Xiao Moyan stood up with a livid face and gritted his teeth, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Father. I will go to the palace to express my gratitude to you later."
Prince Rui quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, we'll go together to thank Father Emperor then."
Prince Duan then chuckled and said, "Then aren't we now princes just like Ninth Brother?"
Xiao Moyan, standing to the side, said coldly, "The same? How could they be the same? He is the legitimate son of the Empress, and his maternal grandfather commands an army of 300,000. What do you have to compare with him? You're such a fool."
Xiao Moyan was furious and disregarded brotherly affection, so he took his anger out on Prince Duan.
Although Prince Duan's mother came from a humble background and he himself was timid and fearful, he was now a prince appointed by the emperor, and in terms of title, he was even more powerful than Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan humiliated him in front of so many people and even called him an idiot. How could he tolerate that?
So he retorted, "Yes, I am no match for my ninth brother, and I have never thought of comparing myself to him."
We are both sons of the Emperor. I just feel that the title the Emperor chose for me is particularly good. Prince Duan. I was born on the Dragon Boat Festival. Duan also means dignified and composed. This is the Emperor's deep love and care for me.
Unlike your elder brother, Father bestowed upon you the name "Ping," probably hoping you would live a peaceful and safe life.
Prince Duan's words were rather conservative. To put it nicely, he said things were peaceful and safe; to put it bluntly, he meant that the prince was mediocre and incompetent.
As expected, the eldest prince became even angrier upon hearing this.
But what angered and shocked him even more was what came next. Eunuch Xiang said with a smile, "Actually, what Prince Ping said is true. His Highness Prince Chen is born noble and capable, and is deeply loved by the Emperor."
"After delivering the imperial edicts to the three princes, this old servant still has to go to Prince Chen's residence to deliver another edict."
This shocked not only Xiao Moyan and his two companions, but also the ministers who had come to attend the wedding banquet.
Xiao Mochen was already granted the title of Prince Chen last year. If he is promoted again this year, what will he be—a Prince or the Crown Prince?
Seeing the eldest prince's dazed expression, Eunuch Xiang felt a surge of anger.
Although he was a servant, he was the emperor's most trusted confidant. Everyone treated him with utmost respect.
However, after the late empress passed away, Consort Yu and her son gained power. In order to win over another powerful eunuch by the emperor's side, they did a lot of behind-the-scenes suppression and sabotage against him.
Even the initial mission to deliver the imperial decree to Canghe Village was orchestrated by this mother and son, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
They never expected that Lady Mingzhao was a lucky star sent from heaven, possessing genuine abilities.
Upon his return, he gained the emperor's trust even more for his excellent performance and was promoted to the position of Grand Eunuch.
He was a eunuch, which wasn't obvious on the surface, but he held grudges very much.
After finishing his speech, Eunuch Xiang ignored the shocked people and turned to lead the young eunuch to Prince Chen's residence to deliver the imperial decree.
The Great Yan Dynasty was about to change hands, and those present were no longer in the mood to drink the wedding wine, so they all left under various pretexts.
Sure enough, after leaving the First Prince's residence, Eunuch Xiang led his men straight to Prince Chen's residence.
Xiao Mochen was busy at home. The recipe for refining refined iron that Yan Qingqing had given him had been successfully refined and mass production had begun.
This is a sample of a dagger specially made for him by the weapons workshop. Although it is not sharp enough to cut through iron like mud, its sharpness is unmatched by the weapons currently in the weapons camp.
With these refined irons forged into weapons, the army of their Great Yan would no longer have to fear Northern Liang and Southern Xinjiang.
He recently received news that the Northern Liang people were starting to stir again. Perhaps this old Marshal Huang was getting old and lacked the courage. Every time, it was the Northern Liang people who took the initiative to provoke him. Did they think their Great Yan Dynasty was so easy to bully?
Fortunately, my third brother is still in the army. I heard he advocates turning defense into offense. Let's see how it goes.
He turned back to discuss with his aunt the idea of promoting his third brother's rank. The seventh-rank captain was really too low. Even if Li Xiangjian was capable, he would have little say in the military camp with this rank.
Fortunately, General Huang and General Ling are reasonable people who can listen to others' opinions.
Just as Xiao Mochen was making these plans, Xiao Ruizi rushed in and reported, "Your Highness, Eunuch Xiang has arrived."
Xiao Mochen didn't seem to care, and simply said, "So what if they come? What's the big deal?"
It wasn't unusual for Eunuch Xiang to come to Prince Chen's residence, since the emperor would send him to deliver things to Xiao Mochen every now and then.
Xiao Ruizi excitedly said, "No, Your Highness, Eunuch Xiang has come to deliver an imperial decree."
Xiao Mochen was taken aback, then straightened his clothes and followed Xiao Ruizi out.
At this time, it was not a bad thing that Eunuch Xiang came to deliver the imperial edict.
Having served in the court for so long, Xiao Mochen has gained some understanding of the politics and the emperor.
Xiao Moyan has just been involved in such a huge scandal that it's impossible to cover it up now.
However, the emperor did not punish him; instead, he granted him a marriage with Miss Qian.
It appears to be a divine favor, intended to quell the conflict, but it is also a genuine disappointment, representing the final moments of father-son affection.
The greater the emperor's disappointment with the eldest prince, the greater his expectations for him became.
In addition, although his father doted on him, he also had the idea of using him as a target to hone the other princes.
Because when he actually encountered problems, the emperor never helped him. He just watched him struggle in the mire.
This is also why Xiao Mochen was unable to truly get close to the emperor.
When Xiao Mochen arrived at the front hall, Eunuch Xiang was already waiting there.
Upon seeing Xiao Mochen, he immediately knelt down to pay his respects, but Xiao Mochen turned slightly to the side and said, "Alright, get up! You are the Grand Eunuch of the Emperor's court, so I'd better not accept your bow."
Xiao Mochen's words had a joking tone, indicating that he was in a good mood.
Eunuch Xiang stood up and said with a smile, "Your Highness, you will be the Crown Prince from now on. This old servant is here to congratulate you."
Xiao Mochen was taken aback again upon hearing this, while Xiao Ruizi jumped up and down with joy, looking at Eunuch Xiang and asking, "Chief Eunuch Xiang, is what you're saying true? Is His Majesty going to make our Highness the Crown Prince?"
Grandpa Xiang laughed and said, "You little rascal, you're not just going to establish yourself, you've already established yourself."
"The reason I'm here today is to deliver an imperial edict."
After saying that, he took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said, "Prince Chen, receive the edict!"
Soon after Eunuch Xiang finished delivering the imperial decree, he left the Prince Chen's residence, and the news that Xiao Mochen had been named Crown Prince spread throughout the capital.
Officials in various mansions in the capital were in an uproar.
The Emperor hadn't consulted anyone beforehand, nor had he given any prior notice. He suddenly appointed the Crown Prince, catching them completely off guard.
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