After working on the ink for a few times, Prince Chen turned around and saw Emperor Longfeng standing still. "Father, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond. You wrote the imperial edict today, and tomorrow I will take the trouble to take it to the Ministry of Rites to copy it for backup. Then the matter will be settled, right?"
Emperor Longfeng raised his chin towards Liu Zhongbao.
Liu Zhongbao took out a brocade box from the bookshelf and placed it on the table with a smile: "Your Highness, please take a look at what is inside?"
Prince Chen put down the inkstone, and the palace servants waited for him to wash his hands. After he dried his hands, he opened the brocade box.
There was an imperial edict inside, and Prince Chen glanced at Emperor Longfeng.
"Du Qing, open the imperial edict and take a look." Emperor Longfeng walked to the dragon-patterned wooden chair and sat down. "It has what you want."
"Your Highness, please open it and take a look." Liu Zhongbao also urged Prince Chen to open the imperial edict with a smile.
He took out the imperial edict and opened it. It was an imperial edict to promote the daughter of Ming Shilang to the title of county lord, but it had not been stamped yet.
"That day, I wrote two imperial edicts, one to promote Ming Jingzhou to the rank of Earl, and the other to confer the title of County Lord on the daughter of the Ming family." Emperor Longfeng took the imperial seal and stamped the edict with a bright red seal: "If you can go to the Ministry of Rites quietly, I will give the honor to your future father-in-law. If you don't want to, this honor will be given to you as the future princess."
If her future husband is spoiled by her father, she will have to give him some compensation.
"Ming Jingzhou is a clear-headed man. It's good for you to have such a father-in-law." Emperor Longfeng stuffed the imperial edict with the seal back into his son's hand: "Okay, tomorrow you take the imperial edict to the Ministry of Rites for registration, and then let Li Shang go to announce the edict in person."
"Father." Prince Chen held the imperial edict, "So... you have already written the imperial edict?"
So why did he work so hard just now?
"Why, you don't want this imperial edict?" Emperor Longfeng stretched out his hand to take back the imperial edict: "In fact, it's better not to give the title of Lady Ming to the Ming family. There must be people in the court who disagree with this matter. This way, there will be fewer disputes."
In fact, if Du Qing hadn't mentioned it, he would not have intended to issue this decree.
"It's just a small county lord, not a princess, what kind of dispute can there be." The prince put the imperial edict in his arms. Fearing that Emperor Longfeng would go back on his word, the prince bowed and said, "Father, the palace gates are about to close, and I will take my leave first."
"No problem, you can stay in the side hall." Emperor Longfeng glanced at the inkstone with ink splashed on the outside. This was not helping to grind ink, it was clearly destroying it.
"Thank you for your kindness, Father. I will go back to the palace to sleep, to prevent the civil servants from complaining again." Prince Chen touched the imperial edict in his arms, "I will take my leave."
Watching his son run away with the imperial edict in his hands, Emperor Longfeng dipped his pen into the ink in the inkstone and wrote a few words on the paper: "Liu Zhongbao, how many days are left before the Prince of Qi and Miss Sun get married?"
"Your Majesty, there are still six days."
After writing a page, Emperor Longfeng looked at it carefully for a moment, then put down his pen and said, "It was a good thing that I didn't let my son get engaged to my grandson's daughter."
"The auspicious time for the wedding remains the same. There is no need to change it." He thought for a moment, "Send two rolls of tribute silk to Lanxu Palace."
"Your Majesty is so partial!" Concubine Ning pushed the two pieces of tribute silk to the ground, her eyes red with anger.
Concubine Yang had just passed away, and she was worried that it would affect the auspicious time for Yanze's wedding. However, the Qintianjian said that the auspicious time had been set and the wedding procedures had been prepared and could not be changed.
What's the point of sending these two pieces of cloth? Are you sending away cats and dogs?
"My lady." Bai Shao bent down and picked up the offerings on the ground: "Don't get too angry and hurt yourself."
Concubine Ning ignored her. Ever since she failed to do her job well last time, she no longer had the face in front of Concubine Ning as before.
"Your Majesty." A eunuch hurried in: "Today, the Ministry of Rites went to Minister Ming's residence to announce an imperial decree."
"What is the will?"
