Chapter 419: Officially Announced the Emperor's Husband, Promoted to the Third Rank (5k)
Inside the Fengtian Hall, as the empress spoke, the entire banquet hall fell into a tense atmosphere.
Xu Zhenguan stretched out his hand, and Mo Chou beside him understood what he meant and handed a letter to the empress.
Then, the female emperor on the throne looked down, pinching the edge of the memorial with her fingers, and said:
"This is a memorial sent back to the capital a few days ago by Hu Ting Doctor Feng Ju. It reports on the period before and after the opening of the new market. In the past few months, the court has obtained a considerable amount of silver through the new market, and this is just the beginning.
According to the amount submitted by Feng Ju, the first batch of silver delivered from Huting by the spring at the latest will be worth at least one million taels. And after the spring, when trade with the Western Regions expands, this amount will increase.”
hiss……
Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the hall, except for the Minister of Revenue, the Vice Minister, Dong Xuan and a few other people who knew the truth, showed surprised expressions.
Including Li Yanfu, everyone's breathing was slightly tight.
This speed of making money is much higher than the court had previously guessed and expected.
Of course, the most crucial thing is that this means that the "opening of the market" strategy was a great success. After the court's fiscal deficit crisis, it finally found hope to break free from the quagmire and get rid of the predicament.
"This one," the empress picked up the second memorial, without opening it, and said:
"This is the initial success of the Ministry of Personnel's switch to the performance evaluation system. The savings in salary expenditures across the dynasty, simply by eliminating redundant officials, are already staggering."
After opening up new sources, the next step is to cut costs.
Li Yanfu, the Minister of Personnel, knew this best and was not surprised.
The empress still did not stop, but picked up the remaining memorials in her hand one after another, all of which were positive signals related to the new policy.
Zhao Du'an was greatly surprised to learn that Feng Ju was not the only local official who had delivered the good news as a gift to the empress during the Spring Festival.
Wait for the empress to finish telling everything one by one.
The Minister of Rites took the lead and suddenly saluted and shouted:
"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and may God bless the Yu Kingdom!"
The other ministers suddenly woke up as if from their dreams and began to flatter and congratulate him.
It is obvious that these memorials in the hands of the empress greatly boosted the morale of the ministers.
In the past two or three years, the entire court has been in turmoil, with bad things happening all the time and few good things happening.
Now, the hard work has finally paid off. The empty treasury has been filled, the court has a steady supply of coin-making machines, the bureaucracy has been cleaned up, and the vacant official positions have become a channel for promotion for the hungry scholars and local officials.
If we add to this the news that Cao Mao had retired from the army and joined Duke Tang some time ago, it can be said that things are getting better and better, and it seems that the Yu Kingdom is in a good mood and everything is new at the beginning of spring.
The ministers in the palace could not hide their emotions. When they were officials in the court before, they were worried and pessimistic about how long the empress could hold on to the throne.
But now, their attitude has changed, and they sincerely support and approve of the rule of this female emperor.
Xu Zhenguan threw the memorial on the table and waited for the ministers to finish their congratulations before he slowly said:
"The many changes that have taken place in the court are not solely my own, but the result of the collective efforts of everyone in the court. And among all the ministers, if I were to ask who has surprised me the most, it would undoubtedly be Lord Zhao."
brush--
In an instant, a series of gazes, like spotlights, fell on the confused Zhao Duan.
No, what do you want to do? Shouldn’t you inform us in advance about the company’s annual meeting and the praise? I haven’t even prepared a speech to thank you for the award... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, but still stood up and bowed, wanting to say something.
"Zhao Qing, you don't have to speak."
The empress glanced at him, blocked his way again, and continued with emotion:
"Zhao Qing's contributions to the New Deal were first made by offering advice within the Xiuwen Hall, and then by participating in the Taicang Silver Mine case and the Huting Market opening. For this, he was assassinated and severely injured...
Zhao Qing's achievements also include eradicating the rebels, removing all the rebels in the capital, uncovering the evildoers in the imperial court, and successively arresting the rebels of the Kuangfu Society and the Tiangang...
