My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 276 General Tiance!

The big one is coming.

This is a consensus among everyone in the Taiji Hall.

What day is today?
When the Prime Minister returned to the capital after achieving great military exploits, it was time for the Emperor to reward those who had contributed. In particular, the relationship between the Emperor and the Prime Minister was not harmonious, and they had even clashed once before.

At this moment, the emperor suddenly says he had a dream, and even dreamed of past emperors?

Why would someone mention past emperors for no reason?
As Yuan Ziyou spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Gao Yu, and he spoke of how Gao Yu led three thousand men to a great victory against the three hundred thousand-strong allied army of Southern Liang, achieving remarkable military exploits.

Apparently...

Yuan Ziyou was provoked by Erzhu Shilong's request to be granted the "Nine Bestowments".

The Nine Bestowments.

The first person recorded in historical records to be granted the Nine Bestowments was the Duke of Zhou, in order to commend his great achievements, profound virtue, and high prestige.

The second person to be granted the Nine Bestowments was Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty.

However, by the time Wang Mang lived, most of the ancient books from the pre-Qin period had been lost. Wang Mang wanted to revive the "Rites of Zhou," but he did not know what the Nine Bestowments were. So he used classical texts to redefine the Nine Bestowments himself.

The first is carriages and horses, which are bestowed upon those whose virtue is worthy of being practiced.

Secondly, clothing, which will be given to those who can bring peace to the people.

The third is the county of Le, which is bestowed upon those who bring harmony and joy to the people.

Fourthly, the Zhu household is bestowed upon those with a large population.

Fifthly, those who can present their merits to the emperor are rewarded.

The sixth is the Tiger Warrior, bestowed upon those who can ward off evil.

The seventh item is the axe and halberd, which are given to those who can execute the guilty.

The eighth item is the bow and arrow, which are given to those who can subdue the unjust.

The ninth item is black millet wine, which is bestowed upon those who exemplify filial piety.

Looking at these standards for bestowing rewards, one can understand why the bestowal of the Nine Bestowments was a harbinger of a powerful minister usurping the throne, and also understand why Yuan Ziyou would rather fabricate a "General of the Heavenly Pillar" than budge on this issue.

According to this standard of reward.

Those who were bestowed the Nine Bestowments by the emperor were essentially officially recognized by the emperor, and the recipients were people like the Duke of Zhou and Wang Mang, whose merits were great, whose virtues were profound, and whose prestige was high.

If these three conditions are met, it is reasonable and impeccable for the emperor to 'voluntarily' abdicate in favor of such a person. This would silence any dissent and be considered legitimate. Therefore, every powerful minister before him strictly followed this standard to usurp the throne.

Wang Mang was indeed initially regarded by the people as a person of great virtue, high prestige, and great merit. The fate of the Liu Han dynasty was exhausted, and it was only natural for Wang Mang to become emperor and replace the Liu Han dynasty. When Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, first studied at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an, he even wanted to serve as the Commander of the Imperial Guards for the Xin dynasty.

However, starting with Cao Cao, it was basically a powerful minister trying to embellish his own image, becoming the last step before someone with immense power and a strong army usurped the throne.

Yuan Ziyou was indeed provoked by Erzhu Shilong's act of currying favor with Erzhu Rong and requesting the bestowal of the Nine Bestowments.

Although Erzhu Rong didn't say anything or express his willingness to accept, and even seemed to want to refuse sternly, how could Erzhu Shilong dare to make such a statement without his authorization?
"The late emperors held my hand and told me that the Great Wei had encountered this calamity because there were treacherous officials in the court. Fortunately, the prime minister helped to eliminate these treacherous officials. However... disaster had already been brewing, and Luoyang was in imminent danger. It was the Eternal Heaven that told them that a young general with a ghostly face and black armor would turn the tide, save the collapsing empire, and restore the Great Wei to its former glory!"

