After rewarding the top three officials who had made the greatest contributions, next up were the rewards given to those in the excellent category among the marquis and officials in the alliance army.
One shouldn’t belittle the alliance army, as there were men of great capabilities among the low-ranked.
Huang Song’s and An Cui’s performances were outstanding.
To Cheng Jing, Feng Jue, and the rest, who devised strategies, Huang Song’s performance had its strengths and weaknesses. Especially when others were slacking, the contrast between them was evident. The other person was An Cui. In comparison to Huang Song’s schemes and strategies, An Cui relied on military achievements and hard work.
Jiang Pengji had given him 10% of her manpower. The military service at Jiamen Gate had caused a loss of one-third of her men. It was considered the biggest loss among all the marquis. In other words, she had suffered a huge setback with regard to manpower. Under such circumstances, An Cui was not looked down upon by others. Instead, he was well-regarded by higher authorities.
Why?
Because his sworn brothers who had followed him out of the Red Lotus group were so exceptional, they had outdone one another in fighting the war bravely. They were unparalleled in their fighting abilities on the battlegrounds and were past caring about their lives. Thanks to the blessings brought about by his brothers, An Cui’s position in the alliance army was one of a mighty, unapproachable figure who fought valiantly on the frontiers.
Unfortunately, a forerunner like him was insignificant to the imperial court.
As one whose force stood out among the others’ in the alliance army, An Cui’s network and influence in the imperial court were too weak. His contributions were secretly slashed by close to half. As for Huang Song? His grandfather, Secretary Huang, would protect his interests. With the elder in charge, his hard work was recognized.
Even if one was zealous beyond measure, because An Cui was a noble scholar from Nansheng country, he was well aware of the politics in the imperial courts.
The circumstances held more weight than the person. Even if one was unwilling to accept such a grievance, he was forced to do so.
Therefore, An Cui’s reward was far less than Huang Song’s. It felt more like a consolation prize.
Before he had joined the alliance army to defend the emperor, Huang Song had already been promoted to county chief of Maode in Haozhou. At present, it would have been inappropriate to promote him any further. Thus, the imperial court had given him a high official post in title as a reward. Other than that, they had also compensated him with many servants and rations. Huang Song knew his place and refrained from demanding more.
The other great and lowly marquis were honored and rewarded. They didn’t step forward in vain to defend the emperor.
The other rewards were mostly universal. Only Jiang Pengji’s reward was the envy of many.
Magistrate of Wanzhou!
“With a single feat, she was awarded the position as magistrate of Wanzhou. Tsk, tsk. This is the first time that such an incident has happened.” A man wearing official garments and holding his ceremonial tablet appeared to be intently focused, but actually, he was whispering to the official beside him. “I heard that this Liu Xi was only a lowly district magistrate of an undeveloped and desolate village, a governor of a small area of land. Since luck was on his side, his promotion was more prestigious than all the others. He was promoted immediately to magistrate of Wanzhou!”
“It’s indeed incredible. The youngsters these days are exceptional.”
“Heh—instead of praising the youngsters for surpassing themselves, perhaps it’s more accurate to note that the youngster’s father is the best of the best.”
With regard to the promotions others received, they were envious, but it was acceptable.
When it came to Jiang Pengji, many expressed that her reward was ridiculous. Quickly, the level of jealousy soared.
From the lowly district magistrate of a desolate district, she rose to become the magistrate of Wanzhou. Even if Liu Xi’s father was Liu She, this was too much to accept.
Of course, those who complained were people who were short-sighted and ignorant of the current political situation in court.
From a district magistrate to a magistrate of a prefecture… Was it a huge promotion?
It was, indeed, a huge promotion.
It could be said that she had received the best reward. Upon hearing this, all the marquis and officials who were part of the alliance army wished to use the ceremonial tablet to smack someone.
On the surface, it was a great honor for Jiang Pengji to be promoted. But if one examined the true value of this promotion, it was seemingly redundant in the alliance army.
Magistrate of Wanzhou?
Before the coalition was formed to defend the emperor, she had already gained control of Wanzhou’s Fengyi, Chengde, and Shangyang Counties. Even if the imperial court dared to send a magistrate to take control, they had to ask the landlord if she was willing to give up Wanzhou. Liu Xi hadn’t been a magistrate then, but it was as if she had already become one.
