Chapter 248 Treating the Ning Family Well
The smoke from the Boshan stove placed under the hall is wafting, mixed with a faint scent of agarwood.
The indigo smoke was clearly far away from Xiao Jingheng who was sitting on the dragon throne.
But it seemed as if a layer of green mist covered his face.
After hearing what King Rui said, he was silent for a long time.
He tapped the dragon table lightly with his knuckles, making a crisp "thump thump" sound. He looked like he was thinking about something and was very conflicted.
Prince Rui nodded politely throughout the whole process, only glancing at Xiao Jingheng's expression from the corner of his eyes.
Secretly, I hoped that Xiao Jingheng, in his rage, would kill the Ning father and son.
But in the end, all he got was Xiao Jingheng's understated words,
"That's all."
"That's all?" Prince Rui said in disbelief, "But my brother..."
"I know what you want to say." Xiao Jingheng waved his hand to interrupt Prince Rui's words, "But what you just said was heard from others, and it cannot represent the attitude of the Ning family father and son.
I only see that the Ning family father and son are loyal to the court. Now that they have handed over their military power and asked to retire, if I make things difficult for them, I am afraid that I will be criticized by the previous dynasty and criticized by the people. It is better to let them go. "
“But my royal brother, you are not going to investigate their corruption and abuse of power?” Prince Rui’s tone became visibly agitated.
However, Xiao Jingheng still said calmly: "During the snowstorm in Kyoto, the Ning family also donated a lot of money. And among the officials of the previous dynasty, how many of them had clean pockets?"
He glanced at Prince Rui and said, "You are my brother, and the whole world belongs to our Xiao family. But can you guarantee that the money in your house can be seen openly?"
Facing Xiao Jingheng's questioning, Prince Rui's momentum obviously weakened, and he even lowered his eyes to avoid Xiao Jingheng's sharp gaze.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Xiao Jingheng continued, "When there is profit to be made, people will continue to work hard and sacrifice their lives for the cause. This has been the case in every dynasty. If you look into it, you will find that one move will affect the entire body."
"But......"
"Forget it, I have made up my mind on this matter, there is no need to say more."
Xiao Jingheng knocked his right hand on the dragon table, which indicated that he had ended today's conversation. If Prince Rui continued to talk, he would only be asking for trouble.
So he had no choice but to bow and go back in disappointment.
But how could he be willing?
On the contrary, the more she saw Xiao Jingheng favoring the Ning family, the more she felt that it was not worth it for her mother to die in vain for him.
*
On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Qiyuan,
General Ning Baichuan of Dingyuan and Commander-in-Chief of Cavalry Ning Xiuqi resigned from their posts in the court and requested permission to move their families to the Qinling Mountains for settlement.
The emperor then agreed and awarded General Dingyuan a thousand taels of gold and Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry five hundred taels of gold, and allowed them to retain their official positions.
The title of General Dingyuan was elevated to Duke, and the title was hereditary.
Any other reward would be fine, but raising Ning Baichuan from a marquis to a duke, and having the title inherited from generation to generation, is truly an unprecedented and unparalleled honor.
You must know that in the Qi Dynasty, hereditary succession was a rare reward even for princes.
The title of an ordinary prince is just hereditary.
However, hereditary titles are to be reduced from generation to generation.
For example, if a prince is a royal title, then his children, after inheriting the title, can only be dukes, and his grandsons can only be marquises.
If one's title is inherited from generation to generation and he or she has made no contribution to the country, then even if one is a royal relative, he or she will eventually become an ordinary civilian.
But hereditary succession is different.
Wangti means not to replace or abolish.
With this imperial decree, when Ning Baichuan passes away, his title of duke will be passed on intact to Ning Xiuqi, and Ning Xiuqi's eldest son will also be able to inherit the title in the future.
In other words, as long as the Ning family did not offend the emperor, their descendants would be able to enjoy the treatment of a duke for generations.
It can be said that it truly ensured the Ning family's prosperity for generations.
(Ps: In the setting of this article, the titles from high to low are: King, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount.)
