The imperial edict embroidered with a flying silver dragon was slowly unfolded. Chang Kuo and others followed Chang Suining and knelt down to listen to the order. Upon seeing this, Chang Suining's generals in the courtyard outside the hall also knelt down one after another.
Yu Zeng's voice was particularly clear in the silence as he read out the imperial edict: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Last year, the Japanese invaded and the country was in turmoil. At that time, General Ningyuan, who was always peaceful, volunteered to stay in Jiangdu to defend against the enemy. I, against all odds, appointed you as the Grand Marshal of the Anti-Japanese War. In less than a year, you have wiped out the Japanese rebellion, turned the situation in Jiangdu from danger to safety, deterred foreign invaders, and enhanced the national prestige of Dasheng. You have lived up to my expectations—"
"Although you are young and a woman, you are extremely intelligent, both civil and military, have made great contributions to the country, and have a good way of governing. You are already a pillar of the country. I have received the will of heaven and am concerned about the people of the country. I have set this precedent and granted you double banners and double festivals, and appointed you as the second-rank Huainan Road Jiedushi, and concurrently the governor of Jiangdu. I hope you will protect this area, live up to my expectations, and stay true to your original intention. I admire you!"
After Yu Zeng finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the hall.
Wang Yue, who was kneeling behind Chang Suining, looked shocked and extremely excited.
——Jiedushi of Huainan Road! The territory of Dasheng was divided into fifteen regions. Due to different local political needs, there were at most ten Jiedushi at the same time, but there had never been one as young as his master!
Throughout the ages, there has only been one person...
How could he be so worthy that he could witness the rise of such a powerful young genius as soon as he came out of retirement?
Wang Yue's heart trembled, but he dared to raise his head slightly, and saw a group of eunuchs entering in an orderly manner, all holding red lacquer trays in their hands.
Wang Yue thought, this is the time to award the flag...
The eunuchs held various objects in their hands, including a token from the governor of Huainan Road, a gate flag, a dragon and tiger banner, and two halberds...
There is another section, which is in the shape of a staff, made of gold and copper, with a dragon head inlaid on it, and a red flag hanging above the dragon head.
Yu Zeng held up the seal with both hands, along with the rolled-up imperial edict, and presented it to Chang Suining: "Please, Envoy Chang, receive the edict and hold the seal to obey the order."
Chang Suining raised his hand, took it, and held up the slightly cool staff with both hands.
Everyone behind Chang Suining was staring quietly at the pair of hands holding the festival.
The hands were still young and didn't look heavy, but the fingers were long and strong.
When these hands took this item, they represented the thirteen states of Huainan Road. The land, military, politics, and finances of these thirteen states would be under her jurisdiction from now on, and she would have the power to reward and kill under her rule.
"I am always peaceful, and I will obey your orders."
The green figure bowed with the staff in hand, and then slowly stood up under the gaze of everyone.
The moment everyone bowed and stood up, the hall became noisy and bustling.
When Chang Suining stood up, he met Yu Zeng's eyes.
She smiled slightly and said as usual, "Thank you, Attendant."
Yu Zeng nodded slightly to her, but the feeling of surprise and suspicion in his heart increased instead of decreased.
"Congratulations to Envoy Chang!" Eunuch Pan smiled, stepped forward and bowed, and said with emotion: "I remember last summer, my family brought the appointment letter of Governor Chang... Now, only one year later, Governor Chang has been promoted to the governor of Huainan Road... Envoy Chang is not only a young talent, but also trusted and favored by the saint. It's really enviable!"
He came here on behalf of the Emperor, so his words naturally tended to favor the Emperor's ability to employ people, in order to make this overly aggressive new envoy remember the Emperor's kindness more.
But in fact, how could he not know in his heart that the reward and punishment system was here, and great merit was here, so great rewards were indispensable. The only difference was how to reward -
The post of Jiedushi of Huainan Road has been vacant for two years, and there are countless people from various factions in the court who covet this position. However, Xu Zhengye's rebellion happened before, and Li Tong, the King of Huainan who was once trusted by the emperor, has died of illness... The selection of the Jiedushi must be carried out with extreme caution.
Someone in the court took the opportunity to tactfully suggest that now that Chang Suining's prestige in Huainan Road is growing, it is necessary to determine the candidate for the new governor as soon as possible...
But the emperor and some ministers did not think so. At this critical moment, if a person whose achievements and reputation were not as good as Chang Suining was appointed as the governor of Huainan Road, they would not be able to suppress her at all, nor would they be able to suppress the officials and generals in various states who were not at peace.
I am afraid that in the end, I will fail to suppress it and instead shoot myself in the foot, causing Huainan Road to fall into chaos again.
For someone who has made such great contributions, the court must not be stingy in rewarding him, nor should it be quick to expose its suspicions overtly, otherwise it will only lose more people's support.
After all these considerations, the imperial decree of reward was finally sent to Jiangdu.
