Chapter 74 From now on, it belongs to our family
At the gate of the prime minister's residence, Meng Suqiu, who had been waiting for half a day, finally saw her son and daughter-in-law. Although they were dressed neatly and properly, they were still dusty from the long journey.
As soon as Ruan Qinghuan got off the car, her mother-in-law came forward and hugged her: "You've been gone for three months. I was really worried about you."
If it was just disaster relief, Meng Suqiu would not have done so. But later, when she learned that there were bandits entrenched in Lucheng and the task of suppressing the bandits fell on her son, she could not help but feel scared. If she had known earlier, she would never have let her daughter-in-law accompany her.
"Mom, aren't we doing well? The disaster in Lucheng has been completely resolved this time, and the bandits have been wiped out. This is really a big deal."
Meng Suqiu tapped her forehead lovingly: "We don't rely on you to do anything big. I just hope you are safe and sound."
"Mom, mom..." He Zimo jumped out of the car, squeezed in from the outside of the crowd, and hugged Ruan Qinghuan tightly.
When in Lucheng, some children laughed at Zimo for having no mother. Ruan Qinghuan felt sorry for him and asked him to change his name.
Meng Suqiu was stunned for a moment when she saw this scene, and her eyes moved between her son, daughter-in-law and the chubby little boy.
It’s true that she wants to hold her grandson, but...is this child growing up too fast?
Ruan Qinghuan held Zimo in one hand and her mother-in-law in the other and walked back to the house, explaining as she walked: "Don't get me wrong, mother. This child has no father or mother, and his only grandmother has passed away. I brought him back, but I didn't discuss this with you. I was not thoughtful enough. If you think it's not appropriate, I will send him back to your parents' home to be raised."
Meng Suqiu pulled Zimo in front of her. The little guy had big, round eyes and soft, tender little hands. She loved him so much. "What's wrong with that? This child is lucky to be born into our family. There's no reason to kick him out. Just keep him in my and your father's yard."
Ruan Qinghuan was touched: "Thank you, mother."
He An behind him seemed to have been forgotten until he was about to enter the hall, when his father-in-law came out with a birdcage in his hand: "You are finally back. If you hadn't come back, your mother would have worn my ears out of coffins."
He Qizhang discovered He Zimo and asked, "Whose child is this?"
"From now on, it belongs to our family." Meng Suqiu said as she squatted down and pointed at He Qi Zhang and said to Zimo: "Zimo, ask grandpa to buy you some candy."
Since following Ruan Qinghuan, Zimo has been to Wangyue Mountain and Lucheng Villa, where there are many people around him, so he is not afraid of strangers. When he heard that there was candy, he clapped his hands happily. However, he did not ask for it, but stared at the bird cage in He Qizhan's hand.
He Qi Zhang was also surprised, but he reacted quickly and simply stepped forward to hold Zi Mo's hand: "Come on, Grandpa will take you to buy candy."
After a bumpy ride, Ruan Qinghuan returned to his room to shower and change clothes. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw He An had already changed into court clothes: "Are you going to enter the palace now, sir?"
"Well, it's not just me. Madam wants to come too."
Just as Ruan Qinghuan was bathing, Eunuch Wu came in person to announce the decree, ordering He'an and his wife to come to the emperor.
Ruan Qinghuan frowned. She didn't know why the emperor summoned her into the palace, but the imperial edict could not be disobeyed. She quickly changed her clothes and went out with He'an.
At the palace gate, the Crown Prince and his wife, Ji Lingchuan and Chu Li had already arrived. Ruan Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief. Since they were all going together, they were not so nervous anymore.
"I have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
When they heard the voice, they turned around and saw the King of Chen, who was wearing a light yellow robe with dark cloud patterns, coming forward. Except for the Crown Prince, everyone else greeted him and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Prince: "Father also summoned King Chen?"
