Xiao Mochen clearly thought so too, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the merits of the Mingzhao Emperor are great for the country."
Moreover, this magnanimity and breadth of mind are unmatched by men like us.
Although everyone has made contributions in the face of disasters and plagues, I ask you, how many of you, the civil and military officials, donated money and supplies voluntarily?
How many people can give away their entire fortune like Ming Zhaoshuo?
Where did all that money of yours come from? It's either the salary that Father Emperor gives you or the wealth he plunders from the people.
This caused widespread resentment among the people, who thought their father was a foolish and incompetent ruler.
But Ming Zhaoshuo was different. Her second son started doing business at the tender age of fourteen, beginning as a small vendor.
After years of hard work, he finally managed to save up some money, but he donated it all so that the Great Yan Dynasty could overcome the crisis.
I ask you, which of you who spout benevolence, righteousness, loyalty to the emperor, and patriotism in the imperial court can actually live up to them?
"Now, Father is merely giving Mingzhao Shuo a small reward, and you're all whining here. If any of you could produce five or six hundred thousand taels of silver to replenish the national treasury, I would petition Father to promote you three ranks."
Xiao Mochen's words were passionate and righteous.
The ministers looked at each other, speechless.
Despite their long years in office, none of them have ever been able to come up with so much money.
Even if they had it, they couldn't take it out. First, they weren't that stupid to go bankrupt and fill the national treasury. Second, if they really took out that much silver, the emperor would surely confiscate their property.
That's hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Even if their ancestors had been officials for generations, they couldn't earn that much in salary. Wouldn't the emperor suspect them of embezzlement?
So in the end, they all shrank back and stopped talking.
The emperor was secretly pleased to see this. These old guys really wouldn't leave even when you were trying to get them to leave, and they were even making you retreat.
It still takes Chen'er's help.
Besides, Ming Zhaoshuo has made such great contributions that he truly deserves a reward. If we don't issue an edict soon, we're afraid it will discourage these loyal ministers and generals.
Thinking of this, the emperor slapped his thigh and said, "Issue a decree: Mingzhao is a woman of outstanding talent and beauty, both inside and out."
Since receiving this title, he has served my Great Yan diligently and devotedly, giving his all and exhausting his family fortune. I am deeply gratified.
She is hereby promoted to the rank of Second-Rank Lady, with the title Mingzhao, and is ordered to travel to the capital before the end of the year to express her gratitude. This is the imperial decree.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, both first-rank and second-rank officials could be addressed as "Madam." However, a second-rank Madam certainly did not hold the same prestigious status as a first-rank Madam.
Although Xiao Mochen was not very satisfied with this reward, it was still much better than the third-rank Lady-in-Waiting that the ministers had suggested.
This second-rank position is equivalent to that of an ordinary imperial concubine in the palace. In addition, Yan Qingqing has the title "Mingzhao," so even if she enters the capital, there are very few people who would make her bow.
Xiao Mochen understands Yan Qingqing best; her aunt hates these tedious formalities the most.
Xiao Mochen couldn't improve Yan Qingqing's rank anymore, but he still wanted to try to improve her material possessions.
Then he spoke again, saying, "Father, the merits of this second-rank lady are not really that high compared to those of Lady Mingzhao."
However, Lady Mingzhao was a person with the world in her heart, and she probably wouldn't care about these external titles.
But the deserved reward must not be missed.
The emperor had just issued an imperial edict when Xiao Mochen changed his address to Yan Qingqing, now calling her Lady Mingzhao.
emperor:……
His son was probably raised by Lady Mingzhao.
Although Lady Mingzhao had saved his son's life, the way Xiao Mochen protected her was a treatment he, as her biological father, had never received before.
If Lady Mingzhao really goes to the capital, then there will be even less of a role for me.
At this moment, the emperor regretted it; he shouldn't have let Lady Mingzhao come to the capital. But the imperial edict had already been issued, and as they say, words are as good as gold; he couldn't take it back in public.
Now that Xiao Mochen is so eager to ask for a reward for Lady Mingzhao, he can't refuse Xiao Mochen's request.
So he reluctantly said, "In addition to the portion from the Imperial Household Department, I will contribute another portion privately."
Prince Chen, your judgment has always been excellent, and you've also had contact with Lady Mingzhao.
Go back and select from my private treasury. If there's anything Lady Mingzhao likes, pick it out and send it to her.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mochen quickly agreed. Since his father had said so, he wouldn't stand on ceremony.
A sinister glint flashed in the eyes of the eldest prince, who had been standing silently to the side.
His mother always told him to be patient and to avoid Xiao Mochen's sharp edge.
But how could he tolerate his father's attitude towards Xiao Mochen today?
And that Lady Mingzhao, he should have noticed her sooner; he must send someone to investigate her later.
If Lady Mingzhao is truly Xiao Mochen's person, then don't blame him for being ruthless.
He painstakingly orchestrated a scheme during the disaster in the seven southern prefectures, and even had rumors of a plague spread, but in the end, the grain was intercepted by someone.
However, the 200,000 dan of grain donated by Lady Mingzhao truly ruined his plans.
Thinking about it this way, regardless of whether Madam Mingzhao and Xiao Mochen were colluding, she could not be allowed to live.
Yan Qingqing never expected that she would be caught in the crossfire while sitting at home; she had already been targeted by the First Prince.
Yan Qingqing was busy researching new products at the moment. The weather was hot and there were many mosquitoes.
Mosquito coils are nice, but you can't carry them with you all the time.
Although sachets can be carried around, they are time-consuming and require a lot of materials, so they are not something that ordinary people can afford.
It took her more than a month to develop a mosquito repellent spray.
After her rigorous experiments, Yan Qingqing was thinking about putting the cleaning and chemical workshop into formal production.
That day, Yuan Huiniang excitedly led Li Jinqian into Yan Qingqing's courtyard.
They found Li Xiangyang practicing horse stance under the sun, sweating profusely.
Yuan Huiniang was heartbroken. She genuinely liked this younger sister-in-law and treated Li Xiangyang even better than Li Jinxiu.
Because both their family and Yan Qingqing began to change after they discovered that Yan Qingqing was pregnant with Li Xiangyang.
Therefore, Yuan Huiniang always felt that Li Xiangyang was the lucky star of their family.
Yuan Huiniang put Li Jinqian down, took out a handkerchief to wipe Li Xiangyang's sweat, and said, "Xiao Qi, it's so hot, take a rest for a while."
What if she gets heatstroke? You're a girl, you could learn to write or embroider; that's better than practicing martial arts.
Ever since Li Xiangyang heard Yan Qingqing's words last time, he was determined to find something he liked to do. Later, he accidentally discovered two martial arts manuals that Yan Qingqing had.
Although she couldn't read the words, there were illustrations inside.
She just blindly imitated the actions in the book.
Her moves were quite impressive, and Yan Qingqing found them interesting, so she specifically asked a bodyguard to give her some pointers.
Yan Qingqing thought that Li Xiangyang was just having a passing fancy and would give up when she couldn't stand the hardship anymore, but she didn't expect that Li Xiangyang would actually persevere.
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