amaotonovel Chapter 116 One step to reach the sky
Chapter 116 One step to reach the sky
"Mom, please tell me quickly, has Miss Gu agreed?"
Chu Zhao glared at his mother and snatched the bowl of porridge away, with an expression that said, "If his mother doesn't tell you, then don't even think about eating."
Mrs. Ren looked at her silly son with disdain, picked up the chopsticks beside her and hit him on the head, saying angrily:
"You little bastard! You were pretending to be filial yesterday, but now you dare to steal my job when you don't even have a wife! You can go to the front hall and see if it works or not."
Chu Zhao jumped up from his chair and trotted towards the front hall.
In the front hall, a group of servants were busy moving things, with the butler directing them from the side. The boxes were all tied with bright red silk.
Obviously, this is a betrothal gift for proposing marriage.
Chu Zhao was ecstatic and grinned like a fool.
The matters of the three matchmakers and six betrothals were naturally handled by Madam Ren and Madam Qi. Chu Zhao and Gu Xi rested for two days, and also let their soldiers reunite with their families for two days, and then prepared to set off for Kyoto with the members of the Turkic royal family.
This time they only brought their cavalry battalion with them.
But there were originally a thousand people, but now there are only eight hundred left.
Considering that he is going to Beijing, Qi Dasheng can no longer be the nephew of the Qi family who fled here, nor can he have any connection with the Gu family.
Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives discovered and traced the Qi family to Dingxi County, everyone would be doomed.
Chu Shiting had already prepared for this and had prepared a household registration for Qi Dasheng as a native of Dingxi County.
Even if the imperial court sent people to investigate, Qi Dasheng was just a local orphan and could not be found in Xiyuan.
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Kyoto, court.
Minister of War Yuan Guangjin was so excited that the wrinkles on his face turned into a flower.
"Your Majesty, great joy! I just received a victory report from the northwest. Suiye City has been captured, and the entire Turkic region has been brought under the control of our Anning Kingdom! Now, General Chu Zhao is escorting the Turkic royal family to the capital! General Chu Shiting has also requested Your Majesty to arrange for officials to take over Suiye City and other Turkic areas."
Emperor Jichang was nearly fifty years old, with gray hair and narrow eyes. He gave people the feeling that he was always squinting at people, but his gaze was extremely sharp.
Upon hearing the report from the Ministry of War, he excitedly stood up from the dragon throne and signaled the eunuch next to him to quickly present the victory report.
After he quickly read it, he couldn't help laughing.
"Hahahaha... Good! Good! Good! Lord Chu, you gave birth to a good son and a good grandson! I will reward you well!"
First-rank national defense general Chu Yuncheng stepped out, his face full of gratitude, and bowed deeply, saying:
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! The Turks were conquered this time, all thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom!"
The ministers immediately agreed.
"Yes! Your Majesty is wise and wise, and the might of heaven commands the whole world to submit!"
"Your Majesty is wise! Expanding the territory is an unprecedented achievement, which should be announced to the world and offered to the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
"Long live my emperor!"
……
Emperor Jichang showed a look of satisfaction on his face.
Wear it a thousand times, but flattery never wears it.
Chu Yuncheng knew Emperor Jichang's character very well, so it would be right to attribute this great achievement to the emperor.
During this period of time, good news has frequently come from the northwest. Their Chu family is already flourishing and is at the center of the storm. He has strictly ordered the children of the family to act with caution.
Especially at times like this, we must not allow anyone to catch us.
Emperor Jichang was greatly pleased by the praises of the ministers and said:
"The Chu family has made an indelible contribution to this battle. The Ministry of War should think carefully about how to reward the Chu family and Qi Dasheng mentioned in the victory report. Together with the Ministry of Personnel, come up with a plan!"
Yuan Guangjin and Minister of Personnel Shi Huairen immediately accepted the order.
Emperor Jichang said again:
"Also, the Turkic Empire will be renamed Xijiang Prefecture in the future. The Ministry of Personnel should also select a suitable candidate as soon as possible and send him to Xijiang Prefecture to take up the post."
Shi Huairen stepped out again to receive orders.
Emperor Jichang paced back and forth in front of the dragon table for a while, and then ordered:
"The Ministry of Rites should also go and make preparations. When the Turkic royal family arrives in Beijing, we will arrange for them to have an audience in the palace. I also want to see what this Turkic Khan who has repeatedly offended my An Ning Kingdom looks like!"
