Chapter 351 Sanskrit on the Jade Pendant
"By the Will of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Rewarding meritorious service is a hallmark of the imperial court. However, a natural disaster has befallen us. My eldest son, Prince Guangling, has tirelessly and diligently quelled the plague in Yuncheng and Panshicheng, earning him world-renowned status. I hereby decree that Prince Guangling take charge of the Ministry of Rites. All matters within the Ministry will be decided by him, with discretionary powers. No petition is required for matters not exceeding the ordinary... This is my decree."
"hiss--"
There was a sound of gasps from the crowd of onlookers.
Everyone looked at the imperial edict in the eunuch's hand in disbelief. It was truly unbelievable.
It would have been fine if the Emperor of Northern Qi had not only given Zhao Yi generous rewards, but he also delegated power to Zhao Yi.
Although the Ministry of Rites was a leisurely department, it was in charge of the imperial examinations and the Imperial College.
This is an important channel for the transfer of civil officials. If it is handed over to Zhao Yi, won’t the people supported by Zhao Yi occupy half of the country in the future?
Is the Emperor of Northern Qi crazy?
This group of people sent by prominent families to gather information found it difficult to digest the news.
When they heard that the palace had issued an imperial edict to Zhao Yi, they thought it was to punish Zhao Yi for his crime of usurpation, so they took the initiative to execute Lin Yi.
Who knew it was power and money.
A small number of them were ordinary people. They were worried about Zhao Yi, worried that such a good prince would be punished for protecting them.
Now, when he heard that it was an imperial decree of reward, he was immediately delighted.
The eunuch was also surprised after reading the imperial edict.
It was originally thought that Zhao Yi was an unpopular prince with only a title but no real power. However, he quickly gained power and occupied a place in Northern Qi.
I'm afraid the weather in Northern Qi is about to change.
Before, the King of Qi and the King of Xian were competing against each other, but now they are going to form a three-way confrontation, right?
The eunuch suppressed his complicated thoughts, glanced at the people with different expressions, folded the imperial edict, and handed it to Zhao Yi with both hands: "Your Highness, please accept the edict."
Zhao Yi accepted the imperial edict and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live Your Majesty."
Afterwards, Zhao Yi placed the imperial edict on the incense table.
The eunuchs carried the rewards of gold, silk, pearls and jade and placed them one by one in the front hall of Prince Guangling's mansion.
The eunuch who read the imperial edict had a wide smile on his face and was extremely respectful: "Your Highness, the imperial edict has been delivered. I will return to the palace to report first."
"Eunuch, thank you for making this trip in such a cold weather." Shen Qingtan gave the reward to the eunuch: "Please get a pot of wine."
The eunuch took the reward, said a few auspicious words, and returned to the palace with the other eunuchs.
Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan were personally escorted to the door by the eunuchs. They watched the eunuchs' carriages leave before they retracted their gaze and glanced around indifferently.
Most of the people outside the palace had already left, leaving only some simple common people. Their faces were filled with joyful smiles, as if they had been rewarded.
Shen Qingtan smiled with curved lips. The people of Northern Qi were simple-minded. They would protect whoever could gain benefits for the people.
She wanted to order Liu Yue to distribute some fruits and eggs to the people, but she was worried that there were some people with ill intentions towards the palace who would use the food she gave them to cause trouble.
Giving some copper coins would be the most appropriate thing to do, but the times are different now. I'm afraid someone will find fault with me and accuse Zhao Yi of being too extravagant.
She planned to help more poor people in private as a way of repaying the people's enthusiasm.
Shen Qingtan instructed Liu Yue: "You must register the rewards and move them to the warehouse for storage."
Liu Yue responded: "Yes."
Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi returned to Lanxueyuan side by side and closed the door.
"When we were receiving the imperial edict, I saw quite a few people coming to the door. I guess many of them were sent by aristocratic families."
Shen Qingtan said softly, "After the eunuch read out the imperial edict, they left quietly. It was time for them to return and report to their master."
Zhao Yi's identity was very sensitive, and the powerful people of Northern Qi were waiting for the Northern Qi emperor to express his position before deciding how to deal with them.
If Zhao Yi had not successfully controlled the plague and the incident of beheading Lin Yi had not caused a sensation, the Emperor of Northern Qi would not have sent someone to read the imperial edict of reward with such fanfare.
In order to silence the gossips of the people, this was specially done for the common people to see, so Zhao Yi was given some privileges.
Shen Qingtan didn't care about the reward, but cared about whether the status brought by this imperial edict would bring them convenience.
She said in a subtle voice, "If the contents of today's imperial edict were to spread, I'm afraid someone would start inviting us to a banquet."
"Those who are trying to stand out are not our kind. If you don't want to go to a banquet, just decline it. Don't force yourself." Zhao Yi was more worried about Shen Qingtan's safety than the trouble he would cause by offending these people. "The more unkind we act, the more reassured the Northern Qi Emperor will be. He won't worry about us using our positions to win over court officials."
Shen Qingtan nodded, and suddenly remembered something. He took two boxes from the Duobao Pavilion, placed them on the rosewood carved Arhat couch, and opened the two boxes.
"This is the reward Her Majesty gave me when I came to the palace to have an audience with Her Majesty today." Shen Qingtan took out a jade pendant and handed it to Zhao Yi. "Second Master, do you know Sanskrit? The jade bead hanging on this pendant is engraved with Sanskrit."
Zhao Yi's slender fingers hooked the jade pendant away, and held it in the palm of his hand to carefully decipher the obscure Sanskrit on the beads.
He was once in poor health and lived in a mountain temple for a while while recuperating in his hometown. He did have some understanding of Sanskrit.
Zhao Yi's eyes flashed with surprise, and he murmured, "The time is good and the year is prosperous..."
Shen Qingtan was stunned: "Time and prosperity?"
This is a word used to praise a peaceful and prosperous era.
She speculated, "Did the Queen specifically give us this jade pendant to convey her hope for peace between the two countries?"
Zhao Yi put the jade pendant back into the box: "Perhaps." After a pause, he continued: "This is a gift from the Queen Mother. You can wear it on your body on a daily basis."
Shen Qingtan's heart moved, and he immediately understood what Zhao Yi meant.
What does it mean that the Queen gave her this jade pendant? Once she wears it, someone will tell her the answer.
Even if the jade pendant given by the queen had other intentions, everyone knew the origin of the jade pendant and the queen did not dare to make a fuss about it.
"Okay." Shen Qingtan lowered his eyes and looked at the jade pendant in the box. He said softly, "I haven't been out for a walk since I came to Northern Qi. Tomorrow I happen to be free, so I'll go for a walk and buy some things for the mansion for the New Year."
Zhao Yi realized that the New Year was approaching after Shen Qingtan mentioned it.
"This is the first time we've spent the New Year away from our family." Shen Qingtan held his large hand and looked up at him. "It's also the first New Year we've spent together."
Zhao Yi stared into Shen Qingtan's bright eyes, which contained a gentle smile, without any trace of sadness of parting with a loved one.
She has always been a sensitive person. Perhaps she sensed his mood changes and hid her own sorrow deep in her heart.
Zhao Yi couldn't say anything at this moment, he just leaned over and hugged her.
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