I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1123 Super Saint
"what?!"

"They actually said it was the Emperor???"

"Do you...do you know what this means?"

There was an uproar in the court.

Originally, faced with Su Yao's undeniable martial prowess wave after wave, even loyal members of the imperial clan like Liu Yu and Liu Biao had to admit that they could no longer suppress the voices from the court and the public, and were forced to acknowledge that the Tang King held a position of equal status with the emperor.

However, to their utter surprise, Wei Ming, the governor of Yangzhou who had always been regarded as a confidant of the Tang Emperor, dropped a bombshell on them at this critical juncture.
"Has Governor Wei gone mad?!" Liu Yu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was so angry that his beard trembled. "The title of Emperor is unprecedented in ancient times! From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Qin and Han dynasties, only the Son of Heaven was called 'Sovereign' or 'Emperor.' Even the most honored princes were only 'King' or 'Duke'! With this title, let alone being on par with the Emperor, you are trying to overturn the established order and place yourself above the Emperor!"

A deathly silence fell over the council hall, all eyes fixed on Wei Ming. Even Xun Yu and Lu Zhi, who had always supported Su Yao, looked astonished, clearly stunned by this sudden proposal.

"What Liu Taichang said makes sense."

After much hesitation, Xun Yu, the Chamberlain, finally spoke: "The title 'Emperor of Heaven' carries too much weight. From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, only those who received the mandate of Heaven and ruled the four seas could be called 'Emperor'! The Prince of Tang has made great contributions, and has been granted the Nine Bestowments and a twelve-tasseled crown, placing him above the princes and on par with the Emperor—an unprecedented honor. If we were to add the title 'Emperor of Heaven' to this, where would the Governor place His Majesty?"

Wei Ming remained unmoved. He straightened his clothes, calmly stepped forward, and bowed to both the Empress on the throne (though the Empress did not hold court, the proper etiquette still applied) and the empty seat representing the Tang King. Only then did he face the assembled officials, especially Grand Tutor Lu Zhi, who was presiding over the court meeting, and began to speak eloquently:
“I cannot agree with what Mr. Wenruo and Liu Taichang said. You all only know that ‘Huang’ is exclusive to the emperor, but you have forgotten the original meaning of the word ‘Tianhuang’ (Heavenly Emperor).

He raised his hand and pointed outside the palace, as if he could see through the palace walls the people kneeling before Su Yao outside Luoyang, and the image of the "Red-Robed God" worshipped in the eastern sea:
"Who is His Highness the Tang King? He rides a griffin to roam the heavens, wields a golden pestle to control thunder, quells the rebellions of the feudal lords to bring peace to our Central Plains, defeats the Kushan and Parthians to spread the might of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions, pacifies the Three Hans, subjugates the Japanese islands, and expands the sea frontier by thousands of miles. Such achievements cannot be summarized by a 'minister'; such extraordinary abilities cannot be matched by a 'king'!"

"In the past, Yu the Great tamed the floods, saving countless people from the torrents, and they revered him as 'King of Xia'; Tang of Shang exiled Jie, rescuing the world from its dire straits, and the feudal lords honored him as 'King Wu'. Your Highness's achievements today far surpass those of Yu and Tang—you not only pacified the chaotic world, but also spread the civilization of our Han people beyond the seas, teaching barbarians etiquette and transforming barbarism into fertile land. Such great achievements, if merely addressed with the title of 'King,' would not only chill the hearts of soldiers, but would also defy the will of Heaven and betray the people!"

"You, you dare to compare the Tang emperors to three generations of emperors?"

Zhou Zhong, the Minister of Rites, was greatly shocked.

It should be noted that the founding rulers of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties were all revered as sage kings in Confucian classics, their status being almost deified.

The legacy of three generations is the lifelong aspiration and pursuit of every Confucian scholar. Wei Ming's move undoubtedly elevates Su Yao to a level comparable to that of the ancient sage kings!

This is absolutely absurd and outrageous.

However, seemingly inspired by Wei Ming, General Yuan Shao, who had been silently observing, suddenly stepped forward to offer his support, adding fuel to the fire by saying:

"Minister Zhou, you are mistaken. In my opinion, the achievements and extraordinary abilities of the Tang King have long surpassed those of the three sage kings of the past!" Yuan Shao's voice suddenly rose, each word ringing with conviction, as he looked around at his ministers and said:
"In the past, Yu the Great controlled the floods, stopping the disaster in the Central Plains; Tang of Shang overthrew Jie, establishing his rule over the nine provinces. But what about Your Highness? He crossed the Kunlun Mountains and pacified the Kushan Empire, captured the Parthian king, crossed the sea and conquered the Three Hans and pacified the Japanese islands—the lands that the sage kings had not yet reached are now the territory of our Han dynasty; the barbarians that the sage kings had not yet tamed all acknowledge the Han dynasty's legitimate calendar! If this is not 'surpassing the sages,' then what is 'surpassing the sages'?"

