nashuaworldcup Chapter 81 All the ministers bowed in submission, and Gu Jingzhi received another great...reward!
Chapter 81 All the ministers bowed in submission, and Gu Jingzhi received another great...reward!
Those who can stand in the court are not fools.
Gu Jingzhi asked five questions in a row, leaving them speechless.
They supported Li Yue before simply because they thought they could use Li Yue's power to regain their homeland in the north.
But if Wu Tianyao had defected to Beili earlier, Beili's northeastern defense line would have collapsed. I'm afraid that before Daxia is ready to send troops, Beili will be destroyed by Li Yue.
At that time, they only need to subdue Nangong Shouyi, and the so-called advantages they had earlier will no longer exist.
By then, let alone recovering the homeland, I'm afraid there will be no peace in the north.
Daxia, lacking cavalry, could only be dragged into the quagmire of war if it wanted to resist the erosion of Beili in the north. Even a single mistake would shake the entire northern defense line of Daxia.
Li Ye gave Gu Jingzhi a complicated look, then turned to Emperor Xia and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am convinced by your alliance with Beili!"
With this veteran general speaking, the resentful generals stepped forward one by one: "Your Majesty, Li Yue is ambitious and the right thing to do is to form an alliance with Bei Li. We second your proposal!"
On the civil official side, Wei Xuan skipped over Song Pu and said, "Your Majesty, our dynasty can recover the five states without wasting a single soldier. This is the highest virtue. I second your proposal!"
Seeing this, Song Pu and his followers could only lower their proud heads.
The prince looked at Gu Jingzhi's graceful demeanor in arguing with the ministers, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and his face was full of smiles.
His younger brothers who were thinking of seizing the throne looked at him with some jealousy when they saw that his mouths were almost grinning from ear to ear, and then they turned their gaze to Gu Jingzhi.
They never expected that what seemed to be the easiest negotiation would be filled with undercurrents and climaxes because of this guy.
What they could never have imagined was that Li Yue's mission to Daxia was just a cover for the alliance, and the real purpose was to stabilize Daxia, and even use Daxia to hold back Nangong Shouyi so that they could implement their plan to destroy the country.
And this Gu Jingzhi's sly plan... was so skillful. Not only did he use the situation to force Beili to give up its territory, he also fooled the entire court of Daxia... all the civil and military officials.
Emperor Xia saw that the debate below had ended and stood up with considerable satisfaction. "Now that the negotiations have concluded and the ministers have no objections, we shall proceed accordingly! Come, announce the decree..."
Upon hearing this, the eunuch standing nearby took the imperial edict and took a few steps forward. "By the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Hanlin Academy Editor and Secretary Gu Jingzhi..."
The old eunuch spoke in a sharp and flowery voice, praising his talent, his good character, and his ability to help the emperor solve problems... He almost made him feel flattered by the praise.
After a bunch of flattery, we finally get to the point.
The old eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "Hereby, I appoint you as Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple and concurrently Secretary, and grant you a house, a number of gold, silver, and jade articles, and servants..."
"..."
Gu Jingzhi blinked.
Ok!
He'd accidentally become a fifth-rank official, and was living the life of a wealthy landlord. But these thirty servants... didn't they seem excessive? How big a house would be enough to accommodate them?
Not only was there a reward, but there was also an official decree that he should lead the Daxia delegation and the Beili delegation to the north in five days to take over the five northern states.
Facing the envious and jealous gazes of many people, Gu Jingzhi accepted the order and thanked the emperor in a daze, then stood aside silently.
The subsequent court meeting was to receive the Beili delegation, namely Baili Gongshu.
After finally waiting until the time for the court to end, Gu Jingzhi left the hall with the other ministers.
After walking a few steps, he heard someone calling him from behind. When he turned around, it was Duke of England Li Ye. He stared at Gu Jingzhi with his eyes as big as copper bells, looking him up and down.
"That brat has some courage..."
He praised him for no apparent reason, then said with wide eyes, "However, none of our Great Xia soldiers are afraid of death..."
"???"
This vengeful old man called me just to say this?
You are a Duke! As for...
Gu Jingzhi was bewildered, but the old man patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are the first one in our dynasty to take back the Five States by just talking. Be careful on your way north. Nangong Shouyi won't be so easy to get..."
Having said that, he left, leaving Gu Jingzhi still confused.
At this time,
Another person walked past him and jokingly said, "What? Did he get promoted and stand here for people to look at him like a monkey?"
"what……"
Gu Jingzhi came back to his senses and saw Wei Xuan looking at him with a smile on his face.
"I have seen this before..."
"Okay! No need to be so polite!"
Wei Xuan held his hand and said cheerfully, "You are the top scorer in this year's imperial examination. I am also your teacher. There is no need to be so polite when we meet in the future!"
"Yes! I have met Teacher Wei!"
Although Wei Xuan said there was no need to be too polite, it is definitely true that more courtesy is better.
Wei Xuan pulled him aside and said, "It's only been a few months since you entered the imperial examination, and you've already reached the fifth rank of the imperial court. This is comparable to the efforts of others who have worked for years or even decades. Don't be arrogant, you still have a long way to go!"
"Master Wei's teachings, students will remember them!"
Wei Xuan shook his head and said, "I can't say I'm teaching you. You've done a great job serving the country this time. Even if I were to become your teacher, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to compare to you!"
"It is thanks to the trust of Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that I am able to realize my ambitions. I am truly fortunate as a student!"
"Well! That's true!"
Wei Xuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler and has great trust in you. In the future, when you serve as an official, remember to be worthy of the court, worthy of Your Majesty, and worthy of the people..."
"Teacher Wei, rest assured. I will never forget what I said today."
"it is good!"
Wei Xuan nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the eunuch beside him and said with a smile: "His Majesty has rewarded you with valuables from your mansion. I guess the eunuchs will take you to claim them. I will be leaving first!"
Gu Jingzhi immediately bowed and said, "Master Wei, take care!"
Wei Xuan clapped his hands and left with a hearty laugh.
As he left, a eunuch beside him came over and said, "I greet Master Gu! His Majesty has rewarded him with a mansion and has specifically asked me to help you with all your affairs!"
"Thank you, eunuch. Please lead the way!"
The eunuch just smiled slightly and immediately led a group of people out of the palace.
……
Soon, the group arrived in front of a mansion...
"Father-in-law...are you sure it's this house?"
Gu Jingzhi was dumbfounded looking at this magnificent mansion. The mansion looked huge from the outside, but with his current rank, he was not qualified to live there. Not to mention him, even his teacher, Wei Xuan, the Minister of Rites... was probably not qualified.
The eunuch laughed and said, "This house was built according to the standards of a marquis's mansion..."
"Marquis Mansion?"
Gu Jingzhi glared: "That's even worse. I'm only a fifth-rank official. How can I live in such a house? Eunuch, please don't harm me..."