Bo picked up the fire tongs and stirred the fire in the stove to make the room warmer.

"Father, please agree."

"Why?" Shen Bo frowned even more.

Shen Qingzhou turned his head to look at him: "I want to see who has the guts to come to my Shen family and deliver their head to their death."

Shen Bo disagreed: "There's no need to pay attention to such things. Only by nipping their intentions in the bud can we prevent future troubles."

"What if I really insist?"

"Neither."

Knowing full well that the other party has ulterior motives, it is unwise to take the risk. Besides, Qingzhou is not in good health and takes medication regularly, making him an easy target for sabotage.

“But the Yan family is my enemy, and I must avenge them. My father didn’t pursue my mother’s death, but I will definitely pursue it to the end,” Shen Qingzhou said slowly. “I was just worried about not having an opportunity, and now they have delivered themselves to my door. I couldn’t be happier.”

"You're playing with fire!"

"If you promise me, I can recognize him as my younger brother." Shen Qingzhou glanced at the few scribbles on the kang table in front of him, then looked calmly at the person opposite him. "I can also promise you that he will be my mother's son."

Shen Bo was stunned.

Shen Qingzhou stood up: "If you don't agree, then I will stick to my previous stance."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked out.

Shen Bo gritted his teeth and stared at his retreating figure. After a long while, he grabbed the book next to him and threw it onto the couch.

"Grand Commandant, a messenger from the palace has come to deliver a message: His Majesty summons you to the palace for a talk."

Shen Bo immediately straightened his back, replied "I understand," and went inside to change his clothes.

……

The Forbidden City in the snow exudes an even more majestic and solemn aura.

Shen Bo crossed the long corridor and arrived at the Imperial Study.

Upon crossing the threshold, a strong scent of sandalwood wafted through the cool air beneath the door, but the room was empty, save for the slow footsteps coming from behind the lowered curtains. Shen Bo bowed his head: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

A rustling sound came from under the curtain, and footsteps approached: "Yuqing, sit down."

A brocade stool was placed to the side. Shen Bo glanced at the two feet wearing cloth shoes in front of him, thanked them for their kindness, sat on the brocade stool, and then raised his head.

The emperor, dressed in a Taoist robe, stood with his sleeves gathered, his lips slightly curved beneath his black beard, a smile playing on his lips.

Why are you so reserved?

"May I ask Your Majesty, is there any new information regarding the war in the southeast?"

"Not at all." The emperor sat down, picked up the teapot in front of him, and poured two cups of boiling tea. "It's the end of the year, I just called you here to chat about everyday things."

Shen Bo held the cup with both hands and glanced at the other person. "My family is as usual, nothing new has happened lately."

"Nothing new to tell, but we can do something new." The emperor put down the teapot. "Yu'er has reached adulthood and it's time to discuss marriage. How about I arrange a marriage for him?"

Shen Bo's hand suddenly paused, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

The emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at his face: "Are you happy or unhappy?"

Shen Bo paused slightly: "My son is fortunate to receive such favor from Your Majesty, and I am naturally deeply grateful. May Your Majesty tell me, whose daughter is this?"

"What do you think of Cheng Wenhui's niece, the censor of the Censorate?"

The censor Cheng Wenhui was upright and honest, and Shen Bo had long heard of his reputation.

But his expression, which had just softened, immediately froze again. Cheng Wenhui's niece—wasn't that Lu Jie's daughter?!

He unconsciously gripped the cup tightly, not caring that the tea inside was still scalding hot!
The person the Yan family was giving to Shen Qingzhou was actually Lu Jie's daughter?!

Shen Bo's heart suddenly burned with anger.

He said, “I should not refuse the Emperor’s grace, but Miss Lu is of noble birth and my son is ill. I am afraid he is not a good match for her. In order not to delay her, I ask Your Majesty to reconsider.”

"Even if his health is poor, he's already working in the Ministry of Revenue, isn't he? He can handle the job, so why can't he get married?"
"I think this marriage is quite a good match."

At this point, the emperor picked up a roll of yellow silk that had been rolled up to the side: "Yuqing, Lu Jie is exceptionally talented and capable, and he will surely achieve great things in the future."

"Both of you are pillars of the court. If I didn't have enough trust in your Shen family, this marriage would not have been approved by me."

"You shall accept the imperial decree!"

The yellow silk was unfurled, and the scarlet vermilion annotations on it pierced Shen Bo's eyes without any concealment.

Shen Bo knelt down, his eyes wide, swallowing hard several times before finally slowly taking it down.

"This is a joyous occasion. Go back and make proper preparations." The emperor folded his hands again. "This is a marriage ordained by imperial decree. The marriage must take place within six months at the latest. Any delay will be considered disrespectful."

"My lord, accept the order!"

Shen Bo kowtowed, stood up, took a deep breath, and accepted the imperial edict.

"Come, have some tea." The emperor's face regained its smile. "This tea was sent by Hu Yucheng from Jiangnan last month. There wasn't much left, and I didn't know that I had specially saved this jar for you to enjoy."

The tea has gone cold.

But the fire in Shen Bo's heart burned even brighter.

The Yan family's move was indeed unexpected, but he didn't believe that Shen Qingzhou, having already found out their movements, wouldn't be unaware that they had decided to grant them a marriage.
But he hadn't revealed a single word about it before!

good boy!
The snowflakes outside the palace gates were falling even more heavily.

The north wind blew obliquely through the window, slicing across people's faces.