Chapter 148 I Have an Idea
Great victory in the southwest?
Great victory in the southwest!
Meng Yan felt dizzy and her ears were buzzing. She could hardly hear what people were saying.
The war was over, and there was no such tragic news as in my previous life. My brother... was safe and sound!!
"My dear, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Haozhi's words brought her back from her wandering thoughts.
She looked up and met Lu Haozhi's dark eyes. She couldn't help but smile slightly, "I have lost my composure and have made the emperor laugh."
Having already remembered what happened in her previous life, Lu Haozhi naturally knew how surprising this news was to her.
It will take some time for the official battle report to reach the capital. This is a secret letter written by Meng Changyuan in private, which he asked a messenger to deliver to the capital urgently.
He could not mention the confidential events in the letter, but he had to tell Meng Yan in person about this happy event.
Lu Haozhi smiled, ordered the palace maid to place a spring stool under the empress dowager's seat, and took Meng Yan's hand to sit next to her.
The emperor's action caught the eyes of everyone present, and everyone had different expressions.
Concubine Meng was deeply in love with the emperor and enjoyed exclusive favor, her reputation was well-deserved.
In such a public place, the emperor had no qualms about sitting with her arm in arm, which shows how obsessed he was with her.
Several ladies were originally very surprised to see the emperor coming unexpectedly, and secretly planned to introduce their daughters to the emperor, but after seeing this scene with their own eyes, they gave up the idea.
With the example of the Imperial Concubine before her, sending her daughter into the palace is like being buried alive!
Lu Haozhi said excitedly, "General Meng's expedition this time has decisively defeated the foreign bandits, beheading their leader on the battlefield and hanging his head on the walls of Great Zhou. That foreign prince is only five years old now and will never amount to anything. To protect himself, his entire clan has migrated south, five hundred miles away. Mother, Yan'er, our Great Zhou will enjoy peace for decades to come!"
Empress Dowager Jiang smiled and nodded. "Ever since the time of the late emperor, the southwestern foreign states have been a threat to the Great Zhou court. During his lifetime, the late emperor considered conquering them westward, but unfortunately, the court was unable to undertake such a long expedition due to the passage of time. Now, we have driven them hundreds of miles away, and they will be unable to invade for decades, thus ensuring the safety of the Great Zhou. This is truly a great achievement."
Lu Haozhi smiled at Meng Yan again and said, "Your brother is truly a rare military talent! He truly lived up to my expectations. I truly trusted the wrong person! Meng Changyuan has made great contributions this time. I must think carefully about how to reward him."
Meng Yan was naturally ecstatic. As long as her brother returned safely and healthily, the rest of the things would not matter.
After hearing the emperor's high praise, she still remembered the taboo of her status and quickly replied with a smile, "Your Majesty is so kind. This time, my brother was able to achieve such a great feat. First, it is because of Your Majesty's wise command, second, it is because of the loyal soldiers on the front line who defended the land and fought bravely against the enemy, and third, it is also due to the efforts of the ministers in the capital to coordinate and support. It is not my brother's own efforts."
The ladies in the hall were already jealous of the great achievements made by the eldest son of the Meng family. When they heard the emperor praising the Meng family's contributions, they felt even more uncomfortable. However, Concubine Meng's speech included the sons of all families, and everyone felt relieved.
Lu Haozhi nodded slightly, gazing at Meng Yan's charmingly smiling face. After a moment, he suddenly came to his senses, retracted his gaze, and coughed, "What were you talking about just now? It seemed very lively before I came here."
Meng Yan first looked at Empress Dowager Jiang, only to see her nod. She then recounted what had happened earlier and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this can be considered a case of women being as good as men, right?"
Lu Hao was well aware of his mother's style of doing things. After hearing this, he raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Although you ladies are women, you are able to think about the country and the people, and are willing to lend a hand when the court is in danger. I wonder how much better you are than many men in this world. One day, I will be in the court and praise your merits with the other court officials!"
The donations from the women in the harem were nothing more than a drop in the bucket for the imperial court, but since they were all willing to donate, the heads of the various families, as men, had no reason to back down. It was unacceptable that the women had stepped forward, while the men were still cowering in the background.
Furthermore, at today's flower-viewing banquet, the ladies of each family were all dressed up in gorgeous attire, with their hair adorned with pearls and jade. They also presented many valuable gifts to the Empress Dowager and the Royal Concubine, which clearly showed the financial strength of each family.
In this way, those officials and ministers will have even less excuse to cry poor.
Lu Haozhi saw this and found it very funny.
The day before yesterday, the Grand Court Minister was still wearing a patched court robe when he went to court. The Earl of Anyuan told his colleagues everywhere how difficult his family situation was. He even sold all his wife's hair and accessories and was almost begging on the streets.
But today, I see that both ladies are wearing gold and silver jewelry here, and their jewelry alone is worth hundreds of silver.
The higher he praised these ladies, the less reason those ministers had to back down.
Meng Yan heard the hidden meaning in his words and said to Lu Haozhi, "Your Majesty, I have an idea. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to hear it?"
Lu Haozhi looked at her sideways, his thin lips curled slightly, "Your Highness's ideas are always excellent, I am naturally willing to listen to them."
Everyone below was listening and felt jealous. What kind of words were these?
Meng Yan smiled gently, "I have observed that all of you ladies are dignified and respectful, and your virtues are no less than those of the virtuous women of ancient times. At this time of crisis for our country, you ladies are willing to lend a hand. I believe that the court should commend you for your heroic deeds."
Lu Haozhi naturally understood the deep meaning of her words and smiled slightly, "Your Highness's idea is indeed brilliant. I will inform the Ministry of Rites tomorrow and proceed accordingly!"
Empress Dowager Jiang saw this and smiled without saying a word. This girl was really starting to get the hang of things.
Among the women in the room, there are those who are less intelligent and stupid, but they are still happy at this moment, thinking that they have just spent money to buy a memorial archway, which is worth it.
A few of the more thoughtful ones had their faces changed. Hanging this plaque on their door was practically announcing to the world that the women of this family had donated money to the imperial court.
The next day, when the emperor strangled her man, she was even more speechless. In the future, if anything happened in the court, they would have no way to retreat.
This Concubine Meng is even more ruthless than the old empress dowager back then!
Although they were thinking about it, no one dared to show it on their face, and they all thanked him casually.
The wife of Duke Anguo was sitting downstairs with a rather unhappy look on her face. She had just given out five hundred taels of silver.
Nowadays, the Anguo Mansion has fallen on hard times, and the family has been living beyond their means. They don't have much spare money anymore, and they came to a flower viewing banquet but were suddenly charged for nothing. It's really not a pleasant feeling.
After a moment, she suddenly smiled and said to Concubine Meng, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has won a great victory and made great contributions to the court. I congratulate you."
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