Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 162 A Grand Gift

If it were the original owner, it would be very difficult to understand how a pure and devoted, refined young man could turn into a scheming and unscrupulous politician. However, with Shen Qing's experience, it would not be difficult to analyze Song Yuan's mental journey.

Teacher Yu is right. People will eventually be troubled by what they could not obtain in their youth. In the first life, Shen Qingxi was the object of Song Yuan's unrequited love. Song Yuan was also a bit self-righteous and aloof. In addition, without the constraints of marriage, he was even less interested in his career.

In his second life, Song Yuan married Shen Qingxi. With a father-in-law who was a high-ranking official, he naturally couldn't escape the vortex of power. Over the years, the cinnabar mole turned into a mosquito bite, and power can make people lose their way and become addicted.

When Song Yuan awakens in his third life, he is no longer a boy. He is a politician who has experienced a lifetime of power struggles and infighting. His experiences have made him the Song Yuan that Shen Qing sees now.

This matter was just a minor episode for Shen Qing. He didn't care about Song Yuan's future, since they had no conflict of interest at the moment. He then put it out of his mind. Commanding troops was the most important thing. All schemes and tricks were no match for absolute strength.

·

The imperial banquet held in the first month of the lunar calendar was both a display of royal power and a way to mark the end of the personnel changes that had taken place over the past year.

Shen Qing was a fourth-rank official upon her debut, and in principle she was qualified to participate, but she was about to get married and it was not appropriate for her to go out, so she declined, since not all the limelight needs to be shown.

Most importantly, Shen Qing was well-versed in the tricks of palace intrigue, and palace banquets were bound to cause trouble, so he didn't want to create any unnecessary complications.

As expected, when Shen Shi and his son returned, they talked about the backstabbing and manipulative power struggle that took place at the palace banquet. Shen Qing listened intently. Although he didn't like getting involved in messy things, he was still somewhat interested in gossip.

Most of the conflicts involved the aristocratic families and nobles looking down on each other, with various factions subtly probing each other... but overall, they maintained a sense of decorum and didn't make things too ugly.

It is worth mentioning that Jiang Se and the Third Prince had a dispute for some reason, and Emperor Yongxi once again confined the Third Prince to his home. Everyone was already used to it. What was interesting was that Emperor Yongxi suddenly reminisced about the deceased Consort Jiang and missed the Fifth Prince who was being held hostage in Yu Kingdom at the banquet.

When those in power act in this way, there are always sycophants who are happy to play along and flatter them, so it is only natural that Jiang Se is given additional favors.

Jiang Se was already a marquis at a young age, and it was obviously impossible for her to be promoted to a higher rank without making great achievements. Therefore, Emperor Yongxi presented her with a court robe of a specific style to show his favor.

In Shen Che's words, it was absolutely vibrant and colorful! It's a pity that the Marquis of Changyi's handsome features couldn't suppress it.

Shen Qing pondered that although the pigments of this era were not as technologically advanced and sophisticated as those of later generations, and were extracted from precious gemstones, Emperor Yongxi would not have added any color to his clothes just to make them look expensive at a glance, would he?

There must be some other deeper meaning behind this. Shen Qing pondered deeply but to no avail, so he set it aside once again. The Emperor's mind is truly unfathomable.

.

Time flies like sand through our fingers, and soon it was time for our wedding.

Although time was tight, Li Su was wealthy and generous, so she hired dozens of embroiderers to work day and night, and finally finished the wedding dress with gold thread and pearls and gems before the wedding date.

Shen Qing stretched out her arms, letting Wen Yingfangyu help her put on the heavy gown layer by layer, put on the crown, and fix her makeup...

After getting dressed, the door to the boudoir opened, and a red carpet stretched out from the gate, with six screens leading the way. Since there were no fresh flowers at this time of year, Li Su luxuriously used silk flowers instead of scattering them.

Shen Qing stepped onto the red carpet and walked all the way to Chunhui Hall. Li Su's eyes were red and filled with tears, while Shen Shi remained deep in thought. "You have your own methods, so I don't need to give you any more instructions. Go now."

"I respectfully agree."

After bowing to bid farewell to his parents, Shen Qing turned and walked towards the mansion gate, where Shen Che was already waiting. Upon seeing him, he silently bowed.

Shen Qing climbed on top of him, and as Shen Che carried him on his back, he whispered, "Brother, are you still angry with me?"

"angry."

"sorry."

"I'm angry that you kept it from me."

"It won't happen again."

"Ah."

Lu Xun, dressed in festive attire, bowed respectfully and said, "Welcome home, sister-in-law."

In this era, it was customary for the groom's brothers to be responsible for welcoming the bride, so there was nothing awkward about it.

Shen Qing nodded, glanced back at Shen Che and the Shen residence, boarded the car, and set off on a new journey in her finest attire.