Chapter 795 Conferring the Title of King!

"Good show, here's a reward!"

The Emperor fished out a silver ingot from his pocket.

He wasn't an emperor unfamiliar with the common people; in fact, he possessed a stronger air of the streets than he did of a royal or an emperor. When he went out in plain clothes, how could he not carry some silver?

He was about to toss the ingot but stopped.

Turning his head, he looked at Eunuch Wei standing behind him and asked,

"Are there any loose coins?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Wei took out a handful of loose silver, including a string of copper coins.

The Emperor was on an incognito tour with the Empress; how could he, as a servant, not be fully prepared?

"Mm."

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, picked up one coin, hesitated, then took another one along with it, tossing both inside.

The storyteller's disciple might not be good at storytelling, but his skill in catching rewards with the sieve had to be top-notch.

Back then, Marquis Zheng also enjoyed listening to stories in teahouses and had joked with Xiao Liu Zi about the keen senses of these disciples, which were honed through practice.

Xiao Liu Zi had even asked him if they could be recruited into the army.

Marquis Zheng had laughed and scolded him, "How stupid can you be? On the battlefield, you're dodging arrows; this guy instinctively goes towards them!"

The sieve tilted, and with a turn of his body, the two silver coins slid in, without spilling anything inside.

He stopped moving, opened his throat, and drawled out a long note:

"Thank you for your patronage, Sir!"

The Emperor was satisfied.

Clapping his hands,

he left the teahouse with his Empress.

As the news of the victory in Jindong was spread by the heraldic riders, the entire street turned into a sea of joy.

In fact,

the Yan people's attitude towards the surrounding countries was different.

Towards the barbarians, there was deep-seated suspicion, after all, they had fought for hundreds of years. But in the last hundred years, the barbarians had been beaten so badly by the Yan people, acting like grandsons, sending women and abiding by the rules, only to have their royal court destroyed in the end.

There wasn't much fear, not much apprehension, and not as much deep-seated hatred as some might imagine. Putting aside the formalities and so-called political correctness of the Great Yan, it wasn't really the case.

Towards the wildlings, even though a wildling king had emerged, they were still inferior to the barbarians and were purely insignificant.

As for the Qian people...

The first Zhenbei Marquis's victory of defeating five hundred thousand with thirty thousand soldiers a century ago, as well as the origin of the name Silver Wave County, had long declared the social death of the Qian Kingdom in the hearts of the Yan people.

The Qian Kingdom was like something you could pinch or play with at will; it was just that they couldn't spare the time to visit them.

On the contrary, towards the Chu people,

tsk,

the first defeat at Wangjiang had given the Yan people a taste of bitterness.

Afterward, a Chu musician assassinated the current prince, triggering a national war. The people of Yan and Jin were exhausted by that war and were almost on the verge of starvation.

Although the results were glorious, Zhennan Pass was captured, and the Chu capital was burned by their own Jingnan Prince.

But how should one put it?

The Yan people were spoiled;

after all the surrounding countries and tribes had been severely beaten by them, those who could bring real difficulty to them and make them expend more effort would inherit the greatest hatred from the Yan people.

Why did you resist?

You were going to be defeated by us anyway, so why did you make us put in so much effort?

This was the Yan people's way of thinking,

an arrogant way of looking at things that came with the invincible foreign wars of recent years, the strongest cavalry in the world, and the Yan Kingdom with military gods like the Jingnan Prince, the Zhenbei Prince, and now the Pingxi Marquis.

It was unbelievable, but it was also extremely real.

Therefore, if razing the royal court was to "tell it to my father at the family sacrifice," fulfilling the wishes of their ancestors,

then, another victory over Chu was truly enough to make the contemporary Yan people cheer.

Most importantly, unlike the previous nationwide effort, this time there was no conscription of labor, no tax increase, and it was completed so quickly.

The Emperor walked on the street with a smile on his face, truly enjoying himself with the people.

Empress He also had a smile on her face.

Eunuch Wei's smile was characteristic, but in his heart, he couldn't help but ponder carefully.

When a general outside, no, a fiefdom that had actually formed and had the ability to fight a country alone,

and that person had such high popularity among the people,

what would the Emperor think after witnessing all this firsthand?

