The messenger respectfully handed over Great General Qian’s report to the Chengping Emperor.
There were detailed records of the events in the war with the Tuhuns in the report.
When the Chengping Emperor finished reading the report, his shout of approval rang three times, before he immediately ordered a servant to bring him a writing set. He wanted to personally write the imperial decree.
Having received such wonderful news at the end of the year, the New Year celebrations in the palace were going to be livelier than previous years.
On the first day of the New Year, the Chengping Emperor’s decree arrived at the Jing’an Estate.
Matriarch He took the lead in front of the entire estate to kneel and receive the decree at the entrance between the inner and outer courts. Astonishment, apprehension and joy warred within her heart. It was completely out of her expectations that her youngest grandson, He Sanlang, had contributed the most to the victory in the northern war!
The Great Wu Dynasty was at peace and their ruler was wise. It was rare for anyone to earn great military merit in a golden age like this. Even if they held equal ranks in the imperial court, the positions of the military officials could hardly be compared to the literary officials now. A noble house like House Jing’an, which had come to power using their military contributions, would find it hard to rise in the ranks now. Even for those with ambitions, it would likely take at least a decade of effort to establish a foothold in court.
The previous Count had passed too early, while the current Count Jing’an was stationed far away in Mingzhou. Matriarch He had actually been very worried about the future of her grandsons. She hadn’t expected He Changdi to have made a name for himself just by making a trip to the northern border!
This was truly a pleasant surprise.
The imperial decree was written very simply, so it was likely that the proper bestowal of the rewards would have to wait until He Changdi returned to the capital.
Even so, the simple sentences written in the decree were enough to leave the matriarch in a daze.
The Chengping Emperor had actually bestowed the title of Marquis upon He Changdi!
Marquis Anyuan!
That was a whole rank higher than the Count!
Despite her decades of experience, Matriarch He was still dumbfounded by this.
The person who had read out the decree to them was a eunuch favoured by the emperor himself.
He smiled and said, “Matriarch, this is such wonderful news. When the Marquis returns, this lowly one would like to join in the celebration.”
Matriarch He was pulled back to reality by his words. She immediately set aside all other in her head and cleared her mind so she could attend to the eunuch. “Then this old woman shall await your coming when the time comes, gonggong.”
Matriarch He accepted the decree and rewards on He Changdi’s behalf and had Senior Servant Liu offer up a gift in return. The eunuch had to rush back to the palace to report the completion of his task, so he politely declined Matriarch He’s invitation to stay.
Once the party that had delivered the imperial decree had left, Matriarch He was still holding onto the imperial decree in a daze.
So there were now two noble titles in House Jing’an?
Excluding the previous dynasty, since the beginning of the Great Wu Dynasty, there hadn’t been any noble families who had the honour of possessing two noble titles.
This meant that a second-rate aristocratic family like House Jing’an had made the leap to the upper echelons of the nobility with a single promotion.
Matriarch He had doted on He Changdi the most from the beginning. It was a fact that the title of Count Jing’an would be passed down to the eldest grandson He Changqi. The second son, Erlang, spent most of his time with the Dragon Guards and was unwilling to marry, so the matriarch couldn’t be bothered with him.
Initially, her plan for He Changdi was for him to take the imperial examination and go on the path of becoming a literary official. Although it would definitely have been difficult, with the support of House Jing’an, he would still be able to become successful in court after a few years of effort. However, who could have expected that he would sneak off to the northern border?
All the worries that Matriarch He had carried throughout his absence now turned to joy.
Now that He Changdi had a noble title, even if the children decided to split the family into smaller branches one day, there was no need for her to worry.
The one that she had to worry about from now on was the single He Erlang.
It went without saying that Madam Liu was exultant upon hearing that her son had become even more successful than his father and grandfather.
The eldest son He Changqi had always been self-aware of his talents. He knew that he wasn’t half-bad, but he was willing to admit that he wasn’t as good as his youngest brother. Now that He Sanlang had managed to achieve success at the northern border, He Dalang was proud of him as a member of the He Family.
In the whole of House Jing’an, Madam Zou was probably the only one who was unhappy to receive this news.
She had already been less favoured than Chu Lian before this, but the third branch now had a noble title ranking above theirs. Coupled with the fact that she hadn’t birthed a heir for the main branch, her days in House Jing’an would only get tougher from now on.
Madam Zou lowered her head while being helped up by Senior Servant Qiao. No one noticed her jealous and hostile expression.
As for He Ying and Pan Nianzhen, they were first shocked, then overcome with joy.
He Ying was the Eldest Madam of House Jing’an. Now that House Jing’an’s position had risen, her status would naturally rise alongside it.
Once He Sanlang returned to the capital, he would likely be placed in an important position considering the Emperor’s intentions behind this imperial decree. When that happened, House Jing’an would become an esteemed house even amongst the nobility in the capital.
Since her older brother, Count Jing’an, was still around, House Jing’an wouldn’t be splitting up their family branches anytime soon. However, the only way for them to maintain this standard of living for the rest of their lives was to have her daughter marry into her maiden house.
He Ying’s slender eyes glistened.
At the same time, the Chengping Emperor’s decree was being sent to Liangzhou at top speed.
However, as it was still winter, it would still take more than ten days for the news to get from the capital to Liangzhou. In all likelihood, the Lantern Festival would probably have passed by the time the decree reached Liangzhou.
