Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 685 The Throne Ceremony
Time quickly passed to April of the twentieth year of Shenmu.

The 20th year of Shenmu, the eighth day of the sixth month.

Yang Chengye issued an edict of accession to the throne, establishing the state of "Da'an" and setting the era name as Jianyuan.

Empress Yu was made empress.

Yang Qinyuan was appointed Crown Prince, Luo Keqing Crown Princess, and Yang Jijue Imperial Grandson.

Qu Shaogong was conferred the title of Duke of Xingguo, Liang Jinyan the title of Duke of Pingguo, Zhou Xu's son Zhou Yuanchen the title of Duke of Ningguo, Xue Ping the title of Duke of Changguo, Xie Yuan's son Xie Linxuan the title of Duke of Qingguo, and Han Fei the title of Duke of Chengguo.

Of the six dukes, only Qu Shaogong and Zhou Yuanchen were first-class dukes, while the other four were third-class dukes, and their positions were hereditary.

The decision to confer the title of Duke this time was not based on the magnitude of military achievements, but rather on past relationships.

In terms of military achievements, no one should be qualified to be granted the title of Duke, since the Yang family's uprising was too easy and the accumulated military achievements of the generals are not many.

In addition to the Duke, twelve marquises and thirty-six earls were also enfeoffed this time.

The twelve marquises are Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, Song Dashan, Lu Baishu, Guo Ying, Zhang Luan, Yu Tonghai, Luo Feiyu, Luo Bo, Wu An, and Zhang Ming.

As for earls, Liang Xiu, Song Jie, Zhou Shang'an, Lu Miaoheng, Wang Dahe, Yang Jishan, Yang Qinhu, and others under Yang Chengye all obtained an earldom.

In addition, Chen Buyu, under Yang Mingzhao's command, also obtained a countship.

The rest were to be conferred titles based on the closeness or distance between the family and the Yang family, as well as the size of their military achievements.

Generally speaking, any family that was close to the Yang family in the past, or any family affiliated with the Yang family, could at least obtain the rank of earl.

Yang Zhengshan's close followers and former guards of the Yang family were not granted official titles because they still belonged to Shenmu Island, not Darong.

Even those who followed Yang Mingcheng to start their businesses in Sichuan were not given any titles.

Of course, these titles are only temporary, and there will definitely be more conferment of titles in the future. For example, Zhang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, Song Dashan, and Yu Tonghai are also qualified to be conferred the title of Duke.

As for others, it's one thing, but Yang Zhengshan will definitely give Song Dashan and Yu Tonghai a title of Duke.

However, we can give them these things gradually later; for now, this is all we can do.

As for why Lu Baishu was also granted a marquisate, it was because Lu Baishu had taken his family to Xingyue Island before the Liang army attacked the capital.

Simply put, this guy surrendered to the Yang family relatively early. Although he did not participate in the Yang family's uprising, Yang Zhengshan still retained his marquis title out of consideration for their past relationship.

After the edict of ascension was issued, Yang Chengye officially ascended the throne as emperor on June 26.

When establishing a new dynasty, it's natural to do things in the most grand and solemn way.

Moreover, the founding of the Great An Dynasty was not as hasty as that of the previous Great Liang Dynasty. Instead, it took three full months of preparation, and that was after a complete court structure had been established.

The entire founding and enthronement ceremony was exceptionally grand. On that day, Yang Chengye led civil and military officials to first worship Heaven and Earth, and then to worship the ancestral temples and the altars of the land and grain.

Da'an adopted the rituals and ceremonies of Da Rong, and music played continuously throughout the entire enthronement ceremony.

After the grand ceremony concluded, Yang Chengye led civil and military officials into the imperial city through the Meridian Gate, where he once again read out the edict of accession to the throne on the city tower, receiving the congratulations and homage from officials and the people.

On the evening of the same day as the enthronement ceremony, Chen Buyu and Ma Yan arrived in Kyoto with a dozen or so close followers.

Upon entering Kyoto, Chen Buyu said with some regret, "What a pity, I still didn't make it. I was just a little bit short!"

Although the date of Yang Chengye's ascension to the throne had been set long ago, the imperial edict was only issued twenty days ago. Chen Buyu only received the news on his way. He had originally intended to come to the capital to attend the enthronement ceremony, but unfortunately, he still missed it despite rushing.

Ma Yan also felt regretful, but he could only say, "Never mind, let's go and pay our respects to the eldest young master first!"