"Appoint the daughter of Minister Ming as the county lord."
"Didn't Your Majesty just confer the title of Earl on Ming Jingzhou?" Concubine Ning asked, "Is this news confirmed?"
"It's all spread out there." Seeing the queen's grim expression, the eunuch whispered, "It's all spread out there that Minister Ming Jian is in the emperor's favor and has a bright future ahead of him."
"The three brothers of the Ming family all hold important positions in the court. How can they have a promising future?" Concubine Ning sneered, "Your Majesty is clearly trying to save face for Yun Duqing."
There are three brothers in the Ming family, so why do all the good things fall on Ming Jingzhou's family?
It is simply because His Majesty has a daughter who is about to marry into Prince Chen's Palace that he has bestowed grace on Ming Jingzhou's family time and time again.
The Ming family was only slightly related to Yun Duqing, yet His Majesty favored them so openly. Poor Yan Ze, who was about to marry the daughter of the Sun family, did not even receive any grace.
In terms of nobility, family background, and reputation, in what way is the Sun family inferior to the Ming family?
Ultimately, it's just partiality.
She gritted her teeth and sneered: "Ming Jingzhou's daughter is also a villain like Su, who seeks favoritism and has a vicious mind."
Bai Shao, who was standing beside him with her head down, raised her head slightly.
"Hongmei." Concubine Ning called another trusted maid: "The Ming family raised such a good daughter, and the whole family has been favored by His Majesty. There will be more or less rumors outside, right?"
"Your Majesty is right." Hongmei saw that she was favored by the Majesty, and smiled proudly at Baishao, lowering her head to respond to Concubine Ning's order: "It is better to have a daughter than a son. Who wouldn't envy the Ming family for having such a grace?"
Concubine Ning nodded in satisfaction: "I want to see whether the noble Ming family will be grateful to Prince Chen or stay away from him under these jealousies."
One Ming Jiuzhu is not important, what is important are the three brothers of the Ming family.
She would never allow the three brothers of the Ming family to become Yun Duqing's helpers. How could a slut from a merchant family compare with her Yan Ze!
It had been less than half a year since Jiuzhu returned to the capital, and the Ming family had received three imperial edicts. If she hadn't heard from Brother Fu Liu that imperial edicts were not easily issued, she would have almost thought that they were very casual things.
She looked at the imperial edict which stated the reason for appointing her as county lord, and felt somewhat bewildered.
When had she ever copied scriptures for the late Holy Mother Empress Dowager, or worked hard for the Imperial Concubine?
Out of nothing?
"What did His Majesty and Concubine Su say to you on the day when they offered incense to Concubine Yang?" Even Shen felt that His Majesty was too generous to their family.
It is well known that His Majesty is very stingy when it comes to bestowing titles, but within just a month or two, His Majesty gave their family two titles.
"Nothing special was said." Jiuzhu shook her head. "His Majesty and His Majesty treated their daughter very kindly and did not mention the title."
"Why did His Royal Highness Prince Chen take out money when he sent you back yesterday?" Ming Jingzhou asked, "The imperial edict to seal Jiuzhu was brought by Prince Chen early this morning."
According to the clerk in the Ministry of Rites, as soon as the door of the Ministry of Rites was opened, Prince Chen came with the imperial edict and urged all officials to register and make a list. After the list was completed and stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of Rites and the official seals of several relevant officials, he urged Minister Li to bring the ceremonial guard to the Ming family to announce the edict.
Jiuzhu recalled the recent popular stories about overbearing princes in the capital, and lowered her head guiltily: "Did my daughter cause the money trouble?"
Ming Jingzhou and Shen looked at Jiuzhu in surprise. Their daughter was well-behaved and cute, and she didn't like to spend money recklessly, so how could she get into trouble involving money?
"Father and mother, have you ever heard the story of the domineering king?"
Ming Jingzhou frowned, what is the story of the overbearing prince?
In the whole court, there is no other prince who acts more domineeringly than Prince Chen.
"I have heard of it a little bit." Shen nodded. "These are all stories made up by storytellers. Due to other people's fabrication, many people mistakenly believe that the prince in the story is the Prince of Chen."
"What kind of story?" Ming Jingzhou had been an official for many years and was very sensitive to such incitement: "Did the tyrannical prince in the story kill people or set fire?"
