Eunuch Zhang personally escorted the Minister of Rites out, then said to Concubine Ru, "Madam Ru, please come in."
Rupin stood up and bowed to Eunuch Zhang, who quickly stepped back and said, "Your Highness, please go in."
Rupin looked at the wide-open door, breathed a sigh of relief, and walked in resolutely.
Eunuch Zhang did not follow him in. He closed the door of the imperial study and stood at the door, looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, almost entering a state of meditation.
After about a quarter of an hour, Rupin came out with a pale face and went towards her bedroom.
Soon, news came that Concubine Ru was infected with the epidemic. The Fifth Prince was very filial and stayed by her side. The door of Concubine Ru's bedroom was closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave.
When Eunuch Zhang heard the news, he understood. His Majesty really loves the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is not young anymore, and it is hard for him to get married. His Majesty must marry him right away.
If Rupin died suddenly, wouldn't it be bad luck for the Crown Prince if the palace held a wedding and funeral at the same time? However, Rupin was probably not going to live long either. By the time the Crown Prince got married, she would be dead.
As for the Fifth Prince...
Eunuch Zhang thought for a while, but didn't think too much about it. He was the emperor's trusted eunuch, and as long as he did the emperor's job well, everything would be fine. Thinking so, he went to the Secretariat in person to select someone to go to the Qin family to convey the imperial edict.
The Crown Princess's imperial decree granting marriage should have been accompanied by lights, decorations, drums and gongs, and a full ceremonial guard.
But now, this imperial edict has quietly entered the Qin family.
The person who came to read the imperial edict was the Secretary of the Secretariat, a low-ranking official. He brought with him a female official and several palace maids, who were young palace maids working in the palace's clothing bureau. They came to measure Qin Wan in order to make clothes for the Crown Princess.
Qin Wan, despite her sick body, put on the uniform of a county lady and quietly received the imperial edict in her own courtyard.
After sending off the imperial edict's messenger and the maid who took her measurements, Qin Xie's tears never stopped. "The fact that Xuanzhi is so quiet shows that His Majesty is dissatisfied with you. How are you going to live in the future? Being an ordinary daughter-in-law is difficult, and being a daughter-in-law of an imperial family is even more difficult, not to mention that you are remarried..."
Qin Xie had never despised her daughter, but with the world being what it is today, how could she not be worried?
Qin Zhan, however, saw something in the presence of the Secretary of State and the female official with the young palace maid. He asked all the servants in the room to leave, leaving only Zhenzhen and Zigui to serve: "You two should listen carefully. When you follow Wan'er into the palace, there will be many things and rules that you must abide by."
"Yes." Zhenzhen and Zigui knelt down and stood aside, listening attentively.
Qin Zhan said, "Although he is only a seventh-rank Zhongshu Sheren, he is the one who follows His Majesty and records his daily life. Think about it, if he is not a close confidant of His Majesty, would he become a Zhongshu Sheren?"
Qin Xie reacted and the dark look of worry disappeared in an instant.
Qin Wan knew more. The Secretary of the Central Secretariat was in charge of writing imperial edicts, imperial decrees, silver books, iron certificates, etc. Although the official position was small, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat was considered the starting point for the prime minister, which shows the importance of this position.
If you are not a Jinshi, you cannot be a Sheren. If you can be a Sheren, your future will naturally be secure.
Seeing that Qin Wan also understood, Qin Zhan continued, "The female official from the Imperial Clothing Bureau who came with her to deliver the imperial edict was originally the personal attendant of the late Empress. After the late Empress passed away, some of the female officials around her committed suicide to be buried with her, some left the palace, and some followed the Crown Prince and then the current Empress. Within a few years, these confidants of the late Empress died or dispersed, and this female official was one of them."
Qin Wan asked thoughtfully, "Grandfather, how many of the late queen's confidants are left?"
Qin Zhan pondered for a moment and said, "This is the only one everyone knows."
Qin Wan nodded, then looked at Qin Xie and said with a smile, "Mother, you heard it too. His Majesty must be satisfied with me as his daughter-in-law. Otherwise, why would he be so attentive?"
Qin Xie was still not satisfied: "You are using rice paper secretly, as if our family is not to be seen by others."
Qin Wan smiled and said, "Mother, His Majesty must have his own reasons for doing this. We just need to do our own part."
Qin Xie sighed helplessly: "This is the only way. The imperial decree has been issued, what else can we do?"
After that, she forced herself to cheer up and said, "I'm going to prepare your dowry again. When will Taoyao come back?"
Qin Wan's dowry was divided into several parts. The most important treasury and gold, silver and other items were managed by Taoyao and Zigui respectively.
Zhenzhen had just spoken to Taoyao on the phone when she heard this: "I've already sent a pigeon this morning. I think she'll be back this evening or midnight."
Huzhou Prefecture is not close to the capital, so if you want to come back at this time, you have to ride as fast as you can.
Qin Wan was a little worried about them: "Tell them not to worry, I'm fine, there's no need to hurt myself just to rush."
"Don't worry, Miss. They know what they are doing." Zhenzhen said with a smile.
Qin Xie asked Zigui to get Qin Wan's dowry list and then reminded Qin Wan: "I will discuss the dowry with your two maids. You should take good care of your injuries."
"Okay." Qin Wan agreed with a smile, watching Qin Xieshi and Qin Zhan leave. She called Zhenzhen to her side and asked, "You are not young anymore. If I don't enter the palace, you can stay with me and get married whenever you want, or I can support you for the rest of your lives."
"But now I'm in the palace. Once you're in, it's like being trapped in a deep sea. You can't just leave. Has your family arranged a marriage for you in the past few years? If so, you should stay and get married outside. The same goes for Taoyao and the others. You've been with me for so many years, and I have to consider you too."
Zhenzhen listened to her words and shook her head. Fearing that Qin Wan would chase her away, she quickly knelt down and said with a firm look, "Miss, I want to follow you into the palace. I'm sure Taoyao and the others have the same idea! We won't marry and will stay with you and take care of you for the rest of our lives! Miss, please don't chase us away."
Qin Wan pulled her up and said, "I'm not trying to drive you away. I'm just thinking that I need someone I can trust to manage and coordinate my businesses outside the palace. If you all follow me into the palace, it might be inconvenient for you to come in and out. So I thought, if your families have any plans for your marriages, I'd arrange them for you before I enter the palace."
"If there are no arrangements, that's fine. I'll tell my parents and ask them to keep an eye on you. Don't let your family marry you off without your knowledge. If you can't do my job then, I'll be worried."
Zhenzhen finally felt relieved. She smiled and said, "As long as the young lady doesn't want us to leave, then we will let her arrange it for us."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
