Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 807 - 758: A Grand Celebration (Part 1)

The Chief Palace Maid organized the letters and placed them in front of the Empress Dowager for her review.

"Empress Dowager, it seems that the court still supports Prince Luling more; out of thirty letters, twenty-five support Prince Luling. This is fate."

The Empress Dowager looked at the letters and sighed quietly, "Then let it be resolved."

In the early morning court session the following day, all the ministers stood spiritedly in the court hall, looking towards the seat behind the bead curtain reserved for the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager had not yet arrived.

Was it because the choice made was not to her liking, and she was angry and unwilling to come, or was she ill?

The ministers whispered among themselves.

Because it was an anonymous vote, none knew whose name was written in others’ letters.

The minister qualified to attend this morning court session were all cunning people; even if someone inquired, they would not speak the truth.

This made everyone more impatient.

Everyone wanted to know who had finally been chosen. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Delayed by a quarter of an hour compared to usual, the Empress Dowager arrived late, looking weary.

Supported by her trusted Chief Palace Maid, she walked slowly to the seat behind the bead curtain and sat down.

Thinking about certain matters last night left her in a bad mood, and she did not fall asleep until the fourth watch.

After the ministers thrice hailed her longevity, the Empress Dowager looked at them beyond the curtain and said, "The anonymous letters from you all are here. Out of thirty, twenty-five have Prince Luling’s name. Since you all support Prince Luling, the minority shall submit to the majority."

She nodded towards the Chief Palace Maid beside her.

The Chief Palace Maid stepped out from behind the curtain to the court hall and displayed the letters one by one to the ministers.

The envelopes were all sent by the Empress Dowager, and each sheet was stamped with her jade seal; no forgery was possible.

Indeed, out of the thirty letters, twenty-five bore Prince Luling’s name.

The ministers’ expressions varied.

What each thought was only known to their own hearts.

The Empress Dowager observed silently and said plainly, "Since you all chose Prince Luling, then I will fulfill your wish and select Prince Luling as the new Emperor."

Implicitly, the choice of a new Emperor was not her own, and if the choice was not good, they should not blame her in the future.

She then instructed the Chief Palace Maid to read the imperial edict.

The ministers hailed "Empress Dowager, long may you live," three times again.

Once the court had made its decision, the Grand Steward of the palace’s Internal Affairs Bureau immediately took the Empress Dowager’s edict, leading a group of eunuchs and palace maids straight to the Wei Mansion, where Prince Luling and his son resided temporarily.

In front of the formerly desolate Wei Mansion, which had been forlorn for three years, suddenly came a large group from the palace. The surrounding neighbors, not knowing what had occurred in the Wei Mansion, curiously gathered in groups to watch.

Some said it was good news, others said it was bad news.

After all, things with the Royal Family could change in an instant; one could be a prince in the morning and, by the afternoon, anger the Emperor over something and be stripped of their title and punished.

For example, there was Prince Xiangyang, who was doing fine a few days ago, had his grandson chosen as the new Emperor. But one month later, not only was his grandson dismissed by the Empress Dowager, his entire family was sent to Bohai to endure the cold and hardship.

The Chief Eunuch delivering the edict was a clever person.

Seeing the neighbors craning their necks at the alley entrance to curiously glance over, the Chief Eunuch promptly held up high the imperial edict inscribed by the Empress Dowager.

He shouted joyfully towards the entrance of the Wei Mansion, "Congratulations, congratulations! The Empress Dowager has selected Prince Luling as the new Emperor."

Only then did the neighbors realize, Prince Luling was to become Emperor.

When the eunuchs and palace maids entered the Wei Mansion gate, the neighbors crowded around the gate to offer congratulations and ask for rewards.

The Master Weirs of the Wei Family were all heading to the main hall to receive the decree, leaving no one to manage the rewards.

The steward took it upon himself to bring out a large sieve carrying several pounds of copper coins, scattering them at the entrance, "Come, come, our master offers rewards!"

The neighbors laughed merrily, rushing over to grab them.

Some, to curry favor with the Wei Family, went to spread the news elsewhere.

Soon the front of the Wei Family’s gate was even more crowded.

People packed the small area before the mansion’s entrance until there was no room to move.

After exhausting that sieve of reward money, the steward had to return inside for more copper coins.

A servant sighed, "Grand Steward, you have already given out several thousand coins earlier and now will give away several thousand more. If Master finds out, won’t he blame you for squandering?"

The Grand Steward, both hands full with a heavy sieve, had no free hand to smack the servant.

Instead, he lifted a foot to kick the servant, "You young whelp, learn a bit. Our Master has become the Imperial Uncle now; will he lack for a few thousand copper coins in the future? You’re penny-wise and pound-foolish, no wonder you can’t become the Imperial Uncle."

