Return to Tang
Liu Mingyin came back with Pei Yingguan.
Pei Yingguan had not returned home since the day of the coup. He finally came back after a few days and immediately went to find Xiao Wan'er.
"Your Majesty has decided to restore the Tang dynasty, but will also retain some of the old Wu Zhou institutions. Regardless of what you think, for the sake of your own future and life, do not mention the Wu Zhou dynasty again."
"I understand," Xiao Wan'er nodded in agreement, and then asked Pei Yingguan, "Brother, do you know the whereabouts of Master?"
Pei Yingguan shook his head: "I don't know either. But Master is the strongest cultivator in the world, so he must be fine. I guess he's on a secret mission."
Pei Yingguan's speculation made sense, and Xiao Wan'er felt relieved for the time being. Pei Yingguan then relayed the changes in Fengming Guard to Xiao Wan'er.
"Your Majesty will transfer you back to the position of captain of Team A1. Linghu Yan will resign. Junior brother will be promoted to captain of Team B2, and I will be promoted to deputy commander. Some other changes will be announced after the country's name is changed back."
Xiao Wan'er felt something was amiss when she heard this—could the emperor really have the commander, deputy commander, and captain of Team A all be disciples of the same sect? But seeing Pei Yingguan's high-spirited demeanor, she ultimately kept her doubts to herself.
"Congratulations, Brother."
On the fourth day of the second lunar month, the emperor officially restored the country's name to Tang. Even after the imperial edict was issued, the former Empress Wu had requested to be made Empress Dowager, a request the emperor readily agreed to. A grand ceremony was held on the day of the restoration, with all civil and military officials in attendance, including Xiao Wan'er.
The emperor, dressed in a crown robe, and the empress, dressed in a ceremonial robe, returned the tablets of the Tang ancestors to the Taimiao, and then offered sacrifices to heaven and earth. Although the emperor changed the country's name, he did not change the era name, and continued to use the Shenlong era name.
After the ceremony, the meritorious officials were rewarded.
The first to receive the honors were the imperial harem and relatives. Despite the strenuous efforts of his ministers to dissuade him, the emperor overruled the opposition and posthumously conferred the title of king on the empress's father, allowing the empress to participate in government affairs. Shangguan Wan'er, a former court lady who had supported the empress's enthronement, was given the title of Zhaorong, responsible for drafting the emperor's decrees.
Unlike the opposing ministers, Xiao Wan'er saw nothing wrong with the emperor's actions. Empress Wei had shared his hardships, even having one son and one daughter framed and killed. So why wouldn't he posthumously honor her father and share some of her power?
Then the five heroes in the coup were rewarded: Cui Xuanwei was named Prince of Boling, Zhang Jianzhi was named Prince of Hanyang, Jing Hui was named Prince of Pingyang, Huan Yanfan was named Prince of Fuyang, and Yuan Shuji was named Prince of Nanyang.
This was a clear promotion in name only, but a hidden demotion. Xiao Wan'er quietly performed a simple divination on them, and found that their remaining lifespans were not much.
Now that the Great Zhou had become the Great Tang again, the pre-Zhou nobility had undergone numerous adjustments. Most of the former Wu kings lost their royal titles and were demoted to dukes and marquises. However, Xiao Wan'er's title of Xiangjun was preserved. The Li Tang royal family had been decimated by the Empress Dowager, and now, any title that could be bestowed was granted.
The emperor's brothers and sisters-in-law were also given higher titles, among which Prince Xiang was given the title of Prince Anguo Xiang, and Princess Taiping was given the title of Princess Zhenguo Taiping. It can be foreseen that as the emperor's only remaining siblings and meritorious officials who supported the emperor's enthronement, these two will surely enjoy wealth and glory in the future.
"I accept your order and thank you." Xiao Wan'er was indeed a little surprised after receiving the imperial edict, but such a benefit would naturally not be wasted.
