Thief Emperor

Chapter 1069 Bestowing the Imperial Surname

The following morning, Meng Qing was greeted at the city gate by Eunuch Gu as soon as he entered Luoyang.

Normally, there should be a grand welcoming ceremony for those who return to the capital after a triumphant return from the front lines. However, this time, not all the generals and soldiers from the front lines returned to Luoyang. Only Meng Qing rushed back, mainly to report the situation at the front to Li Yun.

Therefore, there was no welcoming ceremony.

When Meng Qing saw Gu Chang from afar, he jumped off his horse, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Eunuch Gu."

Eunuch Gu bowed deeply in return, forcing a fawning smile on his face: "How could I possibly accept such courtesy from the Marquis? His Majesty has been waiting to see you since yesterday. Please come with me to the palace so that I can report back."

Throughout history, the emperor's close attendants have wielded considerable power, representing, in a sense, the emperor's authority. However, the Tang Dynasty was different.

From the time the Wu King's Palace was built until now, the palace has only employed palace servants for a little over a decade. Even if someone like Gu Chang serves by Li Yun's side, the new dynasty has only recently been established, and the court is full of meritorious officials and nobles. These palace servants who have not yet made any contributions have no right to be arrogant.

Moreover, the emperor did not support them.

Therefore, whenever Gu Chang left the palace, he was very polite, even to officials of the fourth or fifth rank.

However, despite their politeness, the officials wouldn't offend Gu Chang too much, since he was someone close to the emperor, and sometimes a casual remark could determine the future and fate of those below him.

Meng Qing was taken aback, then clasped his hands and said with a wry smile, "Your Excellency, I rode all the way back, and now I smell terrible and my clothes are tattered. How can I possibly go to see the Emperor?"

Eunuch Gu looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile, "Very well, this servant will accompany the Marquis to the Marquis's residence. After the Marquis has bathed and changed, we will meet the Emperor together."

Meng Qing thought for a moment, nodded and agreed, then led Eunuch Gu back to his home. He didn't dare to delay, quickly washed up, tidied his clothes and hair, and then followed Gu Chang into the palace.

It was already noon.

His Majesty the Emperor is having a meal in a side hall of the Ganlu Palace.

Originally, the emperor had a special place to eat, but Li Yun found it troublesome and changed to eating in the side hall of Ganlu Hall where he worked. While he was eating, Gu Chang walked in cautiously and whispered something in the emperor's ear. Without thinking, the emperor said, "Let him in, and bring another table and a pair of chopsticks."

Gu Chang responded, but inwardly he was filled with envy. He ran out and invited Meng Qing in. After Meng Qing entered the side hall, he saw Li Yun eating. He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject Meng Qing greets Your Majesty."

His Majesty the Emperor raised his hand and said with a smile, "Get up, get up. Gu Chang said you haven't eaten yet. Sit down and have something to eat with us."

Meng Qing remained kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and saying, "In the war against Youyan, I have failed Your Majesty's high expectations. The front line suffered a setback. If it weren't for Minister Zhao coming to put out the fire, I'm afraid I would have been unable to recover."

"Please, Your Majesty, punish me."

The emperor waved his hand and said with a smile, "If the Khitans had taken back Youyan and driven you to Hebei, then I would have truly punished you. Now the Khitans have been driven beyond the pass, and the battle of Youyan can be said to have been a great victory."

"As for the process..."

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said, "Good things often come with difficulties, and it's normal to encounter some setbacks. After all, these Khitans are quite formidable. It's already quite an achievement that we were able to drive them away."

The emperor gestured for Meng Qing to sit down and said, "After the matter of Youyan is settled and troops are stationed there, you can return to the court. I will grant you the title of Duke and promote you to Grand General."

At this point, Li Yun paused, then continued, "He was appointed Grand General along with Zhao Cheng."

Since the establishment of the dynasty, there have only been two Grand Generals: Su Sheng and Zhou Liang, who is retired and has been granted the title of Grand General by Li Yun.

Now, the second batch of generals has been decided by Li Yun, namely Meng Qing and Zhao Cheng.

Meng Qing goes without saying; he has made great contributions over the years. If it weren't for his age, he would have been appointed a Grand General long ago. This time, because of his merits in Youyan, it is finally reasonable for him to be appointed.

As for Zhao Cheng…

With his qualifications, he could have been awarded the rank of Grand General in the early years of the founding of the dynasty, but due to the mistakes of Jiannan Circuit, this rank was delayed for a full ten years before Li Yun finally granted it to him.

Meng Qing bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, it will take at least another year for me to finish the Youyan matter. Moreover, my contributions are meager, and I dare not be ranked alongside Minister Zhao."

He rose and knelt on the ground, bowing his head and saying, "Your Majesty, please grant Minister Zhao the title first. My own reward can be discussed later."

