Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 443 The new emperor ascends the throne
Old Madam Sheng pulled Minglan to sit down and said, "I heard from Madam Cui that after marriage, Brother Li treated you very well. I am relieved now."

Minglan was not surprised to hear this. Mother Cui was an elder who lived beside her grandmother. She came to Shou'an Hall as soon as she returned to the Sheng family. Her grandmother would definitely ask about her recent situation.

"Grandma, I just noticed that the eldest lady's face looked a little strange. Did something happen?" Minglan asked.

"She did it herself." Old Lady Sheng said angrily.

"Grandma, don't be angry. Tell me slowly what happened?" Minglan asked.

"You tell her."

Old Madam Sheng was angry and didn't want to say more, so she asked Mama Fang to talk to Minglan.

Madam Fang said, "The eldest lady loved the fifth young lady so much that she gave her a big house as a dowry. But the mother-in-law of the Wen family just stayed and refused to leave. The mother-in-law of the Wen family was from the countryside, and she didn't like what the fifth young lady did. She also said that the fifth young lady didn't want so many people to serve her, and asked for a few maids to serve her and her other son. On the day when the sixth young lady got married, the fifth young lady came back and cried to the eldest lady. The eldest lady came to ask the old lady to help her think of a solution."

Old Madam Sheng said, "It's only natural for their parents to come and live with their eldest son. It's normal for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to not get along when they first get married. What can I do?"

Minglan was speechless after hearing this. She also knew that Madam Wang had given her a house as a gift.

At that time, she felt that this was inappropriate. Just as Old Madam Sheng said, it was only natural for parents to come and live with their eldest son.

If Madam Wang wants to give a house as a gift, it should be a small one.

In that case, Wen Yanjing's parents would not be able to keep him, so it would be difficult for him to stay.

It was just that she didn't want to interrupt in such matters, and now it turned out to be just as she had guessed.

"Grandma, don't be angry. Didn't you say that it's normal for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to have conflicts when a new daughter-in-law comes home? Maybe it will be fine after a few days." Minglan comforted.

"Let's not talk about her. I heard from Mother Cui that your parents-in-law have all gone back?" said Old Lady Sheng.

"Well, isn't this a national mourning? My parents-in-law were afraid of getting into trouble if they stayed here, so they returned to their hometown in Yangzhou." Minglan said.

"Your parents-in-law are quite open-minded. Does this mean that you will be the head of the family in the future?" said Old Lady Sheng.

"Well, when my mother-in-law left, she told me that it was not a good time to divide the family property openly, otherwise it would have some impact on the master. However, the family property has been divided between the two brothers in secret, and 100,000 taels of silver have been left for each of them," said Minglan.

"So many?" Mrs. Sheng asked in surprise.

"My uncle used to open a restaurant, which was quite profitable. I heard it was the official's idea," Minglan said.

"Then you have to remind him not to always focus on business. Money is something that only needs to be used for daily life," Mrs. Sheng reminded.

"Your granddaughter doesn't need to remind me. After my uncle and his family left, the master had no plans to continue running the business," Minglan said.

"Yes." Old Lady Sheng nodded and said, "This Li family boy is smart. The Li family is well-off, and he has made great contributions in delivering the blood edict. When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will be rewarded, and his future will not be bad. You have good vision and chose a good husband."

"Grandma." Minglan blushed and said, "Isn't this what you chose for your granddaughter?"

"You're already married and you're still embarrassed? If you hadn't insisted on sending Danju to take care of him, I really might not have taken a fancy to him. Although you don't have to care too much about family background, you have to have it. Li's brother and Wen Yanjing have almost the same background. The only difference is that Li's parents started doing business a few years ago. One is a farmer and the other is a businessman. They meet different people and naturally have different horizons." said Mrs. Sheng.

It’s not that Mrs. Sheng looks down on farmers, it’s just that the living environment is different and the concepts they develop are also different.

The young lady from a wealthy family has been spoiled since childhood. It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that she has never had to do any housework, but it is almost the same.

But girls from farming families learn to wash clothes, cook, farm and plant rice since childhood.

In the eyes of farmers, a good daughter-in-law is one who can work.

But for a wealthy family, a good daughter-in-law is one who can manage the household, take care of the accounts, and take care of her husband and children.

Even if Wen Yanjing's parents were kind, they would still be unhappy with Rulan because of the different concepts formed by their different living environments.

According to Old Lady Sheng's original idea, she wanted to choose a family for Minglan that was wealthy but not of high status.

A family like the Li family, which didn't even have a family background before, was not within her consideration at all.

But Minglan insisted, and since Li An was well-educated and Old Lady Sheng was optimistic about his future, she finally agreed.

"Grandma, when my mother-in-law and the others left, the master asked them to take away almost all of the family's original servants. Now the family is short of servants. Grandma, please tell your granddaughter the human trafficker you often use. After the national mourning is over, your granddaughter can buy some servants." Minglan changed the subject.

