Shen Cangfeng spoke, smiling, "I'll tell you if you kiss me!"

Wei Changying gave him a gentle punch on the arm, scolding him with a smile, "I'm talking about serious things here! Don't be so silly!" Although she had said that, obeying him, she approached him and kissed him on the temple. Shen Cangfeng took advantage of this and wrapped his arms around her. Not until the two of them had made out for a while did Shen Cangfeng speak, painting slightly, "Deng Zongqi will leave Western Liang in a couple of days. Youjia has only given him a few days off altogether. This is because we have to wait to see the situation in the western tribes. When I recover from my injuries, you should send Miss Duanmu back to the capital. Western Liang is poor and cold, and she's probably not going to want to stay here for a long time. Besides, even though you're here, as Miss Duanmu is not yet married, people will talk if she doesn't return to the capital after I recover."

"What kind of idea is that?" Wei Changying put her finger on his chin and poked him, squeaking, "Do you think if I hadn't asked you for advice, I wouldn't have realized that the best solution was to separate them? You aren't being helpful!"

Shen Cangfeng reached his hand out to adjust the emerald hairpin that had almost come out of her hair when he had accidentally touched it as they had been making out. He smiled, saying, "These are all trivial things. You are very busy at the moment. I can only see you once a day. Now that you are here, how could I think about anything else? Can we talk about things between us?"

Wei Changying was touched by his words, saying, "Since we are here, what else can we do? I just hope you will get well soon. As for Shuguang, I wonder how he is doing now."

Shen Shuguang was certainly doing well.

Shen Lianheng, the youngest master of his uncle's and aunt's generation, the eighth young master of the Shen Family, was already twelve years old. He had moved out of the rear courtyard to live alone in the front courtyard two years ago. Shen Lianheng's biological mother was still alive and she would not neglect her duty to look after her son. Madam Su didn't have to spend much time on Shen Lianheng, so she spent all her spare time on Shen Shuguang.

In his grandmother's good care, Shen Shuguang, who was not yet one year old, was becoming more and more loveable. He rolled his round black eyes in his clear and fair little face, smiling sweetly at people. When Madam Su saw this, her heart melted. Today, Madam Su especially took him to see the Chinese flowering crab apple, which was being cultivated in the greenhouse. The boy was attracted by the red flowers, but he was too young to be gentle with them. Burbling on his baby talk, Shen Shuguang reached out his arms and pulled the flowers. Madam Su was not angry. Instead, she spoke with enthusiasm to her servants around her, "Shuguang seems stronger?"

"Indeed. A couple of days ago, the First Granddaughter Miss picked a Chinese rose from the greenhouse. She removed all the spikes and gave it to the second grandson master to play with. It took him a long time to tear it apart. But now he can pick the crab apple flowers one after another." Granny Tao joked with a smile, "Madam, I guess that you won't have many flowers until the second grandson master grows up."

Madam Su smiled and said, "They are just a few pots of flowers. If he likes them, just let him play with them."

While they were talking, Shen Xuan came in confidently holding one hand in front.

Everyone quickly curtsied to the Family Head. Shen Xuan dismissed their curtsies, came into the place, and took his grandson, saying with satisfaction, "He's heavier."

Madam Su scolded him, "You have only just returned from outside. You are covered in dust. Don't make Shuguang cough!"

"How could a child of our Shen Family be so weak?" Shen Xuan didn't agree. He held his grandson in front of his chest with one hand and he reached his other hand into his sleeve to get something, saying, "I walked past the artisan workshop today and thought of something, so I asked them to make a small thing. When Shuguang is older, he will be able to use it."

Madam Su thought it was some kind of toy. Instead, Shen Xuan pulled out a small wooden sword, about 15 centimeters long. Although it was wooden, it was finely made. It was almost identical to the sword, Lu Hu, which "had been given" to Wei Changying, their third daughter-in-law. It also came with the same scabbard.