"Yuan Benchu, you!"

Just as Liu Yu was about to angrily berate Yuan Shao, Wei Ming stepped forward, stared into his eyes, and questioned him:
"Liu Taichang, you say that the 'Emperor' has overturned the natural order, but do you dare to open your eyes and look outside Luoyang! When the people see His Highness's divine beast patrolling the heavens, they all prostrate themselves in worship, calling him 'Divine King'; the merchants of the Western Regions admire his great achievements, calling him 'Holy Lord' and honoring him as 'King of Kings'; even the tribes of the East Sea spread pictures of His Highness in red robes holding a pestle, burning incense day and night, and worshipping him as 'Heavenly God'. This is the will of the people and the mandate of Heaven! His Highness is no ordinary subject; to forcibly bind him with the title of 'King' would be to defy the mandate of Heaven and go against the will of the people!"

"You, you all, you are spreading heresy and misleading the public!"

Liu Yu was so angry that his fingers trembled, but he couldn't find any words to refute him.

He knew very well that Wei Ming and Yuan Shao were telling the truth. Su Yao's deeds of riding a griffin and controlling thunder had already spread throughout the world. The "Great Han Monthly" published special issues one after another, serializing his achievements in each issue. In the streets and alleys of Luoyang, even children sang songs about the Tang Emperor riding the clouds and pacifying the barbarians and the eight wastelands. The hearts and minds of the people were no longer something that could be easily changed by etiquette and law.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a captain in armor rushed in carrying a brocade box, kneeling on one knee:
"Reporting to the Grand Tutor, General of the Cavalry, and all my lords! Governor Tian Chou of Haidong Prefecture has sent an urgent report that the first batch of minerals from Yingzhou County (Kyushu Island) has arrived at Qingxu Port, consisting of 200 catties of gold, 500 catties of sulfur, and 1,000 catties of silver. In addition, there are some tributes from the Three Hans and various tribes of Wa Island. Governor Tian has specially ordered me to present the mineral samples and tribute list to the capital!"

When the brocade box was opened, the gleaming gold nuggets and gleaming silver ingots shone brightly under the candlelight in the hall. Their heavy weight instantly silenced the officials who had been debating "etiquette."

Gold and silver are hard currencies, and sulfur is a key raw material for making gunpowder—these things are the lifeblood supporting the Han Dynasty's westward expedition and stabilizing its internal affairs! And all of this is the tangible benefit brought about by Su Yao's pacification of the Japanese islands!
"Do you all see this?" Wei Ming pointed to the minerals in the brocade box, his voice filled with excitement. "This is the benefit Your Highness has brought to the Great Han! If Your Highness hadn't swiftly pacified the Dog Slave Kingdom and established a prefecture to govern it, these treasures would still be buried in the wilderness, and these barbarians would still be killing each other! Now, Yingzhou Prefecture has become the 'gold mine' of our Great Han, and Haidong has become the 'sea frontier' of our Great Han—doesn't such an achievement deserve the title of 'Emperor'?"

Grand Tutor Lu Zhi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. He stroked his long beard, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall, and slowly began to speak:
“What Governor Wei said makes some sense. The Tang King’s achievements are unparalleled and the people’s hearts are with him. It would be inappropriate to treat him with only the title of ‘King’. However, the title ‘Emperor’ carries too much weight and is not something we can decide.”

"In my opinion, we should submit our suggestions to His Majesty and the Prince of Tang and ask for your wise decision."

As soon as Lu Zhi finished speaking, you could hear a pin drop in the hall.

This highly respected Grand Tutor ultimately passed the buck back to Su Yao and the Empress herself.

This seemingly helpless move actually contained profound implications—it prevented the court officials from completely splitting apart on this matter, while also entrusting the final decision-making power to someone who was truly capable and qualified to make the decision. At the same time, it was also a subtle test of the relationship between Su Yao and the Empress.
After all, everyone knows that the Tang Emperor's divine beast can travel a thousand miles a day, but they didn't return directly. Instead, they stopped in Hanoi and sent a message saying that they would return to the capital soon.

Could Hanoi possibly be better than Luoyang? They don't even have a proper imperial palace; they're clearly just observing Luoyang's situation.

As a result, the court quickly reached a consensus, and letters requesting imperial permission and inquiring about the emperor's well-being flew to Hanoi like snowflakes.

(End of this chapter)