Chapter 691, Persuasion
After reading the imperial edict, the emperor saw that the officials had nothing to report, so he directly announced the end of the court. When the emperor left with Eunuch An, the court instantly became boiling.
"It's the Yan family again! Last time they donated 200,000 dan of medicinal herbs, and this time they're donating another million dan of grain. Just how much farmland does the Yan family have?"
"Could it be that the Yan family is really corrupt?"
"Stop talking like that! Have you forgotten what Censor Shi taught you?"
"Yes, the Emperor must have thought of what we all thought of. Since the Emperor didn't say anything and instead rewarded the Yan family, it means that the Yan family's food comes from a legitimate source."
The officials nodded and said nothing more.
Duke Cheng'en and several officials walked behind. When there were few people around, one of the officials spoke up, "Many officials have been arrested in connection with Duke Anguo's case, leaving many positions vacant. We had originally thought that the position of Minister of Revenue would be taken by one of our men, but we never imagined that the Emperor would do this."
An official took over and sneered, "Who can afford one million dan of grain?"
Duke Cheng'en walked in silence without saying a word. Seeing him like this, everyone dared not speak anymore.
When he was about to reach the palace gate, Duke Cheng'en looked back in the direction of the Qianqing Palace with a serious look in his eyes.
This time, whether it was the Yan family's donation of grain or the war situation in the northern border, the Jiang family did not receive any news in advance. By the time they found out, everything was already a foregone conclusion.
The emperor's methods are becoming more and more powerful, and at the same time, his control over the court is becoming deeper and deeper. Otherwise, it is impossible that the Jiang family did not get any news at all!
Without the constraints of the Eight Kings, the Jiang family should have calmed down.
The Han family and the Yang family, who were related by marriage to the Yan family, were naturally delighted about the Yan family's move to Beijing. However, the Jiang family of Duke Cheng'en's Mansion and the Guo family of Duke Dingguo's Mansion were a little reluctant to smile.
Originally, thanks to Yan Zhigao's political achievements, he would have been transferred to the capital after completing his term as the prefect of Ningmen Prefecture. However, the Jiang and Guo families used tricks to prevent Yan Zhigao from going to the capital.
Unexpectedly, in just one year, the Yan family was summoned to Beijing by the emperor himself thanks to their donations of medicinal materials and food, and was appointed as the third-rank Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a position of real power.
Ningmen Mansion.
The eunuch who announced the decree was from the Yan family who arrived on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
In addition to transferring Yan Zhigao to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and conferring the title of Princess Shengping on Yan's eldest daughter Yan Yiyi, the eunuch who delivered the decree also brought the decree to confer the titles of third-rank imperial consorts on Old Lady Yan and Madam Li.
Except for Yan Zhigao, Madam Li and Old Lady Yan, who knew that Daohua had donated 1 million shi of grain, everyone in the Yan family was stunned by this sudden happy event.
After Yan Zhigao and Yan Wenxiu led the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict to the front yard for tea, the chattering of the female members of the household became lively.
Wu's face was still filled with disbelief: "Sister-in-law, Daohua has become the county lady?"
Madam Li nodded with a smile. When she learned that her daughter was going to donate 1 million shi of grain, she felt heartbroken privately. But now that her daughter has become a county lady, she is not heartbroken at all.
She was full of worries about her daughter's marriage to Xiao Yeyang. She was afraid that her daughter's status was too low and she would be looked down upon and bullied after marrying into Prince Ping's mansion.
Now, her daughter has become a county lady and has been given a title. Even though there is still some gap between her and Ye Yang, others cannot use her identity to make trouble.
Han Xinran also asked happily: "Mother, are we going to Beijing?" Although Zhongzhou is good, it is still too unfamiliar to her. It is not as good as the capital where she grew up, not to mention that she has relatives and friends in the capital.
Madam Li smiled and said, "After the master and the new prefect hand over the affairs, we can set off for the capital."
Peach Blossom Temple.
After receiving the news, Daohua happily ordered Dongli and Caiju to pack up their things: "Remember, everything else is fine, but the herbs and pharmaceutical equipment in the pharmacy must not be damaged."
Gu Jian glared at him, "What are you doing? You took everything from the pharmacy away. What will I use it for?"
Daohua smiled as if it was a matter of course and said, "Master, of course you are leaving with me."
Gu Jian frowned: "I don't want to go to Beijing!"
Daohua was silent for a moment. Although she had never asked what happened to her mother-in-law and master in the palace, she could roughly guess and knew that the old lady had some resistance to the capital.
"Master, I didn't let you enter the capital. Didn't the emperor previously reward me with a mountain villa? It's on Tangyu Mountain. You know Tangyu Mountain, right? It's on the outskirts of Beijing. The environment there is pleasant, and there are hot springs. It's the perfect place for an elderly person to live."
"I've planted a lot of medicinal herbs in the villa. In the past two years, my two uncles brought me overseas seeds from the south, and Sun Changze brought me seeds from the north. I've planted some of them there. When you go there, you can help me look after them."
Gu Jian was silent for a moment: "Then I can't leave either. If I leave, my sister will be all alone here."
Daohua: "Master, from now on, we will come back to visit Grandma every year and ask the villagers to clean her grave regularly. What do you think?"
Seeing that Gu Jian didn't say anything, Daohua could only use her trump card: "Anyway, I won't leave you here alone. If you don't leave, then I will stay here too."
Seeing his apprentice's rogue appearance, Gu Jian was somewhat speechless: "The war in the northern border has stopped. If you don't go to the capital, do you still want to see Ye Yang?"
Daohua blurted out, "How can Xiao Yeyang compare with Master? Of course I have to take care of Master first."
Hearing this, Gu Jian couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
Seeing that his attitude was softening, Daohua quickly sat down beside him and said, "Master, please come with me. There are so many nobles in the capital, and my family background is not outstanding. What if others bully me when you are not here? No one will stand up for me."
Gu Jian glanced at his apprentice and said, "You are the county lord now. Take it easy and no one will bully you."
Daohua: "But there are many people who are more powerful than the county lady, such as the princess, the prince, the princess, and so on. How can I compare with these people?"
Gu Jian pondered for a moment and said, "Then I'll write a letter to Xiao Wu and ask him to protect you?"
Daohua quickly shook her head: "Master, let's forget about this. Think about it, if I were to go against the princess, who would the emperor protect? It would definitely be his own daughter. In the end, I would be the one who would be wronged."
Gu Jian looked at his apprentice with a puzzled expression: "You haven't even entered the capital yet, and you're already thinking about offending the princess?"
Daohua adjusted the hairpin on her bun and said, "There's nothing I can do. Your disciple is too outstanding. He attracts envy wherever he goes."
Hearing this, Gu Jian rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Daohua shook his arm: "Master, you can't just ignore me."
Gu Jian was so annoyed by her that he stood up, didn't want to pay any attention to her, and walked out of the yard.
Daohua quickly called out to Gu Jian's back, "Master, I'll ask Caiju Dongli to pack up."
Although Gu Jian didn't respond, Daohua still smiled at Caiju and Dongli and said, "Pack your things."
Caiju and Dongli smiled at each other and quickly entered the pharmacy.
(End of this chapter)
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