Chapter 229 Qin Mo's Reward
At the bottom of the box was a letter, the characters strong and vigorous, each one seemingly about to fly off the page. Qin Mo naturally recognized it as Qin Lan's handwriting; the calligraphy copybook he had left for Qin Mo was still kept in Qin Mo's study.
"What's in the letter?"
After seeing Qin Mo finish reading the letter, Allen immediately inquired about it. There were very few things that could interest the aloof great elf, and Qin Lan's affairs in the Western Continent could barely be considered one.
Qin Mo shook her head. "Father only asked me to go to the old site of the Elf King's Court. There are things I need there. The rest of the time, he just told me not to be discouraged and to wait for him to come back."
"Allen, have you ever been to the ruins of the Elven royal court?"
The great elf shook his head and said softly, "Back then, I was very sad. My teacher went to take a look, but when he came back, there was nothing there. That place is a place of sorrow for all elves."
"Who's in charge of that area now?"
"Nominally, it's the land of orcs, but it's actually unclaimed territory. Nobody dares to claim kingship there. It's supposed to be a peaceful land now, haha!" The great elf laughed, a bitter laugh that brought tears to his eyes.
"In any case, my cheap old man's death is inextricably linked to the orcs. I wonder how the war between the north and the orcs is going. I hope they'll be crying for their parents."
Qin Mo's wish came true. The news of the Great Xia army's victory arrived, and the capital city celebrated all night. The imperial family sent eunuchs to scatter a whole set of copper coins in the streets to vent the humiliation of the past years.
A quarrel broke out in the court over the names of the two cities. The military general felt he had the most right to name them, while the civil officials thought the names the general had proposed were vulgar and disgraceful to the nation.
In the end, Emperor Zhaowu gave two names: Ulan-Ude, located east of the North Sea, was renamed "East of the Sea," and Irkutsk was renamed "West of the Sea." The civil officials praised him highly, and flattery was endless. Emperor Zhaowu's literary and military talents had both reached their peak.
"Your Majesty, there is still one meritorious official who has not been rewarded. I implore Your Majesty to make a decision."
The Beihai region, lost and then regained, greatly pleased Emperor Zhaowu. He lavishly rewarded his officials, promoting some and enriching others. Even He Su, who had brought back news from Fusang, received a sixth-rank official position. However, Qin Mo's name was conspicuously absent from the list of rewards. Qin Mu finally couldn't contain his anger and openly irked Emperor Zhaowu in court.
"Oh! Which meritorious official is it, Imperial Uncle?" Emperor Zhaowu spoke gently, especially since he was addressing the Prince of Yan, a great meritorious official.
"Naturally, it was Prince Heng, Qin Mo. The northern war has been besieging the city for so many years without any progress. It was only thanks to Prince Heng's offering of 'Wrath of the Spirits' that the city was finally breached. How could he have done nothing wrong?"
“Your Highness, you are mistaken. Prince Heng has not fought against the orcs outside the Great Wall for three years. How can he claim credit now? Those cannons were clearly made in the royal workshops. What does that have to do with him?”
There is never a shortage of opportunists in the world. Qin Su, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Rites, jumped out and launched into a tirade against the Prince of Yan. Emperor Zhaowu rewarded so many people, but not the Prince of Heng. Do we need to guess or ask what he was thinking?
"Qin Su, has your student ever gone to the north to fight? Doesn't he feel ashamed to rise from a commoner to a sixth-rank official?"
"Your Highness, Prince Yan, as you suggest, how should Prince Heng be rewarded? Should his title be increased, his fiefdom expanded, or his wealth bestowed upon him?... Heh! Prince Heng is already richer than a country!"
Qin Mu glared at Qin Su with hatred, gritting his teeth as he uttered, "Even a single penny is good!"
"One coin? Your Highness, do you want His Majesty to be ridiculed by his servants?"
"Qin Su...believe it or not, I'll smash you to death with one punch...."
Qin Mu was furious. Even His Majesty wouldn't dare to talk back to me like that! You think you're so great just because you were promoted from Assistant Minister to Vice Minister?
"you....."
Qin Su's face turned red with embarrassment. He had indeed taken a risk today. Qin Mu's status and merits were there for all to see. Even if he were to die, he would not have to pay with his life. At most, he would be fined.
The military officers were already resentful that the civil officials had all been promoted. They had worked so hard to conquer the cities, and the civil officials were already reaping the benefits, but now they wanted to suppress the military officers and nobles? There was no need for a single word... "Fight back."
"Your Highness Prince Heng, I request that you be rewarded."
"This humble general requests credit on behalf of His Highness Prince Heng."
"I second that proposal..."
Emperor Zhaowu looked at the civil and military officials in the court who were pleading for Qin Mo's merits, which filled half of the court. He suddenly felt a headache coming on. He was still holding a letter from Zhao Qirui in his hand, which was also pleading for Qin Mo's merits. Then he thought about the chess game he was going to play later. He immediately felt that he was in trouble. He really couldn't go on without something to offer.
"I am aware that His Highness Prince Heng has rendered great service!"
The previously chaotic court fell silent; Emperor Zhaowu's single sentence silenced both the civil and military officials. The civil officials collectively burst into tears, feeling that this was not His Majesty's intention, but rather a result of being forced by the military and noble families. Now that His Majesty had spoken, the matter was settled, and the thought of being unable to share His Majesty's burdens filled them with tears.
"I have already prepared the rewards for Prince Heng. The Holy Temple has extended an invitation, and there is a candidate for cultivation in the inner palace next year. Let him go!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
Before Emperor Zhaowu had finished speaking and before most people could react, Prince Changle, who had been pretending to be asleep among the nobles, roared loudly, his voice shaking the roof tiles. Several timid civil officials were so frightened that they fell to the ground.
Qin Mu looked at Prince Chang Le, Qin Jian, and rebuked him in a deep voice: "Qin Jian, how can you be so rude in the imperial court?"
Qin Mu and Qin Jian may be of similar cultivation levels, but Qin Mu ranks first among military generals in the court, and his status is clearly higher than Qin Jian's. So it is not wrong for him to reprimand Qin Jian in a low voice.
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