Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Zhaoyi Six Days
In September, Shen Qing's canonization ceremony was held, and the title of Shen Zhaoyi was not limited to the imperial palace, but spread throughout the capital.
Many people knew that a palace maid rose to the position of Concubine Zhaoyi overnight, and was a favorite concubine in name only.
The Shen family, who had received the letter at the beginning of the month, were now confused.
Didn't she say she was just going to be a maid in the palace? How did she suddenly become the Empress Zhaoyi?
Then they looked at their own family, which had been in decline since it was separated from the family. It only started to get better at the beginning of the year because of the gold sent out of the palace by the eldest daughter. Some time ago, they wrote a letter to Shen Qingqing implicitly boasting that everything was fine at home and they would enjoy a good life after she left the palace. All the Shen family members blushed.
An ordinary street in Beijing.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but recently there have been people riding in carriages and carrying gifts to visit this family. Although this family also lives in a luxurious house, they are just a merchant and are not very noticeable in Beijing. At most, they have some connection with the wealthy Shen family.
But no matter what, it is impossible for all the officials to come, even if the official who just left was of a very low rank.
After a young man saw the carriage go away, he came out from the corner, shook his sleeves and walked home. The nosy neighbors hurriedly called him: "Xiu Xiu, how come I didn't know that your family has connections in the court?"
Shen Xiuxiu turned around, revealing a handsome face. He hadn't grown up yet, but he could already see how handsome he would be in the future. He usually frowned when others called him Xiuxiu, but now he relaxed his brows for the first time. "Well, I just made a little money and my in-laws came to me. We have to avoid him. What kind of relationship is this?"
Shen Xiuxiu's words hinted that it was because she had made money, so the neighbors immediately turned their attention to this. However, they were not jealous, but advised: "Since you have made money, don't let your father spend it."
The neighbors are all merchants, and they have some understanding of Mr. Shen’s unbearable business ability.
But he just likes to hit the wall. He asks them that if he hands over the Shen family's business to Shen Xiuxiu, maybe he can continue to be content with his small fortune.
Shen Xiuxiu agreed. His father was not a good material for a businessman, but he inherited the Shen family's fine bloodline and had been able to use an abacus since he was a child. In addition, his father was embarrassed to spend the money his sister sent home at the end of last year, so he got the opportunity to revive the Shen family.
You still remembered the surprised look in his father's eyes after he succeeded, as if he got to know him all over again. Shen Xiuxiu then realized how unreliable his father was.
But thinking of his elder sister, who had quietly risen from a palace maid to a Zhaoyi, this was nothing.
When elder sister was conferred the title of Zhaoyi, she told them in advance to keep a low profile. Her elder sister was not the kind of person who would speak without reason, and there must be a reason for her saying so. So they kept the matter secret and did not show off.
But the neighbors didn't know, but the wealthy Shen family knew it. Somehow, the officials who were related to the Shen family by marriage got the news and came to visit frequently.
They could only close the door and refuse visitors.
The status of merchants is still too low.
Just as Shen Xiuxiu knocked several times and was about to ask the old servant to open the door, a carriage drove into view.
He frowned impatiently, but because the decorations on the carriage were too valuable and not something that ordinary people could get, and there were guards around, he took a few inquiring glances.
The carriage stopped and a well-trained maid got out.
Shen Xiuxiu didn't recognize him, so she said loudly, "Uncle Ma, it's me, open the door!"
The person in the carriage was Shen Qing. Not long after Bai Tao got off the carriage, she heard the voice. After five years in the palace, many things had changed, but the voice still sounded familiar to her.
Shen Qing stood up, and couldn't wait to go down and see what the young man looked like.
In front of Shen’s house, it must be Uncle Ma.
Unexpectedly, a hand reached out and held her wrist: "Wait a little longer, wait until you confirm the person, then go down."
So as to avoid being happy for nothing.
The one who came with Shen Qing was Ji Chen. Ji Chen took her out of the palace without saying a word and came here. Because Ji Chen was reading a book in his hand, Shen Qing really didn't understand what he was thinking. She just thought that Ji Chen wanted to take her out of the palace to play.
After all, she is a favorite concubine, and no amount of honor or favor is too much.
It was only as I saw the surroundings becoming more and more lively and familiar that I began to have delusions in my mind.
Shen Qing did not try to test Ji Chen's thoughts. His heart had already been filled with various emotions, feeling sour and swollen, but also mixed with joy.
"Okay." She responded with a smile, and her crescent-shaped eyes fell on Ji Chen.
The wetness in her palms revealed her uneasiness.