"Not really." Shen smiled and shook her head. "Although the stories are absurd and bizarre, they are all good things. The image of the Prince of Chen has improved a lot in the eyes of the female relatives because of these stories."
Ming Jingzhou was surprised. When did Concubine Su and Prince Chen use such euphemistic means?
"This matter has something to do with my daughter." Jiuzhu lowered his head and recounted the whole story.
After hearing what his daughter said, Ming Jingzhou didn't know how to start talking for a long time.
It was a good thing that the story helped Prince Chen to solve a conspiracy against him. However, because of these stories, Prince Chen became a topic of discussion for many people after dinner. Given Prince Chen's temper, he would not tolerate storytellers making up stories about him like this.
"Is the Prince of Chen really not angry with you about this?" Shen had seen with her own eyes that the Prince of Chen, at the age of seventeen, turned his face away from the married Princess Roude at the annual banquet, not giving the other party any face at all.
After being embarrassed by Prince Chen in public, Princess Roude did not appear in public for a long time. From then on, whenever Prince Chen was present, she would walk around him.
He is so harsh towards his own sister, how much tolerance can he have towards his daughter?
"Your Highness is gentle and considerate, and he didn't get angry about this." Jiuzhu shook her head: "Not only that, I heard that my daughter had spent all her money because of her obedience, so I even gave her some money."
Ming Jingzhou raised his eyebrows slightly. Just the twenty or thirty taels of silver that were stolen from the house?
"Such a thick stack of banknotes." Jiuzhu compared the thickness of the banknotes, her whole face was shocked, "It's a 500 tael note, how can my daughter dare to keep it on her body."
Ming Jingzhou realized that he had misunderstood Prince Chen. He snorted in his heart. It turned out that he was planning to use money to corrupt his good girl's heart. No wonder his wife would say that there are few good things about men.
The Prince of Chen is a man, so naturally he is not a good person.
No father-in-law can please his son-in-law, no matter how high and mighty he is.
He was just about to speak about the Prince's extravagant lifestyle in the past when his eyes suddenly fell on the imperial edict in Jiuzhu's hand.
Since the imperial edict was brought to the Ministry of Rites by Prince Chen, it is possible that it was requested by Prince Chen.
His daughter did not want the money from the Prince, so he went to His Majesty and asked for a title for her? According to the Dacheng ritual system, although the title did not come with a fief, it did come with a fixed monthly salary, silk, rice and oil.
Could it be that... Prince Chen is trying to give his daughter money in another way?
Which prince would go to such lengths to give money to his fiancée? As expected of the absurd Prince Chen, he could even do such a thing. And yet, Your Majesty still agreed to Prince Chen's request. What a favor!
Any prince with a smart mind would not seek benefits for his father-in-law's family in this way. Firstly, he was afraid of gossip, and secondly, he was afraid of the emperor's suspicion.
"The Prince's actions are really..." Ming Jingzhou wanted to say that he was willful and reckless, but when he looked up and saw his daughter staring at him with burning eyes, he sighed and said, "Just follow your heart."
It was Prince Chen who contributed, and it was the Ming family who benefited. What could he say?
"Since it is the grace that the prince has specially requested for you, I will go to thank the prince tomorrow."
"Father, is this imperial edict really obtained by Your Highness specifically for your daughter?" Jiuzhu held the imperial edict with a happy face.
Ming Jingzhou nodded slowly: "Since this imperial edict was brought to the Ministry of Rites by the Prince himself, without any outsider's help, my guess is that he requested it."
"That's fine, that's fine." Shen touched her daughter's head and whispered, "Prince Chen has this intention, you should keep it in your heart. Jiuzhu, if there are any bad words outside, don't take it to heart, and don't anger others."
Jiuzhu nodded blankly, feeling somewhat puzzled. Unpleasant words?
Seeing her daughter's ignorant look, Shen smiled and said, "Just remember, don't hurt the feelings of those who truly care about you because of the words of irrelevant people."
"Yes." Jiuzhu nodded, her eyes bright: "My daughter won't care about what others say."
Masters often say that those who practice Taoism should not destroy their hearts because of external things. Only by cultivating oneself, mind and moral conduct can one truly practice Taoism.
