The salt-making project was practically a done deal, and the emperor was overjoyed. He immediately declared, "Lady Mingzhao, be granted your title!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing immediately knelt down; it would be a lie to say she wasn't excited.
The Emperor said loudly, "Lady Mingzhao has made a meritorious contribution by presenting the method of refining fine salt. Effective immediately, she shall be promoted to the rank of First-Rank Lady, with the title remaining Mingzhao. She shall have the right not to kneel before the Emperor. Mingzhao means wise and discerning. Lady Mingzhao is worthy of this title."
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing quickly expressed her gratitude. With the emperor's words and the title of first-rank official, she could basically do whatever she wanted in the capital from now on.
The emperor seemed not to be satisfied and said, "I have heard that Lady Mingzhao has a son who is exceptionally intelligent and passed the imperial examination at the age of ten."
Furthermore, he has a good relationship with Prince Chen. How about having him serve as Prince Chen's study companion in the future?
The emperor's use of the word "future" is quite profound, and it's not easy for ordinary people to answer.
However, Yan Qingqing was no ordinary person. She smiled and replied, "I have four sons, and in my heart, each of them is outstanding."
The emperor was somewhat surprised to hear this, for Lady Mingzhao was not modest at all in this regard.
He really wanted to hear just how outstanding Lady Mingzhao's sons were, so he asked, "Lady Mingzhao, tell me how outstanding your sons are."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "My eldest son is an expert in farming. He works hard to cultivate more high-yield crops and spends every day in the fields."
At twenty years old, she looked older than a court lady, but she never complained.
The second son ran the family business and never embezzled public funds. He also never complained about his brothers' political careers.
The third brother guards the border, risking his life to protect our country, all to prevent the Northern Liang people from invading our Great Yan, so that everyone can have a peaceful life.
The fourth brother studied diligently day and night, pushing himself to become successful as soon as possible and to be able to stand on his own.
Therefore, in my heart, both sons are excellent.
Yan Qingqing wasn't stupid. The emperor had presented her with an opportunity, so why wouldn't she seize it to win favor for her sons?
The emperor knew more or less about Yan Qingqing's sons, after all, Li Xiang'an and Li Xiangjian were now his court officials, although they were of lower rank, they had earned their positions through their own merits.
The emperor thought that Xiao Mochen relied on Yan Qingqing so much, so Xiao Mochen must be a very good child in her heart.
However, he decided not to ask. If Yan Qingqing said something that moved Xiao Mochen, then he would be pushing his son further and further away.
Consort Yu in Xihua Garden had someone keep an eye on Yan Qingqing.
She held onto a sliver of hope, praying that Yan Qingqing's attempt to refine the fine salt would fail.
She didn't want to take that final step unless absolutely necessary, because once she did, there was no turning back.
But in the end, Consort Yu received the news that Yan Qingqing had been promoted to the rank of First-Rank Imperial Lady.
Her face was extremely ugly, and she then dismissed all the palace servants except for her personal maid, Zi'er.
Zi'er carefully asked, noticing Consort Yu's expression, "Your Highness, should we contact them?"
After holding back for a long time, Consort Yu finally spoke: "Send him a letter first, let him find out what the situation is at the border."
Fortunately, the emperor only promoted that lowly woman, but had no intention of establishing a crown prince.
Go to the First Prince's residence again and tell him to keep things stable for me. Make sure nothing goes wrong during this time, otherwise he'll be handing over the Crown Prince position to Xiao Mochen.
Although the Emperor has not yet announced the appointment of a Crown Prince, Consort Yu has already sensed a crisis.
Upon hearing this, Zi'er quickly agreed. In her opinion, the eldest prince was indeed emotionally unstable and lacked some of the qualities of a ruler.
The key issue is that he is not favored by the emperor. Even a lowly palace maid like her could sense that the emperor had never intended to make the eldest prince the crown prince.
Unfortunately, her mistress was Consort Yu, and she never had the choice.
If their master is well, they might not necessarily be well, but if their master is not well, they have no chance of being well at all.
Yan Qingqing then explained in detail to the officials who were learning about the precautions for refining fine salt.
They all took small notebooks and carefully wrote everything down.
Yan Qingqing told them that they could conduct several small-scale experiments when they had free time, and that they could ask her at Mingzhao Prefecture if they had any questions.
These officials were naturally extremely grateful to Yan Qingqing.
Lady Mingzhao was known for her fierce reputation, so they never expected her to be such an easy person to get along with. They all surrounded Yan Qingqing and flattered her.
Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do in the palace, and that it was getting dark, Yan Qingqing suggested leaving the palace.
The emperor, of course, generously bestowed many more gifts upon the emperor.
Because the emperor had some matters to discuss with Xiao Mochen, he asked Eunuch Xiang to personally escort Yan Qingqing out of the palace.
Yan Qingqing ran into Ling Ziyuan, whom she hadn't seen for many days, as soon as she arrived at the palace gate.
Yan Qingqing was startled when she saw him. In the past, Ling Ziyuan was always impeccably dressed, whether in Chengyang County or the capital. He even combed his hair meticulously, as if afraid of affecting his image as a refined gentleman.
Why do you look so disheveled today? You have a scruffy beard, and you even smell of alcohol when you get closer.
Yan Qingqing frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so unkempt after just a few days?"
Ling Ziyuan snorted coldly and said, "You really are a shallow woman. How can you judge a book by its cover?"
Yan Qingqing admitted that everyone would want to take a second look at good-looking people, but she really wasn't someone who was superficial.
Yan Qingqing sighed helplessly and said, "How am I shallow? Don't you smell like you're about to rot?"
Ling Ziyuan's face stiffened upon hearing this, then he took a deep sniff and indeed there was a smell.
He was a little embarrassed and said, "Alright, stop picking on me if there's nothing wrong with it."
I heard you got promoted again, I'm here to congratulate you.
By the way, my dad has arranged a marriage for me. He said the woman is virtuous and kind, and doesn't mind my age. He wants me to choose a date to get married.
He left without waiting for Yan Qingqing's reaction.
Yan Qingqing was somewhat confused. So what if he got married? Did he think she wouldn't give him a wedding gift?
However, seeing that Ling Ziyuan was walking unsteadily, Yan Qingqing was afraid that something might happen to him, so she quickly asked A'da to follow him.
Then he summoned a bodyguard to drive the carriage back to Mingzhao Prefecture.
Ling Ziyuan walked unsteadily for a while, and when he saw Yan Qingqing drive away in the carriage without hesitation, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
Just as he was about to fall, someone suddenly steadied him.
Ling Ziyuan turned around and saw that it was Yan Qingqing's inseparable little housekeeper.
He thought to himself that Yan Qingqing still cared about him.
However, Ling Ziyuan's words were sarcastic: "Aren't you the little housekeeper by your mistress's side?"
I heard she values you highly and treats you like a son.
Sometimes I really envy you.
Ah Da was a little confused when he heard this. What did Lord Ling envy about him? Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind and he exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Ling, you don't want to be our lady's son, do you?"
"That won't do, I haven't even gotten my turn yet. Besides, you're too old. How could our lady, who's so young, have given birth to a son as big as you..."
Ling Ziyuan: ……
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