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

Rongde Hall in the backyard of Ning'an Marquis Mansion.

There are five main rooms. On both sides of the courtyard in front of the main rooms are Podocarpus trees. In the middle are two huge blue and white porcelain water tanks. In the tanks are planted water lilies and small koi carps.

The spring is warm, and the water lily leaves are still curled up, with a pointed tip showing at one end. It is so cute, adding a touch of wildness to the dull yard.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the main room was not very harmonious.

"Mother, what should we do about the marriage with the Duke of Lu's Mansion?" Madam Wang asked anxiously, clutching a handkerchief.

She really had no choice. She was afraid that she couldn't hide her second daughter's affairs from the old lady.

After coming out of Baozhao's yard, he went straight to the old lady's residence in the Marquis's Mansion to ask for advice.

Sitting in the hall was the old lady of the Marquisate, Madam Zhao. She was wearing a crimson jacket with a pattern of blessings, and her headband was inlaid with emerald green jade. Her hair was silver, but her brown eyes were very sharp and bright.

"This is all Yan'er's fault. It would have been fine if it had been discovered earlier. But after taking a bowl of medicine, the evil seed in her belly would have been born." The old lady said angrily.

"How did you teach your daughter to be so shameless?"

The old lady's words were like a slap in Wang's face.

Shen Yan is the youngest daughter of the eldest son of the Ning'an Marquis's mansion, and the younger sister of the imperial concubine Shufei. After the first wife gave birth to the imperial concubine Shufei, she remained pregnant for ten years.

The second child was a son, and a few years later she had a daughter, whom she doted on very much.

She was well-behaved and obedient since childhood, and her talent was well-known in Kyoto. As soon as she reached the age of 15, matchmakers came to her doorstep. She was also favored by the Duke of Lu and was about to be hired as the wife of the Duke's son.

Wang never dreamed that Shen Yan would do such a stupid thing as getting pregnant with someone else.

She stammered, "Mother, the most urgent thing now is how to get through this."

"Yesterday, the urgent intelligence sent over 800 miles said that the Northern Di had been disturbing the people at the border. They also killed the border generals. Your Majesty ordered the Duke of Lu to lead the troops to the battle in three days."

"Duke Lu wants to bring the Crown Prince with him. If he returns victorious, his military rank can be promoted."

"We have to take emergency measures. Yesterday, the lady of the Duke's Mansion wanted Yan'er to get married the day after tomorrow." The worried brows of the first lady, Wang, could kill a mosquito.

Old Madam Zhao pinched her brows and said, "This is all because of your carelessness as a mother. You don't even know when your daughter started having an affair with someone else."

"The prince of the Duke of Lu has been in love with Yan'er for a long time and treats her like a pearl. Why would she want to have sex with others and be so lowly as to do so?"

Old Madam Shen really feels very disappointed with her.

After hearing what the old lady said about her youngest daughter, the eldest lady was upset, but she still looked respectful.

"Mother, there's no point saying all this now. It's all my fault. Yan'er has been well-behaved and obedient since she was young. She's excellent in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and her marriage is also good. I was extremely confident in her, but I never thought that such a mistake would happen." As Wang said this, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"It's very difficult to hide the truth nowadays. Yan'er can't get married. If she gets married and is discovered, it will not be a marriage but an enemy." Old Madam Shen thought.

"For now, we can only choose someone else to replace her. We have already said to the public that the one promised is the legitimate daughter, and the six ceremonies have not yet begun, and we haven't made it clear which one it is."

"Fortunately, the dowry is ready. Do you think we can register Sanniang as the legitimate daughter and marry her off?"

Wang said hesitantly, "He's the prince of the Duke's Mansion. It's not possible for a concubine's daughter to be the legitimate daughter, right?"

Wang was very unwilling to let the illegitimate third mother Shen Jing get away with it.

Sanniang's biological mother was Aunt Lan, a maid who had served the eldest master since she was a child. Wang Shi gave birth to Concubine Shu for a long time without getting pregnant, so she stopped giving Aunt Lan contraceptive medicine. Aunt Lan was pregnant, and her first child was the eldest son of the Marquis's family, Young Master Shen Jie Zhang.

Later, she gave birth to Sanniang Shen Jing. The eldest master always had a special love for Aunt Lan and treated Sanniang and her siblings very well.

"In terms of status alone, among all the girls in the mansion, probably only Baozhao from the second house is worthy of him. But it's so hasty, the second son will definitely not agree." The old lady muttered as she turned the Buddhist beads in her hand.

When Wang heard the old lady mention Baozhao, she hesitated for a moment.

The old lady caught it and said, "Why? Sanniang is not worthy of you, do you think Baozhao is not worthy of you either?"

Wang shook her head, stood up and walked forward and said, "Mother, I am naturally willing for Baozhao to marry into the Duke's Mansion. But before my daughter-in-law came, she had already been to Zhaoming Garden. The fourth girl, she is not willing."

"Stupid!" The old lady slammed the Buddhist beads in her hand heavily on the table. Wang was shocked.

"It has been the parents' decision since ancient times. It's up to the second son to decide on this matter. Why did you insist on telling Bao Zhao?"

"She lost her mother when she was young, and the second son favors her. Since she doesn't want to go, you can't force her. So let it go." The old lady waved her hand and fiddled with the Buddhist beads again.

"But the Duke of Lu's Mansion holds military power. If we marry into the family, it will be a great help to the Concubine Shu in the palace." Wang tried to use the Concubine Shu to persuade the old lady.

The breeze blew in from the window, and the trees outside the house rustled. The old lady looked out the window and thought for a long time.

Finally he nodded: "In that case, go and talk to the second brother."

Madam Wang looked at the old lady's expression and breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, as long as the imperial concubine in the palace was mentioned, everyone would stand aside in the old lady's heart.

The Concubine Shu was raised by Old Lady Zhao since she was young, and was chosen to enter the palace. She was the most favored at the time, and she also gave birth to the fourth and sixth princes. She was very important to the old lady.

"If Baozhao gets married, the dowry will be given according to Yan'er's share, it can only be more, not less. And the dowry left by the Nanhua County Master after her death must be given to her intact." Old Lady Shen instructed.

Nanhua County Lady was the original wife of the second house, and the mother of the fourth young lady Shen Baozhao. However, she died of hemorrhage when giving birth to the fifth young master, when Shen Baozhao was only five years old.

When Wang heard that she had to take all of Nanhua County Lady's dowry, she asked cautiously, "Are you going to take all of my second brother's wife's dowry? I'm afraid the Marquis' Mansion won't be able to afford it."

"Shut up and use your brain. When Princess Nanhua got married, she wore a huge red wedding gown, and everyone in Kyoto saw it. Of course, all the visible ones should be given to Baozhao to take away, and those that are used should be replaced with similar ones. Otherwise, do you want outsiders to poke holes in the backbone of our mansion?" The old lady slammed the table so loudly that the tea in the teacup splashed out.

"As for the silver notes and land deeds left behind, forget about them. I don't think Bao Zhao will need that much."

Wang was worried because the eldest and second wives were both legitimate children. Although her parents-in-law valued the eldest wife very much, they were also nice to the second wife.

"My wife understands that she will never treat the fourth girl badly in terms of dowry."

"When the second son brings up this matter later, if he disagrees..." The old lady thought for a while and paused: "Then let's just call it quits."

After all, she pitied her second son, who lost his wife at a young age. The old lady was unwilling to force him.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have made up their minds and decided to do this first.