Chapter 249 Me? The Crown Princess?
The final imperial edict exploded like a thunderclap over everyone's heads.
Apart from Prime Minister Lin, almost all the officials couldn't believe it.
The first to react was Minister Ye of the Ministry of Justice.
He and Ye Yunshu are from the same clan; their ancestors had a very close relationship. Now that this news has arrived, the Minister of Justice is the happiest person.
This means that the Ye family has produced an empress...
This is practically like the ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke... No, it's not the ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke, it's like the ancestral graves being struck by divine fire from the heavens. Such an unprecedented event in a thousand years has actually happened to the Ye family.
What's even more astonishing is that His Majesty didn't mention having Ye Yunshu acknowledge her ancestors and change her surname back to Xiao...
Minister Ye's first reaction was to quickly come out, kneel down, and shout that His Majesty was wise...
As for the disdainful looks or verbal attacks from colleagues after court... none of that matters in front of the Empress!
No matter who criticizes him, he can loudly retort, "If you're so capable, why don't you produce one yourself!"
Lin Xiang walked out unhurriedly after Minister Ye, and showed no resentment towards Minister Ye for getting ahead of him.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Prime Minister Lin calmly bowed in greeting.
When Prime Minister Lin stepped forward, the officials were even more dumbfounded. Did this mean that Prime Minister Lin also knew about this matter?
When Minister Tian of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister Jian of the Ministry of War saw Prime Minister Lin step forward, they quickly stepped forward as well.
The only person who can persuade His Majesty is Prime Minister Lin. Now that even Prime Minister Lin has said so, it means there is no room for negotiation on this matter.
Besides, His Majesty has already issued the decree, so it's definitely a done deal.
At this point, anyone who dares to object will definitely be the first to face criticism...
"Your Majesty is wise!" Minister Tian and Minister Jian quickly bowed and said.
One prime minister and three ministers have already expressed their opinions, and others will certainly follow suit.
Upon seeing this, the Minister of Works immediately stepped forward without hesitation and exclaimed that His Majesty was wise.
He had already made up his mind to go and meet the future Crown Princess after the court session, and to build a good relationship with her. After all, the legendary genius old man in the Ministry of Works who loved to tinker with strange and unusual things was also a member of the Ye family. Now that Lady Ye Yunshu had become the Empress, she was practically family, wasn't she?
Since we're all family here, His Majesty will surely allocate more funds to the Ministry of Works and the Firearms Workshop, won't he?
Therefore, the Minister of Works loudly proclaimed the words "Your Majesty is wise and sagacious."
When Minister Du of the Ministry of Personnel saw this, his scalp tingled.
He had been reprimanded by His Majesty before because of his eldest son's affairs, so now... he dared not go against His Majesty.
After some deliberation, Minister Du quickly stepped forward and exclaimed that His Majesty was wise.
He also recounted how dedicated and considerate Lord Ye Yunshu was to his work and the well-being of the people…
Of the six ministries, only the Minister of Rites has not yet expressed his opinion.
He stared blankly at the five ministers and one prime minister who had already expressed their opinions. He knew that under these circumstances, he had to say something...
Otherwise, all those years I spent working in the Ministry of Rites would have been for nothing...
The Minister of Rites thought for a moment, then slowly stepped forward, clasped his hands above his head, and knelt down.
But before he could even speak, Emperor Xiao Xuan spoke first.
"Does the Minister of Rites have something to say?" Emperor Xiao Xuan asked calmly, looking at the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites broke out in a cold sweat; he suddenly understood something.
If I say anything inappropriate, I'll probably be carried out today.
Previously, the Vice Minister of Rites had been too close to the candidates, and he also had his own affairs involved. However, His Majesty did not mention his own affairs, but instead dragged the Vice Minister of Rites into the matter...
This means that His Majesty is also here waiting for him!
Thinking of this, the Minister of Rites suddenly realized what he should say...
"What is the purpose of this grand gesture, my dear minister?" Emperor Xiao Xuan continued to ask.
The Minister of Rites kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you... will the investiture ceremonies for the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince be held on the same day? Will they be worshipped together at the Imperial Ancestral Temple?" the Minister of Rites said in a low voice.
The officials in the imperial court...
Emperor Xiao Xuan did not expect that the Minister of Rites would raise such a question.
"Well... your Ministry of Rites should draft a regulation! Once you have a detailed regulation, write it down and submit it."
"This matter... will require the Ministry of Rites' attention!" Emperor Xiao Xuan said with a smile.
The Minister of Rites quickly expressed his gratitude.
"It's not hard work! It's my job!"
The Minister of Rites' unexpected move caught everyone off guard.
The members of the Hanlin Academy, in particular, were filled with anger. At this moment, the Ministry of Rites should stand up to oppose it, and then the members of the Hanlin Academy should stand up to support them.
They had already planned how to use classical allusions to plead with His Majesty to rescind the decree, and now…
There are three Grand Secretaries in the Hanlin Academy at the court assembly. Two of them have already been reprimanded, leaving only Grand Secretary Ma.
Everyone watched as Scholar Ma stepped forward.
Before Scholar Ma could even speak, Emperor Xiao Xuan spoke first.
"Come on, everyone, make room for Scholar Ma for those two pillars."
Officials...
Ma Da Xueshi...
Everyone understands what Emperor Xiao Xuan meant: Don't you Hanlin Academy people like to bang your heads on the ground all the time?
Alright, you don't need to bang your heads on the ground today. I'll clear the area for you.
Look, do you like those two big pillars? They're here for you. No matter how many people run into them, it's fine. At worst, the eunuchs will just wash them a couple more times.
As for why it hit the pillar...
Heh, they're just ashamed! After all, either they're patronizing prostitutes or gossiping about the imperial family behind their backs—both are serious crimes!
Emperor Xiao Xuan watched Ma Daxue's reaction with a smile.
Scholar Ma was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening.
From the very beginning, His Majesty set a trap for everyone at this court assembly. People from the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites have been given a handle to use against them, so they will lack confidence in what they say now.
If I insist on saying things that His Majesty doesn't want to hear, then the final result will be...
He's probably going to be infamous for all eternity!
"Your Majesty, this old minister would like to ask whether the tutors for the Crown Prince's studies should still be selected from the Hanlin Academy."
"If they are to be selected from the Hanlin Academy, this old minister will go back and test the Attendant Readers and Attendant Lecturers right away!" Grand Secretary Ma quickly changed the subject, thinking quickly.
Emperor Xiao Xuan then nodded.
"Minister Ma, you've worked hard! Go back and make your selections, then send them to Prime Minister Lin."
With this, Ye Yunshu's appointment as Crown Princess was finally finalized.
Emperor Xiao Xuan smiled and encouraged everyone for a few words, then dismissed the court and left.
He has more important things to deal with.
After all, Ye Yunshu herself is not yet aware of the matter of being appointed as the Crown Princess.
Once she finds out, she'll definitely come to the palace. I'd better start preparing now.
...
After a stick of incense had burned, Ye Yunshu, who was still making the most of her time in the Censorate to review the account books, looked at the eunuch who had come to deliver the imperial edict with a bit of confusion.
"What did you say? The Crown Princess? Me?" Ye Yunshu pointed to her nose.
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