Chapter 185 The Reborn Ministers Pledged Allegiance to the Righteous Path...
The two purses were soft and pliable.
After carefully opening the document, Xiao Chengzi took out two thick stacks of receipts.
Qi Chengming immediately recognized it: "This is..."
When they were researching how to make vouchers in Liuzhou, they referenced various types of notes from banks, security escort agencies, and money shops, noting their format and handwriting...
“Your Highness, these are the deeds to three farms in the suburbs of the capital, and this is… the deeds to a fabric shop on the main street of the capital and two courtyards.” Xiao Chengzi was surprised and doubtful. These sounded like the dowry that Consort Xian had kept hidden away.
Did you scoop it all out in one go?
Qi Chengming held the stack of paper books in his purse and figured it out: "Among Consort Xian's relatives by marriage are merchants and gentry from other places. These certificates were written by Consort Xian for me to use. There are also a few letters to be sent to her clan."
The handwriting here is delicate and small, indicating that when Qi Chengming visits her maternal relatives' territories, whether it's shops or real estate, he will be treated as an honored guest because of his credentials. These benefits are superficial; the deeper impact lies in the influence and connections he gains.
—Help came from Consort Xian’s uncle, who was a Grand Secretary in the court, and the remaining members of the Xue clan after they were dismissed.
"Your Highness, will these be of great help to us?" Xiao Chengzi pondered. They could easily acquire shops and estates. Currently, merchant caravans from Jiangnan were earning large sums of vouchers, which were in high demand and could be exchanged for silver and banknotes much faster than anything else.
Those certificates aren't very useful anyway. Your Highness is the dignified Prince Rui; you wouldn't be so greedy as to covet such a small amount of sweetness.
If one had to pinpoint what was more important among the things Consort Xian offered as an apology, it would perhaps be the support she received in the court. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse... And His Highness is a newcomer, so this is quite good, isn't it?
"It's not great, but it's not bad either." Qi Chengming also went through the pros and cons in his mind.
The virtuous concubine's relatives by marriage were punished for assassinating him, and now the entire Xue clan is treating him with respect, which means... they want to pledge allegiance to him? With such paltry sums, Qi Chengming can't really expect the old master to speak up for him or do anything for him in court. It would be terrible if Emperor Hongren suspected that he orchestrated it himself.
But in terms of sincerity, it truly is.
Consort Xian not only emptied her own savings, but also gave away everything she could from outside the palace. This huge financial loss was her sincere way of apologizing through gritted teeth.
"Looking at it from another angle, this means an entire scholar-official family has pledged allegiance to me." Qi Chengming was very pleased with this; at least from now on, he had a legitimate force under his command!
Although Mr. Qin, Mr. Huang, Prefect Mu, Lord Shen, and Lady He have all followed him and provided him with much help, they have all been working independently. The Empress Xian's side, however, carries significant weight due to the entire clan's allegiance to him.
"No rush, I need to stay calm." Qi Chengming calmly suppressed his rising emotions, planning to send the letter and credentials out to identify the person tomorrow after leaving the palace, and see their reaction.
"I'll rest for a while." Qi Chengming relaxed, feeling exhausted all over, his eyelids almost too heavy to keep open, so he decided to take a short nap before lunch.
Xiao Chengzi was no longer the same Xiao Chengzi who only knew how to snatch food boxes. He helped the young prince take off his outer clothes and boots, loosen his hair and lay down, responding calmly while still tidying up the two purse receipts from earlier: "This servant will go to the imperial kitchen to fetch His Highness's meals later."
Now that they're back in the palace, they can't afford to make any mistakes. Xiao Chengzi no longer dares to be lax or let His Highness spoil her by calling her "you" or "me." She has to respectfully address herself as "servant."
Xiao Chengzi mustered his courage, and when it was time to serve the meal, the clever little eunuch from before took the initiative to squeeze over and lead the way, saying ingratiatingly, "Eunuch Cheng, let me go with you!"
"What's your name...?"
