NFBE Chapter 248 How about I bestow the title of Prince upon your fifth brother?
Chapter 248 How about I bestow the title of Prince upon your fifth brother?
"You don't need to rush to Consort Zhuang's place for now. Your fifth brother and the palace maid named Zhixiang who serves Consort Zhuang have jointly developed a type of dry rations that are easy to carry when marching and fighting. This is truly a great achievement."
"I am currently pondering what kind of reward I should bestow upon your fifth brother. Please give me your advice." The emperor looked intently at Canglan Jingyun.
Canglan Jingyun's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head and replied, "Father, I am still young and cannot advise you."
He muttered to himself, "If I give too much of a reward, what if it displeases my father? But if I give too little, I'll feel bad for Consort Zhuang and my fifth brother. Torn between these two options, I decided to decline for now."
However, the emperor was clearly not buying it. His face darkened slightly, and he said with displeasure, "Eleven years old, not a child anymore. If you want me to give advice, then give me advice. Stop being so long-winded."
Seeing his father's displeasure, Canglan Jingyun knew he could no longer refuse. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Father, my fifth brother is still young. It would be inappropriate to bestow an official position upon him at this time. As for gold and silver, Consort Zhuang has never lacked such things. In that case, I truly do not know how to reward my fifth brother."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "Hmm... that makes some sense. Little Wu is only nine years old, which is indeed a bit too young. How about we just bestow upon him the title of Prince?" After saying this, the Emperor looked at Canglan Jingyun, seemingly waiting for his opinion.
"Everything is up to Father Emperor," Canglan Jingyun said respectfully.
"You actually don't object? Logically speaking, your brothers' future princely titles should have been bestowed upon you personally after you ascend the throne." The emperor frowned slightly, looking at Canglan Jingyun with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Canglan Jingyun smiled and calmly replied, "Father, besides my fifth brother, I have many other younger brothers and sisters. With so many younger brothers and sisters, I can reward them gradually in the future."
The emperor pondered for a moment, nodded, and then asked, "Since that's the case, then your father will now bestow the title of Prince upon your fifth brother. Do you have any further thoughts?"
Canglan Jingyun hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting and respectfully said, "Your subject here first thanks Father Emperor for his great favor and reward on behalf of my fifth brother!" His face was filled with joy, and he clearly had no dissatisfaction with the Emperor's decision.
Seeing this, the emperor smiled with satisfaction and said, "Very well, since you have no objections, then after we arrive at the imperial palace, I will draft the edict, and you will be the one to read it aloud. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Canglan Jingyun was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Your subject would be more than happy to do so. It is my greatest honor to be able to share your father's burdens."
"Hmm, not bad. Alright, you may leave now and go visit your mother. Do not disturb me any further as I ponder what title to bestow upon your fifth brother." The emperor waved his hand, indicating that Canglan Jingyun could leave.
Canglan Jingyun respectfully replied "Yes," then turned his horse around and headed towards the phoenix carriage that was slowly approaching from behind.
It is worth mentioning that, due to the long distances involved in the journeys, both the dragon carriage ridden by the emperor and the phoenix carriage ridden by the empress were horse-drawn carriages, rather than the sedan chairs that required human labor to carry them in the past.
When the Empress saw her son riding towards her from afar, a loving smile immediately bloomed on her face, and she asked softly, "Have you finished talking with your father?"
"Yes. Mother, Father has decided to bestow the title of Prince upon my fifth brother. Once we arrive at the imperial palace and Father has finished drafting the imperial edict, I will personally read it aloud." The Crown Prince reported this matter to the Empress with a respectful expression.
The Empress nodded slightly, indicating that she understood, and said slowly, "This is an honor that your fifth brother deserves. In fact, in principle, the princely titles of your brothers should have been reserved for you to bestow upon them in the future. However, your father has bestowed them upon your fifth brother first, so you should not feel unhappy about it."
The Crown Prince quickly shook his head and said earnestly, "Mother, how could I be displeased in the slightest? On the contrary, I am overjoyed! Back then, my fifth brother and eldest sister were entrusted by our late grandmother to guard the imperial mausoleum for ten years. They were still very young at the time and were truly pitiful, which is why Consort Zhuang accompanied them to take care of them."
No matter how beautiful and pleasant the outside environment may be, it can never compare to the comfort and ease of the palace. As a result, Consort Zhuang, her fifth brother, and her eldest sister have truly suffered a great deal.
Upon hearing this, a subtle change involuntarily crossed the Empress's originally fair face. After all, when the topic touched upon the suffering endured by Consort Zhuang while guarding the imperial tomb, even as the head of the harem, she couldn't help but feel a different kind of emotion.
However, in just a moment, the Empress quickly suppressed these emotions and composed herself. In the blink of an eye, her beautiful and noble face returned to its usual dignified and composed state. As a result, even the Crown Prince, who was standing aside observing her expression, failed to notice even the slightest abnormality.
"She's suffering? Hmph, she's probably secretly delighted!" The Empress thought to herself, her mind filled with various scenes of Consort Zhuang's life at the imperial mausoleum. As far as she knew, it had been six years since Consort Zhuang went to guard the imperial mausoleum (it should have been when the two children were three years old, but I can't remember exactly).
Throughout these long years, Consort Zhuang lived a carefree and comfortable life in the imperial mausoleum. Whether in a remote estate or in the solemn and majestic imperial mausoleum, she was the absolute authority, and no one dared to disrespect her in the slightest. In fact, everyone had to be extremely respectful and obsequious to her.
Thinking of this, the Empress couldn't help but sigh softly. In comparison, although she was the mother of the nation and enjoyed supreme honor, she also had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of managing the vast affairs of the harem and was bound by cumbersome formalities everywhere. It was really difficult for her to be as carefree and unrestrained as Consort Zhuang.
Sometimes, the Empress would even have a ridiculous thought: how wonderful it would be if she could switch places with Consort Zhuang! Let Consort Zhuang sit on the enviable yet stressful Empress's throne, while she could escape the hustle and bustle of the harem and go to the tranquil and secluded imperial mausoleum to live a carefree and leisurely life...