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

The next morning, when everyone was still paying their respects in Rongde Hall, they heard the doorman come to report that an imperial edict had arrived.

In order to show respect to the emperor, those who have imperial decrees such as the old lady and the eldest lady would immediately be made up according to their ranks.

The marquis's mansion opened its central gate wide to welcome the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial edict.

The one who came this time was the young eunuch who served Emperor Chengde.

When everyone was present, the emperor began to announce the decree: "The Emperor proclaims, in compliance with the Will of Heaven.

Shen Jing, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites Shen Weisi, is to be conferred the title of a sixth-rank noble lady. She will enter the palace on March 15th. This is my decree.

After saying this, he closed the imperial edict and looked at Shen Jing, Shen Chan, and Shen Baozhao behind the old lady and the first lady.

The father-in-law had never met Shen Jing, so naturally he didn't know who should receive the imperial edict.

Shen Baozhao glanced at Shen Jing who was kneeling beside him and tugged at her sleeve. She came to her senses and knelt down to accept the order. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But this imperial edict is also interesting. Shen Baozhao remembered that in his previous life, the woman whom the emperor met by chance during the Shangsi Festival had a rank of beauty when she entered the palace.

Was it because of Shen Jing's origin in Ning'an Marquis Mansion that she was promoted to a higher position? Or was it because Emperor Chengde was very happy to see her enter the palace?

It stands to reason that if a family has two daughters entering the palace, it is impossible for both to have high positions. Especially since the Shen family has a concubine who is said to be the most favored in the harem.

As soon as Shen Jing entered the palace, she was given the title of noble lady. It seems that Concubine Shu's situation is not as glorious as everyone thinks.

Obviously the old lady was also very surprised, but after all, she was an old noble who had seen many storms. She remained calm and told Nanny Lin to reward the eunuch who announced the decree.

She knew that Wang would definitely not save face for Shen Jing this time.

Sure enough, when Wang heard that Shen Jing was named a noble lady, the expression on her face was distorted.

After the people in the palace left, he didn't even care about his face and walked away with a displeased look.

The eldest master was particularly excited. The eldest daughter, Concubine Shu, had never been close to him since she was a child. Although she now held a high position in the harem, the eldest master still felt trembling in front of her.

But Shen Jing, the concubine, was different. Aunt Lan and her son lived in the Ning'an Marquis's mansion entirely relying on the favor of the eldest master.

Therefore, in the eyes of her father, the master, she has always been docile, gentle, obedient and lovable.

I was worried before that His Majesty might just get carried away and forget about Shen Jing in a few days. Now that I received the imperial edict, I finally feel relieved.

The master said to Shen Jing with a smile on his face, "Don't worry, Jing'er, your father will definitely prepare enough money for you to enter the palace.

You don't have to worry about your aunt. Just serve His Majesty well. If you can give birth to a child, you will have someone to rely on for the rest of your life."

The master spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he had already seen wealth and glory before his eyes.

If the two daughters who entered the palace as concubines both gave birth to princes, then no matter who succeeded in ascending the throne, he would be the foreign relative.

He seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment he felt yesterday when he was forced by the Prince of Zhongyi to write an IOU for thirty thousand taels.

He also forgot about the need to raise money. He even boasted that he would prepare enough money for the concubine's daughter to enter the palace.

Shen Baozhao couldn't help but complain in his heart. It seemed that Master Shen was about to find a buyer for the Nanhua County lord's manor in Qinghe Village.

I don't know what Shen Jing felt after hearing what Master Shen said, but her face was still as gentle as usual, with her head half lowered.

Mr. Shen thought she was shy as a girl, so he didn't continue the topic.

After everyone had left, Shen Baozhao informed the old lady that he was going out to look at clothes and accessories.

The old lady was in a good mood today, and she remembered that her granddaughter had brought honor to the family during the Shangsi Festival.

He did not stop him, but asked the maid in charge of the stable to prepare the carriage to take Shen Baozhao out in time.

Shen Baozhao took Qingkong out. Women's rouge and powder shops, clothing shops, and various jewelry shops were all on Duobao Street.

As soon as the carriage arrived at the street corner, Baozhao told Qingkong to ask the driver to park the carriage, gave him some money and told him to wait in the teahouse.

The driver knew that the young lady didn't like people following her when she went out, so he took the tip money and happily went to the teahouse.

But Baozhao did not stop. Instead, he rented an inconspicuous carriage and headed straight to Maoer Hutong.

Maoer Hutong is far from Duobao Street. At first, the coachman was a little surprised when he heard two girls in rich clothes saying they were going to Maoer Hutong.

After all, those who lived there were the lowest class of people in Kyoto, not even peddlers.

The environment is filthy, like a pile of mud. Only people who can't make a living there would rent a house or just find a place to live there.

This has nothing to do with the two girls in the car.

The carriage was almost reaching the entrance of Maoer Hutong, and the driver was still thinking about this matter.

But after all, the ones who paid were the masters, and the girl's maid paid enough, so the driver didn't care anymore.

When they reached the entrance of the alley, Shen Baozhao got off the carriage and said to the driver, "Thank you for your help. Please wait for us at the entrance of the alley. We will need a carriage for the return trip."

The driver was very happy to hear this, as the girl was very generous.

If you rent a carriage for the return trip, you can just keep the money and put it in your own pocket instead of giving it to the carriage company.

Two beautiful girls suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley, and the ragged people who were sitting or lying on the ground stared at them expressionlessly.

Shen Baozhao couldn't help but hold his forehead, oh no, he forgot to change his clothes. It was obvious that he was a fat sheep, it would be strange if others didn't notice him.

It was too late to go back and change now. I didn't know where the person I was looking for lived. While Bao Zhao was in a daze, a boy about seven or eight years old slowly approached the two of them.

While Qingkong was not paying attention, he snatched the purse from her waist and quickly ran into the alley.

When those who were eyeing the opportunity saw that a child had gotten there first, they rushed forward, fearing that they would fall behind and not be able to grab anything valuable.

To Bao Zhao, these people were nothing but a mob. He protected Qingkong and quickly knocked them all down.

Qingkong looked at Baozhao in admiration: "Girl, you are really amazing. Was this boxing technique also taught to you by the old monk in your dream?"

Shen Baozhao couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. The two senior maids had great trust in him and had never doubted anything else.

There were homeless people stumbling all over the ground. After seeing her skills, no one dared to provoke her anymore.

"Miss, that's bad. The little thief is missing." Qingkong was annoyed to find that the thief who stole the purse was also missing.

Shen Baozhao walked up to a homeless man who looked older and asked, "Do you know where Li Ze lives?"

When the man saw Bao Zhao coming, he thought she was going to continue beating him, so he cowered in a corner. He was relieved when he heard that she was here to inquire about someone.

"I don't know any Li Ze. There is no one named Li Ze in our alley." He said while secretly looking at Bao Zhao's expression.

Shen Baozhao frowned. Isn't there anyone named Li Ze?