The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1307: award
Chapter 1307 Reward
“Your Majesty…” Wei Zhong stepped forward and whispered in Bai Qingyan’s ear, “Lords Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui have arrived.”
Shen Tianzhi has always been a man of clear vision and a clear mind. Seeing Wei Zhong whispering to Bai Qingyan, he stood up and prepared to leave. He bowed to Bai Qingyan and said goodbye: “If your majesty has anything else to do, I will take my leave first…”
“Master Shen, don’t worry.” Bai Qingyan waved at Shen Tianzhi, motioning him to sit down, and said to Wei Zhong, “Call them in.”
Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui entered the hall, paid their respects to Bai Qingyan, and then knelt behind the small table that Wei Zhong had ordered to be brought up.
After Bai Qingyan finished talking to Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui about the plan to abolish the untouchable system, he continued, “As for how this should be implemented and how to implement it smoothly, you two should come up with a charter!”
Shen Tianzhi didn’t expect that Bai Qingyan actually wanted to abolish the untouchable system. This was indeed a good thing for the people who were slaves, but it was probably not a good thing for those wealthy families who had untouchable slaves and servants.
After all, slaves could be beaten to death or sold at will by their masters. They were completely their masters’ possessions. If they met a better master, they might be able to redeem themselves and escape from slavery. But if the master refused to let them go, the government would be helpless.
Once when he was in Shuoyang, he heard Bai Qishan say that the original intention of establishing the Bai Family Army was to protect the people, but he did not believe Bai Qishan’s words when he looked at the style of the Bai clan. Now looking at Bai Qishan’s eldest daughter who has ascended to the throne, after ascending to the throne, she did not consolidate the military and imperial power as he had imagined, but implemented new policies, and every new policy was truly based on the perspective of the people.
Moreover, Shen Tianzhi could sense that Bai Qingyan was planning to weaken the imperial power and delegate more power after the new policy was fully implemented… If Bai Qingyan really did this, it would be unprecedented.
Dong Changyuan looked at his cousin and was a little surprised. After all… Dong Changyuan, a descendant of a noble family, had long been accustomed to the fact that slaves and maids were the private property of their masters.
But Dong Changyuan also knew that his cousin must have her reasons for doing so. At least in Dong Changyuan’s opinion, every policy that his cousin had implemented so far was beneficial to the people. He was the first to express his position: “I will do my best!”
Bai Qingyan smiled and nodded, then looked at Li Mingrui who was frowning.
Li Mingrui has a lot of misunderstandings. Can abolishing the untouchable system make the country stronger? It seems not…
Moreover, the untouchables will be used as vanguards and pawns in the army. Without these vanguards and pawns, the elite soldiers will be harmed. Your Majesty comes from a family of generals and has led troops before, so how could you not understand this?
Besides, such a new law would definitely affect those families who have lowly slaves, and might even cause unrest in the Great Zhou. Not to mention their Li family, even the Bai family had slaves.
Why… Bai Qingyan would go to so much trouble to change something that would hardly be of any benefit to enriching the country and strengthening the people?
“Why, Lord Li, do you have any questions?” she asked.
Li Mingrui hurried forward, kowtowed to Bai Qingyan and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive me for my offense. When Your Majesty promoted the new policy before, I could understand that… Your Majesty was trying to win the hearts of the people, but now…”
“Lord Li, my new policy… is not just to win people’s hearts!” Bai Qingyan interrupted Li Mingrui before he finished speaking, his tone serious and steady, looking at Li Mingrui and said, “I want to build an unprecedented country and an unprecedented world. In this world… everyone is equal, everyone! This also includes these lowly slaves! Because they are also my people! I want the people of Da Zhou to live as human beings! Live without worries about food and clothing! This is my greatest wish in this life, and it is also something I will do my best to accomplish.”
Although, it is impossible for everyone in this world to be truly equal and have rights… inequality will arise when money is involved, but Bai Qingyan is willing to do his best to create a fairer country for the people and let them live like human beings.
Bai Qingyan only had some simple documents left by Queen Ji, so when it came time to implement the plan, she would need to grope her way forward together with the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Li Mingrui was stunned. When he met Bai Qingyan’s dark, clean and deep eyes, he suddenly understood. Li Mingrui has always been smart. He understood that he was wrong in guessing Bai Qingyan in the same way he had guessed the king’s thoughts before.
He had originally been so bold as to raise his questions, not hesitating to offend Bai Qingyan, in order to show his loyalty to Bai Qingyan and to tell Bai Qingyan that he was willing to be a lone minister, a loyal minister and a minister who would uphold the imperial power, a minister who could be used by Bai Qingyan without any hesitation. But he did not expect that today, from Bai Qingyan’s words, he would understand that Bai Qingyan’s thoughts were different from those of other emperors who were bent on seizing the imperial power.
He stepped forward and bowed to Bai Qingyan: “I understand. I am willing to go through fire and water for your Majesty’s unprecedented ambition. I hope that I can live with your Majesty and see the world that your Majesty hopes to establish.”
“Then thank you two for your hard work…” Bai Qingyan nodded to Li Mingrui, “If you encounter any trouble, you two can go and ask Lord Shen Tianzhi for advice!”
As he spoke, Bai Qingyan looked at Shen Tianzhi again: “Lord Shen…”
Shen Tianzhi was stunned. Since he became the Minister of Works, he has never formed a party. And Bai Qingyan’s intention now is to send Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui to him. What does that mean?
Shen Tianzhi, who was as shrewd as a man, further guessed that Bai Qingyan was sending people to him openly, asking him to help win over Li Mingrui and Dong Changyuan to become his right-hand men, in preparation for entrusting him with important tasks in the future. He quickly stood up and bowed to Bai Qingyan: “I will not let your majesty down!”
·
On the first day of May in the second year of Yuanhe, the first imperial edict of commendation from the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty came down to commend the meritorious officials who had contributed to the destruction of Xiliang.
Bai Qingqi was named Protector of the King.
Bai Jinxiu was appointed as assistant king.
Bai Qingyu was named King Zheng of the Kingdom.
Bai Qingjue was named King Zhong of the Kingdom.
Bai Qingyun was named King of Xing.
Bai Jinzhi was named King Gaoyi.
Shen Kunyang was named King of Zhennan.
Wei Zhaonian was conferred the title of Duke of Loyalty and Bravery.
Bai Jinzhao was conferred the title of Marquis of Yongyi.
Bai Jinhua was conferred the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Virtue.
Bai Jinse was given the title of Yinghui Hou.
Feng Gu Wenchang was given the title of Marquis of Dingshan.
Cheng Yuanzhi was granted the title of Earl of Yongding.
In addition, Sima Ruodan, the greatest contributor to the capture of Yechengguan, was canonized as Princess Xiangxie, and Sima Ruodan’s mother Cai was posthumously canonized as a first-rank lady. He also ordered a re-investigation of the case of Sima Ruodan’s mother Cai’s maternal family.
These are all titles to be conferred, and the rest will wait until the army returns, when those who deserve promotion will be promoted.