Chen Miaochun didn't realize what she had said. Hugging the imperial edict in her arms, she felt dizzy.
She had actually become a marquis! It was like a pie falling from the sky!
Shen Baozhu was a bit confused. "Uncle Emperor promised me that he would make Sister Miaochun a heir apparent. But now Sister Miaochun has become a marquis. Does this count as my merit?"
The Dragon King: [I'm also curious. Weren't they saying that it's very difficult for a woman to be a heir apparent? How did she become a marquis all of a sudden?]
Lin Yu had a guess. [Maybe that big pearl played a role. Did the emperor do things after getting the benefit?]
The Dragon King: [This emperor is reliable. He really does things after getting the money. Little cutie, find him next time.]
The Taoist Qingyun rarely showed curiosity. [How did the emperor manage to do it?]
The Dragon King also got curious. He encouraged Shen Baozhu to go to the palace to ask.
At this moment, in front of the Qianqing Palace, the courtyard was full of kneeling ministers. Inside the imperial study, several of the emperor's trusted ministers were also kneeling.
This was all because the emperor had issued an imperial edict in the evening. Without any merit, he had actually ennobled a woman as a marquis!
The emperor had no intention of hiding it. In just half an hour, the whole capital knew about it. The ministers who had just returned home rushed back without a moment's delay and knelt down together, asking the emperor to withdraw the edict.
Whether they were outside or inside the study, they were all kneeling without exception.
The only exception was the prime minister. He was sitting on a chair, cracking melon seeds with the emperor.
It had to be said that the melon seeds tasted extra delicious when others were kneeling!
The prime minister looked at the minister on the far right of the second row. "Hey, Minister Yan, come here quickly. Have tea with me. Don't mess around with them."
Minister Yan's father stiffened. He could feel the unfriendly looks from his colleagues around him. Just as he was about to defend himself, he heard the emperor also say with a smile, "Yes, Minister Yan, get up quickly. Your youngest son has managed to marry into a noble family."
His youngest son, who looked so stupid, marry into a noble family?
This statement sounded a bit strange... Minister Yan's father's breathing suddenly quickened. Could the woman who had been ennobled be Chen Miaochun, the eldest daughter the Marquis of Yong'an had just found, who wanted the emperor's permission to establish a female household and was also his youngest daughter - in - law?
Because the news had spread so quickly, the officials, including Minister Yan's father, only knew that a woman had been ennobled. They didn't know the more specific information.
Although it was against common sense for a woman to be ennobled as a marquis... but if the beneficiary was his own family, it was another matter.
Bearing the disdainful looks of his colleagues, Minister Yan's father got up and went to the prime minister to confirm again. "Prime minister, the woman who was ennobled..."
The prime minister stuffed a handful of melon seeds into Minister Yan's father's hand. "Congratulations! You've got a wonderful daughter - in - law from the Marquis of Yong'an's family."
Minister Yan's father couldn't hide his joy. He took the melon seeds and laughed. "Hahaha, my youngest son is lucky."
Seeing this, the other ministers showed no expression on their faces, but they were all calculating in their hearts.
The emperor glanced around and guessed what these people were thinking. He exchanged a look with the prime minister. It was time to carry out the next step.
The prime minister got up and personally called in several ministers from outside. They were the emperor's former tutor, the courtier who was dedicated to the country, the director of the Imperial College who regarded reading as his most important task... These people had one thing in common. They were willing to dedicate themselves to the Great Yong Empire until they died. They were loyal officials of the Great Yong.
They were also the ones the emperor was worried about. They really dared to smash their heads against the palace steps just to make the emperor withdraw the edict.
Those people were initially reluctant to get up. The prime minister had lured them into the study with false information.
After entering the study, they first saluted the emperor, and then one by one started to speak.
The emperor's tutor was an upright man who couldn't tolerate the slightest stain. He was a three - dynasty veteran. Nearly seventy years old, although his body was still in good shape, he was weak in qi and timid in heart. He sighed. "For a woman to be a marquis goes against the harmony of heaven. It will ruin the Great Yong! Back then, the late emperor specifically appointed me as the grand tutor and asked me to teach Your Majesty the strategies of governing the country. Now that Your Majesty has made such a big mistake, how can I have the face to meet the late emperor in the underworld?"