Earlier, the storyteller had raised his arm and shouted,

and Wei Zhonghe had seen the change in the Empress's eyes. Clearly, even the Empress was worried about this.

However, as people close to the Emperor, and because the Pingxi Marquis was also considered to be in the circle of "close people" like them, it was inconvenient or even impossible to speak up about such things.

On the contrary, those ministers of the outer court could openly take the Emperor's side early on.

Was it wrong?

It was not wrong.

Was it right?

Not necessarily.

The Emperor continued to stroll the streets with the Empress. Since they had come out once, they naturally had to take the Empress back to her parents' home.

Everyone knew that the Empress came from the common people, but they only knew that she came from the Lu family. Very few people really knew where the Empress's family lived or what they did.

In front of the pork shop,

He Chu was raising the price of pork according to his wife Bi He's request and was changing the price tag.

People celebrated when they had happy events, so they were willing to spend money. For ordinary people, there was nothing more worthwhile than buying some pork to make the family happy.

When Bi He saw the heraldic rider pass by, she immediately smelled a business opportunity.

"Oh, why are you raising the price as soon as I get here?"

"Hehe."

He Chu smiled embarrassedly. He was honest and was actually too embarrassed to take advantage of this. According to the nature of him and his father, they would be willing to give away pork on days of national celebration.

Although they were too embarrassed to call themselves relatives of the imperial family, the Emperor was the son-in-law of the Old He family, and the Old He family's grandson was the Crown Prince. When the Great Yan had a joyous event, the Old He family should bleed a little.

But unfortunately, the two of them were timid and were scolded from top to bottom by Bi He. Now Bi He was also pregnant, and although she was not far along, this wife had really taken control of the Old He family from top to bottom.

The two of them had no complaints about this.

A capable wife who could manage the household, run the business, and was literate and skilled at needlework was hard to find even with a lantern.

If she was a little stronger, let her be; if she managed the household, let her manage it. Old He Tou had nothing to say, and He Chu, the simpleton, naturally had even less to say.

"It's okay, I'll sell it to you at the previous price..."

He Chu looked up, and what he saw was his brother-in-law.

He was stunned.

It was normal for him not to recognize his brother-in-law's voice, after all, he had only seen him a few times. After his brother-in-law became the Emperor, he had only taken his father over to play for half a day.

His gaze shifted again, and who was standing next to his brother-in-law if not his own sister!

He Chu grinned and smiled happily, but when he thought about the identities of the two people in front of him, his knees softened, his smile stiffened, and he twisted and turned, as if he had caught the chills.

"Brother, where is your wife?" He Si Si asked.

"She just threw up, so I let her go back to rest. She told me to change the sign." He Chu immediately pointed to the alley. "Dad, Dad is over there."

Old He Tou would go down there every day, and unless it was windy or rainy, he would sit there with his old in-law, Old Guang Tou, and have a drink together when the sun was good.

At this moment, more people came to buy meat.

Empress He looked at her husband.

The Emperor smiled

and said,

"Go help out."

"Okay."

The Empress rolled up her sleeves, walked behind the stall, picked up a knife, and chopped it on the chopping board.

"Brother, I'll help you."

"I... you... this..."

Ji Chengjue felt a little guilty towards his wife about the matter of his eldest son. At this time, he was willing to let his wife not be bound by etiquette, relax, and reminisce about her previous life.

But how could the Empress not understand her husband's thoughts? Therefore, she took the initiative to lend a hand, wanting to make her husband have a happy half-day to offset the guilt in his heart.

Husband and wife, that's how they got along, supporting each other in their lives.

In fact, Ji Chengjue had asked the He family if they wanted to live the life of imperial relatives, but the He family firmly refused. Old He Tou even expressed his intention to die in his words.

He meant that he didn't understand great principles, but if they were really given some kind of noble title, he would go back and hang himself that night.

The old man had believed in keeping to one's place all his life. He was like this in front of the late Emperor, and he was like this in front of his son-in-law. Now that their family's life was prosperous, it was because of "keeping to their place." He was content.

Therefore, the Empress's family had been living an ordinary life in the capital.