Bai Tao walked closer to Shen Xiuxiu. Because Ma Bo was old and his legs were not very flexible, he had not come to open the door yet.
Bai Tao asked, "Excuse me, are you Shen Xiuxiu, the second son of the Shen family?"
Shen Xiuxiu said coldly: "I am not."
Bai Tao pretended not to hear and continued to smile: "My Zhaoyi wants to see you."
There is only one Zhaoyi in the palace... Shen Xiuxiu suddenly widened her eyes: "It's me! Where is my sister?" As she asked, her eyes had already drifted towards the carriage.
Seeing that Bai Tao did not deny it, he turned around and ran towards the carriage. When he reached the carriage, he slowed down, straightened his clothes, and said modestly, "Sister, I am Erlang."
After just two sentences, Shen Xiuxiu's eyes suddenly turned red.
When my elder sister said she wanted to enter the palace, the scene of the family happily encouraging her to make a name for herself in the palace was still fresh in their minds. Later, my elder sister had little influence in the palace and was a maid in the concubine's palace. The possibility of her making a name for herself was very small, so they began to imagine the days after leaving the palace.
We only exchange letters a few times a year, so there is always a barrier between us and our communication.
But deep down, Shen Xiuxiu felt that he and her elder sister were not strangers, and he was not ignorant of what happened when her elder sister entered the palace.
The carriage was opened, and the first person to get off was not my sister, but a cold and dignified man, who was proud and outstanding.
Ji Chen glanced at the vigilant Erlang of the Shen family. His face was somewhat similar to Shen Qing's, which made him relax a little, but he was not in the mood to talk to him.
Ji Chen reached out his hand, ready to help Shen Qing down.
Shen Qing put his hand in Ji Chen's palm, lowered his body and got off the carriage. As soon as he stood still, he heard a clear voice "Sister".
In front of her stood a young man who was taller than her, but still thin and delicate.
Shen Qing hesitated and asked, "Xiu Xiu?"
She was completely unrecognizable. Because the Shen family had good food and her mother couldn't stand the days without meat, the children in the Shen family were fatter than the other.
So when Shen Qing entered the palace, she had a cute face and was very strong, which is why she was assigned to work in Zhiyun Palace.
Shen Qing's eyes instantly turned red: "Can't you even afford to eat at home?"
He also lied to her and said that everything was fine. If he had known earlier, he would have brought back some gold cakes to help them out of their urgent need.
Shen Qing couldn't recognize Shen Xiuxiu, and how could Shen Xiuxiu compare this fairy-like person to her sister?
However, his sister's words instantly made him feel familiar.
He scratched his head shyly: "We can afford it, and we have plenty of fish and meat, but my parents are thin, so I can't get much fatter."
Shen Qing thought so too and wiped his eyes uncomfortably.
Shen Xiuxiu asked: "Who is this?"
Considering that my sister’s identity is not ordinary and she cannot get along with men outside, the identity of this person is obvious.
His face was filled with shock, and for a moment he didn't know how to perform the gesture, and his whole body froze.
The most prominent people he came into contact with were the sons of officials. He had barely met any powerful officials, let alone the emperor.
Seeing that he realized it late, Shen Qing said nothing more and smiled, "Why don't you invite Sister home to sit with you?"
Ma Bo had already opened the door and was looking at this place from a distance, as if he was confirming something.
Shen Xiuxiu tactfully bent her back and led Shen Qing towards home: "This is my sister's home. You can come back anytime. There is no need for me, your younger brother, to ask you. Mom and the others are all at home."
Shen Qing became excited upon hearing this, took Ji Chen's hand, and followed Shen Xiuxiu home.
She whispered to Ji Chen: "I'm sorry for wronging you."
Isn't it unfair to Ji Chen that her second brother didn't pay homage to the emperor?
Shen Xiuxiu didn't understand, so she had to be more considerate.
Ji Chen squeezed Shen Qing's hand but didn't feel anything.
He checked everyone in the Shen family and knew that they had no bad intentions, so he took Shen Qing for a walk to relax.
After staying in the palace for a long time, Shen Qing's mind became heavy.
This was not what he expected. He wanted Shen Qing to become carefree. It was not possible for him to have a higher status but more worries.
Doesn't that make him seem useless?
As they walked in, Shen Qing introduced the people in his family to Ji Chen, even though Ji Chen might have known about them in advance.
"In addition to my second brother Shen Xiuxiu, I also have two younger sisters, the third and fourth in the family. Their names are Shen Rongrong and Shen Wanwan. My family and I like to call them Rongmei and Wanmei. They are four years younger than me. They are twins, but they don't look alike and their personalities are very different. They are about twelve or thirteen years old now."
