Flower boats floated on the Qinhuai River, where a group of former officials and generals of the previous dynasty drank and made merry in the cabins. The main topic of their conversations naturally revolved around the appointment of an empress and the conferment of titles on concubines in the Hall of Union and Harmony today, as well as the grand ceremony to be held on the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The reaction of all the civil and military officials in the Youyun region to the fact that Princess Yue Qiluo of the Uyghur Khanate was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was unanimous.
Xiong Kai, the garrison commander of Youzhou, reeking of alcohol, said, "Gentlemen, speaking of today's matter of the Emperor establishing an Empress and bestowing titles upon concubines, I never expected that Yue Qiluo, a princess from a surrendered kingdom sent for a political marriage, would be bestowed the title of Imperial Noble Consort of our Great Tang Dynasty."
"I just can't understand this!"
These words immediately resonated with the civil and military officials on the pleasure boat.
He Kuan, the governor of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, also sneered and said, "Who says otherwise!"
"Although, in the end, the Emperor listened to the advice of his ministers and did not make the absurd decision to appoint an empress to the Eastern and Western Palaces;"
"But, the Imperial Noble Consort of our dignified Celestial Empire is actually a foreign demoness. If this demoness keeps whispering in the Emperor's ear, won't the Han people in Anxi and along the Silk Road suffer?"
He Kuan continued sullenly, "Have you also heard that when His Majesty was attacked in the Uyghur palace, the assassin was actually arranged by Has, the old prime minister of the Uyghur Khanate?"
"In that case, I can't help but suspect that when the Imperial Noble Consort shielded the Emperor from the assassin's arrow at the Uyghur Palace, it was all a premeditated act of self-inflicted injury!"
"I'm afraid the Emperor is too kind-hearted and will fall for this Western Region enchantress's tricks!"
"Lord He is absolutely right!"
As the saying goes, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts..."
Immediately, the civil and military officials from both the north and south on the pleasure boat launched an attack on Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo.
All of this was carried out under the instructions of Liu Ziyu, the "Imperial Brother-in-Law".
He needed to warm up first in order to gain the support of the civil and military officials in the south in the next operation to deal with Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo.
After all, bringing Yue Qiluo down from her horse would be entirely beneficial for controlling smuggling trade on the Silk Road in the future, and all the civil and military officials present would be the direct beneficiaries of this.
Cough cough!
Just as everyone was discussing the matter enthusiastically, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
He coughed twice, and after everyone quieted down, he slowly said, "Gentlemen, please hear me out!"
"His Majesty's bestowal of the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon the princess of the surrendered state today is solely due to her status as a Uyghur princess, and the Uyghur Khanate is the most powerful of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions;"
"His Majesty's move is merely an attempt to win over the kingdoms of the Western Regions and ensure the smooth operation of the Silk Road!"
"but--"
Then, Su Chen changed the subject, his tone slightly playful, and said, "If someone in the Uyghur Khanate or any of the Western Regions were blinded by greed and caused trouble on the Silk Road..."
Hahaha!
Su Chen hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help bursting into laughter.
The other officials on the pleasure boat were not stupid either. They immediately understood the implication of Governor-General Su Chen of Liangjiang and nodded in approval with smiles.
Liu Ziyu, the "Imperial Brother-in-Law" sitting in the main seat, was already quite drunk, but he immediately understood Su Chen's meaning.
yes!
The Emperor's decision to elevate Yue Qiluo to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort was simply to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, thereby ensuring the smooth flow of the Silk Road connecting the Western Regions and the Central Plains, and thus vigorously developing the economy of the Tang Dynasty.
If, instead of helping the Emperor stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, Consort Yue Qiluo causes frequent troubles among the various countries in the Western Regions, then her position as the new Imperial Noble Consort will likely be difficult to maintain.
Taking advantage of troubled waters is Liu Ziyu's forte.
Back when he was the garrison general of Wuzhou City in the previous dynasty, he did a lot of things to "raise bandits to enhance his own importance." On the one hand, he secretly colluded with the Turks to engage in smuggling trade, and on the other hand, he used the security of important border towns to coerce the court and the Ministry of War to continuously allocate funds and mobilize troops.
Now, he's simply applying the same methods he used in Wuzhou City to the Western Regions.
Liu Ziyu knew the truth about this matter.
Wise people always speak only to the point and leave it at that.
After receiving feedback from Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, the civil and military officials on the pleasure boat stopped discussing the matter of the Emperor bestowing the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon her.
The conversation then turned to the investiture ceremony held on the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Su Chen, relying on his personal relationship with Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, spoke eloquently to the crowd about the investiture ceremony, which he had learned from Li Jingyu.
Su Chen said, "Generals, I have heard some rumors about the investiture ceremony. It is said that the Emperor will bestow titles of six Dukes, eighteen Marquises, and thirty-six Earls upon them at the investiture ceremony on the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!"
hiss--
Upon hearing this, the pleasure boat fell completely silent.
Especially the military officers present all turned their curious gazes toward Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang.
Even Liu Ziyu, the emperor's brother-in-law sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but glance at Su Chen a few more times.
This was the first time Liu Ziyu had heard of the specific number of people receiving titles at this investiture ceremony.
Su Chen continued speaking eloquently: "Although the Emperor has not yet finalized the list of attendees for the investiture ceremony, based on the military achievements of the various generals in the Dragon City army since the Emperor raised his army, a rough list of investiture recipients can actually be deduced."
"First, there are the two deputy marshals, Chang Yuchun and Chen Qingzhi; these two will surely secure the two positions of Duke."
"And then there's General Pang Xianchu, the valiant commander of the late emperor's imperial guard, a brave general in the Po Lu Army. He was adopted by the late emperor at a young age, and although he didn't formally acknowledge the late emperor as his adoptive father, their relationship was like that of father and son. He should also be able to secure a place as a duke."
"In addition, there is Duke Fan Wuji of England, who died on the front lines in the capital of Nanyue, which makes four dukes now!"
Su Chen's analysis was very logical and reasonable, and the civil and military officials on the pleasure boat listened with great interest, nodding in agreement from time to time.
According to him, the six dukes have already been decided to be dead, so who will get the remaining two seats?
For a moment, all the civil and military officials on the pleasure boat subconsciously turned their gazes toward Liu Ziyu, the emperor's brother-in-law, who was sitting in the main seat of the pleasure boat.
Seeing this, Liu Ziyu couldn't help but straighten his back, accepting the envious gazes from everyone with a look of enjoyment.
"Everyone guessed right!"
The old fox Su Chen was also shrewd. He immediately patted his chest and said, "In my humble opinion, I can guarantee that the remaining two spots for Dukes of the Great Tang will definitely include the position of the Emperor's brother-in-law!"
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