Suddenly, there was silence in Wanhua Palace, with more than thousands of people standing.
Lu Qingping also immediately became serious and looked towards the source of the sound.
The Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, Zhao Jian, is here.
The person who spoke just now must also be an eunuch, but judging from his powerful voice, he is obviously a member of the martial arts, at least a great master.
The emperor arrives.
Immediately, more than thousands of people in the square bowed and saluted: "Long live His Majesty! Long live Long live!"
The officials and ministers were holding jade guides, just like the generals and princes like Lu Qi also had jade guides in their hands.
The holy places of the three religions and the famous families just bowed in greeting and chanted "Greetings to Your Majesty."
More than 3,000 people knelt down and kowtowed.
Wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and an imperial crown on his head, Zhao Jian is only in his fifties, but looks more like a sixty-year-old Zhao Jian. He smiled and said, "No need to pay tribute."
Lu Qingping watched the emperor get off the dragon sedan chair, walk straight up to the highest dragon chair in the palace and sit down, and everyone sat down one after another.
The young man raised his head and looked at the emperor Zhao Jian, who was known as the emperor of the Sui Dynasty who "revived the expansion of the country".
His complexion was fair, but it was not healthy white, but rather sickly, which made his body look very thin. However, at this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the emperor.
After everyone is seated.
Zhao Jian looked at Lu Qingping at this time, smiled and waved to the boy: "This is Ping'er, she has become a young man. Come, come to me."
At this moment, countless pairs of eyes were once again cast on Lu Qingping.
Different from the time he walked in, this time Lu Qingping was a little caught off guard.
Although today was a reception banquet held for him, but he was suddenly called to his side by the most powerful person in the world. He still couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat, and he was a little unprepared.
But after all, he was the one who had even met Zhang Sanfeng, the second most ancient god in the world, and had a pleasant conversation with him. At this time, he gathered his thoughts, left his seat, and walked up to the high platform.
There were countless pairs of eyes in the audience, watching the young man walking towards the emperor.
There were all kinds of looks, but they were well hidden, just waiting for the emperor to speak next and say something.
After Lu Qingping went up to the dragon platform to see her again.
Everyone knows that the highlight of the state banquet is coming.
At this moment, the eyes of all the officials, ministers, famous families of the three religions, and common people all fell on today's two protagonists.
One is the emperor and the other is Lu Qingping.
Zhao Jian first waited for Lu Qingping to get closer and took a closer look. A trace of gentleness flashed in his eyes, as if he wanted to find the shadow of another girl in the young man.
Qingyang should be as tall as this child...
In just a moment, Zhao Jian suppressed the longing for his daughter, and then his voice came out, facing the thousands of subjects in the Wanhua Palace today, as well as the famous families of the three religions.
"Dear subjects, do you know why I have to hold a state banquet to welcome the son of King Wu Cheng when he returns?"
"I am stupid."
Immediately, a group of officials bowed their heads and said they didn't know.
The members of the four major families in the seats looked at these people indifferently, sneering in their hearts, but at the same time they did not make a sound, they just watched quietly what tricks the emperor wanted to play with Lu Qi's son today.
Zhao Jian withdrew his gaze from Lu Qingping, then turned to everyone below, speaking in a gentle voice:
"I came to Dabao twenty-eight years ago and have mastered the artifact for twenty-eight years. I have never changed my reign name. Now it is the twenty-eighth year of founding the emperor."
"My emperor has worked hard to govern the country. In the past twenty-eight years, the country has been in good weather. This is the blessing of the country and the great Sui Dynasty."
Except for the famous members of the three religions who did not express their attitude, all the officials and ministers shouted long live.
Zhao Jian continued: "Before I succeeded to the throne, the world had been in chaos for thousands of years. The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were even more chaotic than the Three Kingdoms period.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was not a single year without war between the ten kingdoms. There was not a single day in the Sui Dynasty when we were no longer worried about the invasion of enemy countries.
Until...that day three hundred years ago.
The Battle of Tang and Chu.
In the Northern Tang Dynasty, Chu began to conquer the world and destroyed six countries one after another.
One hundred years ago.
We, the Sui Dynasty, also took advantage of the situation and rose up, destroying two countries one after another within a hundred years.
This last country in the Spring and Autumn Period two years ago was destroyed by my hands.
Let me expand the territory of the Sui Dynasty again after Emperor Shenzong a hundred years ago."
But before the ministers could compliment him again.
Zhao Jian continued to talk to himself:
"The Sui Dynasty was originally a small country in the Spring and Autumn Period. Eleven years ago, the Sui Dynasty was able to have such national power to destroy Shu. It was only the remnants of the two former emperors Fen, Yong and Zhen. It was not my fault."
