Chapter 215 214. Daddy is pregnant with a little brother
The one who issued the imperial edict was a noble but kind-looking eunuch with white eyebrows, who should be the confidant of the new emperor.
The imperial edict was full of nitpicking and flattering words, the general meaning of which was to praise Lei Li and Zhou Yi for their wisdom, courage, and resourcefulness, and for their hard work and great contributions to the country and the people.
The imperial edict named the Lei family "a family of good fortune and righteousness", and bestowed a plaque with the words "a family of good fortune and righteousness" written by the emperor himself, as well as a thousand taels of silver and a pair of jade ruyi. The imperial edict also granted amnesty to the Lei family and their descendants, allowing them to see officials without kneeling.
"If Mr. Lei and Mr. Zhou were willing to go to the capital, the emperor would promote Mr. Lei to the rank of Marquis of Changning, a title exceeding the first rank and hereditary."
The distinguished old eunuch smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou is a first-rank imperial eunuch, the rank of Marquis of Changning. The eldest son of Marquis of Changning is the Crown Prince, and he can enter the palace to study with the royal family and be taught by the Grand Tutor."
Zhou Yi knew about the titles and inheritance system of the Dayou Dynasty.
During the Dayou Dynasty, there were five ranks of nobility: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. The first three ranks were generally the first, second, and third ranks, and were ordinary hereditary. They were suitable for enthroning royal relatives, or for favored princesses and nobles to request titles for their own sons-in-law.
Only extremely favored princesses or nobles, or princes-in-law with sufficient talent and achievements, can enjoy the treatment of hereditary title without reduction of title.
Ordinary hereditary succession means that after the current title owner dies, the crown prince inherits and the title needs to be reduced by one level.
For example, if the father is a marquis, the son will inherit the title and become an earl, and the grandson will become a viscount, and so on until the father becomes a baron. If they still do not have enough merit or luck to keep the title, they will become a family without a title and will not be supported by the court.
Among them, the heir apparent is usually the son of a prince. To be established, one needs to submit a petition to the emperor for approval, and only after the emperor's approval can he be appointed as the heir apparent. Of course, the emperor will generally respect the wishes of the previous successor.
However, during the Dayou Dynasty, when the emperor granted special titles, the heirs of dukes, marquises, and earls could also be made crown princes, which was far more noble than ordinary dukes and marquises.
The rank of a title is not fixed. It depends on the intention of the emperor at the time of the appointment. If the rank is specifically mentioned, then that is the rank. For example, Lei Li's "Marquis of Changning" is a super first rank.
Super first-class.
In terms of rank, he is one level higher than the prime minister of the current dynasty, and he was promoted from a commoner, which is equivalent to a little carp leaping over the Dragon Gate. This shows that Lei Li and the others are very much favored by the new emperor, and naturally they are extremely powerful.
Normally speaking, if one is given an extraordinary status and extraordinary power, not only will the nobles not give up, but even the government and the public will be shocked and oppose it.
But this new emperor, who had been planning for many years and dared to kill his own father and imprison his brothers, is no longer the soft persimmon who bides his time.
If Lei Li and Zhou Yi were willing to go to Kyoto and expand territory for the new emperor, whether it was promotion and power, or supreme glory for generations, all would be within their reach and easy.
However, Lei Li and Zhou Yi did not care about the empty title of "Marquis of Changning". They were even a little flattered and cautiously guessed the new emperor's intentions.
"Your Majesty is in need of people to help him, especially talented and wise men like you two."
The old man with a kind smile bowed slightly and spoke with a smile.
But whether it was a warning or just an explanation to bribe, Lei Li and Zhou Yi looked at each other and neither of them wanted to go to Beijing to get involved in the mess, so they politely declined after a moment.
"If Mr. Lei changes his mind in the future, the Changning Marquis Mansion will be waiting for you two to come."
The old man bowed with a smile, and Lei Li and Zhou Yi quickly bowed in return.
Although the couple had been rich for several years, they had not learned the etiquette of the Dayou Dynasty and did not know how to greet each other. They just returned the scholar's bow.
The old man didn't care and chatted with the two of them very kindly for a while. Knowing their awkwardness and vigilance, he didn't stay long.
Like the new emperor who came uninvited and was a fleeting presence, this old eunuch, who was most likely in a high position of power, also came and went in a hurry.
The team of elite soldiers and powerful horses that escorted the old eunuch also left Sanlihe Village, which made the frightened villagers breathe a sigh of relief.
This kind of person, who was originally far away and high above everyone else, could only be seen in storybooks and opera excerpts. Suddenly, he came to Sanlihe Village, and his noble and imposing manner made the villagers at a loss and tremble.
But as soon as the people left, they came to their senses and started talking about it again in a lively, surprised and ostentatious manner.
"I didn't even dare to look up, for fear of disturbing the noble and getting punished for something... Oh! That's right, the crime of treason! I'm so scared!"
"That's right! Well, you say, this eunuch who delivered the imperial edict must have seen the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, right? I wonder what they look like..."
"Even if he was standing right in front of you, you wouldn't dare look at him! He's the Emperor!"
"The Lei family is truly blessed with great fortune! They were able to receive the Emperor's decree! Now it's not just Master Mengluo's family who has it, our village has it too. This is the first of its kind in the surrounding area!"
“There’s also a plaque!”
