Adoption brings disaster

Being called your father is an honor, and it is a great reputation for both you and the prince.

Although the title of Lord in Beishang State is only a very high position but has no power, due to this reputation, there are still many people from the military lineage who hope that I will be promoted to Lord.

Of course, everyone only acknowledged the status of the Lord's father on the surface, but in other areas they either gave you a perfunctory answer or used the excuse that the harem was not allowed to interfere in government affairs to prevaricate you.

Even if the prince reaches adulthood and leaves the palace to establish his own residence, his father-in-law is still a prince according to the law, but it still does not help. Everyone only respects you on the surface, and you don't even think about anything else.

Of course, apart from the aspect of power, your father is somewhat unsatisfactory, but he is still highly respected in other aspects.

For example, in the matter of being promoted to the rank of noble father, our status is even higher than that of the queen.

Before, when I was promoted to the rank of minister, I had to run around the palace to pay my respects to those who were of higher status than me. But when I was promoted to the rank of noble father, I only had to pay my respects to the emperor and the empress dowager. Except for the empress and the imperial concubine, all other concubines of lower status had to come to pay their respects to me.

This matter has its pros and cons. The pro is that I don't have to travel to so many places and I can feel more comfortable. The con is that I have to reward everyone who comes to see me.

Although the amount given to each palace is not much, there are too many people. Given my current situation, I am afraid that even many unfavored princes and princesses will have to come.

Although the escort agency earns me a lot of money every year, I spend some here and give some there, so I don’t save much. The money is not enough all of a sudden.

The money is fine. Although Chongguang is unwilling to give money to Liushui, he is still very generous in spending money on me. When we were at the tea stall, I asked Ada to prepare the reward. Naturally, I don’t have to worry about the reward.

However, there was a problem with the process of promotion to ministers, which caused a lot of uproar for a while. Civil and military officials of Beishang State all had their own opinions, and the court and the academies were arguing fiercely.

The promotion to the rank of noble father originally had its own set of procedures, and the Ministry of Rites was used to performing these ceremonies, so there was no problem originally. However, this time, the promotion to the rank of noble father had caused the Ministry of Rites to be in trouble.

It is said that the Minister of Rites reported this matter to His Majesty in the Imperial Study.

The Minister of Rites said, "Your Majesty, the ceremony for the promotion of the two ministers has been prepared. However, there is one matter that I am unsure how to handle. I would like to ask Your Majesty for your guidance."

His Majesty was happy that the refugee crisis was resolved so smoothly and harmoniously. He was a little annoyed that the Minister of Rites could not handle such a small matter well and had to ask for instructions, but he still signaled the Minister of Rites to continue.

The Minister of Rites said, "There is no distinction between the two ministers, so it is difficult to rank them as to who is on the left and who is on the right."

"There is an order of seniority. Liu Shuiqing is older than Qian Qiuqing after all, so naturally Liu Shuiqing is on the right." The Minister of Revenue said.

"According to what you said, the older should give way to the younger. This is called brotherly love and respect. Shouldn't Liu Shuiqing give way to Qian Qiuqing?" said the National Defense General.

........................

Originally, there weren't many officials in the Imperial Study, but they were arguing over such a small matter. The quarrel gave the Emperor a headache, and he slammed the table and said, "Stop arguing. De'er and Guang'er, what do you think?"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said, "Qian Qiu Qing has made great contributions to the refugee issue, so it is natural that Qian Qiu Qing should be on the right."

As the Crown Prince finished speaking, Chongguang said, "Lord Qianqiu and Lord Liushui have a deep bond. From what I know of Qianqiu, he wouldn't care who's on the right or the left. Why don't we just let them decide for themselves? We're arguing here, but neither of us can convince the other."

After hearing what the Seventh Prince said, the civil officials wanted to say something. The Emperor didn't want to listen to their quarrel any longer, so he nodded and said, "Let's do as Guang'er said. Minister of Rites, go ask Liushui and Qianqiu how the seating should be arranged."

"Your Majesty." The Left Censor-in-Chief said hurriedly.

"It's just a matter of seating. You are all pillars of the country. Let's stop arguing over this and focus on state affairs," the emperor said. "You all may withdraw."

Seeing that the emperor really didn't want to listen to them arguing about this matter anymore, everyone had no choice but to keep silent.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came first, followed by the Seventh Prince, and then the ministers bowed and left the Imperial Study in turn according to their official titles and status.