"A small country with few resources cannot fight well, so it has no choice but to destroy Shu. If the Sui Dynasty cannot destroy Shu, the Tang Dynasty will destroy Shu. After the Sui Dynasty loses the natural barrier of Shu, the Northern Tang Dynasty will march straight in and break through the gate of our country. Therefore, eleven years ago
I am determined to order King Wu Cheng to send out troops to Shu, and it will take half a year to destroy the country in one battle."
Lu Qi bowed his head to the emperor, but said nothing and sat quietly in his seat.
No one in Wanhua Palace made any noise, everyone was listening quietly to Emperor Zhao Jian's words.
Zhao Jian's voice was calm.
"Ten years ago, we, the Sui Dynasty, did destroy the Shu Kingdom, but we also depleted the national power in this battle. The national power gained by the rest and recuperation of Emperor Zhen was completely wiped out by my generation.
Wealth and land have been lost unprecedentedly, and the number of soldiers and soldiers has been greatly reduced. Although there are three-thirds of mountains and rivers south of Jamfu, there is almost no power to fight against the Tang Dynasty."
"At that time, the enemy Tang Dynasty was dominating the northern world, and they were thinking of going south all the time. If they had gone south eleven years ago, although the Sui Dynasty still had elite troops, it would have been nothing more than a dead end for the country and the people."
"Under such a situation, losing a battle and destroying the country can only happen in an instant."
"However, God helped the Sui Dynasty. Unexpectedly, something happened to the royal family of the Northern Tang Dynasty at that time. There was the Xuanwu Sect change, which made it difficult for them to take care of other things. And after discussing with all the ministers and ministers, I decided to transfer my pearl to the throne.
Qingyang and Qingping, the son of King Wucheng, were sent to the Northern Tang Dynasty as hostages in exchange for not handing over the alliance for the time being, in order to protect the people and soldiers while the country's power was still there, restore their strength, and then make plans again."
At this time, Zhao Jian looked at Lu Qingping and sighed: "Now, ten years have passed."
"These ten years are not an ordinary decade, they can be called an unprecedented decade."
"For thousands of years, there has never been a day when the ten countries stopped fighting, but within these ten years, the world has become peaceful."
"How did I get these ten years? My beloved daughter Qingyang and my two children Qingping, son of King Wu Cheng, spent ten years of their youth in exchange for the people of the world."
"Without these ten years, the Sui Dynasty would not have been able to recuperate and the people would not have been able to live and work in peace and contentment, so!"
The emperor suddenly looked majestic:
"This! This is why I want to honor Qingping, a hero of the country and a hero of the people, with a state banquet, and why I am happy for his return to the country!"
At this time, in the square in front of Wanhua Palace, hundreds of officials, ministers, famous families of the three religions, and the people, whether they were willing or not, or sincerely grateful, all shouted:
"Princess Qingyang and Crown Prince Qingping have made great contributions to the present generation and benefited the country!"
Upon seeing this, Zhao Jian nodded and said to the red-dressed eunuch Chen Zilian: "Declare the decree."
Under the different looks of people from the four major families.
Chen Zilian, the general manager of the department, began to announce:
"It is the destiny of heaven, and the emperor's edict said: The great fortune of the saints is carried by heaven and earth, and everyone will respect those who have made meritorious deeds...
Lu Qingping, the eldest son of King Wucheng, has made meritorious service in protecting the country, and his reputation in this world is in compliance with God's will. Lu Qingping was given the title of Duke, and the fiefdom of Lianhua County in Qingzhou, with the ability to recruit three thousand troops."
In addition, Lu Qi has made great achievements in the ten-year reform, and its benefits will last forever. His son can inherit the throne of King Wucheng after King Wucheng, so I admire this!"
Hiss~~
One imperial edict, two gifts!
As soon as this imperial edict came out, the officials, ministers and famous families in the audience immediately took a breath of cold air.
Among the three holy places, Xiangshan Academy and Danxia Paradise are still not aware of it.
After all, they don't care much about government affairs.
The real scholars in the academy spend their whole lives studying knowledge and principles and don't care much about fame and fortune.
Only Meng Hanchan, who was friends and teammates with Lu Qingping, was more concerned and was shocked by the size of this reward.
The four major aristocratic families and hundreds of officials were directly shocked.
Zhou Dunhuang, the head of the Zhou family, Zhou Junbai, the descendant, Li Zheng, the elder of the Li family, Li Xiao, the descendant of the Wen family, Wen Shengde, Wen Shenfeng, Ye Fuyang and Ye Canghai of the Ye family.
Ye Canghai narrowed his eyes and said, "You are hereditary and you are going to become a young prince?"
The father and son of the Zhou family exchanged glances with each other at this moment, both showing great dignity.
"Hereditary rule is hereditary! King Wu Cheng's hereditary rule is disregarded!"
