Chapter 509 Song Mingen Goes to Court
"Marquis Changsheng?" Mu Jingxing was very surprised. "Xiao Hongyi and his son are actually descendants of the Zhan family?"
Xiao Yanli nodded. "Zhan Lingyuan has been dead for over thirty years, and he's still restless. Who would have thought he had a wife outside? That year, your great-uncle and grandmother left the capital for a trip shortly after their wedding. At that time, several princes were assassinated one after another. Before I could find the culprit behind the assassination, the Zhan family had already led several generals in rebellion. During this time, your great-uncle sent a message saying he was going to be a father. The Queen Mother was worried about the safety of the family, so she didn't allow them to return to the capital. The two of them went to the Gu family in Kangcheng to wait for the birth. But despite all their precautions, they didn't expect Zhan Lingyuan to have such a trick up his sleeve."
Mu Jingxing was terrified. "That was a close call! If my uncle and his family of three had died in the Yunyin Inn halfway up the mountain, the great land of Dayuan would have been stolen by the Zhan family!"
Xiao Yanli nodded, "They're now leaving it to you to take over. Carefully investigate the details of the child swap, especially Gu Wanqing, to see if he was involved!"
"Okay, then when will the identity of my uncle be made public?"
"Tomorrow morning, let your father know in advance so as not to scare him."
Mu Jingxing returned home and went straight to find Mu Jingbei.
When Mu Jingbei learned that Song Mingen had come back to life and was of royal blood, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.
It took him a long time to calm down. "No wonder I felt he was so extraordinary when I first met him. I really didn't expect it, I didn't expect it... Hey, I won't tell you anymore. I'm going to tell your mother that her real cousin who was living among the people has returned."
When Mu Chuqing learned about this, she was shocked for a moment and then said to Mu Jingxing, "Uncle Song has become our uncle. Doesn't that mean you and Sister Yu can't get married? After all, they are too close."
Mu Jingxing said: "It should be possible, after all, Sister Yu is of the Du family's bloodline."
"Oh, yes, yes." Mu Chuqing smiled and winked at Mu Jingxing, "As long as my uncle and aunt like you as a son-in-law, the marriage will be a sure thing. Next, you should behave well in front of my uncle and aunt, and strive to make more achievements in the court. They will see that you are capable. As for your appearance..."
"Hehe..." Mu Chuqing stared at Mu Jingxing's face with a smile, "I haven't found anyone in the capital who is more beautiful than you yet. You are the one and only noble young man in the capital. If they don't choose you as their son-in-law, who will they choose?"
Mu Jingxing blushed and pinched Mu Chuqing's face, "No matter how handsome my brother is, he's not as pretty as you!"
"There's no comparison at all. I'm a woman and you're a man! Okay, enough talking. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow I'm going to Prince Rong's mansion to spend the day with Sister Yu!"
On the way to the court meeting the next morning, Xiao Yanxu stared at Song Mingen, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes with a graceful figure, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.
He couldn't let his beloved eldest son get lost again.
Song Mingen felt a little uncomfortable under this burning gaze, "Father, stop looking at me like that. The buns are still hot, hurry up and fill your stomach."
Xiao Yanxu picked up the bun and took a big bite, but his eyes never left Song Mingen's face. "You are my son, I can never get enough of looking at you."
He wants to watch it, every day.
Song Mingen had no choice but to let him watch.
Before getting off the car at the palace gate, Xiao Yanxu picked up the mask and put it on him.
"Wait until we get to the main hall and see what my father says before taking off the mask."
"good."
As soon as the father and son got out of the car, Jiang Youya rushed over and asked, "Prince Rong, why did you decide to come to court today?"
At this time, there were long queues at the palace gates, and ministers from the court entered the palace one after another.
As soon as these words were spoken, the court officials all looked at Prince Rong.
"Today is a grand court meeting and I have to come. Why did Elder Jiang come to court today?"
Jiang Youya: "I heard that the emperor has something important to announce today, so I had to come over to see what's going on."
"Ha, that's right." At this time, Prince Rui and Prince Cheng rushed over, followed by several princes. "We received the emperor's message yesterday. We must be here today."
Upon hearing this, the other court officials whispered to each other, what was the big deal?
