Chapter 69 The Emperor brings Little Tangbao to court
During dinner in the evening, the Queen recounted the entire story of the snake infestation in Concubine Li's palace.
When the emperor heard that it was Xiao Tangbao who saved Concubine Li and the prince in her belly, he was excited and happy. He hugged Xiao Tangbao and praised him again and again.
"Little Tangbao is really a little goddess. When she grows up and can read and write, she will definitely help me manage this great land so that the weather is good and the people can live and work in peace and contentment."
Little Tangbao had a bitter face.
[No way, no way? I don't want to help the emperor to govern the country. I just want to eat, drink, play and sleep comfortably every day! ]
The emperor smiled helplessly.
After all, he is just a child.
However, since Xiao Tangbao was able to foresee the matter of Concubine Li, he would surely be able to help with other matters. In this case, he could bring Xiao Tangbao to court!
"Little Tangbao, the emperor father will take you to court to play tomorrow, okay?" The emperor held the little girl in his arms and pinched her little face.
When Xiao Tangbao heard this, her big, watery eyes lit up. [Going to court? She had never been there. It sounded like fun.]
Feeling delighted, Xiao Tangbao couldn't help but put the gemstones that Prince Guangping had put in her pocket today into the emperor's hands.
[Since you are so nice to me, I will let you play with these fun things. ]
The emperor smiled even more happily, "Good boy."
The Queen couldn't help laughing when she heard this. This little guy was not only cute and smart, but also good at making people happy.
Although there is no precedent in this dynasty of bringing young sons to court, little Tangbao is different, she is a goddess.
Early the next morning, little Tangbao was dressed neatly, yawning, and went to court in the emperor's arms.
Today was the first time she had woken up so early since her reincarnation.
The Empress attached great importance to the fact that she accompanied the Emperor to court, and she even took care to help her dress up.
The little boy's thick black hair was tied into two small buns by the skillful hands of the palace maids, and with the beads and flowers pinned on his hair by the empress herself, he looked extremely noble. He was wearing a dress with gold threads and red brocade, and a white jade necklace from the empress's dowry box, and he didn't look like an earthly doll at all.
She is so pretty and cute, like a fairy from heaven reincarnated, or like the lucky doll from the New Year picture running out.
When they arrived at the court, the emperor carefully held the little Tangbao in his arms and wiped the tears from his yawning. "Thank you for your hard work. I'll ask them to prepare some more delicious food for you later."
Xiaotangbao's confused eyes lit up, [Great! ]
The emperor couldn't help but smile when he saw her cute look.
This smile really stunned all the court officials. Normally, the emperor was a serious person, and this was the first time they saw the emperor smile so sincerely, with joy in his eyes and eyebrows.
"This... isn't this the daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi? Why is she sitting on the dragon throne with the emperor?" A minister below couldn't help but ask his colleague next to him in a low voice.
"Your Excellency has forgotten that this little goddess saved us from Hong Chen before, and since then she has been named Princess Mingzhu by the Emperor. Although she is not a biological child, she has been raised by the Empress since she entered the palace."
"But this means you are accompanying the emperor to court. Even if you are the crown prince... you cannot sit on the throne with the emperor."
"Why are you worrying so much? The emperor didn't say it was against etiquette. Besides, Princess Mingzhu is a fairy who came down to earth to save the common people. Why can't she sit on the dragon throne?"
…
The ministers below were discussing enthusiastically in low voices.
Their voices were not loud, but little Tangbao had excellent hearing, so he heard it clearly.
After listening to it for a long time, it was like listening to the buzzing of bees, which made her sleepy.
Seeing that the young man's eyes were about to close, the emperor quickly asked his ministers to talk about business.
Not long into the discussion, a low-ranking official stepped forward with a tablet in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say but I don't know whether I should or should not say it."
"Go ahead." The emperor nodded.
"I think that the method of flood prevention that Your Majesty just mentioned is wrong. Although building dams can solve the immediate problem, in the long run, we should dig ditches, dredge rivers, and disperse waterways. This method was proposed by Scholar Wang before, but it has never been implemented."
"Also, Your Majesty should not use relatives by marriage. It was the relatives by marriage who interfered in government affairs that led to this..."
"How dare you!" The emperor's expression changed, as if a layer of dark clouds covered his face. "The Empress and I are a young couple, and we have been in love for many years. The Empress' grandfather, father, and brothers are all loyal to the court. In fact, they are important because they are talented."
"Do you think I am incompetent and incapable of judging people?"
"I dare not!" The humble official knelt on the ground, "I just hope that the emperor can remember the lessons of the previous dynasty and not cause chaos again. In addition, several relatives of the Empress' mother's family have been doing evil things in the capital in the name of relatives by marriage..."
"Shut up!" The emperor was completely furious. "The Empress and I have a deep friendship, so it is natural for me to be a little kind to her mother's family. You have no right to make irresponsible remarks. Come, drag her away and give her thirty lashes!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked and fell silent.
For a military commander, it would take several months to recover from thirty lashes of the cane, and there might be consequences. This was even more so for a weak civil servant. If he was unlucky, he would lose his life after being beaten with thirty lashes of the cane.
The sleepy little Tangbao was awakened by the noise. She blinked her big eyes and looked at the official who was about to be dragged out by the guards. [This person is a good person. ]
The emperor frowned when he heard this. Good man?
[Although his words were harsh, he was loyal to his country and cared about the emperor.] Little Tangbao frowned slightly, his chubby face full of seriousness, [Judging from his appearance, if he accumulates a few more years of experience, he will be a pillar of the court and a rare and loyal minister in the future.]
A trusted and loyal minister?
The emperor was stunned.
This guy seems stupid and has no manners when speaking, how come he can still become a loyal and trusted minister?
What's more, he had already said the words of beating.
Once an emperor has become emperor, his words cannot be taken back...but the goddess said that he cannot die.
Thinking of this, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute."
The cane in the hands of the executioner outside was hanging less than two inches away from the official.
"Although his words were unpleasant, his heart is still on my side. For the sake of the country, I'd better not beat him with the stick. If I beat him badly, there will be one less person who speaks the truth in the court." The emperor said embarrassedly.
The little Tangbao nodded repeatedly in his arms, shaking his head, which was very cute. [This is the tolerance that a king should have. ]
Hearing the goddess praising him, the emperor became even more excited. "People who dare to speak frankly should be given important positions. I just wanted to test whether he would still insist on what he thinks is right when his life is at stake. Now I see that Lord Lin is sincere and loyal."
Seeing that he was about to be beaten with a stick and now being praised, Lord Lin was dumbfounded.
The Emperor of Love was just testing me.
This is not the way examiners are supposed to test people. It's too scary.
Seeing that Little Tangbao smiled even sweeter, the emperor added, "Promote Mr. Lin Aiqing to the position of Minister of Works. You will be in charge of the flood issue."