"Hurry up and show your daughter what's written on it. I was so busy panicking that I didn't even listen..."
In fact, it was not just an imperial edict and a plaque. Before leaving, the old eunuch also gave Lei Li and the other two a death gold medal and a promise from the new emperor.
——As long as the two of them are willing to go to Kyoto, they will surely enjoy wealth and glory that no one of them can enjoy.
The emperor’s promise.
A word is as valuable as gold.
The new emperor naturally wanted to appease them and express his goodwill, saying that he would not abandon them.
If anything were to happen in the future, such as a falling out between the emperor and his subjects, or if the Lei family were to cause trouble, that gold medal would save the Lei family from being beheaded. Whether the couple decided to stay in Kyoto or leave, the new emperor would not give a damn.
But Lei Li and Zhou Yi wrapped the gold medal in cloth and put it in a small box. They then dug a small hole at the foot of a bed in the bedroom, buried the box in it, and pressed it firmly with the big bed leg.
Unless the bed is moved away, no one can tell that something is buried here.
Afterwards, the couple put the gold medal and the promise behind them, pretending that nothing had happened, and continued to live their ordinary lives.
...maybe it's not that bland.
Thanks to the tireless publicity of the people of Sanlihe Village, everyone in the surrounding area and the entire county knew that the Lei family had received an imperial edict and a plaque, which shocked the common people, including the county magistrate, and caused an uproar.
In the days after the old eunuch left, there was an endless stream of people coming to visit him, and the gate of the Lei family was packed with people, almost unable to get through.
Everyone wanted to see the imperial edict and the plaque, and wanted to hear what the important person who came to the palace at that time looked like, what he said, and what his expression was.
How could the people of Sanlihe Village remember so much?
In fact, they didn't even know why the Lei family got this plaque, they just guessed it was related to the Meng family.
——Lei Li and Zhou Yi are cooperating with the Meng family, and their business is so big. It doesn’t make sense that the Meng family has an imperial edict plaque, but the Lei family in Sanlihe Village doesn’t have it!
The plaque can be hung up for people to see, but the imperial edict must be carefully preserved. How can anyone just come and see it or touch it? Then take it out and spread it out on the table and shout:
"Don't miss it if you pass by! It's an imperial edict! A fresh imperial edict! If anyone wants to touch it or take a look, hurry up!"
Lei Li simply placed the imperial edict in the village ancestral hall, along with the tablets of his ancestors, and also hung the imperial plaque above the ancestral hall.
This gives people the feeling that the Lei family is generous and generous and has shared their glory and blessings with the village!
The people of Sanlihe Village were filled with gratitude; the village chief and some of the elders were even moved to tears. The village chief, a man in his fifties, patted Lei Li's chest and assured him that he would take care of everything and that he would definitely see to the emperor's decree.
Superstitious women and men would bring their children to the ancestral temple every day to burn incense and kowtow, praying for the spiritual energy of the imperial edict and plaque to help their children have a bright future.
——It would be best if they could be as successful as the Lei family!
Later, the rumor spread in the village that Zhou Yi was a mountain immortal who was accidentally injured and was saved by Lei Li. So, in order to repay the favor, he pretended to be an ordinary man and married into the Lei family to help them prosper.
But others say that Lei Li is the one with great fortune and luck. First, she found a good husband, Zhou Yi, and then she met Meng Luo, the son of a wealthy businessman. She has achieved what she has today thanks to her intelligence and good luck.
Some people even swore that Lei Li and Zhou Yi were a pair of immortal lovers in their previous lives, and that coming to the mortal world to be husband and wife was just a trick of the young lovers, and that they would return to heaven after a hundred years and become immortal lovers again.
There are many different opinions.
Most of them were just bragging by people from Sanlihe Village, especially Gui Fulang's flattery, which was spread like this by false rumors.
However, Lei Li and Zhou Yi did not care. Instead, little Jiang heard a lot of what the uncles and aunts in the village said, and the children in the school also said so, so he firmly believed that his father and grandfather were gods.
"Ginger is a child of the gods!"
The little fellow put his hands on his hips, raised his head and puffed out his chest, looking very proud. "Ginger has a fairy daddy, and a fairy grandpa! Chickens give birth to chickens, fairies give birth to fairies, and Ginger is also a fairy!"
"Oh!"
Lei Li was amused by what he saw. He pinched Sheng Jiang's nose and said with a stifled laugh, "Our Sheng Jiang is a little deity? Is he that powerful?"
"yes!"
Little Ginger nodded seriously and proudly, and said happily, "There's also a fairy brother! Ginger's brother! He's still very little in daddy's belly!"
Lei Li was even more amused after hearing this, and laughed grimly, "How does Sheng Jiang know it's his younger brother? What if it's his younger sister? Doesn't Sheng Jiang like younger sisters?"
"But……"
Little Ginger tilted his head in confusion, touched his father's slightly round belly with his little hand, and said, "There's my little brother inside! A little brother! He'll come to play with me in the evening!"
Lei Li blinked, "How did my brother find ginger to play with?"
"Come into my dream!"
Little Ginger was beaming and dancing with joy. "When I was dreaming at night, my younger brother would often come to play with me! He was small and had a round face, but he still called me brother Ginger. I think I'm the big brother now!"
When little Jiang said the last sentence, he felt a little proud and full of anticipation. He is also a big brother with younger brothers!
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