Shipin Dalizheng

Rong Tang waited until they had left Shoukang Palace before speaking to Emperor Xuanning, "Your Majesty, Cao Laiwang made great efforts in finding the Imperial Seal. I hope to spare his life to demonstrate Your Majesty's power and virtue."

Emperor Xuanning looked back and asked in an unfathomable tone, "How many conditions did you agree to on my behalf in my name?"

Rong Tang touched his nose and said, "No, Your Majesty, I just feel that killing a eunuch will not benefit Your Majesty. Keeping him alive will make the people praise him, so it's a win-win situation. Your Majesty's great cause requires many people to support it. If you give him some benefits, I can also recruit talents."

After a round of intoxicating soup, Emperor Xuanning was completely dazed and overjoyed. "He Daban, you take care of this matter!"

He Daban had no real worries. After all, he and Cao Laiwang served different masters, and there was no personal grudge between them. In addition, as both were eunuchs, they always felt a sense of sympathy and sympathy for each other.

Rong Tang pulled out a list from his bosom and continued to persuade him, "Your Majesty, these are the talents I have recruited for you. They are both civil and military, and quite capable. How do you want to arrange them?"

"Did you recruit him on the way? If he has any military achievements, have Li Dequan report them to the Ministry of War and submit them step by step. It's against the rules for you to submit them directly to me."

"Your Majesty, look at them. They are all extraordinary talents."

After some persuasion, Emperor Xuan Ning took the list and rolled his eyes at him, "This won't happen again."

"Your Majesty, please wait for now. I will go visit my aunt and give her some Jiangnan specialties."

"Go."

Rong Tang went to Fengqi Palace happily, and Emperor Xuanning looked at him with a deep look.

He Daban came closer, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Xuanning murmured, "This boy has a dark heart and ruthless hands. I wonder if he can be the sharpest knife in my hand."

He Daban said, "Your Majesty, there is no doubt that Earl Jian'an is a sharp sword. Your Majesty needs to seize him before others do. Apart from other things, Earl Jian'an's current attitude shows that he is on Your Majesty's side."

He offended countless people, robbed countless wealth, and then distributed it all. Such a person who is full of shortcomings has no one to rely on except him.

This is the lone minister he has always dreamed of.

"Where's Li Dequan? Ask him to hand over his work record."

When Li Dequanzhen handed over the merit book, the densely packed words on it made Emperor Xuanning dizzy.

"Do all those well-known people under him have merits?"

If you don't believe it, watch it again. It really covers every detail, no matter how big or small.

However, in the end, Emperor Xuan Ning still found a problem. It seemed that everyone had made contributions, big or small, except Rong Tang himself, who was not among those who were asked for reward.

All in all, the rewards for the new army were merely low-ranking military positions, barely higher than those for ordinary soldiers. The most unusual reward was for Wen Ruyu: a gold medal inscribed with the words "The greatest heroes serve their country and their people." The only requirement was that His Majesty personally grant the medal a calligraphy.

What surprised him even more was a test paper signed by Xiao Poyun.

Rong Tang sat with Concubine Rong Xian for a while and gave her two gemstones. Nanny You took them and put them away. She then brought out a red fox fur coat and said with a smile, "This is the fox fur given by His Majesty in the winter. I made a white one for the Seventh Princess, and this red one is for the young master."

Rong Tang was a little embarrassed, "This red one..."

"It's alright, young master is handsome and can look any color. The Eighth Princess has come to ask for it twice, but the Queen has refused to give in. We can't just let her have everything she wants, otherwise it would be too much of a bully."

Rong Tang listened and felt that the Seventh Princess seemed to have been wronged again. "Mammy, just tell me what happened."

Xianfei didn't allow her to speak, but Nanny You grew bolder. "Young Master, you don't know, this Eighth Princess is really overbearing. When it was hot, she liked the coolness of the Seventh Princess's Zi Luo Xuan and traded it for Jingyang Palace. When it got cold, she found the Zi Luo Xuan not good enough and insisted on trading it back, which made the Seventh Princess very upset. This fox fur was given by His Majesty as compensation to the Seventh Princess, how could she let the Eighth Princess snatch it away?"