Zhao Qing's contribution is to enhance the prestige of our country, to discuss learning in Zhengyang, to debate classics in the Western Regions, to enhance the prestige of our Yu State, and to intimidate the four barbarians..."
Tsk, this is starting to look more and more like an annual meeting presentation. If we used a projector to play a promotional video with music, it would be even more appropriate... So, should we give out the awards next...
Zhao Duan was lost in thought and finally realized that Zhenbao had prepared a surprise for him.
Sure enough, after the empress finished speaking, she paused and then announced:
"Without rewards, such achievements will not be enough to convince the people. Therefore, Zhao Duan, the deputy commander of the Divine Machinery Camp, is now appointed 'Grand Prince's Guardian'. Do you have any objections?"
Conferred the title of Shao Bao!
Even though the ministers were mentally prepared, they still couldn't hide their surprise when they heard about the reward.
Zhao Duan was also stunned.
The Crown Prince's Guardian! ?
Of course, he knew that this official position was not one of real power, but rather an honorary title, enjoying the same treatment as others.
Throughout the dynasties, important officials with meritorious service would be rewarded with titles such as "Three Masters" and "Three Young Masters".
Zhuang Xiaocheng’s Taifu…was one of the “Three Masters of the Crown Prince” and was extremely respected, being of the second rank.
After the empress ascended the throne, Dong Xuan was promoted to the imperial teacher and the first rank.
The "Three Young Masters of the Crown Prince", namely, the Junior Tutor, the Junior Preceptor, and the Junior Protector... were the "deputies" of the three masters, and were ranked at the third rank in the State of Yu.
In other words, Zhao Duan was directly promoted from a fourth-rank military general to a third-rank general.
Although it seems to be only two steps, it is like a natural chasm.
As for why he was given the title of "Shao Bao", it is easy to understand. According to the rules, Shao Shi and Shao Fu must both be powerful ministers.
Only the threshold for the position of Junior Guardian is relaxed and suitable for him.
but……
Compared to the promotion to the third rank, what really confused the court officials, including Zhao Duan, was:
"The Crown Prince's Guardian...but the Yu Kingdom has no Crown Prince now..."
After the old emperor passed away, the original crown prince died, and after the empress ascended the throne, the East Palace was left vacant.
The empress doesn’t even have a formal emperor consort, let alone a son-in-law... What kind of prince’s guardian is this?
"No... I'm happy with the treatment of a third-rank official, but the point is, the Crown Prince isn't even here, so who can I 'protect'?"
Zhao Duan had a lot to complain about.
Then, he suddenly realized something: Does Zhenbao's appointment of him as the Prince's Guardian at this time have other meanings?
For example...
Official announcement?
You know, his role as a mistress has never been publicly acknowledged...
"Mr. Zhao? What are you still standing there for? Why don't you come over to receive the imperial edict?" Xu Zhenguan suddenly looked at him with a smile, holding up the yellow scroll of imperial edict in his hand.
Zhao Duan shuddered, stepped out of the line, and walked closer in full view of everyone:
"Your Majesty, I accept your command and thank you!"
He raised his hands, but instead of receiving the imperial edict, he touched a smooth and delicate hand.
"Please take a seat." The empress said, pulling Zhao Duan to sit beside Yu Mochou under her extremely resentful gaze.
The throne is very large and can accommodate two people together.
When this scene fell into the eyes of the ministers, even the most dull-witted ones realized the message conveyed by the empress.
Official announcement!
Official announcement of the emperor’s husband!
This action undoubtedly made the identities of the two people clear to the entire court and even the world.
It is no longer a despicable concubine like a "male concubine" who is completely shameful, has no status, and can be abandoned at any time.
Instead, he went a step further and obtained the status of the prospective emperor's husband.
Even though the empress did not explicitly mention the word "imperial husband", the act of "riding on the throne together" had already exceeded the standards for a male favorite.
This also means that after today, Zhao Duan's status will be raised again and he will become a pillar member of the "Imperial Party".
The ministers were shocked, and a slight commotion was heard in the Fengtian Hall.
