The guard hesitated and said, "But this young master said that the prince invited him here."
Madam Liu laughed and shook her head, saying, "The prince is so busy that he doesn't have time to invite a country bumpkin into the palace. Why don't you chase him away? If you anger the prince and princess, you will suffer the consequences."
Nanny Liu had lived in the inner house for a long time and was cut off from the news. She had no idea that Shen Xiuming had become the new runner-up.
Shen Xiuming was annoyed.
Prince Yan specially sent someone to invite him to a banquet at the palace. Shen Xiuming came with his mother, wanting to support his sister, but he was stopped outside the door.
"The prince invited me to be his guest, and you dare to stop him?" Shen Xiuming was even more indignant.
Even though he was the runner-up in the imperial examination, this slave still looked down on him. How hard must Chen Wei's life be, living alone in such a huge palace?
Madam Liu rolled her eyes and said angrily, "Drive them away! Drive them all away! In the future, if you see such filthy people, don't let them get close to the gate of the palace."
The guard had no choice but to step forward and politely ask Shen Xiuming and Shen's mother to leave.
Shen Xiuming led Shen's mother to a street outside the palace.
Mother Shen's eyes were full of worry: "Is the prince playing a trick on us? Today is the full moon banquet for San Yatou's daughter. I heard that the child will be given to the princess to raise... San Yatou must be very painful."
Shen Xiuming comforted Shen's mother: "Mother, please go back to the Confucian Temple and wait for news. I will go to the gate of the palace and wait. The King of Yan is so sincere that he will not tease me."
Mother Shen had no choice but to nod helplessly, and handed the package to Shen Xiuming, saying earnestly: "These are cotton shoes made for my little granddaughter. If you can enter the palace, give these shoes to your sister. Also, there are twenty taels of silver in it, which is the money your second sister and I saved together. You can give it to your sister."
Chen Qiang is now helping to manage the farmland in Nanshan. Last autumn there was a bumper harvest and her employer rewarded her with a lot of money.
Shen Qiang gave the monthly silver to Shen's mother for safekeeping, and asked Shen's mother to find time to send it to the palace to help Shen Wei.
"Don't worry, mother. I will definitely see my sister today." A firm look appeared in Shen Xiuming's eyes.
Mother Shen left with a lot on her mind. Shen Xiuming walked back to Prince Yan's mansion. This time he was lucky enough to run into the chief clerk beside Prince Yan.
The chief clerk recognized Shen Xiuming and hurriedly bowed and greeted him, "Mr. Shen! I sent someone to the Confucian Temple to pick you up, but I couldn't find you. I didn't expect you to come to the palace in advance."
Under the surprised eyes of the guards at the door, Shen Xiuming was politely invited into the palace by the chief clerk.
...
At the same time, the full moon banquet at Liuli Pavilion was coming to an end.
The princess felt uneasy for a long time. After the maids cleared away the dishes, the princess couldn't wait to say, "My lord, the full moon banquet is over, I should take the child away."
Only by taking Shen Wei's child away quickly can the uneasiness in her heart dissipate.
After a pause, the princess looked at Shen Wei with a smile and said, "Shen, this princess comes from a famous family and is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. This princess will fulfill her responsibilities as a mistress and take good care of Leyou."
Shen Wei's face was as pale as paper, as if she had suffered a huge blow.
After wiping the oil stains from the corners of her mouth, Zhang Miaoyu also ran over and said, "Your Majesty, I don't have a child. I want to raise a child with Sister Shen Wei! The princess already has three children to take care of, and there are several boys to take care of in the school. How can I spare the time to take care of a baby when I have to worship Buddha and recite scriptures every day?"
Zhang Miaoyu had a very full lunch.
After having enough food, you have to do something.
She wanted to help Shen Wei out and raise the child for her. Of course, she would only "raise" the child in public, and would secretly send the child back to Shen Wei.
"You have never given birth to a child, so how can you understand the hard work of taking care of a baby?" The princess glared at Zhang Miaoyu unhappily.
Zhang Miaoyu rubbed her chubby fingers and showed a simple smile on her chubby face: "What the princess said is true. Everything has a learning process. I am smart and can learn to take care of children quickly."
The princess was too lazy to argue with this fat girl.
She was the mistress of the palace, and it was impossible for Zhang Miaoyu to snatch the child away from her.
Nanny Liu has returned and is standing beside the princess, pretending to be earnest: "Master Shen, don't worry. The princess values the young master very much. She has sent an old servant to buy supplies for raising the baby. It is meticulous and foolproof."
Shen Wei looked at her daughter sleeping soundly in the cradle, her nose was sore and she looked pitiful.
King Yan held Shen Wei's hand and said with a smile: "Don't be sad, Weiwei, I have decided to let you raise Leyou."
Shen Wei was stunned and looked up in confusion.
The princess frowned and stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the ancestral rules cannot be changed. Shen is of humble origin. If you insist on letting her raise the child, it will be bad for your reputation if it gets out. Besides, a child raised by a concubine will not be able to find a good family in the future."
Prince Yan glanced at the princess calmly.
The princess neglected to take care of her own daughter, Li Yao, so how could she take Shen Wei's daughter seriously?
At the entrance of the Glazed Pavilion, Nanny Qian, who was by the Queen's side, came with four palace maids. Nanny Qian held the bright yellow imperial edict in her hand.
The princess' heart skipped a beat, and the uneasiness she felt inside grew heavier. Everyone listened respectfully to the Empress's decree.
Nanny Qian stepped forward calmly and opened the imperial edict: "The Queen's decree states that Shen is intelligent, virtuous, dignified, and virtuous... According to the Ministry of Rites, she will be appointed as a concubine on a chosen day."
The spring breeze blew across the courtyard, and everything around suddenly became quiet.
Everyone looked at each other.
It was not until Li Leyou's loud cry was heard in the room that the maid hurried into the room to comfort the crying baby.
Shen Wei showed a surprised look on her face, as if she had no idea what was going on. She held the bright yellow imperial edict in her hand and stared blankly at the Prince of Yan beside her: "Your Majesty...I, your concubine..."
King Yan looked at her dazed look and couldn't help but smile: "Weiwei deserves it, no need to be surprised."
Shen Wei was already very happy. After more than a year of hard planning, she finally reaped the fruits of victory today.
But on her face, she still looked three parts surprised, three parts confused, and three parts grateful. The first person to react was Zhang Miaoyu, who said happily, "Congratulations, sister Shen Wei! Now that you have been promoted to concubine, you can raise your own children!"
Shen Wei still looked dazed.
The princess looked as if the sky had fallen.
Today is the full moon banquet for Shen Wei’s daughter, and the princess wants to strike Shen Wei hard. But I never expected that I would be the one who was hit.
Shen Wei, a farmer's daughter, was unexpectedly named a concubine, was she worthy of it?
The princess was angry and annoyed, and her resentment towards the queen increased. The Queen must have deliberately promoted Shen Wei in order to suppress the Princess.
"Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable!" The princess' heart was beating like a drum. She tried to remain calm and said patiently, "Shen has no family to rely on, has not given birth to a son, and is illiterate. It is already a compliment to make her a concubine. If she becomes a concubine now, how will the court officials view Your Highness?"
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