"Where is Lady Zhao, holder of a fifth-rank Imperial Mandate?"
As the soft, effeminate voice rang out, silence fell inside and outside the hall, not even a crow or sparrow to be heard.
Not only were the women astonished, even Concubine Zhao looked bewildered.
She dared not let her imagination stray in that direction.
After all, Huan'er nominally held only a fifth-rank office. A mother's honors followed her son's, so there was no way hers could rise any higher.
It must be a reward of gold, silver, and jewels.
"Madam Zhao?" the Edict-Proclaiming Eunuch asked again.
At that form of address, Madam Wang's face darkened. This rootless eunuch truly had eyes but could not see!
Concubine Zhao slowly walked into the hall.
The Edict-Proclaiming Eunuch dared not slight her. Because of this noblewoman, the entire household of the Prince of Eastern Peace's Mansion had been executed.
He took out a gilded scroll bearing the Imperial Mandate and proclaimed in a measured, sonorous cadence:
"By the emperor's decree, in accordance with Heaven's will: in the corruption case involving the Prince of Eastern Peace's Mansion and the case of Yao allowing her clansmen to flout imperial law, Lady Zhao rendered meritorious service by reporting their offenses. She is hereby granted the title of Lady of the Fourth Rank."
Concubine Zhao's almond-shaped eyes widened. For a moment, she could not react.
This was not the first title bestowed upon her, but it was an honor she had never even dared to imagine!
Fourth rank!
Whoosh!
Almost as though their minds were linked, Li Wan, Xue Baochai, and the others turned their envious gazes toward Madam Wang.
Before Brother Huan's rise, one had been the fifth-rank Mistress of the Household of the Jia family's Second Branch, a legitimate daughter of the Wang family; the