The beauty of the Hou family and the king's plan

Wang's eldest son, Shen Jiemin, had an excellent marriage arranged for him: he was the youngest daughter of the head of the Qinghe Cui family.

Generally, the noble families intermarry with each other, and the marriages of their children are basically settled internally. However, the marriage between Ning'an Marquis' Mansion and Cui's family is an exception.

When the Cui family girl entered the palace, she was favored by the Concubine Shu, who begged the emperor to grant her a marriage. The Cui family had no choice.

For Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, this marriage was quite satisfactory. As for what Cui Mansion thought, it was not very important.

The wedding was originally scheduled for this summer. It's already March, and it's not long until June 6th.

The old lady didn't care about Wang's previous gaffe and asked, "How are the preparations for Erlang's marriage going?"

When talking about Shen Jiemin's marriage, Wang couldn't hide her smile. This was the only thing that went smoothly for her recently.

"Don't worry, old lady. Erlang's new courtyard has been prepared. The betrothal gifts are also sufficient. When the Cui family sees this, they will only think that we value their young lady."

"That's good." The old lady didn't have much time to continue. She waved her hand and asked everyone to go back.

After leaving Rongde Hall, Shen Baozhao did not return to the courtyard, but took Qingkong to the residence of the third young lady Shen Jing. The maids who served Shen Jing were all very careful.

Although no one knew what happened yesterday, everyone saw a man carrying the third young lady back to the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion. After the third young lady returned to the courtyard, she did not leave her bedroom.

It was a fatal thing for an unmarried girl to have physical contact with a man outside her family. No one would dare to approach him, for fear of getting into trouble.

When the little maid who was sweeping the yard saw Shen Baozhao coming, she hurried in and reported through the door.

When Shen Baozhao entered, he saw Shen Jing leisurely leaning on the bed by the window, drinking scented tea.

Seeing Baozhao coming, he poured a cup of scented tea and motioned for Baozhao to sit down.

Shen Baozhao leaned on the other side of the bed without any hesitation.

"Looking at Third Sister's complexion, it seems that everything went smoothly yesterday." Bao Zhao said with a smile on his face.

Shen Jing smiled and said, "I have to thank Fourth Sister for planning this for me."

"Being a concubine is not what I want, but I can make the first lady suffer, so that my mother can live a peaceful life for a few days. There is nothing wrong with being a concubine. Especially being a concubine of the royal family."

Shen Jing thought of the emperor's elegance yesterday. Although he was over forty years old, he was still very graceful.

"You don't have to thank me. We are just seeking what we need. However, let me be frank. Life in the palace is not easy. One move can affect the whole body. Our small Ning'an Marquis Mansion cannot compare."

"You need to be mentally prepared." Shen Baozhao reminded.

Although His Majesty has no Empress, the four concubines are full. In addition to the Defei who claimed to be ill, there are Shufei, Xianfei, and Huifei. None of them are easy to get along with.

Shen Jing is the younger sister of Concubine Shu. When she first entered the palace, she was definitely classified into Concubine Shu's faction.

Concubine Shu has been very favored in recent years, and has offended many people openly or secretly. If Shen Jing makes a mistake, some people will definitely use her as an example to scare others.

So Shen Baozhao was not exaggerating.

Shen Jing lowered her head and thought for a moment, then stood up and bowed solemnly to Bao Zhao.

"Thank you for your advice, Fourth Sister. I will treat it with caution."

When Shen Baozhao entered Shen Jing's courtyard, Shen Jing asked someone to invite Aunt Lan. After talking for a while, Aunt Lan also arrived.

When Aunt Lan saw Shen Baozhao, she bowed without saying a word.

"Thank you, Miss Fourth, for your help." Although she had used Baozhao as a tool to exploit him before, Aunt Lan now sincerely thanked Shen Baozhao.

For Aunt Lan, her two children are the most important to her. Shen Jie Zhang is the eldest son of a concubine, and he can make a way for himself through the imperial examination without relying on the Marquis's mansion.

What Aunt Lan was most worried about was Shen Jing's marriage. She was just an aunt and couldn't make the decision. And Master Shen's love for Shen Jing was not enough to compete with the concubines in the palace.

Therefore, Shen Jing's marriage has actually always been a handle in Wang's hands to control Aunt Lan.

Now that the matter has been resolved, Aunt Lan can finally put to rest a major worry.

She did not hesitate and wanted to tell Shen Baozhao what she knew.

"I know what the Fourth Miss wants to ask. The golden hairpin with phoenix pattern was given to me by the Master."

After Shen Baozhao thought about it for a moment, he had a general idea.

Ever since the death of Lady Nanhua, the old lady had kept all the dowry and properties, saying that she would wait for Shen Baozhao to bring some of them as dowry when he got married, and the rest would be given to the fifth son, Shen Jie Ling.

But ever since Wang took over the family, the warehouse keys and cards have been in her hands.

As for how the master got the gold hairpin of Nanhua County Lady, the trick is self-evident. I just don't know how much is left in the warehouse.

The way this family eats is too ugly. Since I have been reborn, I must make them spit out everything. Otherwise, how can I be worthy of my mother's spirit in heaven?

Moreover, Shen Baozhao recalled what Nanhua County Lady said to him before she died. The eldest wife might be more vicious than he imagined.

"How many items like this are there in the big house?" Shen Baozhao asked.

Aunt Lan frowned and thought for a while: "I haven't seen many. This is the only one I have. It was given to me by the master when he took it out of his sleeve after he got drunk."

"The next day, when he sobered up, he asked the maids and concubines, reminding them to keep it well or melt it down and make new jewelry, and not to show it to others."

"The master said it seriously, so I kept it in mind. I secretly asked around to find out if there was anyone in the Marquis's Mansion whose maiden name was 'Wan'. Later I learned it was the Princess of Nanhua County, and I thought this made sense." Aunt Lan also had something in mind.

The sealing of Nanhua County Lady's dowry was no secret in the Marquis's mansion. You could find out by asking any older maid.

Aunt Lan was willing to reveal the whole matter for Shen Jing, but she would be in big trouble if the eldest master found out.

Taking such a risk can be considered a mother's love.

Shen Baozhao nodded, thinking that the eldest master and his wife were afraid that the matter would be exposed and they would have a hard time reporting to the second house. They must be very careful about using the dowry of Nanhua County Lady.

What Aunt Lan said was pretty much what Shen Baozhao had expected. It was just to confirm his inner thoughts. As for helping Shen Jing, that would also muddy the waters of the Marquis' Mansion.

"Auntie Lan, I have another unwelcome request. If you think you can do it, then do it. If you don't want to, you can refuse. I will never force you to do anything."

Aunt Lan heard this and glanced at Shen Baozhao: "Fourth Miss, please speak. If it is not difficult, there is no conflict of interest between us, and we can help each other."

Aunt Lan said it very bluntly: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.

Shen Baozhao nodded: "I just need you to help me pay attention to whether the people around the master and the mistress often take things out of the warehouse."

"I don't need your help to stop them. Just let someone quietly tell me."

Aunt Lan heaved a sigh of relief when she heard what Shen Baozhao said. Keeping an eye on the master and mistress was something she often did. It was just a piece of cake. Why not give Shen Baozhao a favor?

So the two reached a consensus.

After getting what he wanted to know, Shen Baozhao took Qingchuan and said goodbye.

As soon as I walked out of Jinghaozhai, I heard a woman yelling. Jinghaozhai was not far from the main courtyard of the eldest house, Yuqingyuan, and the sound came from Yuqingyuan.