Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 302 - 300

Chapter 302: Chapter 300

She even arranged for her own daughter to receive a royal marriage condescension, to a prince no less!

Marrying a prince means becoming an Imperial Consort now, and possibly the Empress in the future, and even the Empress Dowager in the distant future! A life at the pinnacle of wealth and honor! Adored by the masses!

She never even dared to dream of such a position! And now someone she used to look down upon has it!

This reality nearly broke her!

But what about her own father! All he knows is how to take advantage of Uncle Shen, harming his entire family! He caused a rift between the two families, turning them into enemies! He made it impossible for her to rely on the influence of the third branch!

Liu Jingshu is merely Mrs. Liu’s niece, and she also managed to marry into the Lai Mansion because of her relationship with Uncle Shen! And she is a principal wife!

Even though she is his own niece, because her parents offended the third branch, she has to find her own way out! She didn’t even have a formal wedding procession and ended up becoming just a concubine! There will always be someone above her, and she will be looked down upon by others!

Thinking of that man’s handsome and charming face... Why couldn’t she be Uncle Shen’s daughter! Then she would be the Sixth Prince’s consort now!

When she looked at Shen Chengguang, she really did not want such a father!!

Even now, this father wanted to take advantage of her, ignoring her hardships. Is this still a loving father? Does he want to harm her like he harmed Uncle Shen’s family?

If it wasn’t for the fact that her brother Shen Jingwen has become an official, giving her some backbone, she really wouldn’t want to deal with these selfish people!

Thinking of this, Shen Bao’er replied impatiently and coldly: "Father, remember that I am only a concubine. It took me a great deal of effort to get my husband to help my older brother. Do you really think he would give us money as well?"

"He married my daughter without even a proper ceremony, can’t he help with a small matter?" Shen Chengguang was dissatisfied upon hearing this. Does he have to give money?

"Is this a small matter? Cheating in the Imperial Examination, if discovered, is a serious crime! Yunhua is already having a difficult time asking for this favor. Father, you are always expecting others to help you, yet you never give anything in return! When something happens in the future, who will still want to help you? Who would dare to help you! It is a big risk for Mr. Tan to help. If discovered, he could lose his position! If you don’t show some goodwill, he will not help!" Shen Bao’er was furious after hearing Shen Chengguang’s words. Li Yunhua was not his father, why should he help him?

Even though he did not provide a wedding procession, she didn’t have a dowry either! Besides, isn’t the courtyard they are living in now owned by Li Yunhua?! Even their daily necessities are paid for by her money!

As a son-in-law, is it really hard for him to help his uncle-in-law with a small favor! It’s actually something that he could easily accomplish with just a word! Even if he gives a small amount of money, what’s there to resent! Does Prime Minister’s Mansion lack money?! If he doesn’t reciprocate this favor, why let him marry his daughter! Shen Chengguang was angry in his heart.

Fearing that the father and daughter were about to quarrel, Mrs. Lan hurriedly interjected, "Bao’er, don’t be angry, your father is just anxious because we have no money at home! Your father loves you. You married as a concubine and are suppressed by the principal wife, unable to raise your head. If your older brother becomes an official, you would be able to hold your head high! In the future, if anyone wants to bully you, they would have to think thrice, isn’t it?"

When Shen Chengguang heard these words of Mrs. Lan, he came to his senses, "Yes, my haste for your older brother to pass the examination and donate for an official position is also because of your difficult situation at the Prime Minister’s Mansion. I want you to have a strong family behind you so that you are not looked down upon! Didn’t you say that Mrs. Zhang always gives you a hard time?"

Shen Bao’er didn’t believe for a second that they did things for her sake. But part of what they said was true. Having her older brother becoming an official would indeed be beneficial to her. She took a deep breath and said, "I understand that mother and father don’t have money. That’s why I said Shen Yuzhu can’t get married!"

At this moment, Shen Chengguang also came to his senses, as long as he didn’t have to provide the money, "Bao’er, do you have a solution?"

"As for the matter of my older brother, Yunhua managed to get Mr. Tan to help! Now that it’s confirmed that Mr. Tan is the chief examiner of Shengping County, Yunhua mentioned that to make this happen, at least 50,000 taels of silver is needed!"

50,000 taels?! Mrs. Lan and Shen Chengyao gasped when they heard this! 50,000 taels, they don’t even have that much money in two lifetimes combined!

Shen Chengguang remembered the letter from Master Shen, which mentioned that Yuzhu was going to marry the son of a landlord, he wondered...

No, Mrs. Shen would never agree to use Yuzhu’s husband as a solution, as long as she did not give everything in the house to Shen Yuzhu as a dowry!

Furthermore, 50,000 taels! The landlord isn’t stupid and definitely wouldn’t pay! Even his son-in-law wouldn’t help with that! After hearing the high price, Shen Chengguang finally understood why Shen Bao’er said she didn’t want her son-in-law to help!

However, thinking about how being an official could easily bring in 50,000 taels, he again felt that no matter what method was used, he must get his son an official position!

That way, in less than two years, he could be sleeping on a bed of silver!

Although Mrs. Lan was shocked upon hearing the amount of 50,000 taels, she knew that Shen Bao’er must have come up with a solution, so she was not worried and waited for her to continue.

"Mr. Tan has a younger brother who remained unmarried all this while due to certain reasons. If our younger sister got married to Mr. Tan’s brother, then we would become relatives with Mr. Tan. He wouldn’t have a choice but to help us then!." Shen Bao’er first stated a high price that they could never afford to let them know it’s impossible to solve this matter with money. Then presenting this solution, she knew her father would agree without hesitation!

"Having Yuzhu marry Mr. Tan’s younger brother, that’s a golden opportunity that is hard to come by even if we search hard! Wasn’t mother always hoping to marry Yuzhu into an official’s family? Now the opportunity has arrived. If she marries Mr. Tan’s younger brother, Jingwen can also become an official, killing two birds with one stone, it will be a wish come true for everyone." Shen Chengguang was happy.

Marrying Mr. Tan’s younger brother would also be marrying into an official family. The difference between an official family and a landlord’s family isn’t just one level! His mother would definitely agree!

"For what reason has Mr. Tan’s younger brother not yet married?" Mrs. Lan asked this question not because she was worried about Shen Yuzhu, but because she knew that things definitely weren’t simple and she would need to understand the situation inside and out in order to make effective strategies.

"Right, is Mr. Tan’s younger brother also an official? If he’s also an official, that would be even better!" Shen Chengguang eagerly asked too.

"No, when Mr. Tan’s younger brother was a child, he went to play by the river with Mr. Tan. Accidentally, he fell into the river during the dead of winter. After he was rescued, he developed a high fever which didn’t subside after three days. Ever since he recovered, his brain hasn’t been working as well." Shen Bao’er explained, pointing to her own head.

His brain doesn’t work well? That means he’s a fool!