Chapter 284

As soon as Shen Jing Bin entered, he began to complain, "Mother, why did you call me up so early in the morning? I haven't slept enough yet!"

"Eat your fill and then sleep." At this moment, Su Jin Xiu's face was full of kindness, and she beckoned her son to sit down, "I made your favorite steamed meat patties; they won't taste good if they get cold."

Nanzhi very tactfully offered the chopsticks with both hands.

Shen Jing Bin's gaze landed on her, and whether intentional or not, when he took the chopsticks, he brushed his hand against the back of her delicate hand.

Nanzhi's pretty face turned bright red; she retracted her hand as if electrocuted and retreated behind Su Jin Xiu, standing with her head bowed.

Su Jin Xiu saw this and couldn't help but frown.

She had just promised Nanzhi to Li Xiao, and her own son was undermining her, attempting to give Li Xiao a green hat in advance; this was not good.

*Ahem! *

Su Jin Xiu coughed twice and said indifferently, "Nanzhi, you go out first; I have something to say to the Heir Apparent."

Nanzhi bowed, "Yes, Princess Consort."

Shang Chun's eyes rolled, and she immediately followed with a smile, "Then this servant will also go out to eat something and come back to serve later."

Su Jin Xiu nodded.

The two servants left the room one after the other.

Nanzhi was not used to being idle; seeing a small maid nearby struggling with a large broom, her forehead covered in sweat, she prepared to go over to help.

Shang Chun, however, grabbed her, her face full of smiles, "Oh, Nanzhi, let others do that kind of rough work; you have such delicate skin and tender flesh, don't get hurt."

"What are you saying, Nanny." Nanzhi calmly withdrew her hand, her tone neither cold nor warm, her attitude neither distant nor close, "We are all sisters in the same mansion; helping each other is only right, there's no need to distinguish between high and low."

The more Shang Chun looked at her, the more she liked her.

"My son really didn't pick the wrong person; Nanzhi is truly beautiful and kind-hearted!"

Nanzhi was somewhat displeased, "Nanny, please watch your words; your son and I are perfectly innocent. If others were to hear this, wouldn't it be a misunderstanding?"

Misunderstanding?

Shang Chun was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, "It seems the Princess Consort hasn't told you yet?"

"Told me what?" Nanzhi frowned in confusion.

"Naturally, about your marriage to my son." Shang Chun took her hand again, rubbing it affectionately, "The Princess Consort has already matched you with Li Xiao; from now on, you are a person of the Commandery Prince's Mansion, and also a person of our Li family. Our whole family works diligently for the mansion and lives a harmonious life, isn't that great? Don't you think?"

Nanzhi pushed her away abruptly, shaking her head in disbelief, "Impossible! The Princess Consort wouldn't do that!"

She had no such intentions toward Li Xiao at all, and the Princess Consort knew that!

Seeing her like this, it was clear she looked down on her son, and Shang Chun became somewhat unhappy, sneering, "Let me tell you, Nanzhi, first of all, you need to see your own status clearly; don't covet people you shouldn't covet."

"No matter how good-looking you are, or how much the Princess Consort likes you, in the end, you are just a servant. You think that by using vixen-like methods to seduce the Heir Apparent, you can fly up the branch and become a phoenix? Stop dreaming!"

"The position of Heir Apparent's wife might be Miss Zhang, or it might be Miss Wang, but it will never be a servant girl of lowly birth like you!"

"You!" Nanzhi pointed at her, trembling with anger.

"You what you?" Shang Chun had lived a few decades longer, after all; when it came to arguing, she was far stronger than a young person, "You listen to me carefully: from now on, you are my son Li Xiao's betrothed wife. If you dare to flirt around again, once you enter the door, see if I don't break your legs! Do you hear me?"

Nanzhi covered her face and ran away crying.

Watching her retreating back, Shang Chun put her hands on her hips and snorted triumphantly through her nose, "Little thing, trying to fight with me? You're still too green!"