After the court session, Yuan Guangjin discussed the issue of rewards with Shi Huairen.
"The Chu family has three generals, all of whom are brave and good at fighting. It is a great blessing for our Anning country. In my opinion, it is not an exaggeration to confer the title of king of a different surname for such an unprecedented achievement." Yuan Guangjin said, stroking his beard.
In recent days, due to the frequent good news from the northwest, the Ministry of War has become very popular, and he, the Minister of War, has been very successful recently.
A hint of coldness flashed across Shi Huairen's eyes, but he said politely:
"Brother Yuan, don't forget that it is clearly written in the victory report that the first meritorious service goes to the captain named Qi Dasheng. Besides, it is not easy to confer the title of king on a person with a different surname."
Yuan Guangjin thought about it and it made sense. Given the emperor's temperament, how could he tolerate a king of a different surname?
“But General Chu has already reached the first rank, and there is nothing more he can be given in terms of official rank. The only thing he can be given is a title of nobility.
How about this, we petition His Majesty to grant General Chu a duke or marquisate. His son Chu Shiting will be granted the title of second-rank General of the Cavalry, and his grandson Chu Zhao will be granted the title of third-rank General of Huaihua.
As for Qi Dasheng, he is a soldier under the Chu family army. Although he has made great achievements in battle, he is a rising star after all. No one in the court knows his background. It is better to make him a third-rank mighty general. What do you think, Brother Shi?" Yuan Guangjin said.
Shi Huairen shook his head and said:
"I don't agree with what Brother Yuan said. Although Qi Dasheng was a member of the Chu army and was unknown before, every victory report stated that Qi Dasheng was the first to achieve success. If the reward is too stingy, it may be difficult to motivate other soldiers to fight bravely. In my opinion, Qi Dasheng should also be given a title."
Yuan Guangjin frowned, "Isn't this reward too much? After all, he is still young..."
Shi Huairen interrupted with a smile, "Brother Yuan, don't forget that His Majesty just mentioned Qi Dasheng and the Chu family at the same time in the court."
Yuan Guangjin felt a chill in his heart and cold sweat broke out on his back.
Yes, Your Majesty praised the Chu family openly, but why didn’t he directly issue an edict to confer the title in the court?
Titles of nobility are different from official positions. They do not require joint review by various departments. The emperor has always personally issued decrees to confer titles to show his great grace.
The emperor did not issue an edict on the spot, perhaps he had other intentions.
Shi Huairen, this old fox, is good at guessing the emperor's intentions, and he must have seen something.
"Brother Shi, you mean that His Majesty is against the Chu family——"
Shi Huairen smiled without looking back, and patted Yuan Guangjin on the shoulder.
"Hey, Brother Yuan, I didn't say anything."
Yuan Guangjin nodded immediately and said:
"Yes, yes, Brother Shi, what you said makes sense. Then, as you said, Qi Dasheng will be awarded the title of a third-rank mighty general for his contribution in defeating the Turks, and I will also ask His Majesty to grant him the title of earl.
As for the Chu family, if they can be granted the title of Marquis, it will be a great reward, and their descendants can also inherit the title, so this official position will not be touched for the time being."
In today's court, without the Gu family, the Chu family is the only dominant family among the military generals. Only by supporting a new military general can they compete with them.
Shi Huairen felt that although Qi Dasheng came from the Chu family army, he might not be loyal to the Chu family. After all, the rewards given to him by the court were unprecedented.
From a captain of a thousand men to a mighty general of the third rank, and then to the title of earl, this is a quick ascent to heaven.
The two of them drew up a list of rewards and prepared to present it to the palace the next day. After His Majesty reviewed and approved it, they would take it to the court for discussion.
After Shi Huairen returned home, he secretly ordered his confidant to contact Qi Dasheng and hinted that the Shi family would try their best to obtain the greatest reward for Qi Dasheng. If Qi Dasheng was not stupid, he would be able to see the Shi family's intention to win him over.
Gu Xi, who was still on her way to Beijing, didn't know that before she even arrived in Beijing, she had already stepped into the capital's power center and became the most sought-after upstart in the entire court.