"Alright, Madam. The Eighth Princess is the legitimate princess, so naturally the good things are hers. She just took advantage of a little bit. Zhao Ling's life is not that difficult."

And the more this happened, the more Emperor Xuanning favored Zhao Ling and handed over his private treasury to Zhao Ling.

Rong Tang then asked, "Is there enough charcoal in my aunt's palace?"

Nanny You said, "This winter, I have given you a full allowance, but that's all. The other ladies have contributed from their own pockets, but your majesty is not well off..."

"Mommy."

Rong Tang heard that his aunt was short of money, and he couldn't understand why. Didn't his aunt also have her own dowry shop? Could it be that she didn't make any profit at all?

Nanny You shut up in grievance. Rong Tang refused to accept it. "Nanny, tell me what's going on. If there's no profit, I can't let my aunt suffer a loss."

Nanny You ignored Consort Xian's attempts to stop her and said, "Your Majesty also owns seven or eight shops. According to normal rent, she should have earned over a thousand taels a year. But the Chu family pays less than a hundred taels a year, and Concubine Hui keeps crying poor, saying business is bad. You say business is bad, but she herself is not poor at all. It seems she only cares about your Majesty."

"Mommy."

Xian Fei scolded her, "Hui Fei is the mother of Prince Yong. Do you want Tang Er to clash with Prince Yong?"

Rong Tang clenched his fists. Upon hearing this, he realized that the Chu family's behavior was exactly the same as the Liang family's. They were both occupying Concubine Rong's shop at a very low rent and refusing to return it.

"Aunt, please let me handle this matter. Mammy, give me the deeds to those shops."

Nanny You went in and brought out the contract. Rong Tang put it in his arms and stood up, saying, "Nephew, I'll go first. If there's any news, have Aunt Cailan bring it in."

Concubine Rong Xian hurriedly said, "Don't confront Prince Yong head-on."

"Don't worry, auntie. I know what I'm doing."

Rong Tang went out, snowflakes fell on his face, and his expression turned cold.

The corridor leading to the palace gate was covered with a thin layer of snow. On a high platform not far away, Concubine Xie was dancing barefoot in a thin red dress. Her slender and soft waist was like a willow in the wind, so graceful that one could not help but hold it in one hand.

Her eyes kept looking at him, and her bare feet drew graceful arcs on the snow, like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow.

After a moment, Concubine Xie stopped dancing and opened her red lips slightly, "Marquis Jian'an, do you think I dance well?"

Rong Tang answered the question irrelevantly, "Is the Queen cold?"

Concubine Xie looked at the red fox fur he was holding and said in a gloomy tone, "So what if it's cold?"

Rong Tang shook out the fox fur coat.

Rong Tang put it on his body.

"If you feel cold, go back to the palace and put on some clothes. If you feel comfortable, continue dancing. Your Majesty, will you still dance? I can be a good audience member."

Concubine Xie was angry, "Isn't this palace pretty?"

Rong Tang said, "She's not as pretty as my wife. Your Majesty, don't dance. I'll leave first."

Concubine Xie was left stamping her feet and jumping up and down, "Your Majesty, look at him humiliating me, saying that I am not as pretty as his wife."

Emperor Xuanning laughed heartily from behind the dais. "Everyone has their own taste for beauty. He likes his own wife, and there's nothing wrong with that. But you, please stop testing my subjects' loyalty for me. Even the most daring of lustful men wouldn't dare harbor evil thoughts about my concubine."

Concubine Xie slowly approached him and knelt at his feet. Her cold fingers moved from bottom to top, teasing Emperor Xuanning's thighs. Her voice was full of seduction, "Your Majesty, is it because I am old and no longer attractive? Why not invite the young wife of the Earl of Jian'an into the palace tomorrow? I will compare myself with her and see who is more beautiful."

Emperor Xuanning was alerted, his mind aroused. "She's just a little girl with some foreign blood. How can she compare to the imperial concubine in terms of charm?"

Concubine Xie spoke slowly, "What if I insist on competing?"