Chapter 1159: The Glory of a Noble Title!
Tranted by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“But, this was no ordinary battle. Senior Brother’s battle was one hundred thousand versus five hundred thousand. This was a major victory while being outnumbered...” Little Jianjian angrily retorted, his face utterly unconvinced. He lowered his head, pouting, and clutched his fingers together while his eyes stared at his feet.
“You still dare to talk back!” Su Zhengchen angrily rebuked.
“That’s how it’s always been,” Little Jianjian huffed, but his voice was almost inaudible.
At this moment, another elderly voice came from out of the house. It was different from Su Zhengchen’s, less powerful and dignified. “Little Jianjian, enough. Don’t talk back to your master. Your master knew of the matter regarding your senior brother some time ago. You should take your leave now.”
“I understand, Uncle Fang!”
Little Jianjian stuck out his tongue and made a face before running off.
Little Jianjian had no idea that two elderly pairs of eyes within the house closely watched him leave, only looking away after a long while.
Su Zhengchen was seated in an armchair, his eyes ncing at the old servant next to him as he sternly said, “Fang Hong, you spoil him too much. It was just a battle, and yet he wasn’t able to keep hisposure at all. How can hemand an army like this, n out strategies, and subjugate the four directions?”
The art of war was one of nning and strategy. On the line were the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and the people of one’s country, making it a matter of utmost importance to the state. Thus, Su Zhengchen had always been strict and harsh when managing his army, and he treated Little Jianjian in the same away.
“Haha, Old Master, there’s no need to be so harsh on him. After all, he’s just a child of eight or nine. And besides, doesn’t Old Master have that child Wang Chong to inherit your legacy?” the old servant Fang Hong said with a smile.
“You...”
Surprisingly, Su Zhengchen was momentarily speechless.
The old servant silently smiled. After serving his master for more than half his life, he keenly understood his master’s thoughts and ns. Su Zhengchen had never admitted it, but deep down in his heart, he was already treating Wang Chong as the disciple that would inherit his legacy. Otherwise, why would he teach him the Art of God and Demon Obliteration, and then also train four thousand Azure Martial Army soldiers for him?
It was just that Su Zhengchen would never admit that out loud.
“You’ll spoil this child rotten eventually. I really can’t deal with you two!”
Su Zhengchen red at his nearly sixty-year-old servant, and then turned his eyes on the wine cup on the table, downing it in a single gulp.
The old servant remained silent, but the smile on his face deepened. He took up the white porcin wine jar and silently filled Su Zhengchen’s cup once more.
His master normally didn’t drink more than four cups of wine, but this was the eighth time today he had filled his cup, something Su Zhengchen had failed to realize. Although Su Zhengchen imed that this was just an ordinary battle, Fang Hong could clearly tell that no one was more ted than his master over the news.
Seeing that the wine jar was about to be emptied, the old servant silently exchanged it for a new one and continued to fill Su Zhengchen’s cup.
Though he had served his master for many years, Fang Hong had rarely seen him so happy. Particrly after meeting that child he called Chong-er, his master had been smiling more and more frequently, which was a great source offort for Fang Hong.
......
As the news of the victory at Ts continued to spread, its effects on the capital widened.
p! p!
As the imperial announcements were posted on the city gates of the capital, revealing even more details, the entire capital began to buzz with chatter.
“Hahaha, what did I say? The Young Marquis is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Mandate1 Star,e to assist His Majesty in sweeping over the barbarians and continuing the Great Tang’s golden age.”
“To contend against five hundred thousand with one hundred thousand, this Young Marquis is truly the War God of the new generation! Only the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi and the War God from the generation before that, Su Zhengchen, canpare to such aplishments on the battlefield!”
“Hahaha, he truly is a descendant of Duke Jiu. The Wang n has three generals, a truly loyal and devoted n. We should request the Sage Emperor and the Imperial Court to grant the Wang n a noble title!”
“That’s right! Let’s go together to request the Sage Emperor to give the Wang n a noble title!”
......
Crowds had thronged at the various city gates, gathering together the peddlers, merchants, tycoons, and even the nobles of the capital. Not only that, the tea houses, wine houses, and inns of the capital, or anywhere else where people were gathered, were buzzing with conversation on the gruesome battle that had taken ce at Ts.
As everyone loudly chatted, their faces shone with pride.
The talk about granting a noble title to the Wang n had originally been only discussed by themon people, butter on, even officials of the court became deeply convinced and began to submit memorials, eventually creating a loud voice that could not be ignored. And all these memorials eventually gathered in the depths of the Imperial Pce in the Sage Emperor’s hands.
Halls loomed within the Imperial Pce, and in the very depths of the Imperial Pce was a golden hall, majestic and solemn. Like a giant bird with unfurled wings, it towered over the Imperial Pce, looking down upon the entire capital.
The Taiji Pce, the residence of the Great Tang’s Sage Emperor.
No matter how furious the storms of the outside world, this ce would be eternally calm.
