Duke, Hou, Bo, Zi and Nan were the five formal titles at that time.
Each title is completely different.
Above the duke, there is the king, and above the king, there is the emperor.
The Chinese Empire has only one emperor, that is Shang Rui, but below, there are many princes and small kings. Although they still pay tribute every year on the surface, with the decline of the empire, the countries are conquering each other and annexing territories. More and more often.
Now Lu Bolin directly refuted Zhong Bai's opinion. He didn't want to see Xiao Yuan stand up. He thought that if he brought him to a bitter cold land, he would either be killed by Xirong or die of old age in Qinzhou. But he didn't expect that he actually defeated Xirong. !
This credit cannot be erased by anyone.
And Zhong Bai is a second-grade Zhenwu general, and he will not be vain of Lu Bolin when he receives the title of marquis. What's more, Xiao Yuan is his sworn brother, so he will definitely support him no matter what.
Therefore, as soon as Lu Bolin finished speaking, he sneered and said: "Absurd? Such achievements are obvious to all! Mr. Lu actually said it was absurd? Every one of the successive governors of Qinzhou was suppressed and beaten by Xirong. In the past few years, he lost twelve consecutive years. City! If it weren’t for Xiao Yuan, there would still be mourning everywhere on the border of the empire! May I ask the Lieutenant, if you go, will you be able to repel the enemy?"
"Nonsense! If I had gone forward, how could I have allowed Xirong to act so recklessly?" Lu Bolin glared at Zhong Bai.
"Haha." Zhong Bai laughed and said with a smile: "How about Xirong and the rebels? In the previous battle, the rebels were wiped out and Wu Yuan was confronted. The captain was defeated in many battles. Now, he is talking nonsense here. Isn't it annoying? Laugh."
This was a face-to-face confrontation, and he didn't hold back at all. He just hit Lu Bolin cleanly. The latter suddenly became angry, pointed his finger at the clock, and shouted sternly: "You are brave!"
Zhong Bai's face also darkened: "This is the imperial palace, where political affairs are discussed. All ministers in our court can express their opinions. In the end, it is up to Your Majesty to decide, who is the bold one?"
"You!" Lu Bolin was extremely angry.
Zhong Bai continued: "The Taiwei's record is ranked among the Three Dukes, not to mention Xiao Yuan's outstanding military exploits!"
As he spoke, he faced Shang Rui again, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't reward those who have merit and punish those who have no fault, how can anyone in the world be submissive, and where is the majesty of the emperor?"
"This..." Zhong Bai's words made Shang Rui not know how to answer. He, the emperor, is, to put it bluntly, a pure prodigal. No matter how wise he is, he has no ideas. Now that the two of them are arguing like this, he also Suddenly I felt a little overwhelmed.
Prime Minister Dong Hua hesitated for a long time and finally said nothing. He wanted to win over Zhong Bai, but he did not want Xiao Yuan to become a powerful person. After all, he was from the same line as Yu Anmin and others. When Xiao Yuan was appointed General of the Military Guard, Afraid of holding a grudge.
He wanted to help Lu Bolin, but he was also a political enemy, and he was even more afraid of offending Zhong Bai, so he was hesitant.
At this time, Lu Bolin also bowed his hand to Shang Rui and said seriously: "Your Majesty, no matter what Zhong Bai said, Xiao Yuan did have military exploits, but he must not be granted the title of Duke. It is really inconsistent with his position as a prefect."
Then, under the signal from his eyes, many ministers also came out one after another, and someone said:
"Your Majesty, the lieutenant's words are reasonable. You need to be cautious about the Duke..."
Another person said: "Your Majesty, all the princes and princes in our empire have great virtues from their ancestors. How can we grant this to a commoner..."
"Military exploits are military exploits, and a title is a title, and they cannot be compared..."
Ministers came out one by one, all from the Taiwei line. When Zhong Bai saw this, he was a little dumbfounded: "You guys!"
