Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 3 Generous Rewards, Rongguo Mansion's Panic

Seeing that Emperor Yongping had made up his mind, Xia Shouzhong had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After receiving the notice, all the civil and military officials had complicated expressions on their faces, but they could only follow the queue to the outside of the city gate.

About a quarter of an hour later, outside the east city of Shendu, a team of elite cavalry, about several hundred people, with a majestic and powerful formation, marched towards the city wall of Shendu in an orderly manner.

The leader was an old veteran with white hair and beard, wearing armor. He was none other than Zhang Fu, Duke of Ying, the Grand Marshal of the Zhenbei Army.

Behind Zhang Fu was a heroic general riding a white horse and wearing a white robe. He was the vanguard general of the Zhenbei Army and the chief contributor to the Battle of Mobei. His name was Jia Jue.

When the triumphant army arrived at the city gate, all civil and military officials made way for the Emperor Yongping's carriage.

Upon seeing this, the Duke of England quickly raised his hand to signal, and then the army stopped.

The Duke of England then dismounted, and the generals of the Zhenbei Army followed him and quickly walked to the front of the imperial carriage, where they saluted together.

The Duke of England said loudly.

"Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, the Grand Marshal of the Zhenbei Army, pays respect to Your Majesty. Your Majesty has personally come out of the city to greet us. We, the officers and men of the Zhenbei Army, are deeply awed and cannot bear such excessive favor from Your Majesty. We beg Your Majesty to return to the Central Palace."

"Your Majesty, please return to the palace." The soldiers of the Zhenbei Army said in unison.

Emperor Yongping walked out of the imperial carriage in a steady manner. When he came closer, he personally helped Duke Ying and Jia Jue up, and then spoke with concern.

"After two years of separation, the old Duke and General Jia have become thinner."

"You are loyal ministers and good generals who have worked tirelessly for our Great Zhou to quell this great crisis. I personally went out of the city to welcome you. How can you not accept this?"

"Xia Shouzhong, pour some wine. I want to serve some wine to the soldiers."

"promise."

Xia Shouzhong immediately began to pour wine. Emperor Yongping poured three cups for Duke Ying and Jia Jue respectively, then looked at the left and right prime ministers and said.

"As for the rest of the meritorious officers and soldiers, have the left and right ministers give me wine."

"After the wine is served, the meritorious soldiers will be rewarded."

"I obey your orders."

After the toasting ceremony, Emperor Yongping returned to the palace, and Xia Shouzhong began to announce the decree.

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, proclaims this."

"Since ancient times, emperors have pacified the empire, relying on the strength of their military officers. When the country is at peace, they return home to regroup and rest their troops, allowing their important officials to enjoy leisure and comfort, and their rewards extend to their descendants, thus consolidating the country. This is truly a grand ceremony!"

"Duke Zhang Fu of England is a descendant of the founding Duke of England, and his family has been loyal and righteous for generations."

"He was deeply loyal and capable of strategic planning. He defended Mobei for twenty years, working tirelessly and making great contributions."

"The pacification of Mobei this time is a great achievement."

"I grant the Duke of Ying a fief of 3,000 households. He may enter the court without bowing, pay homage without naming his name, and meet the king without kneeling."

"The eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying is prudent and mature, diligent and docile, gentle and pure, kind and kind, and a good wife and mother. She has been canonized as Princess Yong'an and has been granted a fief of one thousand households."

"Jia Jue, the vanguard general of the Zhenbei Army, assisted the Duke of Ying in achieving numerous remarkable feats, first destroying the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's tribe and defeating the enemy army."

"Later, the Hetao region was recovered and brought back under the rule of the king."

"In this decisive battle in Mobei, we traveled thousands of miles across the grasslands, annihilated the main force of the Xiongnu royal court, and captured the Xiongnu Great Chanyu Luandi alive, achieving the greatest achievement of the entire army."

"He shall be granted the title of Champion Marquis with 7,000 households, a Champion Marquisate, 12 estates, and the right to keep 800 retainers."

"He also granted the title of Champion Marquis the privilege of not bowing when entering the court, not naming when praising or worshipping, and not kneeling when meeting the emperor."