"Shuguang's mother is not in the capital now. How will she perceive your intention of making Shuguang such a sword when she can't see it?" Madam Su knew exactly what her husband thought. Having looked around, she told the servants around them to leave and then said, not knowing whether to cry or laugh, "Besides, Lu Hu has been given to her. If you want it back now, we will lose face as the elders."

Shen Xuan said discontentedly, "Cangfeng is so unfilial! He doesn't think about his own parents! I hope our grandson will not be like him." Then he said, "I'm not doing it to show it to Changying. It's a toy for Shuguang when he grows up a bit more."

Madam Su said, "Then why have you had it made like Lu Hu?"

"As Shuguang's grandfather, I have given him a sword. When he grows up, he should be filial to me, shouldn't he?" Shen Xuan said with great expectation, "In the future, he will bring Lu Hu to please me, so it will be regarded as my grandson's gift, not something I asked back from my daughter-in-law."

Madam Su was speechless but then said, "Shuguang is not even as tall as Lu Hu now! You took advantage of the fact that your son and daughter-in-law are away and your grandson is with us to make such a plan. With all those years of planning, you just want a sword. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"By when he is three or five years old, his parents should be back, and then I will tell him to ask for it." Shen Xuan thought this was a good idea. While talking to Madam Su, he was offering the wooden sword to his grandson. However, Shen Shuguang was more interested in his beard. Instead of taking the sword, Shen Shuguang grabbed his beard happily and pulled hard on it, causing Shen Xuan to scream in pain. He quickly tucked the wooden sword back into his sleeve and sought to rescue his beard from his grandson. But Madam Su became worried, scolding him, "Be gentle! Don't hurt Shuguang!"

Being scolded by his wife and fearing that he might hurt Shen Shuguang with his own strength, Shen Xuan had to be as careful as he could before he could succeed in retaining his beard on his jaw. After Madam Su had taken Shen Shuguang, who had been refusing to let go, away from him, Shen Xuan felt his sore chin. Seeing his grandson holding onto a few long strands, Shen Xuan gasped. He took a handkerchief to cover his jaw, complaining, "That boy is so strong!"

"None of the children in our family are weak!" Madam Su mimicked him, giving him back his own words. She then teased him, "Look! Mothers and their children are connected! You think Shuguang is too young to understand that you want to use him to get something from his mother. However, even though he can't speak yet, he can sense that you have bad intentions, so he did that to you on his mother's behalf! Don't you dare to be evil in the future, coveting your younger generation's things!"

Deliberately going against her husband, Madam Su pointed to her grandson's face, cheerfully praising him, "Well done, Shuguang! You should do that to whoever dares to take things from your father and mother in this way in the future!"

Although Shen Shuguang didn't understand what his grandparents were talking about, the boy liked smiling and was now smiling as he gave Madam Su a big kiss on the cheek. It seemed that he agreed with what Madam Su had said.

Frustrated, Shen Xuan rubbed his chin, saying resentfully, "What 'coveting my younger generation's things'? That sword was mine in the first place! I didn't give it to my second younger brother despite his having asked for it so many times. However, to my surprise, Cangfeng stole it! If I hadn't been embarrassed, I would have asked for it back from the third daughter-in-law!"

"It's merely a sword, isn't it? It's not like we don't have any good swords in our treasury, so why don't you just hang another one in the study?" Although the Su Family was a military family, Madam Su had been brought up according to the requirements of a lady of an eminent family. She didn't like anything relating to violence, so she never took this Lu Hu sword seriously. She thought it was ridiculous that her husband, a mature man, couldn't forget about the sword. She disagreed with him, "You call Cangfeng unfilial because of a sword. You say he doesn't think about his own parents. Our daughter-in-law has been married into the family. Why isn't she our family? Jingtong Courtyard doesn't belong to our family?"

