mtlumby2d Chapter 194 Rewards Are Coming
Chapter 194 Rewards Are Coming
The Qin family had an imperial edict coming, and Qin Huaisheng was extremely excited.
County Magistrate Jiang had previously revealed to him that the imperial court would reward Qin Ruo for his discovery of the new crop.
He had thought that the reward would be issued by County Magistrate Jiang, but he never imagined that a eunuch would come in person to convey the order.
This is a great honor for the Qin family. At this moment, Qin Huaisheng was so excited that his lips trembled slightly.
He humbly asked Lord Pan for advice on how to set up the incense table, and personally took two young descendants of the Qin family to set up the incense table and wiped the table top spotlessly clean.
Qin Ruo and others had already changed their clothes and came out, waiting to receive the imperial edict.
Half an hour later, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree, holding a whisk, finally arrived at the Qin family, accompanied by County Magistrate Jiang, followed by a group of palace maids holding gift trays.
Following the words of Eunuch De, "The imperial edict has arrived, Qin Ruo, please receive it," everyone present knelt down.
Eunuch De took out a bright yellow scroll of imperial edict and began to read it.
"The Emperor proclaims: Qin Ruo, daughter of the Qin family in Taihe County, has made contributions to the country by discovering new crops. She is granted 100 taels of gold, 1,000 taels of silver, 100 acres of fertile land, 10 pieces of brocade, and a number of jewels. She is also given the title of "Princess Ning'an" to honor her contributions and show the Emperor's great grace. I hope she will live up to the Emperor's expectations and actively encourage the people of the world to be diligent in farming..."
Princess! Ruo'er was named Princess.
Old Mrs. Qin's head was buzzing and she only remembered the two words "Princess".
She couldn't believe that the Qin family would one day produce a princess.
Qin Ruo showed no emotion at the content of the imperial edict, but she was a little surprised in her heart.
Didn't Si Heng say that the current emperor was quite stingy? Why did he confer the title of Princess on himself?
But on second thought, Qin Ruo seemed to understand that although the title of Princess sounded good, she had neither fiefdom nor real power.
But it is just a name.
After reading the imperial edict, Eunuch De, with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, slowly handed the edict to Qin Ruo, and ordered the palace servants who came with him to bring the rewards forward.
"I, the commoner Qin Ruo, obey the imperial decree and thank the Lord for his grace. Long live the emperor." After Qin Ruo expressed her gratitude, she took the imperial decree with a proper smile on her face.
After Qin Ruo and everyone else stood up, Eunuch De stepped forward, bowed slightly, and spoke to Qin Ruo with a smile.
"Your servant Sun De congratulates Princess Ning'an. You are now a princess conferred by the emperor himself. From now on, you can call yourself a minister in front of the emperor, and you don't have to call yourself a commoner. You are the first commoner to be conferred a princess. We have discovered new crops in Dasheng, which is a blessing for the people of Dasheng. The emperor is very pleased and has made an exception to confer a higher title. The emperor also hopes that Princess Ning'an will be diligent and self-disciplined in the future and live up to the emperor's expectations."
When he said this to Qin Ruo, the smile seemed to be welded on his face.
Eunuch De came here on a mission this time, otherwise there would be no need for him, the most respected eunuch around the emperor, to come all the way to announce the imperial decree.
"Thank you, Eunuch De, for your advice. Ning An is so favored by His Majesty. I feel humbled to receive this honor. In the future, Ning An will do his best to fulfill his duties and live up to the emperor's grace."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch De smiled even more: "My Princess, you are too polite. You deserve the title of Princess today..."
The imperial court was in an uproar after the government in Ganzhou reported that villagers in Datong Township, Taihe County, had discovered new grain crops.
There were frequent wars in the early years of Dasheng, and food shortages in various states and counties had become a major concern for the emperor.
There are only a few kinds of seeds that are the staple food.
Even though the agricultural officials in the Sinong Temple studied day and night, they were still unable to increase grain production.
