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

In the imperial court, a eunuch who was serving nearby quickly stepped forward and accepted the good news with both hands.

After opening and inspecting the package to confirm that there were no hidden secrets, it was placed on a plate covered with a brocade embroidered with gold thread and dragon patterns and handed to Emperor Liu Zhao.

The emperor at the head of the table looked at the victory report in his hand, reading it word by word, his lips constantly curving upwards, until he was so happy he couldn't stop smiling.

"Excellent! Excellent, Zhao Daxuan! He actually led three thousand troops deep into Youyun Beiting to ambush the Tartar army!"

"He not only captured the Black Mountain Pass, but also wiped out two Tartar tribes. Although it's not said how many he pacified, it must have saved the court tens of thousands of taels of grain and military pay. I was right about him!"

Emperor Liu Zhao patted the dragon throne excitedly with both hands, his tone full of admiration, and looked at his ministers with a smile on his face.

"Such a loyal and brave general deserves a great reward; he must not be treated unfairly! Ministers, what do you think should be done in rewarding him?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the military officials in the court were all excited, while the civil officials all looked ugly, but no one dared to utter a word in rebuttal.

Prime Minister Gu Yanqing's face was tense. He knew that suppressing Zhao Daxuan at this moment would only backfire.

That would only arouse the emperor's suspicion, and might even enrage him. If word got out, it would also damage his reputation.

Gu Yanqing remained silent for a while, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and his previously deep and unfathomable expression changed, replaced by a humble and respectful smile.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! Colleagues, there is no need to argue any further. I was simply overthinking things. Zhao Daxuan has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats and is indeed remarkable."

"Now, in just ten days, Zhao Daxuan, with a weak army of three thousand, has defeated a powerful enemy, annihilated two tribes, and recovered lost territory!"

"Such extraordinary feats truly make him a peerless military talent, a pillar of our Great Xia's northern frontier!"

As Prime Minister Gu Yanqing spoke, he stood up excitedly, stepped forward, and bowed deeply before the dragon throne.

The group of military officers were taken aback when they heard Gu Yanqing speak up for Zhao Daxuan, and then a mocking smile appeared on their faces.

Prime Minister Gu has always been arrogant and haughty, never giving this group of military officers a second glance. The most common thing he said to them was to mock them as vulgar and uncouth.

But they never expected that one day they would speak up for their military commander, and even speak so eloquently that they were overjoyed, as if they were being praised not for Zhao Daxuan, but for themselves.

The white-haired old general sneered, thinking to himself, "This Prime Minister Gu Yanqing's skin is indeed thicker than the walls of the capital."

Now that Zhao Daxuan has made outstanding contributions, he is praising Zhao Daxuan instead. Could it be that he wants to use this opportunity to bring Zhao Daxuan into his camp?

However, Zhao Daxuan had already been marked by the Shen family and could never be on the same side as Prime Minister Gu Yanqing. It was likely that his wishful thinking would fall through.

Xiao Zhiyuan also looked at Gu Yanqing with a strange expression, unable to figure out what he was up to. His attitude had completely changed from before.

However, he also had a vague sense of unease. He felt that Gu Yanqing was not the kind of person who would give up easily, so how could he possibly back down like this!

So Xiao Zhiyuan decided to wait and see. He looked at Gu Yanqing with a deep gaze, wanting to see what tricks Gu Yanqing could pull!

Gu Yanqing paused, turned his head, and glanced at the group of civil and military officials. His tone became more earnest, even carrying a hint of admiration.

"Your Majesty is wise and discerning, capable of recognizing and employing talent, which is why you have such a loyal and brave general. This is truly a blessing for our Great Xia!"

"In my humble opinion, Zhao Daxuan is unparalleled in bravery and wisdom, surpassing all others in the army, and his contributions to the nation are immense. At this point, a mere earl or marquis title is insufficient to reflect his unparalleled achievements!"

As he finished speaking, Xiao Zhiyuan's brows gradually furrowed.

pass!

That's an overstatement!!

Something's not right about that!

