Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 549 Daily Life in the Palace and Songkhla's Positioning

"Your Majesty, you are back."

"I'm back now. I've been busy with a lot of things. I've been in meetings all day. It wasn't until after 10pm that it was over."

Li Mingyuan returned to the palace and saw Empress Wu Lingxuan leading her attendants to set the table. He smiled and said, "Today's meal is quite sumptuous, with river shrimp, barbecued meat, spare ribs, mung bean porridge, as well as yerba mate and green tea. Empress, thank you for your hard work."

"Your Majesty, it is hard to worry about state affairs."

The queen smiled softly, picked up a river shrimp with chopsticks and put it into Li Mingyuan's mouth, and asked, "Your Majesty, how does it taste?"

"Not bad, fresh and fragrant without being greasy, delicious and tasty."

When Li Mingyuan is with his family, he is no longer arrogant and is very casual when eating and talking.

"Where are the children? Have they eaten in advance?"

"At around seven o'clock, the guards informed me that the meeting would be postponed, so I let the children eat first. Now they have gone to bed."

"Jing'an, Jingliang, and Jingying are already eight or nine years old in the blink of an eye. Jing'an is the eldest son, and Jingliang is the legitimate son. Both children have good temperaments and conducts, but they lack certain training. After the New Year, I plan to select a few young officers from the attendant room to serve as military teachers for the three children and teach them some military education knowledge. The children of the royal family are different from those from ordinary families. They represent the image of the royal family. Especially in terms of military education, we must start from a young age. When they grow up, they can also set an example for the people."

"Has your majesty chosen the professor's teacher?"

"I have a few candidates in mind. I will discuss with them face to face in a few days and then choose the final one."

"Your Majesty, Jing'an is the eldest prince after all. Sister Baoyi and Zhang Guozhang have also given Your Majesty a lot of help. Your Majesty said before that you want to make Jingliang the crown prince. What about Jing'an and Sister Baoyi?"

The Queen probed.

"I have been thinking about this. Currently, all countries in the world practice constitutional monarchy, and the power of the emperor is subject to certain restrictions. The empire also announced that it would implement a transitional constitution in 1894 and a full constitution in 1900. By then, some power will be transferred to the cabinet. I am the founding monarch, and whether or not there is a constitution will not have much impact on the country's decision. But in the future, when Jing Liang ascends the throne and becomes the monarch, the education level of the people will be comprehensively improved and the people's thoughts will be enlightened. In peacetime, the power of the monarch will be more restricted. For the royal children, ascending the throne means more responsibilities and restrictions. It is not necessarily a bad thing for Jing An not to be made the crown prince."

Li Mingyuan explained: "Regarding the selection of the crown prince, I have discussed it with Baoyi, and she also supports making Jingliang the crown prince. Lingxuan, you can put your mind at ease and don't worry. If you really have concerns, talk more with Baoyi, Yina and others, and go out more.

Between sisters, if they talk openly, there will be no conflicts or misunderstandings. "

"Ah, I will listen to your majesty."

The Queen responded and continued, "By the way, Your Majesty, my father and brother sent a telegram from Songkhla. They said they wanted to formally entrust the affairs of Songkhla to the imperial government and then return to their native land to live."

"Is it because of the Siam and Straits Settlements? In the next few days, send a telegram to your father-in-law in your name and tell them not to worry about the threat from Siam. In a few months, the imperial government will send a main fleet to the Nanyang region to support them."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. However, my father and several brothers have long wanted to move to their homeland. The Wu family is nominally the lord of Songkhla. Before Your Majesty sent the National Defense Force to station there, the area they could actually control was only a few hundred square kilometers of land in Songkhla and coastal ports. The expansion of Songkhla to its current size of 3 square kilometers was entirely dependent on the help of the National Defense Force. I married Your Majesty, and Jingliang is also the heir to the empire. The two families have become one family, so my father wants to return to his homeland to settle down and visit the palace more often." "It's no problem for my father-in-law to return to his homeland to settle down. After he leaves, Wu Chong can take over the position of the lord of Songkhla."

Li Mingyuan thought for a moment, held Wu Lingxuan's hand, and said gently: "Lingxuan, I know that you have been considering me and have communicated and contacted my father-in-law's family. I also know the character of my father-in-law and my eldest brother-in-law. They are very righteous and have a long-term vision. To be honest, in today's meeting, there was a discussion about the positioning of Songkhla and Lan Fang. But don't worry, even if Songkhla is officially included in the direct rule of the empire in the future, the status of the Wu family will not change. I can guarantee this."