Dong Xuan, Ma Yan and other imperial party officials smiled, as they were not surprised. After more than half a year, no one questioned whether Zhao Duan was qualified.
Yuan Li and other Qingliu officials expressed their feelings, knowing that if the empress could really sit firmly on the throne in the future and if nothing unexpected happened, and gave birth to a real prince... the Zhao family would definitely be promoted to the top family in the empire.
Of course - the prerequisite is that the empress can win the game with the eight kings and secure her throne, otherwise everything is an illusion.
As for Li Yanfu, who was left aside, his beard trembled slightly, and he had already understood what the empress meant.
The empress was responding to his impeachment with her actions.
"Prime Minister," Xu Zhenguan waited until the commotion in the hall died down before finally looking back at Li Yanfu, who was standing in the hall. His eyes were calm as he said, "Are you satisfied with my answer?"
Li Yanfu said nothing.
He looked bitter and was about to sit down.
Since the empress has made it clear that she will do her best to protect him, there is no point in holding on to it.
Moreover, Li Yanfu also knew that even without this drama of being conferred an additional title, with Zhao Duan's current status, the charge of letting Zhuang Xiaocheng go would not be enough to bring him to ruin.
"Your Majesty," But at this moment, Zhao Duan suddenly spoke.
He smiled, shook his head gently, and gently patted the empress's smooth and delicate back of the hand with his hand placed under the table.
Then, in Xu Zhenguan's confused gaze, he stood up and said to Li Yanfu:
"I acknowledge the Prime Minister's previous impeachment. In fact, I had intended to conclude this matter before the end of the year, but I was accidentally and seriously injured by the monk Da Jing. I was recuperating for two months. Your Majesty was merciful and granted me until after the New Year... Now my injuries are almost healed, and it's a good thing you're all here today."
He held up three fingers, raised the corners of his mouth, and said loudly:
"Within three months, I will capture Zhuang Xiaocheng and bring him to justice. If I fail by then, I will accept the punishment!"
Li Yanfu suddenly looked up with a look of astonishment.
Xu Zhenguan was also stunned, looking at him with complicated eyes.
The ministers in the hall were moved. For a moment, they were shocked by Zhao Duan's magnanimity, but also confused and didn't understand why he insisted on issuing a military order.
"Okay. With what Zhao Shaobao said, we will wait and see." Li Yanfu took the initiative and the two of them agreed.
Seeing this, Xu Zhenguan didn't know what to say.
Zhao Duan, however, seemed to be fine. He smiled softly and looked at the musicians and dancers in the hall to ease the atmosphere:
"What are you all standing there for? Tonight is New Year's Eve, don't go home until you're drunk, keep playing music, keep dancing!"
The ministers came to their senses and smiled in agreement.
The music played, the singing and dancing began again, and the whole banquet ceremony continued.
…
…
The banquet lasted for another half an hour and finally came to an end.
It was late at night. There was no curfew in the city tonight and the lantern festival would continue until late at night. The ministers left the palace one after another to reunite with their families.
The empress took Zhao Du'an, and the two of them walked alone to the outside of the Meridian Gate, near the imperial city.
Walking up the steps, I reached the parapet of the imperial city. Standing on the high top of the city wall, the huge lantern, which looked like a giant lantern falling from the earth, looked like a crimson moon.
The wives of the powerful and wealthy gathered near the big lanterns for fun. Looking beyond the giant lanterns and south along the city gate, there was the spacious and straight Suzaku Street.
On both sides of the street, lights are like a sea, and tourists are flocking in. Fireworks and firecrackers are rising from all directions of the capital, painting the dark, cloudless, star-studded night sky into the colors of an oil painting.
Zhao Duan stood on the wall with his hands behind his back. Beside him was the Empress of Dayu, who had taken off her dragon robe and crown and returned to her white clothes and black hair.
The two stood side by side, and the guards nearby kept their distance tacitly.
"Why did you agree with Li Yanfu on a date in three months?" Xu Zhen asked softly, looking at the sea of lights in the distance.
Tonight, the meteorological priest of Tianshi Mansion performed a ritual, and there was not a single cold wind or dark cloud in the entire capital city.
