Evening.
When Shen Baozhu left the palace with the Treasure - Hunting Rat, the emperor thoughtfully prepared a veil hat. He put it on the head of the Treasure - Hunting Rat to prevent it from scaring the common people outside.
The emperor patiently exhorted, "The divine rat is too extraordinary. Most common people have little knowledge and will be frightened when they see it. After you go back today, Baozhu, discuss it carefully with your mother. Your uncle will also talk to the prime minister to try to arrange a proper identity for the divine rat."
Lin Yu: [The emperor is quite reliable in handling things.]
Lin Yu: [I'll change Yuanqiu's appearance. Then, I'll find an opportunity to ask the emperor to arrange a proper identity for it.]
Shen Baozhu also missed Yuanqiu very much. When she heard there was a chance to meet Yuanqiu again, she was extremely happy. She thought to herself that she would take out the gifts Yuanqiu had given her and let Emperor Uncle take a good look. The more he saw, the more likely he would arrange a good and proper identity for Yuanqiu.
Although Shen Baozhu didn't know what a proper identity meant, judging from Emperor Uncle's tone, it must be something good!
The main body of the veil hat was made of bamboo, surrounded by a circle of black and air - tight cloth.
After the emperor put the veil hat on the Treasure - Hunting Rat, from a distance, it looked like a four - or five - year - old child.
The Treasure - Hunting Rat was extremely excited and jumped around Shen Baozhu.
After watching Shen Baozhu and the Treasure - Hunting Rat get into the carriage, the emperor waved and called Ping Hai, who was behind him. He pointed to the official road outside and said, "You go to the Shen family along this road. If anyone asks, tell them that Baozhu had an argument with the Third Prince, who fainted, and you're going to give the Shen family a reward. The things have been prepared for you."
Ping Hai was stunned. They knew that the little princess was a celestial child, but few people outside knew about it. In the eyes of most people, compared with the little princess, the Third Prince was obviously more important.
Moreover, what was the point of going to the Shen family? Princess Jingning had divorced Shen Yunfeng, and the little princess didn't like the Shen family. Wasn't it a waste to give the reward to the Shen family?
Filled with doubts, Ping Hai took the things and headed to the Shen family along the official road.
This official road was not only the way out of the palace but also the necessary route for court officials to go home after work.
The Ministry of Revenue was the closest to the palace. After walking for a while, Ping Hai saw Yan's father on the road.
Yan's father greeted Ping Hai, "Father - in - law, why are you leading people out of the palace on foot instead of taking a carriage?"
Ping Hai told him exactly what the emperor had said. He curiously observed Yan's father's reaction and saw that his face changed. He looked a bit anxious.
Yan's father thought differently from Ping Hai. To be precise, he thought more than Ping Hai.
The crown prince was the emperor's most beloved son. The emperor and the queen even transferred their guilt and love for the eldest princess to the crown prince.
Now that the crown prince had been knocked unconscious by Shen Baozhu, but the emperor was giving a reward to the Shen family. Was this a reward or compensation?
To be more specific, since the crown prince was unconscious, Shen Baozhu might have been seriously injured. Otherwise, how could one explain the emperor's compensation to the Shen family?
Ping Hai asked Yan's father about his thoughts and was extremely surprised because the little princess had a very good relationship with Yan Mingli. They often went out to play together. If the little princess hadn't entered the palace, she was probably taken out by Yan Mingli.
With such a close relationship, Yan Mingli hadn't even told his father that the little princess was a celestial child.
Looking at Yan's father, Ping Hai somehow blurted out the relationship between Yan Mingli and Shen Baozhu. Then he heard Yan's father give a heavy sigh.
Yan's father said helplessly, "I won't hide it from you, Father - in - law. I've been worried about this matter!"
"My Mingli and Baozhu get along well. I'm afraid he'll be angry about this and ask Miao Chun for help, which might affect the gods' view of Dayong. That would be a great loss."
Ping Hai was shocked. He had forgotten that in the eyes of Dayong's officials, the person who had a connection with the gods was not Shen Baozhu but the female marquis Chen Miao Chun.
Yan's father sighed again, "Baozhu has been to our Yan family several times. She's a well - behaved child. I didn't expect her to have a conflict with the Crown Prince..."
Thinking that Ping Hai was a father - in - law in the palace and would protect the Third Prince, Yan's father swallowed the rest of his words.