"Your Majesty! Regardless of a hero's origin, Xiao Yuan is virtuous. Without him, the borders of the empire would be in danger..."
He tried his best to argue and support Xiao Yuan, but the situation in the court was complicated and the emperor was even more stupid.
At this moment, seeing the ministers quarreling back and forth, Shang Rui had long been impatient. This court meeting was really too boring for him. The beauties in the harem were still waiting for him!
He immediately frowned impatiently and said: "Okay, okay! Don't fight anymore! I want the Duke to forget it. I just recognize his status as the Lord of Qin. In addition, I can grant him the title of Viscount and let him continue. Guard Qin."
"This, Your Majesty!" Zhong Bai was anxious.
The other ministers saluted one after another and shouted in unison: "My emperor is wise!"
"Okay, retreat from the court..." Shang Rui waved his hands quickly, and before the ministers could stand up, he couldn't wait to get off the throne.
The emperor left, leaving behind a hall of ministers. After people straightened up, they began to leave the palace in twos and threes. Zhong Bai stood there stunned for a while before he finally reacted.
Then he glared angrily: "This is simply unreasonable!"
His words were undoubtedly directed at Lu Bolin and the others. Intimidated by Zhong Bai's status, other ministers did not dare to respond. Lu Bolin sneered and said: "Huh! Young people are arrogant and domineering. You should pay attention to your words and be careful of disaster. Say it out loud!”
"Huh!" Zhong Bai became angry from embarrassment. After glaring, he also walked away, too lazy to pay attention to Lu Bolin.
Looking at his back, Lu Bolin's eyes were gloomy. Officials from his department gathered around him, and someone began to say flatteringly:
"Lord Taiwei, I have heard that Xiao Yuan and Zhong Bai are sworn brothers. Since Xiao Yuan has not been rewarded, Zhong Bai will inevitably be furious."
Lu Bolin withdrew his gaze, glanced at the official, and sneered: "That's why we can't allow us to add any more resistance. How can we let Xiao Yuan step up to the top and enter the court? If so, wouldn't his two brothers have to do it by then?" Dominate Chao Gang."
"Your Majesty Taiwei is right..."
"Fortunately, thanks to the great help from all my colleagues today, Zhong Bai was not allowed to succeed."
"No matter where you are, I am so lucky to be able to follow Lord Taiwei..."
Everyone praised each other, but Zhong Bai, he may be a military strategist and can lead troops to fight, but he is definitely not a qualified politician. This can be seen from the complicated situation in the court.
He was young and wanted to help the country, but the emperor was fatuous and he was a loner. He couldn't bear to see the corrupt government and often tried to force the officials to be weak. The results can be imagined.
After returning to the General's Mansion, he was still angry. Seeing his unkind expression, the housekeeper couldn't help but swallowed, bent down, and said cautiously: "Master, I want you to come over."
"I know." Zhong Bai responded, because his father's fiftieth birthday was coming soon.
When father and son met and looked at their appearance, Father Zhong couldn't help but curiously asked: "What's wrong?"
"Father." Zhong Bai said: "Xiao Yuan led his army out of the pass, defeated Xirong, and recovered the twelve lost cities of Qin in one fell swoop. However, due to the obstruction of treacherous ministers, the emperor ignored this achievement and did not mention it even if he was not promoted to an official position. What’s the use of only giving superficial rewards?”
"Haha." After hearing what he said, Father Zhong smiled and said faintly: "Son, you are too young. That's because Xiao Yuan is your sworn brother. They are targeting you. If you two brothers, They all have outstanding achievements, how can they not be afraid of those in the court?"
"This, father..."
"Huh?" Father Zhong waved his hand and interrupted him: "Actually, this is also a good thing. By the way, I haven't met your adopted brother yet. I must invite him to his fiftieth birthday. "
"I know, father, don't worry, Xiao Yuan will definitely come to wish you a birthday."
ABC