"Your Majesty, we are a family. How can I not believe you? But what my father and brother said also makes sense. Wu has lived in Songkhla for hundreds of years, under the threat of Siam, Britain, the Netherlands, France and other forces, and she lives in fear every day. In order to unite the natives, my father married my eldest sister to a foreign king. After my sister married, she could not adapt to the local king's bullying and foreign control, and died of depression. If it were not for your majesty's appearance and General Li's troops stationed in Songkhla, I would have become a tool of the local king like my sister, your majesty. Songkhla is not so much Wu's fiefdom as it is a cage that restricts Wu. I beg your majesty to accept the request of my father and brother and let them move to the native land to live."

"Okay, okay, Lingxuan, I agree."

Li Mingyuan looked at Wu Lingxuan with a serious expression and comforted her, "It's all in the past. Don't think about the unhappy things in the past. There is still a long time to go. Jingliang and Xin'er are still young. You will feel better if you see them more. Besides, the local king and his tribe who bullied your sister have long been defeated by General Li. It can be regarded as revenge for your sister. Don't be sad anymore."

"I am not sad. Marrying Your Majesty is the greatest blessing in my life. When I see Your Majesty, I feel happy and satisfied."

Wu Lingxuan sat down next to Li Mingyuan and said softly, "Your Majesty, I still feel that I owe Sister Baoyi something. How about you think of a way to compensate Baoyi and Jing'an?"

"You are giving me problems. Baoyi was born into a wealthy family, and Zhang Guozhang's family is successful. As for compensation, I can't think of a suitable way for the time being."

Li Mingyuan thought as he spoke. After a moment, he thought of a solution and said, "The Empire is planning to bring Lan Fang under its direct rule and upgrade it to an autonomous kingdom through a referendum. Lingxuan, how about waiting for Jing An to become an adult and then conferring him the King of Lan Fang to guard Lan Fang in place of the royal family?"

"Your Majesty, this is not a good idea. If Sister Baoyi heard this, she would probably think that Jing'an had committed some serious mistake and made you unhappy, so you sent him to a place like Lanfang."

Wu Jingxuan frowned and said, "The climate in Nanyang is hot. Baoyi and I grew up in Songkhla and Lion City respectively. Compared with Songkhla and Lion City, Lan Fang has a higher temperature and poorer land. Jing'an grew up in Chang'an. If he is exiled to Lan Fang and becomes a king, I'm afraid he will find it difficult to adapt to the climate there. Sister Baoyi will miss him and feel sad every day."

"Although the climate in Nanyang is not as good as that in China, it is still better than that in the Congo colony. Moreover, after decades of development, the living environment in Lanfang has also improved. Jing'an will be able to adapt to Lanfang after living there for a while. However, what you said makes sense. If we propose to confer the title of King of Lanfang now, Baoyi will probably be sad. So let's put this matter on hold for now. When the children are adults, we will listen to their opinions."

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment and continued, "Songkhla is different from Lan Fang. After all, Songkhla is still nominally a territory of Siam. We still have to find an opportunity to declare Songkhla independent and then bring it under the direct rule of the empire. As for my father-in-law, he is not young anymore. It is not appropriate to delay returning to the mainland to settle down. Let's do this, Lingxuan. You send a telegram to your father-in-law and say that you are welcome to settle down in the mainland. Wait until August or September, pack up the furniture and other things, and let your father-in-law and several uncles, sisters, nephews, and nieces return on the warship first. My eldest brother-in-law Wu Chong and his family should stay in Songkhla for the time being and help the empire maintain order for a few years. After everything is stable, they can return to the mainland to settle down."

"I'll send a telegram back tomorrow."

"Also, after my father-in-law returned to his homeland, he officially granted his family the hereditary dukedom. My father-in-law is very righteous and deserves the hereditary dukedom. If it weren't for the impact, it wouldn't be too much to even consider the hereditary kingdom."

"Your Majesty, the hereditary title of Duke is too heavy. My father and brothers are grateful for your kindness. Besides, our two families have become one family. There is no need to grant such a high title."

"No, Lingxuan, you have to listen to me on this matter. There are considerations for granting the hereditary duke title. Not only my father-in-law's family, but also the Paraguayan royal family will be granted the hereditary duke title after the Kingdom of Paraguay is officially incorporated into the empire. If the title of my father-in-law's family is too low, then it will be difficult for the Paraguayan royal family to make arrangements."

"I thank Your Majesty on behalf of my father and brother."

"There's no need to be so polite between husband and wife. Lingxuan, eat more. If you, Baoyi, and Ina are bored in the palace, you can go to Chang'an City. The Congolese colony has paid tribute to hundreds of animals such as grey parrots, okapis, Congo peacocks, hippos, giraffes, etc., which are not seen in other places. For example, the okapi looks like an antelope, has a body like a horse, and a head like a giraffe. It is very similar to the four-legged beast described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. I plan to build a zoo in Chang'an City for the public to visit. You can also take your children with you to have a look."