Now that Liu Xi had been given the title of magistrate, giving her the legitimate title of magistrate of Wanzhou was only a formality.
In an era when peace reigned, it was the right of the imperial court to decide if the title would be given or not.
But in the present situation, the imperial court had no say in whether the title of Wanzhou magistrate was given or not.
Even so, some people were biased against Jiang Pengji. Their eyes were filled with angst, jealousy, deep hatred, and malice, as if these negative feelings were ready to burst forth.
Jiang Pengji approached this matter calmly. Now only an inconsequential war was left.
If she could bear with all this envy and jealousy, then in the future, she could shoulder even more of the glory that would come upon her.
As she heard an unfamiliar secretary read the edict, Jiang Pengji appeared rather solemn, yet truthfully, she was distracted. She secretly focused on the people who looked at her with ill intentions.
When the reading of the superfluous but hard-to-articulate edict concluded, she received the edict with both hands. As she was about to offer her thanksgiving, someone in her line of sight could not hold himself back anymore.
“Hold on—your official has a matter to report.”
Liu She, Huang Song, and An Cui were perplexed and knitted their brows. The other marquis and powers were astounded and turned to face the person who had spoken—it was the county chief of Shanghai, Wuma Shang.
Jiang Pengji sneered, “Even if County Chief Wuma has an important matter to discuss, surely that can wait till after your junior has received and thanked the emperor for his favor and grace, right? Unless your disrespectful act is on purpose?”
Wuma Shang stepped forward from among the hundreds of officials. He held his ceremonial tablet in his hands and bowed reverently before the young emperor who sat on the throne.
Only then did he speak to Jiang Pengji, saying, “It isn’t a coincidence. I did it on purpose.”
Her expression remained serene, as if she wasn’t shocked that Wuma Shang would interrupt.
The other officials looked at Wuma Shang, stunned. Had the brain of Shanghai County’s county chief been severely damaged? Had he suddenly had a stroke?
“My emperor, it is against your official’s wishes that you are fooled by this sly person. No matter how great her accomplishments are, she is guilty of deceiving you. Her deeds cannot atone for her sins. How, then, is she deserving of the position of magistrate of a prefecture?” Wuma Shang knelt reverently on the ground, his expression sincere, as if he were a most loyal official. There was no hint of him cursing the emperor in secret last night. “In order to enforce strict observance of the law, to purge the court of immoral ministers, I besiege the emperor to punish this sinful official as a warning to others!”
Viewers in the live streaming room had been overjoyed and waited expectantly for her to be promoted and honored. Suddenly, a joker had appeared and caused an upheaval.
[I Heard About It Before]: “MMP, where did this idiot come from?”
[Xianggu Henruanmeng]: “What a spoiler of my good mood! Where did this actor who gave himself additional roles come from? I feel like slapping him to death.”
[Gengxin Chao Qinfen]: “I’m rather curious, honestly, because the streamer’s gender has never been revealed. Thus, to be precise, it is indeed a sin of deceiving one’s sovereign.”
[Conglai Buqianzhai]: “What rubbish! Deceiving one’s sovereign? If these fools dare to harm the streamer in any way, I will do the impossible!”
Jiang Pengji laughed coldly. She was too lazy to even direct her eyes at the other party.
Huang Song unexpectedly spoke up for her. Anger was evident on his face. “The commander of the palace guard is loyal without a doubt. She traveled a thousand miles at a great speed to save the emperor. Such loyalty was witnessed by heaven and earth. The sun and moon can testify for her. Why is the county chief maligning her as a sinful official who has deceived her sovereign? The commander is a respectable official of society, the pillar of the country. County Chief Wuma, if you have no evidence, please refrain from slandering an innocent party!”
An Cui also wanted to speak up for her, but he glanced at Liu She and held himself back.
Her biological father wasn’t anxious. Why should he, an outsider, be worried?
Wuma Shang smirked sarcastically. “Evidence? Of course I have it! I only need this person to strip naked and bare her body to prove my point.”
The people heard, and they were confused. Liu She and Jiang Pengji did not react and remained calm.
Huang Song knitted his brows and said, “This is a sacred place where court sessions are conducted. Anyone who dresses in an unkempt manner commits the sin of disrespect. How could one reveal his nakedness here? Could it be that the county chief drank too much alcohol yesterday and is still drunk now? You are spouting nonsense! Do you think you are still dreaming…?”
