Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

The Prince of Xiangyang looked arrogantly at Zhao Zhen.

"You wouldn't believe it! I am the Purple Star! I am Zhao Yuanyan's son, and the throne is mine!"

Zhao Yuanran stole the "Star Evil Sword Manual" and questioned Liu E about whether she knew the details of the "Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat" incident, all in order to deceive the emperor and protect the Prince of Xiangyang.

If Empress Liu knew the details of this matter, Zhao Yuanyan would not have committed suicide on the spot when implementing the second part of his plan. Instead, he would have dealt with her and bought time for the Prince of Xiangyang.

If Empress Liu E had not known the specific details, Zhao Yuanyan would have committed suicide after the defeat, leading Empress Liu E and Emperor Zhao Zhen to mistakenly believe that the matter was over, thus revealing a fatal flaw.

Chai Yu was not Zhao Yuanyan's son.

Chai jade is Chai jade.

A leading company is a leading company.

Chai Yu was a scapegoat prepared by Zhao Yuanyan for his own son, the Prince of Xiangyang. In other words, the answer to this question has always been recorded in the riddle.

Bian Mouting's confession was entirely accurate.

The Green Dragon Society was just cannon fodder for Zhao Yuanyan.

Zhao Yuanyan intends to use the Green Dragon Society to achieve great things.

This great undertaking could belong to himself or to his son. When the Prince of Xiangyang appeared in the Funing Palace, all doubts were suddenly cleared up.

The Prince of Xiangyang reached out and grabbed Zhao Zhen.

One hand is gold, the other is silver, which is the mark of mastering the Four Illuminations Divine Skill. Zhao Zhen is a weak scholar who has never practiced martial arts. How could he possibly dodge it?
Just as Zhao Zhen was about to be captured by the Prince of Xiangyang, a glint of light flashed in Zhao Zhen's eyes. He reached out and grabbed, and the sword on the table emitted dragon-shaped sword energy.

"Qiang!"

The sword was drawn and fell into Zhao Zhen's hands.

The fiery dragon, baring its fangs and claws, charged towards the Prince of Xiangyang.

Emperor's Sword Technique: Fire Dragon Soars Through the Nine Heavens!
The Prince of Xiangyang was horrified and retreated frantically, taking more than a dozen steps before regaining his footing. With a look of shock on his face, he asked, "You... you actually know martial arts?"

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "Prince of Xiangyang, I became emperor at the age of thirteen. How could I have time to practice martial arts? I cannot endure the hardships of practicing in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer!"

Fortunately, Emperor Taizu left his descendants a martial art that did not require diligent study and practice; as long as one was a good emperor, one could improve day by day.

This technique is called—Emperor's Sword Technique!

The Prince of Xiangyang angrily retorted, "Impossible! I have never heard of the Emperor's Sword Technique! There is no such thing as the Emperor's Sword Technique in the world! It was fabricated by later generations, falsely attributed to Zhuangzi!"

Zhao Zhen nodded: "Originally, I did not know that the Emperor's Sword Technique existed in the world, nor did the Empress Dowager, because the secret of the Emperor's Sword Technique was sealed away by the Taizu Emperor."

Back then, Emperor Taizu fought a decisive battle with his sworn brothers and lifelong enemies. Due to the intensity of the battle, the Primordial Demon was released, and the four of them joined forces to seal it away.

After that, the four of them made their own arrangements.

Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were worried that this battle would affect the stability of hundreds of millions of people, so they erased this part of history.

For example, do you know how many sworn brothers Emperor Taizu had? Do you know the name of the strongest enemy Emperor Taizu encountered in his life?

Even the most powerful martial arts of the founding emperor were sealed away.

People only know that Emperor Taizu conquered the world with his fists and a staff, completely forgetting the Emperor's Sword Technique.

Even the princes and grandsons of the emperor didn't know.

Only by becoming emperor and going to the ancestral temple to worship his ancestors, and by using the dragon's energy to shake the divine weapon left by the founding emperor, can one see the incantation of the sword technique in a spiritual illusion.