Emperor Li frowned and said, "Why do you kneel down all the time when I'm just telling you to eat?"

After Meng Qing sat back down, Emperor Li composed himself before continuing, "I have already made my decision. Do not refuse. From now on, Minister Zhao..."

"There might be a time when you'll need to help me."

Li Yun's words were vague and ambiguous, but in the end, it all came down to that old grudge from twenty years ago.

Back then, Zhao Cheng worked under the rebel Qiu Dian, and he had a great grudge against the Wu Zhou court. From this perspective, his grudge against the Liu family was a public enemy.

Li Yun did intend to resolve this old feud; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so foolish as to bring it up in front of Liu Su. However, Empress Liu was clearly unwilling, so the matter had to be dropped. As long as Li Yun was alive, it was unlikely that the two sides would completely break off relations, and Li Yun's second son wouldn't dare to act recklessly. However, this was, after all, a matter with an inexplicable cause.

After Emperor Li passes away, this might erupt.

Of course, these individuals involved might not outlive Emperor Li, in which case the matter would ultimately be dropped.

The reason for mentioning this to Meng Qing is that Meng Qing is now almost certain to be the second-generation leader of the Tang Dynasty's military after Su Sheng, and his influence in the court will undoubtedly be extremely significant in the future.

However, even if Li Yun only mentioned this casually, it's hard to say what the future holds or what will happen.

It's no longer something he can control.

The meal was quickly finished, and Li Yun took Meng Qing to the main hall of Ganlu Palace, asking him many questions about the specific situation of Youyan and the Khitan people, as well as the construction of Yuguan Pass.

After asking enough questions, Li Yun looked at Meng Qing and asked, "After the pacification of Youyan, the court wants to establish the Youzhou Army to guard the northeast. Who do you think is suitable to be the General of Youzhou?"

Meng Qing lowered his head and thought for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, I can guard Youyan. If Your Majesty wishes to appoint someone else, I recommend Deputy General Luo Zhen."

His Majesty the Emperor stroked his chin and asked, "Would Gongsun Hecheng be a good fit?"

Meng Qing thought for a moment and shook her head: "If it were General Gongsun, there would be no problem. However, Gongsun He has no prestige in the original Jiangdong army. If such an important task is suddenly entrusted to him, I'm afraid the brothers in the army will not be convinced."

Emperor Li considered it carefully for a moment, and then said, "If Luo Zhen is appointed as the General of Youzhou, then we must choose one of our old brothers from the bandit-hunting team to be Luo Zhen's deputy."

"Zhang Xuan."

Meng Qing lowered his head and said, "Zhang Xuan is fine."

His Majesty the Emperor nodded: "Alright, then this pair will stay with me as a backup. We'll make a final decision after Yuguan is completed."

Meng Qing lowered her head deeply.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Li Yun looked at Meng Qing, a smile spreading across his face, and said with a laugh, "You're someone I personally mentored, and now you've made a great contribution. I intend to reward you..."

Before he could finish saying "I bestow upon you the surname Li," Gu Changzheng cautiously entered and walked to the Emperor's side, bowing his head and saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Meng has arrived and is waiting outside the hall. He says he has something extremely important to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun roughly understood that there must be progress on the matter of the Prince of Chen from the old Zhou Dynasty. He thought for a moment, then looked at Meng Qing and continued, "If we were to change your surname to Li, would you be willing?"

Meng Qing knelt on the ground, bowed deeply, and tears streamed down his face: "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your generous gift. I will never forget it."

The emperor stepped forward, pulled him up, and said with a smile, "From now on, you shall take my surname. As for your surname Meng, you can find one of your sons to inherit it."

Bestowing surnames was a common practice among monarchs during the imperial era, used to cultivate closer relationships with their subordinates.

However, since Li Yun started his business, he has never used the surname Meng Qing. Meng Qing was the first person he bestowed the surname upon.

He also identified him as one of the future pillars of the military.

Meng Qing had always admired Li Yun, and upon hearing this, he was overwhelmed with excitement.

His Majesty the Emperor patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Your fifth brother is waiting outside. Go and call him in."

Meng Qing quickly bowed his head and replied, "Yes." He walked out of the Ganlu Hall and smiled at the somewhat surprised Meng Hai: "Fifth Brother, His Majesty wants you to go in."

Meng Hai paused for a moment, then patted Meng Qing on the shoulder and shuffled into the Ganlu Hall, where he kowtowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the traitor Wu has been captured, and the British judge is on his way to bring him to Luoyang."

His Majesty the Emperor nodded, his expression calm.

"understood."

He glanced at Meng Hai and smiled.

"The Ninth Division has worked hard for the past six months."

Meng Hai bowed his head deeply.

“We, your subjects, will do what is our duty.”

(End of this chapter)