I received two baskets of sweet potatoes and potatoes from Lord Pan, which were specially sent back to the palace. I also saw Lord Pan mentioned this in his memorials. The output of this food is several times that of the current staple food of Dasheng.
The emperor was overjoyed and announced the good news during the morning court session.
A few years ago, the imperial court issued a reward order to the people. Anyone who discovered a new crop would be rewarded.
Originally, the emperor planned to give Qin Ruo appropriate rewards, such as fertile land, gold, silver, and jewelry. After all, it was still unknown whether the new crop could be grown.
He thought that for a commoner woman, it was a great blessing for her to receive these rewards from the royal family.
That night, a letter delivered to the palace by the Ninth Prince disrupted the Emperor's plan.
The content of the Ninth Prince's letter consisted of only a few short sentences.
Eunuch De took a few sneak peeks at the time and summed it up in one sentence: discovering the new grain was a great achievement, so the reward should not be stingy.
Qin Ruo is not an ordinary commoner girl. She is the youngest most admired by the eldest princess. It is not an exaggeration to confer the title of a princess. Don't fool people with those empty words.
"Old Nine, are you teaching me how to do things? Does he think the princess is a cabbage? He doesn't even want to go back to the capital for the New Year, but now he is sending a letter to the palace to ask for a reward for a commoner girl? What is Old Nine doing? Does he still have me in his eyes?"
The emperor's roar frightened Eunuch De, who was serving tea at the time, so much that he dared not even breathe, for fear that the fire would burn him.
Although in the Dasheng Dynasty, some daughters of ministers were also conferred the title of princess.
That was a title given by the emperor to his meritorious officials because he did not want to use up the national treasury and suffer heavy losses, but he also did not want to give up real power.
After venting his anger, the emperor sighed.
"Forget it. After all, I owe it to his aunt and nephew. I'll just do as the Ninth Prince says."
That day, the emperor had someone redraft the imperial edict overnight and summoned several ministers into the palace to finally finalize Qin Ruo's title of princess.
But he was specially sent to go there in person to see what kind of person the woman was who could make the Ninth Prince ask for a title for her.
Eunuch De had served the late emperor and knew how to protect himself. Otherwise, he would have survived the successive changes of imperial power and remained a favorite of the emperor.
If nothing unexpected happens, she can still live to serve the next king.
Although on the surface His Majesty seems to be indifferent to the Ninth Prince, in fact, the Ninth Prince's temperament is most like that of Emperor Jing Zhao.
In private, he is more indulgent towards the Ninth Prince than towards other princes.
"Eunuch De and the other gentlemen have come from afar and have worked hard. The Qin family has prepared some light tea. Please come in and have a cup of tea. It happens that the Qin family is having a family banquet today. If Eunuch De does not mind the simple food, you may stay for lunch before leaving."
Yan Ziqin discreetly gave reward money to the guards and palace maids who came with Eunuch De, and took them aside to rest.
"Then we won't be polite, haha. Thank you, Princess Ning'an, for your hospitality."
Eunuch De did not refuse. When he just read the imperial edict, he smelled a unique fragrance.
I don’t know what’s in there, but my appetite has been aroused.
"Eunuch De, you are here in person today. Did you have a smooth journey?" Lord Pan took the opportunity to step forward and greet Eunuch De enthusiastically.
He was somewhat surprised that Eunuch De came in person, and it was also beyond his expectation that Qin Ruo was conferred the title of Princess.
However, coming back to the point, no matter what the emperor's purpose is, this Miss Qin is really worth it.
"Oh, Master Pan is here too. There were so many people around just now that I didn't notice you were here. Thanks to Master Pan, the journey was smooth. The emperor also happened to have told me that I came here this time to find Master Pan to learn about the current situation of the new crop."
Eunuch De turned around and started chatting with Lord Pan. In such an occasion, County Magistrate Jiang and Lawyer Qian were just background figures. They just needed to keep smiling and stay by their side.