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

Although Emperor Liu Zhao already disliked Zhao Daxuan, he knew that the other party had made such great military achievements, and if he did not give him a decent reward, the people of the whole country would probably curse him as a foolish ruler.

For a moment, Emperor Liu Zhao, sitting on the dragon throne, hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Standing to the left, Gu Yanqing could guess what the emperor was thinking just by looking at his expression.

Now that he has achieved his goal of flattering Zhao Daxuan to his detriment, no matter how high he jumps in the future, he won't be able to pull off any more amazing feats.

Furthermore, if such a dangerous person is allowed to remain on the border indefinitely, it will only become a breeding ground for trouble.

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in Gu Yanqing's eyes, and he made up his mind, bowing again immediately.

"Your Majesty, this reward should not be too lenient. If Your Majesty feels that it is too early to let Zhao Daxuan command the three armies of the Northern Frontier, then perhaps you should first grant him the position of general and the title of Marquis of Wangbei!"

"In this way, Zhao Daxuan can come to the capital to receive his reward and have a proper talk with His Majesty about how he made such great achievements."

"Why wouldn't Your Majesty do something that kills two birds with one stone!"

When Emperor Liu Zhao heard what Chancellor Gu Yanqing said, his eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly opened up another way of thinking.

If Zhao Daxuan continues to stay on the border and holds a large army, he will naturally be a major concern for him.

However, if he is summoned to the capital, he will have no troops or power, and he will be at the mercy of the emperor. At that time, whether the emperor kills or punishes him will be decided by a single word.

Thinking of this, the emperor's lips unconsciously curled into a cold smile, his eyes turning sinister.

"The Prime Minister is right. I am not a petty person. Zhao Daxuan has rendered meritorious service to the country, and I will certainly not treat him unfairly!"

The emperor's fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, each tap seeming to strike the hearts of his ministers.

His gaze swept over the prince's civil and military officials, finally settling on a certain spot in the void. His tone was so calm that it revealed neither joy nor anger, yet it carried an imperial aura of authority.

"By imperial decree! Zhao Daxuan is promoted to General Who Guards the North, granted the title of Marquis of Wangbei, and awarded with one hundred taels of gold, one thousand acres of fertile land, and one hundred bolts of silk!"

"In recognition of his hard work and great achievements, he is hereby ordered to temporarily hand over the defense of Heishan Pass to the generals of Zhenbei City. He himself shall immediately return to the capital to report on his duties, and I shall personally summon him to commend him! So be it."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the civil officials breathed a long sigh of relief. Each of them had their own thoughts; some lowered their heads and remained silent, while others secretly gloated.

Only the prime minister stood at the head of the table. Although his face was respectful, a hint of cold smile was hidden in his eyes.

Xiao Zhiyuan's expression changed several times in an instant, and his heart sank to the bottom.

This is hardly a generous reward; it's clearly a demotion in disguise, a way to strip Zhao Daxuan of his military power and lure him to the capital.

He originally thought he could support Zhao Daxuan as a new force in the army.

But Zhao Daxuan grew up too quickly, and the prime minister's few words aroused the emperor's suspicion.

Most of the other military officers failed to grasp the deeper meaning behind it, and thought that Zhao Daxuan had finally gained the emperor's favor and risen to prominence, becoming a favorite of the emperor.

Only a few military officers with some knowledge of political maneuvering looked worried. It was rare for a general to emerge in the army, but now, before he could even grow up, he was about to die young.

"Alright, that concludes today's morning court session. Court is adjourned!"

Emperor Liu Zhao, already impatient, stood up, waved his hand, and strode away.

The eunuch behind the emperor stepped forward and shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Court adjourned—!!"

"Congratulations to Your Majesty——!!"

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison.

After Xiao Zhiyuan walked out of the Golden Palace, a few military officers with worried expressions surrounded him.

"Lord Xiao, things have come to this point, what should we do? You must help Zhao Daxuan out of this mess!"

