"You all can step back."
Seeing Sun Shaozong leave the hall, Emperor Guangde waved his hand, and a crowd of bodyguards and eunuchs stepped out.
Emperor Guangde waited a little longer, then turned back and said, "Brother, there is no one in the hall now. You can come out now."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a man flashing behind the panel where the drawings were two dragons playing with the pearl, and said angrily, "Your Majesty, I have managed to help you find a rare general with good abilities. Why did you promise him to be transferred to a civil servant?"
This man was only a few years younger than Emperor Guangde, but he was well-maintained. He looked like a man in his early thirties, and his facial features were very similar to Emperor Guangde's. He was the younger brother of his mother, Prince Zhongshun.
It turned out that after parting on the river that day, Zhou Jingui, the Governor of the Royal Residence, used a messenger pigeon to report all the events that happened that day to Prince Zhongshun, and highly praised Sun Shaozong for being brave and his good skills in martial arts in the letter.
Upon receiving the news, Prince Zhongshun sent people to squat on the dock. As soon as the passenger ship of the Jia family arrived, he rushed to the Palace to ”offer treasure.” Who would have thought that before he managed to say a few words to the Emperor, Earl Yongyi, Niu Jizong came running to the hall and repeatedly demanded Sun Shaozong be punished severely.
That's why there was a scene just now.
After hearing Prince Zhongshun's urgent question, Emperor Guangde said casually, "Young people, it's hard to avoid a time when they've got great ambition but little talent. If they don't go through trials and tribulations, how will I be able to control them in the future?"
"What if he resists? Don't forget, Your Majesty, that guy found the remaining assassins in only half a day in the Kingdom of Qian Xiang!"
"Isn't that better?"
Emperor Guangde laughed and said, "If I could have a Di Renjie who is very powerful and is in charge of both military and political power, I'm afraid I would wake up in a dream."
Prince Zhongshun thought it was true, but he didn't want to change his mind so soon, so he hesitated and laughed, "I'm afraid what this guy wants is not fame and wealth, but a good family. I heard that he abducted a gorgeous lady from the Kingdom of Qian Xiang and kept saying that he wanted to marry her. Maybe he wanted to be transferred to civilian work to marry that lady."
"Marry a lady from another country?"
Emperor Guangde frowned for a while, then suddenly waved his hand and said, "Let’s stop mentioning him and get down to business first. What do you think of the behavior of Niu Jizong just now?"
"Only with a loyal and down-to-earth attitude can you make your moral character noble. Being arrogant and indulgent can only lose your noble moral character!"
At first, Prince Zhongshun openly said the proverbs without hesitation, and then further analyzed, "I think it's false for him to plead for his brother's grievance, and it's true that he took the opportunity to test His Majesty's intentions! Now that our father and the cunning old woman are old enough to see that in a few years, you will be in charge of politics alone. Therefore, this group of bastards wants to test His Majesty's intentions and make preparations early."
The ”cunning old woman” in his mouth refers to Empress Dowager Niu, who was also the direct aunt of Earl Yongyi, Niu Jizong.
Empress Dowager Niu did not give birth to any children when she was young, so the throne fell to Emperor Guangde.
After Emperor Guangde succeeded the throne, he once tried to push his biological mother to the throne of the Empress Dowager and respectfully arranged her in the Eastern Palace, which was concurrently the same as the Western Palace. However, Empress Dowager Niu blocked her, and finally, she was granted the title of Princess Dowager.
Therefore, the two brothers hated Empress Dowager Niu down to their bones, and privately they called her the ”cunning old woman.”
"What a good plot to prepare early!"
The corner of Emperor Guangde's mouth was slightly upturned, showing a cruel sneer. "After my father passes away, I will uproot these traitors who have brought disaster to the country and the people!"
When he thought that the four princes and eight ministers were linked with the Supreme Emperor to control the internal and external financial resources, which forced the royal prerogative like himself to hide in the dark, he had to ask the loyal Prince to sell private salt for profit. He could not help but hate them.
"Your Majesty."
Although Prince Zhongshun was known as ”perverse and domineering,” he did not scold the four princes and eight ministers with Emperor Guangde at this time. Instead, he advised, "This matter should be delayed rather than urgent. I'm afraid we have to appease them for now. It's better to arrange some more plans for them to be in vain and waste their money, it's an easy task for us. "
Hearing the speech, Emperor Guangde got up, left the imperial court, and paced back and forth in the Wen Ying Hall.
After a while, he suddenly shouted for Dai Quan and said, "Go to the Queen's palace and pass on my order. Female historian Jia Yuanchun is granted the title of Minister of Fengzao Palace and is granted the additional title of Consort Xiande. The Lady of Bright Countenance, Liu Rumei, fills up the vacancies of the Female Historian of Fengzao Palace and is granted the additional title of an imperial concubine. The Lady of Bright Countenance, Shui Wanyi, is granted the title..."
He granted several concubines in one breath, all women from the families of the four princes and eight ministers.
After Dai Quan wrote them down one by one, he explained, "Moreover, help me spread the word that from the beginning of next spring, anyone who has female family members who are in the palace and that their family has a different courtyard that complies with the royal regulations of accommodating his concubines to stay temporarily will be allowed to go home to visit their relatives and enjoy the happiness with their family!"
When Dai Quan was ordered to leave, the monkey-like Prince Zhongshun scratched his ears and cheeks and said, "Your Majesty has a good tactic! The four princes and eight ministers are best at showing off their wealth and comparing themselves with each other. Together with the spotlight of visiting their relatives, how would they not try their best to build a garden!"
Emperor Guangde grinned slightly, but his brows were full of anger.
—Dividing Line—
Not to mention how Emperor Guangde and Prince Zhongshun calculated the four princes and eight ministers.
It was said that Sun Shaozong got the Emperor's approval and went home happily. He told Ruan Rong about the transfer to being a civil servant. Ruan Rong was so happy that tears came running down her face. Who would be willing to be a concubine if she could be the main hostess?
Although his big brother has some complaints, he could only recognize them helplessly when he saw that it had been done.
For three days after that, other than Sun Shaozong taking the time to visit Hou Yong Mansion and the Old Lady of the Hou family, he was cultivating his relationship with Ruan Rong at home. While waiting for the transfer of civil servants to be settled, he held a simple wedding ceremony and took her down completely.
Unexpectedly, on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, a decree was suddenly sent from the palace. Sun Shaozong was to be temporarily transferred to the Central Judicial Office, serving as the General Judge.
Instead of being revoked, he was promoted one rank up to Lieutenant Commandant of Cavalry from his initial rank as Lieutenant Imperial Guard, which was not that kind of nominal title of Jia Rong but a serious job.
Although Sun Shaozong succeeded in becoming a civil servant, he was only a part-time officer. His main job was still in the military!
The two of them were so dumbfounded that they didn't know what to say for half a day after looking at the transfer order for him to take over the office after the New Year.
Only Sun Shaozu was very happy.
For him, his brother found a civil servant who was ranked as a sixth-grade official. The main thing was that Jia Yucun, the Prefectural Magistrate, was there to take care of him. Civil servants wouldn't be able to treat him badly.
He spent most of the day in such a muddle-headed way.
In the evening, another steward of the Jia family came to deliver Jia Lian's famous post and invite Sun Shaozong to the Rongguo Mansion for a small gathering tomorrow.
Sun Shaozong was not in the mood at all, but seeing Ruan Rong being so moody was not the way. So he advised her to go to Jia Mansion with him and talk to her godsister, Lin Daiyu.