However, what was even more peculiar was Fang Xiang's attitude.
With a kind smile, he handed the imperial edict to Feng Yuanji. At the same time, he gently supported Feng Yuanji with his right hand, helping him up, and said, "Duke, your pacification of the Southern Border has made you a pillar of the state. From now on, we will serve in the same court. I hope you will continue to work diligently and live up to the imperial grace."
His tone was gentle and his words sincere. In particular, he pronounced the words "Duke" very clearly. It was as if this was just an ordinary imperial edict of reward, rather than the so - called "package for powerful ministers" that was said to be terrifying.
Upon hearing these words, Feng Yuanji was so excited that his beard trembled. He looked deeply touched, on the verge of tears.
Immediately, he turned around and knelt down, performing the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine prostrations to Zhao Yanke, saying repeatedly, "Your Majesty's grace is boundless. This old subject will spare no effort to repay it!"
Zhao Yanke's response was equally remarkable. He immediately stood up and stepped down from the imperial carriage, reaching out his hand to help Feng Yuanji up.
"Duke Protector of the State, you are being too humble! You led 200,000 troops and recovered six cities in the Southern Border in less than a month, saving our people from the humiliation of foreign enemies. Such achievements will surely go down in history! I not only want to confer a title on you but also grant you a portrait in the Ancestral Temple and a place in the Hall of Meritorious Officials in the Lingyan Pavilion!"
...
The three of them, the emperor, the minister, and the messenger, completed the processes of proclaiming the edict, receiving the edict, expressing gratitude, and giving exhortations in one smooth motion. Their seamless performance seemed as if they had rehearsed it hundreds of times, leaving no room for others to even catch their breath.
In this way, the imperial edict, which was powerful enough to shock the court and the common people, was proclaimed in full view of all the civil and military officials and the people in the city.
In this way, all the seemingly absurd promotions in the edict were also finalized.
The common people under the city wall were deeply touched, their eyes filled with tears.
— The old general's trembling kneeling, the young emperor's eager support, and the prime minister's sincere exhortation. Who wouldn't say that "the emperor and his ministers are in harmony, and the Great Sheng Dynasty is blessed by Heaven"?
Some women with tender hearts had already taken out their handkerchiefs to wipe their tears, and even the shrewd merchants couldn't help but have their eyes turn red.
However, Li Wanming gradually sensed something strange in this touching atmosphere.
This was a blatant scheme!
Zhao Yanke had done it on purpose.
He wanted to confirm this generous reward right outside the city gate, in front of all the military officers and soldiers, all the court officials, and all the people in the city!
Although the Empress Dowager held great power, in the hearts of the common people, the world still belonged to the Zhao family, and the emperor was still the supreme ruler of this dynasty.
Along the way, they had been extremely ostentatious, spreading Feng Yuanji's achievements far and wide, making all the people of the Great Sheng remember the great military exploits of the Feng family's army. The storytellers' tales of "General Feng's masterful command" and the legends of "recovering six cities in the Southern Border in one month" that were discussed on the streets had already turned Feng Yuanji into a living God of War!
At this moment, how many pairs of eager eyes of the common people inside and outside the city gate were watching this scene? How many simple hearts were thinking that "the emperor is truly wise"?
If the Empress Dowager's people dared to object at this moment, they would be going against the will of the people!
In front of the imperial carriage, under the bright sun, Zhao Yanke smiled, his mind working quickly. Since the reward was inevitable, he might as well use this opportunity to give his people an unprecedentedly generous reward.
If he was going to reward, he would do it on a grand scale!
Sure enough, the civil and military officials looked at each other, their faces showing a variety of expressions, but no one dared to say a word.
— Who would dare to speak up?
This imperial edict was received personally by Grand Tutor Lü and proclaimed personally by Prime Minister Fang. Since even these two pillars of the court had remained silent, where did the others get the courage to oppose it in front of the common people?
If someone really dared to say "no", they would probably be torn to pieces by the angry common people on the spot!
As for the Empress Dowager... Well, they'd leave it to Grand Tutor Lü and Prime Minister Fang to deal with. They couldn't do anything about it.
Under the city wall, the cheers of the common people were resounding through the sky.
"Congratulations, General Feng!"
"I've always said that General Feng is the God of War of our Great Sheng!"
"How many years had those six cities in the Southern Border been lost? General Feng recovered them in less than a month!"
"Not only that! I heard that even the king of the Anluo Kingdom had his head chopped off. Now the Anluo Kingdom is in complete chaos!"
The common people were simple - minded. They didn't understand the flowery words in the reward edict, nor did they understand the undercurrents among the court officials. In their simple view, those who had made great contributions deserved great rewards. It was only natural.
After the emperor - minister ceremony was completed and everyone had expressed their gratitude and stood up, Li Wanming couldn't help but quietly tug at Xiao Jingnan's sleeve from behind.
"I can roughly guess what you're thinking, but isn't this a bit too risky? If the Empress Dowager finds out..."
If the Empress Dowager found out, she would surely fly into a rage, and even Grand Tutor Lü and Prime Minister Fang might be implicated.
But Xiao Jingnan just smiled slightly and whispered, "It's okay. If the Empress Dowager asks, Prime Minister Fang will have something to say. He can say that if you want to take something from someone, you must first give them something. By giving General Feng a position of the highest honor first, it will be more convenient to deal with him later..."
"Is that even possible?" Li Wanming was stunned.
Xiao Jingnan winked playfully. "Of course it is."
"Oh, then... then it should be okay."
Li Wanming felt relieved.
Since they had thought of a way out in every aspect, she also agreed that the reward should be as generous as possible. After all, this was a once - in - a - lifetime opportunity, so they should seize as much as they could!
She gently lifted the hem of her skirt and was about to enter the city when Xiao Jingnan stopped her.
With a slight raise of his eyebrows and a meaningful smile in the corner of his eyes, he said, "Don't be in a hurry. This grand show has just begun."
"More to come?"
Li Wanming was stunned.
She thought that the show of proclaiming the imperial edict and giving the top - level reward was already exciting enough, but she didn't expect there to be more!
Just as she was in a daze, the soldiers behind suddenly separated like a tide, making way for a passage in the middle. Two black - awninged carriages were slowly approaching from behind.
When she saw the two familiar carriages, Li Wanming gasped and grabbed Xiao Jingnan's sleeve tightly, exclaiming in a hurry, "What are you guys planning... You're so bold to do this here! You're being too daring!"
Xiao Jingnan gently patted her slightly cold fingertips and comforted her softly, "Don't be afraid. Only by making this matter a big deal can we have a chance of winning."
After saying that, he strode forward and personally lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Inside, there were two people lying there.
One was Marquis Xuanping, Kang Wende, and the other was the prefect of Lingxi, Kang Chuanyi.
— To prevent these two from causing trouble on the way and creating more problems, Xiao Jingnan had specifically asked Wanxin to prepare a sleeping drug. They were given a bowl of it every day, so they slept all the way from the Southern Border to the capital.
Just like this, the Empress Dowager's father and nephew slept all the way back to the capital in full view.
After seeing the people lying in the carriage, all the court officials turned pale.
Not only them, but even Grand Tutor Lü and Prime Minister Fang couldn't keep their composure. They hadn't expected that Xiao Jingnan and his group would be so bold. Besides taking advantage of the situation to demand the highest - level reward, they even dared to openly detain the Empress Dowager's father and nephew!