Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 72 Receiving an official title before the palace, ascending to the top of the nobility!
For two full hours, the returning army escorted the prisoners around the entire capital, visiting the south gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the north gate of the Altar of the Land and Grain to perform the Three Offerings Ceremony, and finally arriving at the main gate of the Forbidden City—the Meridian Gate.

"Declare!!!"

At noon, Emperor Yongping ascended the Meridian Gate, looked down upon his officials and the people, and shouted a loud command.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I..."

An official from the Ministry of Rites, dressed in a bright red official robe, opened the proclamation and read it aloud.

All the Mongol prisoners knelt on the west side of the imperial road, while civil and military officials, envoys from various foreign countries, and guests stood in attendance on the south side of the imperial road in front of the Meridian Gate, arranged in order of civil officials to the east and military officials to the west. Everyone's face was solemn.

After the announcement was read, the official from the Ministry of Rites respectfully placed the proclamation on the table, returned to his position, and prostrated himself. The music began to play, and he performed four more prostrations until he stood up, at which point the music stopped.

"Show the prisoners!"

The master of ceremonies announced the order, and a group of officers led the prisoners to kneel facing north before the Meridian Gate.

The officials from the Ministry of Justice, who had been waiting, knelt before the central path of the Meridian Gate and reported: "Your subject is the Minister of Justice."

"Prelude!"

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Yongping approved the Ministry of Justice's report.

"cut!!!"

An official from the Ministry of Justice stood in front of the Meridian Gate and announced loudly.

"Wow!!!"

The executioners swiftly brought their blades down, beheading every Mongol prisoner, their blood staining the surrounding ground crimson.

"mighty!"

"mighty!"

"mighty!"

The Imperial Guards on both sides shouted in unison, and the people echoed their voices, which resounded throughout the heavens and earth, deafeningly loud.

The envoys from the vassal states who came to witness the ceremony were all terrified, their faces turning pale. The awe-inspiring power of the emperor was overwhelming, how could they possibly withstand it?

"hehe!"

Among the imperial relatives, Prince Yizhong smiled disdainfully, completely ignoring the scene.

Prince Shui Rong of Beijing kept his attention focused on Jia Yan. He vaguely felt that what happened in Ping'an Prefecture was related to this fifteen-year-old eldest son of the Jia family. The others also had different expressions and were lost in their own thoughts.

The ceremony of presenting prisoners of war thus came to a spectacular end, becoming the grandest event in the dynasty for decades.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the sun began to set and started to move westward, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was crowded with people.

"Ah."

Emperor Yongping, seated high on the dragon throne, gave Su Peisheng a look.

"His Majesty has decreed that meritorious officials be summoned to the palace."

Su Peisheng understood immediately, and his sharp voice echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"General of the Northern Expedition, Vanguard General, Rear Guard General, Military Governor of the Capital Garrison, Commander-in-Chief of Datong, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu"

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree outside the palace listed out the meritorious officials who had contributed to the victory in Datong. There were over a hundred people in total, and apart from Jia Yan, they were all generals of the third rank or above, regardless of their official positions or titles.

The civil and military officials standing in the hall all had tense expressions, as if they were waiting for the grand occasion to come.

“Tap tap.”

The heavy footsteps approached from afar, echoing throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Before everyone appeared a group of tall, robust generals.

A young face stood out among them; Tiger General Jia Yan stood at the very front of the group, symbolizing the greatest merit.

"Su Peisheng." Looking down, Emperor Yongping gave the order.

"The servant is here."

With a solemn expression, Su Peisheng, the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, took the imperial edict from the tray carried by a junior eunuch, opened it with both hands, and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since ancient times, emperors have relied on the strength of their military officials to pacify the world; now that the land is at peace, the troops have returned in triumph, allowing the soldiers to rest and recuperate, so that the important officials in charge of the borders may enjoy a leisurely life, with rewards passed down through generations, and the favors of the emperors securing the country. This is a truly grand ceremony!"

"The generals have always been loyal and steadfast, adept at displaying their strategic talents, and have worked tirelessly to defend the northern border, relieving my worries. Their achievements are truly remarkable!"

"The army shall be rewarded for its great achievements. This is the imperial decree!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

All the civil and military officials spoke up in unison.

Where is the Tiger-like Captain?

