60bestowing a marriage upon Shen Yulou
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Chapter 60 Bestowing a Marriage upon Shen Yulou
Emperor Ren nodded.
"That's right, since Minister Shen doesn't want anything, I'll decide the rewards myself."
Emperor Ren thought for a moment and said,
"Effective immediately, Shen Yulou is appointed as the Deputy Head of the Wet Nurse Department, bestowed a residence, and rewarded with one hundred taels of gold."
Shen Yulou's heart filled with joy upon hearing this; he finally received a house, money, and a promotion.
Putting aside everything else, a house and money were the most practical rewards.
This was exactly what Shen Yulou lacked at the moment.
Shen Yulou already had some understanding of the purchasing power in this dynasty; one hundred taels of gold, when converted by purchasing power, was roughly equivalent to one million in modern currency.
This amount of money was enough to change a poor family's life.
And Shen Yulou was a pauper, so this money came at the perfect time.
As for the residence, that was even better. Living in the Imperial Palace always had its inconveniences, and it was relatively more dangerous.
If he could live outside, then, even if Emperor Ren wanted to kill him one day, he would at least have a chance to escape, wouldn't he?
Just as Shen Yulou was about to express his gratitude, Emperor Ren suddenly said,
"Minister Shen is brave and resourceful, a man of outstanding talent, and I greatly admire him."
"Princess Siyi is now at the prime of her youth, and she and Minister Shen are a perfect match, a union made in heaven."
"I have decided to bestow a marriage between Shen Yulou and Princess Siyi, with the wedding to take place next month."
As his words fell, Shen Yulou's expression changed.
"Your Majesty..."
"Minister Shen, express your gratitude."
Emperor Ren did not give Shen Yulou a chance to speak; it seemed he had already made this decision long ago.
Shen Yulou's expression stiffened, and the other civil and military officials also wore very strange expressions.
What was the meaning of this?
The previous rewards were all quite normal, but why was there suddenly a bestowed marriage out of nowhere?
Who was this Princess Siyi? Shen Yulou had never heard of her!
Emperor Ren said, "Alright, I feel a bit unwell, so we'll stop here for today."
After speaking, Emperor Ren stood up with the help of several eunuchs and left the hall.
Everyone else also exited the Golden Throne Hall, and Shen Yulou supported Li Hui.
Li Hui said, "Lord Shen, great kindness needs no words of thanks. If there's ever anything you need me, Li Hui, to do in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Shen Yulou said distractedly, "Commander Li, there's no need to be so polite. The Emperor never intended to punish you; I just did you a favor."
Li Hui, however, didn't see it that way. He was still very grateful to Shen Yulou; if Shen Yulou hadn't saved the day, he would have been in a terrible situation.
Shen Yulou asked, "Commander Li, who is this Princess Siyi?"
Li Hui's expression subtly changed. He looked left and right, then lowered his voice and said,
"Lord Shen, let's discuss this at my home."
Shen Yulou nodded and escorted Li Hui all the way home.
Madam Li, seeing Li Hui return safely, quickly knelt down to kowtow to Shen Yulou.
"Sister-in-law, please rise quickly; I cannot accept such deference."
After some pleasantries, Madam Li insisted on cooking a meal herself to properly entertain Shen Yulou.
He didn't decline, as he wanted to ask Li Hui about the Princess.
Soon, Madam Li prepared a table full of dishes. Since Li Hui was unwell, Shen Yulou didn't let him drink alcohol, and the two used tea as a substitute.
"Commander Li, now tell me about this Princess Siyi."
In his previous life, Shen Yulou had many female confidantes, but he never married.
He never expected that in this life, he would be forced into an arranged marriage by the Emperor, and he knew nothing about what the other person looked like or who she was.
Li Hui sighed and said,
"Lord Shen, you could say you are blessed with a beautiful woman, but this blessing is not easy to enjoy."
Li Hui recounted the story in detail.
