No one questioned, no one dared to be dissatisfied, and the whole palace was full of congratulatory voices. Some congratulated the Queen Mother, some congratulated the Emperor, and some congratulated Concubine Zhao and the Fifth Princess. But no one went to congratulate Shen Ao. It seemed that he was the one who congratulated Shen Ao. A piece of goods, and a piece of goods that has already been bought by someone, no longer has any say in it.
Shen Ao stood there feeling aggrieved.
He has always regarded Tang Min as his younger sister. Although she is very beautiful and has a gentle personality, he has never had any inappropriate thoughts. This is his cousin. According to later generations, they are close... You cannot get married, and it will have a great impact on the next generation.
The ancients did not seem to pay attention to this, and were willing to describe these as close relatives. This was especially obvious in the Qing Dynasty, so that those princes either died prematurely or had various problems. It's such a problem, it's really sad when you think about it.
Once upon a time, when Shen Ao thought about this, he would laugh at those people's lack of common sense. Now that it was his turn, of course he would not agree, but before he could speak, Emperor Qianwen's warning eyes looked at him again, which implied The threatening look made Shen Ao have to shut his mouth. But he still decided that once there were no other people around, he would definitely talk to the emperor about his close relatives. In any case, such a tragedy could not happen, let alone It may happen to you.
Shen Ao was given a wedding, and the birthday gift ceremony was also concluded. Then came the banquet. In front of the food, there was a big meal, shouting with satisfaction.
Shen Ao was worried, and he was used to eating delicious food, so he didn't eat much. He first watched the emperor leave, but because Prince Zhong and Zong Zheng were following him, he didn't step forward. After dark, Before Shen Ao could think of a way to see the emperor, Yan Fu appeared and said with a smile, please go to the Yangxin Hall, where the emperor is waiting for him.
"Excuse me, Eunuch Yan, please." Shen Ao stood up and straightened his clothes. This scene caused the prince, Prince Xiang and others to chuckle for a while. When you become a subordinate, you have no real power, and this person has no threat. Everyone From now on, I will treat him as nothing.
On the other hand, the sixth prince Tang Jia looked at him happily. Having such a capable brother-in-law would be a great help to him if he wanted to achieve great things, and he was happy in his heart.
Without looking at everyone's reactions, Shen Ao followed Yan Fu to the Yangxin Hall. He saw Emperor Qianwen sitting on the dragon chair, reviewing the memorial in front of the dragon case.
Emperor Qianwen in Pizhezi has a serious face and an unsmiling expression. Sometimes his eyes show dissatisfaction when he sees an unsatisfactory Zhezi, which makes him add a bit of domineering aura out of thin air, giving people the impression that an emperor will be angry when he is angry. There will be an artistic conception of someone lying dead on the spot.
Yan Fu brought Shen Ao in. He originally wanted to remind the emperor, but seeing how "serious" the emperor was at this meeting, Yan Fu obediently closed his mouth and just showed an apologetic look to Shen Ao beside him. After that, he walked to the main hall and waited for Emperor Qianwen to come.
Shen Ao was standing in the palace. There was not even a seat beside him, but he was not impatient. He looked around curiously. This was the first time in his memory that he appeared in the Yangxin Palace, the emperor's private office. .
After looking around, he didn't find anything new. On the contrary, there were no extraneous furnishings. Compared with the luxury of some harem concubines' residences, this place could only be described as simple. Shen Ao had to sigh in his heart. The incorruptibility of Emperor Qianwen.
After a while, Shen Ao found that the emperor still had no intention of talking to him, so he simply closed his eyes and thought about Guo Changlong's business, what research should be done next, and what things would be more suitable to be released.
This station lasted half an hour. An ordinary veteran would probably be a little unbearable and would twist around uncontrollably to relax his body. However, Shen Ao stood there motionless like a Huangshan pine.
He works out with Shi Lei and others every morning. Especially after experiencing Bai Qiutong's robbery, Shen Ao has never been lazy when doing morning exercises. This is one of the habits he has formed over the years. He either doesn't do anything or does everything. You have to work hard and strive to do your best.
Now it was just standing there for half an hour, which didn't count at all. He just took the opportunity to review what he had done, what shortcomings he had, and what parts he had not done carefully enough, or even been reckless.
Shen Ao closed his eyes and was thinking about "life", but he didn't know that Emperor Qianwen had been secretly sizing him up for a long time.
When Shen Ao entered the Yangxin Hall, Emperor Qianwen noticed him. He only wanted to see Shen Ao's character on the pretext of reviewing memorials. Among his several adult princes, those people also passed by. The same test. The difference is that whether it is the prince or Prince Xiang, even the eldest prince Prince Qing will make various small movements and twist his body after standing for a while to relieve various discomforts on his body. He even made some noise to attract his attention.