The historian's surname was Ning. Although his official position was small, he adhered to his beliefs. The ancestors of the Ning family had always written the history for the royal family of the Great Yong. The current historian was originally the courtier who recorded the daily life of the late emperor. After the late emperor passed away, his son became the courtier to record the daily life of the current emperor and accompanied the emperor.
Historian Ning advised earnestly. "Your Majesty, there has never been such a strange thing since ancient times. That woman has neither merits nor faults. How can she be ennobled as a marquis all at once? Even if there is a reward, it should be done step by step. Jumping levels in rewards may cause great disasters!"
This matter had been entrusted to the prime minister by the emperor, so the prime minister had been thinking about it for several days. He couldn't help but say, "According to Historian Ning, can we start by making her a heir apparent? Can a woman's 'zi' also be the 'zi' of a heir apparent?"
"Absurd!" The director of the Imperial College didn't care about the difference in official positions. He retorted, "How can a woman be a heir apparent? When has there ever been such a rule in this world? If the prime minister is old, he should abdicate and make way for the worthy, so as not to have a muddled mind and cause chaos in the court!"
The director of the Imperial College had gone too far, so far that the emperor even cast a sidelong glance at him. The other officials didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The prime minister wasn't angry. On the contrary, he smiled and said, "The director is joking. Since you gentlemen have already come in, we can proceed to the next step."
In front of the other ministers in the study, the prime minister led the emperor's tutor, Historian Ning, the director of the Imperial College, the minister of war, and Minister Yan's father into a secret passage in the study.
Although the ministers in the study were kneeling, they had been stealing glances at the movement. Seeing that there was a secret passage in the study, they were all shocked.
The emperor counted the people with a heartache, feeling very sorry for his limited amount of the mist.
If it weren't for the prime minister saying that they should cast a long - line to catch a big fish, let those ministers smell the mist, handle this matter well, and make the gods happy so that there would be more treasures in the future, he would never have agreed to the prime minister's idea of letting those loyal ministers smell the mist.
Time passed bit by bit. When the prime minister led those ministers out again, everyone's expressions had changed.
To be more precise, the prime minister looked calm and still had a smile on his face, but the expressions of the other five had changed.
Especially Historian Ning. He didn't avoid it at all. He looked at the emperor with burning eyes. "Your Majesty, it is the merit of my ancestors to be able to compile the history of the Great Yong. And it is the blessing I have earned in nine lifetimes to be able to serve Your Majesty!"
The straightforward and sincere praise made the emperor feel comfortable. He was generous for once. "Considering that you have to record the dragon ornament, I specially approve you to enter the secret room one more time. You must depict the grandeur of the dragon!"
Historian Ning was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed to thank the emperor. "Thank you, Your Majesty. With the help of the dragon, the people of the Great Yong will surely live and work in peace and contentment, and Your Majesty will be famous through the ages!"
The emperor's tutor followed suit. "When I first saw Your Majesty back then, I knew that Your Majesty was intelligent. I didn't expect that Your Majesty would govern the Great Yong so well and even get the help of the dragon. Thanks to Your Majesty's good fortune, I can also get a glimpse of the dragon's grandeur."
Compared with before, the emperor's tutor's face was much rosier. Being praised by his strict teacher from his youth, the emperor felt a bit flattered. He was generous again. "Teacher, you are in poor health. You can go to the secret room again to get some of the dragon's good fortune."
The director of the Imperial College stared wide - eyed, looking at Historian Ning and the emperor's tutor beside him in disbelief. Weren't they supposed to adhere to their beliefs? Weren't they supposed to tolerate no stain? Why had they all changed? And they even got ahead of him!
With Historian Ning and the emperor's tutor setting the example, the director of the Imperial College simply knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise."
The officials in the study were stunned. Among them, the minister of works had a good relationship with Minister Yan's father. He quietly moved his knees forward and asked, "What's going on? Do they three agree to the woman being ennobled as a marquis?"
Minister Yan's father was still immersed in the experience in the secret room just now. The minister of war glared at his colleague. "Nonsense. What do you mean by agree or not? We all highly approve of Your Majesty's decision. Your Majesty is wise!"
Not only the minister of works but also the other officials heard it. They all had the same thought in their minds. Oh no, these people had all gone crazy.