The beauty of the Hou family and the king's plan

Xia Song acted quickly. Not long after Shen Baozhao returned to Zhaomingyuan, he took Li Dashan and Li Xiaoshan into the backyard.

"Thank you, Miss Fourth, for saving my life." As soon as he entered the room, Li Dashan knelt on the ground.

Shen Baozhao asked him to get up quickly: "Uncle Li, there is no need to do this."

Li Dashan did not stand up, but took Li Xiaoshan to kowtow three times to Baozhao.

"If it weren't for the Fourth Young Miss, my wife would have lost her life. From today on, we two will be at the disposal of the Fourth Young Miss."

Li Dashan was a very powerful scout in Xiao Yuanhuai's army in his previous life. Shen Baozhao had intended to find Li Dashan, hoping to subdue him and use him for his own purposes.

Healing his wife was just a way to win people's hearts.

Seeing the grateful looks on Li Dashan and his son's faces, Shen Baozhao couldn't help but nodded: "I do have something I need you to do, Uncle Li."

"I want you, Uncle Li, to help me find the maids and servants who were sold at the Ning'an Marquis Mansion ten years ago." Shen Baozhao said thoughtfully.

Li Dashan was puzzled: "Ten years ago?"

Shen Baozhao then told the whole story: "Yes, on the night my mother, Nanhua County Lady, passed away ten years ago, all the maids and nannies who served her were sold off."

She opened a rosewood box on the high table beside her and took out a few thin yellowed papers: "These are the records of the hometowns, ages and family affairs of several maids and servants who were sold."

"These are the backup copies left by my mother's servants. See if you can find their whereabouts based on these clues."

Shen Baozhao also knew that ten years was indeed a long time, and it was possible that they could not be found: "Give them a month, and if you find them, bring them back."

"If you don't find it, come back in January. I need your help with something else."

After saying that, he asked Qingkong to take a bag of silver to Li Dashan as a reward.

Li Dashan refused, so Shen Baozhao persuaded him, "This is the money for your trip. From now on, I will pay you the monthly allowance according to Xia Song's share."

"Aunt Li needs to take medicine, and you have to support the family. Although you didn't sell yourself to the Marquis' Mansion, you are the one who follows me, so I naturally hope that you can all live well."

Hearing what Shen Baozhao said, Li Dashan did not refuse. Just as he was about to leave, Li Xiaoshan stepped forward and asked, "What can I do for the fourth young lady?"

Shen Baozhao smiled at Li Xiaoshan, his face shining brightly. Xiaoshan immediately lowered his head and blushed.

Shen Baozhao considered for a moment and asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Seven years old. I am seven years old this year." Li Xiaoshan answered with his chest puffed out.

"Have you ever been to school?"

Hearing Bao Zhao's question, Li Xiaoshan's chest shrunk again: "No, I can't read either."

"Then are you willing to learn to read? Last time I saw that you have an excellent memory, so you must be a good student."

"I can send you to school. If you want to repay me, I will study hard and take the imperial examination. How about that?"

Hearing about the exam, Li Xiaoshan's eyes lit up. He nodded hurriedly: "I am willing to take the exam for the fourth young lady."

Hearing Shen Baozhao's words, Li Dashan was even more grateful, and thought that he must do a solid job for the fourth young lady.

After the father and son left, Shen Baozhao instructed Xia Song to help Li Xiaoshan get his school enrollment and send him to Songshan Academy where Shen Jieling was.

Songshan Academy is the largest academy in Kyoto besides the Imperial Academy, and it is very famous. Many famous scholars teach there.

Unlike the Imperial College, which had a threshold for admitting students, Songshan Academy accepted both the introductory class and the class for those with the title of scholar.

And the Imperial College was not accessible to ordinary people. The Ning'an Marquis's family was only the eldest son of the Ning'an Marquis's family, Shen Jiemin, who had once been admitted to the Imperial College.

Later, the old marquis found that he was not cut out for it, so he dropped out of school and found him a job in the Jinwu Guard.

However, Shen Jie Zhang, the eldest son of Aunt Lan, passed the exam on his own. In the golden autumn of August, he was preparing for the imperial examination.

Shen Baozhao's brother, Shen Jieling, also studied at Songshan Academy. He took one day off every ten days, and at the age of ten, Shen Jieling had already passed the county and prefectural examinations.

If he passed the examination this year, he would be awarded the title of scholar, which was considered outstanding in Songshan Academy.

It was already evening when Li Dashan and his son were settled.

The lights in the courtyards of Ning'an Marquis's Mansion began to light up one after another. Shen Baozhao sat behind the desk in the study, holding the note in his hand, his expression flickering in the candlelight, with an unclear meaning.

This note was not sent by Xiaobai, but was handed to her by a maid who accidentally bumped into her in the imperial manor of Qinghe Village today.

However, the movement was very subtle, and at that time the Second Master and Shen Jie Ling were both attracted by the steward of the Princess's Mansion, so no one noticed it.

Shen Baozhao frowned slightly and thought quietly.

The handwriting on the note was sloppy, and it was obvious that it was written on the spur of the moment and not premeditated.

It must be that the man did not know in advance that she and the second master and his party were going to the farm.

But what was written on the note was indeed a reasonable and surprising explanation for a problem that she had never figured out.

Yes, that's right. She had never figured out why her mother died of complications during childbirth when she had always been in good health and it wasn't her first child.

In addition, the Prince Yu's mansion invited an imperial physician to take the baby's pulse, and the doctor said that the baby was in a normal position. How could she have hemorrhage during the birth?

If it was poisoning as the note said, then it would make sense.

Shen Baozhao half leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.

All I could think about was that night of thunder and rain. The Nanhua County Lady, exhausted from giving birth, had her hair wet with sweat or tears.

When he saw her coming, he still forced a smile, touched her head gently and said, "Live well."

Tears welled up in the corners of Shen Baozhao's eyes. He frowned with his right hand and continued to think.

Today, besides the people from the Princess's Mansion, there were only the tenants of the farm. And none of them could possibly know what happened on the night of their mother's death ten years ago.

There was only the old man from the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion, and the person who signed the contract with the steward of the Princess' Mansion early in the morning was Steward Li who was beside the eldest master.

What is certain is that Manager Li went to the farm this morning, but there is no way to confirm whether he was there all the time, and whether the note was written by him.

Shen Baozhao tapped the armrest of the chair with his right middle finger, thinking about Manager Li.

Manager Li's family are all family-born. They were the master's servants when they were young. Now they have become independent managers.

His wife was the maidservant of the eldest lady Wang, and now she was in charge of the sewing room. She was Wang's confidant.

The couple had no children for many years after their marriage, and only had one daughter, Hongling, who was Shen Yan's personal maid.

By the way, Hongling!

After Shen Yan got into trouble, she was beaten to death with sticks on Wang's orders.

The master who had an affair with someone else became the wife of the prince of the Duke's Mansion, but his daughter who obeyed his orders was beaten to death.

No one would be without complaints!

Putting this thread together, everything makes sense. Shen Baozhao felt that this note was most likely sent by Manager Li.

It seems that the big house is not a monolithic entity.

After thinking this through, Shen Baozhao stopped thinking about it and had a good sleep, waiting for the good show to begin tomorrow.