The two of them hid it from their in-law and from their daughter-in-law, and they were not afraid of letting it slip.

In Bi He's understanding, her sister-in-law should have married into a family with a lot of rules in the capital. But these days, they paid attention to the saying that a married daughter was like water that had been poured out. Whether they came and went or not was normal. Her sister-in-law and her husband belonged to the type that didn't come and go very often.

The He family didn't have to worry about saying nonsense in their dreams or when they were drunk.

Saying that they were relatives of the imperial family,

that the current Emperor of the Great Yan was their son-in-law and their brother-in-law?

That was just standard nonsense, who would believe it!

The Empress was there, wielding a knife and selling meat.

Ji Chengjue took the initiative to walk into the alley.

Eunuch Wei naturally followed behind the Emperor.

When Old He Tou saw his son-in-law coming, he subconsciously got up. Since his ascension to the throne, the number of times his family had met had decreased. Only he could occasionally be invited to see his grandson.

He was still fearful and apprehensive, but he had gotten used to it a little.

Old Guang Tou was a member of the imperial clan, but he was the kind of impoverished member. Otherwise, his son wouldn't have been held back by those few silvers when something happened in his family, eventually leading his granddaughter to arrange a marriage to earn money.

He also had the opportunity to enter the palace during festivals, but he was always ranked at the very end. He could only see a blurry black dot of the Emperor from afar. Therefore, although they both shared the surname "Ji," Old Guang Tou didn't recognize Ji Chengjue.

"Son-in-law is here." Old He Tou bent his back slightly.

Those who knew his identity could discern a kind of "neither humble nor arrogant" demeanor from this appearance.

But those who didn't know his identity,

like Old Guang Tou,

snorted

and said,

"Old He Tou, it's not that I'm saying this, but there's no such thing as a father-in-law getting up when he sees his son-in-law. There's no such rule in the world."

Then,

Old Guang Tou glanced at Ji Chengjue sideways. Seeing that this kid was really accepting it so calmly, he was even more angry and said:

"No matter what kind of business you do outside, whether you work in the government or run a business, you have to know some etiquette, right? Do you really think you're the Emperor?"

Ji Chengjue nodded and said, "You're right."

Seeing that Ji Chengjue didn't frown or get angry, Old Guang Tou didn't get angry anymore. That was just how he was, he was stubborn and practiced what he believed.

Moreover, his granddaughter had married into the He family, and this person in front of him was the He family's son-in-law. In fact, they were very distant and didn't count as relatives at all.

He also had a temper and was only close to Old He Tou.

"Sit."

Old Guang Tou had a "majestic" air,

and took the initiative to turn over a wine glass and poured wine.

Ji Chengjue sat down accordingly, and Old He Tou followed and sat down.

Old Guang Tou didn't ask Ji Chengjue specifically what he did or what his family was like. He had already inquired about it. This son-in-law was not close to the Old He family, and they didn't come and go on weekdays. It was just that when his granddaughter and He Chu got married, they didn't personally come to the banquet. They were clearly both in this Yanjing City, not some faraway place. Not coming proved that they were distant, so there was nothing to be close to.

He also had a temper and was only close to Old He Tou.

"By the way, where was I just now?"

"Forgot, forgot." Old He Tou immediately said.

"Oh."

Old Guang Tou patted his forehead and began to recall.

Old He Tou didn't dare let Old Guang Tou recall it.

This old brother was just telling him that the new Emperor was more harsh on the imperial family than the late Emperor!

"Ah, another victory, hahaha."

Old He Tou changed the subject.

Old Guang Tou stopped thinking and continued along the topic, nodding and saying:

"Yes, the Pingxi Marquis is indeed the closed-door disciple of Jingnan Prince, and he has long been decorated with battle merits. He was awarded the title of marquis for military merits, which is much more authentic than our Grand Master."

When the late Emperor was alive, the members of the imperial family called the Grand Prince "His Royal Highness";

After the late Emperor passed away and the Sixth Prince succeeded to the throne, the members of the imperial family called the Grand Prince "Grand Master."

The Grand Prince's military achievements marquisate couldn't compare to the Pingxi Marquis's. Even the Grand Prince himself admitted this.