Two sedan chairs stopped side by side in front of Ping Hai and Yan's father. It was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Military Commander.
The two first greeted Ping Hai and Yan's father, then asked Ping Hai why he was walking on foot. Ping Hai told them the whole story.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice wasn't very surprised. He had seen the little golden dragon in Shen Baozhu's hand and was sure that she wouldn't suffer. He just silently cursed the crown prince for causing trouble. It would be a big problem if he angered the gods.
The Military Commander was a sixty - year - old man. Hearing this, he was furious, "Too much, it's too much!"
"General Mu is fighting enemies outside, but his granddaughter has been bullied like this. Instead of sending the reward to the Shen family, in my opinion, it should be sent to the princess mansion!"
As a military official, although the Military Commander didn't like General Mu, he couldn't allow Shen Baozhu to be bullied. If everyone did this, taking advantage of the absence of military officials to bully their descendants, then what was the point of their risking their lives for Dayong?
The crown prince's reputation was mediocre, but there had been no rumors of him bullying others. The Military Commander simply and roughly assumed that the crown prince looked down on military officials. Otherwise, why did he only bully the descendants of military officials and not others?
Others were different from the Mu family. The Mu family only had Mu Lanyue as their only descendant. The two male grandchildren belonged to the Shen family. In the future, the little granddaughter Shen Baozhu could also recruit a son - in - law and give birth to a child with the Mu surname. In this way, the Mu family wouldn't be extinct.
After thinking this through, wasn't Shen Baozhu the only descendant of the Mu family?
The more the Military Commander thought about it, the angrier he became. He even started to stop his passing colleagues.
But soon, the Military Commander realized that he had wrongly blamed the crown prince. It wasn't that the crown prince looked down on military officials, and he didn't only bully the descendants of military officials.
Lord Yan was a Hanlin academician and the imperial tutor. He was also the younger brother of the current empress dowager. When he saw the crowd gathering here, he didn't plan to get involved at first. But the Military Commander's loud voice made him hear some details.
"What? He only bullies your military officials? My little grandson was pushed down by the crown prince when he was playing in the imperial garden. The scar on his face still hasn't healed!" Lord Yan became extremely angry when he mentioned this.
His little grandson was smart and cute. Because of the scar on his face, he didn't dare to go to school. He could only be taught by family members in turn. That's why this matter had been kept strictly secret.
Following Lord Yan's words, several other people also stood up. The younger generations in their families had also been bullied by the crown prince to some extent.
Yan's father stared at this scene in disbelief. Seeing that everyone was excited, he tried to ease the atmosphere, "It's okay then. The Crown Prince looks down on both civil and military officials equally."
As soon as he said this, everyone's expressions changed slightly, showing strange looks.
When Yan's father realized his mistake later, everyone had already dispersed.
Looking at the departing sedan chairs or carriages, Ping Hai curiously asked, "Lord Yan, was there something wrong with what you said just now?"
Yan's father was filled with remorse and wished he could take back his words. How could he have said that the crown prince looked down on both civil and military officials so openly?
The crown prince was still young and had no achievements yet. All the ministers present today would remember his words. In the future, when they saw the crown prince, they would feel estranged. He had blocked the crown prince's path and would surely be resented by the Yin family, the crown prince's maternal family!
At this time, the Yin family was in a complete mess. Father Yin wasn't very capable. He got a leisurely position thanks to his sister. On his way home, he saw a crowd gathering and went to join in the fun. When he heard that all the children who had been to Fengyi Palace had been bullied by the crown prince, he hurried home.
He entered the inner courtyard and rushed directly to the yard where Mother Yin was. "Sususu, tell Father the truth. Has the Crown Prince bullied you?"
Six - year - old Yin Susu was scared and hid in Mother Yin's arms when she heard the words "Crown Prince".
Silence spoke louder than words.
Father Yin was furious and punched the wall, "Good, good, my nephew is really great!"
After learning everything from Father Yin, Mother Yin looked at her daughter in her arms in disbelief, "Is it your face? That day when you came back from Fengyi Palace, you kept covering your face..."
Yin Susu nodded timidly, "Cousin asked me to be a little maid. I didn't want to, so he hit my face and called me a bastard... But don't worry, Father and Mother. After I obediently listened to him, cousin didn't hit me anymore!"
Mother Yin hugged Yin Susu and shed tears of heartache.