As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 119 Smiles Contest
"Ling Yu was ordered to bravely fight the enemy in times of crisis, defending his homeland and killing tens of thousands of enemies. Although his superiors were not killed with permission, it was discovered that Qu Yangshu replaced his generals during the battle, which does raise suspicions of collaborating with the enemy. Considering his eagerness to save the country, I will not pursue the matter. He is appointed Deputy Governor, General of Yezhou, and granted the title of Shouzheng Earl."

The fact that Ling Yu could leave his troops in the north and return at this time was enough to prove his loyalty.

The reward for her was decided by the crown prince, so he naturally gave her enough power and rewards. She was promoted to the third rank deputy governor, the general of a state, and even made an earl.

To ensure that the Qu Yangshu incident will not happen again.

Although the ministers were envious, they actually had no objection.

When the matter is over, Qu Yangshu's faction will not say a word when the situation is hopeless.

Ling Yu's rewards were earned through hard work.

Defending the country is a matter of course. No matter which one you take, it will be easy to deal with. We will send this person out to fight in the future.

Besides, Qianyuan valued civil officials over military officials, and no matter how high the military rank was, it was still subject to the supervision and restriction of civil officials, so being promoted to the third rank was nothing big.

The prince gave her the best acceptable result within the rules.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yu bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yu glanced at her, then turned his gaze to Mingchen. "Mingchen has made great contributions on his mission, successfully reaching peace talks and reclaiming half of the state's territory. He has returned loyally to the country, and I am deeply grateful for his sincerity. I appoint him as the Minister of Rites, the Grand Secretary of the Huagai Palace, and the Junior Tutor."

Compared with Ling Yu's reward, Ming Chen's reward was much more extravagant.

The old emperor won’t be able to sit on the throne for much longer, and it’s unclear whether conferring this official title will be meaningful in the future.

Mingchen nodded slightly and bowed to him, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two men, one civil and one military, had quite a tacit understanding, their postures were exactly the same.

Mingchen was rewarded, but the ministers in the court remained silent.

For a moment, all the officials widened their eyes and looked at the young man who was not even twenty years old in disbelief.

The position of Minister of Rites has now become a high-risk occupation.

In less than half a year, three new presidents have been appointed.

Dong Jingming died in Beilie, and the position of Minister of Rites naturally became vacant again. This time, Feng Xiaozhong, who had sufficient ability, prestige and qualifications, was promoted.

However, the position of Minister of Rites vacated by Feng Xiaozhong has not yet been filled.

This time, Xiao Yu gave it to Mingchen.

Xiao Yu's words carry a lot of weight.

Originally Mingchen was just a sixth-rank editor, but he was directly promoted to a third-rank assistant minister.

He was also appointed as a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet, had control over the final say, and was also given the title of Prince's Tutor.

Although he was nominally the Prince's Tutor, in reality, this was just an honorary title, a symbolic system of adding titles in the civil service system, and the title was completely empty.

The symbolic significance is greater than the practical significance, but it is also a real honor.

This is even more exaggerated than the reward Ling Yu earned through hard work.

Official rank, power, reputation... basically everything is given.

How old is Mingchen? How long has he been in the court?

This young man, who was not even as old as the children of the officials present, had jumped directly from an unknown editor who did not even have the qualifications to attend court to the center of power of the entire dynasty, stepping on their heads to become one of the top people.

To rise to fame overnight.

If you compare yourself to others, you will die; if you compare goods, you will lose them.

Then what was the point of all these decades of painstaking calculations, ups and downs, and advances a few inches in the court?
If this person is like this now, what will happen in ten or twenty years?
Is this appropriate?

Mingchen has indeed done some good deeds, but he doesn't need so many rewards, right?
The Lingyu family fought their way through the battlefield.

This guy is just talking nonsense.

Intellectuals are jealous, and Mingchen's sudden rise to fame is naturally unpleasant.

If they put themselves in Mingchen's perspective, they would only think that Beidi is easy to fool and they can do whatever they want.

People had different expressions. Although they all had their own calculations in their hearts, they remained silent. No one dared to stand up and put pressure on Xiao Yu.

Because no one knows whether the emperor is determined to reward or will listen to advice.

Suddenly, someone received a signal from the cabinet chief Dong Zhenghong.

He gritted his teeth and stood up: "Your Majesty...Is this inappropriate?"

"There has been no precedent for such a promotion in our dynasty for hundreds of years. I fear it will cause chaos in the promotion system. Moreover, Lord Ming is too young, standing out from the crowd. I believe he still needs experience."

He couldn't help but tremble under the gaze of Xiao Yu and Ming Chen, the upstart.

If he stood up at this time, he would be making Mingpai an enemy of the upstart Mingchen.

He knew that his role was to be cannon fodder and a target, so he tried to speak with reason and evidence to avoid punishment.

Xiao Yu looked calmly at the ministers in the court and was not angry.

He simply said, "Youth is fine. If any of you older men can achieve the same feats as Mingchen, I will have no problem giving you a higher reward."

"Can you?"

If Mingchen wants to grant him immortality, he must be treated well.

He now wants to make his attitude clear and tell his ministers that Mingchen is very important in his eyes.

