Tiger Guards

Chapter 80 Audience with the Emperor
On the other side, Liu Xie was bathing and changing clothes.

Incense was lit in the relatively small room, and Empress Fu Shou applied powder and rouge on his lips.

Liu Xie took the bronze mirror with a Vermillion Bird pattern and carefully examined himself in the mirror. "Queen, how do I look?"

"Your Majesty, it will be dark when you summon Zhao Zhonglang and Youxian Wang. I don't think they can see clearly."

Fu Shou packed up her makeup box, which was newly confiscated. In the past six months, she almost forgot how to use these things.

Liu Xie only hummed a sigh of relief, recalling the information Zhong Yao and Zhao Rui had reported, and then said, "Zhao Ji has extraordinary talent and has made extraordinary contributions. I don't know how to reward him at the moment. I want to wait for Zhao Yuanming to return before discussing it, but the Tiger Guards are so brave and fierce that if they mutinied without rewarding them, Zhao Ji would be in trouble. However, if I put Zhao Ji aside and reward the Tiger Guards first, I am afraid that Zhao Ji will become alienated."

Upon hearing this, Fu Shou turned to Liu Xie and advised him sternly, "If Your Majesty is in trouble, why not ask Zhao Zhonglang in person? Although he is dressed in formal attire, he grew up in the countryside. Judging from his conversations and actions with Zhong Yao and Zhao Rui, he has a straightforward nature."

During the past six months, they have witnessed the brutality and vulgarity of the rebel soldiers.

Although the Hu Ben soldiers showed restraint, the stronger the soldiers' combat power, the ruder their character and behavior. This has become an inherent perception.

It takes time to reorganize the county soldiers and clan bandits, and it also takes time to train them to become combat-ready.

Before that, we could only rely on the Tiger Guards.

Without the suppression of the Tiger and Leopard Corps, the reorganization of other troops would be difficult to advance.

The internal relations among the county troops and clan bandit groups were complicated. Since the death of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, the court lacked important generals with high military prestige, so there were naturally obstacles to their reorganization.

After Fu Shou finished her persuasion, she saw that Liu Xie was deep in thought and silent.

He really wanted to meet Zhao Ji. If the title of Marquis of Champion had not been tarnished and discredited, he would have wanted to confer the title of Marquis of Champion on him.

Apart from this, he really couldn't think of a suitable way to seal it.

There is also the position of Tiger Guards General. Now, apart from Zhao Ji, who else can take on this important task?

Even this position is somewhat unworthy of Zhao Ji's achievements.

He picked up the mirror and looked at his lips carefully. Even after applying lipstick, they still didn't have much color and looked a little dark red. He was worried that Zhao Ji would laugh at him.

Although when the emperor summoned his ministers, they were not allowed to look up at the emperor.

But in this environment, if you don't let Zhao Ji look up at you, it would undoubtedly be a humiliation.

Admiring the beauty of God is a blessing and a reward.

While he was thinking, the voice of the attendant Liu Ai came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, Duke Ziqi requests to see you."

"Xuan."

Liu Xie handed the bronze mirror to Fu Shou. Fu Shou took the makeup box, bowed and left, and went to the dormitory.

Soon Yang Qi came in and bowed with Liu Ai: "Your Majesty, I have questioned Zhao Ji and found out his intentions."

Liu Xie sat up straight and waved his hand, "Mr. Yang, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat."

Yang Qi bowed and, after taking a seat nearby, said, "After your guidance, Zhao Ji wishes to ask the court to confer a title on his mother, Lady Pei. Since she has raised such a talented person for the country, I believe it is appropriate to confer a title of nobility on her and send eunuchs to offer condolences as a token of honor and favor."

"This doesn't really reflect Zhao Ji's achievements. What about his father?"

"Your Majesty, I believe his father is also a man of exceptional talent and should be appointed to the government office."

Yang Qi simply replied that his cousin Yang Biao was the Grand Marshal and could be recruited; his other cousin Yang Zhong was the Chief Censor and was in charge of the Censorate.

Even if Zhao Ji's father had mediocre talents, as long as his temperament was not too bad, he could be promoted from the government office to the Censorate, leaving a deep imprint on his father as a disciple and former official of the Hongnong Yang family.

Liu Xie didn't think that far ahead. Instead, he asked worriedly, "Will this lead to slander?"

"Your Majesty, when Zhao Zhonglang's father was in hiding, the eunuchs and their minions were rampant, and many righteous men fled. In my opinion, he was a loyal, upright man."

Yang Qi began to endorse Zhao Lian's identity and character, and Liu Xie was relieved. He then asked, "Does Zhao Zhonglang have any requests for rewards from me?"

Liu Ai, who was standing nearby, was also concerned about this issue. He had suffered too much in this regard and didn't want to cause any trouble because of a little reward.

Zhao Ji's attitude of not wanting official titles actually made him an anomaly.

Even if one is from a well-off family, it is natural to express one's feelings at this time and finalize the matter privately to avoid misunderstandings from escalating and becoming difficult to resolve.

