Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 404 Rewards and Selection
He definitely made some contribution in suppressing the rebellion, but it was not too great.

There is actually nothing to worry about when it comes to rewards.

However, Zhao Xing was thinking of a huge reward, his goal was to buy the horse bones for a huge sum of gold.

The previous reward of land was to inspire the fighting spirit of ordinary soldiers, but land was nothing to the generals.

What generals care about most are official positions and titles.

This time, Zhao Xing planned to confer the title of Earl on Song Dynasty to stimulate the enterprising spirit of the military generals.

Let the generals see the benefits of making meritorious deeds. Only in this way can they have the courage to fight bravely.

The rewards for the soldiers who suppressed the rebellion were drawn up by the Privy Council and submitted to Zhao Xing.

After reading it, Zhao Xing added a reward of land to the rewards for ordinary soldiers, ranging from three acres to ten acres depending on their merits.

However, Zhao Xing did not make any changes to the rewards of money and grain.

Zhao Xing made some changes to the rewards for generals, improving them a lot on the original basis.

Especially the rewards during the Song Dynasty.

The rewards proposed by the Privy Council were a promotion by one level, and a number of gold, silver, cloth, and farmlands.

On this basis, Zhao Xing added the reward of earldom of loyalty and bravery.

This reward was considered a generous one, but in reality it was only a temporary title and could not be inherited from generation to generation. After Song Chaozhong died, his son could not inherit it.

Zhao Xing looked at the merits and rewards of other generals and unexpectedly saw Shen Congxing's name.

However, Zhao Xing was soon relieved. Yuzhou was only about 300 miles away from Bianjing. It was normal to draw troops from Yuzhou from the Central Plains.

Shen Congxing was the deputy commander of the Yuzhou wing army, so it was normal for him to lead the troops there.

The Privy Council’s reward to Shen Congxing was to transfer him to the Imperial Guards, but his rank remained unchanged.

However, entering the Imperial Guard from the Wing Army is a promotion in itself.

Zhao Xing did not make any changes after reading it.

Shen Congxing is a capable person. Zhao Xing will not deliberately use him, but there is no need to target him either.

Although he is Zhao Zongquan's brother-in-law, Zhao Zongquan is a member of the royal family and a descendant of Taizu. Even if Shen Congxing joins the imperial guards, he will not pose any threat to him.

After drafting the reward, Zhao Xing asked Sanshui to hand it over to the Hanlin Academy for editing and drafting.

When the army returns and rewards are given according to merit, the imperial edict needs to be read out in court.

After finishing all these, Zhao Xing continued to process the ties.

Half an hour later, Zhao Xing was drinking tea while looking at the knot in front of him.

This piece of paper was submitted by the Ministry of Rites to him for a selection.

Zhao Xing now has only ten concubines in his harem, and many ministers have more than that many wives and concubines, not to mention the emperor.

Since Zhao Xing ascended the throne, many officials in Bianliang City dared not take concubines.

After all, the emperor only has so many women, how could they have the nerve to take concubines.

Zhao Xing put down his teacup, pondered for a while, picked up his pen and wrote a word of approval, and then wrote down that the selection would be jointly hosted by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

He has been on the throne for such a long time and has worked diligently. It's time for him to reward himself.

It’s not too much to enjoy the selection of concubines.

Every once in a while, a eunuch would deliver the documents processed by Zhao Xing to the corresponding yamen.

When the Minister of Rites received the letter from Zhao Xing allowing him to participate in the beauty contest, he was also stunned.

He submitted the memorial with the attitude of giving it a try, but he didn't expect that Zhao Xing would actually agree.

After coming to his senses, the Minister of Rites pondered for a while and went to ask for an audience with Zhao Xing.

When Zhao Xing learned that the Minister of Rites wanted to see him, he was a little confused and ordered someone to call him in.

When the Minister of Rites finished explaining the purpose of his visit, Zhao Xing became so angry that he started cursing.

The Minister of Rites actually asked him whether the selection was limited to those who had never been married, or whether all unmarried women were acceptable. Zhao Xing did not react at first, and it took him a while to understand what he meant.

Those who have never been married are called virgins, but the situation of unmarried people is not necessarily the same, as it includes those who have been married and divorced.

You really think he is a thief, don't you?

Although Zhao Xing doesn't care about these things, can a rookie be chosen like this?

If this is really done, many married people might even get divorced to participate.

How should people in the world view him?

The Minister of Rites was scolded so badly that he bowed and left in a hurry.

Of course, this was just a small episode. Soon the news that the government was going to hold a beauty contest spread throughout Bianjing and became a hot topic in Bianjing.

In fact, after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, not only the officials in Bianjing, but even some ordinary families who were confident about the looks of their daughters did not rush to arrange marriages for their daughters when they reached the age of 15.

They are all waiting for the official selection so that they can participate. If they are really selected, it will be a great honor for the family.

However, after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, he showed no intention of recruiting new talents, and his court officials' requests were rejected several times.

Many people had no choice but to give up after seeing this, as there is an age limit for the draft.

Normally, the age limit is between fourteen and sixteen. If you delay it any further, even if you are selected for the draft, you will be over the age limit.

Who knew that news of a talent show would come out at this time, and this time the talent show was different from usual ones, the age range was between fifteen and eighteen years old.

Actually, Zhao Xing wanted to set the age limit a little older, but in ancient times, it was rare for girls from normal families to not get married before the age of eighteen.

Those who had not yet made up their minds were overjoyed and immediately stopped the marriage talks.

As for those who have already made their decision, they are now hanging their feet and stamping their chests in regret.

They wanted to cancel it, but the talent show would investigate, and if they found out that there was an existing engagement, they would be held accountable.

Naturally, the talent show could not be limited to Bian Jing, but was carried out throughout the Song Dynasty.

Local governments would conduct preliminary selections, and the selected candidates would be sent to Bian Jing to participate in the selection with travel expenses paid by the government.

This was also the reason why Zhao Xing had been reluctant to agree to the draft before, as it was too costly and time-consuming.

Just as the news of the beauty contest spread everywhere, the army that was sent to suppress the rebellion also returned to Bian Jing.

Zhao Xing ordered Han Zhang to lead the way, assisted by the Minister of Rites, to go out of the city on his behalf to welcome the triumphant army.

What no one knew was that there were people from the Imperial City Bureau accompanying them, who secretly took the Zuo brothers away.

Zhao Xing had already received reports from the Song Dynasty, and learned that the Zuo brothers were descendants of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

But he didn't care too much about it. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos and too many princes were destroyed.

There were even many descendants of princes who changed their identities and hid themselves.

The Zuo brothers are merely descendants of the deputy commander of the Southern Tang palace guards.

It could only be that they were related to the Wizarding Cult, otherwise Zhao Xing would have ordered people to execute them secretly.

After all, the Southern Tang was still very popular in the Jiangnan area back then, so it would be better not to spread the news.

The army returned to the camp, and the meritorious generals went to the palace to meet Zhao Xing.

In the Daqing Palace, Zhao Xing sat high on the dragon throne, with hundreds of officials standing on both sides. Song Chaozhong led more than ten generals into the palace and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Song Chaozhong, was ordered to suppress the rebellion. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and have come to report to Your Majesty!"

"Song Aiqing has put down the rebellion so quickly. Your hard work and contribution are great. I am very pleased!"

Zhao Xing said some polite words and then asked Sanshui to announce the decree.

When Song Chaozhong heard that he was conferred a title, even with his shrewdness, he showed excitement.

The other generals were delighted when they heard their rewards.

On the way back to the army, they all guessed what rewards they would receive, but the final reward was much more than they had guessed.

(End of this chapter)