Not far from the Crown Prince, Dong Zhenghong took in everything. He lowered his eyes, then stepped forward and said, "Lord Ming has devised a brilliant plan and earned the Northern Emperor's trust. He has helped our dynasty recapture half of the state's territory, and his contributions are immense. I believe that Your Majesty's reward is just and proper."

His way of being a minister can be summed up in four words: obey the emperor.

Dong Zhenghong is very clear about his current position and the relationship between him and Mingchen.

It is precisely because of this that he needs to be more cautious.

The emperor is very concerned about Mingchen. At this juncture, he will not show any hostility towards Mingchen. He will even create opportunities to act kind and close.

He completely stood on the side of the emperor and Mingchen, not giving the other side the opportunity to punish him.

Officialdom is complex, and only by being cautious and careful can one survive. Now that he has no advantage, it is naturally impossible for him to stand out directly.

He still needs to plan and lay out his strategy, only when he is sure that there is no chance of failure, that he can kill the enemy with one blow, or that he can completely clear himself of the charges.

Only then would he take action against this sworn enemy who had killed his son.

In his eyes, this smiling young man was disgusting in every way, and he wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

But on his face, his eyes were full of admiration and joy.

Although he spoke words of support, he still subtly reminded Xiao Yu that Mingchen was 'deeply trusted by the Northern Emperor'.

Xiao Yu is suspicious, and there is no harm in planting seeds. Once Mingchen loses Xiao Yu's support, his death will be imminent.

Mingchen also smiled and said to the old fox: "Chen thanks Master Dong for his appreciation."

He raised his head with a smile and said to Xiao Yu on the throne, "Your Majesty, I dare not take credit for anything. The success of this trip is due to the great contribution of Lord Dong Jingming, who should be given the primary credit."

"If it weren't for Lord Dong's heroic sacrifice for his country, how could our dynasty regain the right to speak equally?"

"Your Majesty, please do not forget to posthumously confer a title on Lord Dong."

Although Mingchen was praising Dong Jingming in every word, he looked compassionate.

But every word was like a knife, stabbing into Dong Zhenghong's chest without any hesitation.

What is the meaning of "dying heroically"? What is the meaning of "dying for one's country"?

The person is already dead, you killed him!
What do these words mean? It is clear as day.

This little brat was just provoking him.

Dong Zhenghong's body trembled slightly, and the smile on his face seemed to stiffen.

He narrowed his eyes and his teeth chattered.

Boy, this isn't funny.

His face was calm, and he said calmly, "Thank you, Lord Ming, for your advice. I, your son, would like to thank you, Lord Ming."

"Everything I do is out of loyalty to my country. It's only natural. I'm happy to be of some use, and I don't ask for anything in return."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry."

The court was eerily quiet, an invisible wind was blowing, and a strange atmosphere was flowing.

On one side is the chief minister of the cabinet, who has many followers and great power in the government.

On one side is a rising star in the officialdom who is trusted by the emperor.

The people present just looked at the old man and the young boy without saying a word.

Ling Yu, who was beside Mingchen, was stunned. She had no idea what was going on and only thought that Mingchen was reporting on his work.

Seeing Mingchen so clear-headed and unrestrained, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

It was the first time she had seen this man in official robes, standing before the emperor, attracting the gazes of all officials, looking dazzling.

Drink, drink, drink!

Drink and drink!
They all received rewards, so they should have a drink and celebrate.
……

On the other side, Xiao Xinyue, who was beside the prince, also unconsciously cast her gaze towards that person.

Others did not seem to notice that the princess, who was born noble and extremely beautiful, had a green hairpin on her head that did not look expensive.

Xiao Xinyue lowered her eyes slightly, and the ostentatious smile of the new court noble was reflected in her pupils.

My anxious heart was also relieved.

He's finally back.

This guy is really... He didn't even come to tell her when he came back.

The ostentatious and unrestrained genius finally shines in the court.

He is just like that. He can always easily become the focus of attention and the person that everyone pays attention to.

From the first time she met Mingchen, she seemed to have foreseen that this day would come, and... this day was just the beginning.

Mingchen, did you see me?

I'm moving forward too~
The emperor's health is getting worse and worse. Although she doesn't like this answer, she seems to have found the reason why Mingchen chose her.

She is growing rapidly these days.

Helping his brother the emperor share government affairs, while also constantly learning and improving.

Quietly waiting for the day Mingchen mentioned.

……

The matter was settled, and Xiao Yu glanced at Dong Zhenghong and Mingchen.

Didn't say much.

Dong Zhenghong did nothing, so he couldn't deal with the other party at will, and it would not benefit him in any way.

He just hoped that Mingchen would give him what he needed, but he never thought about how much he should trust him.

He just waved his hand casually: "We'll discuss this matter later."

"When there is something to do, we will start to act, but when there is nothing to do, we will retreat."

The court meeting is over, but the impact it has had will not disappear.

The ministers knew that the young dark horse had barged into the court with impunity, acting as flamboyantly and unbridled as ever.

The trendsetters of the times are setting sail.

In the future, the sky of Qianyuan will also be turbulent.

(End of this chapter)