In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, as the voice of Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, read the imperial edict, the civil and military officials in the hall unconsciously straightened their backs and looked on with anticipation.
Deputy General Liu Ziyu raised his head high, his nostrils flaring as he looked at Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the army, who was standing not far in front of him, and breathed heavily.
In his view, the first person in the Tang Dynasty to be granted the title of Duke must be himself, the "Imperial Brother-in-law".
However, it is unclear whether he will be granted the title of "Duke of Zhao" or "Duke of Yan".
The eunuch Cai He, drawing out the last syllable of his words, read out the first name on the list of those to be conferred titles: "Liu Xinwu, is hereby granted the title of Prince of Zhao of the Great Tang Dynasty, and Changshan County is hereby granted as his fiefdom."
brush!
As the eunuch read out the imperial edict, all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace turned their gazes to Liu Xinwu, the former Prince of Wuning.
The former two-character prince was renamed a one-character prince of the Tang Dynasty, and the title of county prince was changed to that of prince. The increase was not just about the monthly salary from the imperial court!
This further demonstrates Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's recognition of Liu Xinwu's outstanding contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty!
In an instant, all the civil and military officials in the court cast heartfelt congratulatory glances at Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Zhao, who stood at the front of the Golden Palace.
The highly respected father-in-law of the emperor, Liu Xinwu, is fully deserving of the title and rank of King of Zhao, both in public and private matters, and in terms of reason and emotion.
Faced with the congratulations and envious glances from the court officials, Liu Xinwu, the person involved, seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
Clearly, Liu Xinwu never imagined that he would be appointed as the Prince of Zhao of the Tang Dynasty.
In his view, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an had finally fulfilled his promise to him by making his daughter Shujun the founding empress of the Tang Dynasty.
Apart from his daughter Shujun, Liu Xinwu himself was already a lonely man, having long since given up on pursuing fame, fortune, power, and status in the court.
Liu Xinwu's greatest wish for the rest of his life is that his daughter, Shujun, can live a happy life in her later years.
Who would have thought that at this age, nearing the end of his life, Liu Xinwu would be able to experience a second spring in his "official career," leaping from a two-character king in the previous dynasty to a one-character king in the new dynasty? This was something he truly did not expect!
After a moment of stunned silence, Liu Xinwu quickly stepped forward and kowtowed in court to express his gratitude to the Emperor: "Your subject, Liu Xinwu, thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said, "Prince Zhao, no need for formalities, rise!"
After speaking, Chen Huai'an gave his father-in-law an approving look, as if to tell him that he should accept the imperial court's reward with a clear conscience.
The imperial decree conferring upon Liu Xinwu the title of Prince of Zhao of the Great Tang was a decision made by Chen Huai'an after careful consideration.
In terms of public affairs, Liu Xinwu made indelible contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty;
Furthermore, Liu Xinwu, as one of the eight kings of different surnames in the previous dynasty, held a pivotal position in both the previous and new dynasties. Granting him the title of King of Zhao would be accepted by all the civil and military officials in the court, facilitating the implementation of future policies.
Privately, Liu Xinwu was Chen Huai'an's father-in-law, and he was unable to have children due to a hidden illness caused by his early years of fighting. He only had one daughter, Empress Liu Shujun, and by bestowing upon her the title of Prince of Zhao of the Great Tang, it was impossible for any vassal king to rebel in the future.
Therefore, Chen Huai'an ultimately decided to bestow upon Liu Xinwu the title of Prince of Zhao of the Great Tang Dynasty.
As Prince Zhao Liu Xinwu rose and returned to his original position, Cai He, the eunuch in charge of proclaiming the imperial edict, continued to read the edict in a drawn-out tone on the steps of the Golden Palace.
Inside the hall, the thoughts of all the civil and military officials were once again stirred.
Especially the deputy general Liu Ziyu.
When he heard that he wasn't on the first list of those to be honored, a hint of displeasure welled up in his heart, and a few wistful glances were cast as he stole a look at the dragon throne.
After hearing that the first person to receive the title was his adoptive father, Liu Xinwu, Liu Ziyu's expression softened somewhat.
He comforted himself, saying: "My father is highly respected and should naturally be ranked first among the kings of the Tang Dynasty. He was originally a two-character king in the previous dynasty, but he has been renamed a one-character king in the Tang Dynasty."
As the only adopted son of the Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, it is not excessive for me to be granted the title of Duke of the Great Tang Dynasty, is it?
Well, it's my turn next!
"Chen Qingzhi—Duke of Han;"
On the steps of the Golden Palace, Cai He, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, held the imperial edict in both hands and read out the second list of those to be conferred titles.
Um?
Upon hearing this, Liu Ziyu looked displeased and his gaze toward the eunuch Cai He became puzzled. He thought to himself: Why wasn't I the first one to be granted the title of Duke?
Chang Yuchun – Duke of Wei;
Cai He continued reading the list of conferred titles on the imperial edict, and the eyes of the deputy general Liu Ziyu grew increasingly gloomy.
"Duke of Jin—Pang Xianchu;"
What's going on? How come I don't even have my own name yet?
Liu Ziyu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind—could it be that the emperor, in order to avoid suspicion, placed him, the "elder brother-in-law," at the very end of the Six Dukes?
"Duke of Qin—Wang Jian;"
Forehead--
As the list of those to be granted the title of Duke came to its last name, Liu Ziyu felt his heart pounding faster and faster, as if it were about to jump out of his throat.
His eyes were wide open like copper bells, staring intently at Cai He, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict on the steps of the Golden Palace. Even his Adam's apple began to move involuntarily.
It's easy to see that Liu Ziyu was extremely nervous.
"Duke Dingguo—Qi Jiguang!"
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As the imperial eunuch Cai He read out the last list of those to be granted the title of Duke, Liu Ziyu almost lost control of his emotions and nearly fainted in court.
Chen Qingzhi, Chang Yuchun, Pang Xianchu, Wang Jian, Qi Jiguang, plus Fan Wuji, who was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Ying;
With this, the six founding dukes of the Tang Dynasty had all been officially appointed.
But no, Liu Ziyu, the top military commander of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun and deputy general of the Southern Expeditionary Army, who had previously thought that being granted the title of Duke was a sure thing!
At that moment, Liu Ziyu felt as if he were being stared at by all the officials in the court, who were mocking him mercilessly.
"Your subject is Chen Qingzhi;"
"My lord, I always encounter spring;"
"Your subject is Pang Xianchu;"
"Your subject is Wang Jian."
"Your subject is Qi Jiguang;"
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"
In the imperial court, no one paid any attention to the dejected deputy general Liu Ziyu. All the civil and military officials focused their attention on the several deputy commanders and generals who had been granted the title of Duke of Tang.
These dukes stepped forward, lined up in the Golden Palace, and knelt and kowtowed to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne to express their gratitude for the emperor's great favor.
"My esteemed subjects, please dispense with formalities and rise!"
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an waved his hand once again, signaling the others to rise. His piercing gaze swept over them one by one, his eyes filled with affirmation of their achievements!
After the group rose and returned to their original positions, the eunuch Cai He continued reading the imperial edict—
"Huo Qubing—Marquis of Champion;"
"Lan Yu—Marquis of Anxi;"
"Zuo Liangcai—Marquis Changxin;"
"Xiao Po—Loyal and Righteous Marquis;"
"Luo Yucheng—Marquis of Wuping;"
"Guo Dingfang—Marquis of Zhenxi;"
"......"
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