Yongning Palace.
After Zhang Miaoyu left, Shen Wei continued sorting through the items in Yongning Palace. Over the years, her private stash had accumulated a trove of gold, silver, and jewelry—all of which she intended to take out of the palace as capital for future business ventures.
As Shen Wei busied herself, a palace attendant announced another visitor: Shen Xiuming had come to see her.
Delighted, Shen Wei personally went to greet him.
With the new emperor ascending the throne, Shen Xiuming, as the emperor's maternal uncle, was set to take up an official post in Yanjing City to assist the young ruler.
Years of experience away from the capital had transformed him. No longer the reckless gambler of his youth, Shen Xiuming now sported a neatly trimmed black beard, his features dignified. Clad in a crimson official robe and a black scholar's cap, he carried himself with the composed elegance of a seasoned statesman.