The emperor also issued his decision regarding the Fengming Guard. It was renamed the Shenlong Guard, while the rest of the organization remained unchanged. Pei Yingguan was indeed promoted to deputy commander and also granted the title of "Kaiguo County Baron." However, the commander was not Liuyun, but a member of the Longxi Li clan, a member of the same clan as the Li Tang imperial family.
Pei Yingguan tried his best not to lose his composure in front of the eunuch who delivered the decree. After the eunuch left, he sat down on the ground, bewildered, and muttered to himself, "How could this be? We clearly helped His Majesty ascend the throne, so why are we being treated like this?"
"Brother, don't you understand yet?" Xiao Wan'er couldn't stand it anymore.
Pei Yingguan raised his head, looking confused.
Xiao Wan'er was helpless - she really didn't understand!
"Brother, the Empress Dowager is your Majesty's biological mother after all, and your Majesty was also her beloved child when he was young," Xiao Wan'er had to break down her words and tell Pei Yingguan, "When your Majesty was threatened by the two Zhang brothers before, he must have wanted to overthrow the enemy and seize power. But now that he has power, his long-cherished wish has come true, and there are no longer any threats around him, when he mentions the Empress Dowager, he must think of her as his mother! Now the heroes who supported him to ascend the throne have become the sinners who instigated him to turn his sword against his mother!"
Xiao Wan'er was speechless. Liuyun once said that she lacked the common sense of being an official. Now it seemed that it was Pei Yingguan who lacked common sense!
Is it so easy to earn the title of "following the dragon"? Is it the same to attack your brother and attack your own mother?
At this point, she suddenly had an idea.
"Brother, what role did you play in the coup? Were you a thug or the mastermind?"
After asking this question, looking at Pei Yingguan's expression, Xiao Wan'er knew the answer without him answering.
"Brother, for the rest of His Majesty's life, you should just be a good deputy commander." At this point, there was no point in saying anything. Xiao Wan'er didn't complain, but instead pondered a solution. "Follow the commander's lead in everything, and don't create unnecessary complications. After all, you're younger than His Majesty, a cultivator, and have a longer lifespan. If you want to advance in rank, there's always room for advancement."
Although Pei Yingguan was unwilling, he also realized his situation and accepted Xiao Wan'er's proposal. This left only one last question.
"The commander of the Divine Dragon Guard is not Master, and this reward has nothing to do with Master. So, where is Master now? What is the current situation?"
"I really don't know," Pei Yingguan said with deep regret. He had always believed that his master was the leader for sure, so he hadn't inquired about his situation. "Master clearly supported the emperor that day and even killed the former captain of the Ding Fourth Team of the Empress Dowager's faction. Why is there no news at all?"
Considering the current emperor's behavior, this was completely illogical. All officials who weren't the masterminds of the coup but supported the emperor were given important positions, so why single out Liuyun?
Combined with the bad premonition she had felt earlier, Xiao Wan'er finally expressed her speculation, "Brother, perhaps we should prepare for the worst. His Majesty certainly doesn't seem like the type to allow a meritorious official to disappear, but what if it was the Queen Mother who caused Master's disappearance?"
"But hasn't the Queen Mother retired to Shangyang Palace?" Seeing that Xiao Wan'er and Pei Yingguan had not come out for a long time, Liu Mingyin also walked in and just happened to hear Xiao Wan'er's speculation.
Xiao Wan'er has been reviewing the years since she entered the Divine Capital these days, and finally discovered a problem that she had never realized before.
"Huai Ming was able to become the commander of Feng Ming Guard not only because he possessed Transcendent Realm strength, but also because he had already served the Queen Mother for many years. Master's loyalty to the Queen Mother wasn't even as long as Linghu Yan's. How was he able to succeed Huai Ming as the commander of Feng Ming Guard after his passing? You have to know that Linghu Yan was only the captain of Team B2 until he resigned."
Xiao Wan'er's analysis struck Pei Yingguan and Liu Mingyin's brains like thunder, and Liu Mingyin's face turned pale.
"I hope my inference is false." Xiao Wan'er sighed.
No matter how anxious they were, life had to go on. After the plaque of the Shenlong Guard was hung in the government office, the three of them had to continue on duty.
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