"Young Master?" Chen Buyu looked at Ma Yan with a puzzled expression and asked, "Who is the Young Master?"

He still doesn't know Yang Mingzhao's identity, and he doesn't even understand why Yang Mingzhao would surrender to Da'an.

When Yang Mingzhao first joined the Liang Dynasty, they all knew that his allegiance was feigned. But this time, his allegiance to the Da'an Dynasty is not feigned.

Yang Mingzhao did not explain to them, and Ma Yan and the others also kept silent.

Although there was some discussion within the Taiping Army, it was ultimately suppressed by Yang Mingzhao.

Ultimately, the Taiping Army was Yang Mingzhao's private army. Although many of the Taiping Army's middle and high-ranking members had no relation to the Yang family, it was still the Yang family members who occupied relatively important positions. Therefore, it was relatively easy for Yang Mingzhao to control the Taiping Army.

Chen Buyu was initially uneasy about Yang Mingzhao's defection to Da'an, but he felt somewhat at ease after Li Wenchun entered the cabinet and became a cabinet minister.

However, after learning about the list of conferments in Da'an, he felt somewhat dissatisfied. He himself was conferred the title of Earl of Taiping, which made him very happy, but Yang Zhao was not conferred a title.

In his view, Yang Zhao was qualified to be granted the title of Duke, or at the very least, a Marquis title would be acceptable.

However, Yang Zhao was not included in Da'an's enthronement edict, nor were Deng Xing, Li Dagui, and others, which greatly displeased him.

He felt that Da'an had treated the Taiping Army poorly.

Ma Yan looked at him with a smile and no longer concealed anything, "The eldest son is none other than His Majesty the current emperor!"

"Ah!" Chen Buyu didn't react.

As Ma Yan led Chen Buyu into the capital, he said, "You know that His Majesty comes from the Yang family of Liaodong!"

"I know!" Chen Buyu seemed to have grasped something in his mind, but for a moment he didn't know what it was.

Ma Yan continued to explain, "His Majesty the present is named Yang Chengye, and he is my young master's nephew. Hehe, there are four masters in the Yang family, and my young master is the fourth, known as Fourth Master Yang!"

"His Majesty is the eldest grandson of the Yang family, and thus my young master's nephew!"

Chen Buyu's eyes widened. "So, young master and His Majesty are family?"

“Yes!” Ma Yan nodded affirmatively.

Chen Buyu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

This explains why Yang Zhao was not granted a title. As a member of the royal family and the current emperor's uncle, there was naturally no need for him to receive one. Even if he were to be granted a title, it should have been that of a prince.

After a moment of astonishment, Chen Buyu finally came to his senses and asked, "Then who are you?"

“We were originally servants and guards of the Yang family. My grandfather used to raise horses for the old Marquis!” Ma Yan said proudly.

Ma Yan felt no inferiority about his grandfather raising horses for the Yang family, nor about himself becoming a servant of the Yang family; on the contrary, he was quite proud of it.

First of all, they are no longer servants of the Yang family. After the Yang family moved to Xingyue Island, all slave status was abolished and they were changed to hired workers.

On Star Moon Island, those who used to serve the Yang family were always considered superior, even more so than ordinary people, because they were also considered members of the Yang family and had a closer relationship with them.

Secondly, they didn't think following the Yang family was bad. Whether it was good or bad was relative. Compared to the servants of other families, they were undoubtedly happy. Moreover, the Yang family had treated their former servants well and treated all servants equally.

Among the Yang family's servants, the highest-ranking were Ding Qiu, Qingxia, and Hongyun. Qingxia and Hongyun were somewhat different; they had always followed Yu Qingyi and were considered her disciples, not servants.

Ding Qiu was a true servant, but now he also holds a high position in the Yang family, in charge of managing all the guards of the Yang family, and is highly valued and trusted by Yang Zhengshan.

Ding Qiu is an example, an example presented to all the servants of the Yang family.

Besides Ding Qiu, the Yang family had many servants of high status, such as Wu Da who served Yang Mingcheng, Wu Er who served Yang Mingzhi, Ding Cheng who served Yang Minghao, and the servants of the third generation of the Yang family.

These people don't usually show off, but they are no ordinary people.

Wu Da, Wu Er, and Ding Cheng were among the earliest servants bought by the Yang family. They were bought by Yang Zhengshan when he was still in Yinghebao, meaning they had been with the Yang family for nearly forty years.