Then, Su Peisheng opened another imperial edict, and everyone knew that the main event was about to begin.

"The general is here!"

With a stern face and dressed in a black cloth armor, Jia Yan stood out prominently in the center of the hall, receiving everyone's attention.

'Yan-ge'!

Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen all looked up at the heroic young man without prior arrangement.

"Imperial Edict: In the Han Dynasty, there was Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion, who was ennobled and appointed general at the age of 17. Now, the Tiger-like Colonel of the current dynasty, at the young age of 20, led his army on a raid of more than 5,000 li in the northern desert, sealed the Wolf-dwelling Mountain and inscribed the stone at Yanran. His achievements surpassed those of the entire army, far exceeding those of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. He is the greatest meritorious general of the three armies and a model of military merit in the world."

"He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Daqian, a hereditary title, and is bestowed with a python robe, a mansion, a reward of 100,000 gold coins, 3,000 bolts of silk and satin, and 800 personal guards."

boom! ! !
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall was shocked and paled.

The title of Marquis, second only to the Duke, is the highest nobility conferred since the founding of the dynasty, and there is nothing wrong with it.

The word "Wu" highlights Jia Yan's outstanding military achievements. Historically, there are not many people who can be given the title "Wu," and all of them were emperors. It can be said that the value of this title of Marquis of Wu is no less than that of a Duke.

But what was truly unexpected was the last reward: the privilege of having 800 personal guards. This was a private army, a privilege that even royal princes had never received.

'What does Your Majesty intend to do?'

In an instant, all the clever people in the court realized the unusual nature of this reward; it was no reward at all, but rather a form of flattery that could lead to ruin!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jia Yan remained calm, taking the imperial edict from the eunuch with one hand without making any unnecessary movements.

From the moment Emperor Yongping uttered those words outside Yongding Gate, he already understood that some people had never forgotten what had happened before. It was nothing more than subduing the Jia family. This reward, on the surface, was a commendation, but in reality, it was a constant warning.

'Huh?'

Upon seeing this, many civil officials, generals, and nobles had their pupils shrink sharply.

A fifteen-year-old boy should be carefree, but he is so calm and indifferent to everything. This is not something that ordinary people can do.

Seeing Jia Yan's actions, Emperor Yongping on the dragon throne felt his eyes grow increasingly gloomy, a chilling murderous intent stirring within them. An emperor cannot be insulted!
“General of the Northern Expedition, First-Class Earl Niu Jizong, was promoted to Marquis; Vanguard General, First-Class Viscount Liu Biao, and Rear Guard General, First-Class Viscount Hou Xiaokang were promoted to Marquis; Wang Ziteng, Military Governor of the Capital Garrison, Nian Gengyao, Commander-in-Chief of Datong, Yue Zhongqi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, and Zhang Guangsi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Shanxi, were enfeoffed as First-Class Earls.”

"Shi Bingyi, a first-class baron, sacrificed his life for the country and was promoted to third-class earl, with his son allowed to inherit the title. Feng Tang, a first-class general of divine martial prowess, Wei Jingyuan, a third-rank general of strategic prowess, Li Chuan, Qi Zhengze, Qin Xiuyuan, and Li Xiao, second-class barons, were also promoted to third-class earls."

"Second Class Male Qi Jianhui, Second Class Male Jiang Zining, Second Class Male Xie Jingjin First Class Male

"."

The bestowal of titles continued. Chen Ruiwen, a third-rank general of the Duke of Qi's mansion, Ma Kui, a third-rank general of the Duke of Zhi's mansion, Han Yu, a third-rank general of the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion, Fan Yuan, a third-rank general of the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion, and Pei Zhe, a third-rank general of the Marquis of Chuanning's mansion, were promoted to the last rank of hereditary nobility, the third-rank baron.

Han Qi, the heir of the Marquis of Jinxiang, Chen Yejun, the heir of the Marquis of Suiping, Feng Ziying, the heir of the Marquis of Xichuan, Wei Ruolan, the heir of the Marquis of Zhubei, Niu Meng, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, Hou Jie, the heir of the Duke of Xiuguo, and Liu Yi, the heir of the Duke of Liguo, all received the hereditary title of the third rank: Light Cavalry Captain.

All the eldest sons of the fallen nobles were posthumously granted titles, and the four marquises and eleven earls laid the foundation for this system of rewards.

(End of this chapter)