SFS Chapter 660 Conferring the Title of Heir Apparent!
Chapter 660 Conferring the Title of Heir Apparent!
One month after the girls' school officially opened and began teaching, the emperor's decree arrived.
The Emperor first praised Prince Chang Le for his love for the people and his diligence in governing the country. Then he praised Mu Xin Nuan for her virtue and wisdom, and bestowed upon her a large amount of wealth. At the same time, he directly ordered that Duanmu Zonghua be made the heir apparent of Prince Chang Le.
Xiao Zonghua is only a few months old. At such a young age, he has already been granted the title of heir apparent. This is the first time since the founding of the Great Yong Dynasty.
Generally speaking, even if the emperor wants to bestow the title of heir apparent, he will at least have to wait until the young prince is five or six years old.
Firstly, many elders in large families worried that their children didn't have such good fortune and wouldn't be able to handle it. If they were overwhelmed by the emperor's favor, it would be a loss.
Furthermore, the royal family usually takes this matter very seriously.
In families with noble titles, the legitimate son naturally inherits the title. However, there are exceptions. For example, what if a family waits for many years but does not have a legitimate son?
In this situation, the illegitimate son would inherit the throne, and if the illegitimate son were to inherit, he would first have to find a way to become the legitimate son.
Now, Xiao Zonghua is only a few months old, yet he has been exceptionally named the heir apparent. This decree has shocked the court and the public.
In fact, the Emperor had had this idea for quite some time.
The Emperor secretly thought that Duanmu Zonghua was their son, and Duanmu Chuze and Mu Xinnuan were both intelligent people, so their son could not possibly be stupid.
Furthermore, the Emperor heard that this little grandson had been very sensible since birth, and that the child, who was only a few months old, had been personally cared for by his parents.
The children raised by this couple would naturally be exceptional.
Moreover, Mu Xin Nuan herself is a doctor, so with her around, Xiao Zong Hua is unlikely to encounter any other accidents.
That's why the emperor issued such an edict directly.
Of course, the emperor mainly heard that his little grandson was already able to sit up at only five months old, which showed that he was both intelligent and physically strong.
Mu Xin Nuan was still somewhat bewildered by the Emperor's sudden decree.
In fact, she had never thought about the matter of a crown prince. In any case, Duanmu Chuze's future throne would definitely be inherited by his son.
And his sons will certainly be his own.
Therefore, Mu Xin Nuan never even considered the matter of the position of heir apparent.
Once the imperial decree announcing the appointment of this young prince was spread, the Chang Le Prince's Mansion was naturally bustling with activity once again.
The number of people coming to congratulate and give gifts was truly overwhelming.
Fortunately, the steward in charge was quite well-mannered. Apart from some respectable ladies and young women in Yanzhou City, no one else had any chance to see Princess Chang Le.
Otherwise, just talking to each of these people who came to offer their congratulations would probably make Mu Xin Nuan's throat hoarse.
For three consecutive days, there was no peace and quiet in front of the Chang Le Prince's Mansion.
Even some officials who were on official business in Yu County returned to give gifts.
Fu Hongyang naturally accompanied Madam Fu.
Mu Xin Nuan had someone invite the mother and son to the flower hall to change their clothes. She was thinking that she could take this opportunity to test this Madam Fu and see what her plans were for Fu Hongyang's marriage.
When Mu Xin Nuan arrived at the flower hall, she saw the mother and son talking. As soon as she saw her, Madam Fu immediately stood up and bowed.
"Please, no need for formalities. I've heard that Young Master Fu has always been highly regarded by the Prince. Seeing him today, I can confirm that Young Master Fu is indeed a man of exceptional talent."
"I am unworthy of the praise from Your Highness."
Mu Xin Nuan covered her mouth and chuckled, "Please sit down quickly."
Madam Fu quickly offered her congratulations and then ordered someone to present the gift list.
Mu Xin Nuan knew that this Madam Fu did not come from a high social class, but she had seen a lot of things over the years by following Master Fu.
Nowadays, Fu Hongyang is always doing errands for the prince. She doesn't know his specific official rank or grade, but judging from the tone Duanmu Chuze uses when mentioning him, the two must have a very good relationship.
"Thank you, Madam Fu. Someone, bring the young master here. I'm afraid Madam Fu hasn't seen what the young master looks like yet?"
"Your Highness, I only glanced at the baby during the full moon celebration, but there were too many people there, so I didn't dare to disturb them too much."
“Madam Fu is very thoughtful. Since you’re here today, why don’t you stay for lunch before you leave?”
Madam Fu quickly declined, "Your Highness, I have some household matters to attend to, so I'm afraid I cannot dine with Your Highness."
Judging from Madam Fu's expression, Mu Xin Nuan knew that she wasn't busy, but rather that she was dining with a princess and felt somewhat uneasy.
“What urgent matter does Madam Fu have that requires her to go back now? It wouldn’t be too late to go back after lunch and a short rest.”
Mu Xin Nuan said, "You suddenly thought of something, and then smiled and said, "Perfect timing. The shadow puppet troupe that the Prince had hired earlier is still staying at the manor. I'll have them prepare the room in a bit, and invite Madam Fu and Young Master Fu to watch a few shadow puppet shows."
Fu Gongzi's lips twitched. He really didn't expect that the Princess Chang Le, whom he thought was gentle and generous, would actually like to watch shadow puppet shows.
Rongyue, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "That old man was bullied by local bullies and couldn't make a living. Our princess happened to meet him and brought him to Yanzhou City. Now he's in the east of the city and he's able to make a living. To take care of them, the princess invites them to stay at the mansion for a few days every month and put on a few shadow puppet shows."
Fu Hongyang immediately felt relieved.
The princess did this for two reasons: first, to give the old man more income; and second, to intimidate the local thugs, since the old man's backer was the Chang Le Prince's Mansion, not someone they could easily provoke.
If one day the princess summons people to the manor to perform, and they can't come, or if they casually make a few complaints, then those petty thugs will be in deep trouble.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I have long heard of the shadow puppet troupe that Your Highness has taken a liking to; their performances are excellent. However, I have been so busy that I have never had the chance to see it in person. Today, I am fortunate enough to witness it."
"Young Master Fu, there's no need to be so polite. You and Madam Fu are practically family now. In the future, when you have nothing to do, please come and visit more often. It's just as well. I'm taking care of the child, and I can't always go out to visit other people's homes; it gets a bit boring."
Madam Fu's smile was somewhat forced. Although this princess seemed unpretentious, she had long heard of her methods, and she was still a little apprehensive.
What if she has some kind of dissatisfaction with the Fu family?