Sure enough, Prime Minister Gu Yanqing's next words sent chills down Xiao Zhiyuan's spine.

"I humbly request Your Majesty to exceptionally reward him, promote him to a high position, entrust him with a large army in the northern frontier, and entrust the entire defense of the northern border to Zhao Daxuan!"

"Let him command all the border armies, control all the garrison generals, hold the power of life and death, and act arbitrarily. Only in this way can his extraordinary talent be fulfilled, and the peace of the northern frontier be secured forever!"

Xiao Zhiyuan's face was extremely ugly. He looked at Gu Yanqing with a gloomy expression. His words sounded like high praise, but they were actually full of murderous intent.

The higher Gu Yanqing elevates Zhao Daxuan, the greater his power and responsibilities become, and the deeper the emperor's suspicions will grow.

Listen to what he's saying! He's handing over all military power in the northern frontier to one person!

These words, seemingly expressing trust, actually put Zhao Daxuan in a very difficult position, which would only arouse the emperor's suspicion and the jealousy of the generals.

If they are not careful in the future, they will become too powerful and threaten the emperor, leading to the downfall of their entire family!

This is hardly a reward; it's clearly a subtle attempt to undermine someone with excessive flattery.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the smile on Emperor Liu Zhao's face gradually froze.

His previous smug expression instantly turned cold.

He squinted at Prime Minister Gu Yanqing, then slowly looked out into the distance, his gaze gradually darkening.

How can one person control all the military power in the northern frontier? And also control all the generals, wield the power of life and death, and act arbitrarily?

Those in the know understand that this is a reward for meritorious officials, while those who don't might think it's a granting of titles to non-royal princes!

If such a reward is truly bestowed, then is the Northern Frontier truly the domain of the Zhao family, or the domain of the Emperor?

The more Emperor Liu Zhao thought about it, the more gloomy his face became.

Zhao Daxuan now has soldiers, military achievements, and popular support. If we give him such great power, he will become too powerful to control in the future. Who will be able to restrain him?

A military general who can win with fewer troops, easily repel the Tartar army, and even conquer cities and territories, if he also commands a large army in the northern frontier...

The more Emperor Liu Zhao thought about it, the colder he felt.

No, we must nip the potential dangers in the bud.

The previous appreciation, affection, and satisfaction were gradually replaced by suspicion and apprehension. His expression turned completely cold, and the words he spoke were icy and chilling.

"I understand..."

These four short words were enough to make all the civil officials realize that something was wrong, while only the military officials were overjoyed.

A wise person would know that Zhao Daxuan's fate was sealed when the emperor stopped mentioning generous rewards and praising loyalty and bravery, and even looked at the victory report with a hint of wariness and hidden disgust.

The civil officials immediately showed joy, their eyes shining as they watched Prime Minister Gu Yanqing's retreating figure.

As expected of Prime Minister Gu, who wields absolute power in the court, in just a few words he pushed a loyal and capable minister to the brink of disaster, where his merits overshadowed the emperor's and he was bound to be suspected.

Prime Minister Gu Yanqing lowered his head slightly, a hint of smugness flashing across his dark eyes that went unnoticed. He enjoyed the feeling of manipulating people the most.

Xiao Zhiyuan also sensed the emperor's displeasure and quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I believe that what the civil officials said earlier is also reasonable. If it weren't for Your Majesty's virtuous protection and the prosperity of the nation, Zhao Daxuan would certainly not have been able to achieve such a feat!"

"This humble subject believes that although Zhao Daxuan has rendered outstanding service, he is far from deserving such a generous reward!"

"Therefore, I propose that Zhao Daxuan's rewards remain the same as before. Simply promoting him to the position of Colonel and granting him the title of Viscount would already be an act of great imperial grace!"

Gu Yanqing praised Zhao Daxuan too highly, so Xiao Zhiyuan had to take a step back and lower Zhao Daxuan's expectations a bit, otherwise it would only be like adding fuel to the fire.

Emperor Liu Zhao leaned back on the dragon throne expressionlessly, his face grim and silent. For a moment, the Golden Palace fell silent.