……

In a blink of an eye, the more than 20-day national mourning period was over. After the official was buried, three days later it was the auspicious day for enthronement selected by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

Zhao Zongquan hastily ascended the throne on this day.

Although time is short, necessary etiquette must be observed.

First, he offered sacrifices to heaven at the altar outside the city, then went to the Taimiao to pay homage to his ancestors of all generations, and finally came to the Daqing Hall, sat on the dragon throne, and accepted the worship of all officials.

At this time, he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty and the ruler of all the people in the world.

Zhao Zongquan sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at the civil and military officials kneeling below, took a deep breath, waved his hand and said, "Stand up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Civil and military officials stood up after expressing their gratitude.

Then, the eunuchs began to read the imperial edict of enthronement.

First, Queen Cao was canonized as the Queen Mother.

That’s right, the empress dowager also needs to be canonized by the emperor.

Of course, the emperor could not confer titles on anyone he wanted; he still had to follow etiquette and laws.

Next, his wife Shen was enthroned as queen, and then his eldest son Zhao Ceying was enthroned.

However, when the imperial edict was read out, all the civil and military officials in the court were stunned.

Zhao Zongquan did not directly appoint Zhao Ceying as the crown prince, but instead appointed him as King Huan.

This result is somewhat intriguing.

If there is a legitimate son, the eldest son will be the heir. If there is no legitimate son, the eldest son will be the heir. This has been the rule since ancient times.

Zhao Ceying was the eldest son and had already reached adulthood. He had been guarding the emperor's side during the suppression of the rebellion and had made great contributions.

The most important thing is his name.

In ancient times, people had to avoid using the same characters when naming their parents or ancestors.

Zhao Ceying's mother, Empress Shen, was named Shen Congying. According to etiquette, the character "Ying" could not be included in Zhao Ceying's name.

Of course, Zhao Ceying's situation is a special case and does not constitute a violation of etiquette.

The ancients believed in physiognomy and numerology. If they predicted that their children would have a disaster, some parents would choose to change their children's names using a character from their own names.

Simply put, this is a way to ward off disasters for your children.

This is the reason why Zhao Ceying and his mother have the same character in their name.

This also shows that Zhao Zongquan and his wife love their son very much.

But after Zhao Zongquan succeeded to the throne, he did not appoint a crown prince.

This is somewhat intriguing.

After Zhao Zongquan came to Beijing, he served by the emperor's bedside and played the role of a filial son.

Many things were handed over to Zhao Ceying to handle.

All the ministers in the court felt that Zhao Ceying would definitely be named crown prince after Zhao Zongquan ascended the throne.

Therefore, many people who wanted to take advantage of the situation tried to show their favor to Zhao Ceying.

Seeing that the emperor had not appointed a crown prince, he felt a little flustered.

No matter what everyone thought, the imperial decree of enthronement continued.

After conferring titles on several children, the next person to be conferred title was Shen Congxing.

Shen Congxing was granted the title of Marquis of Weibei and was made the commander of the Palace Front Division, in charge of the palace guards.

However, Shen Congxing did not look happy at all, but rather sad. Gu Tingye was appointed as the deputy commander of the Palace Front Division.

After enfeoffing a kind of Yuzhou confidant, Li An heard his name.

"Li An, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, escorted the blood edict first, followed the army to suppress the rebellion, and was promoted to the position of editor of the Imperial Academy. He was granted a house in the inner city and two imperial manors. The maid Ruichu risked her life to escort the blood edict out of the palace and was given the title of Princess of Anyang County."

Li An did not listen carefully to the rest of the imperial edict.

He had expected to be promoted. The rank of compiler in the Hanlin Academy was sixth, and he was only eighth before, so he was promoted several levels.

What Li An didn't expect most was that the government actually rewarded him with a house in the inner city.

The houses in the inner city are in short supply. Not only are the prices ridiculously high, but they are also impossible to buy.

I just don't know how big the house is.

As for the two imperial estates, they were dispensable and Li An didn't care about them.

It was not surprising that the palace maid was conferred the title of county lady. After all, in the original drama she was posthumously conferred the title of princess.

After the imperial edict was read, Zhao Zongquan said, "Because of the rebellion of the traitor king, many officials have died, and many officials have been implicated. There are many vacancies in the court. The Grand Chancellor and the Minister of Personnel should select candidates as soon as possible and report to me."

"I obey your order!" Han Zhang and the Minister of Personnel stepped out and said.

Prince Yan plotted treason, and two of the six ministers of state died, not to mention many other officials.

The most important thing is that many officials defected to King Yan in order to save their lives.

However, regardless of whether they were forced to rebel or not, rebelling was rebelling, and not only would they be held accountable, but their relatives would not be able to escape either.

As a result, more people were implicated, and many official positions became vacant in the court.

It is conceivable that there will be a major change in court officials next.

"Announce to the world that a special examination will be held in September this year," said Zhao Zongquan.

It is customary to hold special examinations when a new king ascends the throne, and this does not conflict with the regular examinations.