Zhou Dunhuang found it difficult to calm down.
The content of this edict is so shocking.
When the imperial edict announced the granting of a county title and the fiefdom of Lianhua County in Qingzhou in the north, which could recruit three thousand soldiers, he already felt that this grant was enough.
Qualification for recruitment of three thousand soldiers.
You must know that three thousand elite soldiers are a force that can directly defeat an established Jianghu sect.
For example, before Zhang Sanfeng left Wudang Mountain, there were only a few second-rate Taoist sects like Zhao Qilu.
As long as three thousand elite soldiers pass by, they can crush the mountain gate to pieces without leaving any residue.
It was said to be recruiting troops, but in fact, Lu Qi only needed to transfer 3,000 people from the Zhenbei Army to his son, and the transition was easily completed.
A person who comes back as a hostage for ten years can give birth to a county prince and lead three thousand troops as soon as he comes back.
But the emperor had already said that before. There was no peace for thousands of years, but it was all thanks to these two young men to bring ten years of peace to the people of the world. According to the rewards for military merit after the restructuring of the Sui Dynasty, this reward was indeed appropriate.
But how could I have expected that there would be a hereditary villain later!
King Wucheng was hereditary but not replaced.
Zhou Dunhuang was still able to remain calm and silent.
However, not far away from him, the head of the Wen family gave Wen Chengen the position of Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Civil Affairs with a glance.
The left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was appointed by the head of the family, and he immediately said bravely: "Your Majesty, I personally think that it is appropriate to confer a county title to the son of King Wucheng. This hereditary disregard is a bit against the rules. I
Since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, there has been no case of hereditary neglect. Your Majesty’s grant of this kind is really too much. Please think again.”
With the Wen family taking the lead, all officials with clan influence immediately stood up, and various voices emerged:
"Your Majesty, you can't!"
"Hereditary inheritance is against the ancestral system!"
"Your Majesty, please take back your order!"
As the protagonist in this incident, Lu Qingping had no psychological fluctuations and just stared with interest at these people who stood up to oppose the emperor.
"These people should be Lu Qi's next opponents."
Lu Qi didn't speak at this time.
Logically speaking, at this time, he should have stood up and refused in a decent manner, saying that the favor was too generous and Quanzi did not dare to accept it. However, Lu Qi did not move. He acted as if he was completely listening to the emperor's decision.
Moreover, what the emperor has to do today is not finished yet.
This is just the beginning!
Zhao Jian glanced at the people who stood out with his eyes, and said in a calm tone: "Did you not hear the imperial edict clearly just now?"
When the emperor spoke, the ministers were silent for a moment.
They each looked seriously waiting for the emperor's next words.
Zhao Jian looked at Lu Qingping and said: "I gave Qingping the title of nobility to thank him for bringing ten years of peace to the people of the world. His contribution is in the contemporary era, and the gift that is hereditary and irreplaceable is to give him the title of King Wu Cheng.
The king and the prime minister have implemented reforms and new systems for ten years, which will benefit the future, and he deserves this honor."
One is to reward Lu Qingping, and the other is to reward Lu Qi.
Although both Lu Qingping benefited, their names were different.
"I have objections."
At this time, Wen Cheng'en, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, gritted his teeth and remonstrated again: "I personally believe that it is inappropriate to reward King Wu for becoming a king now that the reform and new system have not been proven to be a feasible solution for the future.
"
Over the years, Lu Qi has already been in dire straits. With the powerful military force behind Lu Qi, some of the actions of these aristocratic clans have become timid.
I thought that Lu Qi had already reached the highest level of human affairs and could not be granted any title. Unexpectedly, he could be granted another "hereditary" title...
This is absolutely opposed.
The stronger Lu Qi is, the more dangerous they are.
However, Zhao Jian finally waited for this moment.
The topic turned to the reform and new system.
The emperor smiled.
The old foxes from several big families in the audience all turned dark.
"Wen Chengen is a pig. The emperor has been waiting for us here for a long time. He specially handed the words to us!"
Even the head of the Wen family was so angry that his chest heaved.
But they also knew deep down in their hearts that even if Wen Chengen hadn't started talking like a pig at this time, there would have been someone arranged by the emperor to talk about the reform.
At this moment, they all realized the true purpose of today's state banquet.
It is necessary to integrate the general trend of public opinion about the return of Lu Qi's son with the Sui Dynasty's reforms.
Next, it was the turn of the emperor who was best at manipulating people's hearts to guide them.
Lu Qingping had already learned the purpose behind today's state banquet from Mr. Guo Xiaoren. At this time, she glanced sideways at the emperor and thought:
"Now, it's your turn to start the real show."
He also wanted to see how the emperor could open the door to the last imperial examination.