After hesitating for a while, she immediately reacted and asked hurriedly, "Are the Third Master and the Second Master home? Where is Ah He and Kun'er?"
There must be a man outside to greet her first.
Madam Kong beside her nodded hurriedly: "The third master has returned. He has opened the central door and welcomed people in. He is drinking with them. He sent someone to tell you to go and tell the old lady and the princess to prepare to receive the order."
A decree specifically for Old Madam Wei and Wei An
The Third Madam's frown relaxed instantly, and she immediately remembered the news Third Master Lin brought out the day before yesterday, saying that an imperial decree granting marriage would be issued in a few days.
Now that it has been explicitly stated that Wei An was to be sent to receive the decree, it is most likely a marriage decree.
She couldn't help but smile. She hurriedly told her daughters-in-law to set up the incense table outside and prepare, while she went to Old Lady Wei's yard.
Old Lady Wei was discussing with Wei An about buying land on the farm this year. When she heard that a eunuch had arrived, her first reaction was that an imperial decree had probably come from the palace to grant a marriage. Then she heard that Wei An was to receive the decree, she became even more certain and quickly asked Wei An to change his clothes.
Wei An went back to change his clothes, and hurried to the front yard with Old Lady Wei, where he saw an unfamiliar eunuch at a glance.
In the past, these matters were always handled by Eunuch An. Eunuch An was very good at dealing with people, and he was the one who announced the imperial decrees for the happy events of the noble families.
After the incident of Concubine Peng De colluding with Eunuch An, Emperor Longqing must have completely replaced everyone around him.
Just as Wei An was thinking this, the eunuch smiled and reminded Old Madam Wei and her to receive the imperial decree. After they knelt down, he read out the decree granting her and Shen Chen a marriage.
Wei An raised his hands above his head to receive the imperial edict. The eunuch handed the edict to Wei An and congratulated him several times.
The Third Master and his men had already handed over a thick purse. The eunuch took it in his hand without weighing it, still smiling: "Congratulations, Princess. The Marquis is a young talent, and he and the Princess are truly a perfect match."
This eunuch really knew how to say nice things, and Old Madam Wei also smiled: "Thank you for your good words, eunuch. Thank you for making this trip."
The eunuch smiled and waved his hands: "My last name is Huang, the old lady can call me Eunuch Huang. Pingxi Hou repeatedly told me to talk to you and the princess properly when I come out, so as not to disturb you."
Old Mrs. Wei glanced at Wei An.
The attitude of this eunuch Huang is indeed a bit too enthusiastic, but if you say that he is Shen Chen's man, or has a relationship with Shen Chen, it seems very reasonable.
She smiled and said, "Eunuch Huang, you have worked hard. Why don't you come down here and have a cup of tea to moisten your throat?"
Eunuch Huang did not refuse, so the Third Master winked at the side.
Taking this opportunity, Eunuch Huang walked a few steps ahead of Wei An and whispered to him, "Princess, I have been entrusted by the Marquis to tell you a few words."
Seeing Wei An nodded slightly, he continued: "Also, the Marquis asked me to tell you that the matter in the palace has been settled... Eunuch An and the others have received the punishment they deserved, and there should be a period of peace and tranquility from now on. Also... Prince Linjiang should be returning to the capital soon."
Wei An had already anticipated what happened before, so he didn't feel anything. However, the following sentence, although Eunuch Huang spoke in a very soft voice, still startled Wei An so much that he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
She had thought about it before. Emperor Longqing's health was getting worse and worse. He must be aware of it. As an emperor, he would never tolerate someone else taking the throne.
So, what is he going to do and what choice is he going to make
After a while, she saw Eunuch Huang turned around and looked at her, then she whispered back, "I know."
Eunuch Huang knew that she must be shocked, so he smiled understandingly and said, "This is not important. What is important is that the Marquis asked me to remind you to be careful recently. After all, you are coming back soon, and the princess can't stay in the temple to practice meditation all the time..."
Even if he wanted to continue his practice, he should do it in the capital. Otherwise, if a prince's wife didn't come back with him, people would always talk about it.
And King Linjiang would never want people to talk about his family affairs now.
Wei An was stunned. She wondered why Shen Chen would tell her through Eunuch Huang that Prince Linjiang was going back to Beijing. After all, this was not something that could be done overnight. Shen Chen could tell her himself in a few days. There was no need to tell her through others. He was in the palace now, which was very inconvenient.
It turned out that Princess Linjiang was also coming back with them.
Princess Linjiang has always disliked Shen Chen. After knowing the relationship between her and Shen Chen, she began to hate him as well.
Although Shen Chen had made Prince Linjiang make a choice, he locked up the princess.
But this time, because of Concubine Peng De's incident, Prince Linjiang had to release her early. Shen Chen was worried that Princess Linjiang would take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble again, which would be detrimental to her.
He truly thought of everything for her, and tried his best to do everything for her, standing in front of her to protect her from the wind and rain.
Wei An followed behind Eunuch Huang. This time, without waiting for Eunuch Huang to remind him, he said, "Tell him that I know what's going on. Let him rest assured."
Eunuch Huang responded with a smile, drank a cup of tea with the Third Master and the Second Master who had just returned, then said goodbye to the Wei family and returned home.
Old Madam Wei deliberately left them some space to talk. When Wei An came back and told her that Prince Linjiang was going back to Beijing, she was stunned at first, then she leaned back in her chair, her face somewhat mocking: "Just now I said that we can have a few days of peace, but now it seems that we are going to have a restless life again. It is really hard to predict whether Prince Linjiang's sudden return is a blessing or a curse."
Of course, it is possible that Emperor Longqing wanted to pave the way for the future Sixth Prince, but at the same time, it is also possible that Emperor Longqing did not care and wanted to completely eliminate the most capable Prince Linjiang
No matter which possibility it is, the Wei family is destined to be in turmoil because of Wei An and Shen Chen's marriage.
Wei An sat beside her and nodded when he heard her say, "The prince will definitely not come back immediately. He will be delayed for a while. Be prepared."
He would definitely not return to the capital easily. A vassal king would be nothing without his fiefdom. By then, he would be thousands of miles away and his subjects would be unable to save him even if they wanted to. He was a cautious man, so how could he allow himself to fall to that point
We must test Emperor Longqing’s attitude first.
Whatever Emperor Longqing is planning, it will be revealed during his actions. There is always a way to find out. Besides, there is Concubine Lin Shufei, so there is no need to be too nervous.