novelhk Chapter 232: Conferred County Lord
Chapter 232: Conferred County Lord
Si Muyan agreed to the Queen Mother's words. She also knew that it was not convenient for the Queen Mother to summon Si Xingzhi into the palace, and she was afraid that letting her younger brother in would be too conspicuous, so she told her all this to let her go back and remind her father and brother.
The Queen Mother asked the nanny to come over and handed Si Muyan a small box: "Open it and take a look."
Si Muyan opened it and saw several deeds to land and shops: "My Lady?"
The nanny explained, "My dear, the Empress Dowager is most concerned about you right now. She knows that you have just returned to the capital and your finances must be limited. Please take these deeds to the farm and shop and make your plans accordingly."
Si Muyan was touched. Taiguo really thought carefully for them.
When the Si family returned to Beijing, everything in the mansion was arranged by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department. The emperor was not a stingy person and would certainly order them to make proper arrangements. However, relying solely on Si Xingzhi's title, without any accumulation, it was estimated that it was only enough to support a large family.
But if you want to go out, whether it's buying clothes or taking care of things, which one doesn't require money?
Originally, Si Muyan planned to wait until he became familiar with the environment in Kyoto and then look for business opportunities to make some money.
Making money is not shameful.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother gave her so many things. With these land deeds, the Si family could live a better life by doing anything.
But it wasn't over yet. The nanny had two more boxes brought over and opened them directly for Si Muyan to see.
"Miss, this is also a reward from the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother also smiled and said, "A gift from an elder cannot be declined. This is all I can do to help you."
How could Si Muyan refuse? She immediately knelt down to express her gratitude. One of the two boxes contained neatly arranged jewelry, while the other contained silver, which was exactly what the Si family needed.
She was deeply moved, and she knew in her heart that the Queen Mother must feel guilty towards them for not being able to protect them, so she wanted to leave everything good to them.
When Shao Qin and her younger sister returned, the Empress Dowager continued, "I hereby declare that Shao Qin has been raised by me since childhood, and is no different from my own daughter. From now on, she is my adopted daughter. Furthermore, Simu Wan is a beautiful and gifted woman, and she is very virtuous and has won my heart. I hereby grant her the title of County Lady."
Shao Qin didn't understand anything and was still wandering around. Her younger sister had already knelt down and, after thanking the Queen Mother politely, raised her head and looked at her lovingly, saying, "Aunt Grandma, Wan'er thanks you so much."
She snuggled up to the empress dowager and acted coquettishly and funny, which made the empress dowager very happy.
The Emperor came in at this time and smiled at the scene: "With the children's company, the Queen Mother is in much better spirits."
The Empress Dowager's expression paled a little, and she didn't want to pay any attention. It was the nanny who spoke out the Empress Dowager's decree.
The Emperor glanced at the two boxes on the floor and the small box on the table, and said with a smile, "Mother is truly concerned about Sister Qin. It is indeed my son's fault for neglecting her."
After saying that, he stood up and walked in front of Shao Qin and said, "I used to call you cousin, but now that you are the queen mother's daughter, you are my biological sister. Do you still remember me?"
Shao Qin had no recollection of this and only smiled foolishly at the emperor: "Do you know? I have a daughter named Wan'er, she's already one and a half years old and very cute. I'll bring her up to you later."
The emperor was stunned and his eyes swept across Si Muyan's face. He had met this girl a few days ago. She must not be Si Muwan, so it must be the other girl.
He looked at Si Muwan, whose peach blossom eyes were still filled with tears. When her eyes met the emperor's, she was startled and quickly knelt down to salute again.
"Your Majesty, be safe."
The emperor's eyes flashed with astonishment, but he quickly returned to normal. "My three nieces are truly stunningly beautiful, each with their own unique characteristics. Wan'er hasn't seen me in years. Have you forgotten the days when you used to call me uncle when you were little?"
The little sister hesitated for a moment, then called out obediently, "Uncle."
The emperor laughed heartily and pointed at Si Muyan and said, "Look, your sister is much more obedient. You are just too rigid."
Si Muyan also laughed: "Your Majesty, there is a difference between the emperor and his subjects. I dare not act rashly."
My younger sister raised her eyes timidly to look at the emperor, then immediately lowered her head and called him, "Your Majesty, I am guilty and should not have been so presumptuous."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "There are no outsiders here. You should call me uncle."
Seeing him staring at Shao Qin, Si Muyan explained, "Your Majesty, my second sister gave birth to a daughter named Si Yunxia. My mother can't remember how many of us there are, but only remembers my third sister. She always thought Xiaoxia was the third sister."
"I see." The emperor retracted his gaze and nodded, saying, "I haven't met Xiaoxia yet. Bring her in for me to see when you have time."
"Yes."
When the Si family left the palace, the emperor personally escorted them out of the empress dowager's palace and asked someone to send the empress dowager's reward back to the Si family.
The younger sister supported Shao Qin and walked behind. When she was about to say goodbye to the emperor, she looked back at the emperor.
However, the emperor looked at them with a warm gaze and nodded, showing no intention of saying goodbye.
After this trip, Si Muyan was exhausted. She didn't want to say a word in the carriage, and she could only feel her forehead throbbing. Dealing with the emperor and the empress dowager was much more difficult than her thinking about chickens, ducks, geese, what dishes to cook, and what shops to open.
She hoped that the Si family could quickly integrate into the life of Kyoto so that she could go to the manor earlier...
Raise chickens and grow vegetables!
When she was drowsy, Si Muyan thought of her younger sister's abnormality. She wanted to cheer up and ask her, but the next moment her head tilted and she fell asleep.
The younger sister was also worried. After returning home, she made an excuse that she was not feeling well, went back to her own yard, closed the door, and only let Mother Tian come over and told her everything that happened today.
"I had guessed the Emperor would be there, so I dressed up specially. It's a pity the Emperor didn't seem to notice me much... It's no wonder. He'd already seen my second sister, so naturally he wouldn't be as impressed by me."
Mother Tian said, "There's still plenty of time. Why are you so anxious, young lady?"
My younger sister shook her head. "It's not that I'm anxious, but today the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree, adopting my mother as her adopted daughter. I was also granted the title of County Princess, making me the Emperor's junior. Today, the Emperor even asked me to call him uncle several times. Alas, it was fine for me to disobey and call him uncle when I was young, but now..."
Unexpectedly, when Mrs. Tian heard this, she was not angry at all, but was overjoyed.
"Really? Did the Queen Mother reward you?"
The younger sister said, "Only I was given the title of County Lady, and none of my sisters were given the title. In fact, it would have been better if the title of County Lady had been given to my eldest sister."
Mother Tian quickly said, "It's just right for you to be the county lady. You don't understand those people in higher positions. The higher their position, the more they like forbidden feelings, as if breaking through worldly love is the most beautiful thing in the world."
There was a hint of disgust in the younger sister's eyes, but she still breathed a sigh of relief.