A sharp-eyed court official noticed Song Mingen behind Prince Rong and said, "Hey, look quickly, why does the masked man behind Prince Rong look so much like Old Master Jiang's eldest son-in-law?"
The court officials looked over and couldn't help but widen their eyes. They were not blinded by old age and were sure that the masked man looked very much like Song Mingen whom they had seen at the Du family.
"He's not dead?"
"How is that possible! He was buried long ago. He might have been brought here by Prince Rong."
"Oh, yes. Huh? Why didn't the young prince and the prince come?"
"What are you all mumbling about at the palace gate?" Mu Jingbei got off the carriage with a serious face, "Why don't you hurry in?"
After saying this, Mu Jingbei followed Song Mingen's back.
Du Henian entered the palace and quickly spotted Song Mingen's back. "Why are you still wearing a mask?"
Du Zhiyi: "Of course, I will show it to everyone in the court. The ministers in the court will definitely be scared to death when they know that Song Mingen has come back to life."
"Not only that, he's Prince Rong's biological son! The ministers who secretly support Xiao Hongyi and his son are probably dying. They won't gain anything by supporting a fake king, and they might even be punished by the Emperor."
Du Zhixu: "Dad, big brother, look over there, the royal family elders are here. Today, not only do we have to reveal our identities, but we also have to be listed in the royal family's imperial book."
When Xiao Yanli appeared in the court hall holding Xiao Hongyu, the entire hall was silent for a moment.
After a breath, the court officials began to whisper to each other.
"Why did the emperor bring the little prince here?"
"Could it be that the little prince has recovered and is going to be named the crown prince?"
"How is that possible? The little prince is born with a weak constitution and there's no way he can recover. The emperor just brought him here on a whim..."
"Cough cough..." Wang Gui coughed twice, and the court officials finally reacted and knelt down to pay their respects.
The little prince spotted Song Mingen, who stood out from the crowd, at first sight.
This kneeling posture looks dignified and elegant.
He is worthy of being his cousin.
I really wanted to run down, help him up, and let my cousin hold him.
The little prince came up with an idea and went down the imperial steps.
Xiao Yanli reached out and retrieved it, whispering in his ear, "It's time to tell the court officials to stand up."
After a moment, a childish voice, neither too loud nor too soft, rang out, "Stand up!"
The ministers shouted their thanks and stood up to look at the little prince who was sitting obediently beside Xiao Yanli.
The little prince looks weak, but his aura is no different from that of the emperor.
The young prince and the young master didn't come, it seems something really big has happened.
Xiao Yanli glanced at the ministers in the court, and his gaze fixed on Song Mingen's mask. "Ministers, if you have anything to say, please report it quickly."
When the ministers in the front row saw the emperor staring at Song Mingen, they couldn't help but turn their heads slightly to look at him.
Who is this person who has received so much attention from the emperor?
Zhang Mingyuan, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "I went back yesterday and did some calculations. Besides giving priority to the soldiers at the border to provide them with warm clothing and food supplies, there's not enough money left to pay for the welfare subsidies for the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the poor."
Xiao Yanli finally withdrew his gaze from Song Mingen's face, frowning, "Not enough? Haven't you done anything this year?"
Zhang Mingyuan said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have tried every possible way to increase the national treasury this year. The six-month battle at the northwest border cost a lot of money. The construction of dams for flood control in the south also cost money. The Ministry of Works also spent a lot of money on the construction of ten warships for maritime defense."
Xiao Yanli was impatient: "Just tell me how much is left?"
"We still need two hundred thousand taels. There are currently eighty thousand poor families in Dayuan who are elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. Every year, each household will be given a large piece of cotton cloth, thirty catties of coarse grains, ten catties of flour, five catties of rice, five hundred copper coins, and a set of medicinal herbs to prevent headaches and fevers."
Xiao Yanli looked at the court officials, "Does anyone have any good ideas for the missing 200,000 taels? Or should we just donate as usual..."
"Your Majesty," an official from Xiao Hongyi's camp stepped forward. "The national situation changes every year. This year, the border war is tense and the treasury is in short supply. We can appropriately lower the standards for the welfare subsidies for the people."
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