The moonlight shone on her face, and her moon-like beauty was even brighter than the moon in the sky.
"Prestige is hard to establish, but easy to destroy. Your Majesty recently used the Cao Mao case to establish an image of a wise ruler. If you forcibly protect a notorious and treacherous minister like me at this juncture, it will easily be used to make a big fuss, and the image you worked so hard to improve will be completely shattered."
Zhao Duan also looked at the fiery lantern market in the city and spoke softly.
Xu Zhenguan was stunned. She turned her head and stared at Zhao Shaobao's resolute profile.
In the darkness, her eyes were bright, filled with indescribable emotions:
"How sure are you?"
Zhao Duan turned his head, smiled slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, are you worried about me?"
Xu Zhenguan turned his head to avoid his burning gaze:
"I'm just worried that you'll get caught in a strong wind and get your tongue bitten. And then, in the end, I'll have to clean up your mess."
Zhao Duan laughed and said, "How could I be the kind of person who would act rashly without any confidence?"
Xu Zhenguan turned around and looked at him in surprise: "Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes," Zhao Duan said seriously:
"I have long wanted to personally settle my feud with Zhuang Xiaocheng. I had originally planned to do it after the New Year. I had already arranged for a prisoner exchange with the Kuang Fu Society, and it has been quite some time since those prisoners returned to the Kuang Fu Society.
Even earlier, the spy I sent back, named Wu Ling, also sent back a key piece of intelligence a few days ago. Combined with the intelligence from the other Shadow Guards, I have pinpointed the approximate location of the Kuangfu Society's headquarters. Zhuang Xiaocheng should be stationed there."
"Where?"
"Binhai Road, Fengcheng. Not far from the border with Linfeng Road, it belongs to the jurisdiction of one of the two prefectures of Binhai Road."
The empress was stunned for a moment and raised her eyebrows:
"Is Zhuang Xiaocheng hiding in Binhai Road?"
This was beyond her expectations. Over the past two years, Shadow Guard had conducted numerous investigations but had never been able to locate the headquarters of the Kuangfu Society.
Zhao Duan said:
"I plan to wait until the end of this year to gather manpower and apprehend this thief. As long as the leader Zhuang Xiaocheng is arrested, the entire Kuangfu Society will be torn apart. Even if we can't capture them all at once, without the core, they will just be a group of bandits who are not worth worrying about."
Xu Zhenguan's breathing quickened slightly as he asked, "How many soldiers do you need?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"This matter should not be made public, as it would alert the enemy. I will arrive quietly with some experts. I only ask Your Majesty for a troop mobilization order. Once we arrive, we can mobilize the officers and soldiers of the Binhaidao military to cooperate."
"allow!"
Xu Zhenguan didn't hesitate, paused, and suddenly turned his palm over, and a piece of soft armor appeared on his palm:
"The Six Talisman Armor was damaged by Da Jing last time. Now it has been repaired and is about to be returned to you."
Zhao Duan hurriedly took it and put it into the space scroll. This armor had saved half his life in the past, so it was really useful.
Xu Zhenguan flipped his fair palm again and handed over a khaki-colored gem:
"There are no extra teleportation jade pendants in the palace. I'll give you this one. Although you can't return to the capital, if you're in danger of being defeated, you can crush it and escape thousands of miles away. It can also save your life."
What a good stuff... Zhao Duan's eyes lit up, and his confidence in saving his life was further strengthened.
Combined with the strange and bizarre things in his hands like the Black Turtle Seal and the Buddhist Blue Lotus, as well as the fact that in extreme situations he can find a way to call out Pei Niannu to cheat... just based on his means, he is extremely difficult to kill.
However, it would be too difficult for him to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng on his own. In addition to mobilizing troops, he also had to summon several masters of the World Realm.
But this time he was not planning to ask Eunuch Hai for help again, but had other goals.
This is also one of the reasons why he still needs to wait in the capital for a while.
"His Majesty?"
In the quiet atmosphere on the city wall, the king and his ministers were silent for a moment, and then Zhao Duan spoke again.
"kindness?"
"Speaking of which, the two of us..."
