Jing Zhe guessed correctly; this was Zhu Xinning's ambition.

Whether it was actively befriending Zhang Xiaoyu, Yu Xiangrong, and Su Mochen during her absence, or now performing the greeting ceremony, it was all part of Zhu Xinning's ambition.

Once her harem is truly formed, there is no doubt that Zhu Xinning, as the leader of the Jingzhou women's group, will be the biggest favorite to become the first wife!

But thinking about it carefully, considering her age, official position, intelligence, and the timing of her marriage, why wouldn't Zhu Xinning be a suitable first wife?

Jing Zhe didn't want to get involved in these matters; he wanted them to take things as they came and stopped worrying about it. He looked at the sky outside, which was particularly bright because of the snow, but it was only just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

But the morning court session had already begun.

"Second Sister doesn't need to go to court today, and I'm home too, let's have a chat!"

Zhu Xinning nodded. Before Jing Zhe was in Jingzhou, she resumed her habit of attending court every day. Now that Jing Zhe has returned, she immediately relaxed again, as if all the burdens on her shoulders had been lifted, and she felt very relaxed.

But fate had other plans. No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard.

"I'll go take a look!"

Jing Zhe was already dressed, muttering as he walked out, "So early, who could it be?"

Upon opening the door, they saw General Sui Shouren, who was in charge of guarding the area.

"General Sui, what's going on?"

"Come and escort President Jing to court!"

"..."

Jing Zhe paused for a few seconds, then immediately said, "General Sui, His Majesty already punished me by banning me from attending court for a period of time yesterday. Are you mistaken?"

Sui Shouren smiled and shook his head: "That's right, President Jing. Originally, you weren't supposed to attend court, but today the main topic of discussion in court was Empress Yueyao's marriage alliance. Grand Tutor Bai said that this matter is related to you, and as the person directly involved, you must be present..."

"..."

Jing Zhe cursed Bai Qingyuan's ancestors in his heart, and then said, "General Sui, please wait a moment while I go in and say something before I leave!"

"good."

...

A quarter of an hour later, Jing Zhe had already entered the palace.

At this moment, the court officials seemed to be resting with their eyes closed, and not one of them spoke. It seemed that without him, the court could not even hold a court session!

Jing Zhe shook his head helplessly, then glared at Bai Qingyuan, who sneered repeatedly, looking quite pleased with himself.

After he was so angry that he fainted yesterday, his idea of ​​urging Jing Zhe to marry into a foreign land not only did not disappear, but became even more determined!

He could tell that Murong Xi was interested in Jing Zhe, and as long as he started with Murong Xi, Jing Zhe's objections would be useless!

"Your Majesty, now that President Jing is here, let's have a proper discussion about arranging a marriage alliance for him!"

Bai Qingyuan perked up.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Hehe, actually, President Jing doesn't need to say anything. You can just listen here. As long as Empress Yueyao agrees, His Majesty certainly won't object, right?"

"..."

He wouldn't let me speak but still made me come over; this guy is definitely trying to mess with me.

After greeting Bai Qingyuan again, Jing Zhe smiled and said, "Since this concerns my affairs, how can I remain silent?"

Then he changed the subject: "As for the matter of marriage alliance, Grand Tutor Bai, there's no need to say more. I'm simply not suitable."

"Empress Yueyao hasn't spoken yet, how can you tell it's inappropriate?"

"Do we even need to look? Anyone with a brain can figure it out!"

Giving him a disdainful look, Jing Zhe continued, "Judging from her status alone, Empress Yueyao is the ruler of a country. Even if she were to come to Anguo for a marriage alliance, the chosen person for the alliance must be a member of the royal family or nobility!"

As she said this, she glanced at Su Mowu seemingly unintentionally, which startled him so much that he quickly lowered his head.

"I am neither a member of the royal family nor a member of the nobility. Our statuses are not equal. Even if Empress Yueyao agrees, the people of Yueyao will not agree! Who would agree to their own king marrying a lowly fifth-rank official from another country?"

"..."

Bai Qingyuan had calculated everything, but he only managed to get Empress Yueyao to agree, rendering Jing Zhe's objections useless.

Who would have thought that Jing Zhe would make a fuss about his identity?

"I've done a good job in Liangzhou this time. I wonder if I'll get a promotion. But even if I do, it probably won't be by much, right? Hehe."

Jing Zhe muttered to himself.

But these words struck Bai Qingyuan like a thunderbolt.

Yes, he is currently a minor official of the fifth rank, but he has made great contributions this time. Emperor An will surely reward him. Why not take this opportunity to promote him to a higher rank?

At that point, he won't be able to use his status as an excuse!

He then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, President Jing's trip to Jinxi resulted in the capture of the martial arts alliance leader, and his defeat of the Western Frontier heavy cavalry in Liangzhou. He has made great contributions to the peace of the country and deserves to be rewarded!"

"..."

Emperor An had already promised Jing Zhe yesterday that he would promote him to the second rank, and he knew that this would be very difficult. Although Liu Jinghong was also promoted to the second rank, the rewards for military officers and civil officials were not comparable at all.

Throughout history, military generals have earned their titles and honors much more easily through battlefield exploits than civil officials. Not to mention being granted official titles and ranks, there have been those who even conquered the throne on horseback. However, it is extremely rare for civil officials to be promoted exceptionally, because the path to advancement for civil officials is too complicated and requires taking one step at a time. Jing Zhe was promoted four ranks in a row, and there will definitely be a lot of doubts about it, especially from Bai Qingyuan. Just thinking about it gives Emperor An a headache.

So he originally planned to postpone the matter of bestowing titles until after Murong Xi left, otherwise he was afraid that Bai Qingyuan and others would strongly object, and wouldn't it be too embarrassing in front of Empress Yueyao?

Unexpectedly, Bai Qingyuan, prompted by Jing Zhe, took the initiative to request it. Emperor An glanced at Jing Zhe and said calmly, "President Jing has made great contributions and deserves to be rewarded. However, I have not yet decided whether to reward him with a new official position or to promote him to a higher rank."

"Your Majesty, President Jing's newspaper is doing a great job, and the previous fifth rank was indeed too low. As the newspaper's reputation grows and it prepares to expand throughout the country, the president's official rank should be raised!"

Promoting Jing Zhe's official rank was merely to qualify him for a marriage alliance with Empress Yueyao. As for the position of company president he was promoted to, once he leaves for the marriage, the vacant position... hehe...

Bai Qingyuan thought to himself with a smug satisfaction.

"Oh? Then how much do you think Grand Tutor Bai should raise it to?"

Emperor An remained expressionless, but in his heart he began to pity Bai Qingyuan. At such an advanced age, having served as Grand Tutor for so long, he was ultimately manipulated by a boy who was not even twenty years old. It was quite pathetic.

But why do I feel like laughing out loud?

Bai Qingyuan had already considered this in his mind. He knew that the promotion of civil officials could not be compared with that of military officers, and they could not be promoted too high. So he said, "Your Majesty, it is sufficient to promote Chief Jing to the third rank!"

"..."

————