Now, the three of them play the role of stewards for the Yang Mingcheng brothers, and their cultivation and strength are not low either, having all become innate martial artists.

The most unfathomable aspects of the Yang family are these early servants who joined the family.

Wu Da and Wu Er's father was Wu Hai, the first head steward of the Yang family. Although Wu Hai has passed away, the Wu family has been completely integrated into the Yang family.

The Wu and Ding families were originally servants of the Yang family, but their current strength is no weaker than that of the affiliated families.

The Wu family has two innate martial artists, and the Ding family also has two, namely Ding Qiu and Ding Cheng.

In contrast, families like the Luo family and the Zhen family don't have any innate martial artists yet.

Similarly, Ma Yan's grandfather was Ma San, who was originally a stable boy for the Yang family. Unfortunately, the Ma family did not achieve much in cultivation. Ma San was not a martial artist, and his two sons also performed only moderately in cultivation. However, by Ma Yan's generation, many talented people had emerged from the old Ma family.

The fact that Ma Yan was able to become Yang Mingzhao's servant proves that Ma Yan is a promising talent.

"Old Marquis!" Chen Buyu knew nothing about the Yang family, let alone the Jing'an Marquis's mansion.

Ma Yan's eyes darted around, and he said, "Let's not go to pay our respects to the eldest young master yet. Let's go to the Marquis of Jing'an's residence first. Maybe we can even see the old Marquis there!"

As he spoke, he turned around and headed towards the Marquis of Jing'an's residence.

He didn't know if Yang Zhengshan was in Kyoto, but that didn't stop him from trying his luck.

For him, being able to meet Yang Zhengshan was a rare stroke of luck.

In the past, when he was with Yang Mingzhao, he could often see Yang Zhengshan. However, in recent years, since Yang Mingzhao was in Sichuan, he has never seen Yang Zhengshan again.

“The old Marquis is our young master’s father. By the way, your master, Master Wu, is the old lady’s junior brother, so you can be considered the old Marquis’s junior brother!” Ma Yan explained.

Chen Buyu blinked, "So the old Marquis you're talking about is actually my senior martial uncle!"

“You’re not wrong to think that way!” Ma Yan said.

Chen Buyu felt that this world was magical, and suddenly he seemed to have many more elders.

"Does my master have any other fellow disciples?"

Ma Yan said, "There are many. Master Wu was originally a disciple of the Azure Sword Sect. Later, he followed the old lady to join the Yang family and became a guard of the Yang family!"

"Back then, many disciples of the Azure Sword Sect must have joined the Yang family, but now they are either old or dead, and there are not many left!"

“You also have a senior martial uncle named Wu Zhan, who is also a Xiantian martial artist.”

Chen Buyu was taken aback and asked, "Then wouldn't I also be a disciple of the Azure Sword Sect?"

Ma Yan shook his head. "No, joining the Yang family is equivalent to leaving the Azure Sword Sect. Although the friendship remains, there is no longer any connection in terms of status. You are just Master Wu's disciple, not a disciple of the Azure Sword Sect!"

As they talked, they arrived at the gate of the Marquis of Jing'an's residence.

At this time, the Jing'an Marquis's mansion became magnificent again, with its six vermilion gates tightly closed and eight soldiers standing guard in front of them.

The imperial palace was still in ruins, so the Empress and Crown Prince of Da'an lived in the Jing'an Marquis's residence.

"Stop, who is it?"

As soon as Ma Yan and Chen Buyu approached, they were stopped by the guards at the gate.

Ma Yan was not intimidated. He stepped forward, took out his badge, and handed it to the guard on duty. "Ma Yan, the steward of the Yang family, is returning to the manor. May I ask which gentleman in the manor is in charge?"

The so-called Yang Family Steward Hall was the place within the Yang family responsible for managing their attendants, maids, and servants. Although the Yang family had changed the servant system to an employment system, they were still managed in the same way as before.

They were also divided into ranks: servants, maids, and old women were divided into three classes, and the managers above them were also divided into three classes.

For example, Qingxia and Hongyun were first-class managers, known as the Grand Stewards.

For example, Wu Da and Wu Er were second-class managers, but were known as the head managers.

Although Ma Yan was young, he was the head steward of the Yang family because he served under Yang Mingzhao, the fourth master of the Yang family, and was Yang Mingzhao's steward.

Back on Xingyue Island, people would respectfully address Ma Yan as "Master Ma".

(End of this chapter)