Chapter 109 Lu Changqing Got Promoted
Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing and Xu Miaoyan were not overjoyed as expected. Instead, they breathed a sigh of relief. Their long-planned plan had finally succeeded.
"Someone come!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." A senior eunuch led two junior eunuchs and ran up.
"Bring me some pen and ink."
Several eunuchs respectfully brought a small table over.
"Lu Changqing, you draft an edict for me."
"yes."
Emperor Ming thought for a moment and then made up his mind: "The tenth prince Xiao Yu is a man of noble character and filial piety. He will be made the crown prince. After a hundred years, he will forever establish my great cause."
Lu Changqing hurriedly agreed, holding the brush with his fingers moving quickly, and quickly wrote the imperial edict on the small table.
Looking at the imperial edict with the ink still wet, Lu Changqing was extremely happy. He had finally achieved his wish and pushed the tenth prince to the position of crown prince. According to Taoist Qianjizi, the power to assist Xiao Yu would fall on him in the future.
"Your Majesty, the imperial edict has been drafted."
Emperor Ming took it and took a look at it. He was very satisfied with his neat handwriting: "As expected, you are a top scholar. Your handwriting is very good to me."
"Your Majesty, thank you for the compliment." Lu Changqing stood aside cautiously.
"Fulu, please go to the Tenth Prince's Mansion to convey the imperial edict!" Emperor Ming handed the imperial edict to the eunuch next to him.
"Yes!" the senior eunuch responded and quickly led the two junior eunuchs to convey the order.
Emperor Ming mounted his horse again, and with Xu Miaoyan leading the horse, he strolled around the stable, with Lu Changqing following beside him.
"I am in a good mood today. Can you tell me how the trial of Prince Yong went?"
"Your Majesty," Lu Changqing replied, "This is my first time participating in a joint trial of three judges, so I am being cautious. I am still investigating and collecting evidence. Those involved in the case are all veteran officials, and I want to make sure they are convinced."
"Well," Emperor Ming frowned, "Those old guys are annoying, let's make a quick decision and shut them up."
When Prince Yong first got into trouble, a bunch of old officials came out and said there might be something hidden behind it, and advised him to invite Prince Yong to the capital to ask questions before making any comments. How could he have the time? The traitor with ulterior motives should be killed directly.
"yes."
"I heard that the Fang family is also involved in the case," Emperor Ming glanced at Lu Changqing, "Isn't that your former Yue family? Do you find this case difficult?"
"Your Majesty! I only remember to share your worries, and I don't remember the love affair between men and women. Whether the Fang family is my in-laws' family or not, this case will be tried the same way." Lu Changqing bowed respectfully.
"That's right," Xiao Mingdao was touched by his calm and elegant appearance. "You and your elder brother are both loyal officials, unlike those old officials who take advantage of their seniority. Dayong needs loyal officials like you! From today on, I will appoint you as the Minister of Personnel and rectify the administration of officials for me."
Nowadays, the court is full of people from the Yang family. The northern and southern princes are divided, and no one even obeys him as the emperor. Emperor Ming recently discovered that only Lu Changqing is relatively loyal to him.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your appreciation! But I am not worthy of your kindness..."
"Hey, you are the chief judge of the Three Courts' trial, but the chief judges of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple are of higher ranks than you. How can you discuss matters?" Emperor Ming looked at him kindly, "I promoted you today so that you can carefully judge the case of Prince Yong and don't let those people with ulterior motives go."
At the morning court today, someone actually dared to exonerate Xiao Chi, the rebellious son. This is simply outrageous! None of the people he killed deserved to die.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Changqing quickly knelt on the ground to express his gratitude, "I will definitely fight to the death and live up to Your Majesty's trust!"
The Minister of Personnel! That was the fourth rank, on par with Yan Fenghua. Let's see who dares to look down on Lu Changqing in the future!
Not long after, the news that Emperor Ming had appointed the tenth prince as crown prince spread throughout Shangjing City.
The Queen and the Yang family were overjoyed, and the whole court and the public celebrated for three days. Lu Changqing also went to the Ministry of Personnel to take up his post.
These days, on his way to court, he deliberately let his carriage pass in front of Yan Fenghua's carriage, and stepped in front of him several times. Finally, he felt much better.
In a remote courtyard at the residence of Du Qianxu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Lu Wanrou was stroking her pregnant belly and taking pregnancy-maintaining medicine while sitting on a soft couch.
"Wanrou, I heard from my father that your second brother has just been promoted. He is now also the Minister of Personnel, at the same level as my father and in the same government office." Du Jinzhi had a flattering smile on her face and pushed a small white porcelain plate over with both hands. "I picked these hairpins. They are all made of red gold and gemstones. Please accept them."
Lu Wanrou gently stroked her pregnant belly and glanced down at the few half-new and half-old gold hairpins on the plate: "I knew my second brother would have a bright future. If he had been promoted earlier, I wouldn't have to marry into your Du family as a concubine."
Humph! What do you mean by equal ranks and the same government office? How old is your father and how old is my second brother? My second brother will be promoted in the future. As for your Du family... that's it.
Du Jinzhi said a little embarrassedly: "Wanrou, although you are a concubine, my elder brother treats you very well. All the delicious food and good things are in your yard. Even my elder sister-in-law doesn't have such good treatment! Now you are pregnant again. When you give birth to a son, there will be good days ahead in the future."
"Then I'll accept them!" Lu Wanrou then took the gold hairpins, feeling very proud.
To be honest, she lived well in the Du family, eating, drinking and having fun every day, and the old lady also exempted her from the morning and evening visits.
She only hated that Du Jinbao's wife, Li, had two sons, and both children were loved by the master and the old lady of the Du family. Otherwise, when Lu Changqing was promoted this time, she would ask the Du family to make her the legal wife.
Even though Li's position was stable, she still disliked Li and would try to make trouble for her as soon as she found an opportunity.
"Jinzhi, go tell the kitchenette that I suddenly want to eat stewed sea cucumber."
"Ah?" Du Jinzhi was a little embarrassed. She knew that she had heard the conversation between her mother and sister-in-law yesterday, so she deliberately found fault. "My mother bought that sea cucumber specially for sister-in-law to nourish her body."
Du Jinbao's wife, Li, had been weak since giving birth to their youngest son and had not been able to have sex for half a year. Therefore, the old lady of the Du family spent a lot of money to buy some East China Sea sea cucumbers, saying that they could help Li replenish her body.
Unexpectedly, Lu Wanrou heard this and started making trouble again.
There were only three sea cucumbers in total. If they were given to Lu Wanrou, what would her sister-in-law eat?
"I am now the sister of a fourth-rank official. What's the big deal about eating some sea cucumbers? Li's father was only a fifth-rank official. Why can she eat it but I can't?" Lu Wanrou gently rubbed her belly and said, "Besides, the baby I am pregnant with is not a descendant of the Du family, right?"
"Of course it's the descendants of the Du family!" Du Jinzhi nodded quickly and chuckled, "Don't worry, Wanrou, we have been friends for many years, and I will naturally side with you. I will ask the kitchen to stew the sea cucumbers and send them to you later."
"What about your sister-in-law?" Lu Wanrou asked provocatively.
"My sister-in-law...it's the same as stewing some mushrooms." Du Jinzhi smiled embarrassedly.
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