King Xiao remained calm and composed throughout, observing the 'war' between the Crown Prince and the King of Chu as if he were an outsider.
Only after the matter had passed did he calmly stand up from his seat.
He bowed respectfully to Emperor Wenjian and said, "Father, I am also willing to share the burden of the country, so I have prepared gold to present to you for your birthday banquet."
At the same time, I also have important matters to report to Father Emperor. In the fiefdom you have granted me, I have discovered rich mineral resources. Under heaven, all land belongs to the Emperor, and I dare not mine them privately.
Therefore, I have only had people search and survey the area, and so far we have discovered and mined over a hundred catties of gold. Today, I am specifically handing it all over to Father Emperor, and I am willing to give all the mines discovered in my fiefdom to Father Emperor as well.”
What?
Hundreds of kilograms of gold?
They didn't hear wrong, did they?
These words shocked everyone present, except for Su Liluo.
She knew about this in her past life.
Prince Xiao was originally excluded from the struggle for the throne early on. His birth mother came from a humble background, and his maternal grandparents' family had little power or ability.
Therefore, Xiao Wang's birth mother had him request to be granted a fiefdom and withdraw from the struggle for the throne long ago, in order to escape persecution from Consort Liu in the harem.
As it turned out, Xiao Wang's mother's actions were very wise.
It seems that Emperor Wenjian enfeoffed Prince Xiao in a godforsaken place, a poor fiefdom, which also meant that Prince Xiao's life was not easy for the first few years.
But later, no one expected that King Xiao would discover countless mineral resources in his own fiefdom.
"Prince Xiao, you are truly a rare and loyal son. Well done, you deserve a reward! Prince Xiao, just tell me what you want!"
Emperor Wenjian suppressed his excitement, but his face still couldn't hide his joy.
This is a mine discovery!
Regardless of how large the mines in Xiao Wang's fiefdom are, just looking at the hundreds of kilograms of gold he delivered today is enough to show that the mines in Xiao Wang's fiefdom are definitely a gold mine!
The fact that King Xiao openly gifted him such an important mine, rather than choosing to mine it privately, demonstrates his loyalty.
If such a large mine falls into private hands and is subsequently expanded and used to train private soldiers, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Father, it is only right for me to do this. If you wish to reward me, I hope you will allow me to stay in the capital for a few more months this time.”
"My mother has been missing me dearly these past few years, and her health has been deteriorating. It pains me to see her like this, and I wish to stay in the capital to care for her and fulfill my filial duty."
King Xiao remained calm and composed as he spoke.
He remained calm and composed, showing no trace of smugness or flattery in trying to please Emperor Wenjian.
This made Emperor Wenjian even more pleased with his son, Prince Xiao. He had such a good opportunity to ask for a reward from him, but Prince Xiao refused all valuable things and did not fight for power or profit. Instead, he asked Emperor Wenjian to stay in the capital for a few more days so that he could take care of his mother.
This is a truly sincere expression of filial piety!
Emperor Wenjian couldn't help but think of his son, Prince Xiao. He hadn't shown him much care since he was a child, and Prince Xiao had gone to his fiefdom alone when he was twelve.
He rarely comes back over the years, and now that he's back, he's given him such a big gift. His heart suddenly softened.
"Prince Xiao, you are so filial, and now you have selflessly given me the mines in your fiefdom. I hereby issue an edict ordering you to return from your fiefdom. You may reside permanently in the capital and I hereby grant you the Prince Xiao's Residence. Stay in the capital and share my burdens!"
Emperor Wenjian spoke loudly.
"Your son thanks Your Majesty!"
King Xiao knelt on the ground gratefully, and as he lowered his head, a smug smile appeared on his lips.
Consort Liu and Xiao Churen, who had already suffered a loss today, felt a moment of panic upon hearing Emperor Wenjian's decision.
The Emperor has left Prince Xiao in the capital, which means they will have another rival in their struggle for the throne.
Especially now that Prince Xiao has come of age, he is no longer the insignificant prince he once was in the palace.
Over the years, he has grown so much outside, and it won't be so easy to deal with him now.
Furthermore, it's clear that Prince Xiao has gained Emperor Wenjian's favor today, as such a large mine was given to Emperor Wenjian, something none of them had expected.
Originally, Xiao Churen thought he would be the biggest winner at today's birthday banquet, but now it seems that the gifts given by the Crown Prince and Prince Xiao have pleased Emperor Wenjian greatly.
Even the unremarkable birthday gift from the King of Cheng was better than his own.
In comparison, the gifts I gave myself were the least presentable.
If it weren't for the fact that the national treasury has been short of money lately, my father would definitely have punished me.
Xiao Ye was also shocked and looked at Prince Xiao a few more times, and couldn't help but look at his elder brother with new respect.
The atmosphere at the birthday banquet was made even more joyful by the birthday gifts presented by Prince Xiao.
During the banquet, toasts were exchanged and songs and dances were performed.
Consort Liu felt indignant as she watched the Crown Prince and Prince Xiao receive praise from Emperor Wenjian while they were almost punished.
After a long silence, she calmed down and, thinking of her other purpose for the day, she smiled again.
"Your Majesty, I think those dancing beauties are quite nice. How about we send a few of them back to His Highness the Crown Prince as his concubines?"
Today, the Crown Prince presented you with the "Ten Thousand Sons and Thousand Grandsons" painting, which suggests you are a filial child and certainly willing to continue the royal family's lineage!
Suddenly, Consort Liu pointed at the dancing girls and smiled at Emperor Wenjian.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenjian did not find anything wrong with it and was about to agree.
Xiao Ye suddenly stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Father, I have only been married to the Crown Princess for a little over half a year, and the Empress has not yet given birth to a legitimate son. I am unwilling to take concubines first, let alone let them give birth to a son born out of wedlock!"
"What you said makes sense. Then you and the Crown Princess must work hard to give birth to a grandson of the Emperor as soon as possible."
Emperor Wenjian felt that Xiao Ye's words made sense.
The wife has not yet given birth to a legitimate son, so it would be a shameful thing for her to call the concubine "Master," let alone these dancers.
So he agreed to Xiao Ye's request.
Consort Liu gritted her teeth slightly; she hadn't expected Xiao Ye to bring up his eldest son, who was born out of wedlock.
However, she will not give up.
Consort Liu smiled and continued, "Then let the Emperor bestow another daughter of an official as a concubine upon the Crown Prince. Taking a concubine does not mean that she must bear a son born out of wedlock. The Crown Prince has been married for half a year, so it is only right that he take another concubine."
Otherwise, the Eastern Palace would only have the Crown Princess as a woman, which would be too lonely. The Crown Prince is the future heir apparent; how could his harem have only one woman?
"Yes, Your Majesty, what the Imperial Concubine said makes some sense. Since ancient times, after the Crown Prince marries the Crown Princess, he will also take several concubines into his residence."
Previously, the Crown Prince was unwell, so the matter wasn't mentioned. Later, since the marriage was recent, it wasn't appropriate for anyone to bring it up. Now, the Crown Prince has fully recovered, has made many contributions, and has been married for half a year.
The younger sister thought that the older brother could arrange for the Crown Prince to have a few more concubines.
At this moment, Princess Ronglin, who was sitting below, echoed her sentiment.
Sitting next to her, Princess Changning had a happy expression on her face and lowered her head shyly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
