Shen Xuan wearing the clothes and accessories sent by Xue Fenglin without reporting it to Bai Shi, which allowed Xue Fenglin to gain face, greatly displeased Bai Shi.
Although she didn't say anything explicitly, she secretly treated Shen Xuan even more harshly.
In terms of daily living, due to Xue Fenglin's instructions, the household servants couldn't really skimp on anything.
However, the previous agreement that Shen Xuan could go out after the Mid-Autumn banquet was now nullified. Shen Xuan had Jingui report several times, but Mama You always found an excuse to block them.
Shen Xuan was frustrated being confined indoors all day, so he could only discreetly seek out Xue Fenglin's attendant, Wuwang, to ask. Wuwang, upon hearing him, simply said,
"Shen Ger, don't worry, the shizi already has arrangements." He said nothing else, only handing Shen Xuan a few books and telling him to read them whenever he had free time.
Seeing that he couldn't get any more information, Shen Xuan could only wait at home. Fortunately, now that he knew the shizi was Xue Fenglin, Shen Xuan felt reassured.
After all, Xue Fenglin wouldn't harm him; dealing with the affairs of this Marquis's mansion was just a bit annoying.
However, with the two of them working together now, it was much easier than him fighting alone.
Besides, Xue Fenglin's solitary struggle against Bai Shi in the Marquis's mansion was also tough; he wondered if he could help him in any way this time.
A few more days passed, and Xue Fenglin suddenly sent Wuxin to ask Shen Xuan if he had finished reading the books. Shen Xuan was a little puzzled.
He looked at the books Xue Fenglin had sent, which were all mythology stories, tales of the supernatural, and heroic adventures.
He had indeed flipped through a few pages these past few days due to boredom, but the storybooks in Great Jin now were all quite similar and far less exciting than the novels and web fiction he had read in the modern world.
"Are these books important? I only casually glanced at them," Shen Xuan said.
Wuxin simply replied, "the shizi asked me to inquire. he said it's better if you understood them, but it doesn't matter if you didn't."
Shen Xuan, still puzzled, saw Wuxin off. Not long after, someone arrived from the palace. They said the Empress Dowager had heard about the Xue family bringing the Shen family's ger to the capital and wished for him to enter the palace for a personal audience with the shizi's fiancé.
'Why would the Empress Dowager suddenly want to personally meet a country ger like me?' Shen Xuan was startled, feeling completely bewildered and unable to understand.
Even more shocked than Shen Xuan was Bai Shi. Although she had started as a favored concubine and was now elevated to main wife, she had never received an official title.
Aside from collective pilgrimages to the palace during festivals, she had never been summoned by the Empress Dowager alone!
"Just a country ger dares to be personally summoned by the Empress Dowager?" Bai Shi slammed down a set of teacups, shattering them.
"Madam, please calm your anger," Mama You quickly advised from the side. She was an old servant who had followed Bai Shi from her family and knew a bit about the old affairs of the court.
So she said to Bai Shi, "I heard that Shen Ger's birth mother, Madam Shen, also frequently entered the palace as a child and was greatly favored by the Empress Dowager."
"That's ancient history from decades ago. When the Duke's mansion fell, the Empress Dowager didn't say a single word," Bai Shi said indignantly.
"Even so, His Majesty ultimately considered Duke Shen's contribution in supporting the Emperor during his ascension and didn't further punish him," Mama You said.
"Although I don't know who persuaded the Empress Dowager to summon that Shen Ger to the palace, how could that ger possibly be presentable? Entering the palace would only bring shame. Besides, if he catches the Empress Dowager's eye this time, it might not be a bad thing."
Upon hearing this, Bai Shi actually changed her mind and nodded, "That's true. Even the Empress Dowager has summoned him; Xue Fenglin surely can't refuse the marriage now, can he?"
***
The day for entering the palace was set for tomorrow. Early the next morning, Shen Xuan, dressed impeccably, was picked up by a palace carriage.
