Shen furen only reacted after a long while, flustered, "If you marry Miss Ning'an, then what about your sister, Xue Ling?"
Shen Yunxuan shrugged his shoulders, spreading his hands, "That is for Mother and Maternal Uncle and Aunt to discuss. Can Xue Ling be a concubine?"
"Yunxuan…" Shen furen was enraged. Xue Ling was the treasure her brother and sister-in-law doted on. For her to be a concubine to Yunxuan, her brother and sister-in-law would tear him apart.
"Mother, if Maternal Uncle and Aunt are unwilling, then forget it. I only want to marry Miss Ning'an," Shen Yunxuan said suddenly.
His expression was firmer than ever.
Old Madam Shen suddenly spoke, "Yunxuan, are you serious?"
Shen Yunxuan looked at Old Madam Shen and nodded, "Yes, Grandmother, your grandson is serious."
Old Madam Shen looked at Shen furen and said, "Yunxuan is serious this time. You ask your brother. If he agrees to my decision to make Xue Ling a noble concubine, then so be it. If not, then forget it."
"Mother…" Shen furen looked at Old Madam Shen in astonishment. She hadn't expected that after promising so readily, she would now turn against her.
How could she not know that Old Madam disliked her maternal family's status as merchants? But didn't she also consider that without her maternal family's support, the Prefectural Governor's mansion of Zhaoping would have long since fallen into decline? Moreover, Zhaoping had been suffering from a severe drought for half a year. How much money and grain had her maternal family provided?
But she knew that saying this now was useless. It seemed that afterward, her brother's dissatisfaction and her sister-in-law's anger were unavoidable.
"Yunxuan, where is Miss Ning'an?" Old Madam Shen asked.
Shen Yunxuan heard this and said, "Grandmother, please wait a moment."
Saying this, he walked to the carriage and extended a hand inside, saying, "Ning'an, come down!"
Amidst everyone's anticipation, they saw a pair of slender hands lift the curtain of the carriage. Fair hands rested on Shen Yunxuan's hand.
A slender figure emerged. The maiden's face was delicate and beautiful. Her white attire further accentuated her pure and clean appearance.
The maiden raised her eyes. Her gaze was clear and translucent, like the vast sky, untainted by any impurities.
With every movement, she seemed to possess an inherent nobility.
The maiden walked before Old Madam Shen and curtsied lightly, saying, "Old Madam."
Old Madam Shen nodded, looking at her handsome grandson and the maiden's delicate beauty. They were truly a match made in heaven.
Old Madam Shen, satisfied, reached out and took the maiden's hand, asking kindly, "Miss, where are you from?"
"I am from Anguo," the maiden replied.
"What do your parents do?" Old Madam Shen asked again.
Shen Yunxuan interrupted Old Madam Shen's questioning, saying, "Grandmother, we have traveled a long way. May we enter the mansion now?"
Old Madam Shen heard this and laughed, "Look, I've forgotten we are at the mansion's entrance. Hurry inside."
Old Madam Shen pulled An Ning and walked towards the rooms.
An Ning looked at Shen Yunxuan, wondering if Old Madam would be disappointed, or even angry, when he revealed her identity publicly later.
She didn't know what Shen Yunxuan was thinking.
Upon hearing that his legitimate son, who had been away for half a year, had returned, the Prefectural Governor of Zhaoping, Shen Congwen, had also left the yamen early and returned home.
Upon entering the mansion, he heard that Shen Yunxuan had brought back a woman.
Shen furen had been constantly telling him by his side how wonderful her nephew Xue Ling was, and how much dowry she could bring. Honestly, for the treasury of Zhaoping, which was increasingly depleted of silver, it was the best solution.
After all, the Yang family was the wealthiest in Zhaoping, possessing immense wealth. The dowry for their only daughter's marriage would be substantial.
However, in his heart, he still did not want his son to follow his path and marry a merchant's daughter.
Shen Congwen went to Shen Yun Ge, which was Old Madam Shen's residence. Today, as Shen Yunxuan had returned home, Old Madam Shen was happy and had ordered a banquet to be held in her Shen Yun Ge, gathering the entire family for a reunion dinner.
"My lord has arrived," a maid guarding the door reported.
Old Madam Shen smiled and said to Shen Yunxuan, "Look, your father heard you returned and came back so early for the first time."
An Ning raised her eyes and looked towards the door. Soon, a figure appeared outside the door, and a person walked in.
Shen Congwen walked in, looking at the people gathered at the dining table, knowing that his mother had also summoned people from the main and second branches.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked towards the gaze and met a pair of clear eyes.
They were clear to the bottom, but that was just an illusion. No one knew where the bottom was.
Deep within, there was a chilling coldness.
For some reason, this gaze felt familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
"Father," Shen Yunxuan stood up, blocking Shen Congwen's gaze towards the maiden behind him.
Shen Congwen withdrew his gaze and said, "You know you're back?"
"Yes, son is back and will not go out again," Shen Yunxuan said.
Shen Congwen's expression improved significantly, saying, "You've become much more sensible. I suppose this journey has helped you grow a lot."
"Yes," Shen Yunxuan replied.
"I hope you truly understand," Shen Congwen sat down.
"Third brother, Yunxuan will remember the lesson," said Shen Congjun from the main branch, who worked under Shen Congwen.
Shen Congbi from the second branch also chimed in, "Eldest brother is correct."
Shen Congwen merely let out a cold snort, "Remembering the lesson is the best."
"Alright, everyone is back. You mustn't keep frowning," Old Madam Shen said.
Shen Congwen quickly stood up and said, "Yes, Mother."
Old Madam Shen happily held An Ning's hand and asked, "Ning'an, what does your family do?"
As An Ning was about to speak, Shen Yunxuan said, "Grandmother, Ning'an is a courtesan."
An Ning felt the atmosphere suddenly fall silent. Even Old Madam Shen's hand holding hers loosened. Following this, Shen Congwen angrily smashed the tea cup in his hand onto the ground and roared, "You beast, you…"
Shen Yunxuan was unfazed. He pulled An Ning to stand up and said, "Grandmother, Mother, Father, I am in love with Ning…"
"You beast, shut up," Shen Congwen was so angry that he casually grabbed a bowl from the table and threw it.
Shen Yunxuan did not dodge. The bowl hit his forehead, and blood immediately began to flow.
Seeing this, Old Madam Shen trembled with anger, pointing at Shen Congwen and roaring, "You can be angry, but why are you hitting him?"
Shen Congwen roared, "Mother, he has been spoiled by all of you. Otherwise, how could he do such a thing?"
"You…" Old Madam Shen couldn't say a word and fainted.
Suddenly, the room descended into chaos. An Ning looked at Shen Yunxuan, standing there, somewhat bewildered as to why he had done this.
Clearly, she could see his concern for Old Madam Shen and Shen furen in his eyes, and that was not fake. But why did he deliberately anger them?
At this moment, Shen Yunxuan seemed not to think he had gone too far and knelt down, saying, "Please, Father and Mother, grant us your blessing."
"Someone fetch the family law!" Shen Congwen was furious.
"Master, no! Yunxuan is just muddle-headed. He is definitely not serious."
"Mother, I am serious," Shen Yunxuan said, word by word.