142 142
◎As he walked towards Qianyuan Hall in the cold wind, Qingyang kept smiling.◎
After the decree to enthrone the Crown Princess was read out, the ministers had no objections, so Emperor Xingwu ordered the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to select an auspicious day as soon as possible to hold the enthronement ceremony.
Minister of Rites Xie Xunwen and the Director of the Imperial Observatory respectfully received the order.
Emperor Xingwu looked at Zhang Su, one of the military officers, and said with a smile, "Pick a few more auspicious dates for the wedding. I will marry the Crown Princess and her husband next year."
The emperor's teasing tone meant that he was satisfied with and appreciated his son-in-law. The ministers smiled in unison and all looked at the third son of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.
Zhang Su lowered his eyes and stood still, but young people are young people. The slight blush on Zhang Jun's face easily revealed the joy of the future prince consort who had finally received the news of the wedding date after receiving the imperial decree for more than two years.
Fu Kui stood on the left of Zhang Su. After the ministers withdrew their gaze and started the court meeting, Fu Kui glanced at Zhang Su.
The Crown Princess and her husband, the Crown Princess and her husband, the little princess has become the Crown Princess!
Fu Kui couldn't imagine how jealous and crazy Yongkang would be when he heard the news in the evening, just as his hands and feet were cold and stiff at this moment.
Naturally, Fu Kui never dreamed of becoming the consort of a princess or a queen, but he and Yongkang were a couple, and they both hoped that Prince An could become the crown prince again. With the brotherly relationship between Yongkang and Prince An, once Prince An ascended the throne, Yongkang could go to the new emperor to ask for mercy for the Fu family. He didn't have to ask for the Fu family's title to be restored directly, but as long as he gave his father and elder brother the opportunity to lead troops and make merit again, the Fu family would be able to make a comeback!
And his position as the new emperor's brother-in-law, which was once a secure one, was completely ruined!
It was like a pie fell from the sky into his arms, but the pie was not yet fully cooked. He had happily held it in his arms for more than ten years, waiting for it to finally be cooked and ready to eat, but the pie ran away and landed with the little princess and Zhang Su...
Fu Kui was in a daze and had no intention of listening to what the ministers were talking about.
"Withdraw from the court!"
Following He Yuanjing's prolonged tone and the ministers in front kneeling down to kowtow to the emperor, Fu Kui finally came to his senses and knelt down to kowtow as well.
Ministers entered and left court in order of their official ranks. This morning, when they came, four princes and one princess were in the front, but now when they left court, the newly appointed Crown Princess was in the lead.
After Emperor Xingwu left, all the ministers stood up. When Qin Hong looked at his sister and was about to extend his hand to ask her to go first, Qingyang had already moved. He glanced at his two brothers with a smile, and turned calmly to the civil and military officials in the court.
Wherever the Crown Princess passed by, the ministers in every row could not help but look up. It was impossible for Qingyang to look back at everyone, so he only nodded slightly to those who were closer.
When he was about to pass Deng Kun, Qingyang stopped and the smile on his face disappeared.
Deng Kun's pupils shrank slightly, but he puffed out his chest even higher. He wouldn't show any fear when he believed in the right thing. Even if he had given up his opposition to the enthronement of a crown princess due to the Emperor's authority and his uncle's warning, he still felt dissatisfied. Yes, Da Qi was the Emperor's Da Qi, but it was also Da Qi that his father had helped the Emperor conquer, and his father had died of illness for the sake of Da Qi's stability. Deng Kun believed in the Qin royal family and was willing to be loyal to them, but he could not tolerate the descendants of the Zhang family, whose achievements were not as great as his own, intercepting the throne.
Qingyang understood Deng Kun's thoughts, and he also knew that Deng Kun was not the only one in the court who had such thoughts, but those people were not as arrogant as Deng Kun.
Deng Kun was taller than she was. Qingyang didn't look up to meet his eyes. Instead, she glanced at the nearby civil and military officials and said calmly, "Deng Kun, I know you don't submit to me. No matter how great my military achievements are, as long as I'm a woman, you won't bow down to me, right?"
Deng Kun was not so reckless. He curled his lips, bowed his head and saluted the Crown Princess in front of him, saying, "I dare not. Your Highness is the Crown Princess appointed by the Emperor himself. I am convinced."
Qingyang then looked at his lowered head and said with a smile, "You obey me, but you don't obey my future offspring."
Deng Kun said perfunctorily, "I dare not."