Only Shen Aoyi stood motionless for half an hour without any sign of anxiety.
It gave the impression that even if he stood for half an hour, there would be no problem for him. Just this calm state of mind made people happy. He performed far better and more outstandingly than the other princes.
"cough."
A small cough came out, but it was not from Emperor Qianwen, nor from Shen Ao, but from the mouth of Yan Fu who was standing beside him.
Yan Fu didn't know how long the emperor's test would last, but he felt a little sorry for Shen Ao. He thought there was no need to do this. Since he was being attached to someone, he was not prepared to give him real power, so why should he need such a test? ?You must know that this is only a test for the prince.
This slight cough also woke up Shen Ao, who had closed his eyes. He did not forget where he was, so naturally he would hear every little movement outside very clearly.
This slight cough also made the test that Emperor Qianwen wanted to continue go to waste. Emperor Qianwen warned Yan Fu with dissatisfied eyes, then raised his head, and met Shen Ao's eyes at this time. .
"Your Majesty, Lord Shen Ao, is here to see you." Shen Ao clasped his fists and knelt on the ground. Although he didn't like kneeling to others, since he came here, he naturally had to abide by the rules here.
"Oh, Duke Zhongguo is here, please get back on your feet." Emperor Qianwen seemed to have just seen Shen Ao, and there was no trace of guilt on his face because he had waited for half an hour.
Shen Ao stood up and stood there, looking at Emperor Qianwen. He was not in a hurry to speak. He knew that the other party would definitely speak first. After all, the matter of attaching the horse was of great importance. He had to ask for his opinion no matter what. Even if it was just one person. Cut-offs are also necessary.
"Mr. Zhongguo, you performed well today. The Empress Dowager is very happy, and you should take the first credit." Emperor Qianwen really spoke, and he came up with a gesture of praising Shen Ao.
"I dare not take credit, everything is what I should do." If I don't understand what Emperor Qianwen meant, Shen Ao will not take the credit, otherwise I will fall into the trap of the other party and there will be no room for regret.
Don’t be proud of your merits.
Emperor Qianwen was very satisfied with Shen Ao's performance. "Well, merit is merit. I want to reward you for making the Empress Dowager so happy. But what you said will be exempted from the world every year." What's going on with taxes? Do you know how much money this approach will reduce the court's income?"
When he originally heard that the emperor wanted to reward him, Shen Ao wanted to say that the rewarder should not be a vassal. But unexpectedly, Emperor Qianwen suddenly changed the topic and came to ask about the 10% tax. , what are you doing?
You agreed wholeheartedly in front of the Empress Dowager, and now you have come to accuse me. You have given me the emotional benefits, and you have been a good person, so why should I be the one to take the blame?
Shen Ao thought that he had some money now, and could even be said to be very rich. He could afford to pay even 10% of the imperial court's annual tax. Could it be that the emperor was making his own plans and asked him to pay for it out of his own pocket? Is this a problem?
It's not that Shen Ao is stingy, it's the truth. It shouldn't be true. I dare to be rewarded, and I don't get any benefits. I still need to spend a lot of money, and even empty my wallet. If this is the case, then everything will happen in the future. When things involve the royal family, he will find various reasons not to show up.
He was very dissatisfied, but Shen Ao did not have an attack. Firstly, he could control his emotions very well, and secondly, he was facing the emperor, an emperor who said one thing and was the lord of the world. If he went against him, he would lose his temper. If so, you will definitely be the one who suffers.
Suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, Shen Ao clasped his fists and lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, I am doing this for the sake of the reputation of the royal family. The 10% tax reduction can make the people feel the emperor's grace, and your majesty's wisdom can also win more people. The praise and support are just a small amount of money, and it’s worth it no matter how you look at it.”
Seeing Shen Ao being careless and wanting to give himself a high hat, Emperor Qianwen wanted to laugh for a while. This boy also has his own cleverness. He must be afraid that he will blame him for the matter, or even ask him to pay for it. , that’s why we deliberately distance ourselves from him. It’s just that he is the emperor, so how could he do such a thing? Isn’t it ridiculous?
"Well, what Duke Zhongguo said makes sense, but what I'm asking is how the imperial court's losses can be compensated." Emperor Qianwen suppressed the smile in his heart and still asked with a straight face.
Shen Ao had already spoken with great righteousness. Unexpectedly, Emperor Qianwen would still hold on to this ten percent of silver to speak out. Shen Ao was helpless. He could only lower his head and said: "But I don't know what the emperor means."