SFS Chapter 172 Entering the Palace and Becoming a Female Official
Chapter 172 Entering the Palace and Becoming a Female Official
A group of officials, led by County Magistrate Zhang, rushed forward in a hurry, surrounding Xiao Heng's carriage tightly like stars surrounding the moon, and headed all the way to the city.
These officials followed closely and chatted with Xiao Heng who was sitting in the carriage with smiles on their faces.
The reason why they were so diligent was simply because they had something to hide, fearing that the powerful King of Lingnan would find out something unfavorable to them during this border patrol.
However, in the face of everyone's flattery, Xiao Heng always kept a calm expression. He showed neither joy nor anger, making it difficult to guess his true mood and thoughts at the moment.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the gate of Lingnan Palace.
Cangyu dismounted from his horse, walked quickly to the officials, and loudly conveyed the king's order:
"My Lords, the King has been exhausted from the journey and needs a few days of rest.
As for the regular court meeting, the specific time will be announced after the king recovers."
After saying this, Cangyu bowed and turned back to his house.
Upon hearing the news, the officials who had been on edge immediately breathed a sigh of relief. At least the king did not immediately say that he would punish any of them, so they began to leave in groups of three or two.
Before leaving, they still did not forget to whisper to each other at the gate of the palace.
One of them whispered:
"In my opinion, the king must have found nothing during this border patrol!
Looking at his pampered appearance, he probably just casually visited a few county offices, calling it a 'secret visit'!"
Another person held the opposite view:
"Oh, please don't say that!
Although the king appears to be silent on the surface, we still have to act with caution.
After all, living with the emperor is like living with a tiger!"
At this moment, County Magistrate Zhang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke:
"I find it a bit strange. After returning from his border patrol, the king seems to have become even more profound and unpredictable. Even I can't guess what he is thinking!
You should contact the county magistrate as soon as possible and make sure to find out in detail whether there are any major events happening recently.
We should also be prepared in advance and not be careless at all!"
"As you command, Lord County Magistrate! Please rest assured, we will handle this matter properly!"
The officials responded in unison and then hurried away.
At the same time, at the gate of the palace, Shen Qingge and the border patrol team also parted ways.
In fact, before returning, Xiao Heng had already planned everything. He arranged a job as a female official for Shen Qingge, responsible for managing all the big and small affairs in the palace.
She also has four days of rest every month, allowing her to go home to visit her family and handle household chores.
Of course, Xiao Heng also took Shen Qingge's family into consideration. Once she arrived at the palace, a team of secret guards would be stationed at the gate of the Shen family day and night to ensure her safety.
In this way, Shen Qingge can stay in the palace with peace of mind while ensuring the safety of her family.
To put it bluntly, he just wanted to find a suitable excuse to let Shen Qingge enter the palace so that the two of them could discuss political affairs together at any time.
However, considering that Shen Qingge is still a criminal, only a symbolic portion of his salary was paid to avoid criticism from others.
Today, Shen Qingge is going to return home first, have a rest, and then notify his family and arrange related matters.
So, Shen Qingge, who hadn't seen his family for more than a month, trotted all the way back to the small courtyard in the corner of Xishui Street.
She hadn't seen her family for some time and she missed them very much.
As soon as Shen Qingge entered the room, she saw her grandmother and others weaving linen in the main room. The loom was making rhythmic creaking sounds. Everyone was busy and sweating profusely, and they didn't notice anyone coming in at all.
Shen Qingge walked straight to the main hall and said loudly behind them:
"Grandma, sisters-in-law, I'm back!"
After saying that, she took out the flower paste, peony cake, malt sugar and other things she bought at the market from her bag and prepared to share them with everyone.
Everyone turned around when they heard the voice, first looking at her in surprise, then gathered around her in joy, asking about her well-being.
The nephews and nieces also gathered around with smiles, asking their aunt for some malt candy.
The Shen family courtyard, which was originally busy, is now filled with laughter.
Near dusk, the Shen family finished their weaving work early for the day, prepared some food, and added the cakes that Shen Qingge brought back. The family sat around the table and had dinner happily.
During the meal, sister-in-law Wang Lan asked with a smile:
"Little sister, do you have any special experiences you can share with us during your trip to the border?"
Shen Qingge smiled slightly, gently put down the chopsticks in her hand, and began to tell the story.
She first recounted what she had seen and heard in Puhai County, especially the suffering of the pearl divers.
Then, he mentioned the miserable scenes in other counties. The people were starving and wandering around. Many people were forced to become bandits in order to survive, and some even had to eat their own children.
Not only that, the border was often invaded by pirates, with wars raging and people living in dire straits.
However, she did not mention that she accidentally fell into an evil ancient tomb, for fear that her family would worry.
After hearing this description, everyone present turned from relaxed to solemn, their hearts filled with shock and worry.
They had never imagined that such a poor and chaotic place existed in the vast territory of Beiling Kingdom.
After everyone calmed down, Shen Qingge took a deep breath and continued:
“Actually, I have something important to tell you when I come back this time.
I have decided to go to the Lingnan Palace to serve as a female official."
Seeing that everyone was silent, she immediately explained:
"First, if you want to redress the injustice done to our Shen family, you must first seek a position in the government. This way, you can make more connections and obtain more useful information.
Secondly, since his exile, the King of Lingnan has always been very caring and helpful to our Shen family. Now the Lingnan region is facing internal and external troubles, and the situation is turbulent. It is only natural that I should go and lend him a hand and share his worries."
Originally, Shen Qingge was worried that her family would strongly oppose her decision after she made it known. After all, it meant that she would leave home and live in the palace.
But to her surprise, after a brief silence, her sister-in-law Wang Lan took the lead in expressing her support:
"Since my younger sister has such ambition and determination, we should fully support her.
I believe that with your intelligence and ability, you will definitely make a difference in Lingnan Palace."
Seeing this, the others nodded in agreement, expressing their understanding and approval of Shen Qingge's choice.
In my grandmother's words:
"Our Ge'er, although she is a girl, is not inferior to those men in terms of talent and courage.
Such an outstanding child like her really shouldn't be trapped in this deep boudoir and waste her precious time.
Besides, our Shen family has always been one that values gratitude. We will naturally remember the kindness that the King of Lingnan has shown to our Shen family and will never forget it."
After everyone chatted about this topic for a while, seeing that it was getting late, they all suggested going back to rest.
However, not long after Shen Qingge turned and left, several sisters-in-law and grandmother quietly gathered together again.