Although Deng Kun held the same rank as Zhang Su, he inherited Deng Chong's title of First-Rank Duke Dingguo, so he stood closer to the front. Qingyang's gaze passed over Deng Kun and paused for a moment on Zhang Su's face, several rows away. Suddenly, he said coldly, "Whether you dare or not, I have only one word for you today. I, Qingyang, am the daughter of the Emperor of Great Qi, bearing royal blood, and chosen by Heaven. Therefore, my descendants are solely of royal blood. Anyone who dares to speak ill of the Zhang family's descendants will be punished for the crime of treason!"
The words were meant to warn Deng Kun, but the Crown Princess's sharp eyes swept across all the civil and military officials within her field of vision.
All the ministers immediately knelt down and shouted in unison, "Princess Crown Princess, please understand! We would never dare to do that!"
Qingyang did not stay any longer and left with several officials from the Secretariat. The seventeen-year-old Crown Princess stood tall and straight with a figure as swift as the wind. Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun even jogged for a few steps. It was not until they stepped down the stairs that the Crown Princess remembered and deliberately slowed down her pace, thus saving the two old officials from falling.
Qin Hong and the other princes lagged behind for a distance, so he could clearly see the two prime ministers following their sister's lead. This reminded him of the day when he first entered the court as the crown prince. When the court was dismissed, he subconsciously gave way to Yan Xizheng. On the way to the Secretariat, he also insisted on walking side by side with the two prime ministers...
Qin Hong never thought that there was anything wrong with his courtesy, but when he saw his sister taking charge of the Secretariat, Qin Hong finally understood what the power of the emperor meant.
Perhaps he had always understood this, after all, he had his father in front of him, but he just didn't have the talent to control this group of important officials. Without talent, he lacked confidence, and subsequently, authority.
Smiling, Qin Hong continued walking forward with his two younger brothers.
Qin Bing muttered quietly, "Father, if you want to make my sister the emperor, then why did you have to scold all of us?"
Qin Ren sighed, "Even if I scold them, there are still people who won't obey my sister. If I don't scold them, I'll have even more reason to do so."
Qin Hong looked at his second brother and asked, "Do you want the ministers to praise you before they support you?"
Qin Bing shuddered as he imagined that scene, stroking his arm and saying, "Forget it, it's better to just scold him."
The second brother figured it out, but Qin Hong thought of his brother Zheng. He would never compete with his sister again. The second and third brothers were not like that either, but they would have descendants. While they were around, they could suppress the ambitious descendants. When the three brothers were old and passed away, who could guarantee that there wouldn't be younger generations who would come out to compete with their aunt for her descendants?
The emperor's decree was to tell the descendants that the ancestors of their three or four families were not worthy of being the crown prince, and that the crown princess was chosen by the ancestor himself. The descendants of the other four families had no legitimate reason to compete with the crown princess's lineage. If they did, it would be considered rebellion. The ministers who dared to support such descendants were all traitors and should be executed!
.
The three princes who were not destined to be crown princes were whispering to each other, and so were a group of civil and military officials. The buzzing sound on the palace road from Qianyuan Hall to the former government office never stopped.
Deng Kun had been holding back until the three princes of Qin, Hong, and the civil officials had returned to their offices, leaving only the officials who were going to work outside the palace to continue walking for a while. Then Deng Kun retreated to Zhang Su's side, smiled, patted Zhang Su on the shoulder, and congratulated him loudly, "You are so lucky, kid. Today, our Great Qi Dynasty has a Crown Princess, and it won't be long before we have a Crown Princess. This is an unprecedented honor! Oh, and Uncle Zhang, too. Uncle Lu used to be honored because of his daughter, and today our Uncle Zhang can also be honored because of his son, hahaha!"
Not a single word was insulting, but it was full of sarcasm and even provocation.
Zhang Su pushed Deng Kun's hand away, turned sideways and bowed in the direction of Qianyuan Hall, and said with a smile: "It is indeed a blessing for me and the Zhang family that the emperor has granted me a marriage with the crown princess."
Fan Zhong snorted, "Our Huaizhong isn't as handsome as you, and he knows his own limitations. Otherwise, he might not have let you go when we chased the tiger in the West Garden that year!"
Zhang Su again humbly said thank you.
Fan Zhong came up to Zhang Jie and shouted at him to treat them to a drink. Lu Zan, Hou Wanzhong and Xue Ye also gathered around, making the atmosphere lively and lively.
Deng Kun, who was ignored, became even angrier and looked at his uncle.
