Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

In the Qianqing Palace, all the officials were stunned by Emperor Jingsheng's bestowal of the title of First-Class Duke of Jing upon Jia Jing.

Not only Zhang Tingyu was puzzled, but the other officials also felt strange.

Judging from the emperor's usual style and personality, although he is a man of strong emotions, he is by no means a short-sighted and willful person.

Now, to show such unchecked trust in Jia Jing and bestow such generous rewards upon him, aren't you afraid that he might harm the Han dynasty in the future?

But Emperor Jingsheng's emotions had not yet been fully released. He remained silent for a moment, then continued, quite moved:

"Perhaps it is also the will of Heaven that my reign title is Jingsheng, and my son Jie's name is Jia Jing."

"I am the light of the sun, and Zijie is the light of jade. This light is upright and gentle, yet it shines through the ages."

"I bestow upon him the title of Duke of Jing, hoping that he will truly become a precious gem for the prosperity of our Han Dynasty, and one day illuminate the path ahead for the Han Dynasty alongside me!"

Upon hearing this, the courtiers could no longer contain themselves, and the hall erupted in uproar.

Isn't that a bit too much?

Jia Zijie was indeed a rare and excellent general, and his achievements were truly outstanding!

But Your Majesty, you don't need to make such connections and praise him so highly!

When did subjects become equal to their rulers? Have they stopped upholding the principles of loyalty between ruler and subject?

Besides, aren't you both, the ruler and the minister, shining examples?

What are we, the important officials of the imperial court?

Could it be the shadow looming over the Han Dynasty?

If these words hadn't come from Emperor Jingsheng himself, all the officials would have spat on him!

What kind of magnificent jade is this? That's utter nonsense, utterly absurd!

Seeing that the emperor trusted a military officer so much while ignoring the opinions of them, the civil officials, Fang Congzhe, Xiong Cili, and others became even more gloomy.

Fang Congzhe was the first to be unable to contain himself, and stepped forward to loudly present his report:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The reign title is a symbol of imperial power. Using the reign title as the title of military merit is presumptuous and violates the fundamental principles of loyalty between ruler and subject."

"This is absolutely not what a subject should do, nor is it a blessing for a subject. Even in history, there has never been anything like this... that violates all propriety!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the courtiers in the hall varied, with some wanting to echo his sentiments.

But seeing Emperor Jingsheng's face turn cold instantly on the throne, he hesitated.

Meanwhile, Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, calmed down and immediately stood up to refute.

"Has this never happened before in history? I don't think so!"

"During the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, there was the honorific title of 'Meritorious Officials Who Fulfilled the Rebellion in the Zhenyuan Era.' In the Southern Song Dynasty, there was also the title of 'Meritorious Officials Who Assisted the Emperor in the Jianyan Era.' Both were rewards based on the reign title and the merits of the officials."

"What's wrong with determining merit by noble title and loyalty by reign title?"

The "meritorious official who quelled the rebellion in the Zhenyuan era" mentioned by Prince Bei Jing refers to the combined honorific title of "reign title + meritorious official" during the reign of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty.

After the "Fengtian Rebellion," Emperor Dezong of Tang bestowed upon the meritorious officials who quelled the rebellion the title "Meritorious Officials Who Stabilized the Rebellion in Fengtian" to commend them.

Later, the reign title "Zhenyuan" was added, forming the complete title "Zhenyuan Fengtian Dingnan Gongchen" (功臣, meritorious official who quelled the rebellion in the Zhenyuan era).

Li Sheng was awarded the title of "Prince of Xiping" for his role in the recapture of Chang'an and the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, and was also bestowed the title of "Meritorious Minister of Zhenyuan Fengtian Dingnan".

In reality, it was "to determine rank based on merit and to demonstrate loyalty through the reign title."

Although this title was not a formal peerage, it was engraved on the iron certificate and recorded in the imperial edict, representing the pinnacle of honors that combined "era name + merit".

This is tantamount to permanently binding one's personal destiny to the symbol of the "Zhenyuan Restoration" era.

