bayedsolid Chapter 177 The imperial edict arrives
Chapter 177 The imperial edict arrives
The virtuous king and eunuch Gao walked side by side, followed closely by a large number of imperial guards. They walked in unison, looked solemn, and held spears in their hands, forming a spectacular sight. Behind them was a carriage filled with gold, silver, and jewelry, with deep ruts that showed the weight of the treasures inside.
The team set out from the palace in a mighty procession and headed towards the Duke's Mansion. Wherever they went, people stopped to watch, wondering in their hearts what the purpose of this action was.
After entering the Duke's Mansion, An Qingxuan had already led everyone in the Duke's Mansion to kneel on the ground, and there was silence. Duke An and his wife walked out slowly with the help of servants. Their faces revealed a trace of fatigue, but their eyes were still full of awe for the imperial power.
Upon seeing this, Eunuch Gao immediately signaled the young eunuch beside him to come forward, placed two carved armchairs next to the two elderly people, and said with a smile: "Duke Anguo, His Majesty is so gracious that he specifically instructed you two not to kneel to receive his orders! Sit down and listen!" His voice was sharp and clear, and it spread throughout the Duke's Mansion.
The virtuous king opened the imperial edict and read aloud: "The Emperor of Fengtian Chengyun has ordered: I rule the country with culture and suppress rebellions with force. Military commanders are the pillars of the court and the pillars of the country. If you are able to be both civil and military, and make efforts to serve the country, how can you ignore your achievements and favor your life? My loyal minister An Qingxuan has taught his children well. His eldest son An Junyuan is both virtuous and talented. He works hard to govern the country and wins my heart. You have lived up to the expectations of the court. I promote you to the Grand Commander of the Capital Camp as a reward! Return to Beijing immediately to take up this post!"
An Qingxuan led everyone to kowtow and express gratitude: "The whole Duke's Mansion thanks His Majesty for his grace! Long live the emperor!"
The virtuous king handed the imperial edict to An Qingxuan and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Minister An! Your Majesty has specially selected a cart of gold, silver and jewelry. Minister An fainted in the court today, and Your Majesty is very worried!"
An Qingxuan's face was full of joy: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!"
At this time, Duke Anguo gave Eunuch Gao the reward money, and Eunuch Gao said with a smile: "Then we will return to the palace! Congratulations, Duke Anguo, your eldest grandson will come back to accompany you!"
After Eunuch Gao led the imperial guards away, An Qingxuan saw that the virtuous king had no intention of leaving, so he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does the virtuous king have anything else to convey?"
The virtuous king smiled slightly and said softly, "Minister An, don't be nervous. I just want to chat with you for a while. I wonder why Minister An suddenly fainted in the court today? Is he in serious condition?"
An Qingxuan quickly replied: "Thanks to the wise king's concern, I am fine, but I suddenly heard that my son was poisoned, and I am worried and panicked!"
The virtuous king nodded, a look of understanding appeared on his face, and he said softly: "Now that your son is about to return, Minister An does not need to worry too much! I would like to have lunch at your house today, I wonder..."
An Qingxuan smiled slightly, quickly stood up, bowed to the virtuous king, and said respectfully: "It is our honor that the virtuous king can dine here! Please come in, virtuous king!"
As they talked, the two of them came to the dining room together. After lunch was over, An Qingxuan dismissed everyone, and then moved to the study with the virtuous king, sat opposite each other, and began to drink tea and chat.
At this moment, the virtuous king suddenly took out a letter from his arms, handed it to An Qingxuan, and said: "This is what Prince Xiao asked me to give to Minister An!" His voice was very soft, but it carried an inexplicable majesty.
An Qingxuan carefully opened the envelope, and saw four big words written on the letter paper: Wait and see!
He couldn't help but frown and muttered to himself, "What on earth does Master Xiao mean by this?"
