“Lord Yun’an.” E Mingfu bypassed Madam Shen and Shen Cang, and walked directly to Shen Qiyin, saying gently, “Lord Yun’an, please accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude.”
Shen Qiyin suddenly came to her senses and bowed, saying, "Yun'an thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."
E Mingfu handed the imperial edict to her and helped her up, saying, "Please get up, Lady Xiang."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're too kind," Eunuch E waved his hand and declined, "I'm just a servant doing my job, how could I dare to accept your thanks?"
"But if we're really talking about it, there is one person you should thank properly."
Shen Qiyin nodded and said, "Please enlighten me, Father-in-law."
"It's Prince Xiao."
Xiao Yan?!
Shen Qiyin was stunned for a brief moment.
But then she realized that no one else would care about her affairs so much except him.
E Mingfu said, "His Majesty has been busy with many matters lately and has not yet figured out the most appropriate way to reward the Lady of the Township. It was the Crown Prince who suggested that we elevate your status."
Of course, this is his beautified version.
Xiao Yan's original words were not so polite.
According to His Majesty's original intention, rewarding him with some gold, silver and jewelry would be enough, but after hearing this, Prince Xiao said, "If that's the case, Your Majesty might as well not reward him at all."
“Those things are too flashy and impractical. They can’t be sold for money, and you’ll be punished if you break them. They’re useless except for collecting dust.”
The only one who could criticize His Majesty's reward so harshly without being kicked out of the Imperial Study is that young master.
Not only was he not punished, but His Majesty also kindly asked him, "In your opinion, what should he be rewarded with?"
Xiao Yan said, "Money and power."
"Then I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold. What do you say?"
“Your Majesty is wise. What I meant was money and power.” Xiao Yan emphasized the logical emphasis and corrected, “I did not mean for you to choose one of the two.”
"What use is power to a woman like her?"
"Precisely because she is a woman, she needs power and status to protect herself."
"So you mean..."
"Let's bestow upon her the title of County Princess."
His Majesty then fell silent.
E Mingfu was stunned.
Princess!
That was a title second only to that of a princess.
Moreover, a county lord must have a fiefdom.
According to the system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, apart from the daughters of princes and dukes who could be granted the title of county princess, only those who had made great contributions to the court and the state could receive such titles.
Miss Shen did indeed perform a meritorious service by curing Young Master Wei, but it was still too much to bestow upon her the title of County Princess.
However, since Prince Xiao had already spoken, His Majesty naturally wouldn't refuse him, so he made an exception and bestowed upon her the title of "County Lady".
Although not as prestigious as a county princess and without a fief, she received an annual salary of sixty taels of silver, sixty bushels of rice, and six bolts of satin, which was more than enough for someone of Shen Qiyin's background.
E Mingfu snapped out of his reverie and said to Shen Qiyin, "You must thank the young master properly, Lady Xiang."
"Thank you for the reminder, Father-in-law."
Although she knew perfectly well that the other person's words were not meant to advise her, but rather to make her feel grateful for Xiao Yan's kindness, so that he could do Xiao Yan a favor.
"His Majesty is waiting for me to return and serve him, so I will take my leave now."
"Please wait, sir." Shen Qiyin stepped forward and said in a calm voice, "You have come all this way, which must be very tiring. I should have invited you to sit down and have a cup of tea, but I was afraid you had important business to attend to, so I dared not stay any longer."
"However, I hope you will accept this small token of our appreciation and not find it offensive."
As Shen Qiyin spoke, she suddenly looked at Shen Cang.
Seeing that he was still standing there blankly, she frowned and said with a troubled expression, "Father, why are you still standing here?"
Shen Cang, who was suddenly called out, looked completely bewildered: "...Huh?"
"Eunuch E is leaving! Why don't you see him off? What are you waiting for?"
Shen Xiyin deliberately emphasized the word "send," making it clear that this "send" is not the same as that "send."
When someone from the palace comes to deliver an imperial decree, it's an unwritten rule to bribe them with silver.
Shen Cang wasn't unaware; he was just still reeling from the shock of Shen Qiyin being bestowed the title of Township Lord.
Normally, he should have prepared the silver in advance when he learned that someone was coming to deliver the imperial decree, instead of having to send someone to seal it up first, and having E Mingfu wait there.
They weren't unfamiliar with money, and they didn't need his meager sum, so they immediately prepared to leave.
Shen Cang was clumsy with words and had no idea how to persuade him to stay.
But Shen Qiyin was perfectly "invisible" at this moment.
She deliberately brought up the "hardship fee" to make Shen Cang uncomfortable.
If E Mingfu couldn't afford to bribe anyone, he should blame Shen Cang, since he was the head of the family and naturally had to take responsibility when things went wrong.
Who knew—
At this moment, Madam Shen, thinking herself clever, spoke up and said, "Isn't there ready-made silver bestowed by His Majesty? Just give some to Eunuch E."
These words stunned even the usually shrewd and worldly-wise E Gonggong.
What?
What did she say?!
Shen Cang looked like the sky had fallen, and said through gritted teeth to Old Madam Shen, "Shut up!"
Shen Qiyin lowered her head, her face showing nothing, but her eyes were full of smiles.
This family always has this ability: you only need to give them a starting point, and they can ruin themselves.
Shen Yaozu was like that before, and the old lady is even more so now.
With a forced smile, E Mingfu said, "Madam, you must be careful with your words. This kind of joke is not to be taken lightly."
He took advantage of his position as the head eunuch to collect some silver, which was not a big deal.
But if something bestowed by His Majesty ends up in his pocket the moment he turns his back, then it completely loses its meaning.
If this gets out, he'll be more than dead; his whole family will be skinned alive!
While they were talking, Madam Shen finally returned with a purse, but when Shen Cang tried to give it to E Mingfu, the latter refused to accept it, a completely different attitude from before.
He thought they acted foolishly and might cause trouble any day, so he figured it was best to stay away from them.
After taking two steps, E Mingfu suddenly stopped: "Look at my memory, I almost forgot."
"I also have news to share with Physician Shen."
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