Just as she finished speaking, *rumble*, her stomach let out a protest.

"Alright, I'm going to eat now."

She patted her belly, struck a victor's pose, and headed toward the kitchen.

This pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already caused quite a scene before the marriage.

Meanwhile, in the small parlor, Su Jin Xiu and Shen Jing Bin, this mother and son, were sitting face to face, and the atmosphere was quite good.

Su Jin Xiu pushed all the steamed meat patties toward her son, saying with concern, "Eat more; look at you, you've lost weight recently."

"How could I not lose weight?" Shen Jing Bin picked up a patty, bit off more than half in one go, and said irritably, "This trip to Yugui Shan to suppress bandits, you don't know how much I suffered; I couldn't eat well or sleep well. The most hateful thing is that the credit was snatched away by that bastard Jiang Li; I'm so angry I've lost weight."

Jiang Li...

Su Jin Xiu's eyes flickered; Su Qing Ci's son, indeed as greedy as she was.

But history cannot repeat itself!

She smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, Mother won't let you suffer in vain; the credit that belongs to you, no one can take away."

Shen Jing Bin's eyes lit up, "Mother, you mean..."

Su Jin Xiu nodded, "After eating, Mother will go to the Su Fu and see your maternal grandmother."

Zhao Shi lost her beloved daughter and had always valued this concubine-born daughter highly for many years; as long as she asked for something, Zhao Shi would never refuse.

This time should be no exception.

Shen Jing Bin also thought of this and finally stopped being listless; his eating speed became much faster.

After finishing, he dropped his chopsticks and took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, "By the way, Mother, I've been locked up in the mansion for these past few days and I'm almost sick from boredom; I want to go out!"

Go out?

Su Jin Xiu hesitated, "But didn't your uncle punish you to reflect on your mistakes at home?"

"Reflect on what mistakes? I didn't do anything wrong." Shen Jing Bin rolled his eyes, full of defiance, "And Mother, I heard that Duan Xiu is back; I have to go meet up with him, otherwise, after a long time, people will forget about me."

Duan Xiu is back?

Su Jin Xiu was puzzled, "Wasn't he studying in the capital? Why did he suddenly come back?"

Shen Jing Bin reminded her, "Mother, you forgot, the Imperial Examination is in a few days; Duan Xiu's ancestral home is in Fengyang, so naturally, he has to return to Fengyang for the exam."

So that's how it was.

Su Jin Xiu understood.

Speaking of Duan Xiu's background, it was quite significant.

Not to mention anything else, just his grandfather, Duan Zixun, was the dignified Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; don't look at the official rank as only Fourth-Rank, he was in charge of all teaching and examinations in the entire Da Zhao.

His students were spread all over the world.

Among them were many members of the royal family and high-ranking court officials!

Duan Xiu himself was also very outstanding; he was clever since childhood, well-versed in the Four Books, could write poetry and paint at eight, and at sixteen, he was taken to the capital by his family to study at the Imperial Academy.

It can be said that in the eyes of others, Duan Xiu was a well-deserved favored son of heaven, a dragon among men.

Who wouldn't want to curry favor with such a person?

Su Jin Xiu quickly cast aside the "reflecting on mistakes" matter, "Alright, then you go; you haven't seen each other for two or three years, have a good talk."

Shen Jing Bin stood up impatiently, "I know, Mother, I understand."

He turned and walked out quickly.

Su Jin Xiu called her son back, paused, and then reminded him, "Don't forget to greet Miss Duan while you're at it."

The Commandery Prince's Mansion had a name but no real power.

If they could marry into the Duan family, it would just fill this gap; the Duan family's connections were more useful than any dowry!

So many things had happened, but in fact, only one night had passed.

On Du Ruo's side, the students and their companions had already successfully moved into the county hostel.

The so-called county hostel is the property purchased by each county in the prefectural city or even the capital.

The purpose is to provide a safe and comfortable place for candidates from their own county to stay when they come here.

Of course, it costs money.

And it's deathly expensive.