"Your Majesty!" Lu Buwei, for reasons unknown, calmly interrupted, "Now that the army has returned in triumph, why not return to the capital first?"

Ying Zheng glanced at Lü Buwei, instinctively thinking that he was afraid that Lü Buwei's prestige would rise in the eyes of the soldiers, and a surge of anger and displeasure rose in his heart.

The wicked man standing in the crowd glanced at Lü Buwei, who had spoken, and saw that he could actually stand shoulder to shoulder with King Ying Zheng of Qin. He immediately understood that there could only be one other person besides Lü Buwei.

"What you say is true, Uncle!" Ying Zheng suppressed his displeasure, turned around, boarded the carriage, and headed back to the palace.

The officials, who had been standing for so long, finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind in neat rows into the city.

"Pass on the order!"

Meng Ao turned around and shouted, "The army shall temporarily return to the Lantian camp and await the king's orders."

After saying that, he winked at the group of generals, signaling them to follow him into the palace.

Under the watchful eyes of the people, the group set off in a grand procession back to Xianyang Palace.

......

Inside Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng sat at the head of the table, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides below. Meng Ao and the generals of this battle stood upright in the center of the hall.

"You all have rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion in this battle, and you deserve a great reward!" Ying Zheng cleared his throat and made a polite remark, then looked at Lü Buwei and smiled, "Uncle, I suppose you have already prepared the rewards for the soldiers?"

Lu Buwei had a beaming smile on his face, seemingly very happy about the victory in suppressing the rebellion. What he was really thinking was anyone's guess, since, on the surface, Ying Zheng had not sent anyone to inform Lu Buwei of the victory.

"Your Majesty, I was unprepared. I only learned of General Meng Ao's triumphant return this morning."

The wicked man's eyes kept darting between the two of them. He subconsciously scratched his head, feeling troubled at the thought of dealing with these people in the days to come.

Ying Zheng smiled gently and said softly, "Since my father was not prepared, it is good that I prepared in advance, so as to save the general and the soldiers from feeling disheartened."

As he spoke, he took out a bamboo scroll from his bosom. The eunuch serving beside him immediately came forward to take the scroll, then stepped down from the platform, opened it, and loudly read aloud what was written on it.

A mysterious smile appeared on Lü Buwei's lips. He cupped his hands in greeting but remained silent, inwardly sighing, "Your Majesty has just begun to show your talent; this move is truly remarkable!"

"Imperial decree!"

The sharp, resonant voice echoed, and the moment the two words were uttered, all the officials in Zhangtai Palace bowed deeply.

The eunuch continued reading: "General Meng Ao led the elite troops of Qin to quell the rebellion in Jinyang, displaying the might of Qin and deterring the villains. I am greatly pleased."

"This is a special reward for General Meng Ao..."

A string of gold and silver jewels poured out of the eunuch's mouth, making the wicked husband's heart surge with excitement. His eyes gleamed with greed, as if he himself had received such a reward.

The eunuch continued talking, reading out the rewards for the next general.

"Ji Fei..."

“Sun Fu…”

One by one, names were read out by the eunuchs, and each person received an extremely generous reward, including promotions, titles, and gold and silver treasures, making the wicked husband's eyes turn red with envy.

Seeing that his name hadn't been called, the wicked husband could only take deep breaths. "No matter what, I'm a man who has won four great merits. Gold and silver are just small prizes. It's nothing... nothing."

"Meng Tian has killed thirty-seven enemies. He is hereby awarded the title of Duke of Jin, the official rank of 2500, a reward of 300 gold coins, and a mansion."

Meng Tian stepped forward with a beaming smile, bowed deeply, and exclaimed, "This humble general thanks Your Majesty for the reward."

Ying Zheng's reward made him overjoyed. Originally, his rank was only sixth-level official, but he was promoted two levels in this battle, which meant that he had truly broken free from the family's influence and become a proper nobleman of Qin.

Meng Tian cast a grateful glance at his wicked husband beside him, leaving the latter somewhat bewildered.

Normally, although Meng Tian had made contributions, he should not have been promoted two ranks in nobility. It should be noted that the difficulty of promoting a noble rank is far greater than that of promoting an official rank. Even his grandfather, Meng Ao, was only promoted to the 15th rank of Junior Master.

The reason for this is that a fierce man like the villain has emerged under his command. He has made countless contributions in one battle, turning a major battle into a personal performance show.

According to Qin law, Meng Tian, ​​as the commander of five hundred soldiers, could no longer be promoted solely based on the number of enemies killed; the performance of his soldiers was given more weight.

That's how he got such a reward, thanks to his wicked husband.

The wicked man's eyes lit up. Meng Tian's reward had already been read out, so surely it was his turn next?

Unfortunately, to his great disappointment, the eunuch rolled up the bamboo slips and returned to the high platform, handing them back to Ying Zheng.

"What the hell?"

"Did they just overlook me because of the unspoken rules?"

The wicked man's face turned green, and his eyes subconsciously swept over Meng Ao, who was standing at the front, and the other generals.

The atmosphere in the hall became heavy, and countless gazes filled with inexplicable meaning fell on the wicked husband. Even Lü Buwei turned his head slightly to look at him.

"Everyone!"

Ying Zheng stood up, walked to the high platform, put his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice: "In this pacification of Jinyang, there was a brave warrior who won the first of the four major battles and led a few hundred men to dare to block the Zhao army of hundreds of thousands."

"Such a brave and resourceful man deserves a great reward!"

In the solemn and silent Zhangtai Palace, only Ying Zheng's slightly excited voice echoed.

Lu Buwei kept his eyelids closed, appearing indifferent and aloof. Seeing that he did not express his opinion, the officials who followed his lead dared not speak out and waited to see how things would develop.

"You wicked husband!" Ying Zheng didn't care whether anyone spoke to him or not, his gaze fixed on the wicked husband standing at the very back of the hall.

"Your subordinate is here!"

Upon hearing Ying Zheng call his name, the wicked husband's chaotic thoughts vanished instantly, and he became excited, quickly stepping forward to bow and pay his respects.

It seems that he intends to personally bestow a reward upon himself, and the reward will certainly not be low, at least far exceeding that of Meng Tian!

Ying Zheng scrutinized his wicked husband carefully from head to toe before slowly saying, "You are quite good!"

"When I received the report from the Supreme General that day, I thought I had misread it. The merit you have made in this battle is unprecedented in the history of the Qin Dynasty."

To receive praise from the First Emperor greatly excited the wicked husband, who was a devoted fan. However, not wanting to lower his status with so many officials present, he suppressed his excitement and said in a deep voice, "As a citizen of Qin, I should fight for Qin. Your Majesty is too kind."

Okay, okay!

Victory without arrogance, a truly remarkable demeanor!

A look of appreciation flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes, clearly indicating that he was very satisfied with his wicked husband's answer, and his regard for him deepened even further.

“You wicked man, you have rendered countless merits in suppressing the rebellion in Jinyang, and the Supreme General and other generals have vouched for you that you did not lie about your achievements.”

"I have decided to set a precedent for you as well!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, and their gazes instinctively fell on the wicked husband, while many others looked at Lü Buwei.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside Zhangtai Palace became very serious.