The regent is determined to get the daughter of a minor official.

The smile on Xu Keke's face froze instantly, and the Second Madam hurriedly pulled her to a place with fewer people.

"Dear girl, don't listen to those people's nonsense, let's go shopping."

Xu Keke took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Mom, I'm fine."

Just then, a carriage sped past and almost hit Xu Keke.

The driver not only refused to apologize, but also cursed at me.

"You blind thing, you're blocking my way!"

The second wife was so angry that she was about to step forward to argue, but Xu Keke quickly stopped her.

"Mother, it's better to have less trouble than more. Let's go."

But what happened along the way made Xu Keke's originally excited heart suddenly feel dull.

"Mother, let's go to Ruyi Teahouse!"

Xu Keke said while holding the second wife's arm.

"Okay, let's go to Ruyi Teahouse."

The second lady patted Xu Keke's hand gently.

Ruyi Teahouse is their own business, and Manager Fu is watching over it. He will definitely not allow those unscrupulous people to come and give his daughter a hard time.

……

Shen Qingfeng went to the Xu family's main house.

After explaining his purpose, Mrs. Xu looked at him with a smile. The eldest lady was also accompanying her and was very enthusiastic.

"Mr. Shen, our Shen and Xu families have been friends for generations. Although both of our elders have passed away, the friendship we once had still remains."

Shen Qingfeng took a sip of the tea served by the servant of the Xu Mansion, nodded and smiled, without any sign of being a gentleman.

"What the old lady said is true. Keke and I have been engaged since childhood. I remember that she saved me with her own life and I don't want to let her down.

However, now that she is having an affair with the Prince Regent, this marriage is naturally off the table."

After saying this, he took out the beautiful jade pendant with a silk tassel from his bosom and placed it on the table.

"I'm here today to return the engagement token that the Xu family gave me. I beg you, Madam, to forgive me and return the thin gold hairpin."

Mrs. Xu's eyes flashed, but she didn't move. She still had a kind smile on her face as she spoke.

"Don't worry, Master Shen. Although Keke did something shameless, she's not the only granddaughter in our Xu family.

My eldest granddaughter Xuyuanyuan is both talented and beautiful, gentle and virtuous, and is not inferior to Xu Keke.

I intend to marry Yuanyuan to you. What do you think, Master Shen?"

Shen Qingfeng was slightly startled, put down the teacup in his hand, and looked a little hesitant.

This... happened suddenly, he had never thought about it.

"Madam, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. Coco's affair has caused a huge uproar in the city, and my engagement with her has just been dissolved. If I marry into the Xu family now, I'm afraid it will only lead to more criticism."

The eldest lady quickly took over the conversation.

"Master Shen, what's there to be afraid of? Yuanyuan has a very good reputation. If she can marry you, it will definitely resolve all the previous unpleasantness."

Shen Qingfeng frowned and thought for a moment, but he didn't refuse outright. He thought about how his cousin's wife was handling the matter and didn't know how his grandmother and the others were doing.

If he were to say that he was now the top scholar, he could marry the daughters of the noble families of the marquis and earl families, and there were also many girls from wealthy families who he admired.

But——the higher the status of the noble lady, the more difficult it will be for her to control herself in the future. The affair between him and his cousin's wife must not be leaked.

I don’t know if making a wish is an easy thing to do.

So he spoke.

"This matter still needs to be considered carefully. Marriage is no joke."

Madam Xu's expression changed slightly, but her tone remained gentle.

"Mr. Shen, please think carefully. This child, Yuanyuan, has long admired you. If we can facilitate this marriage, it would be a wonderful thing."

Shen Qingfeng stood up and bowed.

"Old Madam, Madam Xu, marriage is not only a personal matter, but also closely related to the family. Allow me to go back and discuss it with my grandmother and mother, and then give you a reply."

"That's right, I've also explained my intentions to Master Shen today. Master Shen, please consider it carefully."

