Chapter 307: A generous reward, the emperor promoted Xiao Ying to the seventh rank concubine
There was a lot of noise in the court, and the ministers were arguing with each other, their faces red and their necks thick, each holding their own opinion and refusing to give in to the other.
Prime Minister Ning watched coldly from the sidelines and knew that this matter would not go so smoothly.
If it were someone else, it might not be a big deal, but it was his son who reported all this. Those ministers who were at odds with him certainly did not want to see Yuanze make another contribution, and instead Xiao Ying was completely ignored.
Even though Xiao Ying had made such great achievements, no minister would take her seriously. After all, she was just a woman from a mountain village and could not interfere in the affairs of the court.
He sighed inwardly, feeling sorry for his niece.
If Xiao Ying was a man, with these merits, he could have obtained an official position even without the imperial examination. It's such a pity.
The court officials argued about cement and pinyin for half an hour until they were all thirsty.
The emperor just listened to their quarrel with an expressionless face and even changed two cups of tea.
"Are you all done speaking?"
All the ministers fell silent immediately and dared not say anything.
The emperor chuckled and said, "Now that you, my dear ministers, have finished speaking, let me have my say."
"The things that Lady Xiao presented this time are all very good. They are all good things that benefit the country and the people, so I will definitely promote them."
Upon hearing this, the ministers who opposed the idea all felt a chill in their hearts, thinking that everything they had said just now was in vain.
The ministers who supported the emperor were overjoyed and praised his wisdom.
The emperor continued, "Ning Yuanze built the cement workshop first and then reported it. I think it was correct. Only practice can reveal true knowledge. At least now it can be proven that cement can indeed replace glutinous rice mortar."
"Later, I will have the cement formula delivered to the border, and have the soldiers there immediately build a cement workshop and repair the city walls."
"Of course, Shangjing cannot be left behind. The city walls and roads can be repaired and then sent to the various provincial capitals."
"If necessary, counties can apply for or purchase directly from the corresponding state government, which can maximize the guarantee that the formula will not be leaked."
"Yun'an County, as a place for cement research and reporting, can retain its cement workshops, but it is also prohibited from leaking the formula."
Having said that, his expression became much more serious.
"Cement is a national treasure. I don't want to see the formula leaked. Otherwise, I will execute you immediately!"
All the ministers lowered their heads, and those who had been making small plans had to give them up.
The emperor then continued, "As for Pinyin, it can greatly reduce the difficulty for beginners to learn to read, which is a great thing."
"From now on, the three volumes of enlightenment books annotated by the great scholar Liu Yunzhe can be widely promoted in all counties and prefectures of Yue Kingdom."
"In addition, the Imperial College will be summoned to annotate more enlightenment books and compile a phonetic dictionary to include all scripts."
The chief academician of the Imperial College immediately accepted the order loudly and was very happy.
The emperor nodded and said, "The use of Jianshu and kangs is also necessary. With the coming of cold winter, if we can spread kangs to several northern states as soon as possible, perhaps we can prevent many people from freezing to death this year."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The ministers shouted loudly, and no one dared to object anymore.
The emperor's expression eased slightly, and he said in a gentle tone, "Now we can talk about rewards. I wonder if you, my dear ministers, have any good suggestions?"
This time the ministers did not argue for too long. Since the emperor had already set the tone, there was no point in stopping the reward.
The Minister of Personnel spoke first, "Your Majesty, most of the credit this time goes to Lady Xiao. Lady Xiao has presented so many good things in such a short time, which shows that she is wholeheartedly devoted to the country and the people, and has a kind heart."
"I suggest that her imperial rank be raised. These merits are enough for her to be promoted to the eighth rank of Anren."
The others nodded in agreement, saying that there would be no problem in raising the imperial rank.
The Minister of Personnel continued, "Since the pinyin was accidentally discovered by Mrs. Xiao's husband, the credit can be attributed to her husband."
"Considering her husband has passed away, you can posthumously confer an eighth-rank sinecure upon her to demonstrate the emperor's great grace."
No one opposed this proposal. Posthumously conferring an eighth-rank sinecure was nothing.
Qi Yuping's expression was complicated. Xiao Ying's late husband? Wasn't he his good son-in-law Chen Ning?
Haha...Chen Enke is so lucky that he can be posthumously honored even after his death. I wonder how he would react if he heard about this.
As for the fact that the pinyin came from Chen Ning, he didn't believe a word of it. If Chen Ning really had such ability, he would have told him long ago. After all, this was a great achievement.
In other words, Xiao Ying was deliberately using him as a shield.
He was curious about how Xiao Ying knew this. This woman was even more mysterious than he had imagined.
Afterwards, the Minister of Personnel proposed to reward Liu Yunzhe and Chen Xinghe for annotating three volumes of enlightenment books, and to promote Ning Yuanze by one level.
However, as soon as he proposed to promote Ning Yuanze, he encountered countless oppositions.
"Prime Minister, what do you think?"
The emperor threw the matter back to Prime Minister Ning.
The last time Ning Yuanze reported his meritorious service, someone suggested that he be promoted, but he rejected it.
If he tried to stop it again this time, it would be considered as suppression, so he wanted to hear what Prime Minister Ning thought.
Prime Minister Ning bowed and saluted before saying, "Your Majesty, my son Yuanze has only been the magistrate of Yun'an County for half a year. Although he has made some achievements, he is still young after all. Therefore, I suggest that he be given some time to rest."
When these words were spoken, all the ministers were very surprised. Is there anyone who thinks that his son is promoted too quickly at such a young age?
The emperor was also a little surprised, but still agreed with him.
"Since the Prime Minister has made such a suggestion, I will first credit this achievement to him. I will not forget it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Ning bowed in thanks.
The reason why he made this choice was, firstly, to let Ning Yuanze practice more outside, secondly, to take care of Xiao Ying, and thirdly, to take control of the cement workshop.
Four...
Then he continued, "However, I think Xiao Ying's reward is a bit light. If the cement and pinyin were reported separately, they could both be promoted one level, not to mention the simple numbers and the kang."
"Therefore, I suggest that we promote her to the rank of seventh-rank consort and posthumously confer a seventh-rank sinecure upon her husband to demonstrate the emperor's favor."
The higher the official position of my niece's husband, the more help he can provide to her and her children.
When I return to Beijing in the future, I will face less contempt and rumors.
If he had made such a suggestion directly, some people might have objected. But after he proposed not to promote his son, no one could say anything to object.
Sure enough, the emperor nodded in agreement: "Then let's follow the Prime Minister's advice."
"Propagate my decree: Confer Xiao Ying the rank of seventh-rank consort, and award her a four-story house, a box of South China Sea pearls, two pairs of jade ruyi (ruyi-shaped ornaments), and twelve other items of jewelry."
"Two hundred taels of gold, five thousand taels of silver, twenty bolts of fine silk, one thousand acres of good farmland, and sixteen servants."
"She also posthumously conferred upon her late husband, Chen Enke, the rank of seventh-rank Xuandelang."
"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers shouted in unison.
Only Qi Yuping felt unhappy, as the reward was too generous.
And this is the seventh rank. When Chen Ning first entered the officialdom, he was also from the seventh rank.
If that woman achieves a few more achievements, won't she surpass Chen Ning?
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