bayedsolid Chapter 219 The Loyal and Valiant Earl!
Chapter 219 The Loyal and Valiant Earl!
Having slept without a dream, the first thing Mu Xinnuan did upon waking was to check the room for any signs of a stranger having been there.
In fact, Mu Xin Nuan was not sure whether she wanted the silver-masked man to come or not.
It had been some time since their last meeting. Mu Xin Nuan had planned that if he came, she would ask him if he had taken her gold filigree sachet, and whether he had left the jade hairpin behind.
But subconsciously, she felt that it was wrong for them to meet like this! After all, she was a young lady from a respectable family, how could she do such a thing?
Mu Xin Nuan saw that there were no signs of anyone having been in the house, and felt a little relieved but also a little disappointed.
After washing up, Mu Xin Nuan went to Jin Yuan to have breakfast with her mother and keep an eye on her fifth brother, Mu Qing Yang.
"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with the birthday banquet again. Yangyang hasn't been eating much these past few days. I'm wondering if he has some internal heat in his stomach?" Madam Li said with a worried expression.
"It's alright, he's just a child, it's perfectly normal for him to have these kinds of symptoms occasionally." Mu Xin Nuan said, then took Mu Qing Yang's pulse and examined him carefully for a while. "He might have indigestion. It's fine to let him eat less. Also, I'll go to the kitchen to make him some soup later, with plenty of licorice root. He's too young, he probably can't handle bitter medicine."
"It must have been tough on you. You've been managing all the household affairs these past few days, and you still have so many lessons to attend. Now, you still have to find time to take care of Qingyang. Sigh, I'm truly useless."
"Mother, what are you saying? By the way, Mother, have you ever thought that my second sister and Tingting are already thirteen years old? Shouldn't they also learn to manage the household themselves?"
Li was slightly taken aback, and after thinking for a while, she said, "That makes sense. They'll be getting married in a few years, and they can't be completely clueless."
“Mother, why don’t we let them start by managing their own yards? The monthly allowance and other expenses for the yards can be given directly to them so they can manage these things and keep track of the accounts. It will be easier for them to learn other things later.”
"Alright. As you say. I'm not worried about Tingting, but Xinyao seems to have become more obedient these past few years. However, I always feel that this child is too scheming. I'm afraid she's blaming us for Song Shi's death and the downfall of the entire Song family! This child is still too sinister."
“Mother is right. If she could be as reasonable as A-Yuan, that would be good. However, she is still a member of the Mu family, and Mother cannot bear the stigma of mistreating a concubine’s daughter. Let’s wait and see. As long as she behaves herself in the mansion, Mother can finally rest easy once she gets married.”
"That's true. That's all we can do. I've asked myself all these years, and I've never shortchanged her in anything. As for the Song family, that's her own fault, and she has no one else to blame! But if she insists on blaming me, there's nothing I can do. It's just a pity that such a smart child has started to learn to scheme because of this, which is really not a good thing."
"Mother, please don't overthink it. This is a list I made. Please take a look and see if there's anything wrong with it." Mu Xin Nuan had Rong Yue hand the list to Li Shi, while she picked up Mu Qing Yang, put him on the ground, and let him run around and play.
"Hmm, not bad. Quite thorough." After reading it, Madam Li smiled and said, "My Nuan has really grown up. I don't need to worry about these things anymore."
Before Old Master Mu's birthday celebration even arrived, the Mu family unexpectedly welcomed a great joyous occasion!
The Emperor issued an edict to commend Mu Chang'an, and he was directly promoted to Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat. This was because the dikes in Jiangnan that Mu Chang'an had personally supervised during his tenure as Minister of Works had prevented the severe rain disaster of the previous autumn. The Emperor was overjoyed and intended to reward him, but at the time the Emperor was unwell and busy with the affairs of the Ministry of Works, so the matter was temporarily put aside.
This spring, Mu Chang'an once again requested an imperial decree to postpone the construction of the inner palace. If any palace needed repair, it could be repaired separately. In this way, nearly 100,000 taels of silver were saved for the national treasury of Dayong.
The Emperor was overjoyed and issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon Mu Chang'an the title of Earl of Loyalty and Bravery!
The Marquis of Zhongyong! Although the title isn't particularly high, falling below the Marquis, the fact is that this is the first title the Mu family has held in nearly two hundred years! If Mu Chang'an doesn't make any major mistakes in the future, then the probability of Mu Qingxuan inheriting this title is extremely high!
In other words, as long as Mu Chang'an remains stable, even without further merit, according to the laws of the Great Yong Dynasty, any title can be retained for three generations. Of course, hereditary titles are not included in this category.
The Mu family is already extremely grateful that Mu Chang'an has earned them the title of Earl of Loyalty and Bravery. How could they dare to hope for anything more? As long as the direct descendants of the Mu family do not commit any major mistakes within three generations, this title will surely be preserved.
When Mu Xin Nuan heard this news, she was naturally overjoyed. In her previous life, her father had never held such an official position, let alone been granted a title. Now, perhaps because of her rebirth, the fates of some people closely related to her had already quietly changed.
However, with the old master's birthday approaching, and this joyous occasion arriving at the Mu residence, some details will likely need to be adjusted. For instance, the invitations might need to be sent to more people. Previously, they felt their family's status was too low to invite certain dignitaries, fearing it would be beneath them. Now, with their father becoming a second-rank Grand Chancellor and further ennobled, the banquet will certainly be larger.
There are also some return gifts that will probably need to be rearranged; they must be befitting the status of the Marquis of Zhongyong.
Now, Mu Xin Nuan was so busy she didn't even have time to drink water. She had to oversee every single detail to feel at ease. After all, this birthday banquet was her father's first public reception of guests and relatives after his promotion, and there couldn't be the slightest mistake.
While the main house was bustling with activity, Madam Jin was furious in the west courtyard!
"Hmph! What do you mean by celebrating the old master's birthday? I think we're clearly just bringing honor to the eldest son's family!"
"What do you know?" Mu Changping sat down, lifting his robe. "Our elder brother's promotion won't do us any harm at all. Besides, with his promotion and title, won't we look good when we go out? You're just a woman, all you know is to fuss over trivial matters. Don't lose your dignity."
Ms. Jin was delighted to hear this.
"Status? Lose your status? What rank are you? In the capital, a single tile falling could hit a fourth-rank official! You're only a lower-ranking official, and you're the only one who thinks so highly of yourself. Who would even give you a second glance if you went out here?"