Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 319: Strong Favor of the Holy Spirit
Donghua Sword Immortal shook his head: "The Hongmeng purple energy contained in the thunderbolt is limited after all, and it is not enough to completely remove the zodiac energy in my body."

"But...it finally allowed me to live four more years."

He looked at Zhao Qi'an, bowed, and said solemnly: "Donghua will remember this kindness in his heart and will definitely repay it in the future."

Although this promise seems empty, if the other party is the Donghua Sword Immortal, this promise is extremely important.

The reward from a Yang Sword Immortal might provide Zhao Qian'an with great help in the near future.

But for now, this is just empty talk. The benefits of the method Zhao Qian'an offered are far more than this.

"You have done a great job in offering your magic this time. Let me think about what kind of reward I should give you..."

Emperor Tianwu rested his chin on his hand, as if he was pondering.

As for the fact that he had said before that if Zhao Qi'an could find a way to resolve the Zodiac Energy, he would let him sit on the Dragon Throne...

Emperor Tianwu chose to forget for the time being.

Everyone else in the hall, including Zhao Qian, pretended that these words had never been said.

Emperor Tianwu thought for a moment and said, "You are now a viscount, so I will confer upon you the title of Earl of Haiqing County, with a fief of 1,000 households, hereditary, and a lower rank for three generations..."

It sounds like Zhao Qi'an's title was only upgraded by one level, from "County Son" to "County Earl".

In the upper class society of Kyoto, the county earl can only be regarded as having just crossed the threshold of power and nobility, and still belongs to the lowest class of aristocrats.

The titles of the Daqian Dynasty were not very valuable, after all, the court had a history of thousands of years since its founding. Especially in the Zongzheng Temple where Zhao Qi'an was, it was difficult to find a few people with lower titles than Zhao Qi'an. Even several of Zhao Qi'an's chief clerks had higher titles than him.

But the nobles of Daqian Kingdom are divided into two types. One is the "honorary" nobles, who only have the title but not the proper treatment, and cannot inherit the title.

The other type is the "real power" nobles who possess real power, own fiefs, and can pass on their titles to their descendants.

Zhao Qi'an's original title of Viscount was the first type.

However, the title of earl bestowed by Emperor Tianwu today is of the second type.

Most importantly, according to the current Daqian laws, the title is hereditary and can be downgraded one level each generation.

However, Emperor Tianwu made an exception for Zhao Qian'an, allowing him to inherit the title without interruption, but to demote his title by one level for three generations.

In other words, Zhao Qi'an's son is still the Earl of Haiqing, and so is his grandson. Only his great-grandson will be demoted to Viscount Haiqing.

A fief of a thousand households should have been the treatment of a county marquis, but this time it was directly granted to Zhao Qian'an, which shows the deep favor of the emperor.

But Emperor Tianwu’s reward was not limited to this.

"I will also give you ten thousand gold coins, a scarlet robe, and a silver fish bag..."

He paused for a moment, looked at Zhao Qi'an and asked, "What is your current position?"

The Fifth Marquis on the side answered for Zhao Qi'an: "Your Majesty, the Prince Consort is a sixth-rank official of the Zongzheng Temple."

Emperor Tianwu pondered.

He wanted to promote Zhao Qian'an, but it was not easy to get this position.

After all, Zhao Qi'an was not a member of the imperial examination system. If he were to be forcibly assigned to important positions in the six ministries and five government offices, I'm afraid that all the civil and military officials in the court would strongly oppose it...

Emperor Tianwu felt it was troublesome just thinking about it, not to mention that since he had already promised Zhao Qian'an a position on Mount Sumeru, he did not want him to be burdened by worldly duties.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Since the Imperial Master thinks highly of you, and the 'Sword Ghost' beside you is also a royal flag attendant... I allow you to concurrently serve as the military officer of the Patrol Heavenly Supervisor, and be promoted to the fifth rank, how do you think?"

The so-called part-time job is actually just a nominal position and has no real power.

The military officer of the Astronomical Observatory was only a sixth-rank civilian. Even if Zhao Qi'an went to the Astronomical Observatory with this title, no one would probably pay any attention to him.

However, holding concurrent positions in other departments and thus improving official rank was also a common practice in the court of the Daqian Dynasty.

Zhao Qi'an naturally understood this truth, and bowed and said: "I have no opinion, it is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide."

At this moment, the Donghua Sword Immortal, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted and said, "Your Majesty, isn't your reward a little stingy this time?"

His words were clearly meant to seek credit for Zhao Qi'an!
Zhao Qian'an couldn't help but sigh in his heart, Senior Donghua is a very particular person, and it was worth it for him to take the initiative to offer his skills.

In fact, in the eyes of others, Emperor Tianwu's reward was a huge reward.

Even if he was the emperor, he would have to bear considerable pressure from the officials in the court if he rewarded his favorite ministers in this way.

But in the eyes of everyone in the hall, the reward from Emperor Tianwu was indeed insignificant compared to the contributions made by Zhao Qi'an.