This method requires no diligent study or practice, nor does it require meditation or cultivating internal strength; it all depends on how one behaves as emperor.

If an emperor is diligent in his duties, benevolent and loving towards his people, and possesses both literary and military talents, he will be supported by all the people under heaven. He will not need any sword techniques or artistic conceptions; the emperor himself embodies the essence of swordsmanship.

If an emperor is incompetent, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty, causing widespread suffering and starvation, and chaos to ensue, even if he were to absorb hundreds of martial arts masters using techniques like the Absorption Technique or the Northern Darkness Divine Skill to gain unparalleled internal strength, he would still be unable to unleash even half of its power.

I am the emperor, not a warrior, and I do not wish to decide the succession to the throne through martial arts.

However, this is a family matter for the Zhao family.

The emperor is the clan head.

The clan leader should purge the scum of the clan!

Now that things have come to this, you're tired, and so am I!
Let's all come together!
Let me see how many traitors are left!

A strong sense of authority emanated from Zhao Zhen.

This sword is none other than—Tai'a!
The Prince of Xiangyang was speechless for a moment. Was this still the weak and incompetent Zhao Zhen he knew? Where did the Emperor's Sword Technique come from? How could such a thing happen?
"Your Highness, do not worry, Sima is here!"

Outside the Purple Palace Enclosure, the Greedy Wolf Star stirs, devouring the heavens and earth, the Broken Army Star!
Sima Ce pacified the land, causing mountains and rivers to crumble; countless bones paved the way for a bright future!

Zhao Zhen, I wonder if your Emperor's Sword Technique can kill the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards. Li Nanxing leads the Imperial Guards north to support the Liao Dynasty, and the Eighth Prince devises a plan to deceive the heavens.

While a group of martial arts practitioners were fighting to the death, the prince's army had already entered the city. The key to the mutiny was the soldiers, not the mutiny itself. Who could escape my grasp!

A person dressed in a blue brocade robe appeared quietly at the doorway, with red, green, and blue true energy swirling in his hands. He then condensed the three true energies into purple.

Sima Dongming, the strategist of the Prince of Xiangyang!
"Your Majesty, do not worry, your humble servant is here!"

A clown like him doesn't deserve to be called king!
A feather fan gently waves, bringing autumn to ten thousand valleys; the Eight Trigrams Formation seals the heavens, suppressing the nine provinces!
He has calculated the fate of heroes, and with a laugh, he sweeps away the winds and clouds with a single stroke!

"Prince of Xiangyang, those petty thieves and scoundrels under your command have long been captured by me. Your army... what army do you have? It's all a facade!"

A man with a feather fan and silk turban, exuding heroic spirit, strode towards the Funing Hall. From afar, he resembled Zhuge Liang reborn, or Li Nanxing walking slowly towards him.

Upon getting closer, I realized it was Li Zhaoting.

"You... why are you here?"

Sima Dongming's face was filled with shock.

Li Zhaoting lightly waved his feather fan and sneered, "Of course it's His Majesty's brilliant strategy. Sima Dongming, do you think that just because you're surnamed Sima and my father is a descendant of Zhuge Liang, he would consider you his lifelong enemy? My father isn't that bored, and His Majesty would never let capable ministers do such a pointless thing. His wish is to recover the lost territories!"

After a pause, Li Zhaoting continued to mock, "You are not worthy to be an enemy of His Majesty, not worthy to be an enemy of my father, and not worthy to be an enemy of me. You cannot withstand a single sword strike from me."

Your opponent is my wife, Wang Shenglan.

It's the most brainless and reckless one.

She just led her elite imperial guards to wipe out all your petty thieves and tied up all the confidants that the Prince of Xiangyang had recruited over the years.

you do not believe?

Look at this!
This is the helmet of your trusted confidant, He Ben!
Prince of Xiangyang, it's not that I look down on you, but why didn't you choose someone else as your strategist? You chose a descendant of the Sima family. Which loyal minister or general takes the old man Sima as their role model?
Even if we succeed today, what then?
Aren't you afraid of ending up like a noble old man?