Eunuch Pan was smiling, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings. Thinking back to when the other party had volunteered to be the governor of Jiangdu, when he came to announce the decree, he was still thinking that such a young and frivolous person would surely fall miserably in the future...
But looking at this scene now, it is difficult to fall down for a while...
Eunuch Pan sighed secretly and asked someone to present a list of rewards.
Promotion is inevitable, and rewards such as gold, silver and land are naturally indispensable.
Chang Suining handed all the lists to Wang Changshi for review and approval.
The commander-in-chief's reward has arrived, and the rewards and pensions for the remaining soldiers will also be allocated one after another. Chang Suining plans to go back and finalize the matter with Lao Chang as soon as possible, so that when the army celebrates the victory in a few days, he can reward them according to their merits.
Dozens of generals waiting in the courtyard, led by She Cai, Bai Hong and He Wuhu, soon learned the news of Chang Suining's promotion. Amid the high spirits, they saw Chang Suining walk out of the hall and stand on the stone steps.
Everyone looked over quickly and saw him clasping his fists and shouting "Sir", "Commander-in-Chief", and "General" in a jumbled manner, but his voices were all extremely powerful.
In their sight, the young girl in green robe also raised her hand and saluted them, saying sincerely: "I am fortunate to have you all accompany me through life and death, which makes me have the achievements I have today. I will never forget this kindness."
"Your Excellency is too kind!" Bai Hong immediately knelt down on one knee and solemnly clasped his fists: "Your Excellency is the first to astonish the world, and I am willing to follow you!"
She Cai and He Wu Hu followed immediately.
Soon, those generals who came to their senses all looked determined: "We are willing to follow you, sir!"
Adian, who was mixed in the crowd, also looked serious and shouted along.
Chang Suining quickly walked down the stone steps, helped them up and talked to them.
Chang Kuo followed with a smile, leaning on a crutch.
Soon, the harmonious, cheerful, and proud laughter of the generals could be heard in Kasugain.
Xier and Azhi brought people to bring tea and distributed it to everyone.
"Mr. Yu...?"
In the hall, seeing Yu Zeng staring at the situation in the courtyard in a trance, Eunuch Pan reminded him, "Should we send the court report to the remaining twelve states?"
Yu Zeng came to his senses and turned around to explain the matter.
The news of Chang Suining's promotion to the governor of Huainan Road was no longer a secret in the imperial court, but officials in various states in Huainan Road had not yet received an official notification.
Now that Chang Suining has successfully received the imperial edict, it is time to distribute the official reports to various states.
When the people delivering reports to various states in Huainan Road left Jiangdu on horseback, the news that Chang Suining had been promoted to the governor of Huainan Road spread quickly.
The first to know about it were naturally the officials of Jiangdu, followed by the scholars and wealthy businessmen in Jiangdu city.
The Gu and Yu families were naturally happy to hear the news. They had been forced to donate books before, and they also donated the most talented children in the clan to teach in Wuer Academy... Whether they were willing or not, it was a fact that their clan was protected by Chang Suining, and only when Chang Suining was well, could they be well.
When Jiang Hai heard about this, his eyes lit up with joy: "...According to this, the entire thirteen states of Huainan Road belong to our governor?"
In this way, if the Governor is willing, wouldn't it be easy to open up all the important trade routes between the states?
——He was not doing this for his own selfish interests, this was a good thing that would benefit the entire Huainan Province! Thinking about the fact that Jiangdu was now building large workshops and making great use of craftsmen, Jiang Hai felt at ease and had a promising future. He immediately put down his teacup and walked out.
The accountant quickly followed him and said, "Boss...what are you going to do? If you are going to the governor's mansion, you must change your clothes and prepare your gifts first!"
"Why go to the governor's mansion? The governor just returned and has a lot of things to do. How can he have time to see me?" Jiang Hai said with a smile: "No hurry, I will go to see the governor in a few days when he is free."
"So you want to..."
"Wipe the plaque, follow me and wipe the plaque!"
Now Jiang Hai looked up at the plaque with the words "Generous Man" inscribed on it. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it and felt that it had appreciated in value.
I couldn't help but sigh: "It's true, the more painful it was when my flesh was cut, the more happy I feel now..."
As he said this, he turned around and urged: "Where's the ladder? Bring it here quickly!"
From now on, he will clean this plaque himself! Jiang Haisheng was fat, and seeing that he insisted on climbing the ladder, the accountant called five or six assistants to help him up the ladder.
Inside the shop, Jiang Hai was busy polishing the plaque. Outside the shop, on the busy street, people were running around telling each other about the governor's promotion.
"...young man, did you say that the governor was promoted?" A woman pulled a young man and asked with a somewhat uneasy look, "Where was he promoted to?"
The young man knew what the woman was worried about at a glance, and said with a smile: "He was promoted to the governor of Huainan Road! He will still serve as the governor of Jiangdu concurrently, and his seat of government will still be in Jiangdu!"
The woman reacted and was immediately overjoyed: "... Great, a good promotion! This is a double blessing!"
Naturally, this great event has also spread to the four major workshops.
