Chapter 186
The drum beats were majestic, the elegant music was solemn, Xie Chen led his men all the way from Suwu Gate to Yunfu Palace. The soldiers had solemn faces, held spears and halberds in their hands, rode brave horses, and marched in neat and powerful steps.
The main road leading to Yunfu Palace was lined with civil officials and military generals, all of whom stared with bated breath and determined eyes. Lin Shuge, because of his contribution in resisting the enemy at Qingquan, also participated in the prisoner presentation ceremony, and his position was quite close to the front.
After the elegant music was played once, the sonorous military drums began to sound. The drum beats were like thunder, one after another, as if being in a tense battlefield.
Suddenly, the drumbeats gradually stopped, and everyone bowed. A high-pitched voice from the eunuch came over, "Your Majesty has arrived."
All the ministers bowed immediately, and Lin Shuge followed the others in saluting. Because he bowed his head, he could only hear a gentle voice ringing in his ears, "Everyone, please stand up. Today, we are holding a captive offering ceremony in Yunfu Palace. Because of the great victory in the northwest war, Wei Aiqing killed the Xiongnu Chanyu and captured more than ten members of the Xiongnu royal family, which showed the prestige of our Great Yan. Today, I will offer the heads of the Xiongnu Chanyu and the royal family to our ancestors in Yunfu Palace."
Emperor Yongyuan spoke in a firm tone with great majesty, and all the ministers bowed their heads again.
The head of Muxie Chanyu and several Xiongnu nobles were brought up. The armored soldiers stepped forward, wielding their swords and spears, and cut off the heads of several Xiongnu nobles.
The eunuch shouted, "Sacrifice."
Emperor Yongyuan poured a cup of clear wine onto the loess and paid homage to the ancestors of Dayan.
Lin Shuge witnessed a large-scale sacrifice in ancient times and was deeply moved. He wanted to paint this scene and describe it in detail in three thousand words. However, the atmosphere was too solemn now. He could only lower his eyes and treat himself as an expressionless sculpture.
Finally, the sacrificial ceremony ended, and Emperor Yongyuan summoned Xie Chen to his side and said loudly: "My dear, you have helped me to eliminate a threat to Dayan in this battle. For your military merit, I will grant you the title of Marquis of Guannei and the title of Lieutenant of Changshui."
The central military system of Dayan was composed of Langwei, Southern Army and Northern Army. Langwei was responsible for the emperor's safety and the guarding of the palace gates and inside the palaces. They were the palace guards. The Southern Army was responsible for the security of the palace gates and patrols within the palace.
As for the Northern Army, it was responsible for the security outside the palace and within the capital city. It was led by the Praetorian Guards. The Changshui Colonel was a subordinate of the Praetorian Guards. Together with eight other colonels including the Tunqi Colonel, the Huben Colonel, and the Infantry Colonel, they were in charge of the security of Yandu. Their ranks were all two thousand stones, which was at the central level. The Huqiang Colonel that Xie Chen had once been appointed to was at the local level. His salary was only six hundred stones, which was equivalent to being transferred from the local to the central level to be in charge of the capital's security.
Lin Shuge thought about it in his mind and was quite proud of Xie Chen. The other officials looked at each other and some began to murmur.
"Your Majesty appointed General Wei as the Changshui Colonel. This is to share power with Grand Marshal Ding. The southern army and the northern army check and balance each other. This is a well-known rule. It seems that Your Majesty trusts this Changshui Colonel who is about to take office very much."
Lin Shuge listened and thought for a moment. From what these ministers said, it seemed that the Northern Army should be in the hands of the Ding family. The deployment of troops in such a huge imperial city was controlled by powerful ministers. The little emperor probably couldn't even sleep peacefully.
How can I allow others to snore beside my bed? No wonder Xie Chen was appointed as the Changshui Cavalry Captain. If there is any change in the palace, the Southern Army may come to rescue me.
Xie Chen naturally thought of these things at this moment, but being enfeoffed in the Southern Army and competing with the Ding family was just what he wanted. He smiled and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Emperor Yongyuan was in high spirits and smiled heartily. He took Xie Chen with him and said to all the ministers, "I am very relieved to have Lieutenant Changshui in the Southern Army. The captive surrender ceremony is over. My dear ministers, please follow me to the palace and have a drink to celebrate today.
