After leaving the Imperial Study, Minister of War Li Jingyu and Minister of Rites Zhang Fu rode together in a carriage away from the palace, carrying with them the list of conferments personally drafted by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an.
Looking at the list of conferments, the name that was originally at the top of the Marquis column was eventually crossed out with a brush and put back at the bottom of the Earl column.
Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, finally couldn't help but ask, "Lord Li, you said that the Emperor clearly intended to confer the title of Marquis on General Liu, making him the first of the eighteen marquises of the Tang Dynasty."
"Why was General Liu removed from the Marquis category and instead granted the title of Earl?"
Zhang Fu continued with a puzzled look, "As far as I know, this General Liu is not only the adopted son of the Prince of Wuning, but also the adopted brother of the current Empress."
"He was the first general in the previous dynasty to raise the banner of the Prince of Jin and declare his loyalty to the emperor. He also made great contributions during the emperor's southern expedition. Logically speaking, General Liu is fully qualified to be ennobled as a marquis!"
"Even if we assume, for other reasons, that General Liu should be promoted to the rank of Earl, he should at least be the head of the thirty-six Earls of the Tang Dynasty."
"How... how did General Liu end up at the bottom of the thirty-six earls?!"
Clearly, Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, found it difficult to understand why the Emperor was doing this.
Moreover, the ink on the list of conferred titles for Liu Ziyu, which had been crossed out and the list of Liu Ziyu that had been rewritten, was clearly still wet. It was obvious that this was a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Emperor, which made Zhang Fu even more curious.
Inside the carriage, Minister of War Li Jingyu listened absentmindedly, his mind filled with the sharp look in Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's eyes when he looked at him in the Imperial Study earlier that day.
Chen Huai'an's words kept echoing in my mind: "I do not wish for any of the contents of this list to be leaked before the investiture ceremony!"
Li Jingyu wasn't stupid; he knew the Emperor wouldn't have said those words to the two of them without a reason.
This reminded him of something he had mentioned while having dinner and drinks with Liu Ziyu, the deputy general of the left wing army, about the establishment of six dukes, eighteen marquises, and thirty-six earls after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
Then, considering that today the Emperor made a sudden decision to change the title of Deputy General Liu Ziyu, who was originally appointed as the first of the Eighteen Marquises of the Tang Dynasty, to Earl, and ranked him last among the Thirty-Six Earls;
The next moment, Li Jingyu felt a chill run down her spine, and a sense of coldness arose spontaneously.
"Master Li, Master Li——"
Um?
Under the constant concerned calls of Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites who was traveling with him, Li Jingyu suddenly came to his senses, staring blankly at Zhang Fu beside him, and said, "Lord Zhang, what did you just say?"
oh!
Li Jingyu forced a smile and said, "His Majesty has his reasons for doing this. For us subjects, the worst thing we can do is try to guess His Majesty's intentions."
As he spoke, he waved his hand and said, "Lord Zhang, don't worry about things that aren't your concern. It's our duty as subjects to properly handle the matters related to the Emperor's investiture ceremony."
Um!
Zhang Fu nodded. He also noticed that Lord Li's expression was somewhat unusual, so he stopped talking and decided to mind his own business and do his own job well.
Soon after leaving the capital, the two parted ways and returned to their respective residences to handle government affairs.
The first thing Li Jingyu did upon returning home was to find the steward and instruct him to close the door to all visitors from that day until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and not to see anyone.
Li Jingyu, a cunning old fox who had served four dynasties, clearly sensed that a major upheaval was about to occur in the Tang Dynasty court.
As it turns out, Li Jingyu's decision to close her doors to visitors was forward-thinking and insightful.
When the civil and military officials in Jinling learned after court that Li Jingyu and Zhang Fu had been summoned to the imperial study by the emperor for a private meeting, they could roughly guess that the list of those to be conferred titles was to be finalized in advance.
Therefore, not long after Li Jingyu returned to his residence, people kept coming to visit him, trying to subtly inquire about the investiture ceremony.
This naturally included Liu Ziyu, the deputy general who was the head of the military generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
Of course, the servants Liu Ziyu sent to Li Jingyu's residence were also turned away at the door, just like the other visitors.
However, Liu Ziyu did not take it to heart and continued to invite the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to drink and make merry on the banks of the Qinhuai River every day.
In his view, wasn't it a foregone conclusion that he would be granted the title of Duke of the Great Tang and ranked first among the six dukes?
Time flies.
Before we knew it, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month arrived, a day that the military generals in the court looked forward to the most after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
Because the long-awaited investiture ceremony for all the generals has finally arrived!
On this day, all the civil and military officials of the court attended in their finest attire, their faces beaming with excitement. They had followed Prince Jin in his campaigns across the country, all for this very day of his investiture ceremony.
Inside the Golden Palace, all the civil and military officials were already in their respective positions, awaiting the arrival of the Emperor.
Liu Ziyu, the deputy general, wearing a bright armor, held his head high with an air of arrogance, his eyes constantly wandering and scanning his surroundings, as if he had the words "I am the Duke" written all over his face.
Suddenly, Liu Ziyu's smug gaze met that of Vice Commander Chang Yuchun, who was standing in the front row and had suddenly turned around.
The latter glared at him, and his powerful aura, though not angry, immediately intimidated Liu Ziyu, causing him to instinctively shrink back and lower his head.
After Chang Yuchun turned his head back, Liu Ziyu raised his head again, his expression returning to its usual defiant tone.
Watching Chang Yuchun's retreating figure, he thought to himself: "Hmph, what's so arrogant about him? He's just a deputy marshal of the army. Once my uncle is granted the title of Duke of the Great Tang, let's see if you still dare to look at me like that!"
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Just then, the voice of Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, came from outside the Golden Palace.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, dressed in a bright yellow five-clawed dragon robe, strode up the steps of the Golden Palace and sat directly on the dragon throne.
Inside the Golden Palace, civil and military officials knelt in unison, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"My beloved subjects, rise—"
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an waved his hand, and all the civil and military officials stood up again.
Then, Chen Huai'an nodded to the eunuch Cai He beside him, who immediately understood and, holding the prepared imperial edict in both hands, came to the front of the hall and read the edict to the civil and military officials: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
"Throughout history, the rule of emperors has always relied on virtuous and capable officials to assist in governing and jointly strive for peace and prosperity throughout the land. Now, with the Tang Dynasty newly established, everything is renewed. I, having received the Mandate of Heaven and in accordance with the will of the people, vow to create a golden age and set an example for generations to come."
"Now we have many beloved ministers, some of whom are brave and skilled in battle, pillars of the nation;"
"Whether it be literary or military talent, they are the cornerstone of the nation; I will remember this deeply."
"To express my gratitude, I hereby bestow upon him this honor and recognition of his merits."
"Sealed now—"
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