pappabearbooks #148 - Chapter 148: Reward in the Palace
#148 - Chapter 148: Reward in the Palace
Amidst the grateful voices of the common people, Li Yuan turned and looked at the Auxiliary General on the high platform.
At this moment, Zheng Tianxiong's face was gloomy, and his whole body was trembling.
He never expected that Li Yuan would actually kill the Tiele envoy, Bo Jiya, which was completely beyond his expectations.
But then, the Auxiliary General's face turned pale.
He thought of an even more terrible consequence.
The Tiele envoy died in the Great Liang capital, how could those grassland barbarians let it go?
It might bring another war to Great Liang.
He was frightened and pointed at Li Yuan below, shouting.
Those relatives were filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy because their families were avenged.
As soon as Li Yuan said this, they didn't even think about it and knelt on the ground, loudly thanking the Auxiliary General for his great kindness towards them.
As a result, somehow, with their lead, more and more people knelt down behind them.
These people were all shouting loudly, thanking the Auxiliary General for eliminating this scourge for the capital.
This time, Zheng Tianxiong's face turned red.
He couldn't vent his resentment towards Li Yuan.
He didn't want to avenge the people of the capital at all.
He just wanted to use the Tiele people to get rid of this unsightly Li Yuan.
Now, killing Bo Jiya has become his own instruction.
Zheng Tianxiong looked at the kneeling people below, his features constantly twisting and twitching, and his hatred for Li Yuan grew even stronger.
Because he had already seen that the gazes of the few remaining Bo Jiya subordinates, who had not yet left the imperial city square, were filled with resentment and hatred towards him.
These Tiele people must have thought that he sent someone to find Bo Jiya in order to murder him.
Now, he couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Beining River.
In the end, Auxiliary General Zheng Tianxiong could only flick his sleeves and leave in resentment amidst the grateful voices of the people.
The old eunuch Wu De'an, standing on the imperial city wall, was now very satisfied with Li Yuan.
For no other reason than that this Captain Li had made both the Left Chancellor and the Auxiliary General suffer losses in less than half a day after entering the city.
The losses of these two people were equivalent to helping the Empress faction strike at their competitors for the crown prince.
From this perspective, Li Yuan could be considered to have accidentally helped the Empress faction.
Wu De'an nodded slightly as he looked at Li Yuan's figure.
It is indeed a talented person for a small military household to have such means.
After the ceremony of presenting captives and heads and the sacrifice to the heroic spirits were completed.
The triumphal ceremony proceeded to the third part, the awarding of merit in front of the palace.
The awarding of merit in front of the palace naturally couldn't allow all the thousands of Longxiang Army to enter the palace.
The Palace Garrison had already emptied a military camp of the Imperial Guards to temporarily accommodate the Longxiang Army soldiers.
The Marquis of Longxiang, Li Yuan, and the various generals of the Longxiang Army were led by palace servants into the imperial city to receive their rewards.
Compared to the lively welcome at the North Gate and the victory parade just now.
The process of receiving awards in front of the palace seemed very rigid.
Under the arrangement of the Palace Garrison, Li Yuan could only follow behind the Marquis of Longxiang step by step.
He entered the ruling center of Great Liang, the Xuande Hall.
He performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine prostrations towards the head seat.
Li Yuan secretly looked up.
Sitting on the dragon chair was a fat man wearing a dragon robe.
Li Yuan knew that the person sitting there was the emperor who ruled the Great Liang Dynasty, Emperor Jianxing, Chen Yunsheng.
It's just that because of the distance and the obstruction of the curtains, he couldn't see the emperor's appearance at all.
At this time, civil and military officials were lined up on both sides of the hall.
Even the Left Chancellor and the Auxiliary General, who had just been at odds with the Longxiang Army, were standing on the left and right sides of the hall with frosty faces.
The process of awarding merit in front of the palace was not complicated.
First, an eunuch read out the imperial decree in front of the hall, greatly praising the achievements of the Longxiang Army in this battle.
Then, the court's rewards were announced.
The first to be rewarded was naturally Bai Jing, the Marquis of Longxiang.
Bai Jing himself was already a marquis, and one of the four great marquises of Great Liang, with a respected position.
Although there was no room for promotion in terms of title, this great victory greatly consolidated the position of the Longxiang Bai family, especially Bai Jing himself.
The court was quite generous this time.
In the name of the emperor, Bai Jing was awarded a marquis' mansion in the capital.
Three sets of carriages and horses, twelve sets of crowns and robes, and a hundred slaves.
A suit of fish scale golden armor, ten imperial horses, and ten imperial bows and knives.
Various silks, treasures, jade, gold, and silver in dozens of boxes.
Although these rewards were nothing to the Marquis of Longxiang.
But after all, it was a kind of recognition from the court.
The second to be rewarded was naturally Li Yuan, the one who made the greatest contribution in this battle.
Although the Auxiliary General disliked Li Yuan very much, he kept his promise.
He directly recommended Li Yuan to be the Earl of Great Liang.
The Empress faction also intended to win over Li Yuan, so naturally they would not object.
Although the Left Chancellor objected, he was alone and unsupported.
So Li Yuan was officially conferred by the court as the [Qingyuan County Earl]
With a fief of 500 households, located in Qingyuan County, Dingzhou Prefecture, Beichuan Road, which is Li Yuan's hometown.
He was also given an imperial horse, a mansion in the capital, and ten beauties.
A pair of imperial bows and knives, a suit of silver armor.
A box of pearls and treasures.
A reward of twenty thousand taels of silver.
Li Yuan was delighted in his heart.
The rewards were so generous, which can be said to be a heavy reward in the Great Liang Dynasty.
Afterwards, the court successively rewarded the other generals of the Longxiang Army.
After about an hour, the awarding of merit in front of the palace was finally completed.
The Marquis of Longxiang and Li Yuan followed the palace servants out of the palace.
On the way, the female marquis told Li Yuan.
In fact, there is one last item in this triumphal ceremony, which is the merit awarding banquet.
However, according to the rules of Great Liang, this banquet will not be held today, but three days later in a royal garden in the suburbs [Yuchen Garden].
At that time, several princes and the civil and military officials in the court will participate.
Speaking of this, the female marquis suddenly smiled.
Li Yuan was a little curious, so he asked Bai Jing why she was laughing.
The female marquis covered her mouth and replied.
"Li Lang."
"When I think that the three forces vying for the crown prince will all sit together three days later, exchanging toasts and cups."
"Thinking of that scene, I find it very interesting."
"I don't know what the expressions of the Left Chancellor, the Auxiliary General, and Empress Xiao will be at that time."
Li Yuan was not familiar with the various forces and civil and military officials in the capital, and he did not comment.
At that time, he only needs to follow Bai Jing.
However, his mind moved, and he suddenly thought of something again, and asked the female marquis in a low voice.
"Now the three forces in the capital are at odds with each other."
"And the location of this banquet is in the suburbs."
"Will they take the opportunity of the merit awarding banquet to do something?"
"For example, ambushing armored soldiers and assassins..."
Speaking of this, Li Yuan made a chopping motion with his hand.
Of course, the Marquis of Longxiang understood what Li Yuan meant, she thought for a while and said.
"In theory, it shouldn't reach that point."
"However, the current situation is delicate, and it would not be strange if anything happened."
"We are just outsiders, so we must be fully prepared for everything."
"At that time, just go to the banquet with peace of mind."
Li Yuan nodded after hearing this.