It was the consensus of the court and the public that

any military achievements against the Qian Kingdom, even if you didn't exaggerate them, you had to shrink them by half on the basis of the facts. This half was still giving face.

"Killed a Pillar of the State and captured a Great General alive, tsk tsk." Old Guang Tou took a sip of wine, picked up a piece of dried tea, threw it in his mouth, and continued while chewing, "In the Qian Kingdom, it would be equivalent to the Pingxi Marquis killing two more Qian's Three Border Commanders, hehe, two Grand Master's marquis achievements."

Ji Chengjue reminded, "He also captured a younger brother of the Chu Kingdom's Regent, ranked eighth."

"Oh, really? Your news is quite well-informed, but capturing a member of the imperial family is just for the sake of a good omen and has no real use. Let's just talk about me, I'm also a member of the imperial family. Is it useful if I'm captured?

What if it's the Regent's younger brother? Among the current lords, only the Grand Master is capable. It would be better to lose the rest than a mere general.

When Jingnan Prince attacked Yingdu, a large number of Chu princes were burned to death. Alas, the Chu imperial family, even the princes, are worthless."

Ji Chengjue echoed, "You're right."

The Yan-Chu war had been fought several times in recent years, and what everyone valued was actually a more pragmatic aspect.

At the time, Marquis Zheng killed Prince Fu, also because the war had just begun, so the merit seemed great, but in reality, everyone knew that the princes of the Qian Kingdom were raised like pigs in a pen.

Old Guang Tou continued on this topic:

"The Pingxi Marquis has made another great contribution. Next, it depends on whether our Majesty has the late Emperor's breadth of mind."

Old He Tou's eyes widened, and he said anxiously,

"How could he not? How could he not? His Majesty is the same as the late Emperor, the same."

Old Guang Tou became energetic, shook his head, and said, "No, no."

Ji Chengjue asked, "Why?"

"Although the late Emperor was harsh on the imperial family, he was truly talented and visionary. Jingnan Prince, Zhenbei Prince, other countries and other dynasties would try to kill them if they had one;

but our late Emperor didn't. It was precisely because the late Emperor had the capacity to tolerate people that he created the current situation of my Great Yan!

Our Majesty and this Pingxi Marquis... well..."

Ji Chengjue asked, "I heard that His Majesty and Marquis Pingxi met when they were nobodies, and their relationship can be described as... brothers in arms."

"Tch!"

Old Guang Tou waved his hand dismissively

and said,

"Since ancient times, it's easy to share hardship, but it's difficult to share wealth.

Besides, they were hand-in-hand brothers back then, but what are they now? They are ruler and subject. There is a distinction between ruler and subject, as deep and far as a chasm. When there are too many rules, the human touch naturally decreases, so how much closeness can be left."

"If the late Emperor could tolerate two princes, why can't the current Majesty tolerate a Pingxi Marquis?"

"Jingnan Prince came from the Tian family, and Zhenbei Prince came from the Li family. Both are families with hundreds or even several hundred years of history, while Pingxi Marquis came from the common people.

This is different."

"Oh? The aristocratic families have all fallen, how come the Yan Kingdom is now discussing people by their backgrounds?"

"Not so, not so. It's not about discussing people by their backgrounds. There is meaning in this. Wealthy families have a lifetime of glory. Precisely because it is easy to obtain, they don't care much about it and don't value it much.

But rising from the bottom and suddenly rising with the wind, the high position that others' families can only achieve after several generations and hundreds of years of effort has already been obtained by him. People's hearts easily become dissatisfied."

Ji Chengjue shook his head and said, "Why do I feel that those who suddenly become rich cherish their wealth even more, value it more, and are more reluctant to part with it?"

"Yes, that is the majority of such people."

"Then..."

"But Marquis Pingxi is now my Great Yan's Marquis of military merit, but he still took the initiative to start a war..."

"It was the Chu people who provoked him first."

"Come on, that's fooling people." Old Guang Tou took a sip of wine and continued very complacently, "The Chu people's capital was burned. What's this? Not to mention resting and recuperating for a few years, they can't wait to start a war against my Great Yan to retaliate? Were the Chu people kicked in the head by a donkey!"

"That's true."