The "meritorious officials who benefited from the Jianyan era" mentioned by Prince Bei Jing refers to the "meritorious officials who were named after the reign title" system in the early Southern Song Dynasty.

In order to unite the forces against the Jin dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song established the title of "Heroic Minister of the Imperial Army" during the Jianyan era.

They were given the reign title "Jianyan" and thus formed the exclusive title of "Jianyan Yiyun Gongchen" (功臣, meritorious official of the Jianyan era).

Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, Yue Fei, and other "Four Generals of the Restoration" all received this title.

This title is hereditary and comes with special privileges. Although it is not a title of "Duke" or "Marquis," it is a more unique honor for military generals.

The two characters "Jianyan" symbolize the difficult start of "rebuilding the Song Dynasty". The inclusion of the reign title in the title of meritorious officials is intended to strengthen the political identity of "sharing the difficulties with the country and jointly starting the revival".

Therefore, Emperor Jingsheng faced a situation similar to these two, both of which were aimed at revitalizing the dynasty.

His ability to link his reign title with Jia Jing's title of Duke suggests that he was also trying to link Jia Jing's fate with the Jing Sheng dynasty.

After all, Jia Jing was destined to be a minister who would restore the Han Dynasty, and his fate was inextricably linked to the nation's destiny.

However, Fang Congzhe could not accept what the Prince of Bei Jing said. He gave Shui Rong a cold look and almost blurted out the words "There are treacherous officials in the court".

But he didn't say it out loud, because the term "treacherous minister" had become a laughing stock of the Han Dynasty.

He worried that if Shui Rong retorted with, "Do you even know how to write the word 'traitor'?", he and Xu Qianxue would truly be ridiculed by the entire court!

However, he did not readily agree with what the Prince of Bei Jing said, but instead bowed deeply again and said in a hoarse voice:

"Your Majesty! If Jia Jing is granted the title of First-Class Duke of Jing, then there will be no more titles to be granted in the future, which is not good for either him or the court!"

"The Jurchen and Hunxie tribes have not yet been defeated, and the country is in turmoil. There are many opportunities for the court to exert its power. I urge Your Majesty to consider the future and leave some room for maneuver!"

Fang Congzhe's statement was the same as Xia Shouzhong's; he also did not say that Jia Jing's merits did not deserve the title of First-Class Duke of Jing.

Instead, it was to make Emperor Jingsheng consider the future: now that the limit has been reached, what will happen in the future?

Emperor Jingsheng did not speak, but instead looked at Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, who was standing to the side.

He only realized today that although this guy wasn't very good at finding a wife, he was quite eloquent.

Shui Rong understood, and with a firm resolve in his heart, immediately stepped forward and said:

"What do you mean by 'nothing can be sealed off'? Didn't the Grand Secretaries already offer their suggestions?"

"If he makes meritorious contributions in the future, the court can bestow the title of Marquis of Champion upon his father. Even after the Marquis of Champion gets married, his wife and children can be granted titles and privileges."

"Even if we take a step back, the Marquis of Champion's grandmother, the Dowager Lady Rong, is still alive. With so many relatives, what's there to fear about not having enough titles to bestow? Didn't you just say that yourselves?"

Fang Congzhe's face flushed red as Shui Rong questioned him, his anger reaching its peak. He stammered, "..."

"I……"

The reason they mentioned bestowing titles upon Jia She was twofold: firstly, to diminish Jia Jing's military achievements this time, and secondly, because Jia She was about to die, bestowing titles would be pointless.

Ultimately, it was the civil officials who were suppressing Jia Jing's rise to power and did not want him to receive such a generous reward this time.

But if he is granted the title of First-Class Duke of Jing this time, his power will be at its peak! What would be the point of granting titles and privileges to his wife and children later?

Even if he were to be granted a title in the future, Jia She would not live to see it.

If they were to be granted further titles and honors at that time, they would be granted dukedoms and marquises who could bring wealth and prosperity to their descendants for generations, and they would not be willing to do so!

However, these were all secret plans that couldn't be made public, so of course they couldn't reveal them in public.

Seeing that the ministers were all stunned and no one stepped forward to offer any dissenting opinions.