"He will also be given the title of Marquis of Guanjun and General of the Imperial Guards, and the title of Pillar of the State, commanding the imperial guards of the North and South Yamen. He will be able to enter the Forbidden City to receive orders, walk in front of the palace, and wear a sword and shoes when entering the palace."

"The rest of our meritorious officers and soldiers will be rewarded one by one by the Ministry of Personnel. There is no need to elaborate. I hereby order."

"Duke of England, Marquis of Champion, thank you."

"I'll thank you Lord for your kindness."

It has to be said that Emperor Yongping was really generous in his reward this time.

The rewards given to the Duke of England were quite standard. After all, he was old and a duke of the kingdom, so he had no other titles to offer, so the rewards he received were mostly honorary rewards and favors. However, the Duke of England's eldest daughter took advantage of the situation and was awarded the title of Princess Yong'an, truly enjoying the emperor's support.

However, the reward for Jia Jue was quite generous.

There is no need to mention the title of Champion Marquis. The first-class marquis is the highest level marquis, and above that is the title of Duke of the State.

The Great Zhou Dynasty only enfeoffed four kings of different surnames at its founding, and there were no more kings enfeoffed in the following hundred years. The title of Duke was the pinnacle of military power.

Thanks to his three years of achievements in Mobei, Jia Jue has reached a peak that many warriors cannot reach in their entire lives.

Honorary rewards such as not having to bow when entering the court, not having to name one's name when praising or worshipping, and not having to kneel when meeting the emperor are generally treatments that only respected old ministers can get, such as the Duke of Ying, a veteran who is outstanding and loyal.

It seemed a bit strange that Jia Jue received these rewards.

Of course, the highlight is not this, but the position of Grand General of the Imperial Guards.

The Grand General of the Imperial Guards commanded the Southern and Northern Forbidden Army. The Southern Forbidden Army was responsible for guarding the capital, while the Northern Forbidden Army was responsible for defending the imperial city.

Those who can command an entire imperial guard independently are all trusted ministers of the emperor.

When it came to Jia Jue, he was directly in charge of the imperial guards of the two yamen.

From this we can see that Jia Jue’s current state can only be described in four words: Simple in the Emperor’s Heart.

At this time, all the civil and military officials realized that Jia Jue in front of them would be the next leader of the Great Zhou army, and the title of Duke was only a matter of time for Jia Jue.

A shining star of general shines brightly in today's capital of gods.

Among the civil and military officials, many officials had already been thinking about how to win over this newly rising star in the court.

However, among the group of officials, there were three people whose faces turned pale with fear.

One of them was Jia Zheng, a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works.

The other two were among the nobles. One was the heir to the title of Rongguo Mansion, the first-class general Jia She.

The other was the heir to the title of Ningguo Mansion, the third-class general Jia Zhen.

At this time, Jia Zhen looked at Jia She, and Jia She looked at Jia Zhen, and their expressions were becoming increasingly ugly.

Jia Zhen said with some fear.

"Uncle She, this Jia Jue, is he, he, is he a human or a ghost?"

"How could he be exactly like Jia Jue from back then?"

Jia She sighed deeply, his face pale, as if he had eaten a fly.

"It's over. The truth is, they've hidden it from everyone."

"It seems we fell into a trap back then, and we've escaped."

"Now he's back, and disaster is brewing."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen's face became even uglier, and he lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking.

Looking at Jia Zheng again, he just kept shaking his head and sighing.

"What an injustice! What an injustice!"

Naturally, not many people cared about the reactions of the three members of the Jia family.

After all, the Rongguo Mansion today is no longer the Rongguo Mansion that was unrivaled at the beginning of the country's founding, with two dukes in one family.

Due to the decline of talented people in the clan, there is a lack of successors.

Apart from the honorary titles, the highest-ranking official in the Rongguo Mansion today is Jia Zheng, who was granted the title of fifth-rank Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Works by imperial favor.

This is truly extremely miserable for the Rongguo Mansion.

In sharp contrast is naturally the British government.

(End of this chapter)