"Right, in my opinion, Marquis Pingxi's ambition has not been extinguished, and he is still not satisfied."

"If he's not satisfied, what then?"

"As I said before, these kinds of people will eventually have merit that overshadows the lord and cannot be rewarded. Who can guarantee that Marquis Pingxi will not suddenly have an itchy butt one day and want to sit on His Majesty's dragon throne to see what it's like to sit on the dragon throne?"

Ji Chengjue nodded.

He had

actually sat on it before.

Old He Tou was sweating profusely. If the situation wasn't suitable, he really wanted to get up and slap this old in-law in the face, telling him to talk too much, to talk too much!

The atmosphere of Great Yan was originally more rough, and the vigilance and control of public opinion was not as strong as that of the Qian Kingdom;

Of course, if they were discussing other things, they would inevitably have some scruples;

But just like those ministers who had impeached Marquis Pingxi for being tyrannical almost openly, in this matter, as long as they stood on the Emperor's side, it was natural political correctness.

Was there anything wrong with guarding against powerful ministers and helping the Emperor protect the country?

On the contrary, other things,

such as Marquis Pingxi's forcing girls, or scraping the land three feet deep,

no one dared to question these things, because Pingxi Marquis was, after all, Pingxi Marquis. Without the political high ground and the protection of not blaming the public, few people dared to openly fight a military meritorious Marquis alone.

At the same time, Old Guang Tou was still a member of the imperial family, surnamed Ji, and was a real member of the family, so the risk of saying these things was even lower.

Ji Chengjue asked with interest:

"Then do you hope that our Majesty's mind is broader, or do you hope... to nip it in the bud?"

"Sigh."

Old Guang Tou reached out and rubbed his face hard and said:

"Neither the late Emperor nor the current Majesty are very good to the imperial family. This is obvious, and I am not afraid to say it. But it is precisely because the imperial family is now in such a state of disrepair.

For hundreds of years, the defense against the barbarians has depended on his Li family;

Now, the defense against the wildlings and the Chu people depends on the Zheng family;

The only thing our imperial family can take out to show is the Grand Master, who is still defending the Qian people who are so tender that you can pinch water out of them.

Zhenbei Prince is gone,

Jingnan Prince is said to have chased the barbarian prince to the west. It's been so long, and there's still no news.

My Great Yan has lost two princes.

Fortunately, there is still a Pingxi Marquis who can hold up the facade. What the people want is peace of mind."

"Yes." Ji Chengjue affirmed.

"But in this world, where is there anything that can truly be peaceful? If the late Emperor was peaceful, could there be the Great Yan of today?"

"Hmm."

"His Majesty should have a number in his heart."

"You've confused me." Ji Chengjue said, "I thought you knew what to do."

"Hey, I only know how to drink and talk nonsense, how can I really know what to do? That's what His Majesty should think about. Come, let's have another one."

Perhaps deliberately wanting to show off in front of Old He Tou, his son-in-law,

After Old Guang Tou drank another glass of wine, his cheeks flushed, and he opened the floodgates again:

"Actually, the family is the family, and the country is the country. A good family doesn't necessarily mean a good country. A good country doesn't necessarily mean a stable family.

But I guess..."

"You guess?"

"I'm just guessing, I'm a member of the imperial family."

"Yes, you just said that."

"Some things, you don't know, but I often hear some nagging."

"You are well informed."

"Sigh."

"Why are you sighing again?"

"There have been many examples of powerful ministers messing up the country throughout history, but our Great Yan, under the late Emperor, set a precedent and has been stable ever since.

Do you know that what our Majesty said to the officials and subjects on the day of his ascension was to inherit the late Emperor's wish and unify Zhuxia?

In fact, it depends on how His Majesty chooses next."

"Choose for whom?"

"Of course, Marquis Pingxi."

"What's the point?"

"If he lightly adds another title and rewards some gold and silver, others will be grateful, but for Marquis Pingxi, it's just so-so. This shows that our Majesty is seeking stability."

"What about the other kind?"

"If he rewards him greatly and shows special grace, it means that our Majesty's ambition is no less than that of the late Emperor!"

"Which one do you think it will ultimately be?"