Only then did the servant suddenly realize, embarrassed, and scratched his head, chuckling, "But we are the Imperial Uncle’s coachmen."

The Grand Steward chuckled, "I’ve been promoted to the Grand Steward of the Imperial Uncle’s family. Let’s go hand out the reward money."

"Yes!"

.

At the Wei Mansion, upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s edict arrived, someone immediately set up an incense table in the main hall.

Apart from a few gatekeepers, all masters and servants of the Wei Family, along with Prince Luling and his sons, gathered in the main hall to respectfully welcome the edict.

After the Chief Eunuch announced the edict, he smiled and presented it to Prince Luling, "Congratulations, Your Highness."

The Wei Family was stunned.

Although they had anticipated that Prince Luling would become the new Emperor, they didn’t expect it to happen so swiftly and smoothly.

"Congratulations, brother-in-law, oh no, congratulations, Emperor." The ever-flattering Second Master Wei grinned widely as he congratulated Prince Luling first.

Prince Luling smiled and said, "No need for formalities, Second Brother-in-law."

The entire Wei Family was joyous.

Prince Luling was very generous, taking out the money and goods brought back by Li Xingsheng. He rewarded the eunuchs and palace maids who came to announce the edict, and sent a portion to the Wei Family, instructing them to exchange it for copper coins to reward the neighbors.

Second Master Wei took five hundred taels of silver and volunteered to exchange them for loose coins.

Two hundred taels were distributed to the neighbors, while three hundred were given to the family’s servants.

The steward received two hundred strings of coins, patting the shoulder of a page boy, "See, didn’t I say? The five strings I handed out earlier were just a drizzle, our Prince directly rewards with two hundred strings! Oh, I mean our Emperor."

The page boy chuckled, "Your words are never wrong. I’ll follow your lead from now on."

Mrs. Wei was even happier and urged Prince Luling, "The Capital is peaceful now, shouldn’t you quickly bring them back?"

Prince Luling replied with a smile, "Old Madam, I shall arrange for someone to fetch them now."

The matter of who would go became a subject of debate among the Li Family brothers.

They all wanted to take a stroll to the village.

Prince Luling snorted, "Do I not know your intentions? Want to take advantage to leave the city for fun? Go back to the village and laze around, eh? Humph, you’d better think again. Is the old mansion sorted out yet?"

"Father, you’re about to enter the palace and become the Emperor, why fuss about the old mansion? You’ve made it big, why worry about abandoned huts?" Li Xing’an shook his head.

"The old mansion isn’t urgent, Father’s going to the palace, naturally the palace will arrange your residence." Li Xingsheng also said, grinning, "Surely there’ll be accommodations for us brothers too, right, Father?"

"Second Brother and Third Brother are right," Li Xingmao concluded.

Thinking of the old mansion, the brothers all felt a chill.

Because that mansion was incredibly run-down.

The Lu Ling Royal Mansion had over twenty courtyards of various sizes, alongside more than ten pavilions and terraces, three man-made large lotus ponds, and three large gardens.

As for those rockeries and flower trees inserted wherever possible, they were too numerous to count.

Once magnificent, all this was now dilapidated and ruined.

Three years without being lived in or managed, the weeds grew taller than a person, and bizarre-looking wild trees grew where there were none before.

Some precious trees either withered or grew rampantly, squeezing into the houses.

In front of some houses, where bamboo once grew, it had wildly grown for three years, spreading to the middle of the house, pushing the walls apart.

Not a single window was intact, and nine out of ten main doors were crooked.

Inside and outside, bird nests and wild rabbit burrows were everywhere.

Spider webs were densely tangled, and there were several giant hornet nests.

Wild cats and dogs lived in their previous bedrooms, sleeping in their former beds.

The lotus pond hadn’t been cleaned for three years and stank.

The brothers led the craftsmen to open the doors of the mansion and felt chilled.

Everyone gritted their teeth, removing weeds and pulling roots daily, barely managing to clear the grass from a small area from the main gate to the screen wall, now working on tidying the paving stones there.

The previously level bluestone paving stones had been loosened by bamboo roots and grass roots protruding from the ground, uneven and tripping if not careful.

Clearing out a decrepit mansion takes more time and effort than building a new one, harder than farming in the village.

A father understands his sons best; Prince Luling knew their feelings.

He sneered, "Whether I enter the palace or need the old mansion, is there a conflict? That mansion was built by your great-grandfather; you all keep a good watch on it! Just because you’re an Emperor doesn’t mean you’ll abandon the old mansion, you bunch of wastrels!"

The brothers, "..."

Finally, Prince Luling arranged for Li Xingmao to return to the village to fetch Princess Consort Luling and Chai Eying, along with the children.