"It turned out that the emperor summoned a few people. I thought that the crown prince was going to take them to visit the East Palace." Prince Chen pretended to be surprised: "I will go to the palace to pay my respects to the queen mother, so I won't bother with them."
The prince said: "That's just right. I also want to go and pay my respects to my mother."
Prince Chen went in first, and the Crown Princess came over and pulled Ruan Qinghuan over: "Madam He, don't be too nervous. You have established a palace in Lucheng this time, and the emperor will probably reward you according to your merits."
Knowing that the Crown Princess was giving her another reassurance, she said, "Thank you, Crown Princess."
In the original book, the second prince's final plot also failed, but it just failed relatively late.
Today, Lucheng has regained its blue sky, and the people have hope in life. Without bandits disguised as private soldiers, there are no more evil acts of robbery.
After leaving the study, several people entered the palace and paid their respects to the emperor.
"Your Highness, I, your servant, and your wife, pay my respects to you, Your Majesty."
The emperor put down the memorial, stood up and walked down the steps: "My dear ministers, please stand up."
The emperor, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the soft couch in the east. He was nearly fifty years old but did not look old. His seemingly kind eyes were deep and his face was smiling: "Lu Cheng and his party, you two have made great contributions. You have completely solved the flood disaster and cleared out the chaos of mountain bandits. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
He An: "It is my duty to relieve the emperor's worries. I dare not take credit for it."
Ji Lingchuan has always been a man of few words: "Your Majesty, please enjoy it as you see fit."
The emperor laughed loudly, but did not specify what he wanted to reward them. Instead, he looked at Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li and said, "And you two, I heard that you made a lot of efforts to help the disaster victims in Lucheng. I am deeply pleased. As the wife of a court official, you should have such magnanimity and broad-mindedness."
Ruan Qinghuan: "Your Majesty, I am honored to receive your praise."
The emperor's shrewd eyes were deep, and he glanced at He'an: "You handled the matter of the mountain bandits very well. Since you don't want anything, I will take care of it. As for Lord Ji, there is no war on the border now. I will appoint you as the general of the capital's city defense army, commanding 150,000 city defense troops, and appoint you as the second-rank tiger-power general, plus 500 taels of gold and two pieces of Qiongzhou jade."
Ji Lingchuan was shocked. He was promoted twice in a row. The hush money from the emperor was really generous. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"The Prime Minister's wife, Ruan Qinghuan, assisted the Prime Minister in traveling to Lucheng, collecting rice and grain, and rescuing the disaster victims. She has made great contributions and is specially granted the title of Consort of Imperial Edict."
Ruan Qinghuan knelt on the ground: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Now Chu Li was the only one left, but the emperor's face turned cold and he waved at her.
Chu Li took two steps forward.
"I heard you were injured?"
Chu Li: "It's just a minor injury, it's nothing serious, Your Majesty, don't worry about it."
"Worried?" The emperor puffed his beard and glared, "Do you know how many times the Duke of Chu came to me to make trouble after you left the city, saying that it was because of my imperial decree of marriage. You are young but brave. You have made a long journey to Lucheng. Have you ever thought about what to do if something unexpected happens?"
Chu Li wrinkled her face in grievance: "Your Majesty, I also contributed to the disaster relief. If you don't believe me, ask my sister-in-law."
The emperor snorted coldly and waved his hand impatiently: "Okay, let's stop here for today. I will give you five days off. Have a good rest."
Chu Li felt unbalanced and hesitated: "The emperor is obviously partial. They all got rewards, but I got nothing."
"Today, I will teach you a lesson."
Ji Lingchuan walked up to her and pulled her, whispering, "I'll give you all the gold and jade that the emperor gave you as a reward."
"Who wants yours? Chu Li knelt on the ground in grievance. If the emperor doesn't want to reward me, then I will ask for one myself."
"Oh, you're forcing me?" The emperor didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Tell me, what do you want?"
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to revoke the marriage. Since the mission has been completed, it is not appropriate for General Ji and I to be forced together forever."