“Little Zhongzi! This is the name he chose after entering the palace. I’ve been thinking about it… This is the most important word for a servant…” The little eunuch kept talking without stopping.
Xiao Chengzi listened thoughtfully, without responding for the time being.
This little eunuch is too clever and too smooth; I wonder if His Highness will accept him. I also don't know if he truly understood the character; we'll have to see how he performs later.
Xiao Chengzi intended to let things cool down and see if the little eunuch would become impatient and eager, thus saving himself the trouble of reporting to His Highness.
Once they arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, no one would dare to make things difficult for the Second Prince.
Upon hearing Xiao Chengzi's name, the food box handed to him was overflowing. He then glanced at the ingratiating chefs; several of them were familiar faces. As for Qian Hai, the head eunuch who had previously caused trouble for His Highness…
Xiao Chengzi made a special trip around the imperial kitchen. In the same spot where Eunuch Zhang had been when he was down on his luck, Qian Hai was wearing similar old clothes, his eyes darting around as he busied himself in front of the stove. He seemed very busy, not daring to look in their direction even once, keeping his head down.
—His whole body was filled with frustration and unfulfilled ambitions, and he wasn't as fat as he used to be.
What's even more interesting is that his apprentice, Xiao Buzi, stood a good eight feet away, practically screaming that he had severed all ties with his master. He was standing among the other eunuchs, diligently helping the head chefs.
"..." Xiao Chengzi's lips couldn't help but curl up.
He planned to go back and give His Highness a good talking-to, and tomorrow when he left the palace, he would happily tell Xiao Dezi!
Although His Highness had warned them that the situation would change upon their return to the palace, and that it would be a time of great upheaval, they mustn't become arrogant or smug. But... but seeing those who had mistreated them in the past now doing poorly made Xiao Chengzi feel incredibly comfortable!
It was afternoon.
After finishing his lunch, Qi Chengming originally planned to take a nap. He had exhausted himself with the previous morning court session, and this was his first time doing so. His nervousness and trepidation were beyond words... However, an unexpected person visited the prince's residence from afar.
"What's wrong? You've come all the way back to the capital, and you don't even think about visiting your grandfather?" The gaunt old man, Zongrenling, had a long face and looked like he was throwing a tantrum.
Qi Chengming, suddenly struck by a sudden inspiration, was wide awake and explained, "I heard that my younger brother is going to inherit the title soon. When that happens, I'll invite my maternal grandfather to go to the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion together."
People say that old people are like children.
You have to coax them when they get old.
Since this uncle of the clan and the old Earl Weiyong had such a good relationship, Qi Chengming simply had a clever idea and subtly approached from the side—it's not that I forgot to visit you, but I haven't been able to visit my maternal grandfather either!
The old man only wanted an explanation, so his expression softened. He took his hands out from behind his back, handed over a document, and a relieved and kind smile spread across his face: "Look! I've been thinking about this matter ever since you came back. I submitted it during the grand court session today, and now it's been approved!"
Qi Chengming took it and glanced at it, his heart leaping with excitement: "...!"
This is a document issued by the Imperial Clan Court, stating that after Prince Rui established his residence, he lacked the necessary transfer orders for his various civil and military officials.
The civil officials in the General Office included one Left and one Right Chief Secretary of the fifth rank, one Clerk of the ninth rank, four Attendants of the ninth rank, and several Instructors of the ninth rank.
The military officers of the General Headquarters included one military advisor of the fifth rank, two clerks of the seventh rank, and a guard of the Prince's Palace consisting of one hundred men.
Other subordinate branches include eight departments responsible for trial, food and drink, sacrifice, storehouse, supervision, medicine, etiquette and crafts, each with two officials, one principal and one deputy, with positions ranging from the sixth rank to the ninth rank.
The document contained some names written in vermilion ink, which were officials assigned to him by Emperor Hongren. He was allowed to find the rest of the officials himself.
Qi Chengming was almost moved to tears, and when he looked up, he saw a tearful, affectionate gaze: "Grandpa..."
Oh my god.
