Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 341: Conferred the title of Marquis! Marquis Qingyang
There was silence in the hall.

Several officials opened their mouths to speak, but they sensed the atmosphere was wrong and were speechless for a moment.

Did Qin Mu and Sun Botang make any contribution?
As long as the civil officials returned safely from their missions and the contracts they signed did not violate the interests of the Qin Dynasty and did not touch the bottom line, they would be rewarded.

Being sent on a diplomatic mission to a foreign land, not to mention the difficult journey, one also has no control over life and death. This requires courage that not everyone can possess.

The merit of an envoy is equivalent to the merit of a military general in a war.

Just now, people in the hall were discussing the mistakes of the Earl of Qingyang, but forgot to mention the achievements of Qin Mu and Sun Botang.

Now that the eldest prince suddenly brought up the matter, all the officials in the hall were unable to respond for a moment.

The eldest prince turned his gaze to the old man standing in front of him, wearing purple official uniform.

Minister of Rites Wang Anzhi.

As a veteran minister of two dynasties, Wang Anzhi has always upheld the etiquette of the Qin Dynasty, respected the laws of the Qin Dynasty, and acted fairly since he took charge of the Ministry of Rites.

Similarly, Wang Anzhi was close to the eldest prince.

Wang Anzhi once said that the eldest prince was the queen's legitimate son and should be made the crown prince.

However, he is already the head of the six heavenly officials. Such a person can say whatever he wants and has no intention of currying favor with anyone.

His official position has reached the top. Even if the eldest prince becomes the crown prince or the emperor, he can only be given some honorary titles at most.

"Minister Wang, do you think we should reward the two lords generously?"

The eldest prince spoke softly.

The Ministry of Rites, the head of all officials, is also the executor of court rules and regulations.

Not just the court, but the whole world.

If there are no rules in the world, there will be chaos.

Wang Anzhi, who was wearing a purple official robe, with gray hair and beard, and an ancient and upright face, took a step forward, bowed to Emperor Yuankang who was sitting at the top, and then bowed to the eldest prince.

"The merits of the mission should be rewarded."

Reward.

Qin Mu and Sun Botang went on a diplomatic mission to Liangyuan and returned after signing a contract. This was a successful completion of the mission and they deserved a reward.

As for the contents of the contract, any citizen of the Qin Dynasty would cheer if they were read to them. Who would dare to say that this contract was not signed well?

There is no problem with the contract, Qin Mu and Sun Botang have made contributions, but what about the Qingyang Earl who won the battle and made the contract?
Merit or fault?
If anyone dared to say at this moment that Qin Mu and Sun Botang had made contributions and that Qingyang Bo had committed faults, then the military heroes in the hall would probably really turn against them.

Is this to cut off the foundation of warriors?

The merits go to the civil officials, while the faults are borne by the military. Then who in the court is willing to work for the Qin Dynasty?

In the hall, a group of officials looked at each other without saying a word.

Qin Mu and Sun Botang opened their mouths and their faces twitched.

Sima Qingguang, the Minister of Personnel, who was standing not far away, turned his head and looked at the eldest prince.

He didn't expect that the eldest prince would have such a roundabout method.

The Fifth Prince standing opposite had a changing expression and clenched his fists in his sleeves.

He didn't expect that the eldest prince could resolve the crisis of Earl Qingyang so easily without getting entangled in it himself.

Originally, he wanted to join the efforts of the civil officials to push Qingyang Bo down, gain a favor and win the favor of the civil officials.

At this point, it seems that Earl Qingyang can no longer suppress the situation.

With a gleam in his eyes, the fifth prince stepped forward and bowed to Emperor Yuankang.

"Father, my eldest brother is absolutely right. The two of you have made great contributions, and then the Earl of Qingyang has made even greater contributions. In my opinion, he should also be rewarded generously."

Since you can't suppress Lord Qingyang, just show your goodwill.

Before the eldest prince could do so, he offered a generous reward to the Earl of Qingyang.

When Lord Qingyang sees me someday, I should at least thank him, right?
Isn't this relationship secured?
"Your Majesty, there are indeed many inappropriate things that the Marquis of Qingyang has done. The rules of the court cannot be broken. In my opinion, he should be punished." The voice of the eldest prince rang out.

The fifth prince was stunned.

The expressions of the officials in the hall changed.

Good means.