"In that case, I will not disturb the two ladies."

After Shen Qingfeng finished speaking, he bowed and hurriedly left the Xu family.

Old Madam Xu and the eldest lady looked at each other, their expressions different, and each had their own thoughts in mind.

Shen Qingfeng was a talented young man with not only a good family background and good looks, but also the top scorer in the imperial examination. He was a rare candidate for a good son-in-law.

I heard that many officials in the court admired him very much and wanted to marry their daughters to him.

Mrs. Xu Lai also relied on the friendship between the two families over the years, as well as Xu Yuanyuan's repeated intentional or unintentional requests.

I finally had the nerve to bring this up today, and now we can only wait and see whether it succeeds or not.

Old Madam Xu thought that if she could win him over, the Xu family's position would be more stable, and the unfilial son of the second wife would definitely not be able to flatter him as much as his eldest brother.

The eldest lady hoped that her daughter Xu Yuanyuan could take this opportunity to marry into the Shen family so that she could be proud of herself.

These days, the second wife moved out, and they no longer dared to spend money lavishly. The first wife became even more resentful of the merchant girl from the second wife.

So what if you are rich?

The eldest daughter married a merchant.

The second daughter is a fool but she still wants to climb up the social ladder and even dares to covet the current regent.

Her daughter, who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, did not dare to think of becoming the regent.

It’s not that Xu Yuanyuan didn’t want to, but it was out of her reach. After all, her father was the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, a fourth-rank official in the court.

But this time, all the noble ladies of the fifth rank and above in the court were invited to the Empress Dowager's centenary banquet.

She was the only one who didn't receive it. Fortunately, with the permission of the second house, she didn't receive an invitation either.

Only then did she dare to go to the second branch Xu's house and make a big fuss, firstly to seek revenge on Xu Ke, and secondly to vent her resentment for not receiving an invitation.

When she heard that Shen Qingfeng had come, she immediately ran to her grandmother to ask what was going on.

The old lady recounted today's conversation to Xu Yuanyuan in detail.

I couldn't tell whether I liked it or not when I made a wish.

In her new life, Shen Qingfeng was what she wanted, otherwise she would not have been so cruel as to push Xu Keke down the stairs.

But now that the Regent has set an example, Shen Qingfeng doesn't seem to be as popular as he was at the beginning.

Xu Yuanyuan naturally knew that he would never be able to get close to the Regent no matter what.

She thought with schadenfreude that the Prince Regent might just be short-lived. Hadn't she heard that no male member of the Chu royal family could live past the age of thirty?

It's just a matter of jumping around for a little longer. In his previous life, Shen Qingfeng would eventually become the Prime Minister and would restore order sooner or later.

Then marrying Shen Qingfeng is the best choice.

Just as I was thinking about it, the old lady's voice came.

"Yuanyuan, are you satisfied with Mr. Shen? Grandmother mentioned this to you because she heard you say he's good."

Xu Yuanyuan came back to her senses, rubbed her grandmother's shoulders, and said coquettishly.

"Grandma, I leave it entirely up to you. But Master Shen hasn't agreed yet, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed."

The old lady took her hand and patted it gently.

"Don't worry, there may be a chance for this to turn around. The Shen family will always take into account the relationship between the two families and will not easily reject our face."

Xu Yuanyuan nodded, with a calculating look in his eyes.

"Grandma, I understand. But we can't just sit there and wait. We have to think of a way to make Master Shen change his mind."

The eldest lady echoed from the side.

"Yuanyuan is right, Mother. We have to take the initiative. Why don't we invite Master Shen to our house more often so that Yuanyuan can interact with him more often?"

The old lady pondered for a moment.

"That's a solution, but don't make it too obvious, or people might think our Xu family's daughter is asking for it."

Xu Yuanyuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Don't worry, grandma. I know what to do. Didn't my eldest brother just acquire a painting by the Chen family? Ask him to invite Master Shen to come to the house to appreciate it."