The head of the Red Mansion

Hearing that her brother had gone to the Wang family to collect a debt and had returned it, Baochai felt very conflicted.

My brother can finally stand up.

However, she completely offended her uncle's family, and her cousin also fell out with her mother. At home...

Baochai was in a state of utter confusion. She wanted to ask Madam Shen for help, but the words stuck in her throat.

"You are now a sixth-rank female official."

Shen Ning advised her, "Write a memorial and ask your mother to grant you an official title!"

what?
Is she... okay?

Baochai's eyes widened in shock.

So far, I have not heard of any female official being able to request titles for her family members.

Her breathing became heavier.

"Don't worry, Her Majesty has already mentioned it to the Emperor."

Why do ordinary people not value daughters?

Setting aside feudal ethics and Confucianism, while physical strength was a key factor in agrarian civilization, the most important reason was that it rarely brought benefits or honor to one's maternal family.

Shen Ning said, "His Majesty has agreed, so it shouldn't be long before the imperial decree is issued."

It's better to rely on yourself than on others.

Shen Ning had also noticed Xue Pan's change. "You have to believe in yourself. You can do it all without relying on anyone else."

"...Thank you so much, Auntie!"

Baochai's eyes welled up with tears.

She knew that this was most likely proposed by Madam Shen.

Behind many of the things the Empress did, there was the shadow of Madam Shen.

For so many years, her mother has been heartbroken because the father she married was a merchant.

She had grievances against her maternal grandfather and uncles, but she never dared to express them.

Even because the Xue family were merchants, she consciously felt inferior to her uncle and aunt.

She would try her best to send the best things from home to Beijing, and the response she received would make her both excited and sad for a long time.

She was excited that her efforts had paid off, but saddened that she felt even more inferior than before she got married.

Now, she can request an official title for her.

It would be a lie to say I'm not happy.

Daughters are naturally soft-hearted when their mothers cry.

Her father was gone, her brother was useless, and her clansmen were eager to divide up her family's property. She was her mother's only support.

"You're welcome what?"

Seeing her expression, Shen Ning sighed softly in her heart and said, "Your mother is actually not suited to managing the household. If possible, you should let your older brother marry a more capable wife as soon as possible!"

Baochai: "..."

She smiled slowly, then nodded. "What kind of wife does my brother think... is suitable for me, Aunt?"

Baochai originally thought that You Sanjie was quite nice.

Unfortunately, following in the footsteps of Sister You the Second, Sister You the Third also quickly found a husband, thanks to the matchmaking of this aunt herself.

"You know what kind of person your brother is."

Shen Ning smiled but didn't reply.

She didn't want to get too involved in the Xue family's affairs.

The reason Baochai asked Aunt Xue to request an official title for her was because the situation had come to this point. She believed that the girl in front of her would only rise higher and higher in the Empress's eyes. If Aunt Xue's voice was loud enough, she could also help spread the word.

“In the palace, you also come into contact with many female officials.”

Shen Ning gave only a brief suggestion before stopping in front of the passageway and said, "It's getting late, you don't need to see me off anymore. We'll meet again next time if fate allows."

"...Take care, Auntie!"

Baochai was escorting Shen Ning on behalf of the Empress. Although there was still some distance from the palace gate, she could have accompanied her a little further, but since Shen Ning was unwilling, she decided to let it go.
Originally, it was thought that when it came to her brother's marriage, Madam Shen would have someone to choose from.

pity……

Baochai felt a pang of regret in her heart for a moment, then quickly dismissed it and turned to walk faster and faster toward Kunning Palace.

She can now request an official title for her mother.

Good heavens, I must write a petition for a letter of request right away!

Baochai's steps were light and quick, her figure graceful, and her eyes were full of joy.

On this day, the entire harem was filled with joy.

Even Consort Zhou and Consort Wu were no exception.

They also had several female officials of high rank by their side.

These people are all their capable assistants.

It was a rare warmth in the deep palace, away from home.

Now their parents will be supported by the imperial court because of them, which is a very prestigious thing for their masters to talk about.

The emperor was clearly good at putting on a show. When he bestowed honors upon the parents of female officials in the capital, he made a huge spectacle of it. First came the officials from the Ministry of Rites who came to announce the good news, followed by a procession carrying the imperial edict with music and fanfare.

Bai Sui Street, Xue Mansion.

Aunt Xue's hair has turned quite white lately from worry.

The eldest brother settled all the household expenses according to the bill Pan'er gave him. Although he did not explicitly say that he would no longer recognize her as his sister, when Pan'er brought people to demand money, the eldest brother severely beat the second brother and nephew and asked a doctor to treat their injuries. He did not keep the maids and servants in the mansion quiet.

