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

After Wang left, Baozhao was not idle in Zhaoming Garden.

"Someone is coming."

Qingkong lifted the curtain and came in. She replied, "Miss."

"Qingkong, send a smart little girl to keep an eye on what's happening in Yuqing Garden," Baozhao ordered.

Yuqing Garden is the residence of the eldest master and the eldest lady of the Marquis's mansion. Aunt Lan also lives in the west wing of Yuqing Garden.

Qingkong nodded, "I understand."

Shen Baozhao seemed to remember something and asked, "We can let Bixiao come back. There's no need to keep an eye on that place. The Second Miss won't go there again."

Like Qingkong, Bixiao is a top maidservant beside Shen Baozhao.

It was picked for her personally by her mother when she was still alive, so they grew up together.

But unlike Qingkong, Bixiao is a family-born child, not bought from outside.

A month ago, after Shen Baozhao recovered from his illness, he sent Bixiao out.

On the surface, it was because Bixiao's mother was seriously ill, and out of gratitude for Bixiao's filial piety, she let her go home to take care of her mother.

In fact, Bao Zhao gave her a task, asking her to rent a house next to a small courtyard with two entrances on South Street, and keep a close eye on the people coming and going in the courtyard at all times.

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Near noon, the eldest lady hurried back to Rongde Hall.

"Mother, my second uncle doesn't want Baozhao to get married.

The daughter-in-law didn't dare to say more, fearing that Yan'er's affair would be discovered." Wang said to the old lady who was lying on the couch with her eyes closed.

Old Madam Shen opened her eyes and waved her hand, ordering her trusted maid Yin Qiao, who was massaging her legs, to leave.

"Have you found out who the man is who seduced Yan'er into making such a big mistake?" Old Madam Shen said hatefully.

Speaking of this, Wang's face was filled with sorrow, and the handkerchief in her hand was about to be torn to pieces.

"We can't get any information from her. Yan'er refuses to tell us anything and she is unwilling to abort the baby. Her personal maid Hongling has been locked up. We should be able to get information from her."

"I haven't changed my clothes for two months. I think I've known that man for quite some time.

But no one came to propose marriage, I'm afraid they didn't care about her. It's just that she was like a madman, she had to protect such a man. "

At this moment, Wang's heart felt like it was being fried in a frying pan. Her daughter's good marriage was ruined.

If this man appeared, she would tear him into pieces to vent her hatred.

"What a curse!" Although the old lady was angry, she felt sorry for her granddaughter. Then she asked, "Who else knows about this?"

"Except Hongling and Nanny, no one knows.

Last night, she felt sick while eating and was seen by her wet nurse, who wanted to send someone to find a doctor. She refused to let her go, and only after asking her did she find out what had happened.

"I was panicked, and I rushed to find my mother early this morning to discuss countermeasures. I didn't have time to ask about the specific situation." Wang said.

The sun was rising gradually, and through the window I could see the dense and sparse bamboos in the yard. A breeze blew by, and the smell of spring grass mixed with the soil refreshed me.

Although there was a trusted maid guarding outside the main door, the two of them still spoke in low voices for fear of being overheard.

After a long while, Old Lady Shen spoke up: "After Hongling tells the truth, she should be beaten to death, and the wet nurse can't be kept either.

Let someone buy some abortion medicine today and let Yan'er drink it."

A few words determined the fate of three lives.

Wang nodded, "Daughter-in-law understands."

Then he stammered, "What about tomorrow's marriage?"

"Tomorrow, let the third girl ride on the bridal sedan. You talk to the eldest brother and ask him to mention it to Aunt Lan." Old Madam Shen waved her hand, and Wang withdrew.

When the eldest lady heard what the old lady said, her face was full of reluctance.

But he couldn't say anything, after all, it was his daughter who caused the trouble.

Yanran Pavilion where Shen Yan lived was quite a distance away from the old lady's Rongde Hall.

Walking eastward from Rongde Hall, we passed by the flower garden. The spring scenery was beautiful, and the gardeners came early in the morning to take care of the various flowers.

Seeing the eldest lady walking hurriedly through the corridor, no one dared to look at her twice.

A little girl was jumping around and asking questions to the gardener, but her eyes were always glancing in the direction where the eldest lady left.

He followed quietly until he could no longer see the figure.

The eldest lady brought her trusted nanny to the second young lady's Yanran Pavilion, and asked two strong and sturdy maids to guard the gate of the courtyard.

Wang entered the main room and saw Shen Yan sitting on the chaise longue with a pillow in her arms, not saying a word, with a dazed look on her face.

Wang felt a little distressed after seeing this, and she couldn't bring herself to ask for an explanation.

I could only ask in a nice way: "Yan'er, can you tell mother who that man is?"

When Shen Yan heard the voice, her eyes were no longer empty.

Instead, he looked at Wang and asked hopefully, "Mother, can you let me keep this child?"

"This is his and my child. We cannot be together in this life, but this child is innocent."

"Mother, I beg you." Shen Yan pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Wang was not happy to hear her daughter's words. "Tell your mother who that man is. If he is a good man, when this period is over, let your father go to his house and ask him."

"No, mother, he and I absolutely cannot be together. I don't ask to be with him, but I ask to keep this child.

Without the child, my daughter will die too." Shen Yan begged in tears.

Wang looked at the abortion pills that had already gone cold, but she still couldn't make up her mind.

Then he comforted his daughter: "If you keep this child, how can you get married? The prince of Lu will come to pick up the bride tomorrow."

Shen Yan listened to Wang's negotiating tone, as if a drowning person had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"It's alright, mother. I'm confident that I can still marry the prince of the Duke of Lu.

It doesn’t matter if the third or fourth sister goes to the wedding ceremony tomorrow. As long as I give birth to my son and then go find Chen Ke, he will definitely marry me.”

Wang was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment.

"What about your sister?" he asked foolishly.

Shen Yan said confidently: "It's not impossible to find an excuse to demote my wife to a concubine.

The Marquis' Mansion respects our eldest branch, so it is only natural for others to sacrifice for the Marquis' Mansion."

"Besides, my daughter and Chen Ke have been married for a long time." Shen Yan looked shy when she talked about this.

Wang looked at her daughter with eyes wide open in disbelief. "How could you be so shameless?"

"Why did mother say that to me? Chen Ke and I only made mistakes when we were young and ignorant. It was just that one time. Besides, we were an engaged couple, so I didn't think too much about it."

"But the one my daughter loves in her heart is only that man." Thinking of the gracefulness of her lover, he was like a snow-capped mountain, which was out of reach. Unexpectedly, he also liked her.

This made me more determined to keep the child.

"Mother, this is all we can do now.

Do you want to watch your daughter lose her child, marry an ordinary man, and watch your sisters marry wealthy?

Do I even need to greet them in the future?"

"It would be more satisfying than just killing my daughter with a knife." Shen Yan said resolutely.

Wang thought about it and finally nodded. Although this matter was risky, it was the best solution for her daughter.