Clad in the armor of Emperor Taizu and wielding the sword of Emperor Taizong, he shouted: "The decision is made! What is there to fear even in death? We would rather die than let the traitors dare to fight! How can we sit idly by and suffer such humiliation? Today, I will personally lead you to punish them! Even if we fail and die, we will not be ashamed to be descendants of Emperor Taizu..."

Sima Dongming, do you have any men under your command surnamed Jia or Cheng? Who will be responsible for killing the Prince of Xiangyang?
I've thought of a suitable person.

Your apprentice, Bai Choufei!

What do you think of this candidate?

Li Zhaoting looked at Sima Dongming with disdain.

Sima Dongming sneered: "Li Zhaoting! It seems that you are the one whose merits overshadow the emperor! You wield immense power in the court and are awe-inspiring in the countryside, making you arguably the number one master in the martial arts world."

Ministers who have opinions against you will either be executed along with their entire families or exiled. Sects that offend you will either be completely wiped out or replaced by a leader who is close to you.

In the martial arts world, a single call to arms can garner a multitude of responses.

You are in the imperial court, your father commands 80,000 imperial guards, and your father-in-law controls the wealth; you are both rich and powerful.

When do you enter the court without bowing, and praise without using your name?

Now, the emperor must rely on you. Once we're all eliminated, you'll be next!

Li Zhaoting scoffed, "How could you possibly understand His Majesty's magnanimity! Let alone the fact that I hold no official position in the court and only have a nominal title, even if I truly wielded immense power, His Majesty would still trust me!"

"On what grounds? On your mouth?"

"Based on the Vermilion Bird Feather Fan in my hand! Based on the fact that my father is a descendant of Zhuge Liang! Based on the eight words 'dedicating oneself to the cause until death'! Based on the fact that Your Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler!"
Even from the darkest perspective, I will break through the void and ascend to immortality in a few years. Compared to becoming an immortal, what are worldly riches and honors?
Finally, you are stalling for time, waiting for He Ben to lead his army to arrive, and I am also stalling for time, waiting for Sheng Lan to lead his troops to quell the rebellion and reduce unnecessary casualties.

Furthermore, the Empress Dowager was also waiting.

Zhu Wushi will find and kill all the scoundrels you've planted throughout the palace!
You want to threaten Zhu Wushi with Tianxiang Doukou?

Don't you know that the person most likely to collect the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom is His Majesty the Emperor?

Even if you have the Heavenly Fragrance Bean in your hands, to participate in such a momentous event as changing the world, you must give the Heavenly Fragrance Bean to Zhu Wushi in advance, otherwise he will not make a move.

However, as long as you hand over the Heavenly Fragrance Bean, Zhu Wushi will immediately apologize to His Majesty. As long as His Majesty issues him a pardon, Zhu Wushi can go from being a traitor to a loyal minister who is secretly working for the rebels.

And what about Cao Zhengchun? You think that by exploiting their weaknesses, they will be used by you?

You forgot one thing: His Majesty can pardon their crimes with a single word. All your painstaking efforts and elaborate schemes are no match for His Majesty's imperial edict.

This is a brocade pouch left by my father!
Sima Dongming, don't be shy. This is your last time. You can read this letter quietly.

I hope you have the magnanimity of Sima Yi.

My dad's words were quite infuriating!

Li Zhaoting tossed over a brocade pouch.

Sima Dongming opened the brocade pouch, and inside the letter were only four large characters written on it—"A clown!"
The brocade pouch left by Li Nanxing certainly didn't contain only four characters. However, the rest was left for Li Zhaoting and Liu E. The meaning was simple: to inform Zhao Zhen of all the intelligence and let him handle it.

Liu E was responsible for assisting Zhao Zhen.

Li Zhaoting is responsible for dealing with top experts; if the situation becomes uncontrollable, he can use decapitation tactics.

Indeed, Liu E's anxiety was all an act, making Zhao Zhen feel that he had everything under control.

On the one hand, it boosted Zhao Zhen's confidence, and on the other hand, it provided Zhao Zhen with emotional support, so that he wouldn't be too tired from the upcoming tasks and want to take a vacation.

