Chapter 156: Granting the Surname Zhao
Ying Zheng raised his hand slightly, lowered his head and chuckled, "Quickly, don't be polite. General Li is a hero of the time. To have him today is like having ten cities."
Such high praise stunned Zhao Yuanxi, not to mention the other people around him, especially the Zhao Jun who had escorted them here and had not yet left, whose expression was extremely ugly.
Even the King of Qin knew the value of their general, but their king was not only unwilling to use him, but even wanted to put him to death.
Li Mu felt extremely complicated. No matter how true the King of Qin's words were, it at least proved that the King of Qin really had no intention of killing him.
"Mu, I'm unworthy of this." Li Mu bowed and said in a low voice.
Ying Zheng laughed heartily. "If I say you are worthy, then you are. It's a pity that I met you too late, and we had many disagreements before. Fortunately, heaven has not let you down, and today we, the king and his subject, finally meet."
Zhao Yuanxi watched Ying Zheng perform quietly. Who was it that wanted to kill others after losing, but now he is calling himself the king and his subject!
Sure enough, the king's face, like the weather in June, changes at any time.
The two of them, the king and his minister, were in great good terms. Zhao Yuanxi felt that he shouldn't be here and looked at Gao Sheng and his group standing not far away.
Although Gao Sheng almost killed Li Mu because of his own initiative, fortunately he brought Li Mu out safely this time, so it is obvious that his merits outweigh his faults.
When Gao Sheng saw the Queen Mother looking at him, his heart tightened and he couldn't help but avoid her gaze.
He was afraid of being blamed by the Queen Mother, but he couldn't help being happy. No matter what, he had made a great contribution this time, and the Queen Mother would never punish him.
When Zhao Yuanxi saw his expression, he knew that he had not admitted his mistake at all. He sighed and looked at Qu Ji who was standing next to him.
After not seeing him for a year, the boy who used to have a childish look has transformed into a real warrior.
Zhao Yuanxi asked with a smile, "You've grown taller, but you seem to have lost some weight. Are your previous injuries healed?"
For some reason, Qu Ji felt a pang of pain in his nose when he saw the Queen Mother. He patted his chest and said, "Thank you for your concern, Queen Mother. I'm fine now."
"When you return to Xianyang this time, if you have time, you can go back to see Zhang Han and the others. They have been thinking about you all these days!"
"I know."
Ying Zheng walked over, his expression indifferent, "Are you the ones who escorted General Li out of Handan?"
Everyone knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Get up!"
Ying Zheng's gaze lingered on Qu Ji for a moment, finally landing on Gao Sheng. "I have heard of your deeds in Zhao. You are brave and resourceful, and you are truly a man of great talent. I grant you the surname Zhao, call you Gao, and promote you to the position of Imperial Chariot Officer."
Gao Sheng, no, it should be Zhao Gao now, was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."
???
What the hell?
Zhao Yuanxi's mind went blank for a moment. How could she, the general manager of a business empire, become the biggest traitor of the Qin State?
Zhao Yuanxi tried to appear calm and took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, there's no problem with Gao's promotion to the position of Imperial Chariot Officer. I'd like to grant him a surname. Would you consider it?"
Why Zhao when there are so many other surnames to choose from?
She could accept Chu Gao, Qin Gao, any Gao, but she just couldn't tolerate the word Zhao Gao.
Gao Sheng's face turned pale, as if he didn't believe what the Queen Mother said. Although he acted on his own initiative, he was loyal to the Queen Mother. Could it be that the Queen Mother was so tired of him?
Ying Zheng was a little surprised. The reason why he gave the surname Zhao was for the Queen Mother's sake. Taking down Li Mu was equivalent to taking down half of the State of Zhao. The Queen Mother did not need his reward, so wouldn't it be better to reward her subordinates?
A king never jokes. Once words are spoken, there is no reason to take them back. Moreover, so many people here heard it, and it is impossible for Ying Zheng to regret it.
"This man deserves the surname Zhao. The Queen Mother has no need to refuse him."
She wasn't refusing for him!
Zhao Yuanxi suddenly remembered the saying "Ying Zheng's coffin cost as much as abalone", and everything went dark before his eyes.
She glanced at Ying Zheng quietly and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
But when she saw Li Mu, her eyes suddenly brightened. Han Fei was still alive, and Li Mu had returned to Qin. There was no reason why Zhao Gao alone could not change that.
If things still happen as recorded in history books, the worst that can happen is that she will take care of the person herself.
Zhao Yuanxi chuckled, "As long as the king is happy."
Ying Zheng was somewhat dissatisfied with the Queen Mother's perfunctory tone and frowned. What did she mean by "as long as he is happy"? Was she unhappy because he rewarded her subordinates?
Isn’t she the one who likes to ask for benefits from her people the most?
Ying Zheng had a sour face and was in no mood when rewarding other people for this. Except for Qu Ji, he rewarded everyone else with some treasures and gave them the fourth rank without further promotion.
As for Qu Ji, Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes and looked down at him condescendingly. No matter how you looked at him, he was just an ordinary soldier. How could he make the Queen Mother so obsessed with him that she even specially asked someone to bring him back?
"May I have your name?"
"I am Quji, the humble servant, greeting the king." Quji said with a stiff face. The king's eyes really made his back cold. Did he do something wrong?
Ying Zheng asked calmly, "What is your current official position?"
"I am a centurion."
He became a centurion at such a young age and was able to fight his way in and out of the Zhao army, which was pretty good.
"In that case, you will be promoted to Lord Wubai, rewarded with a hundred gold coins, and serve General Li Mu from now on."
It is hard to say how good this reward is. The key is that Ying Zheng arranged Qu Ji to be next to Li Mu. How far Qu Ji can go depends on how high a position Li Mu can reach in the Qin State.
"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Qu Ji was delighted and bowed to express his gratitude immediately.
Li Muwei on the side sighed. This silly boy, does he think that following him is a good job?
Originally, Li Mu still had some dissatisfaction towards Qu Ji, but seeing his silly look, he was left with only helplessness.
Everyone was very satisfied with the rewards they received, but Zhao Yuanxi felt something was wrong. Gao Sheng was able to become the Minister of the Imperial Chariots based on his merits. Even if Qu Ji could not become a captain, there was no reason why Erwubaizhu could not do it!
"Does the Queen Mother have any other opinions?" Ying Zheng seemed to see Zhao Yuanxi's dissatisfaction and snorted coldly.
Zhao Yuanxi keenly sensed that something was amiss with Ying Zheng and immediately said, "Your Majesty is clear about rewards and punishments. I naturally have no objection."
Since the people have been received, Qin naturally has to withdraw its troops according to the agreement.
Sima Shang stood on the city wall, watching the Qin army flag slowly disappear from his sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was filled with sadness.
If the Qin army can retreat today, they will surely come back again in the future. Who can stop them then?
Under the city wall, children gathered together singing and dancing.
[The palace gate is high, the lights are shining, the king is swaying in the woods with wine and women, he does not care about the mountains and rivers but only about treasures.
When he wins for a while, he goes crazy and only listens to slanderous words without being able to distinguish between treachery and evil. Loyal ministers shed tears but no one sympathizes them.
The King of Qin had a keen eye and treasured his escape as a treasure, so the good general finally found peace.
But that foolish emperor, having lost both his troops and his generals, was so angry that he cried out in anger!
"General, should we tell them to shut up?" The deputy general looked panicked when he heard the nursery rhyme.
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