All these rewards show how much Xiao Jingheng values the Ning family.
Moreover, in the past, the Qi Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials. Now that the court has generously treated the military generals who have made great contributions to the country, it has also encouraged the morale of the three armies and made them more motivated to work hard for the Qi Dynasty in the future.
Of course, Ning Baichuan was very successful in the previous dynasty, and Concubine Chen's glory in the harem was unmatched.
Her due date is at the end of February. Since the Lantern Festival, Xiao Jingheng has been accompanying her almost every day.
He took care of her meticulously. Even when the queen was pregnant, she did not receive such attention and care from Xiao Jingheng.
Under the favor of Concubine Chen, even Song Zhao, the peerless pearl that Xiao Jingheng always held in his palm, seemed much dimmer compared to her.
Years ago, Xiao Jingheng had already decided on a southern tour.
We should have set off in early spring, but there has been no movement so far.
Everyone knew that he was waiting for Concubine Chen to give birth to her baby safely.
Only Concubine Chen pretended to be ignorant even though she knew the truth, and asked Xiao Jingheng,
"Didn't the emperor say he would tour the south? Now that spring has arrived, why hasn't the emperor set off yet?"
At that time, Xiao Jingheng was sitting opposite Concubine Chen, reading a military book.
Hearing the Imperial Concubine's words, he immediately closed the military book, put his palms on the desk, and made a gesture to stand up.
"Since you are thinking about it, I will set off tomorrow."
"Oh! Your Majesty~"
Concubine Chen coquettishly pulled Xiao Jingheng, gently rubbing her fingertips on the back of his hand, and said coquettishly:
"If the emperor passes away like this, he won't be able to see our child being born!"
“Hahaha~”
Xiao Jingheng laughed heartily, and reached out his hand to gently scratch the tip of Concubine Chen's delicate and upturned nose. "You, you are becoming more and more petty because I have spoiled you. You know that I am not leaving because I miss you, but you still ask me knowingly and insist that I tell you in person. Do you feel relieved when you hear it?"
"I am not a worm in your majesty's stomach. If your majesty doesn't tell me, how can I know what your majesty is thinking?"
Concubine Chen held Xiao Jingheng's hand and slowly placed it on her pregnant belly. "Your Majesty, what do you think of my baby, a boy or a girl?"
Xiao Jingheng asked her in return, "Why can't it be a good omen of dragon and phoenix?"
"Dragon and Phoenix bring good luck..." Concubine Chen muttered to herself, and said with a little worry:
"People often say that dragons and phoenixes are auspicious, but in the royal family, if the phoenix is in front and the dragon is behind, it is 'the phoenix suppresses the dragon', which is very unlucky and will harm the country's fortune..."
"When did Wan'er start to believe this?"
Xiao Jingheng put his arm around her shoulders and said softly, “Our child must be very blessed and have no taboos.”
When Concubine Chen heard this, her heart was moved, as if a warm feeling suddenly surged from the bottom of her heart.
She knew that the fate of the country was what Xiao Jingheng cared about most.
Otherwise, when Concubine Xiao gave birth to Cheng Huan, Xiao Jingheng would not have been so cruel as to abandon the child just because the child had defects.
But now, when it comes to her giving birth, Xiao Jingheng doesn't mind those superstitious things at all.
This shows that Xiao Jingheng treats her sincerely.
At this moment, Concubine Chen snuggled in Xiao Jingheng's arms, her phoenix eyes gradually covered with a layer of mist.
She thought:
In fact, it doesn’t matter to her whether she is the queen or not.
From the beginning to the end, all she wanted was Xiao Jingheng's true love for her.
Now she has got it, and her parents and brothers have all been able to return home and enjoy their old age. It is also the supreme honor that her husband has brought to her mother's family.
Concubine Chen felt that her life had been fulfilled so far.
As for the throne she had always been obsessed with,
At this moment, she could also let go of that obsession.
Secretly, she only hoped that the child would be born safely, and she would stay by Jamel Xiao's side in the future.
Year after year is always the same,
It's very good.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