Emotional value is very important.

If you don't get praise and feedback for what you do, you'll lose interest in doing it. Back then, it was Empress Liu who was coaxed like that, and now it's Emperor Zhao Zhen who's being coaxed.

In fact, Li Zhaoting and Liu E were not very involved in the chaos tonight. Most of the planning was done by Zhao Zhen, with Liu E playing the straight man and Li Zhaoting being responsible for killing people. Zhao Zhen hid in the shadows, enjoying the thrill of having everything under control, and happily casting his line to fish.

This cannot be said directly.

Otherwise, the emotional value will become negative feedback.

It's like you know perfectly well that "You're so amazing" is just a polite way of encouraging you, but as long as the other person doesn't say it, and doesn't mention it at all, I really am amazing!
Of course, the emperor needs emotional value, and so do his subjects. Li Nanxing and Li Zhaoting needed the emperor to provide them with trust and various prestigious titles.

When the emperor and his ministers provide each other with emotional support, that is the state of harmony and mutual benefit between them.

Li Zhaoting glanced back at Zhao Zhen. Zhao Zhen's face was full of smugness.

When Zhao Zhen saw the Prince of Xiangyang's panicked appearance while demonstrating the Emperor's Sword Technique, he felt as refreshed as if he were drinking cool tea on a sweltering summer day or eating hot pot in the dead of winter.

Li Zhaoting's words were also full of emotional value.

The Prince of Xiangyang's subordinates are all petty thieves and scoundrels, and his most trusted strategist is Sima Tanlang. Sooner or later, Tanlang will offend Ziwei and betray her. The relationship between the emperor and his minister is full of contradictions, and the two will inevitably fight each other.

Zhao Zhen had many capable ministers and officials under his command. His most trusted minister was a student of Zhuge Liang, who devoted himself to the cause until his death. The army launched a northern expedition and recovered lost territory. The harmonious and happy relationship between the emperor and his ministers would become a legendary tale.

The reverse is also true.

To say that a minister has the style of Sima Yi is almost no different from falsely accusing someone of plotting a rebellion.

To say that a minister has the style of Zhuge Liang is the highest praise one can receive; one would be happy for at least half a month.

Emperor Zhao Zhen was diligent in his duties and deserves praise.

Li Nanxing needs to be trusted to lead his troops on the northern expedition.

The Prince of Xiangyang and Sima Dongming were tools that provided emotional value to the two. Li Zhaoting took the initiative to restrain his own aura, hiding in the corner and quietly playing the straight man.

Sima Dongming stared at the words on the letter, thinking of Li Nanxing's smug face. His expression turned pale and then purple. Just as he was about to die of anger, Wang Shenglan walked in carrying several rebellious Imperial Guard commanders, revealing her standard silly big sister smile: "Your Majesty! The rebels have all been wiped out. They were such useless! With one charge, they were cut into several pieces. They are far inferior to the Imperial Guard!"

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "I've long heard that my sister-in-law has the bravery of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Seeing her today, I can see that her reputation is well-deserved! How could a bunch of clowns withstand your divine might? My sister-in-law, you've worked hard. Go and rest! When your child is born, I will appoint him as the General of Valiant Might!"

Wang Shenglan added insult to injury for Xiangyang Wang and Sima Dongming: "Your Majesty is so generous that you can get a general's position just for wiping out a bunch of petty thieves and clowns! Come to me again if you need anything! I plan to have eight children to accumulate more merits!"

Zhao Zhen subconsciously looked at Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting took out some snacks from his pocket.

— Rock sugar and goji berries!
Zhao Zhen smiled happily.

Li Zhaoting's smile was extremely awkward.

"Petty thieves... clowns... easily defeated by a shrew... Li Nanxing, I am not worthy to be your enemy, not worthy to be your son's enemy, not even worthy to be your daughter-in-law's enemy... I am only worthy to be your son's concubine's enemy, and I was utterly defeated..."

