Minglan is reborn, this time with no regrets!

When Shen Congxing returned home, the second and third brothers of the Zou family were tied to the ground, with cloth stuffed in their mouths, whimpering.

Shen San rushed over and said, "Brother, the two of them sneaked into the general's mansion through the dog hole and wanted to make trouble in front of my sister-in-law's door. Fortunately, they were caught by the people you left behind."

Minglan's trick really worked.

Shen Congxing was so angry that he yelled, "You guys are considered well-known people in the capital, why are you still crawling through a dog hole?"

The two men on the ground were glaring at each other, unable to speak, and twisted into two toads.

Shen Congxing did not untie them, but directly had the two brothers-in-law stuffed into the carriage and sent back to the Zou Mansion.

He was too lazy to say any more words to this family.

Shen Congxing told Minglan and Shen San in detail what happened in the palace and the Queen's decision. He also wanted to hold a banquet to thank Minglan. Minglan frowned and thought, "It seems that except for my aunt, the brothers and sisters in the Zou family are not easy to deal with. I am a little worried now. If I really find an important official for Miss Zou Si, I am afraid that they will become enemies in the end?"

The Queen Mother also had the same idea as her.

However, the old lady of the Zou family made a big fuss in the palace, and the news soon reached the ears of the empress dowager.

She sighed and said, "If I hadn't been forced to abdicate by the Rebellious King, I really wouldn't have wanted to let this family enter the palace. Tell me, what kind of in-laws are they looking for? They are totally disrespectful."

Zhu Neiguan: "They were originally from the countryside of Yuzhou. They should have stayed there all their lives. They were lucky to have such good fortune today. But with the character of these people, I am afraid they will not be able to keep the wealth and honor they have."

The Queen Mother said: "If we are to marry, it is better to marry with a family of officials with a long history. The civil officials are upright and have strict family education, so that they can control their temper. Speaking of strict family education, I originally thought that my goddaughter should be the strictest in the whole city of Bianjing, but I didn't expect that the son she raised would be so disobedient."

Over the past few months, the emperor has been recruiting a number of officials under the empress dowager, including Qi Heng's wife's Shen family, under the pretext of restarting the Qingli New Deal. Qi Heng himself has also turned to the emperor, and started to rectify the administration of officials by investigating corruption. Not only did he help the emperor gain a good reputation, but the confiscated stolen money and goods also filled the national treasury, which can be said to be killing three birds with one stone.

Every day, people came to the Qi Mansion to give gifts and beg for mercy, but the Duke and Duchess of Qi could not stop Qi Heng at all, so they could only close the door and refuse to see him. These people then begged the Queen Mother, who called Princess Pingning into the palace and scolded her several times, but Qi Heng still did not stop. Later, Princess Pingning simply claimed to be sick and did not care about anything.

Nei Guan Zhu shook his head and sighed, saying with a double meaning: "When children grow up, they are no longer under the control of their parents." That means Qi Heng did not listen to Princess Pingning, and also that Princess Pingning did not listen to the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Marriage matters can always be managed. Go and call the Queen."

Ever since the Empress Dowager's plan to send people in was intercepted, Shen Congying was called to Baoci Palace for lectures every day for various reasons, regardless of the time. She had accepted it.

When he came before the Empress Dowager, Shen Congying bowed his head respectfully, looking ready to be scolded.

The Queen Mother said: "I heard that your relatives from the Shen family made a scene in the Funing Palace today, and General Shen even sent people to surround the Zou family? Oh, the scene was so exciting, but it brought shame to the royal family."

Shen Congying thought that this was indeed the case, so he bowed his head and admitted his fault: "My daughter-in-law is not strict with her subordinates, please punish me, Madam."

The Queen Mother: "Hey, since you entered the palace, haven't I punished you enough? Do you think I want to punish you so much? It's all for your own good!"

Shen Congying: "My daughter-in-law knows it all. It's all my fault." This conversation happens every time. Now Shen Congying is too lazy to say anything nice to smooth things over. She knows that the Queen Mother's purpose is nothing more than to torture her. She ends all arguments with a sentence "It's all my fault" and quickly accepts the punishment and is done with it.

However, the Queen Mother's attitude changed drastically this time. She sighed and said, "I was also a Queen before, and I know all these difficulties of yours. Having a weak family will eventually be a disaster. You should find a good husband for the Zou family to take care of them for you." In order to show closeness, she did not call herself "Ai Jia" but called herself "I" like ordinary people.

Shen Congying was a little surprised that the Queen Mother actually analyzed the problem from her perspective. She was stunned for a long time before she said, "Thank you, your daughter-in-law!"

The Queen Mother said: "We are all family. I can only be well if you and your wife are well. Why should I thank you?"

Shen Congying was suspicious and did not dare to let down her guard. She said, "Your Majesty is kind and loving. Your Majesty and I are grateful for your kindness all the time."

