nucmednet Chapter 147 Reward
Chapter 147 Reward
The Third Prince was even more furious. He certainly wouldn't actually send them to suppress the bandits; most of these well-known and reputable bandits were related to him.
Suppressing bandits would be like cutting off your own legs.
His eyes lit up, and a plan came to him. He assigned the Ninth Prince an extremely difficult task.
"Very well! Since Ninth Brother is so confident, then I will give you another chance. Recently, barbarians have repeatedly invaded our borders and harassed our people. You must immediately lead a troop to defend against them. If you fail to repel the barbarians, you will bring me your head!"
After the Third Prince finished speaking, a smug sneer curled at the corner of his mouth. He expected that this difficult task would definitely put the Ninth Prince in a predicament.
He was so engrossed in his own world that he didn't notice the change in everyone's expressions towards him.
The ministers whispered among themselves.
"What is the Third Prince doing?!"
"Even if the Third Prince was venting his anger, his actions were far too outrageous."
"Shh! The elder hasn't said anything yet!"
The emperor's expression remained calm as he looked at the Ninth Prince: "What does the Ninth Prince think?"
The Ninth Prince felt a chill run down his spine, knowing full well that the journey to the frontier would be fraught with danger, but he showed no fear and once again cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trust, Father. Your son will certainly not fail in his mission!"
"Good! I order you and Zhou Qingyu to lead 30 troops from the outskirts of the capital to join forces with 15 troops in the southern border region and wipe out the barbarians in the south."
"Yes!"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhou Qingyu also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ninth Prince.
The two strode out of the court with firm steps, ready to face this new challenge.
The Third Prince watched their retreating figures, secretly plotting in his heart that since the barbarians on the border were cooperating with him, he would have them kill Nangong Jing to avenge him!
He went there too, and maybe he could gain some control of the troops!
"Father, I also want to do my part..."
"No need. I've been feeling a bit tired lately. You can assist me in handling state affairs."
"This..." The Third Prince was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to pay his respects.
The court officials were utterly shocked.
"No wonder His Majesty did not stop the Third Prince's inappropriate words and actions."
"His Majesty probably prefers the Third Prince to be the Crown Prince! As long as he achieves some political success, he can be formally appointed as the Crown Prince."
"The political climate in the court is about to change!"
"..."
The emperor put his hand to his lips: "Ahem! My beloved ministers haven't yet suggested what reward I should give these little ones."
After some thought, the emperor decided it was best not to cause trouble for Xiao Jiu at this moment. So he said:
"Xiao Jiu has already gone to the Southern Frontier; we'll discuss his reward later. Let's talk about Zhao Jihua, the daughter of the Prince of Jin, first."
The King of Jin finally realized what was happening: "So that's why you suddenly summoned me here today. It turns out my daughter has done something great."
Immediately, a minister said, "The Prince of Jin's daughter is already 16 years old. It's not easy for her to get married at such an age. Finding her a good match would be the best blessing."
"Oh?" the emperor asked, puzzled. "Why hasn't she married?"
Prince Jin thought that today was an opportunity, and perhaps he could arrange for the Third Prince to marry Zhao Jihua. So he cupped his hands and said, "This... Your Majesty, please forgive me. When my daughter was young, she attended a palace banquet, and Her Majesty the Empress casually mentioned that she should marry the Third Prince. Since then, my daughter has remained unmarried..."
The emperor touched his nose. So, it seems he was the one who arranged the marriage by mistake?
"The Empress has never mentioned this to me. But it hasn't been settled after all these years, so I suppose the two younger generations have no interest in it either," the Emperor said, finding a way out for himself, which was also a way of getting to the bottom of things. "In that case, the Empress's unintentional remark is no longer valid. Brother, please don't delay her any longer."
"His Majesty……"
The Prince of Jin was about to speak when the Emperor interrupted him.
"Brother Wang, who do you think is more suitable?"
Prince Jin: I think the Third Prince is very suitable, but you won't let me say it.
Unlike the Prince of Jin's reaction, these words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the other court officials regarding Zhao Jihua's marriage, with various candidates being proposed.
However, even the emperor showed little interest, and a perceptive minister suggested:
“Miss Zhao has already come of age, so her marriage is probably not going to be easy to arrange. Why not bestow upon her the title of Princess? It would be a reward and compensation, and it would also make it easier to find a matchmaker for her in the future.”
The emperor laughed heartily, finally hearing those words.
He immediately made the decision, "Good! As Zhang Aiqing said, the daughter of the Prince of Jin, Zhao Jihua, has made meritorious contributions to disaster relief, and shall be granted the title of Princess of Nanhua, with her fiefdom... Lingnan."
The ministers hurriedly congratulated Prince Jin: "Congratulations! Your Majesty truly favors Prince Jin!"
The Prince of Jin wanted to cry but had no tears: ...
Although this princess is quite good, with a title and fiefdom, no matter how good she is, she can't marry the third prince!
He dared not even think about the eldest prince killing anyone he saw.
The other princes will have to be subservient to the Third Prince in the future.
However, those in the high hall continued to drop bombshells: "The second daughter of the Prince of Jin, bravely rescued the prince and distributed wealth to relieve disasters. She has rendered meritorious service, a great service! She is hereby granted the title of Princess Anping!"
This sudden thunderclap sent shockwaves through the imperial court, leaving it utterly stunned.
The ministers, realizing what was happening, immediately stopped him: "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
“Miss Zhao is the daughter of Prince Jin, and the title of Princess rightfully belongs to her. But Xia Li is not…”
"Minister Li!" The Emperor interrupted him displeasedly, "The Prince of Jin's residence just held a family recognition banquet a few days ago. Xia Li is the second legitimate daughter of the Prince of Jin's residence!"
"But that..." But that was just a reputation given to Xia Li by the Prince of Jin because of his affection for her.
It's not his fault; almost everyone thinks so.
The emperor said, "I also sent a congratulatory gift, didn't you know that, my dear minister?"
Everyone fell silent.
Whether Xia Li is actually the daughter of the Prince of Jin is no longer important.
The emperor's attitude was to vindicate Xia Li, and no one dared to question anything anymore.
The emperor can choose who to make a princess as he pleases!
And so, the imperial edicts bestowing titles upon the two were issued, along with a stream of rewards.
……
After court
The emperor walked happily toward his study, thinking that although there had been some setbacks today, they had been resolved smoothly.
I'll have to go find my elder sister later and ask for a reward!
But to his surprise, as soon as he stepped into the door of the Imperial Study, his ear was grabbed.
"You brat! Why didn't you give her a fiefdom? Are princesses with fiefdoms the same as those without?"
The emperor couldn't help but raise his hands in pleading, "Ouch! It hurts! Let go!"
"Hmph!" Zhang Junting crossed her arms and looked at him unhappily.
The emperor rubbed his ear, which had been pinched so hard, before saying, "I'm telling you, elder sister, although I am very open-minded, this imperial study is not a place for you to wander around as you please!"
"That's because you're incompetent! You dragged your feet on such a small thing."
"You are the only person in the world who dares to say that I am incompetent!" The emperor laughed, then asked curiously, "Why do you insist that I give her a princess? It's costing my national treasury so much money every year!"
Zhang Junting glanced at him sideways: "What? Are you worried about their share of food?"
Not at all.