Host, feasting is the most enjoyable thing!
Prince An: They're here!!!
Hahaha...
At this banquet, Prince An's seat was opposite the Crown Prince, which was also opposite Shen Mingzhu.
Looking at Prince An, who was showing off his bright white teeth, Shen Mingzhu picked up a piece of pastry and began to eat it slowly and carefully.
Guagua, look at Prince An's big white teeth. I wonder if he has sorted out his relationship with the Duke of Li's mansion yet?
Host, definitely not! He's heartless; he let his son, Yan Yunci, decide!
Guagua, Yan Yunci is just a son of a concubine in a royal family, holding a very minor seventh-rank official position in the Hanlin Academy. Can he even get through the gates of the Duke of Li's mansion?
Haha, host, Yan Yunci doesn't even know which way the gate of the Li family mansion of the Duke of Li faces!
Yan Yunci: That's enough!
Is now the time to talk about this?
Prince An: How dare the humble Duke of Li's mansion look down on and disrespect my son? Are you planning a rebellion?
Li Zhongyuan and his son Li Jingyao from the Duke of Li's mansion felt very uncomfortable under the intense gazes of the entire court.
"Jingyao, look at me. Is my attire for today alright?"
"Father, it is very nice."
"Then why is everyone staring at us?"
"Father, if you have a clear conscience, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door in the middle of the night. We're upright and honest, so there's nothing to worry about."
After speaking, the father and son sat upright, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
Guagua, the Li family father and son are sitting so upright, don't you think they're tired?
Host, they shouldn't be tired, right? If they were tired, their backs wouldn't be so straight; after all, they're not stupid!
General Tian Xuezhou burst out laughing.
Haha~~~
He looked around and explained with a smile.
Please forgive me, please forgive me. I'm so happy to see that the little child I once was has now become a general!"
"Cut!"
Prince An curled his lip.
He was clearly mocking the Li family father and son! Old Tian has become dishonest and has developed a glib tongue.
Host, host, look! The Bald Oriole Consort is here!
Xie Yuze: Bald?
Xie Hao: Bald?
Looking at Consort Li, whose head was adorned with jewels, her hair was clearly white; where was she bald?
Mingzhu has the mind of a child!
Xie Yuze shook his head, smiled, and drank the tea in front of him in one gulp.
Xie Hao quietly observed Consort Li and indeed discovered something different about her.
She's wearing a wig!!!
Hahaha～～～～
I am really the chosen one!
Sure enough, my eyes are the ruler.
Nothing escapes my discerning eye!
Xie Hao was beaming with pride; Shengjing was such a fun place.
My cousin Mingzhu is amazing. She even noticed that!
Shen Mingzhu: Hehe~~~ My cat master is truly amazing!
Before even sitting down, Consort Li glared at Shen Mingzhu. It was all her fault!
Her hair, her mimosa tree, her Yikun Palace, and her Xuan'er...
Everything has changed, yet everything seems the same.
Soon, Emperor Jingyuan arrived with Empress Lin Wanrou.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, and may Your Majesty the Empress be well."
"Rise."
Emperor Jingyuan waved his hand, and all the civil and military officials rose to their feet.
Shen Mingzhu stood next to Crown Prince Yan Beichen, and after Crown Prince Yan Beichen sat down, she slowly sat down in her own seat.
"This banquet is mainly to welcome General Xie and his son back to the capital. Please relax and don't be too formal."
"Yes, your Majesty."
All the civil and military officials rose and curtsied in response.
Shen Mingzhu was a beat slow to react, but she quickly adjusted her state.
At that moment, the system screamed wildly in her mind.
Host, host, something terrible has happened! Xu Haoping, the Salt Commissioner of Jiangnan, is dead!
Emperor Jingyuan's hand holding the wine cup loosened and trembled, some wine spilt out.
Minister of Rites Su Qingshan was much more flustered, and his wine cup fell to the ground...
Empress Lin gently tugged at his sleeve from below, and Emperor Jingyuan quickly recovered, and the banquet proceeded smoothly.
Shen Mingzhu took a sip of Snow Top Green Tea and asked with a frown.
What happened? Why did he suddenly leave?
Host, Xu Haoping's death isn't the key issue; the key issue is that the Xu family children started fighting! The officials and salt merchants below also took the opportunity to cause trouble.
Upon hearing this, Shen Changyuan immediately had an idea.
The money's here!
The Suzhou and Hangzhou region has always been incredibly wealthy, let alone the salt merchants there. It's not unreasonable for them to contribute to the country, is it?
Salt merchants: We owe you what we owe you!
Shen Changyuan: The nation comes first, then the family!
Salt merchants: That's just sophistry!
Shen Changyuan: You colluded with officials, embezzled public funds, and paid money to save your lives!
Salt merchants: ...
Guagua, what's there to fight about the Xu family's children? Just give Lord Xu a grand funeral!
Host, you don't understand! It's the only daughter of the first wife fighting with the children of the current wife of the Xu family over the inheritance!
All the officials and civil and military officials: What's there to argue about? Just follow the "Great Yan Laws"!
Guagua, just follow the "Great Yan Laws"!
Host, the Great Yan is a feudal dynasty where daughters have no right to inherit property. However, the founding empress of the Great Yan clearly stipulated in the supplementary provisions of the Great Yan Law that unmarried women have equal inheritance rights! This means that Xu Jiaojiao, the only daughter of Lord Xu's first wife, also has inheritance rights!
Guagua, how old is Xu Jiaojiao, and she's still not married?
Host, neglected by her father and mistreated by her stepmother, she silently remained in the Xu household for over twenty years, now a middle-aged woman! The crucial point is that Xu Jiaojiao has declared she will never marry!.
Emperor Jingyuan: She's a ruthless woman!
The entire court fell silent!
Guagua, the founding empress of the Great Yan, must have been both beautiful and valiant! This legal code is excellent! It's like giving all the unmarried women in the Great Yan a way out!
Host, that's absolutely right! Back then, the founding empress and emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty fought side by side, overthrowing the previous dynasty and jointly establishing the Great Yan Dynasty. They are revered as the Two Saints by later generations!
Host, let me tell you! Back in the day, the Empress and the Emperor attended court together, jointly ruling the Great Yan Dynasty.
All the civil and military officials looked at Emperor Jingyuan and Empress Lin at the head of the table and silently lowered their heads.
Grand Historian: That's exactly what it's recorded in the historical books.
History will record this!
Prince An: You can do it this way?
Wouldn't that mean in the future...?
He glanced at his nephew across from him, who remained unmoved, and Shen Mingzhu, who was engrossed in eating melon seeds.
Why...
I think I'm overthinking it!
Lord Shen, who didn't even want to attend court, one day...
I can't think about it, I can't think about it, I can't think about it!!!
At this moment, Shen Mingzhu's inner voice came again.
Guagua, is the Xu family very rich?
Host, the Xu family were imperial merchants in the previous dynasty. Later, they changed their allegiance, replacing the merchant status with the official name and abandoned commerce for literature, thus becoming the Xu family we know today. Tell me, isn't the Xu family wealthy?
Emperor Jingyuan: No wonder Minister Xu has managed to balance the power of the officials, salt merchants, and grain transport gangs in Jiangnan so well. Things have been much more stable these past few years. I never expected him to have this hidden identity.
The entire court: We never knew the Xu family was so secretive!