Emperor Qingyuan dawdled and wrote a whole book of memorials, but still felt something was missing, so he found another piece of paper and added a sentence.
"Next year, on February 19th, it will be the Empress Dowager's 60th birthday. I plan to send invitations to all the countries and have Lord Jingde expedite the production of a batch of fine glass. I intend to make a fortune off them!"
These words were written with a hint of gritted teeth, as if the writer wished they could bite off a piece of the other person's flesh!
Being an emperor isn't so easy after all; he's practically driven mad with poverty!
He had just finished replying to Han Zhongyu when Eunuch Liu came in with the prepared list of rewards.
Emperor Qingyuan took the list and gave the written letter to Eunuch Liu, instructing him to withdraw 30,000 taels of silver and a Ministry of Revenue imperial merchant token from his private account, and hand them over to Han Zhongyu's guard, asking him to deliver them to Han Zhongyu as soon as possible.
After Eunuch Liu left, Emperor Qingyuan picked up the list of rewards and glanced at it.
The eighteenth prince of the carefree prince's mansion bestowed upon him eight pieces of glass, a set of plum blossom tea set, a pair of elegant stemmed wine glasses, and a pair of artistic water cups.
The Left Prime Minister admired six pieces of glass.
The Right Prime Minister appreciates four pieces of glass.
Prince Dun presented six pieces of glass as a gift.
Prince Su bestowed six pieces of glass upon the prince.
The General of the Western Expedition's Mansion bestowed six pieces of glass upon him.
Two pieces of glass were presented to Grand Tutor Zhou at his residence.
The Imperial Censor Han presented four pieces of glass as a gift.
...
There were more than twenty people in total.
Nothing else mattered, but upon seeing the two pieces of gold awarded by Grand Tutor Zhou's mansion, Emperor Qingyuan immediately crossed them out and transferred them directly to the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion.
They found out that corrupt official Zhang Zhidao had harmed his people and still had the nerve to ask for rewards. They didn't dismiss him because they thought he had done his best for the court in the past!
When Eunuch Liu returned after finishing his errand, he saw the revised list of rewards from Emperor Qingyuan and was secretly alarmed. He thought that the emperor would still have some lingering affection for Grand Tutor Zhou, but it seemed that Grand Tutor Zhou's mansion was doomed to decline!
On the other hand, the Eighteenth Prince, regardless of what the Emperor thought in his heart, was treated extremely well on the surface, even better than the other princes.
Speaking of the Eighteenth Prince, Xuanyuan Che, who was granted the title of Prince Xiaoyao by the late emperor right after his birth, is quite a legendary figure!
It's not that he's particularly talented, but rather that he's incredibly lucky!
In fact, Xuanyuan Che was the Empress Dowager's biological son. The Empress Dowager and the late Emperor were childhood sweethearts, and they had a son, the eldest prince, shortly after their marriage. He was made crown prince at the age of seven. Later, when the crown prince turned eighteen, he was assassinated on his first trip outside the palace and died unexpectedly.
When the Empress Dowager learned of this devastating news, she was heartbroken and even shut herself in the palace, refusing to see anyone. She stayed alone in the small Buddhist hall, chanting sutras and praying for the Crown Prince every day, remaining silent for a full ten years!
Later, Emperor Qingyuan's mother passed away. At that time, Emperor Qingyuan was fifteen or sixteen years old. His eyebrows and eyes, which had grown up, were seven-tenths similar to the deceased eldest son. So the emperor sent him to the Empress Dowager to be raised, which also comforted the Empress Dowager in her grief over the loss of her son!
Gradually, the Empress Dowager also developed feelings for Emperor Qingyuan. However, years of silence made her position in the harem precarious. Emperor Qingyuan was also secretly bullied by her. The Empress Dowager was unwilling to accept this, so she took the initiative to reconcile with the late emperor!
Less than three years later, she became pregnant with Xuanyuan Che.
Unfortunately, when she was eight months pregnant, the late emperor's third son rebelled and forced the emperor to abdicate. Several princes died that day, and the empress dowager was also stabbed in the abdomen while trying to shield the late emperor, which caused Xuanyuan Che to give birth prematurely!
The sword pierced the Empress Dowager's stomach. When Xuanyuan Che was born, he also had a sword wound on his chest, and blood was still gushing out. His body was pale and his lips were bluish. The midwife was so frightened that she fainted on the spot!
There were already rumors that the mother and child were unlikely to survive, and with such severe injuries, the imperial physicians concluded that the mother and child were probably doomed, and that they could only do their best to treat them and leave the rest to fate.
As it turned out, both mother and daughter survived!
However, the younger one has developed a heart condition, which may shorten his lifespan.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager couldn't block the sword, and the late Emperor was also seriously injured!
In this palace coup, all the exceptionally talented princes were lost. Those who remained were either too young or lacked powerful backers. Only Emperor Qingyuan, with his kind nature and the Empress Dowager as his foster mother, was capable of defending the city, even though he lacked great courage.
On his deathbed, the late emperor passed the throne to Emperor Qingyuan. He also enfeoffed the eighteenth prince, who had suffered a disaster but survived, as the Prince of Xiaoyao, and gave him the most prosperous waterfront city in Jiangnan as his fief. He also gave him his own Divine Eagle Guard and entrusted Emperor Qingyuan with taking good care of him!
The late emperor had two major secret guard organizations: the Tianji Guard and the Shenying Guard. The Tianji Guard had always been passed down to the emperor and was loyal only to the emperors of each generation. Since the late emperor chose Emperor Qingyuan to succeed him, the Tianji Guard was naturally passed on to Emperor Qingyuan.
The Tianji Guard is said to have nearly a thousand members, each a top-notch secret guard. Only three hundred remain in the capital to serve the emperor, while the rest are distributed throughout various regions and countries to carry out covert missions.
The Divine Eagle Guards were trained by the Emperor to protect his favorite son after the death of the eldest prince. This shows that the Emperor's bestowal of the title of Prince Xiaoyao upon Xuanyuan Che was not only compensation for his injury and premature birth, but also a father's deep love!
Perhaps it also carries the regret of losing a child at an early age!
Therefore, the carefree prince, who is only fifteen years old, has always been above all the princes and princesses. Even the concubines in the harem give him special treatment. Everyone who mentions the little prince gets a headache!
Honestly, you might call him an elder, but he's young. He can scold whoever he wants, hit whoever he wants, and then go to Emperor Qingyuan to complain!
You might think he's just a child, but he's of a higher generation. Even if they're furious with him, they don't dare to utter a sound. All the princes and princesses always keep their distance from him!
Fortunately, this troublemaker spends half the year away from the palace, instead soaking in the hot springs at his palace in Butterfly Valley to recuperate. Otherwise, they simply couldn't live like this!
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