"Besides that, there is my fifth brother, Shen Xiaoxiao, who is nearly eight years younger than me. When I entered the palace, he was only three years old, chubby and very heavy. I didn't like to hold him."
There was excitement in Shen Qing's tone, which made people wonder how much these brothers and sisters had changed. Ji Chen smiled and found it very interesting.
Years later, she would probably describe their children in the same way.
Hearing Ji Chen's thoughts, Shen Qing was stunned. What child...that would be a long time in the future.
Her ears blushed silently.
Feeling that Ji Chen liked these, Shen Qing started talking more and more. He kept talking until a beautiful woman heard the noise and came out, then he stopped.
Two little girls followed the woman, looking curiously at the group of people who were either rich or noble.
"Mother, Sister Rong, Sister Wan." Shen Qing suppressed the urge to cry and called out with a smile.
Shen's mother, Li Yan, looked at Shen Qing in a daze, looking at her eyebrows again and again, looking for a familiar shadow: "Qingqing?"
Shen Xiuxiu said quickly: "It's sister."
"Second brother is bad, you say it!" A cheerful little girl spoke without any hesitation. It was Rongmei. She came over, squeezed between Shen Xiuxiu and Shen Qing, and put her arm around Shen Qing: "Sister, can I be as beautiful as you?"
Her face was round, Shen Qing couldn't help but touch it, it felt really good: "Of course, our parents are good-looking, Rongmei may be prettier than my sister."
Wanmei also came over. Because Ji Chen was standing on the other side of Shen Qing, she didn't dare to go over, so she hugged Shen Qing's waist directly: "Sister, I miss you too."
Shen Qing took a lot of effort to calm down her two younger sisters, and looked at her mother softly and dependently.
Li Yan pulled Shen Qing into the house, and after they sat down, she let go of her hand and asked someone to get the best tea leaves to make for Ji Chen.
Shen Qing touched the wrist that Li Yan had held: "Mom, your grip is really strong."
Her bones were almost broken, fortunately she had exercised a lot in the summer resort, otherwise, with the pampered life in recent years, she might not have been able to bear it.
Ji Chen pulled Shen Qing's wrist over to check it, and rubbed it for Shen Qing, but didn't know what to say.
Li Yan said: "Your skin is as soft as tofu, so it's fine for me to carry Rongmei and Wanmei."
Rongmei and Wanmei immediately showed an indescribable look.
Li Yan smiled, her smile was so bright that anyone could see that she was in a good mood.
At this time, Father Shen and the fifth brother also came out of the study.
Shen Xiuxiu said, "After my father received the letter at the beginning of the month, he locked himself in the study room and studied with my fifth brother. He was not seen except at mealtimes."
The whole family gathered together. Although this was the Shen family, Ji Chen was still the main focus.
Father Shen had a lot of experience, and he knew what to do when he saw Ji Chen, but before he could salute, Ji Chen stopped him first.
Ji Chen said: "Outside the palace, there is no need to be restrained."
Why ruin the atmosphere because of such a trivial matter as greeting?
Father Shen was flattered and decided not to wash the dress. As soon as the emperor left, he would worship it and worship it three times a day as a family heirloom.
The others also breathed a sigh of relief, and their smiles became more genuine.
They were originally worried that Shen Qingqing would have a hard time in the palace, but now the emperor is so tolerant towards the Shen family and will naturally not treat Shen Qingqing badly, so they feel much more relieved.
Shen Qing was talking to his fifth brother with his face turned sideways, asking him how his studies were going.
Shen Xiaoxiao often heard her second brother and two sisters mention her eldest sister. This month, they mentioned her more often. In addition, since he was young and the others did not explicitly say that the person next to her elder sister was the emperor, they chatted without any restraint.
The atmosphere became lively as a result.
Looking at the Shen family members who were as elegant and graceful as fairy dew and pearls, Ji Chen was not surprised why Shen Qing grew up so well.
Shen Qing was surrounded, and only stopped talking when everyone knew how wealthy she lived in the palace, how big her residence was, how many palace servants she had, and how rich her meals were.
"Hey, where did father and... go?"
Shen Qing didn't explain it clearly, but everyone knew who he was referring to. Shen Xiuxiu said, "They went to the study to talk. Dad didn't let me follow them, saying that I was young."
Shen Xiuxiu thought to herself, although he is young, he is much more reliable than his father.
His father didn't let him go just because he wanted to be alone with the emperor!
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