Especially those veteran officials who usually held more administrative positions, almost all of them were in tears:
"What great words!"
"After all these years, we finally have something that can rival the war song of the demon race."
"This is truly a blessing for the Great Zhou Dynasty, and a blessing for our human race!"
...
Seeing the excited reactions of those people, Murong Tong nodded in satisfaction. This morning, the Qin brothers sent him this poem. After reading it, he got goosebumps all over his body and wished he could grab his spear and return to the battlefield immediately.
Although he didn't write the poem, he still felt a secret thrill at being admired by so many people.
"Lord Murong, did you write this poem?" a minister couldn't help but ask.
Murong Tong's face flushed, and he coughed lightly to cover it up: "How could I, a mere rough man, possibly come up with such words?"
"I wonder who wrote this? Could it be a teacher at the National Academy? Or perhaps even the headmaster himself?"
"The ability to compose such timeless verses greatly enhances the combat effectiveness of our army. This achievement alone is enough to warrant a noble title."
The ministers started discussing amongst themselves, making the entire court as lively as a marketplace.
Hearing their words, Yu Nan's face twitched. Although no one was looking at him, he felt as if he were being publicly executed again.
Bi Ziang's expression also changed. Clearly, having had a smooth life since childhood, yesterday was almost his first failure, and the proud and arrogant man was also very unhappy.
"Lord Murong, stop keeping us in suspense, who is it?" At this point, the other ministers were scratching their heads in frustration.
Murong Tong said, "It is the newly appointed Green Hat Duke An."
He deliberately avoided mentioning the other party's official position as the Crown Prince's junior official, because he didn't want this matter to create momentum for the Eastern Palace.
Upon hearing the name Zu'an, the smiles on the faces of those who had been pestering him for information immediately froze.
The once noisy court suddenly fell silent.
Although Zu An's official rank was not high and he had not been in the capital for very long, almost everyone knew him now.
After all, quite a few people have fallen into his hands these days, all of them prominent figures, including the Murong family, the Cheng family, the Shi family... even the Prince of Qi has fallen.
Secretly, everyone said he was a jinx, and anyone who got involved with him would be unlucky.
The people of the King of Qi's faction hated him to the bone, and even many people on the Crown Prince's side disliked him.
Many ministers in Qi Wang's faction secretly complained about Murong Tong, wondering why he had pushed Zu An.
The Crown Prince's faction was equally puzzled. Had Zu An secretly sided with Prince Qi? Otherwise, why would Murong Tong speak up for him?
At this moment, a minister stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, Zu'an has just been promoted and ennobled, and he is still young. If he is rewarded in succession in a short period of time, it will easily breed his arrogance, which may not be a good thing for a subject."
This person was naturally a member of the King of Qi's faction, and his words immediately garnered support from many of his colleagues.
Seeing their opposition, the Crown Prince's faction immediately felt relieved and instinctively jumped out to sing a different tune: "This is wrong. Those who commit crimes must be punished and those who perform meritorious deeds must be rewarded. This is the best way to encourage subjects to serve the court. Moreover, this timeless poem can greatly increase the army's combat effectiveness. It can be said to be a merit for all ages, and it should naturally be rewarded."
After years of verbal sparring, the Qi King's faction immediately retorted: "Zu An has already received more than the allotted reward for his meritorious service. He is a court official, and it is only right that he should serve the court. If he deserves a reward for this, then wouldn't every official in the court be worthy of a reward?"
"That's just sophistry!" Murong Tong, who had been listening for a while, finally couldn't hold back anymore. "How can such a masterpiece be compared to the ordinary daily work of an official? As everyone knows, I still have some grudges with Zu'an, but the main reason I recommended him this time is because I value the help this poem can provide to our soldiers. With the addition of this poem, how many soldiers' sacrifices can be reduced, and how much financial expenditure can be saved... If such a great achievement is not rewarded, it will inevitably chill the hearts of the soldiers and cause criticism from the people."
"Lord Murong, you flatter us. How could a mere poem be taken to such an extent?" The people from the Qi King's faction were also annoyed, wondering whose side you were on.
"If you have the ability to write poems of similar quality, I am willing to reward you," Murong Tong snorted, his beard trembling with anger.
Who among those in the imperial court isn't a cunning old fox with a silver tongue? Soon, someone else cited classical texts to refute Murong Tong's words.
The emperor on the dragon throne looked at the chaos below and smiled inwardly. He hadn't expected that Zu'an was actually somewhat useful, managing to cause infighting among the Prince of Qi's faction.
At this moment, Bi Zi'ang, who had been observing coldly, stepped forward and said, "Lord Zu's poem is undoubtedly a masterpiece, but its compatibility with the war song and its actual combat effect are still unknown. Why don't we wait until the actual combat results from the front lines are reported back before discussing Lord Zu's reward? What do you all think?"
Upon hearing his words, the Qi King's faction felt that at least the situation had been blocked for now, and the result was acceptable.
Those in the Crown Prince's faction believed that Bi Zi'ang was speaking up for Zu An, since if the argument continued, even if the Prince of Qi's faction vehemently opposed Zu An, they might not gain any benefit.
Even Murong Tong thought the plan was acceptable, after all, as someone who came from the military, he had absolute confidence in the poem.
At this moment, the emperor's majestic voice rang out from the dragon throne: "In that case, let's discuss this matter at length."
Bi Ziang's thoughts may be hidden from others, but not from him.
He's clearly trying to sabotage the whole thing by stalling, which shows he doesn't really like Zu'an.
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