This method...means that the lives of several powerful people have been extended!
This achievement is no less than the eldest prince's pacification of the southern border!
Emperor Tianwu was amused when he heard this, and looked at Zhao Qi'an and said, "Don't think I'm stingy. The rewards I gave you are actually not worth mentioning. The real benefits... will have to wait until you reach Mount Xumi. I can only promise that I will never let you down."

Zhao Qi'an bowed and said, "Your Majesty's gift is already generous. I am deeply grateful and dare not ask for more."

"Not honest..."

Emperor Tianwu sighed a few times and murmured something, then thought for a moment and said, "Then I will give you another thing as compensation..."

The next moment, his expression became solemn, and he shouted, "Zhao Qi'an, accept the order!"

Zhao Qi'an lifted his robe and knelt down: "I am here."

……

At the same time, in the imperial mausoleum outside Beijing, inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

In the center of the temple stands a statue.

He was wearing imperial armor, holding the emperor's sword, wearing a silver-white helmet that covered half of his face, and had a national seal hanging around his waist.

This statue is of Emperor Guiyuan, the founding emperor of the Daqian Dynasty.

Behind the statue of Emperor Guiyuan, there are two rows of red candles that never go out all year round. On an incense table in the middle are spirit tablets, all of which have the emperor's temple name written on them.

In the hall, all the officials stood in two rows. Grand Master Ji Liyuan stood before the statue, while the eldest prince Ji Wuchang knelt on one knee and bowed his head to accept the order.

"… Fortunately, we have the will of heaven. Now we have the prince Wuchang, who has pacified the troubles of the foreign races in the southwest. His contributions will last for thousands of years and benefit all the people. In recognition of his merits and achievements, I have specially conferred the title of the first-class prince, 'Pingnan King', on Ji Wuchang, and granted him a fief of 3,000 households. The area from Liyang County to Zhongjiao County in Jingzhou will all be vassal states. A royal palace can be established according to the regulations, with a chief historian, a military officer, and so on, to assist the king and regulate the affairs of the palace."

"Give him a golden seal, purple clothes, and a jade belt..."

"I hope that after my son Wuchang is granted the title, he will not forget his original intention, defend the country, lead his soldiers, protect the land and the people, share my worries, and seek happiness for the people. Don't be arrogant because of my favor, always be respectful, cultivate yourself and be virtuous, and always protect the grace of the country."

"I hereby order~"

When Ji Liyuan finished reciting, he took a plate from the person beside him, handed it to Ji Wuchang, and congratulated him, "King Pingnan, congratulations."

Ji Wuchang looked stern, bowed his head, and said loudly: "I will live up to your expectations!"

He kowtowed three times, then stood up and took the golden seal of the king from Ji Liyuan!

...Inside the Yangxin Palace, an imperial edict was also read out.

"Zhao Qi'an, please listen to my orders."

"The minister is here."

Zhao Qian lifted his robe, knelt on the ground, and bowed his head.

Emperor Tianwu sat on the dragon throne and said in a deep voice: "You have contributed a lot to the Dharma. Today I will give you a golden book and an iron scroll. As long as you don't rebel or betray the country in the future, I will protect your life!"

They were both imperial edicts, but compared to the solemn one in the Taimiao, the edict read out by Emperor Tianwu himself was so plain and simple, with only this short sentence.

Even the Golden Book and Iron Scroll...are actually useless.

It’s not that the Daqian Dynasty did not reward foreign officials with the Golden Book and Iron Scroll, but if they really committed a crime, they would be beheaded. Even few of the holders of the Golden Book and Iron Scroll had a good end.

The only use of it is that after a crime is committed, the various departments are not allowed to impose punishment privately, but can directly see the emperor and ask for his judgment.

Zhao Qi'an didn't understand what Emperor Tianwu meant by this, but some reward was naturally a good thing, so he bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

"Be flat."

Zhao Qi'an stood up.

But after waiting for a long time, the golden book and iron scroll did not arrive.

"Your Majesty, this iron scroll..."

Zhao Qian'an mentioned it tactfully, reminding Emperor Tianwu whether he had forgotten something.

Emperor Tianwu laughed and said, "You are still young after all. What good would this iron scroll do if I gave it to you in private? In two days, I will send officials from the Ministry of Rites to parade the gold book and iron scroll through the streets of Kyoto. They will send it to your house with drums and gongs. You just go back and wait."

Zhao Qi'an's eyes flashed with a slight surprise, and he soon understood the purpose of Emperor Tianwu's move.

The important thing about this reward is not the golden book and iron scroll itself, but to show that Emperor Tianwu wants the entire city of Kyoto to know how much the emperor favors him, Zhao Qian'an.

From now on, the label on Zhao Qi'an will no longer be that of any prince, but that of His Majesty the current emperor!

Does this mean... Emperor Tianwu wants to regard him as "one of his own"?
Zhao Qi'an seemed to be thinking about something.

Emperor Tianwu interrupted his thoughts and said, "I have rewarded you and given you gifts. I have something to discuss with you."