In the imperial court, the white-haired old general was one of the few who understood the emperor's deeper meaning. After the court session, he went directly to find Xiao Zhiyuan.

The military officers who had gathered around also looked at Xiao Zhiyuan with expectant eyes, hoping that he could come up with a better solution.

Xiao Zhiyuan looked helplessly at the group of people in front of him and sighed softly.

"You all overestimate me. If I were so capable, how could I have let the Zhao Daxuan matter end like this?"

The military officers looked at each other, and then fell silent, the atmosphere becoming very tense.

At this moment, a voice rang out from the side. Xiao Zhiyuan and the others looked over and saw the long-bearded, white-faced middle-aged civil official in the court.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Xiao, the head of the military officers? Are you all gathered together, celebrating Zhao Daxuan's matter?"

"Hahaha... I almost forgot, I haven't congratulated you yet! I must congratulate you properly; your military officer corps has gained a general, this is truly an extraordinary event!"

"Oh, right, and the title of Marquis! Lord Xiao, you don't seem to have such a high title, do you? Wow, Zhao Daxuan is really impressive, he's surpassed Lord Xiao in one fell swoop."

Xiao Zhiyuan looked at the smug-looking, long-bearded, white-faced civil official with a gloomy expression. This man was none other than Wei Zheng, the fourth-rank Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Although Xiao Zhiyuan was a third-rank military officer, civil officials naturally had a higher status than military officials, so Wei Zheng dared to confront Xiao Zhiyuan head-on.

This person has always been malicious. Not only did he mock them as soon as he left the court, but he also secretly sowed discord. He is truly a villain.

Xiao Zhiyuan snorted coldly, turned his body to the side, and didn't even glance at Wei Zheng.

"Lord Wei, I am not talented, but I have killed countless enemies on the battlefield. His Majesty has bestowed upon me the title of Second-Class Earl. Although it is not high, it is still much better than your title of Baron."

The civil service was naturally of a much higher status than the military, a fact that emperors throughout history were well aware of.

Therefore, in terms of bestowing titles and rewards, there was a bias towards the military officer group, since those who sit on the dragon throne are naturally adept at the art of balancing.

Although the civil service held high official ranks and status, their titles and ranks were often significantly lower than those of the military officers.

Wei Zheng was immediately speechless at Xiao Zhiyuan's words, his face flushed red. He knew that his title was indeed not impressive, and he had always been bothered by it.

Now that Xiao Zhiyuan had brought it up, he could only grit his teeth in hatred, flick his sleeves, snort coldly, and turn to leave.

Xiao Zhiyuan watched Wei Zheng's departing figure, but felt no joy whatsoever. He remained silent for a while, unable to think of any good solution, and could only shake his head.

"Alright, I'll go talk to His Majesty again and see if he can use the pretext of the border crisis to prevent Zhao Daxuan from leaving. If Zhao Daxuan really obeys the summons to the capital, I don't know if he will be able to return."

The others nodded in agreement, and the white-haired veteran even pushed Xiao Zhiyuan to urge him on.

"Lord Xiao is right! Go quickly!"

Xiao Zhiyuan glanced at him speechlessly, then turned and left helplessly.

The other military officers also dared not linger in the palace. They turned around and left the palace, waiting outside the main gate.

Before long, they saw Xiao Zhiyuan walking out in a hurry.

Several military officers quickly surrounded him, about to ask questions, but seeing Xiao Zhiyuan's ugly expression, the questions that were on the tip of their tongues were immediately stuck in their throats.

Xiao Zhiyuan knew what they wanted to ask, and shook his head. "His Majesty doesn't want to see me at all, and after waiting for a short while, the imperial edict was issued. It's no use looking for His Majesty anymore."

As soon as the words were spoken, the group heard the sound of horses' hooves at the palace gate. A procession of bright yellow ceremonial carriages slowly emerged from the inner palace and headed north.