He felt a complicated mix of emotions towards the Great Jin imperial family. Objectively speaking, Emperor Jinwu was considered an enlightened ruler, and under his governance, the Great Jin dynasty was quite prosperous.
However, Duke and Madam Shen had served Great Jin loyally for years, but due to their immense power, they were ultimately feared by Emperor Jinwu.
He found an excuse to send them to the Yan Cloud border, where the entire family died in battle.
"When the cunning hare is dead, the hounds are boiled for food." It was merely a constantly repeating power play of imperial dynasties, and the Shen Duke's family was no exception.
Shen Xuan disliked the cruelty of imperial power, but if asked about hatred, he didn't know whom to hate.
Since he had transmigrated to the modern world and then returned, two lifetimes had passed, and too much time had elapsed.
He had almost forgotten the appearances of Duke and Madam Shen, let alone the grievances of his father's generation.
After entering the palace gates, the carriage was replaced by a sedan chair. Shen Xuan was carried all the way to the Empress Dowager's Changning Palace. Upon reaching the palace gate, he was invited down.
"The Empress Dowager and the Empress are speaking inside. Please wait here for a moment," a young eunuch approached Shen Xuan and said.
Shen Xuan waited for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn before he was called in. He straightened his clothes, lifted his head, and strode in.
After passing through a courtyard, he reached the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters. An incense burner was lit inside, emitting the faint fragrance of osmanthus.
w The Empress Dowager and the Empress sat gracefully on two chairs, drinking tea and conversing, watching Shen Xuan walk in.
Shen Xuan looked closely and saw an older lady with quite a few gray hairs at her temples. Her clothes were of a deep color and dignified style; she was likely the Empress Dowager.
The younger one had particularly gentle features and wore a dark green dress; she was probably the Empress.
"This commoner, Shen Xuan, greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Empress,"
Shen Xuan knelt towards the two ladies and kowtowed according to palace etiquette. When he was young, Madam Shen had taught him some etiquette, and thankfully, he hadn't completely forgotten it, which proved useful now.
Shen Xuan's generous kowtow and prostration surprised both the Empress Dowager and the Empress, who exchanged glances.
Many official's wives and ladies were summoned to the palace daily, but most who entered the palace for the first time were inevitably nervous.
They would often be flustered and stumble over their words. Yet Shen Xuan, merely a ger raised in the countryside, displayed such composure on his first visit to the palace, which was truly unexpected.
The Empress Dowager carefully scrutinized the ger kneeling before her. He was tall, no less so than a man, and held himself very straight.
His eyes were large, his nose bridge high, and his appearance, though not delicate, was quite handsome.
His bold demeanor immediately reminded her of his birth mother, Jiang Shu, or Madam Shen.
The Empress Dowager suddenly felt a pang of emotion and motioned for Shen Xuan to rise and be granted a seat.
Then she turned to the Empress beside her and said, "Don't you think this Shen Ger's character is very much like Shu'er's?"
"After all, they are mother and son. How could they not be alike?" the Empress smiled upon hearing this. "Thinking back, among the few of us who entered the palace together as youngsters, Mother, you favored Sister Shu'er the most, making me quite jealous."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager seemed to recall pleasant times from her youth and also laughed. Then she spoke to Shen Xuan,
"I imagine your mother used to visit me here often. That was twenty or thirty years ago." She then asked, "I hear you've been alone in the countryside all these years; have you suffered much hardship?"
Shen Xuan considered this, then shook his head and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, it cannot be considered hardship. Life in the countryside has its own joys."
The fall of the Shen family and Shen Xuan's subsequent displacement to the countryside were all results of Emperor Jinwu's decisions.
If Shen Xuan were to complain to the Empress Dowager, wouldn't he risk appearing to blame Emperor Jinwu?
As a mother, the Empress Dowager would naturally not want to hear anyone blame her son. So, Shen Xuan decided, in an instant, to answer that he hadn't suffered.
