In Yuan Bai's letter last time, he insisted on receiving a reward of two thousand taels of silver, which broke his heart!
If it weren't for the coal mine, he wouldn't have been willing to part with it.
The eldest princess laughed, "Your Majesty, those Jiang siblings cured Yuan Bai's lameness and saved my Yueyue's life! Let's not even talk about that. They also found you a charcoal mine and discovered a method to grow two crops a year. And it's said that the yield of potatoes per mu is more than twice that of rice! If two crops are grown a year, that's four times! Isn't that a great achievement for the country and its people? If it weren't for this year's severe drought, your national treasury's tax revenue would at least double next year! In my opinion, Your Majesty giving them only a mere county princess or county baron is far too little!"
Emperor Shunqing glared and puffed out his beard, unable to utter a rebuttal for a long time. He could only say, "Yuanbai, this child, is still reluctant to come back?"
“Last time he wrote that his leg was almost healed, so I guess he’ll be back in the capital soon.” The eldest princess got angry when she mentioned this. “Brother, I’m not trying to be mean, but how can you believe in something like a blood test? Yuanbai has been smart since he was little, no wonder he’s been away from the capital for years and doesn’t want to come back. He must have been heartbroken by you, brother.”
Emperor Shunqing grew impatient. "Alright, alright, every time you mention Yuan Bai, you start criticizing me! That time I listened to the slander of a villain, and didn't I already deal with that villain? It's such a trivial matter, is it really necessary to go all the way from the capital? And he even dares to call himself Wen, he's gotten too bold!"
The eldest princess was almost laughing in exasperation. "What else would you take if not your mother's surname? Saying you're surnamed Chu would only expose your identity more! My sister has almost been in danger several times. Wasn't it enough that she risked her husband's life to investigate that man's wolfish ambitions?! In Wufeng County, she almost lost her daughter too! If it weren't for the little lucky star, Princess Fengle, Yueyue would have been ruined! These days in the capital haven't been peaceful either. If it weren't for the protection of Prince Xuan's men, my sister might have already died along with her unborn child, sob sob sob..."
As she spoke, she began to wipe away her tears.
When the topic of the eldest princess's husband came up, Emperor Shunqing felt nothing but guilt and quickly coaxed, "Alright, alright, I was wrong! Wrong! As for that mother and her two children, you can protect them if you want, I won't make things difficult for you, okay?"
The eldest princess stopped crying and slowly raised her head, saying, "Your Majesty, Qingping's sudden marriage into the Yong'an Marquis's mansion is probably not because of what she said about falling in love at first sight, but because there's another reason. My sister asked you to promote Lady Su, partly to incite them to fight each other. That way, we might have a chance to find out some of the inside story. What are the Rong Prince's mansion and the Yong'an Marquis's mansion plotting? Perhaps we can find some clues."
Emperor Shunqing sighed, "I hope so! My sister, you're about to give birth, aren't you? Don't worry about my troubles, go back and rest, and don't come to the palace unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave." The Princess bowed and withdrew.
...
Jiang Mingli, who had been sitting in the carriage, still couldn't understand how a mere merchant's wife could be rewarded with the title of a fifth-rank lady just because of a scheme.
Although he had to admit that the "Court Recruitment Office" was indeed a brilliant plan, not only did the court receive a large sum of money, but many places in the Great Zhou Dynasty that needed money could also be filled, and it did solve the urgent problem of the current disaster year, how could a mere merchant's wife be worthy of being personally appointed by the emperor?
The carriage stopped in front of a mansion gate without a plaque, where two huge stone lions stood majestically.
Jiang Mingli got off the carriage, and the young eunuch stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The door was quickly opened inside, and an incense table was set up.
While Su was in the backyard having Zhao Mama find some cloth to make clothes for Yang and her son, Yan Jin came to report that an imperial edict had arrived.
She was completely bewildered. Xiao Youran and Su Yue were still at the West City Porridge Market, not here.
When Yan Jin said that Su Niangzi should receive the imperial decree, she was even more confused.
But he dared not be negligent, so he immediately had an incense table set up and quickly changed into formal clothes to receive the imperial decree.
Jiang Mingli grew impatient and couldn't help but ask the guard standing nearby, "Why is your Lady Su being so neglectful?"
The guards ignored him and paid him no heed.
Jiang Mingli suppressed his anger and waited with his hands in his pockets.
When Su walked out slowly, she still had a smile on her face.
But when she saw the man's face clearly, her expression instantly darkened.
Jiang Mingli was also completely bewildered.
This Lady Su is actually Su Ya Rong?!
He always heard Ye An calling her "Niangzi Su Niangzi," and he always assumed that it was because the woman's husband's surname was Su.
Little did he expect that it would be his former second brother's wife?
That's right, it's not wrong for a divorced woman to use her maiden name again.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, the young eunuch coughed lightly.
Jiang Mingli snapped out of his daze, took the imperial edict from the eunuch, and unfolded it.
Madam Su also knelt down in front of the incense table.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Lady Su, possessing the talent to save the world and the ambition to govern the nation, is hereby granted the title of Huihe Yiren, a fifth-rank official, with an annual salary of two hundred shi (a unit of grain). She is also granted the honorary position of Guest Minister of the Imperial Revenue Department, and is ordered to enter the Grand Secretariat monthly to oversee the department's accounts. This is the imperial decree!"
Lady Su thanked the Emperor for his grace, then raised both hands to receive the imperial edict, feeling as if she were in a dream.
Two months ago, she received the imperial edict on behalf of her son and daughter, and it already felt like a dream.
How come I've been granted a fifth-rank noble title myself?
Although she was shocked when her daughter presented her "fundraising plan", she never expected it to have such an effect.
After Jiang Mingli finished reading, he turned to leave.
The young eunuch was reluctant to part with it; he hadn't taken his official seal yet.
Madam Su immediately took out a red envelope from her sleeve and stuffed it into the little eunuch's hand, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, sir."
The young eunuch nodded and smiled.
Su took a few quick steps forward and called out to Jiang Mingli, "Brother-in-law, wait a moment. Oh no, not now, Lord Jiang, wait a moment."
Jiang Mingli's mind had been buzzing. Hearing the voice, he mechanically stopped and turned around. "Second sister-in-law..."
He immediately regained his composure and became solemn as soon as he spoke, "No, does Lady Huihe have any advice for me?"
Madam Su said calmly, "When I left that day, I said, 'We'll meet again someday, and leave a way out for others.' I heard that last month, my ignorant county princess went to her stepmother's house to deliver a birthday gift to her younger sister, only to find things that shouldn't have been in the princess's residence. We went to talk to her about it a few days ago, and your family promised to find a time to deal with it. But we haven't heard anything yet. I wonder who's in charge of the Jiang family now? I'd like to find the head of the family and ask how my dowry should be handled?"
Jiang Mingli's lips twitched, and he gritted his teeth, "I never concern myself with the affairs of you women!"
Madam Su nodded. "Then I understand. Goodbye, Lord Jiang."
Jiang Mingli flicked his sleeves and left.
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