"Good." Shen smiled. "Being burdened by external things will only make you unhappy. You are doing well this way."
"Master also said that my daughter has a good temper." Jiuzhu held the imperial edict tightly, smiling with satisfaction and happiness.
"Miss, the food boxes and carriage are ready. Do you want to go to the Ministry of Rites now?"
"Let's go now." Jiuzhu held a large food box in each hand. "It's cold. Even with the charcoal fire, it's easy to get cold."
Chunfen followed her and fastened her awning: "Miss, please walk slowly."
Recently, officials from the Ministry of Rites have seldom asked their families to send them lunch boxes. Ever since His Royal Highness the Prince of Chen came to the Ministry of Rites, the meals in the public kitchen have become much more delicious. Moreover, even the extravagant Prince of Chen eats in the public kitchen. Are they more particular than the Prince of Chen?
It was noon and time for everyone to take a break and have lunch. The Prince threw away his pen and leaned back in his chair lazily.
An official daringly peeked out the window and discovered that the Prince of Chen was actually copying the imperial edict for the record. Originally, these imperial edicts were sealed in the Hanlin Academy, but Minister Ming borrowed them a few days ago. They didn't know Minister Ming's intention at first, and they didn't expect that they would be used here.
From memorizing the list of top-ranking candidates in the imperial examinations and their essays, to copying the tax registers of various regions of the Ministry of Revenue, to copying imperial edicts for filing, which one of these is not a useless way to kill time?
I didn't expect that Lord Ming, who seemed gentle and easy to get along with on weekdays, was also a blunt knife grinding flesh when he was torturing people. On the surface, he was teaching Prince Chen something, but in fact, he didn't teach him anything.
"Your Highness." The eunuch stepped forward and massaged the Prince's shoulders. "Your appetite has been a little reduced these past two days. How about I ask a servant to buy you some delicacies from the wine shop?"
"No need." Prince Chen stood up weakly, "I will go to the public kitchen with Lord Ming to eat."
He had said in front of Ming Xiaozhu that the Ministry of Rites could not do without him, so he absolutely could not let Ming Jingzhou destroy his position.
"Your Highness." Another eunuch hurried into the room and said, "Ms. Ming is waiting for you outside the government office."
Prince Chen stood up, picked up the cloak beside him and tied it around himself, snorting with a smile: "This little girl has a conscience."
In order to seek the emperor's grace, he did everything he could to please his father. If she didn't come to him, it would be unacceptable.
"Your Highness!" Jiuzhu saw Prince Chen coming out and quickly ran to him.
"What do you want from me?" Prince Chen put his hands behind his back and refused to mention the title of county lord to Jiuzhu.
A real man will never talk about the little things he does for a woman.
"I'm here to bring food to His Highness." Jiuzhu handed the food box to Prince Chen, "You work hard for the Ministry of Rites every day, so you need to eat well."
The official from the Ministry of Rites who just came out of the gate: "..."
"This is what I should do, even if it's tiring." Prince Chen took the food box, "As a prince, I should endure more hardships than others, so as not to let my father and the people down."
The official from the Ministry of Rites who heard everything: "..."
A man can be shameless when he lies to a woman.
"Although the business is important, your health is more important." Jiuzhu looked at the King with admiration: "Your Highness, please take care of your health."
Your Highness is truly a good prince who serves the country and the people and is filial to His Majesty!
Looking at the little girl's admiring eyes, Prince Chen coughed and said, "Don't worry, I know."
"There is one more thing." Jiuzhu looked at the King with a smile: "The title of county lord was obtained by your Highness for me, right?"
"It's just a small matter..."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Her eyes were always sparkling when she looked at him, as if he was all in her eyes and heart, and her unreserved trust was almost overflowing: "Your Highness is the best person Jiuzhu has ever met."
Prince Chen turned away uncomfortably.
The little girl has met several people and she says he is the best person?
"Your Highness, please go back and eat, otherwise the food will get cold and taste bad." Jiuzhu handed another food box to Prince Chen: "Your Highness, please give this food box to my father. I will come again at noon tomorrow."
Carrying two heavy food boxes, the Prince of Chen watched the little girl bend down and climb into the carriage. He raised his eyebrows and asked himself, "I am the best?"
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