Indeed, upon hearing his reply, both the Empress and the Empress Dowager looked at him with new eyes. It was known that the Shen Duke's mansion had once held a position second only to one person and above ten thousand in Great Jin.
bbWho wouldn't harbor resentment after falling from such a height into the mud? Yet this Shen Ger was remarkable; perhaps because he was too young when the incident occurred, he could so nonchalantly say he hadn't suffered.
So, the Empress then continued, "You said life in the countryside has its own joys. Would you mind telling us where these joys lie?"
Shen Xuan listened, thought for a moment, and replied, "In spring, the stream water is very cold, melted from the mountain's ice and snow. The fish in the stream get numb from the icy water and swim very slowly. At that time, catching fish is a sure thing. When you're hungry, you can roast them by the stream to eat; it has a unique rustic charm..."
"In summer, there are many fireflies in the countryside. Children use gauze to sew bags, catch them, and hang them inside the house, creating a firefly lantern..."
"In autumn, the mountains are most abundant in produce. Villagers often dig traps and put some rice bran as bait to catch wild chickens and rabbits..."
"Winter is very cold, but after it snows, covering the outside of the houses with snow can keep them warm. And the entire mountain is covered in white snow, looking especially beautiful..."
Shen Xuan spoke of things never seen in the palace, captivating both the Empress Dowager and the Empress. However, after listening, the Empress Dowager asked,
"Hearing you speak of these things, Shen Ger, they are all the good aspects of the countryside. But it's always said that farmers endure the greatest hardship. Have you truly not encountered a single difficulty?"
Shen Xuan smiled at her question and said, "Your Majesty, how can there be no difficulties in this world? But if one only focuses on difficulties, wouldn't life be filled with nothing but hardship? It is said that orchids grow in secluded valleys, yet they do not cease to be fragrant for being unappreciated. Is it not difficult for an orchid to grow on a cliff face? Even if no one admires it, does it not bloom beautifully on its own?"
After Shen Xuan finished speaking, the Empress Dowager and the Empress both took a deep breath, falling silent for a short while.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager looked back at the Empress, who then spoke, "Those words are truly profound. I never expected Shen Ger, raised in the countryside, to be able to quote such sage wisdom offhand. Indeed, he is like an orchid, standing aloof from the world!"
Shen Xuan was somewhat surprised to hear the Empress praise him so highly.
Then he heard the Empress Dowager say, "Initially, when I heard you were the Xue family heir's husband-to-be, I was a bit worried you wouldn't be a good match. Now, it seems I worried too much." Her words clearly indicated her appreciation for Shen Xuan.
Because of her excellent impression of Shen Xuan, the Empress Dowager, after summoning him, kept him for a meal.
Shen Xuan was quite eloquent, telling many anecdotal tales and imaginative stories from outside the capital, genuinely making the Empress Dowager laugh heartily.
After Shen Xuan left the palace, the Empress said to the Empress Dowager, "Mother, this Shen Ger is very intelligent and has a perceptive nature; I find him quite likable."
She continued, "However, his status is rather low, and he is not yet married to the Xue family heir. It is not quite proper for him to continue living in the Marquis's mansion, lest he be looked down upon."
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow at the Empress and asked, "Why did you suddenly think of this? Do you have another idea?"
The Empress replied, "Someone recently gifted me a residence in the east of the city, a small courtyard with just three courtyards. I thought such a small courtyard would be of no use to me, and I would only end up gifting it to someone else. It would be better to bestow it upon Shen Ger in your name, to grant him some dignity in the capital, and also to fulfill the sisterly bond I once shared with Sister Shu'er."
Upon hearing the Empress mention Jiang Shu, the Empress Dowager was moved. She already appreciated Shen Xuan, but not in the same way as Jiang Shu, whom she had watched grow up at her knee.
Hearing the Empress's suggestion, she naturally found nothing amiss and agreed. Afterward, she had an imperial decree written, granting Shen Xuan a small courtyard in the east of the city, along with a hundred taels of gold and some imperial gifts, all sent to the Xue mansion.
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