Shen Xuan sighed and said, "You are a woman. You won't understand it. I made the sword myself when I was young. If Changying is willing to exchange it, I will let her choose any fine sword in the treasury!"

"Yes, I don't understand." Madam Su snorted, holding her grandson and talking to him, "Good boy, listen to me. When your grandfather holds you again, you just pull his beard! See if he still dares to bully me, your grandmother!"

"Don't teach the boy to do something wrong." Seeing his grandson happening to nod at his wife's words, Shen Xuan had a headache, saying, "Cangning has worried us enough. It's better that Shuguang learns from his father."

Madam Su sneered, "Oh, you think Cangfeng is nice now? Don't you know who has spoiled Cangning?"

Shen Xuan disapproved, "Haven't I educated Cangfeng?"

The couple kept arguing over things concerning their children. Seeing that Shen Shuguang seemed a bit tired after all the fuss and his head had almost fallen onto Madam Su's shoulder several times, Madam Su quickly called Granny Tao in and told her to take Shen Shuguang off to sleep.

After Granny Tao had left with Shen Shuguang, the couple sat down in the hall, starting to talk about something serious, "Are things in the Royal Court going well?"

Apparently, Madam Su was not talking about Shen Xuan's job but about the removal of the Crown Prince.

Shen Xuan squinted, saying, "It's fine. The Crown Princess is very filial to Empress Gu and is not jealous of the concubines in the Eastern Palace. She treats the children of the concubines as her own and cares a lot for them. No one can find any fault. The Empress has praised the Crown Princess several times for her virtue and kindness."

"Didn't you say that it should start with the people around the Crown Prince so that the Crown Prince would indulge himself so much that he ruined his reputation and had to abdicate?" Surprised, Madam Su asked, "Why has it become the Crown Princess instead?"

"Last time, my spy in the Eastern Palace reported a message." Shen Xuan said with a smile, "The Crown Prince seems to be interested in the Crown Princess's stepmother and younger stepsister."

Madam Su was startled, asking, "Liu Hai's second wife and the Eleventh Miss of the Liu Family?" She frowned, saying, "The mother and the daughter are really beautiful. The daughter is truly beautiful, looking almost as good as Changying! Mrs. Zhang is old but charming. The Crown Prince is really becoming more and more absurd!"

She looked disgusted, asking, "And then?"

"Mrs. Zhang seemed to be aware of it. When the Crown Princess fell ill a few times and asked her to bring her daughter with her, she didn't do it. Instead, she got Liu Hai to go with her." Shen Xuan said, "As long as the Crown Princess is still there, sooner or later the Crown Prince will be able to get rid of Liu Hai first and ensure Mrs. Zhang and her daughter fall into his trap. It will probably happen soon, in a few days."

Shen Xuan squinted, saying, "This is such a good opportunity, so our family should not risk getting ourselves involved. I will clear up all the traces of the preparations we have made over these days. I plan to keep a close eye on the Crown Princess and will give things a push when there is a chance. The Crown Prince has certainly done plenty of absurd things, but with his mother-in-law... If this got out, to save the reputation of the Liu Family, he would not be able to continue living in the Eastern Palace."

Madam Su mused, "I'm worried that Liu Hai will request to be banished or will send his wife and daughter back to Eastern Hu!"

"I will stop him from being banished. They harmed Changying, who had been promised to us a long time ago, didn't they? Now it's time to return the favor." Shen Xuan became silent and then said, "If he wants to send his wife and daughter back to the Eastern Hu... The Military Officer has just entrapped Liu Xixun, so now Duke Weiyuan sees the Military Officer's family as an enemy. Therefore, Mrs. Zhang and her daughter might not be left alone because they are women. Liu Hai knows this very well. As he is quite fond of Mrs. Zhang and the daughter, he may not dare to hand them over to Duke Weiyuan."

He squinted, saying, "Anyway, His Majesty is still in good health. There is no rush for us, either. If someone else can do it for us, why should we get into it?"