Chapter 45 The old hag is up to her old tricks again.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Eunuch Hu finally looked at Shangguan Jin.

“Madam, I have been entrusted by Her Majesty the Empress to deliver some daily necessities to the Seventh Prince.”

As he spoke, Eunuch Hu smiled and took out a small box, then presented it to Shangguan Jin.

Confused, Shangguan Jin opened it to take a look.

Oh my goodness, there was a stack of silver notes inside. Judging by the thickness, there should be about twenty of them, each with a face value of one hundred taels.

"This..." Shangguan Jin didn't know what to say.

"Her Majesty the Empress said that the palace will take care of all the Seventh Prince's food, clothing and daily necessities."

We absolutely cannot allow the Duke's mansion to not only have gone to so much trouble, but also have to suffer some additional losses.

"That's why I had this servant deliver it over," Eunuch Hu quickly said.

There was nothing Shangguan Jin didn't understand.

Empress Xu was probably afraid that Shangguan Jin would bring this up again in the future!

After all, she had helped the imperial family raise a concubine, and the concubine had to chase after her into the palace to ask for living expenses.

Now he's raising Emperor Xiao Jing's son, and who knows, he might end up in the palace again one day, crying poverty and saying his family is starving again!

Fortunately, Empress Xu handled things well by sending the silver ahead of time.

She even had Eunuch Hu deliver it, so that both Emperor Xiao Jing's side and the Duke of Dingguo's mansion would have to accept her favor!

"Her Majesty the Empress is really something!"

After all, the Seventh Prince is my nephew. How could I let the Empress spend money on my stay?

But if we don't accept it, we'll be wasting Her Majesty the Empress's good intentions.

"I'd rather obey than be overly deferential!"

Shangguan Jin happily and reluctantly accepted it.

Two thousand taels a year! The Duke of Dingguo's annual salary is only one thousand five hundred taels. It's true that being a prince is better than being a minister.

At this moment, Shangguan Jin gave Lin's mother a wink.

Lin's mother quickly handed the prepared small purse to Grandpa Hu.

Grandpa Hu smiled and declined.

"Madam, you're too kind."

I've already received a tremendous benefit from the Duke's mansion, how could I possibly accept these things again!

To be honest, my lady, it had been raining continuously for the past few days. If it were any other year, I would definitely be in so much pain that I couldn't get out of bed.

But during those few days, I only felt a little soreness and swelling in my legs, not as unbearable pain as before.

"I must thank you, Madam!" After saying this, Eunuch Hu gave Shangguan Jin a deep bow.

Upon seeing this, Shangguan Jin quickly moved away.

No wonder the old man Hu didn't seem to be limping as much as before.

"Eunuch Hu is being too polite."

"It was just a small favor. If the Duke were still alive, he would definitely have sent it to Eunuch Hu as well," Shangguan Jin hurriedly said.

Eunuch Hu smiled.

What hope could people with disabilities have?

Having no children, who knows where they'll end up in some mass grave after they die!

It's rare to find someone who still treats him like a human being; he remembers that well!

"Madam, I have another matter to discuss with you today!"

"The Empress and His Majesty don't know yet," Eunuch Hu suddenly whispered.

Shangguan Jin immediately became nervous.

Upon hearing this, Lin's mother quickly left.

When Grandpa Hu saw that no one was in the room, he quietly told him what had happened.

"I have taken in quite a few adopted sons, although they are not high-ranking and most of them are just lowly eunuchs who do chores, but there are still one or two in the Empress Dowager's palace."

Yesterday, after the Seventh Prince left the palace, a young palace maid in charge of tea in the Empress Dowager's palace told me some news about her adopted son.

Oh, that little palace maid is from the same hometown as my adopted son. My adopted son entered the palace because of her.

The Empress Dowager summoned the wife of the Duke of Anguo and the wife of the Marquis of Wuding yesterday.

When the young palace maid went to deliver tea, she overheard the Lady of Wuding Marquis mentioning the eldest daughter of the household.

Judging from the tone, it seems the Empress Dowager wants the eldest daughter and the second son of the Marquis of Wuding to marry in six months.

Shangguan Jin was taken aback, but quickly realized what the Empress Dowager was planning.

Emperor Xiao Jing had just punished Marquis Wuding and also removed the Vice Minister of Revenue, who originally belonged to the Duke of Anguo's faction.

If we don't do something, it would be so unlike the Empress Dowager's nature of always looking for trouble.

Since both of these incidents originated from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, it's perfectly normal for her to target the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Moreover, this old hag is particularly adept at stabbing people in the heart.

Didn't the Duke of Dingguo's mansion want to distance itself from the Marquis of Wuding's mansion?

She'll make things difficult for you.

"It seems that the Empress Dowager said that she is getting old and wants to see the younger generation get married."

She favored the second son of the Marquis of Wuding and wanted to see him get married.

Madam, His Majesty and the Empress are unaware of this news yet.

"Shouldn't you make some preparations here in advance?" Eunuch Hu said in a low voice.

How could Shangguan Jin not understand!

Even if Emperor Xiao Jing and the Empress found out, what could they do?

If they had that ability, they would have annulled the marriage contract long ago.

Moreover, Emperor Xiao Jing had just given the Empress Dowager's faction a setback, while the Crown Prince, on Empress Xu's side, also benefited.

They dared not confront the Empress Dowager head-on at this moment.

Therefore, even if they find out, Shangguan Jin will ultimately have to figure out a solution on her own.

"Thank you for the reminder, sir!" Shangguan Jin also bowed respectfully to Eunuch Hu.

Eunuch Hu quickly stepped aside.

"Madam, they are only discussing it now, and they shouldn't make any hasty decisions for the time being."

But the lady needs to get things ready quickly.

"It would be too late if we were caught off guard," Eunuch Hu said seriously.

Shangguan Jin nodded.

Indeed, you can't just fake your death right after the Empress Dowager issues an edict.

The Duke's mansion is so large, and behind it is the Shangguan family, with hundreds of people. It's not something you can just escape from.

Everything must be done reasonably and without any faults.

"Thank you very much, Father-in-law! I will certainly present you with a grand gift in the future," Shangguan Jin said earnestly.

Eunuch Hu waved his hand, saying that he was just passing on what he knew.

As for what he could do to help, he really couldn't offer any assistance.

The Empress Dowager is still keeping a close eye on me!

After seeing Eunuch Hu off, Shangguan Jin was seething with anger.

She had finally managed to restore the Duke's mansion to normal, but that old hag caused trouble again.

No, she had to be prepared before that old hag issued her decree.

"Mama Lin, please invite Aunt Dong and Sister Yao over here," Shangguan Jin called out to the outside.

A short while later, Dongmai and Shen Qingyue arrived.

Seeing Shangguan Jin's solemn expression, the two of them were startled.

"Mother, has something serious happened? Or is there some news from the palace?" Shen Qingyue asked hurriedly.

"Miss, is someone holding an event and inviting you to a banquet?"

"It's alright. We've received quite a few congratulatory gifts these past two times, so we don't need to pawn them anymore," Dongmai said softly.

Shangguan Jin...