Zhao Qi'an said respectfully, "I don't dare to discuss it. I will just follow your Majesty's orders."

Emperor Tianwu said: "Although the 'Big Jade Hand' method you presented has some effects, it also has its shortcomings. I would like to borrow all the notes left by the first generation of the Imperial Master from you. Whether it is the main method or the casual conversation, I want to read them all."

"In exchange, I will allow you to enter the upper three floors of the Heavenly Book Pavilion for one day, where you can observe the Hundred Methods of the Sun Immortal and borrow one of them for three months!"

When Zhao Qi'an presented the big jade hand, he was prepared in his heart, and now he heard that Emperor Tianwu had indeed made a similar request.

However, Emperor Tianwu was generous and did not force Zhao Qian'an to hand it over. Instead, he offered Zhao Qian'an the qualification to the upper three floors of the Heavenly Book Pavilion in exchange, and even allowed Zhao Qian'an to borrow one of the Yangxian techniques for three months.

This was exactly what Zhao Qi'an wanted.

He agreed without hesitation: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will sort it out after I return and send it to the palace."

"Hahaha, okay, it's a deal then."

……

"Master Zhao, please stay."

When Zhao Qi'an left the palace, he unexpectedly found the Sword Immortal Donghua following him out.

Zhao Qi'an stopped, turned around, bowed to him and said, "Senior Donghua, is there anything I can help you with?"

Donghua Sword Immortal nodded and said, "I heard from the National Master that you killed Dingbo Hou's disciple and this time you took away Dingbo Hou's seat on Mount Xumi. He must hate you to the core. If you need me, I can go to Lingying Island in the Yellow Sea and kill Dingbo Hou for you."

Hearing this, Zhao Qi'an couldn't help but sigh again.

Senior Donghua... is such a down-to-earth person.

Now that he had received a favor from him, he naturally did not want to owe him a favor. He happened to know of a potential enemy of Zhao Qian'an, so he took the initiative to offer to solve the matter for Zhao Qian'an.

Although Marquis Dingbo has left the court for many years, his disciples and former officials are still spread all over the nine provinces. The Sword Immortal Donghua has not yet been canonized as the "Guardian of the Country". Even if he really becomes the new "Guardian of the Country", killing Marquis Dingbo is bound to cause trouble.

But he was still determined to take action, waiting for Zhao Qian'an's order.

But how could Zhao Qi'an waste a Yangxian's "Sir's invitation" like this?
Dingbo Hou did pose a threat to him, but as a retired cadre in his twilight years, he might not even be able to leave Lingying Island to save his life. The threat was not enough to make Zhao Qi'an waste a favor from Yang Xian.

It was for this reason that Zhao Qi'an, knowing that there was a fire in the backyard, was not in a hurry to go back to deal with it. He just asked Zhao Linyuan to take Ruan Yu's head back to Haiqing City to intimidate his father.

In comparison, he felt that the battle for the crown prince in Kyoto City was more important.

"Don't worry, Senior Donghua. Although there are some conflicts between Marquis Dingbo and me, it is not to the point of life and death." Zhao Qian said with a smile.

Donghua Sword Immortal didn't say much about this. He nodded and said, "Originally, I was planning to go to the southern border with the eldest prince, but now there is no need. In the next month, I will stay in Kyoto City. If you encounter any trouble and want to find me, you can come to the Patrol Observatory and send someone to send me a message."

"Junior took note of it."

After Zhao Qi'an answered, Donghua Sword Immortal did not stay any longer. He bowed and left in front of him.

He watched the departure of Donghua Sword Immortal, then smiled and shook his head, then walked towards his carriage.

……

A few days later, Emperor Tianwu awarded Zhao Qian'an a reward.

For a moment, everyone in the court and the country was shocked, and the entire city of Kyoto was in an uproar.

No one knew what Zhao Qi'an had done to receive such a generous reward. Not only was he promoted to a higher position, but he was also given a golden book and an iron scroll.

You must know that even though the eldest prince Ji Wuchang had made unparalleled martial arts achievements, he was not rewarded with the golden book and iron scroll.

The most important thing is that this series of rewards were not discussed by the court. Even the left prime minister Wu Yong did not know about it. The rewards to Zhao Qi'an came down suddenly.

Emperor Tianwu didn't even give an explanation for this.

As the Golden Book and Iron Scroll were paraded through the streets by officials from the Ministry of Rites and were sent to the princess's mansion, the entire capital city knew one thing - the prince consort Zhao Qi'an had truly won the emperor's favor this time!

The incident quickly fermented and became a topic of conversation in Kyoto.

On the other hand, many people in the court also began to pay attention to the originally inconspicuous Zhao Qian'an. The threshold of Princess Yuzhen's mansion was almost broken down in the past few days, and all the people who came and went were high-ranking officials in the court.

Zhao Qi'an became a celebrity in the entire Kyoto city. He was entertaining guests at home from morning till sunset and had not even left the house in the past few days.

Until the 21st, an unexpected guest came to visit.

(End of this chapter)