Bai Qingping just walked under the hallway veranda, and before he even had a chance to step into Bai Qihe's study, he heard the clan elders talking about how their family had contributed the most in defending Shuoyang and should be recognized for their merits. Bai Qingyan ought to grant them a prince's title...
"Clan Leader, do you think... Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, shouldn't we, as clan members who meritoriously defended Shuoyang, be properly rewarded? We don't have a say in front of His Majesty, so we hope you can speak of our merits in front of His Majesty. After all, we are part of the royal family, shouldn't granting us some fiefdoms and a hereditary prince's title be reasonable?"
"Exactly, and that Madam Bai, Mrs. Dong..."
"Hey! How do you address her! She should be called the Empress Dowager now!" An elder corrected.