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

The warm spring afternoon sun shines lightly on Zhaoming Garden.

The camphor tree was lush and green, and fine sunlight leaked through the gaps between the leaves. The light and shadow fell on the ground and on Shen Baozhao's closed face.

She leaned back on a lounge chair under a tree, enjoying the breeze, feeling very comfortable.

"Miss, Miss." Luoxia came back skipping.

Before he even got close to Shen Baozhao, Bixiao heard him: "What are you doing so recklessly? What if you scare the young lady?"

Bixiao has always been very rigorous and careful, and the little girls in Zhaoming Garden are afraid of her.

Luoxia stood up immediately, crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, and faced Shen Baozhao respectfully. Seeing that she was obedient, Bixiao went back to work.

Luoxia stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Shen Baozhao asked with his eyes closed.

Luoxia said excitedly: "Miss, you are really a prophet. The servant next to the second young master took a letter and went out."

"I paid a little beggar to see the letter being delivered to a mansion on Sifang Street. The little beggar said it was the Jin family's house."

Shen Baozhao curled the corner of her mouth in disdain. She knew that men like Shen Jiemin, who did not think about how to make a name for themselves, would only take crooked paths.

Looks exactly like Master Shen, they are indeed father and son.

But then again, Shen Jie Zhang was very different. He was good at studying, had good character, and made many friends. Many of his classmates at the Imperial College liked him.

It’s true that bad bamboo produces good bamboo shoots.

The Ning'an Marquis's Mansion is now a complete empty shell, so he must find a way to raise money. What could be easier than taking a concubine?

As for the young lady of the Jin family, she was taken into the mansion after Shen Jiemin got married in her previous life because the young lady of the Cui family had no children.

In this life, she had only arranged for them to meet a few more times in advance, and now Shen Jiemin couldn't hold back anymore.

And don't blame Miss Jin. She has not forgotten that when she returned home with Shen Yan in her previous life, Miss Jin was fawning on Shen Yan and looked down on her.

Since Miss Jin and Shen Jiemin were destined to be together in the previous life, it would be nice for them to be tied together in this life as well.

Shen Baozhao thought cunningly in his heart.

And the young lady of the Cui family in Qinghe was tied to the rotten ship of the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion unwillingly, so this time she should help her and do a good deed.

That's right, she wanted to ruin Shen Jiemin's marriage.

Shen Baozhao waved his hand and asked Luoxia to come closer: "You continue to have people keep an eye on the Second Young Master and the Jin Mansion, and report to us if there is any movement."

Luoxia nodded and said playfully, "I promise to complete the task."

As soon as Luoxia left, Master Shen Er arrived.

Shen Baozhao couldn't lie still anymore after seeing her father. It just so happened that she also had something she couldn't figure out and needed to ask her father.

The two of them entered the Zhaoming Garden study together.

As the weather warmed up, Shen Baozhao's study was also covered with soft curtains. The wind, mixed with the fragrance of flowers, blew in from the partition, blowing the sky-blue curtains, which was very refreshing.

Master Shen received the imperial edict today and was in a good mood.

Thinking about the recent events, Bao Zhao handled them all properly. As a father, he was very proud, but also very guilty.

So I thought of coming to talk to my daughter.

Shen Baozhao motioned for Mr. Shen Er to take a seat first and poured him a cup of Junshan Meiye tea: "Father, please try your daughter's cooking skills."

Master Shen Er first brought the teacup in and sniffed the aroma, then took a sip, tasted it, and praised: "Not bad, Zhao Zhao, your tea-making skills are getting better and better."

After three cups of tea, Shen Baozhao asked, "I have a question that I can't figure out."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Master Shen put down the teacup and looked at Bao Zhao with a smile.

"The controversy surrounding my mother's dowry has spread all over the city, and even His Majesty in the Hall of Supreme Harmony knows about it. Why has no one from Prince Yu's Mansion come to inquire about it?"

This matter had been weighing on Shen Baozhao's mind for a long time. In her previous life, she couldn't understand why her brother was bitten to death by the wolf raised by the Sixth Prince, and why she was demoted to a concubine and no one showed up at Prince Yu's mansion.

They are all orphans of Nanhua County Lady and have half the blood of Prince Yu's Mansion.

And Prince Yu's Mansion has been acting as if their nephew does not exist from the beginning to the end. This shouldn't be the case!

I heard in the past that Prince Yu and his wife doted on Princess Nanhua very much, and Princess Nanhua was the only daughter in the prince's palace.

This makes no sense.

When Mr. Shen Er heard Shen Baozhao's question, an embarrassed expression suddenly appeared on his face.

He sighed and said, "Forget it. I should tell you about this matter."

"When your mother passed away, your father found it hard to accept it. He was drunk all day long, and even your mother's funeral was handled by the eldest son's family. It was not until your mother was buried that Prince Yu's Mansion received a notice."

"When your grandparents rushed over, your mother had already been buried. And none of the people who served her were gone."

"They are sending your mother to her death. They don't believe that your mother died of complications during childbirth, so they want to open the coffin for an autopsy."

"It was your grandparents who stopped them from opening a museum at the Shen family's ancestral tomb. They said it would affect the fortunes of future generations."

"Later, when your father sobered up, your grandparents were gone. According to the servants, when they left, they wanted to take you and Jie Ling away to raise them together, but your grandparents strongly opposed it."

"Some even said that they wanted to take back your mother's dowry. Your grandfather was so angry that he threatened that he would never set foot in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion again."

"In the following years, your father also took you to the Prince of Yu's mansion, but each time you were stopped by the gatekeeper before you even entered the mansion. Over the years, the two families gradually stopped communicating."

After listening to what Master Shen Er said, Shen Baozhao became even more certain that his mother's death was definitely not an accident.

It seems that Prince Yu's Mansion is still brooding over the death of Princess Nanhua.

There was no rush to ease the relationship with the Prince's Mansion, so we had to wait and see if Li Dashan could bring back good news.

Shen Baozhao wanted to start with Manager Li, but after returning home from the farm in Qinghe Village for so long, the other party still did not contact her.

I am sure that Manager Li only has a vague understanding of the matter, or even just guessed it, without any evidence.

Otherwise, Manager Li, who lost his daughter in his old age, would probably report it to me immediately instead of giving me such a subtle reminder.

When Shen Baozhao saw that Mr. Shen Er was depressed and regretful when he talked about the past, he comforted him with a few words.

He didn't stay long and walked towards Chenxiang Garden.

At this time, Xia Song from the outer courtyard sent a message that Mei, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, wanted to ask the fourth young lady about the shop.

I hope Miss Four will come to Changchun Restaurant for a chat.

Shen Baozhao thought of the young official in the sixth-rank heron robe. His tall figure gave her a very familiar feeling.

But she was indeed and certain that she had never known him in her past or present life, so she wanted to find out.

Besides, the deeds to her mother's shop and farm will still be in the hands of Master Mei for three years. It would not look good if he gave her an empty shell after three years.

So he asked Qingkong to reply and he would keep the appointment.