The civil officials in the hall were in an uproar, and all looked at Zhao Chengmo who was kneeling in front of the jade steps.
This person was only a fourth-rank General Zhaoyi before. Although his official position was not low, he jumped three levels today and was directly promoted to the first-rank General Fuguo, and was also granted a title?
A man walked from the banquet area for civil officials to the middle of the road, lifted up his official robe and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, I hope you will reconsider the matter of conferring a title."
This person was none other than Huang Cailiang, the Minister of the Ministry of Public Security. As a civil servant, he looked down upon those burly military generals.
"Your Majesty, the disparity in military strength during the battle in the North was huge, but our army returned victorious within less than a month of the battle. This is truly unbelievable."
Two more civil officials stepped out from the crowd and said, "Your Majesty, the four-nation coalition army has a million troops, but our casualties are less than 10,000. I'm afraid someone lied about the military intelligence in order to get promoted."
Bang--
Gu Tianhua slammed his fist on the table, stood up suddenly, and looked at the two of them with cold eyes, "Minister of Personnel, do you think that too few Qianyuan soldiers died in the northern border?"
Gu Tianhua walked out from behind the low table and gradually approached the two men. "If the dead were your sons, brothers, or fathers, I wonder if you would still feel that the deaths were few."
"You!" The Minister of Personnel glared at Gu Tianhua, but unexpectedly he was looking directly into a murderous gaze, and his back suddenly felt cold.
The Minister of Personnel felt his scalp tighten, and he turned his head to look at Emperor Jing, "Your Majesty, the general's words are too rude, I am just discussing the matter at hand."
"You civil servants are only good at talking. Next time I'll drag you to the battlefield and see whether you can talk the enemy to death with your mouth or with your pen!"
A deputy general who had followed Gu Tianhua for many years couldn't stand hearing these nonsense anymore and stood up directly.
Although his words were a bit rude, they were recognized by many military officers present.
Seeing that the civil officials and military generals were about to argue over this matter, Qi Yuanjing slammed the table and stood up.
A pair of cold eyes swept across the ministers and said, "I have made up my mind."
Unexpectedly, after these words were spoken, more civil officials knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice."
"Think twice?" Qi Yuanjing sneered. He knew the thoughts of these civil officials very well.
"Zhao Chengmo saved me from danger twice. Each of his black-clothed soldiers fought against hundreds of enemies with only a few thousand men. I only conferred him the title of Marquis, and you can't sit still."
Qi Yuanjing had a mocking look on his face. "What I want are capable officials who are loyal to the country, not treacherous people who scheme all day and only want to climb to a high position."
Emperor Jing's words were extremely serious. The officials on the steps broke out in cold sweats and shouted in unison, "Your humble servants are terrified."
Qi Yuanjing glanced at Gao Yi, who immediately understood what he meant. He lowered his head and looked at Zhao Chengmo and said, "Marquis Xuanyi, please accept my order and express your gratitude."
Zhao Chengmo looked up at Emperor Jing, and the king's eyes were filled with trust and relief.
"Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your grace."
Gu Lingze looked at Zhao Chengmo's tall and slender back, and remembered the scene when they first met and looked at each other from afar. He couldn't help but lower his eyes and smile.
One is a silly boy who has just recovered from a serious injury and is known to everyone in the village. The other is a lonely star with a long scar on his face and is about to die. Now that I think about it, they are a perfect match.
When Zhao Chengmo turned around, he saw Gu Lingze with a smile on his face, wondering what he was thinking.
Zhao Chengmo tightly grasped the imperial edict in his hand, his heart boiling with excitement.
It was not because he was a high-ranking official, nor because he was conferred the title of marquis, but because he could tell the world with confidence that the third son of the general's mansion was outstanding in everything, even his vision in choosing a husband.
Before Zhao Chengmo returned to his seat, Emperor Jing spoke again.
"I have another decree for further promotion, which I will announce to you personally."
Qi Yuanjing looked to the right, "Gu Lingze."
The person whose name was called was looking at her boyfriend and calculating the nearest auspicious day in her mind.
When he suddenly heard his name, he was stunned for a moment, then walked to the middle with a puzzled look on his face.
While he was hesitating, Qi Yuanjing said, "I have said before that you will have the right not to kneel when you meet an audience in the court, and you do not have to perform formalities when you meet anyone."
This sentence caused a huge uproar among the court officials, but Emperor Jing's next decree was shocking.
"Gu Lingze, I want to make you the Qianyuan Imperial Master, second only to the emperor and above all others. Are you willing?"
Before Gu Lingze could express his opinion, someone started shouting.
"Your Majesty! You must not do this. You must not do this!"
He turned around and saw that it was his 'old acquaintance', the Minister of Revenue Deng Binyu.
He kowtowed to the ground with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty, this person's origins are unknown, he is truly an alien. The position of the Imperial Master is so honorable, how can it fall into the hands of such an evil person."
Gu Lingze was almost laughing out of anger. In Deng Binyu's mouth, he was just like a poisonous demon and a cruel monster, even worse than the name of the evil star.
Deng Binyu was seen kneeling there with the demeanor of a loyal man, with an expression neither humble nor arrogant. If someone who didn't know the truth saw this, they might really think he was a loyal minister who was devoted to his duty.
Gu Lingze glanced at everyone's faces and smiled meaningfully.
Originally, he had no interest in the position of national teacher. In the face of absolute strength, any title or position is just a paper tiger.
But if someone deliberately causes trouble, don't blame him for seeking revenge.
After hearing what Deng Binyu said, Xu Mingyan stood up and said, "Master Deng, this is really ridiculous. The third son of Gu is the son of the general and his wife. How can he have an unknown origin?"
Deng Binyu sneered, "You are just a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. You have no right to speak."
"Am I qualified?" Xie Xiru looked straight at Deng Binyu and asked in a deep voice.
Unexpectedly, Deng Binyu said with a mocking look on his face, "I dare not."
"It's not just the Grand Tutor that I can't afford to offend. There's also the National Guardian General, the three sons of the Gu family, and even the newly-rewarded Black Robe Marquis. I can't afford to offend any of them."
Many people present were shocked when they heard this.
The Gu and Xie families are both powerful and influential. Even if they cannot cover the sky with one hand, they still hold great power.
If Gu Lingze were to be appointed as the Imperial Master again at this moment, wouldn't the Gu and Xie families really have omnipotent power in the court?
Deng Binyu gritted his teeth, with a look of risking his life, "What I am doing today is just to defend the injustice of the soldiers. The victory of the battle in the north must have been extremely tragic, with rivers of blood."
He glanced at Gu Lingze, "I didn't expect that someone would seek fame and reputation by taking away other people's achievements to create a name for himself as an immortal master. This is simply despicable."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard bursts of gasps coming from the direction of the general.
The Minister of Revenue is truly amazing. He even dared to disparage and ridicule Lord Gu in person. He is truly fearless.
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