A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Inside the Golden Palace, a group of civil and military officials were arguing heatedly, their faces flushed.

In recent days, the imperial court has been in an uproar over the matter of Zhao Daxuan's reward.

For the past decade, military officers have only suffered setbacks every year, with the borders repeatedly invaded by the Tartars. They have never won such a great victory.

Yue Zhenyuan, who was stationed in Zhenbei City at this moment, was already considered to have done well, but he had only managed to guard the country's borders. In the eyes of the military officers, this was already quite remarkable.

However, this time Zhao Daxuan defeated the Tartars with fewer troops, not only repelling them but also wounding the Tartar Khan, whose fate remains unknown.

For a moment, the military officers in the court were so excited that they burst into tears. Heaven had finally sent a savior, so that the military officers would not be suppressed by the civil officials.

Furthermore, some military officers who had received information from Yue Zhenyuan in private intentionally fueled the movement, so most of the military officers agreed to take Zhao Daxuan as the benchmark for military officers.

So ever since the battle report came, the military officers have been in cahoots and have been praising Zhao Daxuan as a rising star among military officers.

The other military officers who were not Shen Congwen's former subordinates only wanted to strengthen their own military power and regain more authority, and they did not care whether Zhao Daxuan was on their side.

For a time, the military officers unanimously praised Zhao Daxuan's military achievements, wanting to solidify his position as a colonel and his title of viscount.

However, the civil officials and military generals were inherently at odds, so they didn't take it to heart at first, thinking that assigning them the position of captain and the title of baron would be enough.

However, the unanimous voice of the military officers aroused the instinctive vigilance of the civil officials, and coupled with the machinations of the grain merchants in Zhenbei City, the initial decision made by the civil officials was instantly overturned.

The civil officials in the court immediately changed their minds, but they were also clever enough to unanimously support Zhao Daxuan in granting him the title of viscount, while opposing everything else.

The title of nobility is merely a nominal one; the position of captain is the one with real power.

Although having one more captain wouldn't make much difference to them, they just didn't want the military officer's presence to overshadow theirs, even for just a quarter of an hour.

Today, there was another round of wrangling in the court, with everyone having their own version of events.

The current emperor, with dark circles under his eyes, rested his chin on his hand, yawned, and watched the argument below.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Daxuan was merely performing his duties. Even if the Tartars were repelled, it was due to the wise and mighty Emperor, not Zhao Daxuan's achievement!"

A long-bearded, pale-faced civil official stepped out of the ranks of civil officials, cupped his hands above his head, and spoke loudly.

The emperor on the dragon throne smiled slightly. Although he had heard such words many times in the past few days, he still felt pleased every time he heard them.

The emperor couldn't help but nod slightly, and the long-bearded, white-faced civil official below him became even more excited, showering him with endless flattery.

"The reason Zhao Daxuan was able to win the battle was because of his troops! And where did his troops come from? They were all supported by the current emperor!"

"With His Majesty as their backing, the soldiers' morale is naturally soaring, and they are invincible!"

"That's why I say, this great victory in the northern frontier is entirely due to His Majesty the Emperor's boundless blessings!"

Seeing this, another short-bearded civil official, not wanting to be outdone, coughed twice to clear his throat, then stepped out of the line and began to speak loudly.

"That's right, the reason Zhao Daxuan was able to win battles was entirely because His Majesty's power was awe-inspiring, and the Tartar army trembled with fear at the mere mention of his name!"

"Furthermore, the stability of the Great Xia Dynasty is also inseparable from the Prime Minister's effective governance and skillful management of his subordinates."

"All of you military officers say Zhao Daxuan is a capable fighter, but I believe that with the support of His Majesty and the Prime Minister, Li Daxuan or Wang Daxuan could also win and achieve great things!"

The short-bearded civil official also kept flattering him, and with a quick glance, he also brought along the prime minister, who was sitting at the head of the group of civil officials.

Although he was standing at the back and couldn't see the Prime Minister's expression, he could tell what the Prime Minister meant from the fact that the other party didn't react after hearing his words.

Which of the civil officials present wasn't a shrewd person? Seeing someone start shamelessly flattering him, they all stepped forward to speak.

They claimed to be discussing official business, but it was all just flattery of the current emperor and prime minister.

Seeing the overwhelmingly positive comments in the court, with even the current emperor nodding in agreement, the military officers were furious and their faces turned ashen.

An old general with graying hair couldn't help but jump out to refute, pointing at the long-bearded, white-faced civil official and cursing him.

"Bullshit! Our soldiers are fighting tooth and nail on the front lines, risking their lives, and you call that His Majesty's good fortune? If it were all about luck, what would be the point of having us soldiers?"

"Zhao Daxuan led two thousand men to garrison outside Wangbei City, directly confronting the Tartar army head-on. Those were achievements earned with their lives on the line!"

"You are thousands of miles away, yet you, in the capital, can command the Emperor with a mere word? Was the blood shed by our brothers on the front lines shed in vain?!"

The long-bearded, white-faced civil official didn't care at all, his hands crossed in front of him, looking completely calm and composed, until he heard the last sentence, at which point his eyes widened in surprise.

"What do you mean? Isn't His Majesty's contribution the greatest? What are you plotting by maliciously erasing His Majesty's achievements?!"

The white-haired old general was immediately speechless, only then realizing that he had spoken too quickly and misspoke. He stood there stammering for a long time, not knowing how to respond.

"Enough! Stop distorting the truth!"

Just then, a mature and steady middle-aged voice rang out from the head of the military officers. This person was none other than Xiao Zhiyuan, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council.

Since the Prime Minister framed and beheaded Shen Congwen, the position of Privy Councilor has remained vacant.

Xiao Zhiyuan, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council, became the leader of most military officers, so his words carried considerable weight.

"His Majesty is certainly wise!"

"But battles are won by our soldiers, one by one!"

"The Tartar heads were chopped off one by one!"

"Several cartloads of Tartar heads that day? Tell me, in the last ten years, when have I ever seen anything like that?"

"You think you can erase the achievements of the entire army with just a few simple words and a few misleading statements?"

"Shameless!"

Xiao Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

He exuded a murderous aura, a quality forged through the bloodshed and trials of the battlefield.

"The Tartars weren't driven back by your words, they were driven back by Commandant Zhao! Without the fierce fighting on the front lines, how could the northern border be secure? You're just someone who talks without understanding the situation!"

"Merit is merit, and death in battle is death in battle! Don't use saintly virtue as a pretext to swallow up the achievements that our soldiers risked their lives for! If you're so capable, try defending Zhenbei Pass for three days yourself!"

"His Majesty is discerning in his judgment of people and will never overlook the merits of his soldiers! What are your intentions in distorting the facts and attempting to sow discord between the border soldiers and His Majesty!"

With just a few words, Xiao Zhiyuan escalated his actions to the level of sowing discord between the Emperor and the border soldiers. The long-bearded, pale-faced civil official turned deathly pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

The long-bearded, white-faced civil official looked pleadingly at the prime minister, Gu Yanqing, sitting at the head of the table.

Sensing the pleading gaze behind him, Gu Yanqing opened his eyes, which had been closed to rest, and spoke softly.

"Lord Xiao, you've misunderstood."