The ministers also cooperated by bowing and congratulating Emperor Yongyuan for having another capable general. After taking their seats, they raised their glasses to celebrate. Several ministers also came over to congratulate Xie Chen.
After seeing Xie Chen's face clearly, a minister suddenly stopped saying "congratulations", and the finger pointing at Xie Chen trembled, and he couldn't say a word.
The minister next to him asked, "What's wrong with you? What are you looking at?"
"Thank you... Oh no, I... I'm congratulating Captain Wei... Congratulations to Captain Wei."
"What's wrong with you? You look weird," another official said to Xie Chen, "Congratulations to the Captain Wei. The Captain Wei is truly a young talent, a rare talent. At today's ceremony of presenting captives to the Xiongnu, the Captain Wei was even more impressive..."
Before he could finish his words, someone pulled his sleeve, "What's wrong? His Majesty asked everyone to drink, and I didn't..."
He turned around and looked around. The officials headed by the Ding family had livid faces, and some were even pale. They all stared blankly at Xie Chen's face without moving.
Among the officials of the other faction, some were delighted, some were secretly shedding tears, some could not believe it, and some were at a loss. For a moment, they could not tell what was going on.
He quickly lowered his head and drank the wine in the glass. He looked up and suddenly saw the emperor's face, but saw that Emperor Yongyuan had an unfathomable smile on his usually gentle face. He quickly stepped back.
Lin Shuge looked at the scene in front of him and sneered in his heart. Xie Chen came over to greet the officials. One official watched him walk down the stairs step by step. His hands and feet became weak and he actually collapsed to the ground, with the wine in the cup spilling all over him.
Xie Chen stepped forward and held up the wine glass for him, raised his glass and said, "I'm new here, who are you?"
"I... I am Wang Zhen, the Chief Justice." The man in front of him looked at Xie Chen in horror, with fear, suspicion, and ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "The captain of the guards looks familiar to me."
As soon as these words were spoken, it seemed as if they had asked the question in everyone's mind. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and looked over here.
Xie Chen looked at him coldly, and chuckled, "I have heard for a long time that Lord Wang is in charge of the prison in Yandu. He has tried countless prisoners and has never had any wrongful convictions. Today I see that his reputation is well-deserved." He looked at Wang Heng with a nonchalant smile, and said, "But what does Lord Wang mean when he said I look familiar? My ancestral home is in Longxi, and I grew up in the northwest. I have never seen Lord Wang. Could it be that Lord Wang saw that today is a good day and wanted to join in the fun?"
Wang Zhen stared at his face, "Captain Wei, you are joking." He raised a glass of sake, "Congratulations on your promotion."
Xie Chen raised his cup and drank it all, "Thank you very much, Lord Wang."
Without the excitement, the other officials also raised their glasses to toast each other. For a while, the toasts were clinking and the atmosphere was very lively. Xie Chen raised his glass to Lin Shuge from a distance. Lin Shuge smiled gently and mouthed to him, "Drink less."
The two of them had a tacit understanding. Xie Chen naturally knew what he was talking about. He just held up a finger and said, "The last glass."
Ding Wenbo, who was sitting at the foot of Emperor Yongyuan not far away, said loudly, "I heard that Doctor Lin and Wei Xiaowei knew each other when they were humble, and their friendship was as strong as gold, and they became brothers. This Western Expedition relied heavily on the firearms under Lord Lin's command. I wonder how the two of you met? Our Great Yan has always ruled the country with filial piety, and the court has always respected filial and brotherly people. Lord Lin, can you tell us how you two met? How did you rise step by step in the northwest, and now you are in a high position in Yandu?"
Lin Shuge looked at the Ding family member strangely. Isn't it said that all court struggles are hidden in the dark? How can there be such a direct and explicit approach?
He stood up and asked, "May I ask who this gentleman is?"
An official nearby said, "This is the eldest son of Grand Marshal Ding, the Minister of Defense Ding Wenbo."