Meeting Liu Xie's gaze, Yang Qi replied, "Zhao Ji didn't mention this matter, simply claiming that the country was in trouble and that the court shouldn't use official titles to influence matters. In my opinion, Zhao Ji preferred commanding troops and conquering the country to official titles."

Liu Xie had seen many men who preferred to lead troops without seeking official titles. If imperial titles were truly that valuable, he would have long ago persuaded all the generals under Li Jue and Guo Si to defect, and would have also been able to keep them happy.

Probably having touched Zhao Ji's bottom line, Liu Xie felt a little disappointed, but he quickly adjusted himself.

This should be the bad influence of the incident involving Marquis Lu Wen. Zhao Ji did not ask for official titles or rewards, but just wanted to protect his military power.

How many people in the world don’t love high positions and noble titles?
In the final analysis, they just don't want to passively accept the court's orders and want to have the power to protect themselves.

For example, when Dong Zhuo was executed, if Marquis Lu Wen had quickly annexed and taken control of the army, it would have aroused the fear and suspicion of the ministers.

But Lu Bu, who controlled sufficient troops, could not be brushed off by Wang Yun with just a few words. He had to respect Lu Wenhou's attitude.

It is the same now. Zhao Ji does not want high officials or noble titles, but he holds on to the Tiger Guards tightly. When the court officials are discussing matters, who dares to ignore Zhao Ji's personal attitude?

Zhao Ji's series of actions to kill Baibo's generals have proved that his insight far exceeds that of ordinary people, his courage is extraordinary, and he is very good at seizing opportunities for battle.

If the court respects Zhao Ji when making decisions in the future, it will naturally avoid the recurrence of the Wang Yun incident.

Liu Xie gradually felt relieved. Seeing that Yang Qi and Liu Ai looked normal and did not question the matter, he said, "Call Zhao Ji and Zi Qigong to accompany you."

"only."

Yang Qi and Liu Ai bowed and saluted. Liu Ai took small steps back to the threshold before turning and leaving, singing: "The emperor has issued an edict to summon Zhao Ji, the Tiger Guards' Lieutenant General, to the throne!"

Outside the courtyard, Zhao Rui led Zhao Ji inside. At the gate of the courtyard, four Tiger Guards held halberds and crossed each other, forming a white-blade halberd gate.

Zhao Ji asked in a low voice, "Lord Zimao, do you want to unsheathe your sword?"

"Zhonglang is the emperor's best guard. How can he unsheath his sword when he sees the emperor?"

Zhao Rui was confident and said in a low voice: "The palace is simple, so Zhonglang doesn't need to take off his boots."

"Yes."

Zhao Ji responded, and then heard Zhao Rui continue to instruct in a low voice: "We need to walk at a fast pace. Zhonglang is a Tiger Guard, so he can walk with his head held high. Yulin Tiger Guards are not allowed to walk at a fast pace inside the palace."

In this way, Zhao Ji enjoyed the treatment of wearing a low-end version of sword and shoes to the palace and not having to bow when entering the court.

Zhao Ji walked through the simple Tiger-Hibbon Gate and entered the courtyard with his head held high and his eyes not looking around. Zhao Rui, who was leading the way, bent down and took small steps alternately, barely walking ahead of Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji felt like he was being led by a short-legged corgi, which was a very unpleasant feeling. He didn't want to walk like this in the future.

Outside Jimen, Qubei was not anxious and waited quietly for the emperor to summon him.

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Ji concluded that this small courtyard was probably the courtyard of the village head's family, and it was not as good as the courtyard expanded by Old Zhao.

Without thinking too much, Zhao Ji followed Zhao Rui to the door of the house. The attendant Liu Ai looked at Zhao Ji who was striding towards him with a warm smile on his face.

The courtyard was too small. Zhao Ji just noticed Liu Ai's smile and had no time to say hello. He walked with his head held high and followed Zhao Rui into the palace which was the size of a living room.

The living room was small. Zhao Ji walked two steps before Zhao Rui stopped and said, "Your Majesty, I, Tiger Guard Lieutenant Zhao Ji, pay my respects to you."

Liu Xie observed Zhao Ji walking with his head held high and immediately took a liking to him. Only a person with a straightforward nature would have such a frank and handsome appearance, just like Lü Wenhou.

"Your Majesty, may your Majesty long live the Lord."

Zhao Ji knelt on his left knee and made sure there were no other warriors in the living room before lowering his head.

"Please take a seat, come closer and sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat."

Zhao Ji stood up. At this time, Zhao Rui had already brought in a small plan. Seeing Liu Ai coming in, he moved a small square table and placed it next to Yang Qi.

After finishing all this, Zhao Rui bowed his head, took small steps back to the door, and stood there on duty.

The small square table is not for sitting. It is for moisture and cold protection, and you need to kneel down to sit on it.

When kneeling, you should not face the leader, but sit facing each other.

Zhao Ji knelt upright with a straight posture. After sitting down, he smiled at Yang Qi opposite him, and Yang Qi smiled back.

Liu Xie carefully observed Zhao Ji's profile, and when he sat down, he asked, "How old are you, my dear Zhao? Are your parents well?"

(End of this chapter)