A few days later, during the morning court session, the Emperor promoted Wang Da, elevating him from Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Wang Da was utterly stunned.
Prince Ding'an had been acting as the interim Minister of Revenue for nearly two years. He had always believed he stood no chance, never expecting such a surprise from the Emperor at this moment.
In October, Wang Da's two daughters were to be married simultaneously. Now, with another promotion, it was truly a triple blessing.
Wang Da's mouth remained agape.
After the court adjourned, colleagues flocked to him in waves, offering congratulations and flattery, making him feel as though he were floating on air.
While the Emperor promoted Wang Da, he also issued a decree to Prince Ding'an's manor.
Xiao Mo, the second son of the Xiao family, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fuping, and a mansion was bestowed upon him, located right next to Prince Ding'an's manor.
The Emperor was truly generous.
Xiao Yun had initially hoped for a simple marquis title at best, never imagining the Emperor would bestow a marquisate of such high standing.
These two matters were openly handled by the Emperor. As for Xiao Yun's entry into the Ministry of Personnel and Xiao Mo's into the Ministry of Revenue, these were not officially publicized.
Upon seeing Xiao Yun, the officials at the Ministry of Personnel were momentarily taken aback. Once they recovered, they stepped forward to pay their respects.
Xiao Yun smiled and helped Wei Zong up, saying, "No need to be so formal. We are all colleagues from now on."
The crowd was once again surprised.
Wei Zong, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had not received any official notification from above regarding Xiao Yun's appointment.
The Ministry of Personnel had no Minister. Previously, it was Grand Tutor Wei, but after Grand Tutor Wei was promoted to Prime Minister and bestowed the title of Grand Tutor, the position had remained vacant. Although vacant, the actual power was still held by Grand Tutor Wei.
Despite being the Vice Minister, Wei Zong's authority was nearly equivalent to that of a Minister.
Xiao Yun continued, "I'm just here to amuse myself and pass the time. I was in the Ministry of Revenue before, and now the Ministry of Personnel. Next, it will be the Ministry of Works, then perhaps the Ministry of Justice. No, forget it, the Ministry of Justice is too bloody. The Ministry of Rites would be better."
Xiao Yun spoke to himself, adopting the demeanor of a dissolute young master idly passing his days.
The officials at the Ministry of Personnel breathed a sigh of relief. Their smiles remained, but a hint of envy lingered in their hearts.
A prince, the wealthiest man, and the ability to casually enter any of the six ministries.
Alas, no amount of effort could compare to the fortune of being born into such a family!
The wedding dates for Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu were set for the eighteenth of October, with both marrying on the same day.
Marrying off two daughters on the same day was rare in Duanjing. Initially, there were whispers, but with Wang Da's promotion, these whispers turned into praise.
Wang Qingyao chose an auspicious day to bestow gifts upon her two younger sisters.
Previously, when Han Suqin married, Wang Qingyao had given very valuable dowry gifts, which had even caused Wang Qingzhen to become jealous.
This time, the visible dowry gifts for Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu were even more lavish than those for Han Suqin. In private, Wang Qingyao also gave Wang Qingzhen ten thousand taels of her personal savings.
No one dislikes money. Upon learning this, Wang Qingzhen's address of "sister" became even sweeter, and she was especially delighted to know that Wang Qingzhu had not received the same.
"She doesn't need it. Pang Yan sends her gifts frequently. She's quite wealthy now!"
There was a hint of sourness in her words.
Wang Qingyao smiled and teased her, "What, envious? Regretful?"
"Heh," Wang Qingzhen scoffed, "There's always a trade-off. Compared to wealth, I value appearance more. Besides, the Weng family isn't poor, just not as wealthy as a marquisate. It will be fine once I marry. My dowry will be much more than Fourth Sister's."
This was true. Concubine Ying had been favored for a long time and managed the household for a period, accumulating many good things. She had only one daughter, Wang Qingzhen, so naturally, everything was left to her. Furthermore, Wang Qingzhen had previously been registered under Madam Bai's name, making her a legitimate daughter, and her dowry from the family was also calculated according to the regulations for legitimate daughters.
Wang Qingzhu, on the other hand, had a quiet and honest mother, Concubine Hua. Besides her portion of the dowry as a concubine's daughter from the family's coffers, her other gifts were from Pang Yan during this period.
However, she felt that as she was about to marry into a marquisate, her status and position would be far superior to Wang Qingzhen's, so she didn't particularly care about these matters.
After Wang Qingyao presented her dowry gifts, she had intended to leave. However, someone from Old Madam Wang's side sent a message, saying the old madam had woken up and requested Wang Qingyao's presence.
Although Wang Qingyao was the Princess Consort, Old Madam Wang was her paternal grandmother. Upon arriving at the Wang family, she had gone to Old Madam Wang's courtyard to pay her respects.
However, Old Madam Wang had played hard to get, claiming she was napping and not yet awake.
Wang Qingyao had left without looking back.
Now that she was about to depart, Old Madam Wang suddenly wished to see her.
She smiled faintly, "What an unfortunate coincidence. Just now, someone from the Prince's manor informed me of an urgent matter. If the old madam has nothing important to discuss, I shall take my leave. When I visit again, I hope the old madam won't be napping."
The person who came to invite her was merely a young maidservant, clumsy and lacking in judgment.
Old Madam Wang had no serious business to discuss; she was merely trying to assert her elder's authority and reprimand Wang Qingyao, having suffered losses at her hands multiple times and seeking to regain face.
Upon hearing the young maidservant's words, Wang Qingyao felt even less burdened and walked away.
When this news reached Old Madam Wang, she was enraged for a while.