"Stop imagining things! Why don't you go back and be with your family?"
"I told my family that they don't need to leave the door open for me tonight..." Zhao Duan said with a grin, and suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look in the direction of Tianshi Mansion.
Xu Zhenguan arrived earlier and looked at the Tianshi Mansion.
…
…
Tianshi Mansion.
Tonight is equally lively. The old Heavenly Master Zhang Yanyi makes a rare appearance and gathers with many priests.
However, the two red-dot boys of this generation were not present.
As the banquet was drawing to a close, Zhang Yanyi, who was tall and had narrow features and was sitting at the main seat, suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled:
"Double happiness."
Beside him, the fierce-looking "Little Heavenly Master" Zhong Pan was drinking from a large bowl. Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up and he said in surprise:
"Master, could it be the two junior brothers and sisters..."
Zhang Yanyi nodded slightly.
The few priests present also noticed it.
After a while, two people came out of the hall together. They were the petite and mysterious girl Jin Jian, and the short, fat and sloppy Gongshu Tianyuan.
The two men looked radiant, and a mysterious aura emanated from them as they walked. One could vaguely see a very faint illusory god floating behind each of them.
"Disciple pays homage to Master," Gongshu Tianyuan and Jin Jian bowed in unison, "Disciple has entered the realm of the secular world."
The priests were greatly surprised. They all knew that the two were striving to break through, but they did not expect that they would be promoted at the same time tonight.
"Congratulations to the Tianshi Mansion for adding another member to the world." A priest stood up to celebrate.
Zhang Yan smiled, his eyes full of emotion, and said:
"Now that we have entered the secular realm, we should plan to travel outside after the New Year to hone our cultivation. Do you have any ideas?"
The eldest brother, Zhong Pan, said with a smile, "If you don't know where to go, you can come with me."
Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and said in unison:
"The disciple already has a place to go."
…
The same New Year's Eve.
Jiancheng Road, Prince Jing’s Mansion.
A family dinner had just ended, and Prince Jing came to the study alone, fed himself a hangover pill, and closed his eyes for a moment.
He stretched it out again and looked at the spy leader waiting in the room: "Go ahead."
The palace spy said:
"It has been confirmed that the Governor of the Grand Canal has submitted a petition stating that the imperial court will gradually appoint new officials to fill vacancies after the new year to implement the new policies."
Prince Jing sneered:
"My niece is becoming more and more daring. After her lucky success in opening the Huting Market and alleviating the urgent financial needs of the national treasury, she is now eager to make drastic moves and extend her hands into my territory."
The spy hesitated and said, "Your Highness, the new policies have made all the families very dissatisfied. Can we use them to sideline the officials who have taken office?"
Prince Jing shook his head, thought for a moment, and said:
"That's inappropriate. Officials and civilians are different after all. Wasn't the Grand Canal Governor a mere figurehead back then? What about now? I'll think about this matter again, maybe I can try to 'resurrect'. Humph, my niece wants to promote new officials to check and balance me, but what if the official she promotes is also my man?"
That being said, careful planning is still required to accomplish this.
After a pause, he wrote a note and handed it to the latter: "Go."
"yes."
The latter took his leave.
After the others left, footsteps were heard outside the door. The study door opened, revealing the gentle face of Princess Lu Yan'er, Princess of Jing.
"Why are you here?" Prince Jing asked in surprise.
Princess Jing looked calm as usual. She spread out her hands and asked for the healing pills, indicating that she had finished the previous ones.
Prince Jing had no suspicion of anything else.
After a moment, the princess turned and left. She walked in the palace, listening to the sound of firecrackers in the distance, holding the porcelain bottle of elixir in her hand, thinking about what she had just overheard.
"Wait a little longer. After you figure out the situation, I'll report to Lord Zhao."
…
Binhai Road, an area under the jurisdiction of Fengcheng.
In a certain manor, members of the Kuangfu Society also gathered together for a rare occasion.
Under a roof, Yunxi sat on the cold steps, hugging her knees, looking at the moon in the sky.
Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me:
"Yunxi? The Grand Tutor wants you to come over."
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
(End of this chapter)
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