Princess Siyi was Emperor Ren's niece, Zhao Siyi, the Commandery Princess.
Emperor Ren had six brothers back then. After the previous Emperor's death, several brothers vied for power, and Emperor Ren ultimately emerged victorious.
Among them, Emperor Ren's eldest brother met the most tragic end, cut down by Emperor Ren's subordinates.
After Emperor Ren ascended the throne, to demonstrate his benevolence, he took great care of the widows and descendants of these brothers.
Zhao Siyi, the Commandery Princess was the daughter of Emperor Ren's eldest brother.
Emperor Ren kept her alive to prove to the world that he was a benevolent ruler.
Ancient emperors were like this, and so are modern top billionaires.
They all like to create a public persona for themselves, especially one they cannot live up to.
Emperor Ren was inherently suspicious and cruel, so he wanted to project a benevolent image to the common people.
Although Princess Siyi held the noble title of Princess, her life was vastly different from that of other Princesses.
Now eighteen years old, the Princess was still unmarried. It wasn't that there were no suitable partners, but rather that no one dared to marry her.
Commoners were not of high enough status; if her husband's status was too low, it would be a loss of face for the imperial family.
And among those whose status could match, who would want to marry Princess Siyi?
Marrying her would be no different from retiring to one's hometown, and it was even rumored that Princess Siyi had been under house arrest until she was twelve.
After listening, Shen Yulou frowned deeply.
"Why did the Emperor bestow a marriage upon me?"
Li Hui said, "From what I guess, it's just a coincidence."
"The Princess is already eighteen. If she doesn't marry soon, people will inevitably gossip. And His Majesty hasn't found a suitable candidate. You just happened to render a meritorious service, and you are of similar age and unmarried, so this matter became a natural progression.
You could say you solved a very big problem for His Majesty."
Shen Yulou was speechless, once again being used as a pawn by Emperor Ren.
He knew Emperor Ren wouldn't be so kind as to bestow a marriage; so this was the reason.
Seeing Shen Yulou's worried expression, Li Hui said,
"It's alright. Marrying the Princess might not necessarily be a bad thing. Ordinary people wouldn't even have this fortune. It's just that His Majesty certainly won't promote you much in the future, nor will he give you great power."
Shen Yulou had only recently entered the palace and had already transformed from a commoner to the Deputy Head of the Imperial Heirs Residence. A Deputy Head was a fourth-rank official, which was an absolute meteoric rise.
However, marrying the Princess might mean no further career development.
Even if Shen Yulou achieved more meritorious deeds, Emperor Ren would not promote him again.
Being a second-in-command was already quite good; being the first-in-command was out of the question, forever beyond his reach.
The husband of Princess Siyi, of course, could not hold too much power.
Shen Yulou sighed, "Never mind. Let's put this matter aside for now. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a way. Commander Li, you rest well. I must return to the palace."
...Song Hu arrived at the Wet Nurse Department and stood in the room, loudly saying,
"Which one is Lord Qin?"
Song Hu's voice was terribly loud; the entire Wet Nurse Department could hear him.
Qin Guiru and Tao Hong came out. Seeing Song Hu, both women were startled.
"You... why are you here?"
Song Hu frowned, "I'm here to report to Lord Qin."
Qin Guiru said, "I, I am."
"You?" Song Hu's face darkened. Work under a woman?
Song Hu snorted, "Shen Yulou told me to come grind rice flour. Arrange my tasks."
Qin Guiru was instantly shocked beyond belief, completely stunned.
Isn't this the Wulin Kingdom's strongest general?
Making him grind rice flour?
Just then, Shen Yulou walked in and, seeing Song Hu, said,
"You're here?"
Song Hu snorted coldly, completely disregarding Shen Yulou.
Shen Yulou said, "Vanguard Song, since you have joined our Hun Kingdom, you naturally need to adapt.
Later, we'll re-register your identity. You should also change your name; don't be called Song Hu anymore.
Call yourself... Song Jiaojiao.