Chapter 548: I admire Tang Ning and want to marry her
After the prince finished speaking, he turned to Xiao Yan:
"You and Princess Xiangning have shared life and death together through thick and thin. Last time, you asked me to arrange your marriage, but it was delayed due to numerous court matters."
"Now that the Emperor has awakened, the matter of the marriage should be officially authorized by the Emperor. Please don't blame me for acting on my own. I will ask the Emperor for your approval."
Xiao Yan glanced at the prince's hand on his shoulder and said, "Of course not."
Seeing the Crown Prince and Xiao Yan getting close, Emperor An's eyes darkened a bit: "You want me to grant you a marriage?"
Xiao Yan did not deny it: "I admire Tang Ning and want to marry her."
"And the little girl is willing too?"
"Tang Ning and I are in love with each other."
Xiao Yan seemed afraid of insulting Tang Ning's reputation, so he added, "I have long admired her, but due to my father's injustice, I have never dared to speak out. I originally wanted to take care of her as a brother and sister for the rest of my life, but the fact that I am moved is hard to control."
"I have already expressed my feelings to her after the palace banquet and have also proposed marriage to Lady Rong. However, if Your Majesty grants the marriage, I will be overjoyed."
Emperor An couldn't help but look at Xiao Yan deeply: "You really think highly of that little girl."
"I saw you protecting the girl from the Rong family before. I wonder if there's a reason for that. No wonder that girl cares so much about you and even dares to do something like deceiving the emperor for you."
He made a joke and then said:
"Since you two are in love with each other, and the daughter of the Rong family is not disgraceful to your position as the Duke's wife, then I will grant you two a marriage and fulfill your love."
Xiao Yan: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, thank you, Tang Ning."
Emperor An laughed and said, "Why don't you ask him for a wedding banquet?"
The atmosphere in the hall relaxed, and Cao Dejiang and others turned their heads.
"Congratulations, Duke Dingguo."
"Dong Dingguo is very happy."
"May you and Princess Xiangning live happily ever after."
"Don't forget to treat us to a wedding drink when the time comes."
Xiao Yan listened to the blessings from those around him, some sincere and some false, and a smile appeared on his face, which softened his sharpness.
He didn't care what those people felt, as long as he accepted all the blessings. The slight smile on his lips allowed everyone to see his good mood.
He really liked this arranged marriage and cared deeply about Princess Xiangning.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall couldn't help but respect the already famous Princess Xiangning even more.
After some banter, Emperor An straightened his face and said, "I will pass on the matter of granting marriage. Right now, matters at court are more important."
"I have been unconscious for a long time. Doctor Jiang said I need to rest for a while, but the He family's vindication and the affairs of the Southern Land officialdom are urgent. I will leave this matter to Lord Cao and Grand Tutor Liang, with Prince Ji, He Cheng and others to assist. We must severely punish the treacherous villains and restore justice to those who died unjustly."
"Your Highness obeys your command."
"Also, Rongjiang County Magistrate Tao Zi'an is posthumously conferred the title of Marquis of Cheng'en. His family will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and can inherit the county title if they come to the capital. Orders are issued to search for the relatives of the people who died in Rongjiang. If they have relatives, they will receive the same compensation as soldiers who died in battle. If they have no living relatives, plans are underway to build a tomb for all people in Rongjiang, and people are ordered to guard the tomb and offer memorial services to comfort the souls of the deceased."
Emperor An said, "I feel guilty, ashamed of my ancestors and ashamed of the people. When I am well again, I will personally go to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices and pray for them, so that their souls can rest in peace."
Everyone knelt down upon hearing this: "Your Majesty is wise."
…
Emperor An had just woken up and after speaking for a short while, he began to feel exhausted.
When the court officials came out of the Imperial Dragon Terrace one after another, they all had different thoughts when they saw the prince with a bad look on his face.
Emperor An appeased Xiao Yan, posthumously conferred titles on his old ministers, and explained the affairs of the court to him, but apart from having Xiao Yan be appointed as the Prince's Tutor to teach the "impulsive and reckless" prince, he never mentioned him again from beginning to end.
Liang Guangyi and Cao Dejiang were in charge of state affairs, while Xiao Yan and Wenxinhou were in charge of military affairs.
The crown prince who was supposed to hold power for Emperor An was like air. Emperor An neither gave him instructions nor had any intention of using him. Even when giving orders about court matters, he bypassed him directly. This put the crown prince, who had been so complacent a few days ago and thought he would be in great glory from now on, in an awkward situation.
Liang Guangyi glanced at the Crown Prince and said to Xiao Yan, "Lord Xiao... no, he should be called Duke Dingguo."
"I originally thought that the He family's affairs would take some time to be investigated, but I didn't expect that His Majesty would directly clear the He family's name. It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been running around for the He family all this time in vain."
"Your Highness has had a hard time lately, but now that His Majesty has awakened, Your Highness can finally relax a little."
The prince's face turned pale.
This old man was mocking him. He would lose his power when his father woke up?!
Xiao Yan's expression was indifferent: "The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, so naturally he has to work harder than others. Although His Majesty has woken up, he is still weak. I'm afraid the Crown Prince can't rest."
The prince's originally uneasy heart suddenly calmed down, and he felt more confident when facing Liang Guangyi.
Because of his previous taunt, the Crown Prince was not polite to Liang Guangyi: "Duke Dingguo is right. As the Crown Prince, I naturally have to share my father's worries. Moreover, although the He family affair is settled, the court is still plagued by corruption. The previous affairs of the Li and Fan families have not yet been thoroughly investigated."
"Before, Grand Tutor Liang acted as a guarantor, so I didn't investigate in detail. But now that my father has entrusted you with such an important task, Grand Tutor, you must thoroughly investigate the people around you, lest you make a fool of yourself later and produce people as ambitious, vicious, and greedy as the Lu family."
"Of course, if Grand Tutor Liang is too busy to investigate, I can help you."
“…”
Thinking of Cui Lin and the people from the Li and Fan families who had just been "redeemed", as well as the 800,000 gold that was collected to give to Xiao Yan after being skinned and torn to pieces, Liang Guangyi couldn't help but smile.
Cao Dejiang saw that Liang Guangyi's face had also turned blue, and couldn't help shaking his head.
This will only hurt yourself a thousand times if you hurt the enemy. We are all useless people. Who can take advantage of whom?
Why bother?
"Duke Dingguo, the He family affair has been clarified, and His Majesty has issued an order to close the case. However, there are still some things I don't understand, and I need you to discuss them with Grand Tutor Liang." Cao Dejiang spoke up to smooth things over.
Xiao Yan nodded: "It's not convenient in the palace, let's go to the Ministry of Justice."
Cao Dejiang: "Grand Tutor Liang?"
Liang Guangyi swung his sleeves fiercely: "Let's go!"
After Xiao Yan and his companions left, the prince wanted to follow them, but seeing Liang Guangyi and Cao Dejiang, he had no choice but to stop. He planned to find another opportunity to see Xiao Yan, but he couldn't help but curse Liang Guangyi from behind, "Old thing."
After watching the lively scene, the other old ministers outside the Imperial Dragon Platform were moved.
"The He family has truly made a comeback. Even when He Qing was around, he never even dared to get his hands on the Duke position. Xiao Yan, at such a young age, has such good fortune. It's truly..."
Shake your head when someone speaks.
I'm afraid no one in the court will be able to control him from now on.
The person next to him was sober: "What's wrong with fate? This was obtained at the cost of the lives of the entire He family. I'm giving it to you. Do you want it?"
The man from before suddenly turned black in the face: "Don't bring bad luck to me!"
His whole family will die!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