The Weiwei is in charge of the entire Northern Army. No wonder Emperor Yongyuan wanted to find someone to check and balance him. The Northern Army is in the hands of the Ding family, and they are indeed powerful and arrogant.
"It turns out to be Lord Ding. I am sorry for my rudeness." Lin Shuge said respectfully, "Your Excellency cares so much about me, I am really overwhelmed."
"Why are you so scared?" Ding Wenhong glanced at Lin Shuge.
Lin Shuge scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly: "I am from the northwest and lost my father when I was young. Usually, only the people of Fa Ke care about my life so much. I didn't expect that Lord Ding would be so kind and kind. I...I am really grateful."
"You know... you dare to compare me with the Fa Ke people?" Ding Wenbo was furious and looked at Lin Shuge with gritted teeth.
The Fa Ke Ren is the matchmaker.
Lin Shuge quickly bowed and said, "I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't blame me, Lord Ding." He raised his glass, "These three glasses of wine are my apology to Lord Ding."
He drank three cups in a row, which stunned everyone. Some people thought that he was indeed a bumpkin from the northwest border who didn't understand people and was rude. Some people saw that Lin Shuge was indirectly scolding Ding Wenbo for meddling in other people's business, and asked how the two brothers knew each other and what it had to do with him. Others saw that Lin Shuge was pretending to be like this and didn't want to answer Ding Wenbo's questions. He also knew when to advance and when to retreat, and acted ignorant when he offended others. He punished himself with three cups of wine, which prevented Ding Wenbo from getting angry again.
Ding Wenbo was so angry that he was fuming. He wanted to argue with Lin Shuge again, but he heard an old and steady voice: "Wenbo, you are disrespectful in front of the palace. Why don't you leave?"
Ding Wenbo looked fiercely at Lin Shuge and said, "Yes, Father."
Ding Yanhe's eyes were like lightning. He looked at Lin Shuge for a moment with sharp eyes and said, "I heard that Lord Lin established a school in the northwest and enriched the people. The people praised him. Everyone said that Lord Lin was a capable and competent official. After seeing him today, I think the rumors are false."
This directly means that Lin Shuge is just pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger, and is two-faced. Either the rumors are false, or Lin Shuge is very scheming.
Just as Xie Chen was about to speak, Lin Shuge spoke first, "I was just a minor riot in the northwest, but the Grand Marshal worked day and night for the country and the people. The whole of Dayan says that the Grand Marshal is loyal to the emperor and loves the people. He is a pillar of our dynasty." He smiled shyly, "I don't deserve such praise from the Grand Marshal."
Ding Yanhe's eyes were grim. He was going to play dumb till the end. Others didn't know whether to marvel at Lin Shuge's ability to play dumb, or to sigh at the young man's fearlessness. However, there were also people who really believed that Lin Shuge really didn't understand Ding Yan's hidden meaning, and felt very proud of themselves in their hearts. People from poor places are really stupid, and they even thought others were praising them.
It was quiet all around. Emperor Yongyuan, who had been silent the whole time, said, "I think it is natural for the enemy to come after Lord Lin. I heard that when Lord Lin entered the city, he was hit all over by the fruit and scented bag in the hands of Lady Yandu. When I saw Lord Lin today, I found that he was indeed like Song Yu."
The ministers below the steps all laughed, and one said, "I have heard about this, too. It is said that when the Wei Xiaowei and Doctor Lin entered the city, the vendors selling sachets and fruits in the capital made a lot of money."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall changed immediately. Everyone raised their glasses and drank, the sound of stringed instruments was pleasant, and there was laughter.
After the banquet, Lin Shuge secretly breathed a sigh of relief, politely declined the official's invitation to dinner, and stood at the steps waiting for Xie Chen.
Xie Chen also declined many officials who came forward to talk to him or test him, and walked quickly towards Lin Shuge.
"Brother, you've worked hard today." Xie Chen whispered.
"It's not hard. I enjoyed acting." Lin Shuge said with a smile.
The two stood side by side. Lin Shuge looked around at the officials who were looking over here furtively and said, "Let's go back and talk."
At this time, a shrill voice came, and the breath was a little unstable. A eunuch ran over and said, "Doctor Lin, please stay. His Majesty wants to see you."
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