Old Guang Tou reached out and patted his forehead,

said in a low voice;

"His Highness the Crown Prince has been sent to Jin Dong by His Majesty, so what else can it be? It's probably the latter."

Ji Chengjue smiled

and said:

"How should he show special grace?"

Old Guang Tou used his fingertip to dip into the wine and wrote a word on the small table: Duke.

"Duke?" Ji Chengjue asked, "Back then, Jingnan Prince and Zhenbei Prince were directly conferred the title of King."

At first, the highest rank of non-imperial family in the Yan Kingdom was Marquis.

Old Guang Tou shook his head and said, "You have to leave room for maneuver. Besides, Zhenbei Prince and Jingnan Prince had the merit of destroying a country and following the dragon. Marquis Pingxi is a little short.

Leaving more steps can also give you more composure in the future. It's not too late to confer the title of King after making great achievements again."

Ji Chengjue shook his head.

"You don't agree?" Old Guang Tou was a little unhappy.

Ji Chengjue reached out, also dipped in the wine, and wrote a serious "King" on the table.

"I think, either don't confer it, or if you confer it, directly confer the title of King."

Old Guang Tou said disdainfully:

"You don't understand. It's certainly refreshing to directly confer the title of King, but what about the future? Do you think His Majesty will be as short-sighted as you?"

"Maybe he is."

"Presumptuous, how dare you insult His Majesty!"

Old Guang Tou pointed his finger at Ji Chengjue.

Old He Tou immediately got up, covered Old Guang Tou, and said:

"He drank too much, he drank too much, he drank too much."

"I didn't drink too much, let go of me...Wuwuwu..."

Ji Chengjue sat on the chair, looked at the word he had just written in front of him, and smiled.

……

Several days later, at the Grand Court Meeting,

With more and more news coming from the front lines in the past few days, the details of that war were known to the court in more detail.

However, due to the distance and information gap, Marquis Zheng's feat of castrating the Chu general in public had not yet been passed on.

The court, which had been enthusiastically impeaching Marquis Zheng some time ago, was now silent.

The Emperor's attitude was first established by the Crown Prince's entry into Jin Dong, and then the final indication was made by an edict issued to the cabinet a few days ago.

And with the Emperor's handling of several elderly ministers who were allowed to retire to their hometowns, the atmosphere was also sufficiently prepared.

At this time,

the ministers standing in the court,

they had resisted, they had struggled, they had fought for it,

but what still could not be changed was,

they were probably really back to the era of "dictatorial power" and "imperial power above all else" after finally enduring the late Emperor's era, and they were being pulled back to that era by the new emperor;

They had finally endured the curtain call of the two kings with different surnames, and they had to be reunited with the fear of being controlled by the kings holding heavy troops, which was found by the Pingxi Marquis.

His Majesty had made up his mind.

The pattern of Great Yan in the future would return to the familiar mode.

Great Yan was extremely unstable because the power of the vassal kings was too strong, and a rebellion that could truly subvert the court might break out at any time;

But Great Yan, because of the existence of such vassal kings who were "of one mind" with the Emperor, the imperial power was transcendentally elevated in addition to the mandate of heaven.

Everyone had to listen to the Emperor, because the Emperor had the ability to mobilize troops to rebel against himself!

Ji Chengjue sat on the dragon chair in the hall,

He liked to see this expression on the faces of his ministers,

and at the same time, he increasingly understood

how... comfortable it was for his father to sit in this chair back then.

If he hadn't sat on this dragon chair himself, he was afraid that he really couldn't imagine the joy of his father.

Ji Chengjue reached out

and pointed to Wei Zhonghe,

said:

"Wei Zhonghe, read the decree."

"Yes."

Wei Zhonghe stepped forward,

opened the imperial decree:

"By the order of the Emperor, who is blessed by Heaven:

The Emperor's son-in-law, General Cheng Guo, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Marquis Pingxi, Zheng Fan,

Loyal to the country and serves the people, has made numerous military exploits, is the wing of the country, and protects Zhen Tianyan; His name is in the present, and his achievements are in the future;

Today, I follow the will of Heaven,

and confer Pingxi Marquis Zheng Fan as my Great Yan,

Prince Pingxi!"