minions live

Chapter 767 The King
Continue reading.

"Second, the descendants of the Huo family must wholeheartedly assist Your Majesty."

"Third, all widowed children are permitted to marry freely."

Upon seeing this, Ren Ning was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but look around.

Among the bustling crowd around, there were quite a few women.

Most of them wore white silk headbands and mourning clothes. These were the "widowed children" that Princess Yiguang had mentioned.

However, in this era, it was believed that a good woman should not marry twice, let alone a family like the Duke's Mansion that valued reputation.

However, in recent decades, the Chen imperial family has been suppressing the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion both openly and covertly.

Especially in the past few years, the fortress was ravaged by epidemics and threatened by the Western Liang forces, putting it in imminent danger.

The Huo clan fought desperately, nearly wiping out their entire clan, but managed to hold onto the western border of the empire. All that remained for them were the numerous orphans and widows before them.

Huo Qing hadn't returned to the palace to be the Empress Dowager these past few days, and suddenly looked at Ren Ning.

"Your Majesty, since Mother has said so, we children will naturally obey."

She glanced at the wives in the crowd, each with a different expression.

“We respect the opinions of our nieces-in-law. Whether they are willing or not, no one in the Duke’s mansion may object.”

"Furthermore, if they are interested, the Empress Dowager is willing to act as matchmaker for them."

Of course, anyone who dares to speak ill of these remarried daughters will be insulting the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Empress Dowager.

Ren Ning turned to look at Huo Ling and his wife, and seeing that they did not object, he nodded.

"Then I'll have to trouble Mother and Aunt."

After finishing his reading, he continued reading Princess Yiguang's "will," stayed by her bedside for a while longer, and then returned to the palace.

The next day, it was still dark.

clap clap.

Xiao Gang was awakened by urgent knocking on the door before he even got out of bed.

He stormed out of the door and found Xiao Yong missing an arm.

Seeing that it was a loyal old servant, Xiao Gang's displeased expression softened.

"Uncle Yong, has something happened?"

"Your Highness," Xiao Yong said hastily, pointing towards the direction of Zhuque Street without even bothering to apologize, "Eunuch Li has led a large entourage out of the palace and is almost at the entrance of our alley."

"Which Eunuch Li?" Xiao Gang was momentarily confused.

He quickly regained his senses and his spirits lifted.

"Little Li, who serves His Majesty?"

“Your Highness is right.” Xiao Yong nodded vigorously. “It is indeed Eunuch Li who serves His Majesty.”

Xiao Gang suddenly felt a dry mouth and couldn't help but look up towards the opposite door.

Is the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion about to be upgraded to a princely mansion?
"Uncle Yong, quickly prepare a gift."

Xiao Yong chuckled.

"Your Highness, rest assured. The Madam received the news some time ago and gave instructions. This old servant has already made preparations."

Xiao Gang was overjoyed, "That's great! Come with me quickly."

Xingji City is neither small nor large.

Once the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence received the news, the other residences quickly learned everything as well.

Soon, almost everyone was busy. Some were preparing gifts, while others were making visits.

At this moment, the main gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was wide open.

Huo Ling and all the masters of the manor waited outside the door.

Ta-ta-ta-ta.

The crisp, melodious sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, gradually waking the quiet alley.

Before long, two neat rows of imperial guards appeared before them, surrounding Little Li at the front.

Behind them, tall, handsome horses and magnificent carriages had somehow become crowded together.

Those were the various noble families who rushed over.

Despite the large number of people and vehicles, Ping'an Hutong was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked ahead with a mixture of admiration and envy.

When they were still more than ten feet away from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Little Li had already dismounted.

He held a bright yellow imperial edict aloft with both hands, followed closely by the three ministers of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel.

Between the three ministers was a huge plaque covered with fine silk, the contents of which were unknown.

As the host, Huo Ling stepped forward first. "Greetings, Eunuch Li, and the ministers."

Little Li quickly stepped aside to make way, then smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Excellency! Congratulations, Your Excellency! Enough with the pleasantries, let's get down to business."

The other ministers also smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has always been decisive and efficient. We should learn from his example and not procrastinate. Let's focus on the important matters first, and we can discuss the rest in detail later."

Ultimately, it was already the end of the year, and the palace was about to seal the imperial seals, so these ministers were very busy.

"Then let's get down to business first," Huo Ling nodded.

He is also a decisive and efficient person.

Soon, an incense table, candles, and a red carpet were set up.

The masters of the Duke's mansion stood in their positions.

Little Li hurriedly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

Fan Wen from the Ministry of Rites poured his heart and soul into drafting the imperial edict, which was so beautifully written that it drew continuous praise from the crowd.

After quite a while, Xiao Li finally managed to read the important part.

"...The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has been promoted to the King of Zhenguo's mansion, with a rank equivalent to that of a prince. Etiquette, rules, and ceremonies are in accordance with the laws governing princes."

"Among them, Huo Lingsheng, the former Duke of Zhenguo of the Empire, was promoted to Prince Huo, with the same rites as the Second Prince. Lady Li, the Duchess, became the Princess Consort of Prince Huo, and the heir apparent Huo Qing became the Crown Prince of Prince Huo."

"Appreciate this!"

Huo Ling and the others breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Little Li smiled and nodded, then continued to proclaim loudly, word by word: "Upgraded to a higher rank, promoted to the rank of Prince."

Several imperial guards hurriedly came over and carefully removed the original plaque from the Duke's mansion, then installed the new plaque they had brought.

clap clap.

Ten thousand firecrackers were lit.

Huo Ling, his face beaming, and his wife each stood on one side, pulling each other's hands together.

The red silk covering the top fluttered down in the wind.

"The Prince's Palace of Zhenguo".

The four gilded characters gleamed in the morning sun.

"congratulations."

Seeing that everything went smoothly, Xiao Li and his friends breathed a sigh of relief.

They entered the palace and chatted with Huo Ling and the others for a while before hurriedly leaving.

As for how the Huo family celebrates and pays tribute to their ancestors, they don't concern themselves with such matters.

Empress Dowager Huo Qing stayed by her mother Princess Yiguang's side and did not go out.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief when the sound of firecrackers rang out in the distance.

“Linlang,” she raised her eyebrows and looked at Princess Yiguang’s lady-in-waiting, “Today is the auspicious day of the Duke’s Mansion’s promotion to the Prince’s Mansion. In the name of my mother and myself, everyone in the entire mansion will be given a reward of two months’ worth of silver.”

"I'll remember that," Linlang quickly wrote it down.

At that moment, with a soft "hmm," Princess Yiguang slowly woke up from her sickbed.

"Mother, Mother?" Huo Qing was overjoyed. "You're awake? It's me, Qing'er."

"Someone, quickly prepare the meal."

In fact, she didn't need to give any instructions; all kinds of meals in the mansion had already been prepared and could be served at any time.

After quite some time, Princess Yiguang finally recognized her daughter.

She chuckled, seemingly wanting to reach out and touch the child's face, but she couldn't muster the strength and had to give up.

"Are they setting off firecrackers outside? Is it almost Chinese New Year?"

Huo Qing quickly shook her head.

"Mother, it's still early. The firecrackers outside are celebrating the Duke's Mansion's promotion to Prince's Mansion."

"To be promoted to the Prince's Palace?"

Princess Yiguang murmured for a while before she understood what it meant, and then smiled with satisfaction.

"No wonder, no wonder."

"Your Majesty is a good child..."

After saying that, she drifted off to sleep again.