As soon as everyone left the Imperial Study, two civil servants began to whisper, "Lord Liushui is soft-hearted, kind-hearted, and easy to talk to. How can he compete with the powerful Lord Qianqiu? This Seventh Prince is truly calculating."

Although the two men seemed to be talking in whispers, their voices were quite loud, and the military officers who heard them wanted to find the two civil servants to argue with them.

The Seventh Prince pretended not to hear what the two civil servants said, without even turning his head, and simply said calmly: "My Lords, don't you still have military affairs to attend to? Why are you staying here instead of leaving?"

A military officer was anxious, but he didn't dare to disobey the Seventh Prince, so he winked at General Lu.

When General Lu saw this, he immediately understood what the man meant. He hurried forward and said respectfully, "This humble official has been in the capital for so long, but I haven't paid my respects to His Highness Qianqiu yet. This is truly my fault. Today, I happen to be free. Your Highness and I will go to Qianqiu Pavilion together to pay our respects to His Highness."

The Seventh Prince neither objected nor agreed, but just walked ahead on his own.

General Lu was not sure what the Seventh Prince meant, but he did not want Liu Shui to take up a high position in this matter and make those civil officials proud, so he pretended to be just there to pay his respects and followed the Seventh Prince to Qianqiu Pavilion without saying a word.

When General Lu and the Seventh Prince came to Qianqiu Pavilion, I was eating barbecue with Liu Shuiqing.

Some of the children in Xinnong School have grown up and have achieved academic success. Seven or eight of them, including the disciples of the Death Detective, have already ventured into the world on their own.

These children traveled around and discovered some new condiments. They were all filial children, so they quickly sent some back to me as a gift.

I got these condiments, and naturally improved the recipe based on my experience in my previous life. Now I am feasting on them with Liu Shuiqing.

I don't know what's wrong with the Seventh Prince recently, but he just doesn't like Liu Shui Qing. Every time Liu Shui Qing is around, his face is not very good. As soon as Liu Shui Qing leaves, he immediately turns into a Husky again, happily chatting and playing with me.

When I saw that General Lu had some displeasure in his eyes when he saw Liu Shui Qing, and when he saluted and greeted him deliberately, he put Liu Shui Qing last, I knew why General Lu came.

I naturally didn't want Liushui to be embarrassed and humiliated here, so I said, "Liushui Qing, didn't you just say you wanted to go back? I think it's getting late, let Ada take you back."

"Ah? I don't." Liu Shuiqing said subconsciously.

But he felt that the scene was a little weird, and he understood what I meant, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "I didn't sleep well last night, so I need to go back and catch up on some sleep."

After saying that, he yawned and left with Qianxi. He did not bow to the Seventh Prince when he left, but the Seventh Prince and General Lu did not care about this matter.

As soon as Liu Shui left, I asked the servants to withdraw, and then I slowly skewered the meat and said, "General Lu, come and try it. I have modified this recipe. It has a unique flavor and is no worse than the barbecue in and outside the palace."

General Lu sat down in the lower seat with a smile on his face and said, "The chef in your Highness's Pavilion is quite skilled. I've been thinking about the roast chicken we ate last time for a long time."

I grilled two skewers, gave them first to His Highness the Seventh Prince and then to General Lu. After General Lu ate one skewer, he praised it highly.

I stopped, looked at General Lu, and said with a smile, "If he has something on his mind, the food will be so delicious. If he has nothing on his mind, wouldn't it be so delicious that he'll eat his tongue?"

"Your Highness Qianqiu, you already know everything." General Lu chuckled twice and said, "In this matter, Your Highness Qianqiu should have been on the right side. Everyone in the capital knows that Liu Shuiqing's father was obtained by Your Highness. How dare he be so ungrateful and even think he is superior to you?"

I ignored this and asked, "What does His Royal Highness say?"

"He's quite self-aware. He knows that Liu Shuiqing can't compete with you, so he told His Majesty to let you sit on the right."

I looked at the Seventh Prince who was in the upper position and asked, "What do you think about this, Chongguang?"

"It's just a seating arrangement. It doesn't really matter to Qianqiu who sits on the right." Chongguang said with a bit of bitterness, "Besides, Qianqiu, don't you prefer Liu Shuiqing? My opinion doesn't matter at all."

The Seventh Prince has been talking like this lately. Maybe the child has grown up and reached his rebellious stage, so I just pretend I didn't hear it and don't argue with him. Anyway, the Seventh Prince is still motivated, it's just that his words are a little unpleasant to the ears.

I smiled and said, "Since you've come to me, I think we should decide this ourselves."

