After becoming a widow, I became the mother of seven children

Yan Qingqing opened the box immediately. Inside was a jade plaque with the words Ming Zhao engraved on it.

Yan Qingqing touched it with her hand, and her touch felt warm.

Yan Qingqing asked in surprise: "Is this Nuanyu?"

Xiao Mochen nodded and said: "I heard that warm jade is very good for the human body, especially for women.

In addition, my aunt's rank is getting higher and higher now, so it would be perfect to use this jade token as a personal token.

Moreover, I carved the words on it myself. I hope my aunt likes it. "

Yan Qingqing was moved in her heart after hearing this. At least she was in Xiao Mochen's heart. The exchange between them was not all about profit and power.

Yan Qingqing buttoned up the box and looked at Xiao Mochen and said, "Mo Chen is so considerate. He is much better than Xiang Ping and the others. My aunt likes it very much."

Xiao Mochen smiled even more gently when he heard Yan Qingqing's praise.

I thought to myself that this is the response that the elders should have when the younger generation gives gifts to the elders.

Recalling that he used to give gifts to his mother, she would scold him for extravagance and waste if the items were expensive, but she would look down upon them if they were cheap.

But the eldest brother was different. No matter what gifts he gave, the queen liked them and regarded them as treasures.

And his gifts were randomly discarded aside, or locked in a warehouse waiting to be appreciated.

Yan Qingqing chatted with Xiao Mochen for a few more words. After learning that he had gone to Fucheng to handle matters these days, he changed the subject and said, "Mo Chen, my aunt wants to ask you something."

Xiao Mochen smiled when he heard this and said, "What's the matter? Auntie, it's okay to ask?"

Yan Qingqing told him that the emperor named him Ming Zhaoshuo, but added a third rank.

She had not yet come into contact with the court, and she still didn't quite understand the situation in the Great Yan Dynasty.

As the emperor's legitimate son, Xiao Mochen's sense of politics must be much stronger than hers.

And now Yan Qingqing's rank is here, or she will go to Beijing in the near future, so there is no harm in asking Xiao Mochen to find out.

Xiao Mochen laughed after hearing Yan Qingqing's words: "It's rare for an old man to be generous, so aunt, you can rest assured.

According to my aunt's merits, it is not an exaggeration to confer a third-grade lady. I guess there is opposition from someone in the court. He feels that it is unreasonable not to reward my aunt for such a great contribution.

That's why I thought of a compromise, giving a third-grade rank but a fourth-grade title. "

In fact, Xiao Mochen was a little conflicted in his heart. He wanted the emperor to give Yan Qingqing more honor, but he was also afraid that the emperor's current title would be too high and there would be no room for him when he wanted to grant Yan Qingqing a new title in the future.

Finally, Yan Qingqing asked Xiao Mochen about the situation in the Great Yan Dynasty.

I learned that the capital is currently divided into four major families, namely the Pei family, the Ling family, the Ji family and the Qian family.

These four great masters all had the merit of following the dragon when Emperor Taizu conquered the world.

Among them, the Pei family and the Ling family were both military generals. Counting from the time of Taizu, it has been three generations.

The Pei family is Xiao Mochen's maternal ancestral family. There have been military generals for generations, especially Xiao Mochen's maternal grandfather, who has guarded the southern border all year round and has an army of 30.

When Xiao Mochen's mother was made queen, the royal family also had the intention of wooing the Pei family.

The Ling family is also a family of military generals, but the Ling family is different from the Pei family.

The Ling family also produced civil servants, but none of them held important positions in the court. Most of them were like Ling Ziyuan, who were just sent to the county to serve as small county magistrates. The highest among them is Wai Lang, a member of the civil service department of the third rank.

Of course, this is also where the head of the Ling family is smart.

Not to mention that civil and military officials have always been indifferent to each other since ancient times. For a family as big as the Ling family, if the civil servants and military generals in the family were all high-ranking officials and controlled the government, the emperor might not be able to tolerate them.

The Ji family and the Qian family were both civil servants, and most of the six senior officials in the imperial court, including the emperor's masters and ministers, came from these two families.

Not only the former dynasty, but also many concubines in the harem came from the Ji and Qian families.

However, in recent years, the Qian family's ambitions have gradually increased, and many corruption incidents have occurred in their control of government affairs.

What annoyed the emperor the most was that some of them even started to take sides.

The reason why the eldest prince and Concubine Yu dared to act so blatantly was because of the support and defeat of these two families.

The emperor was determined to rectify them, but it could not happen overnight. In addition, he still had previous favors, so his attitude towards them was softened a lot.

However, according to Xiao Mochen's opinion, the emperor should cut through the mess quickly and uproot them with thunderous means.

Yan Qingqing gained some general understanding after listening to Xiao Mochen's analysis of the court situation.

Even if she enters the capital in the future, she will be mentally prepared.

After Yan Qingqing finished chatting with Xiao Mochen, she returned to her yard with gifts.

After returning to the room, Li Xiangping and Li Xiangan were both in her room. They were both very comfortable, drinking tea and chatting.

Yan Qingqing saw that it was rare for the two brothers to get together, so she smiled and teased: "Why do you two have so much free time today? Could it be that you came to my room to drink tea?"

Li Xiang'an smiled when he heard this and replied: "What Mom said is that it's not because the tea here is good. We secretly asked Ruyi to brew a pot for us while Mom was away."

Yan Qingqing glanced at him when he heard this. Li Xiangan was used to being glib since he started doing business, so he just opened his mouth.

Li Xiangping scratched his head honestly and replied: "This is not because I want to discuss something with my mother. I happened to meet my second brother, so I wanted to come to see my mother together.

Why did it take so long for my mother to go to Dayang Village to see the washing house? "

Yan Qingqing smiled when he heard this and said, "Actually, I've been back a long time ago, but when I first entered the house, I heard that Mo Chen was back, so I turned to the road to see him."

After hearing this, Li Xiangping echoed: "Yes, I will go and thank Mo Chen properly later.

As soon as he came back, someone gave him a jade safety lock, saying it was a full-moon gift for Da Zhuang.

Although I don’t know much about jade, the texture and color of the jade are both excellent.

Moreover, the carvings were also very exquisite, and Hui Niang couldn’t put it down after seeing them. Said this gift is very valuable. "

Yes, gold is valuable, but jade is priceless. Some things cannot be measured with money.

Although Li Xiangping is not very clear about Xiao Mochen's true identity, he is not a fool, and he has been an official for such a long time, so he still has a good way of observing people's emotions.

So he knew that Xiao Mochen's identity was definitely not simple, and currently it was not something that his family could afford.

Yan Qingqing smiled when Li Xiangping said this and said to him: "Since Mo Chen gives it to you, just accept it with peace of mind.

As an uncle, he should give his nephew some gifts, so there is no need to thank him. "

Yan Qingqing saw clearly that what Xiao Mochen lacked most now was not power or money, but the love of his family.

What he wants is for the Li family to treat him as one of their own.

Li Xiangping was always used to listening to Yan Qingqing's words, so he nodded and never mentioned it again.

Then he talked about his purpose of coming to Yan Qingqing this time.