"The previous emperors repeatedly instructed me not to let this young general down and to reward him handsomely in order to protect the country and the state of our Great Wei."

Although Yuan Ziyou's map of the Yan state was rather long, it eventually revealed its true nature.

The expressions on the faces of the people in the Taiji Hall varied. Erzhu Shilong and the others seemed not to have expected Yuan Ziyou to act so unpredictably. Yang Chun, Mu Shao, Yuan Zhi and the others were shocked and looked at Yuan Ziyou in astonishment.

Erzhu Rong's face was ashen as he glanced around at the reactions of everyone in the Taiji Hall.

Except him.

Only the brothers Gao Huan and Gao Yu were like him, remaining calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before them, making it impossible for anyone to discern their inner thoughts from their facial expressions.

A sense of sadness inevitably welled up in my heart.

The vast Erzhu clan seemed to have absorbed all the spiritual energy of his peers, leaving them all incompetent fools.

Erzhu Shilong was cruel and greedy, and was incapable of being of great use at crucial moments; abandoning Hulao Pass is the best example of this.

His nephews, Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Tianguang, were somewhat capable, but they each had their shortcomings. In particular, they were far inferior to outstanding individuals like the Gao brothers, and even less so than Heba Yue and others.

"Aren't the Black Armor and Ghost Face referring to the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Yuan Ziyou continued telling the story, "The General of Chariots and Cavalry had already been promoted exceptionally, but... this was the will of the Eternal Heaven. I am the Son of Heaven, how can I go against the will of Heaven? Therefore... I have decided to bestow upon the General of Chariots and Cavalry the title of Grand General of Heavenly Strategy! This is a Grand General appointed by Heaven."

"I wonder what you guys think?"

Gao Yu quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and hurriedly declined.

"His Majesty!"

"In the Battle of Luoyang, the credit goes to His Majesty himself, donning armor and climbing the city wall to beat the drums and boost morale for the soldiers. It also goes to the Prime Minister's formidable reputation that intimidated the enemy army, and to my comrades in the Xuanjia Army who fought bravely against the enemy. I have indeed made some contributions, but I dare not claim the greatest credit, and how could I dare to accept such a generous reward and be called a Grand General alongside the Prime Minister?"

Yuan Ziyou smiled and waved his hand, "The Prime Minister is so magnanimous, how could he care? However... what the General said is not without reason."

"How about we appoint General Tian Ce then?"

"The Grand Historian Sima Qian once said, 'A man with thunder in his heart but a calm face is worthy of being appointed as a supreme general!'"

"Prime Minister, what is your opinion?"

It's the same old trick again.

If we agree, that would allow Gao Yu to rise to the top in one step. Gao Yu certainly doesn't have the solid foundation that Erzhu Rong has built up over generations. However, his status has risen accordingly, giving him the right to make empty promises to others. Naturally, people will come to him to pledge their allegiance and support him.

Disagree?
That would mean offending Gao Yu, personally denying someone's chance to rise to the top overnight, and blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents.

Everyone turned their gaze to Erzhu Rong, wanting to know how he would handle the situation, but Gao Yu kept his head down.

"Your Majesty." Erzhu Rong, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "Your Majesty, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has rendered unparalleled merit this time, and any reward he may bestow upon him is entirely justified. I have no objection, however..."

"Many have made meritorious contributions this time, yet Your Majesty has singled out the General of Chariots and Cavalry for such an extraordinary promotion. Isn't this putting the General in an unjust position?"

Yuan Ziyou laughed and quickly corrected him.

"It is not that I want to promote someone out of turn, but that the Eternal Heaven and the previous emperors have issued a decree to me in a dream. I also know that it is difficult to convince the public based solely on my own words, so let the Eternal Heaven issue the decree in public!"

"Guards! Order the craftsmen to cast a golden statue outside the Taiji Hall!!"

Hear this.

Everyone turned their attention to Gao Yu.

There were envious looks, jealous looks... all sorts of expressions.