"Yes, I don't know what His Majesty was thinking. He actually let you decide for yourselves."

Chongguang heard that General Lu's words seemed to contain a hint of complaint, and he sneered, "With the way you two are arguing in the imperial study, it would be strange if the emperor didn't pass this hot potato to Qianqiu."

I started skewering the meat again and grilled it slowly, while General Lu kept talking there.

After I grilled the meat, I gave one skewer each to His Highness the Seventh Prince and General Lu. After General Lu finished eating, I said, "One more skewer, you might not have an appetite anymore."

This sentence made the meat in General Lu's mouth lose its flavor immediately, and his face turned bitter. It was really funny that a man in his fifties looked as aggrieved as a child.

I ignored General Lu and just looked at His Highness the Seventh Prince and said, "If I tell you that I want Liu Shuiqing to be on the right, will you blame me, Chongguang?"

"I won't blame you for anything you do."

Seeing that the Seventh Prince looked sincere and didn't seem to be lying, I continued, "Then I said that if I let Liu Shuiqing be on the right, it would be a better choice for you. Do you believe it?"

"Qianqiu has never lied to me in all these years, so of course I believe him."

I smiled, handed the freshly grilled skewers to His Highness the Seventh Prince, and said, "Then it's settled."

"This kebab is overcooked and a little burnt."

Although the Seventh Prince disliked the skewers, he ate them anyway and said, "It's settled."

General Lu was completely bewildered, not moving the barbecue in his hands. He said, "What are you talking about? Is it settled? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince always outshines His Highness the Seventh Prince, relying on his status. This is a rare opportunity to be superior to him, yet he just gives it up like that."

The stick in my swung hand hit General Lu's hand hard, and his hand immediately became red and swollen.

"Your Highness Qianqiu, what are you doing?" General Lu said angrily.

"There's no way to avoid this. General Lu isn't diligent enough in practicing martial arts." I said with a smile.

"You are launching a sneak attack. If I am on guard, not to mention His Highness Qianqiu, even the top masters in the martial arts world would not be able to hurt me at all."

My face turned serious and I said seriously, "You are not on guard against me, so are you not on guard against His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

General Lu had no idea what this meant and couldn't continue. He could only look at me with a red face and angry eyes.

"Think on your heels. Why did the prince say he wanted me to be on the right? Did he really mean it?"

General Lu stiffened his neck and said, "He knows that he is not in the right in this matter, so he naturally tries to gain the reputation of being virtuous. This is exactly his usual tactic.

Looking at General Lu, I finally understood why the imperial power and military officers are gradually declining, while the civil service group is rising rapidly. With the brains of these military officers, even if they had ten of them, they could not beat those civil officers.

"He is the crown prince, and he holds the title of righteousness. He holds all the rights under heaven. Not to mention letting Liu Shuiqing be on the right, even if he lets Liu Shuiqing be above me and I am below him, he is still right."

"But, but." General Lu stumbled for a long time and still only said the word "but".

"As long as I show the slightest intention to do something right, the Sixth Lord will immediately agree, and the Ministry of Rites will immediately arrange it, without missing a beat in the etiquette. Then, starting with the various schools and aristocratic families, the situation will quickly spread outward. His Highness, relying on the military power of the King of Zhenbei, is disregarding etiquette and attempting to commit a crime."

"That's not the case. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself agreed to this matter. How can you say it like this?"

"There are a thousand ways to say something. He can say it differently, but the meaning behind it won't change. It might even get worse. Do you still want me to be on the right?"

Although General Lu did not understand what I said, he saw that the Seventh Prince had no objection at all. He also thought about the previous account book case that had brought down many civil servants.

General Lu also understood that he was completely incapable of handling these twists and turns. Not only was he incapable of handling them, but the entire group of generals was also incapable of handling them.

So General Lu thought for a moment and said, "I don't quite understand what His Highness Qianqiu is saying, but both of you are smarter than me. I think your decision will definitely be better."

I had just seen off General Lu when the Minister of Rites arrived not long after.

Although His Majesty asked for my and Liu Shuiqing's opinions, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this matter was decided by me. After asking for my opinion, he also symbolically asked Liu Shuiqing. Although Liu Shuiqing was reluctant, he had no choice but to follow my opinion in the end.

This time the Ministry of Rites acted extremely quickly. Within ten days they had found an auspicious day to hold the promotion ceremony for me and Liu Shuiqing. More than half a month later, Liu Shuiqing left the palace.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.