“Your Majesty, there was a major victory at Ts. The child Wang Chong was not unworthy of Your Majesty’s great favor. They have already passed through the ck Forest, upied Samarkand, and are continuing onward toward Khorasan, the terminus of the Silk Road. A great deal of foreign territory to the west of the Cong Mountains is now bing a part of the territory of our Great Tang, and thends under Your Majesty’smand have greatly increased. This is an unprecedentedly grand asion! At this time, the voices wishing for the Wang n to receive a noble title are getting louder and louder. This old ve has already received several hundred letters.”
Outside the pce, Eunuch Gao stood like the Maitreya Buddha, his hands enclosed in his sleeves as he smiled.
“Your Majesty, the granting of an additional noble title is no small matter. Starting from His Majesty Gaozong’s era, it has been many decades since the Imperial Courtst granted any great n a noble title. And the granting of a noble title is tantamount to an iron ticket of pardon, and it might cause unrest and calls for a new government!”
The Imperial Court rarely gave a title ormendation to any particr great n, and this was not simply out of caution.
From past dynasties, one could see that all the great ns that had received noble titles would eventually be overly favored and proud, a future problem for the ruling dynasty. Even if the problem was not immediately obvious, their descendants would eventually prove this to be the case.
Themon people had no idea of this, but the imperial household had inherited the records from the past dynasties and was well aware. Moreover, the fact that the previous dynasties had rarely granted titles made the granting of a title even more significant.
In the minds of the ministers, such an act was a show of exceptional favor from the Emperor, and it would only take a little while for the people gathered around the ennobled n to create a powerful faction. This would intensify the factional strife in the Imperial Court and shatter the bnce of power.
This was why the Imperial Court was so cautious about granting a noble title to a great n.
This did not mean it was impossible. A great n that the imperial household could wholeheartedly trust could receive this unique honor.
The pce was silent, as if it resided in another dimension. No one knew what the Sage Emperor was thinking at this moment.
“Your Majesty, why not have this old ve reject the idea?” Gao Lishi finally said after a few moments of silence.
Although themon people were currently expressing their full approval for this idea, and many of the officials of the court had voiced their agreement, having the Imperial Court refuse wasn’t too difficult a task, and there were thousands of reasons that could be used. This had always been the nature of politics.
“There’s no need!”
After a few moments, that dignified voice spoke from that pce which wielded the greatest authority in the world.
“Pass on Our decree. The memorial is granted!”
Gao Lishi’s body shuddered, and he suddenly raised his head, his eyes brimming with disbelief.
This was the first ennobled n in the Sage Emperor’s generation. Not even Old Master Yao had ever received such favor from the Sage Emperor, nor had the highly influential Yao n been graced with such an honor.
The ennoblement of the Wang n would probably unleash shockwaves that would resonate through the Imperial Court for a long time, perhaps even affect the future structure of the Great Tang.
“Yes! This old ve will carry out the decree!”
Gao Lishi lowered his head and quickly took his leave.
......
Rumble!
The Sage Emperor had decreed that the Six Bureaus should work to ennoble the Wang n, and this decree instantly sent great waves through the Great Tang.
“Such favor! What level of favor is this! Yes, the people are abuzz, and those who wish for the Wang n to be ennobled are particrly ted, but the reaction in the court is entirely different. I didn’t think that the Sage Emperor would so highly regard Wang Chong and the Wang n.”
An old imperial censor was in shock at the news, his eyes going round with disbelief.
......
Deep within the Imperial Pce, the Yuzhen Pce...
“Hahaha, Little Sister, you see? See how your adopted brother has done! How great of an honor is this, to be acknowledged as a fiercely loyal n! You and I might not have any roots in the pce, but as long as we have the support of my sworn brother and the Wang n, our position in society will be as firm as rock. We might even be able to sit on the same level as King Song and King Qi, bing the third major faction!”
Yang Zhao, dressed in his white Confucian robes and wearing a ck hat, strode into the pce with a schr’s bearing. But even though he did his best to mimic the manners of a schr, he was still rathercking. After taking only a few paces, he returned to his original demeanor. His head held high, he bounded happily into the hall toward Consort Taizhen.
“Big Brother, you’ve truly done something of great advantage to us this time!”
The jade curtains rippled as a foot that seemed to be carved of white jade extended outward. Consort Taizhen, supported by a gorgeous maid, rose and slowly walked out.
Consort Taizhen was also joyous at this moment. Her brother waszy and an unrepentant gambler, and in the several months aftering to the capital, he had gambled away all his traveling expenses. He had spent day after day in the gambling dens, even begging on the streets for money—a truly disappointing brother.
But he had his good points along with his shorings. After spending so much time in the capital, he had at least managed to aplish one good thing.
Just as he had said, Wang Chong had gifted her two poems, so Consort Taizhen had let King Song go, and Yang Zhao was able to be sworn brothers with Wang Chong. The two parties were so closely rted that outsiders had long ago begun to regard them as being of the same faction. With the support of Wang Chong and the Wang n, she would no longer be bereft of any backers in the court or pce.
“Come; take me to see His Majesty. I wish to personally leave the pce to visit the Wang n and see this Madam Zhao!”
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1.The Heavenly Mandate, or Mandate of Heaven, was the belief that Heaven bestowed the right to rule onto the Emperors of China, and Heaven’s approval was witnessed through prosperity while natural disasters and ipetence were signs that the Mandate of Heaven had been withdrawn.?