Chapter 652 Imperial Edict Conferring the Title of Empress Dowager Minrou!
Zhou Xinrou scratched her hands unhappily; she just didn't want Shen Congwen and the Shen family to take advantage of her.
But her thinking like that is selfish. We can't let her impulsiveness ruin everything.
"Okay, then I'll agree to Shen Lanxi's request!"
Huang Yu said happily, "I'll have someone send a message back right away."
Zhou Xinrou forced a smile, just like the forced smiles of the Shen family.
The next day, Zhou Xinrou sent a letter to Shen Lanxi.
She made a request in the letter: that only she be allowed to enter the palace.
Shen Lanxi did not hesitate and immediately replied with a single word.
allow!
At noon, the Shen family received the imperial edict, which was once again read aloud by a pale-faced eunuch.
"By the grace of Heaven... Princess Minrou, Zhou Xinrou, is kind, benevolent, virtuous, wise, and far-sighted, possessing the demeanor of a mother of the nation. We hereby proclaim to Heaven and Earth, and to all the people, that Princess Minrou is hereby conferred the title of Empress Dowager, with the title Minrou. This is the imperial decree!"
The Shen family members were both surprised and unsurprised.
Princess is His Majesty's birth mother, and she should have entered the Cining Palace long ago. The reason for her previous entry was that Tianjin was not yet pacified. Now that Tianjin has been pacified and the remnants of the previous dynasty have been eliminated, there are no more worries. It is only natural that she should be made Empress Dowager.
But what about the eldest brother?
My elder brother is His Majesty's biological father. Even if he can't be made Emperor Emeritus, surely he can be made a king?
Why is there no imperial edict bestowing titles upon the eldest brother?
"Your Excellency, are there any imperial edicts yet to be read?" Shen Conglian asked boldly.
The pale-faced eunuch didn't give him a friendly look, glared at him, and turned to leave with his men.
As the palace servants departed, the Shen family members clearly realized that their eldest brother would not receive any!
Zhou Xinrou's entry into the palace was not a casual affair.
Afterwards, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory would jointly select several auspicious days, which would then be decided by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor before the final date could be determined.
Then there are the Empress Dowager's phoenix robe, phoenix seal, phoenix crown, and court beads, all of which had to be made on an auspicious day.
Zhou Xinrou valued this trip to the palace more than anyone else; she even anticipated things that the palace hadn't thought of.
"Where is the phoenix carriage?"
The official from the Ministry of Rites slapped his head hard and knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, I was too busy to think straight. The merger of schools and the Grand Tutor's inspection just happened to coincide, and the Ministry of Rites didn't have enough people."
"This old minister will go back immediately and halt the school merger and the Grand Tutor's inspection, and devote all manpower to the preparation and arrangement of the Phoenix Embroidery."
Zhou Xinrou's face darkened, but then she thought that they were all working for the court. If she stopped working for the Grand Tutor because of her, and if people criticized her in the future, it would be going against all the students and teachers of the country.
A scholar's words are sharper than a knife!
"No need to stop, I will send some people to assist you." Zhou Xinrou's eyes lit up, and she could just place those people who had been successfully trained into the Ministry of Rites.
She began to understand Huang Yu better; using Shen Lanxi's orders to do their work proved to be twice as effective with half the effort.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
"I will obey the Empress Dowager's decree."
Zhou Xinrou's gloomy expression vanished instantly.
"Do your job well, and I won't forget you!"
"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree!"
The Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites sent the items within a month, which was too rushed. Four or five months was too slow for her. Naturally, she wanted the best ceremonial regalia. She was unwilling to accept the compromise of using what the women had left over.
In the end, they reluctantly pointed to an auspicious time two months later.
"Since time is too tight, let's work day and night and find more people to do the work."
"As long as the money is in place, people will naturally follow one after another to rush out all the ceremonial regalia for me within two months."
Zhou Xinrou added at the end, "If you don't have enough money, I have some here for you to use."
How dare the officials of the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites accept the Empress Dowager's money?
"No, no, His Majesty has already spoken to the Ministry of Revenue about this preparation. He has instructed the Ministry to open its treasury to support us. We will provide as much as we need!"
Zhou Xinrou was even happier, which showed that Shen Lanxi had not fooled her.
When they were discussing it before, she had planned to reveal her background before entering the palace, but Shen Lanxi stopped her.
The idea was that once she entered the palace, she would use her status as Empress Dowager to publicly announce this matter.
At the time, she agreed only because the Empress Dowager could issue an imperial edict.
At least Shen Lanxi has a conscience.
"Go and prepare quickly, I still need to choose the style of the phoenix crown and court robes!"
The people from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory quickly left. They had only been at the yamen for a short time when the people sent by Zhou Xinrou arrived.
...
Tianjin
"You've been by His Majesty's side for so long, how come you haven't fallen for him?" Liu Xian felt that this question still needed to be asked.
She'd be unhappy if I didn't ask, but she might suffer for the rest of her life if I didn't ask. So, before the wedding and before any formalities were exchanged, I decided to get things straight.
Xiao Fang was stunned for a moment, then looked around in fright.
"Are you out of your mind? How dare you speak ill of His Majesty?" Xiao Fang's heart pounded wildly.
Liu Xian's eyes reddened; she thought Xiao Fang was scolded by His Majesty.
"Hmph, Xiao Fang, I misjudged you!" She had gone to such lengths with all her courage, and now she only felt ashamed.
Seeing Liu Xian in tears, Xiao Fang quickly pulled her back.
"Sweetheart, what did I say wrong again? Tell me, and I'll correct it, okay?"
Liu Xian, her face tense and filled with anger, said, "Since you have His Majesty in your heart, why did you still marry me?"
"Liar, big liar, all men are big liars, I will never trust men again!" Liu Xianfeng roared angrily.
Xiao lowered his head and raised his hand, looking completely bewildered.
What did he say?
Why did she react so strongly?
Does he have His Majesty in his heart? He's not insane.
"Stop right there! Don't go! Why are you hurling insults at me without even asking what happened?"
"Even those who are beheaded have to sign and fingerprint a document before they die, so how come I don't even know how I died?"
Liu Xian kicked Xiao Fang in anger.
"Let go!"
"I won't let go!" He wasn't stupid. Although he looked down on Yuan Lang, there was one thing Yuan Lang said that was true.
He really knows how to handle women.
He summarized Yuan Lang's words as simply "persistently pursuing him."
Even if you kick me to death today, you have to let me die knowing why.
"What did I do to you? You came up here kicking and scratching me. Luckily it was me. Try it on someone else. See that? A man's big hand, like a fan. I just waved my big hand a little..."
"What, you want to hit me?" Liu Xian glared angrily, her eyes burning with fury.
"I wouldn't dare. You're my darling. If I were to lay a hand on you, wouldn't that be like breaking my heart?" No one could have imagined that this man, who appeared so thuggish in front of outsiders, would cower so quickly.
It's like he never even thought about it; he was just born that way.
"You, you, you..." Liu Xian was so angry that she couldn't get angry at all.
"Hello, please answer my question."
"Hey, you tell me!" Xiao Fang stood there with wide eyes, listening attentively.
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