Su Qi'an and Xie Cang, under the announcement of the chamberlain, slowly walked into the main hall. The main hall was brightly lit, with officials from the six ministries of the court and the princes sitting on both sides.
In front of each long table, all kinds of good wine and food have been placed. Behind the ministers, there are no forbidden soldiers with swords, but maids serving tea and water.
Above, Su Xuanyong was sitting on the dragon chair in the middle, and Su Zhe and Su Tai were sitting on both sides. As Su Qi'an and Xie Cang entered the hall, everyone in the hall was staring at them for a moment.
With a deep smile on his face, Su Xuanyong's hearty voice sounded.
"Haha, the Marquises of Dongshan and Lingdong are here just in time. Hurry up and take your seats. Qi An, you really did not disappoint me in this Dongzhou war. It took only half a year."
"Not only did you quell the war that had invaded Dongzhou for many years in one fell swoop, but you also recovered Zhoushan Island, which had been lost for many years, and nearly wiped out the Fuso Navy. You fought well in this battle."
Su Xuanyong's voice was excited, and everyone could tell that he was happy. The riots in the two coastal states had always been Su Xuanyong's heartache.
Now that the heart disease has been cured, my body and mind are naturally relaxed and happy.
Su Qi'an and Xie Cang took their seats. In response to Su Xuanyong's praise, the two of them raised their hands and said some words, but when their voices fell.
The six officials on both sides put down their wine glasses and stood up one after another.
"Your Majesty, the Battle of Dongzhou was not only a beautiful battle, but also famous for the prestige of the country of Daliang. I was a little offended by Dongshan Marquis and Wei Chen. Now, through this celebration banquet, Wei Chen wants to apologize to Dongshan Marquis. , It’s just a humble minister who is too fussy, I hope the Marquis of Dongshan can forgive me.”
"That's right. Speaking of which, Wei Chen had a lot of criticism towards Dongshan Hou. Now it seems that Wei Chen didn't have a far-sighted vision, which almost ruined a capable minister like Da Liang."
"No, fortunately His Majesty overcame all opinions and had great foresight to keep Dongshan Hou. Otherwise, we would have made a big mistake. Here, we will apologize to Dongshan Hou."
With that said, the officials from the six departments walked up to Su Qi'an and raised their glasses to apologize.
Seeing this, Su Qi'an didn't say anything. He stood up, picked up his wine glass and returned the favor. With the six officials taking the lead, even Zheng Yuan, Zhao Cheng, and Sima Yue, three first-rank Dukes, stood up and expressed their apologies to Su Qi'an.
In response to their actions, Su Qi'an responded one by one. The scene was extremely harmonious. Su Xuanyong looked at this scene with an even bigger smile on his face and said.
"Okay! Okay! Okay. It is our government's trust that you can understand the general situation and resolve the grievances. I am very pleased. In the future, I hope that all ministers can work together to restore the glory of Great Liang."
"Weak ministers must do their best."
All the officials, including Su Qi'an, clasped their fists and spoke.
Then, under Su Xuanyong's order, the celebration banquet officially began. In the middle of the venue, the dancer twisted her graceful waist, and the ministers on both sides drank fine wine and ate delicious food. The atmosphere in the palace gave people a feeling of being intoxicated.
Su Qi'an's face was calm. Looking at everything in front of him, he felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart. The war in Dongzhou cost more than 50,000 casualties, but in exchange for peace in the court, there was singing and dancing.
Everyone's face was filled with an intoxicated look, even Su Xuanyong. Su Qian lowered his head and said nothing. Later, he even put down the wine glass in his hand.
Su Qi'an's actions naturally attracted Su Xuanyong's attention, and he said with a smile.
"What's wrong? Are these not suitable for Su Qing's taste?"
Su Qi'an shook his head, clasped his fists in salute to Su Qi'an, and then said, "Your Majesty, that's not the case. It's just the scene in front of me that reminded Wei Chen of those Dongzhou soldiers who died in the battle. If they were still here, they would be able to see that there is peace now. "
Su Qi'an's words were very soft, but all the ministers in the palace heard it. Suddenly, the originally lively noise fell into silence, and everyone looked at Su Qi'an blankly.
The dancers who were dancing in the hall stopped as the hall became quiet, and seemed a little at a loss for a while.
There is nothing wrong with what Su Qian said, but in this situation, it is somewhat embarrassing.
Everyone could see that Su Xuanyong's smiling face was obviously a little frozen, but he recovered quickly.
The lively atmosphere in the hall briefly froze, but Su Zhe and Su Tai, who were sitting next to them, reacted in time. They first waved away the dancer in the hall, and then tried to smooth things over.
"It can be seen that Marquis Dongshan is considerate of his soldiers. Marquis Dongshan is right. If those soldiers who died in the battle can survive, they will feel a lot relieved when they see the peace now."
"Yes, there were indeed casualties in the Battle of Dongzhou, but this battle must be fought because it is to defend our homeland. We will remember their sacrifices. Come on, everyone, raise your glasses and sacrifice for this battle. Our generals and soldiers, raise a toast to them!”
Inspired by Su Zhe and Su Tai, the officials in the palace stood up one after another, raised their wine glasses, and then sprinkled them on the ground to show respect.
After the two reconciled, it was obvious that the embarrassment in the palace was gradually disappearing, and even Su Xuanyong returned to normal.
At this time, the two princes Zhao Cheng and Sima Yue stood up and said to Su Xuanyong.
"Your Majesty, the veteran ministers respect Dongshan Marquis for his compassion, and the celebration banquet we held is to commend those frontline soldiers who made great contributions in this battle."