Now that the two families are at odds, those who need to know probably already know.

How to do?
Aunt Xue wept bitterly.

If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have listened to her brother and sent her daughter to that place she would never see again.

If she hadn't been given the gift, she would still be living comfortably in the Jia family, which would still be a natural ally of the Xue family.

Although her niece Wang Xifeng was indifferent to her, her nephew Jia Zhu was very kind to her!
But what about now?
Even Pearl didn't want to see her anymore.

No!

If things continue like this, the Xue family's business will go back to what it was before.

Aunt Xue couldn't eat or sleep well, and for days on end, blisters kept appearing in her mouth.

"Somebody come!"

Her voice was weak, “Go to the school to ask the old man for leave and tell him to go home as soon as possible.”

Now that you recognize all the characters and can even say a few words about Zhihu, stop reading and come back quickly!
It's not reliable to go to school and do business at the same time.

Aunt Xue knew that her son was stupid and foolish. Min Jianbai could do that, but her son Pan'er was not capable of it.

"Madam, the master says he is determined to study."

Tongfu dared not send anyone to spread this message.

Tongxi was betrayed by the old man because he helped his wife spread rumors.

The wife couldn't argue with the husband.

Otherwise, the family couldn't afford to fall out with the maternal uncle's side.

"fart!"

Aunt Xue was furious and about to scold again when she heard the gatekeeper's hurried footsteps and excited voice, "Madam, Madam~, the Ministry of Rites has issued an imperial edict for you! Quickly prepare the incense table!"

what?
How could Aunt Xue believe it?
What are you talking about?

What's wrong with you? Have you gone insane?

Or were they scammed by someone?
Aunt Xue wanted to buy an official position for her son, and her eldest brother had promised her that, but the official position bought with money could not be used to appoint her parents.

Moreover, when her family was taking large sums of money from the Wang family, Pan'er still couldn't get an official position through donations, so it's even more impossible now.

"No, it's a young lady."

The gatekeeper was anxious. "The eldest young lady wrote a memorial requesting an official seal, and the Emperor has approved it."

what?
Aunt Xue stood up abruptly.

A huge surprise flashed in his eyes.

Did the Emperor really take a liking to her daughter?
The Emperor loves her so much that he even wants to bestow a title upon her family?

Oh my God!

You've finally opened your eyes. "Quickly, quickly, prepare an incense table and tell your master to come back soon."

At this moment, Aunt Xue seemed to have forgotten about the blisters in her mouth, and those blisters no longer hurt. "By the way, where is the eunuch who came? Quickly, quickly bring a few top-quality red envelopes."

She knows the rules.

Her older sister had written to her about this years ago.

These eunuchs, lacking proper paternity, were even more obsessed with money.

Her family is well-known for its wealth, so what these people want is definitely more than what her sister said before.

She rushed off to pick up the person, but the doorman sensed something was wrong. Before he could speak again, the person had vanished.

Oh dear, he hurriedly chased after her again.

But Aunt Xue had already realized that what had come was not an inner eunuch, but a yamen runner.

Why are they government officials?

Is this a scam?
Yes, it must be a scam.

These bastards know that her family doesn't care about her anymore.

Aunt Xue was furious and was about to order the two yamen runners to be thrown out when Xue Pan rode back quickly on horseback.

While he was at school, he suddenly received a message from a servant in the Ningguo Mansion, saying that the Emperor's grace was boundless and that female officials could also request titles for their parents. His sister had written a memorial requesting the titles, and the Emperor had approved it. An imperial envoy would be arriving home soon, so he quickly prepared an incense table.

"My name is Xue Pan!"

Before Aunt Xue could speak, Xue Pan bowed and said, "Thank you both, gentlemen. Please come inside for tea."

As he spoke, he winked at the steward who had received the red envelope, "Quickly, prepare the incense table."

The procession with music and fanfare has arrived in the street.

But Aunt Xue didn't know, "Pan'er, they are..."

She was about to call him a liar when Xue Pan interrupted her with a stern look.

"congratulations!"

Although the two constables didn't know what was wrong with Madam Xue, the money bag handed to them by the steward was heavy and didn't feel like copper coins.

As expected of a royal merchant.

"The angel has arrived, hurry!"

By the time the incense table was quickly set up, the procession with its music and drums had already arrived.

Aunt Xue knelt down in a daze, and in a daze, she became the wife of an official.

A sixth-rank concubine—this was something she never dared to dream of.

Her tears fell uncontrollably.

On the same day, four other families in the capital were also granted titles. They all received the imperial decrees in a daze, and were overjoyed to the point of disbelief.

