Xiao Rui lowered his head and remained silent. An Shiqi continued to act as his mouth-swallowing agent, stepped forward, and bowed to Lu Yanzheng, saying, "Your Highness, we have obtained it."
Lu Yanzheng's gaze did not leave Xiao Rui as he continued to ask, "You brothers deserve great credit for finding the Su family's treasure. Don't you really want any reward?"
"Your Highness, it is already a great fortune for us brothers to be able to fight alongside the Northwest Army. Gold and silver treasures are not important to us," said An Shiqi, neither humble nor arrogant. However, he had lowered his head at this moment, so that no one could see the regret in his eyes.
If his master were willing to fight for that position, this treasure could be of great help. What a pity... sigh!
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanzheng stopped asking questions and said to Zhao Qi, "The An brothers are loyal and have rendered meritorious service to our Northwest Army. Effective immediately, An Da is promoted to General of the Cavalry, and An Er is promoted to Staff Officer of the Northwest Navy Vanguard Army."
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away." Zhao Qi paused for a moment, then quickly replied.
Compared to others, he was the one who knew best about the An brothers' promotions.
After all, the prince is not the kind of person who doesn't show his emotions at all. Just by thinking about the prince's behavior in the past few days and the fact that he secretly investigated the An brothers, it can be seen that as long as the two brothers don't betray the Northwest Army, they will definitely be given important positions.
He just didn't expect to rise to such a high position so quickly.
Clearly, Zhao Qi wasn't the only one surprised; Xiao Hu, Gui Qilin, Wu, and the others also looked at Xiao Rui and An Shiqi in astonishment.
The most shocked were, of course, Xiao Rui and An Shiqi.
After the two came to their senses, An Shiqi didn't bother to hide and hurriedly went to look at Xiao Rui.
Xiao Rui looked up at Lu Yanzheng, cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness. However, my brother and I are of low ability and are only suitable for helping with the logistics of the navy. We are not qualified for the position Your Highness has given us. Please rescind your order."
Looking into those familiar eyes, Lu Yanzheng smiled gently, "Young Master An, there's no need to belittle yourself. I already know about your journey to find the Su family's treasure, and you are absolutely capable of serving as an advisor."
Xiao Hu's letter clearly stated that Anda followed An'er's every word throughout the journey; anyone who didn't know better would think Anda was the younger brother.
“Anda is bold and meticulous, and has exceptional skills. He is more than capable of being a general. I believe you can do it!” Lu Yanzheng said, patting the two men on the shoulder.
An Shiqi was anxious and kept giving Xiao Rui meaningful glances.
Xiao Rui was still in a daze when he heard Lu Yanzheng's words, and for a moment he really didn't know what to say.
His and An Shiqi's original plan was to observe from the shadows, and when the time was right, they would slip away and go back to their planned lives.
The massacre of the village by Prince Yong made Xiao Rui see the ruthless face of the court officials and he decided to eliminate the biggest hidden danger for Lu Yanzheng. That's why he had no choice but to come to Lu Yanzheng and bring up the matter of the treasure.
But now Lu Yanzheng has actually promoted him and An Shiqi! If they want to get away from this in the future, it won't be so easy.
Seeing their expressions, Lu Yanzheng became even more certain of his guess, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he quickly changed the subject and asked Xiao Hu to take him to see the treasure.
Xiao Rui and An Shiqi were left alone, looking at each other in bewilderment, neither of them knowing how to deal with the current situation.
...
Meanwhile, the peace negotiation team sent by the imperial court had already reached the borders of Qiongzhou.
Minister of War Yu and Vice Minister of Rites Huang were the chief officials in charge of this peace negotiation. Both were over fifty years old. Minister Yu was a military officer in his youth, and he was still in good health at this time, able to withstand the high-intensity travel.
However, Vice Minister Huang of the Ministry of Rites was not in such good physical condition and complained incessantly along the way.
"Lord Yu, could we rest in this town for a day before we leave?" Lord Huang's face was a little pale, his beard trembled as he spoke, and he was also holding his old back.
Yes, he didn't have to walk, but the official roads of the imperial court hadn't been repaired for many years, and he was still jolted half to death sitting in the carriage!
Lord Yu frowned, looking at him with obvious disapproval. "Lord Huang, we've been inquiring all the way but haven't found out where the Northwest King is. Now, the only option is to go to Dingshui Village in Yongshan County, Yukang Prefecture, to negotiate peace. If we don't hurry, I'm afraid the Northwest Army's gunpowder weapons will open the gates of the capital. Does Lord Huang want to see bloodshed?"
Lord Huang said with a bitter face, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but as you can see, Lord Yu, my body can't take it!"
Before he came out, he had heard that many families in the capital had arranged for their children and important people to secretly leave the city in order to prevent the Northwest Army from suddenly attacking the city. They had to leave a legacy for their families.
Moreover, he knew that the Minister of War in front of him had made sure his wife, children, and elderly parents were settled before he left.
He himself was all alone, with only a few servants at home. The rest of his family members had either died of illness or died young, so he had nothing to fear.
So he thought, since no one has any worries, why rush?
Lord Yu's brows furrowed even more. "Lord Huang, our safety is a minor matter. We don't even have a way to negotiate peace now. Your thinking is truly..."
He was practically saying outright that the Vice Minister of Rites was a criminal.
Lord Huang was truly exhausted and, upon hearing this, simply gave up, spreading his hands and saying, "In short, I really can't walk anymore. If Lord Yu is in such a hurry, then let's split up. I will continue to inquire about the whereabouts of the Northwest King and head back towards the capital, while you, Lord Yu, will go to Yukang Prefecture to find the Northwest King's Consort. Is that alright?"
If he doesn't even agree to this method, then he doesn't know what to say.
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