"...Uncle Cat, Uncle Cat!" In the porcelain workshop, A'mang brought dumplings and jumped in front of Shen Sanmao like a monkey, begging, "Let's go back quickly!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? It's not time to get off work yet... After we leave, how can the people below have the heart to work?" Although Shen Sanmao was also anxious, he could not accept that the craftsmen and managers who were paid would slack off after he left.
Aman still didn't give up and pushed Jiaozi out: "Jiaozi said that he missed his mother!"
"You have to bear it even if you miss your mother!" Shen Sanmao raised his hand to drive them away: "Go back to work!"
A'mun and Jiaozi were assigned to a porcelain workshop to learn the craft, and have been doing so for more than two months.
A Che usually brought little Duan and Xiao Wu with him to follow Meng Lie, learning how to manage accounts, brushing up on knowledge about the various neighborhoods, and dealing with people, in order to prepare for the future when it comes to coordinating affairs of the various neighborhoods.
Ache is introverted and not as talkative as Armand, but he also wants to go back and see the girl.
But even so, A Che finished the task at hand seriously, handed it to Meng Lie to check, and after confirming that it was correct, he looked at the time and said expectantly: "Mr. Meng, it's time, shall we go back to the governor's mansion together?"
"You can take them back." Meng Lie said, "I can still rest here tonight."
This is a separate courtyard in the shipyard. It is usually used by Meng Lie and Shen Sanmao to handle and coordinate the affairs of the various workshops. Shen Sanmao cannot sit still and likes to visit each workshop in turn. Meng Lie concentrates on handling affairs here and eats and lives here most of the time.
Hearing that Meng Lie was not planning to go back, A Che could not help but ask, "But the governor is back, aren't you going to go back and see him?"
Meng Lie knew that he had Chang Suining's trust, so he said bluntly: "I am inconvenienced, you can just go back."
The governor's mansion must be busy today, so it is inconvenient for him to meet Yu Zeng. He will go back secretly to see His Highness tomorrow.
Upon hearing this, Ache nodded, tidied up a bit, called Xiaoduan and Xiaowu who were practicing calligraphy next door, and said goodbye to Meng Lie.
Shortly after Ache left, Meng Lie put down his pen and walked out of the study.
The small courtyard was shrouded in the setting sun. In the courtyard stood an apricot tree, full of pink and white apricot flowers. When the wind blew, a few petals swirled down.
The gray-haired Meng Lie stood in the yard, quietly watching the sunset and falling flowers, a rare smile on his face.
His Highness returned safely and was promoted to Jiedushi, so he was naturally very happy.
The governor's mansion must be very lively at this moment.
He was originally a secret guard beside the prince, so he was used to staying away from the hustle and bustle. But today, when he thought of the lively scene in the governor's mansion, he actually felt very happy.
Probably because I'm old.
While Meng Lie was distracted, he saw A Che running back.
"The Lord has specially sent a message to ask Mr. Meng to go back with him for dinner!"
Meng Lie was slightly stunned, then nodded: "Wait for me to change into a robe."
It is true that he has his own thoughts, but if His Highness asks him to go back, then he will go back.
Chang Suining declined the invitation to dinner from Jiangdu officials today and postponed the formal welcoming banquet to tomorrow, citing fatigue.
This evening, just like the first day she came to the governor's mansion last year, she simply set up more than ten tables in the yard and had a simple "family dinner" with her relatives, friends and confidants.
A few more lights were hung in the courtyard, and there was casual laughter throughout the table, making the atmosphere lively and warm.
Wu Jue and Meng Lie shared a case, still presenting herself as "Madam Rong", but Princess Xuan'an, whose identity was tacitly known to most people present, sat in the seat of honor.
More than half a month ago, Li Tong took Yuan Miao and a group of apprentices from the porcelain workshop out of Jiangdu City and went to Shouzhou Kiln to study the latest celadon firing. They are still on their way back.
Chang Suining went to invite Luo Guanlin in person, but Luo Guanlin declined. He always took off his mask when eating to avoid trouble if possible.
Chang Suining looked suddenly enlightened and said that she had neglected it, and then promised to hold a banquet for him alone the next day.
Luo Guanlin did not comment, which was considered as his tacit agreement.
Halfway through the feast, Xier came over and said, "Girl, Yu Changshi is here and is waiting outside the courtyard."
Chang Kuo, who was sitting next to Chang Suining, subconsciously turned his head to look at her when he heard the voice.
"It's late today and I'm really tired." Chang Suining said in a normal tone, looking a little sleepy, "If Yu Changshi has something to say, ask him to come to the pavilion in the back garden at noon tomorrow morning to talk."
Xier was a little surprised, but she still replied immediately.
After hearing this, Yu Zeng's eyes trembled slightly.
Not meeting him? And asking him to talk again tomorrow morning? The Chang family girl didn't dare to treat him with such a superior and arrogant attitude...
Thank you all for your monthly tickets, and thank you book friends Yishenxinghuo and Fengxiaojiujiu for your rewards!
Good night~
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