Chapter 214: Conquering Seven Cities

January passed by in a flash.

The good news from the north flew into the capital city one after another as if it had wings.

"Report! General Jiang, Major General, and Miss Jiang led their troops to conquer three cities in a row! The Northern Di royal court fled!"

"Report! Our army has recovered all lost territory! The troops are heading straight for the heartland of the Northern Di!"

"Report! The Northern Di sent envoys to seek peace, willing to cede a thousand miles of grassland south of the desert and pay tribute!"

When the last piece of good news reached the Golden Palace, the entire court was in an uproar.

Conquering seven cities in a row and forcing the Northern Di to surrender was a military achievement that had never been seen since the founding of the Dagan Kingdom.

The pioneers Yu Lin and Yu Sheng, father and son, who had first returned to the capital to report the details, knelt in the hall and recounted in a resounding voice how the Jiang family father and son had planned and strategized, how Jiang Qingning had led the troops, and how the soldiers had risked their lives to fight...

Every single one of these stories made the hearts of all the civil and military officials in the court surge with emotion and their blood boil.

Lu Bin, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was so excited that his face flushed. His fingers were tightly gripping the armrests of the dragon throne, and his body was leaning forward slightly.

As Yu Lin finished speaking, he stood up suddenly. He was so excited that he even felt dizzy. The eunuch next to him hurried forward to support him.

"Good, good, good, God bless me in my great work, God bless my kingdom!"

Lu Bin's voice trembled with indescribable joy. "The Jiang family, father and son... no, the entire Jiang Baichuan family, are all loyal and capable generals who have served me well. Yu Lin, Yu Sheng, you and your son are also meritorious officials. I will reward you handsomely, very handsomely!"

Yu Lin and Yu Sheng kowtowed quickly, "We dare not take any credit for this. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, the soldiers' devotion, and General Jiang's command!"

"Everyone has made contributions, everyone has made contributions!" Lu Bing waved his hand, full of vigor and enthusiasm. "Pass on my decree. Yu Lin is promoted to the first-class marquis, Yu Sheng is appointed General of Cavalry, and they are rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred pieces of brocade. In addition, all the civil and military officials in the court today will be rewarded with half a year's salary. I want to celebrate with the whole world!"

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! Long live your Majesty!"

All the civil and military officials in the court knelt on the ground in unison, and the thunderous cheers of congratulations almost overturned the hall. Everyone's face was filled with the joy of being honored and the excitement of being rewarded.

Just when the jubilant atmosphere reached its climax, a somewhat abrupt voice sounded, with a bit of inappropriate questioning.

An Imperial Censor stepped out and saluted Lu Bing. Then, turning to Yu Lin, he asked in a serious tone, "Lord Yu, I just heard you say that Miss Jiang Qingning is also in the army, and is personally fighting in the battlefield?"

The celebratory atmosphere paused slightly.

Everyone's eyes were focused on this censor.

Yu Lin frowned slightly and said calmly, "That's right. Miss Jiang is a brave warrior with extraordinary strategy. She injured Murong Feng in the midst of thousands of troops, which greatly boosted our army's morale. She has made an invaluable contribution."

Upon hearing this, the censor suddenly turned to face Lu Bin, fell to his knees with a thud, and his voice suddenly rose, with an almost indignant tone: "Your Majesty! I want to impeach Jiang Qingning! Impeach her for deceiving the emperor, harboring ulterior motives, and committing the crime of disrespect!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked, and even the smile on Lu Bin's face froze.

"What did you say?" Lu Bin suspected that he had misheard.

"Your Majesty!" the censor spoke passionately, "Jiang Qingning possesses such powerful martial arts skills, yet he has been lurking in the capital for years, feigning weakness to deceive Your Majesty, the entire court, and the people of the world!"

"This shows how deep her scheming is. Such a sinister person has now transformed herself into a so-called heroic female general. If we allow such a fraud and traitor with evil intentions to hold military power in the court, it will be a real disaster for our great cause. It will be the end of us, Your Majesty!"

After he had said this, he felt that his words were righteous and he looked forward to the wrath of His Majesty and the approval of his colleagues.

However, the scene he expected did not occur.

The entire Golden Palace fell into an eerie silence.

Almost all the ministers, including the censors who always liked to find fault with everything, looked at him as if he were a fool.

Qin Xiu, He Ning and Lu Yong were originally ready to step forward to refute, but when they noticed something was wrong, they restrained themselves temporarily and watched coldly.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, the court exploded like cold water dropped into boiling oil.

"Absurd! Absurd!"

"Li Yushi! Are you crazy?"

"The Jiang family is full of loyal and brave people. Miss Jiang was entrusted with the task of saving the country from danger. How can you say that she harbors evil intentions?"

"That's right! Miss Jiang's maternal grandfather, the Xiao family, was a military family for generations. Her mother, Madam Xiao, was also a heroine famous throughout the capital!"

"A tiger father will have a dog son, and a general's family will have no weak daughter! Miss Jiang knows martial arts, it is a family tradition, it is only natural!"

"Could it be that the daughter of a military commander is supposed to be a weakling, powerless woman? What kind of logic is that!"

"I think you are the one who deserves death! You are spreading alarmist rhetoric and disrupting the government! Could you really be a spy sent by the Northern Di?"

The crowd was furious, and their spit almost drowned Censor Li. They hurled harsh words at him, cursing him to the point of being completely humiliated.

Censor Li never expected that his honest advice would arouse such public anger.

Lu Bin sat on the dragon throne, listening to the one-sided curses from below, and then looking at the ashen-faced and trembling Li Yushi. The slight suspicion he had originally had disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by great disgust and anger.

Lu Bing flicked his sleeves and angrily said, "Jiang Qingning is the granddaughter of the Xiao family and the daughter of Jiang Baichuan. So what if she knows martial arts? Isn't that perfectly normal?"

"Maybe she hid herself before because it was inconvenient for her to show her face as a girl. But now, in the face of national crisis, she has stepped forward and performed an unprecedented feat. And you, an idiot, are actually questioning her motives!"

"I think you're just like Xun Chen, the man who colluded with the Northern Di and kidnapped his wife. You're a complete fool! A bad person!"

Censor Li was so frightened that his face turned pale and he trembled: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

The more Lu Bing thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed the table, pointed at Censor Li, and shouted, "Shut up, you idiot! You're talking nonsense, disrupting the court and shaking the morale of the army. I think you're a spy sent by the enemy country. Come! Strip him of his official uniform, rob him of his honors, and expel him from the capital. Never employ him again!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please spare my life! I am loyal to you!" Censor Li was so frightened that he was dragged away by the guards while crying.

A sudden storm was quickly settled in such a dramatic way.

Qin Xiu, He Ning, and Lu Yong looked at each other, and saw a hint of relief and understanding in each other's eyes.

Sure enough, in the face of the righteousness of the country and absolute merit, any slander from the villains is nothing but a jumping clown and cannot withstand a single blow.

The morning court ended in a strange atmosphere.

Although Lu Bin had dealt with the censor, he was still in a very good mood. He hummed a little tune and returned to the Yangxin Palace with light steps.

Inside the Yangxin Palace, Concubine Qin was already waiting, personally holding a bowl of carefully brewed ginseng soup. With a charming smile, she said, "I congratulate Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the great victory in the northern border. This is truly a great blessing for Your Majesty."

Lu Bin was in a good mood. He took the ginseng soup and drank a sip. He took Concubine Qin's hand and said with a smile, "My beloved, you came at the perfect time. I was just about to discuss something with you."