Queen Mother: "What's the point of being grateful or not? I just hope that the emperor can properly take over the foundation left by the late emperor. At the beginning, Han Qi insisted that I be in charge of the imperial seal, and I really didn't want to do it. Later, Gu Tingye took the imperial seal away. Although his method made me despise him, to be honest, I am still happy in my heart - the burden on my shoulders is lighter, and I can do less work and worry less!"

As she spoke, she laughed.

Shen Congying's heart was tense, he didn't dare to laugh, he just lowered his head and said nothing.

The Queen Mother said: "I have thought about it for you. In the Zou family's situation, we should find a strict mistress who is also an experienced and civil official to help you and your wife stabilize the government." She spoke out what Shen Congying and his wife were thinking.

Shen Congying responded carefully, avoiding the main point and saying: "My daughter-in-law doesn't understand the affairs of the court. I just want to find a good family for my fourth sister, so that she can have someone to rely on. Today has already..."

The Queen Mother interrupted immediately: "I have already picked a candidate for her, and I guarantee that both you and the Emperor will be satisfied."

Shen Congying was horrified: "This... this won't work... She's just a country girl, how can she..."

The Queen Mother interrupted her again: "Why, do you think I can't control the marriage of your relatives from your mother's family? Or are you afraid that I will find you a relative who kills pigs and grows vegetables?"

Shen Congying: "No, no, I don't dare. The Empress Dowager is the most wise and intelligent. The one she chooses must be the best. It's just..."

Queen Mother: "You are right. I have found the best man for your Zou family. You know Qi Heng, right? He is the son of my goddaughter, the most handsome man in Bianjing. He is a good match for the girl from the Zou family, right?"

Shen Congying: "How can this be possible? The son of Princess Pingning is extremely talented. He is worthy of both the princess and the princess. How can the fourth sister of the Zou family be worthy of him?" She couldn't figure out what the empress dowager was going to do, so she decided to refuse first.

The Queen Mother: "Well, don't worry about this. As long as I come forward, his family will definitely agree."

Shen Congying: "But my daughter-in-law heard that Master Xiao Qi is already married?"

The Queen Mother: "Well, he does have a wife. General Shen's sister-in-law should be humbled and become his concubine."

Shen Congying: "This... this is really inappropriate... She is a good girl, how can she become someone's concubine?"

The Queen Mother said: "I have thought about this. We need to use her to win over the Qi family without wronging her. You can issue an imperial decree to confer a title on her. This way, both the Qi family and the Zou family will save face."

Shen Congying thought this was too absurd: "A concubine granted an imperial decree... this is unheard of in the world..."

Queen Mother: "Doesn't this make the Zou family more noble?"

Shen Congying: "No, it's really not possible. The Qi family will definitely not agree to this!"

The Queen Mother: "Don't worry, I'll talk to the Qi family. Miss Zou will definitely agree to marry Qi Heng. This marriage is perfect, so it's settled!"

Shen Congying had no choice but to kneel down and pay homage, begging, "Madam, this is really not possible! How can Miss Zou be someone's concubine!!!"

The Queen Mother looked at her for a while and said, "You are just not smart. Just because you look down on concubines doesn't mean they don't want to be concubines. So, call the Zou family to me now and I will ask them for you."

Shen Congying wanted to refuse, but the Queen Mother held her forehead and said, "Oh, go quickly! It's already late. If you're any later, the palace gates will be locked."

His attack caught Shen Congying off guard, and she had no choice but to follow his instructions and call Old Lady Zou and Zou Si into the palace.

After what happened during the day, the mother and daughter hated the Shen family to the core. When they heard that the Queen Mother was going to grant them a marriage, and that the couple would enter the Duke's Mansion, and that Zou Si would be granted an imperial decree, Old Lady Zou kowtowed and accepted without a second thought. But Zou Si was still obsessed with marrying Shen Congxing, and didn't even see the most handsome man in the capital.

Seeing her daughter crying and refusing to nod, Old Lady Zou slapped her on the spot. It was the first time that Zou Si was beaten by her old mother. She was shocked, angry and aggrieved, but she did not dare to make a scene in front of the empress dowager. She held it in until her face turned purple and her clothes were soaked with tears.

So, the Zou family nodded.

The next day, the Queen Mother went to the Duke of Qi's mansion in person to visit her sick goddaughter, Princess Pingning, and informed the Qi family of this great event. She even prepared the imperial decree to grant the marriage.

The Queen Mother put pressure on Shen by citing her years of upbringing in the palace, and also criticized Shen for being infertile after marrying into the Qi family. Princess Pingning could not refuse and could only thank her in tears. When Qi Heng returned home, everything was already a foregone conclusion.

It is said that marriage is determined by parents and matchmaker. However, because the empress dowager is the mother of the emperor and the mother of all people in the world, and Old Lady Zou and Princess Pingning have both agreed, even if many officials in the court who have seen through the empress dowager's conspiracy oppose this marriage, they are outsiders after all and cannot change the result.

A month later, Madam Zou Si, who had received the honor of imperial decree, successfully married into the Qi family and became equal to Madam Shen.

From then on, the Qi family began a life of chaos and confusion.