They were all seasoned veterans of officialdom. The golden statue could fool soldiers and ordinary people, but who would believe it when they could meet the emperor in the Taiji Hall?
There's too much room for human manipulation in this thing.

Yuan Ziyou's confidence clearly indicates that he had already instructed the craftsmen to make thorough preparations to ensure the casting of the golden figure would proceed without any mishaps.

It's just a formality.

Erzhu Rong was unable to refute it.

He established the legitimacy of Yuan Ziyou's ascension to the throne by casting a bronze statue. If he were to stand up and oppose it, he would be denying what he had done and contradicting himself.

really.

Erzhu Rong's face instantly darkened.

He glanced at Yuan Ziyou, realizing that Yuan Ziyou's actions had exceeded his expectations. He had ultimately underestimated this 'puppet' emperor whom he had personally supported.

The craftsmen were quickly taken outside the Taiji Hall.

Yuan Ziyou stood up and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please follow me outside the palace."

He went out first, followed by the dukes, ministers and officials.

Gao Yu turned around and followed him out. Gao Huan deliberately stayed in a back position and didn't say anything, but he gave Gao Yu a look.

There were concerns, but also joy.

They had previously sought refuge with Erzhu Rong because both brothers were commoners and needed to rely on Erzhu Rong so that he could bring them closer to the table of power.

But now?
The two brothers are now qualified to sit at the table and eat.

In fact, Gao Yu already possesses the qualifications to become a core player at the power table.

We arrived outside the Taiji Hall.

After going through the normal ritual of worshipping heaven and earth, the craftsmen brought up the pre-fired Gao Yu mold.

The craftsman's skills are quite good.

It was so lifelike that it was indeed carved according to Gao Yu's mold. Then, the copper was heated and melted into liquid, which was then poured into the mold.

These things aren't always guaranteed to be successful; there can always be unexpected events.

Although Yuan Ziyou had the craftsmen tamper with it earlier, when the molten copper was poured into the mold and thick black smoke billowed out, he was still so nervous that he clenched his fists tightly, not daring to blink, staring intently at the mold, for fear that something might go wrong!
Erzhu Rong also stared intently.

He secretly hoped for an unexpected turn of events and began to plan his next move. If successful, how would he restrain Gao Yu?
The expressions on everyone's faces remained varied.

People like Erzhu Shilong, Erzhu Dulu, and Erzhu Yanbo gritted their teeth, wishing they could go up and personally push the mold over.

Erzhu Zhao's expression was quite complicated. No matter how sharp his mind was, he couldn't be blind to the turbulent situation before him. If Gao Yu was really promoted to such a high position by Yuan Ziyou, then even if Erzhu Yuechan married Gao Yu, it would not put Erzhu Rong at ease.

Will they ultimately turn into opposing forces?
Under the gaze of everyone.

The mold was ultimately undamaged, and all the molten copper had been poured out. There were no unexpected incidents up to this point.

The rest is a foregone conclusion. All that's needed is for the molten copper in the mold to cool and solidify before we can declare the casting of the golden man a success!

Yuan Ziyou quietly loosened his clenched fist, a smile playing on his lips.

He ultimately prevailed over Erzhu Rong.

He knew that Erzhu Rong wanted to go through the normal abdication process and wouldn't easily turn against him.

at least……

Erzhu Rong will not touch Erzhu Ying'e until she gives birth to a child.

Yuwen Luosheng asked him last night, "Aren't you afraid that Gao Yu will become the second Erzhu Rong?"

Yuan Ziyou was afraid.

But that's a matter for the future. Right now, after pacifying Ge Rong, Erzhu Rong's ambition to usurp the throne is no longer concealed at all.

Let's deal with the immediate crisis first.

When the craftsmen broke the outer mold, the 'golden man' that had already taken shape inside was revealed.

Yuan Ziyou couldn't wait to announce it!
"It's done!"

"The Eternal Heaven personally issued a decree!"