Prince Yong scolded his wife's nephew in front of everyone: "Don't think I didn't hear you being sarcastic about Zhang Su. Why don't you go home and look in the mirror? Do you think you are worthy of it?"
Deng Kun: “…”
Qin Liang was about to go to the North Camp with his father. Fearing that Deng Kun and his brother might act rashly, Qin Liang quickly reminded them, "Be careful with your words and actions, and don't offend the emperor."
If you have any dissatisfaction, you can complain when you are alone with your brothers. When you are outside, it is better to follow the emperor's wishes.
Deng Kun understood that his uncle and cousin also disapproved of the Crown Princess!
.
All the court departments were very busy in the twelfth lunar month. After arriving at the Secretariat, Qingyang devoted herself to her duties. In the eyes of Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun, the Crown Princess in front of them was no different from the little princess of the past. She was still confident in everything she did and could take over any task quickly. They were respectful and respectful to them.
Qingyang could sense the occasional glances from the two prime ministers, perhaps to see if she had betrayed her self-satisfaction with being the new crown prince.
Qingyang should be happy for being in a high position, but she has known her father's intention for a long time, and her father chose her because she was worthy. Qingyang does not need to be secretly happy about this, as if she has picked up some bargain. In fact, when her father made her the successor, he only needed an imperial decree to get the approval of all ministers smoothly. Now her father has changed his position to her, but he has to endure all the hardships, ignore her mother for more than a month in advance, and summon a group of important ministers in advance, which takes a lot of effort. Moreover, she will also be openly opposed and secretly talked about because of the issue of offspring. What is there for Qingyang to be happy about?
Qingyang was neither happy nor angry, because this was the Great Qi founded by her father, and it would also be the Great Qi that she would inherit. No matter whether others obeyed her or not, she was already the Crown Princess. She should have the mountains and rivers of Great Qi and the people in her heart, instead of caring about the ministers' views and criticisms. It would be best if the ministers recognized her. If the ministers did not recognize her, it would be fine for Qingyang if they kept it to themselves. If they couldn't hold it back and wanted to do something, Qingyang would just accompany them.
It was already dark outside the window when the shift ended at You hour.
Qingyang cleaned up the desk and said to the two old prime ministers who were still writing, "I'm leaving first. You two should leave the palace early after you finish your work. Don't overwork yourself."
Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun both stopped writing temporarily and watched the little princess leave.
Qingyang smiled and walked over to the rosewood hanger where two cloaks were hanging before leaving. He touched the worn one and asked Yan Xizheng, "Is this from the Left Prime Minister? Is it warm enough to wear?"
Yan Xizheng: "It's warm, and I'll take a carriage when I leave the palace. Your Highness doesn't need to worry."
Qingyang: "The Left Prime Minister cherishes old things, just as I cherish you old ministers. How can I not miss you? Unfortunately, my father just appointed me as the Crown Princess. Tonight I will reward the Left Prime Minister with a new cloak. If the news gets out, I am afraid it will tarnish his reputation."
Yan Xizheng immediately walked around to the desk, bowed and saluted, saying, "Your Highness's appointment as Crown Princess is a matter of destiny and the Emperor's personal choice. I have no merit other than supporting Your Highness and have no merit in recommending him, so I am not afraid of what others say. However, I still have several cloaks at home that the Emperor gifted me. I will change into them tomorrow morning. I dare not burden Your Highness with any expense."
Qingyang smiled and said, "That's good. Both of you should take good care of your health. State affairs are very busy, and we will need your assistance in the future."
After saying that, Qingyang stepped out.
Xie Yu was waiting outside with his cloak in his arms. As soon as the Crown Princess came out, he stepped forward and put it on her. "The Emperor just sent someone to tell you that Your Highness is invited to have dinner in Qianyuan Hall."
Qingyang nodded.
Jie Yu walked around to the front of the Crown Princess and tied the hood strap for her.
At this moment, the master and servant made eye contact.
Qingyang saw a hint of joy in Jie Yu's eyes, which was the joy for her enthronement, and also a bit of pride for her.
Qingyang also laughed.
As he strode towards Qianyuan Hall against the howling cold wind of December, Qingyang kept smiling.
So, she was still happy, and the little princess and the crown princess were no exception.
【Author’s words】
Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, second update around 11pm!
ps: It won’t be over so soon. The little princess still has to enjoy the love between men and women after marriage, and she also has to ascend the throne. Let’s take it step by step, and everything will come naturally.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com