Merits are merits, faults are faults. Great merits should be rewarded, and great faults should be punished.

But everyone knows that with such great achievements, no matter how much punishment he receives, it will not be too severe.

The eldest prince wanted to punish the Earl of Qingyang to save the reputation of the civil officials and the court, and at the same time to protect the Earl of Qingyang. After all, since the Earl of Qingyang was punished this time, the court could no longer find fault with him.

After this punishment, I'm afraid that Uncle Qingyang will really soar to the sky.

"Well, let the cabinet draft the decree."

At the top, the voice of Emperor Yuan Kang sounded slowly.

"Qin Mu has made great contributions as an envoy and has been awarded the title of Left Censor-in-Chief, Fourth Rank, by the Jin Censorate."

"Sun Botang has made great contributions during his diplomatic mission and has been appointed to the Cabinet, where he is in charge of cabinet affairs and holds the rank of Third Grade."

"Zhang Qingyang was promoted to Marquis of Qingyang."

"Zhang Qingyang has illegally killed civilians, and his title of Marquis of Qingyang has been stripped from him. He has also been removed from his post as Commander of the Three Garrisons. He will be required to study for a year and pass the assessment before his title is restored and he can be assigned to another position."

"Also, this contract is announced to the world."

In the hall, a group of officials bowed.

Qin Mu and Sun Botang bowed blankly as if in a dream.

They didn't know how they could be rewarded so highly.

Originally, they thought that the emperor would punish them for failing to complete their mission.

Also, Earl of Qingyang, no, now I should call him Marquis of Qingyang.

The punishment for Zhang Qingyang was certainly severe.

If any other war marquis were stripped of his title and dismissed from office, his foundation would basically be cut off.

Which war marquis did not command the soldiers under his command, step by step, and eventually become a war marquis?
Without soldiers, how could they pass the assessment and obtain the title?
What's the point of being a mere warrior without an army under your command?

But Zhang Qingyang is different.

Zhang Qingyang, you are so young!
Zhang Qingyang's rise to prominence did not rely on the strength of many soldiers, nor did he have any truly trusted soldiers willing to die for him.

He doesn't care even if his military power is taken away.

His identity as a military officer in Heibingtai is the foundation!
Putting aside the fact that he had only studied for a year, Zhang Qingyang did act a bit rashly.

Moreover, letting him study can ease his relationship with civil officials.

As for having to pass an assessment to restore the title, this is part of the process for a military marquis.

Which war marquis didn’t have to pass the assessment to get the title?
Become a marquis in one battle!
At this moment, everyone remembered that Zhang Qingyang was made a marquis in one battle!
Everyone's eyes fell on the eldest prince.

The performance of the eldest prince today easily crushed the fifth prince.

With ease, he helped Lord Qingyang overcome his difficulties, achieved the title of nobility, and made everyone happy, saving face for all parties.

Normally, the eldest prince doesn't seem to be so careful and foolproof in his actions.

"I am so ashamed to give the sword made from the red dragon horn that Prince Zhao's Mansion sent to the First Prince."

Emperor Yuankang's words made the officials in the hall look slightly changed.

The fifth prince lowered his head, his face twitching.

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Zongren Mansion.

In the small courtyard, the daughters of royal families who came from all over the Qin Dynasty, all dressed in gorgeous or elegant clothes, with elaborate makeup, stood quietly in the square.

Zhao Yu, wearing a Confucian robe, slipped in from outside the courtyard. Seeing this scene, he turned around and wanted to retreat.

Just as she moved, the woman in charge beside her raised her hand to stop her and gently pushed her to stand next to a group of royal women.

This woman in charge had reported Zhao Yu's affairs to him privately before, and knew that the imperial concubine had a special regard for Zhao Yu.

Of course, she wouldn't tell Zhao Yu about this directly, but would just quietly take better care of her.

Concubine Qi, who was wearing a purple dress in front of her, glanced at Zhao Yu without looking at him much, but continued to test him.

Sometimes she asked about poetry, sometimes about music, and also about etiquette, Qin law and other matters.

All the royal women present answered fluently and gracefully.

Concubine Qi was generous in her praise and even gave out several jade hairpins and gold beads as rewards, which aroused the envy of many people.

After a while, Concubine Qi turned around and whispered a few words to the steward beside her, then looked at Zhao Yu who was wearing a Confucian robe.

"Are you Ying Yuruo?"

(End of this chapter)