This is the true grandeur and staff of a royal palace!
With these positions, those who followed him could finally obtain legitimate official posts and salaries. They could also find officials to fill any vacant positions and then petition Emperor Hongren for them.
...This is so much better than the makeshift gang we had in Liuzhou!
After all, when he first established his own residence and left the capital, Emperor Hongren didn't like him. He said he was granted the title of prince, but look at the official positions that a prince's residence should have... he wasn't given a single one!
If it weren't for this lovable clansman making the old man so eager to remember him, could he have expected Emperor Hongren to have a change of heart and think of him someday?
"Your Highness, Second Prince! I can tell at a glance... you have no sense of strategy!"
The old man, still frustrated and disappointed, hesitated for a long time before lowering his voice and pointing fingers at Qi Chengming. He had been eagerly anticipating this ever since Prince Rui arrived in the capital, but no one had come to claim this crucial asset for survival. The old man was nearly driven to despair and had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and write a memorial to the throne.
"These vacant positions don't have to be filled all at once. In a few days, some people will come to the Prince's residence to make connections... wanting to get some of their nephews or cousins in. Your Highness can choose, but don't offend them all."
Qi Chengming didn't really know much about this, so he listened attentively.
He was a modern person who had transmigrated from the past, how would he know how to find a suitable official? Was he supposed to just approach any minor official he saw who seemed decent and then report to the emperor? Just as he was worrying about this, everything suddenly became clear.
After the old man from the clan gave a long, heartfelt speech about his experiences, he left.
Qi Chengming regretted that he hadn't brought anything good with him when he entered the palace. He made up his mind to bring some gifts to this fake grandfather on the day his cousin inherited the title.
He stayed in the Second Prince's residence and began to write and draw, planning the allocation of positions.
This is a slow process; it can't be decided on a whim. It requires at least some time to think it over.
As Qi Chengming continued calculating, he became extremely uneasy.
Mr. Qin Liusong, along with the late Chief Steward Song, these two mere individuals... have actually done more than half the workload of all the officials in the Prince's Palace over the past three years! Even oxen and horses in this era wouldn't dare to be used to such an exhausting job!!
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, he opened the storeroom and generously provided them with subsidies.
Qi Chengming made up his mind, still somewhat concerned about how Mr. Qin was doing with his studies. He decided to send him some bird's nest, walnuts, and river delicacies to help him recover.
...
The next day, Qi Chengming prepared to return to the Prince's residence to continue burying himself in filling out the list. Little did he know, he had barely reached the door... when he was discovered by those well-informed individuals.
The visitor was a refined-looking man with a beaming smile. He introduced himself, saying, "Your Highness, I am the Left Deputy Supervisor of the Shanglin Garden. This is my visiting card..."
"Your Highness, the gatekeeper received more than a dozen invitations today..." Song Gu had been waiting at the door for a long time, just to report this. He glanced at the person who came and whispered the report in his ear.
"...So many?" Qi Chengming was surprised, and only then did he gradually realize that he was a hot commodity.
"Many of these posts are related to important officials in the court," Song Gu said tactfully.
Judging from those posts alone, they all seemed to be from insignificant officials or those who held nominal positions through donations. A closer look revealed that many were actually sons or nephews of high-ranking officials. Of course, Song Gu didn't have time to investigate thoroughly in just one morning. So how did he know?
because……
Song, out of consideration for others, did not take it out. This morning he also received a visiting card from a joint academic society led by Grand Secretary Mu.
Looking at the several resounding names at the top of the list, and recalling the rumors he'd heard over the past few years about those speaking up for His Highness in court, Song Gu suddenly understood everything.
He had always known that he wasn't the only one in the world to have such a miraculous second chance at life; after all, there were always people rushing to His Highness's side. He had also anticipated encountering new reborn individuals upon returning to the capital.
However, Song Gu did not expect that, judging from this, Grand Scholar Mu had united many reborn individuals in the capital, and they were all preparing to come and serve His Highness, hoping to find a legitimate path!
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