"The pensions given to those soldiers have been paid in place, but now there are only two military princes left who have not yet been rewarded. Isn't tonight's celebration banquet just for the two military princes?"
Listening to the two men's stories, Su Xuanyong nodded slightly, looked at Su Qi'an and Xie Cang and said.
"The Marquis of Dongshan and the Marquis of Lingdong were granted the title."
The two stood in the center of the hall, half-kneeling to listen to the seal.
"In the battle of Dongshan, the two military princes took the lead and made great contributions. They were rewarded with a first-class palace for Lingdonghou, 200,000 taels of silver, and the treatment of their ancestors as dukes. Although they were marquises, they were equivalent to second-grade dukes."
"Wei Chen accepts the decree." Xie Cang kowtowed and thanked him. Everyone could feel the excitement in Xie Cang's voice.
The rewards from the front, whether they are gold, silver or mansions, are not as important as those from the back.
Even though he is only equal to a second-grade Duke, being able to restore the glory of his ancestors and enjoy the treatment that his ancestors had as a Duke of the State is the ambition that Xie Cang has always wanted to realize.
The famous general Xie Yu had made great military exploits a hundred years ago. The fact that he was able to hold the position of military general and the second rank of public official was enough to show the importance of the late emperor at that time.
The Xie family was quite prosperous back then, but unfortunately, the descendants did not follow suit. However, in just a few hundred years, the Xie family, which was once famous, fell into a low-class count.
Fortunately, this generation, with Xie Cang's efforts, has reached the level of first-class marquis step by step, but Xie Cang always has a knot in his heart, that is, to take a step further and become a second-class Duke.
Although there is only one step between the Marquis and the Duke, this short step has blocked countless first-class military princes.
According to the laws of the Great Liang, every Duke, even a second-grade Duke, has a quota, and only those with extraordinary merit can be promoted.
Otherwise, you will have to wait for the previous Duke to leave before one becomes vacant.
If you just have to endure it, maybe it's nothing, just take your time, but this law was a hundred years ago. As time goes by, the emperors of the past dynasties have strict restrictions on the number of princes, especially those who are military generals, they are even more afraid. .
Nowadays, among the three first-grade Dukes and the twelve second-grade Dukes in Daliang, there is only one who was born as a military general. That person is now an octogenarian and is basically living at home and has no ability to command troops.
Therefore, under this double check and balance, it is almost impossible to go one step further and become a second-grade Duke or a military general. It is like a natural chasm.
Now, although Xie Cang is still a first-class marquis, some of the benefits and rights he enjoys are the same as those of a second-class duke. He can be understood as an alternate duke in disguise.
As long as he takes this step and becomes a prince, it will be a matter of time, so how can he not be excited by this kind of title.
After Xie Cang heard the seal, Su Xuanyong's voice sounded again.
"The Marquis of Dongshan, Ting Feng, used one action to put an end to the war in Dongzhou. He was the first to make a huge contribution. In addition, during the last war in Yuezhou, he completely put an end to the war along the coast. His contribution is huge and unparalleled."
"I will make an exception and be promoted to the rank of second-grade Duke of Dongshan. I will be appointed to the cabinet. I will be rewarded with a million taels of silver and a Duke's mansion."
When all the ministers in the palace heard this, they all applauded. It felt like they were well-deserved. No one objected, and many people even praised him.
But Su Qi'an, who was half-kneeling on the ground, did not listen for a long time and remained motionless. Looking at this scene, Su Xuanyong thought that Su Qi'an was stunned and did not react.
The chamberlain on the side reminded Su Qi'an in a low voice.
Amidst the applause and compliments, Su Qian raised his head, then stood up slowly and spoke.
"Thank you for your majesty's love for me, but I am granted the title of Second Grade Duke, so I am sorry that I cannot accept the order."
Su Qi'an's words once again silenced the entire audience. Su Xuanyong, who was above him, his smiling expression froze, his brows slightly furrowed, and he did not speak. He looked deeply at Su Qi'an, wanting to hear his defiant answer.
Su Qi'an didn't hesitate and spoke immediately, "Has your Majesty forgotten the agreement with Wei Chen? In half a year, Wei Chen will put an end to the war in Dongzhou. He does not want any reward. He only asks your Majesty to grant the marriage to the Ninth Princess."
Hearing this, Su Xuanyong relaxed his slightly frowned brows and chuckled, "What do you think you are, that you are worried about this? Haha, don't worry, I mean what I say, and it is hard to chase after it. I promise you, I will definitely not." I will regret it."
"In addition to giving you a reward during this summons back to Beijing, I will also organize a wedding between you and the Ninth Princess!"
"There is no conflict between the wedding of the Duke of Feng and the Ninth Princess. As the saying goes, manna comes after a long drought. Old friends meet in a foreign land. The night of flowers and candles in the bridal chamber. When the gold list was named, you got two of them at once. My promise to you. Your mind can be at peace."
"I'm not going to be kind to you, why don't you accept the seal quickly?"
Su Qi'an stood there, looked at Su Xuanyong, clasped his fists and saluted, and then said calmly, "Thank you for the marriage, Your Majesty. I will give everything to the ninth princess, but I will still say the same thing to the second-grade Duke. I'm sorry. The humble minister will not accept it."
As Su Qi'an's voice fell to the ground, the originally relaxed atmosphere in the palace suddenly solidified. With that kind of silence, even everyone's breathing could be heard.
Some people looked at Su Xuanyong from the corner of their eyes, and could clearly see the coldness on his face, which made people shudder.