It turned out that their daughter had requested the official title for them.

Good heavens, this is something I can't even imagine.

The Chinese people love to watch a spectacle, and the onlookers were initially incredulous. However, imperial edicts cannot be faked. With this edict, they could collect one tael of grain from the Ministry of Revenue every month!
God!
When the Heavenly Official said this, the crowd was in an uproar.

Most female officials came from poor families.

This sum of money and provisions, amounting to one or two taels of silver, is of paramount importance.

In an instant, they were all thinking about their own daughters.

Although the Salesian Bureau allowed girls to attend the school for free six months ago, the enthusiasm among students was not high.

Even if it's free, you still need to buy the books, and the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones cost money!
But now...

Many people couldn't resist having some ideas.

Shen Ning and the Empress were just waiting for everyone to make their move.

Being literate and being illiterate are indeed different.

Although what they can do is still very limited for now, without doing anything, there will never be any progress.

Their next step was to establish a girls' school.

Baochai's first batch of twelve caravans has already begun to show profits, and the second batch of twenty-four caravans and the third batch of thirty-six caravans are also on their way.

They target different consumer groups, so they're not worried about competing with each other for business.

This was something Baochai had planned from the beginning.

Moreover, with the caravans, some of the defective products from the Imperial Household Department no longer needed to be destroyed.

As a business owner, she knew perfectly well that this so-called destruction was largely a sham.

But the items that were 'destroyed' were still recorded in the Imperial Household Department's accounts.

Because of this, the Imperial Household Department has already caught quite a few big rats.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Empress arranged for several well-regarded female officials to be sent in.

This is a matter for the royal family. Even if some ministers in the court are dissatisfied, they cannot impeach them for the time being.

The Empress never intended to immediately place the person she had her eye on into the court.

The Emperor hasn't thought about it yet.

Even though he greatly admired Shen Ning, because she went so far as to make Jia Zhen a close advisor to him, he never considered letting her directly attend court.

However, he clearly saw what the Empress was doing.

The emperor never considered objecting.

He will absolutely provide any support he can.

As for the future...

Let’s talk about it later!
To this day, the Empress has been working for the well-being of the people of the Great Zhao Dynasty, and is no less virtuous than any other empress recorded in history.

He is willing to work together with his wife.

The empress is a woman, and she has more compassion for women. What's wrong with that?
Secretly, the emperor was actually quite proud.

Occasionally, when visiting the retired emperor who barely even knew to drink water, he would ramble on about how good the empress was.

Sometimes, when Dai Quan listened outside the door, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that the Emperor Emeritus knew nothing now, otherwise he would have jumped up and scolded his smug son.

snort!
The empress who bullied the retired emperor should die young!
He lived a peaceful and stable life under the care of the retired emperor.

Dai Quan was very satisfied with his current life. Even though the Emperor Emeritus was gone, according to the rules, he could enter the Anle Hall, or he could use his years of savings to return to his hometown or purchase other land to live out his retirement.

With fewer princes causing trouble for the retired emperor, he no longer needs to worry about being slit in his old age.

The palace entered a rare period of peace.

After calculating the first batch of net profits of 23,463 taels of silver, Baochai, taking advantage of her proximity to the source, decisively purchased some of the properties of the corrupt officials in the Imperial Household Department that had been confiscated.

What they end up with are all high-quality assets.

Sure enough, in less than two months, the autumn harvest was completed, and the money spent was essentially recovered.

"Your Majesty, food is the most important thing for the people."

When Baochai met the Empress again, she requested that a grain shop be opened: "The elderly and children of the Orphanage need to eat grain. If a grain shop with government backing is opened in each county, it can solve at least one-third of the Orphanage's food and drink needs, if not all of them."

Buying low and selling high locally saves on losses from long-distance transportation.

“The older children from the Salesian Bureau can also work in the grain stores to solve their livelihood problems.”

Having said this, she paused.

The Xue family ancestors were once the royal family's eyes and ears, and they were paid for that.

"If you pay close attention, you can see the local people's livelihood from the accounts in various places."

Whether there is disaster or not can be seen at a glance.

This way, there's no fear that some officials will deceive their superiors or subordinates for the sake of their so-called political achievements.

The Empress often heard the Emperor complain about political affairs, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, write a memorial listing all the benefits, and then ask the Emperor to request funding from the Ministry of Revenue."

what?
They demanded silver from the national treasury.

Baochai's eyes couldn't help but light up.

She had always thought that their memorials were only for the Empress.

Unexpectedly, not only the Empress watched it, but the Emperor watched it, and even the officials in the court wanted to watch it.

"Yes! This servant will go and write it right away." (End of this chapter)