Seeing this, the virtuous king at the side smiled and explained, "Prince Xiao meant to ask Minister An not to worry about the affairs in Jiangnan for now. These matters will naturally be handled by His Majesty himself. The An family does not need to intervene. After all, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are fighting in full swing now, and the An family must not be involved!"
After hearing this, An Qingxuan showed a hint of hesitation: "Why is the wise king..."
The virtuous king seemed to see through his thoughts and laughed: "This king and Prince Xiao are on the same front. Prince Xiao will be your nephew-in-law in the future. Do you still have doubts about us?"
An Qingxuan quickly shook his head and said, "I dare not, but this matter is too serious, so I have to act with caution. I hope the wise king will forgive me."
The virtuous king waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's okay. Minister An's caution is justified. However, since Prince Xiao has said so, he must have his own considerations. Let's just follow his words for now and wait and see what happens."
An Qingxuan nodded, but he was still somewhat puzzled. He wondered what the meaning of Prince Xiao's move was. Was it really like the virtuous king said, that His Majesty would personally handle the affairs of Jiangnan? Or was there something else going on? It seemed that the answer would only be known by waiting for further developments.
At night, everything was quiet, and the moonlight sprinkled in the study of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Suddenly, a mysterious uninvited guest quietly arrived. Li Mingfu had an ominous premonition in his heart. When he took the account book handed over by the other party, his mood instantly fell into an ice cellar.
The man wearing the black iron mask spoke in a low and cold voice: "His Majesty has ordered that if the Prime Minister attacks the An family army again, Li Mingjie and the Li family's side branches will be buried together!" These words sounded like thunder in Li Mingfu's ears, making him tremble.
Li Mingfu did not dare to neglect it, and quickly bowed respectfully to the iron-masked man, indicating that he would follow the emperor's will. However, just as the iron-masked man turned around and prepared to leave, he stopped.
"Mr. Prime Minister!" The iron-masked man's tone was warning, "If you really want the prince to be safe, then don't test His Majesty's bottom line. You must know that selling contraband salt is a serious crime that is enough to exterminate nine generations of your family!" After saying that, he stared at Li Mingfu with eyes as sharp as a knife.
Hearing this, beads of sweat appeared on Li Mingfu's forehead. He bowed his head and said respectfully, "I understand. Please rest assured, Master Secret Guard." After sending this mysterious visitor away, Li Mingfu fell into deep thought...
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly, but the atmosphere in the court of the imperial palace was unusually solemn. Prime Minister Li Mingfu solemnly reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty! Yuqing Governor Li Mingjie performed poorly in disaster relief and failed to effectively help the victims. I beg your majesty to severely punish him!"
These words were like a huge rock thrown into a lake, stirring up thousands of waves. The officials in the court were shocked when they heard this. You know, Li Mingjie is Li Mingfu's cousin! Is Li Mingfu's move to kill his own relatives for the sake of justice? Everyone looked at each other, speculating in their hearts.
Emperor Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Li Mingfu, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Then let him serve as the chief clerk in Yuqing!"
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the court. Although this chief clerk was a minor official, he was a world apart from the former fourth-rank Yuqing governor. The prince was stunned. He never expected that Emperor Wen would make such a decision. He wanted to say something, but when he saw the prime minister's stopper look, he had to swallow back the words on his lips.
At this time, the Third Prince stepped out of the line, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty! Although the failure to provide disaster relief was a mistake, it was not a heinous crime. Why demote Li Mingjie to the ninth rank? Isn't this punishment too severe?"
However, Li Mingfu responded righteously: "Since the founding of the country, Dazhao has always been based on sympathy for the suffering of the people. This Li Mingjie dared to neglect the people, and he really deserved it! I think your majesty's handling is very appropriate!"
The corners of Emperor Wen's mouth moved slightly, and he seemed to reveal a barely perceptible smile. Seeing this, Eunuch Gao, who was standing by, immediately shouted loudly: "Dismiss the court!" With this shout, the ministers in the court stood up one after another and respectfully left the palace. And this storm was temporarily put to an end.