After arranging all the affairs in the court, the emperor stood up and bowed to the empress dowager sitting beside him, saying: "Your son has lived in Yuzhou for a long time and is not familiar with the important affairs of the court. Please, mother, listen to the government from behind the curtain."

Empress Dowager Cao's eyes flickered when she heard this, and she said, "Since the death of the previous emperor, I have not yet recovered from my shock and I really do not have the energy to rule the country from behind the curtain. Your Majesty, with the assistance of the ministers, will surely be able to sort out the affairs of the court soon."

"Mother, my father has handed the world over to me. I am really afraid that I will not be able to do a good job and fail to live up to your trust. Please help me, my mother." Zhao Zongquan said sincerely.

Zhao Zongquan knew very well that although he had now ascended the throne, his foundation in the court was shallow.

Although he had some confidants in Yuzhou, they were all military generals and it was difficult for him to control the overall situation.

Many people in the court may not recognize him as an official, and the royal family members across the country do not agree with him either.

The best way now is to ask the Queen Mother to rule the country from behind the scenes to stabilize the situation.

As for whether the Queen Mother was willing to withdraw the curtain and return power, he could not care less at this time.

Empress Dowager Cao pondered for a while and said, "Since the emperor said so, I will work harder. When the emperor can sort out the affairs of the court, I will withdraw the curtain and return the government."

"Thank you, mother!" Zhao Zongquan said with gratitude.

……

After the court meeting ended, all officials lined up to leave the hall.

"British Duke!"

As soon as the Duke of England left the hall, a eunuch called him.

"What's the matter, sir?" the Duke of England stopped and asked.

"Your Majesty, please ask the Duke of England to go to Longtu Pavilion to make a report." said the eunuch.

"Please lead the way, eunuch."

"This way, Sir."

The eunuch led the Duke of England all the way to Longtu Pavilion. The eunuch at the door said, "His Majesty has instructed that the Duke of England can go in directly when he arrives."

Yinggong straightened his clothes and walked into Longtu Pavilion.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!" said the Duke of England.

"There is no need to be so polite, Duke of England. Please take a seat!" Zhao Zongquan said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" After expressing his gratitude, the Duke of England sat down on the stool brought by the eunuch.

"I have never been interested in asking about the situation of the rebellion in Jiangnan before. This time I invited Duke Ying here just to hear about the situation in Jiangnan." Zhao Zongquan said.

"His Majesty…"

Duke Ying gave a detailed account of the situation in suppressing the rebellion in Jiangnan.

"Before my father died, he told me that the Duke of Yingguo is the pillar of the country. The rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River was put down so quickly because of his hard work and great contributions. I will ask the Privy Council to formulate a reward and reward the Duke of Yingguo handsomely." Zhao Zongquan said with a smile.

"The late emperor is too kind to praise you, Your Majesty. I am a minister who receives salary from the king and it is my duty to serve the country. I do not deserve any reward," said the Duke of England.

"You will definitely be rewarded for your meritorious service. There is no need to refuse, old Duke."

Zhao Zongquan smiled and said, "By the way, I heard that the daughter of Duke Ying is still waiting to be married?"

"That's right, but..."

"That's good."

Zhao Zongquan did not give the Duke of Ying a chance to speak, and smiled and said, "I want to find a matchmaker for the Duke of Ying's daughter. The Queen's brother, the Marquis of Weibei's wife, died trying to save the Queen, and now the main wife is vacant. What do you think of the Duke of Ying?"

The Duke of England fell silent upon hearing this. Zhao Zongquan asked for his opinion, and he could refuse. Although Zhao Zongquan would be angry about this, he would not lose his temper.

But could he refuse?
Regardless of whether Zhao Zongquan would take revenge on him later, his loyalty alone did not allow him to refuse.

Zhao Zongquan had just ascended the throne and wanted to consolidate power as quickly as possible, so marriage was undoubtedly the best way.

He had the highest prestige in the army, and agreeing to this marriage would be of great benefit to Zhao Zongquan's control over the military power.

On one side was loyalty, and on the other was his daughter's happiness, the Duke of England finally chose loyalty.

"It is entirely up to your Majesty." The Duke of England bowed.

Zhao Zongquan smiled and said, "Now that the national mourning has just ended, it is not appropriate to hold a wedding. I will wait for a while before my man Weibei Hou comes to propose marriage."

"I obey!"

The Duke of England's words were full of meaning. He was telling Zhao Zongquan that he agreed because he was obeying orders and hoped that Shen Congxing would treat his daughter well.

Zhao Zongquan naturally heard it, so he comforted Duke Ying with a few words and let him go back.

After the Duke of England left, Zhao Zongquan pondered for a while and came to Queen Shen's bedroom.

"Official family."

Upon hearing the news, Queen Shen hurried out to greet them.

"No need to be polite."

Zhao Zongquan waved his hand and sat down at the top.

Empress Shen sat down next to the emperor and asked, "What's the matter with you coming here at this time?"

"I have arranged a marriage for Congxing. She is the daughter of Duke Yingguo." Zhao Zongquan said.

(End of this chapter)