Chapter 71 I Want to Go to Offer Incense

Speaking of this, Shangguan Jin couldn't help but facepalm.

The Seventh Prince is practically a little hamster now.

They kept asking Emperor Xiao Jing for things, hoarded them, and then moved them to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion when they had the chance.

Any rewards given by Emperor Xiao Jing, as long as they were gold or jade, he would simply tell Emperor Xiao Jing and have them delivered to Madam Shen's room.

There were also newly cast gold ingots from the Imperial Household Department, and Emperor Xiao Jing ordered the department to send five whole boxes to the Seventh Prince.

The Seventh Prince kept only one box for himself, and gave the other four boxes to Shangguan Jin.

As for other items such as calligraphy and paintings, jewelry, rare medicinal herbs, etc., they would seize any opportunity to rummage through Emperor Xiao Jing's private treasury.

Emperor Xiao Jing now indulges the seventh prince.

He'll give you whatever you want, and he doesn't care who the Seventh Prince wants to give things to!

With Emperor Xiao Jing's tacit approval, both the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin continued to send these things to the Seventh Prince.

According to Shen Qingming, the second son of the Shen family, if those things were put in the shop, the money from selling them could make the Duke of Dingguo's mansion the richest in the capital.

"I almost forgot this shop even existed until you mentioned it."

"If you calculate it like this, our household now has at least four shops on Qianmen Street." Shangguan Jin smiled as she closed the account book.

Shen Qingyue smiled as well.

"Yes, the imperial family previously bestowed two rooms upon us, and my mother also received one as part of her dowry."

Now the Seventh Prince has brought another room to our residence, making it four rooms in total.

The two shops that the Emperor bestowed upon them have been rented out to others.

The lease on the shop that my mother brought as part of her dowry expires at the end of the year. We'll see if the current tenant will still rent it; if not, we'll take it back and make other plans.

Hearing Shen Qingyue's words, Shangguan Jin nodded.

Yes, the lease on one of the shops that she brought as part of her dowry expires at the end of the year.

I've been renting it out to others at the original price for almost ten years.

It's time to raise the rent.

Do you know who rented our shop for 1,800 taels of silver?

"What do they want to do with the rented shop?" Shangguan Jin suddenly asked.

Shen Qingyue shook her head.

“Mother, I only heard from Steward Shen that a young master rented it, but I didn’t ask for details about what he did with it.”

That shop has three floors, with an inner river at the back and Qianmen Street directly in front; whatever business you do there is bound to do well.

Shangguan Jin listened and didn't say anything more.

She could just rent it out; as for what others did with it, she really couldn't ask too many questions.

Even if she had done something shady, at most she would have her steward report it to the authorities.

Then......

Of course, we drove those people away and rented the shop out again.

Maybe we can make her a heartless landlord!

"Have Steward Shen keep an eye on things. If anyone dares to commit murder or robbery there, immediately report it to the Dali Temple with a letter from the manor," Shangguan Jin said.

Shen Qingyue nodded and agreed.

Seeing that no one was around, the girls were all busy in their respective rooms.

Shen Qingyue moved closer to Shangguan Jin.

"Mother, is there any news from the north?" Shen Qingyue asked softly.

North...

It took Shangguan Jin a while to realize that Shen Qingyue was asking how Shen Huaichen was doing in the North!

"Everything is fine, don't worry."

"We just need to do our own thing," Shangguan Jin said softly.

Shen Qingyue nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she knew her father's abilities and that he had managed to live comfortably in the North for the past three years, she was certain that nothing would happen to him.

But she still had some worries in her heart.

Autumn has arrived; it should be snowing in the north by now!

Does Father have any warm clothes? Could he have a bowl of hot soup?

Will my father's leg pain recur?

......

Anyway, she thought about a lot of things, always wondering if she could do something about it.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingyue suddenly remembered something.

“Mother, the day before yesterday when I took my sister to pay our respects to Grandmother, she mentioned something to me.”

They said they hadn't gone to the temple to offer incense for three years.

"The weather is neither too hot nor too cold now, so how about we go to Bao'en Temple in the suburbs to offer incense?" Shen Qingyue suggested.

"Did your grandmother say that?" Shangguan Jin asked with a smile.

"Yes, my grandmother used to go to Bao'en Temple to burn incense every year."

After her father disappeared, her grandmother lost her spirits and usually spent her time chanting scriptures and burning incense in her family's Buddhist shrine.

Now......

My daughter thinks it's okay to go to the temple to burn incense, as it can bring peace and safety.

"My younger siblings all want to go too," Shen Qingyue said softly.

Shangguan Jin understood perfectly well.

Ultimately, I just want to get out and travel.

Since the official funeral for Ding Guo, it seems like no one has gone out much.

Shen Qingyue, in particular, basically learned how to manage the household and affairs from Shangguan Jin in the mansion.

"Then let's set the date for the first day of next month to go to Bao'en Temple to offer incense."

Tell Steward Shen to make preparations so that everyone in the manor who wants to go can go.

One of our estates is not far from Bao'en Temple. After burning incense, we would stay at the estate for two days.

"There's no rush to come back," Shangguan Jin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyue was overjoyed.

We can go burn incense now, and ask the Bodhisattva to bless Father with peace in the North.

You can also go outside and take a look around.

It's almost late autumn; the maple leaves behind Bao'en Temple must be all red by now!

This is a good opportunity to take a look...

With that thought in mind, Shen Qingyue immediately went to prepare with joy.

Shangguan Jin couldn't help but chuckle at Shen Qingyue's overjoyed expression.

She's only sixteen years old; isn't that the age when girls love to play and be active?

Why do you have to stay at home like an old lady?

Thinking of this, Shangguan Jin decided to stay outside for a few more days. Anyway, everything in the mansion was in good order, so she didn't need to worry about it.

I'd heard that Bao'en Temple is most beautiful in late autumn, so I had to make the most of it.

As for praying for Shen Huaichen's safety...

Haha, that guy himself said that with his mouth, he can cause a stir no matter where he goes.

Shangguan Jin thought this way, but she still hoped that Shen Huaichen could gain a foothold in the North.

In case something unexpected happens in the capital, Shangguan Jin will have a place to take her family to seek refuge!

Thinking of this, Shangguan Jin couldn't help but put her hands together in prayer.

Shen Huaichen, you absolutely must make something of yourself, otherwise you'll never have the face to come back!

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!" Shen Huaichen, thousands of miles away, sneezed three times in a row.

"Is the wind too strong? Is the gentleman alright? Someone, place two more charcoal stoves in front of and behind Mr. Du's desk." A richly dressed middle-aged man immediately gave the order.

Shen Huaichen waved his hand to indicate that it was alright, but he was secretly puzzled.

He's always been in good health, so why did he sneeze three times?

One thought, two recitations, three... Holy crap, I've caught a cold?

No, in this day and age it should be called a cold!

Thinking of this era of scarce medical resources, Shen Huaichen quickly drank a large cup of the hot wine on the table.

Let's be careful! Drinking alcohol to keep warm!