Sima Dongming's face changed from alternating between blue and purple to a deep blackish-purple, his forehead turned black, and blood flowed from his seven orifices. With a roar, Sima Dongming went into qi deviation, his true qi surged wildly within his body, severing his eight extraordinary meridians. Then, he suffered a sudden attack of fire in his heart, and all his internal organs shattered.

"puff!"

Sima Dongming coughed up a mouthful of blood, and fragments of his internal organs could be vaguely seen before the corpse collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Zhen sneered: "Take Sima Dongming's body out and display it to the public. Say that he was the assassin who attempted to kill the emperor and frame Lu Xiaofeng, and clear Lu Xiaofeng's name!"

Wang Shenglan took away Sima Dongming's body.

It's impossible to fake death and escape.

No one can fake their death and escape in front of the Li family.

Wang Shenglan was straightforward and kept Li Zhaoting's instructions firmly in mind. When she mentioned Sima Dongming, she used the Tianshan Six Yang Palm technique, applying hidden force to circulate through Sima Dongming's eight extraordinary meridians, shattering his internal organs.

From the outside, the body was quite intact.

From the inside, the internal organs are crushed into minced meat.

Sima Dongming stared wide-eyed at Wang Shenglan in disbelief, then closed his eyes in despair…

—This guy was definitely faking his death!
Wang Shenglan quickly followed up with seven or eight more slaps.

The Prince of Xiangyang asked, "Zhao Zhen, how did you guess my plan? I believe I haven't given anything away from beginning to end, and I've never shown the slightest ambition!"

Zhao Zhen said confidently, "I don't know the specific details of the plan, nor do I know who the real rebels are. I can only discern two things!"
First, Minister Li is trustworthy. As long as Minister Li is by my side, no one can harm me.

Second, no matter who wants to rebel, the final step will be to attack the palace. In other words, as long as Minister Li guards the palace, I can rest easy.

The Prince of Xiangyang asked, "If that's the case, why was Li Zhaoting imprisoned in the imperial prison? What's the meaning of this?"

Li Zhaoting explained, "I'll play along. You can see that I'm acting and know that the Heavenly Prison can't hold me. I can come and go as I please. However, the Heavenly Prison is much more obvious than the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence. You only need to bribe two or three jailers to confirm my movements."

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "In this way, you will neglect Minister Li. Even though you pay the most attention to him, you always subconsciously ignore him. You may not know that there is a secret passage in the prison that leads directly to the back garden. Minister Li can get to the palace in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

The Prince of Xiangyang sneered: "Zhao Zhen, I am now in a life-or-death situation, but I still have my last trump card!"

Zhao Zhen handed the imperial sword to Li Zhaoting.

The emperor is not a warrior and does not need to take action. The move he made just now was merely for emotional value. Zhao Zhen has never practiced martial arts, so how could he have any combat experience?
He talks a big game, but in a real fight, he might not be able to defeat the Prince of Xiangyang. It's all just empty talk!

Fighting is Li Zhaoting's specialty.

The emperor's most important responsibility is to know people well and use them wisely.

Li Zhaoting recited the poem with practiced ease.

The poem he wrote when he first appeared was for his father, Li Nanxing, which gave Li Nanxing a sense of involvement.

This is now Li Zhaoting's poetic name.

"The sword roars through the sky."

Its awe-inspiring aura repels all evil spirits.

The world is in chaos, and the demonic forces are rampant. How can we tolerate this?

He single-handedly held up the sky to save the fallen, and alone he waded through blood to punish the traitors.

Throughout my life, have I ever ceased my efforts to eradicate evil? My blade remains ever sharp!
The mountains and rivers weep, the winds and clouds fall silent.

Piles of dry bones, the vast sea red.

Laugh at the famous swords of the ages, all of which are said to be undeserved praise.

I will never regret sweeping away all evil, and I will hold fast to my original aspiration even in the face of countless tribulations.

Looking back at the vast and chaotic world, I sing a drunken, wild song!

"Prince of Xiangyang, prepare to die!"

The Prince of Xiangyang reached into his robes and carefully pulled out a brocade pouch containing nine small jade tablets. The tablets could be combined to form a single piece, with mountains and rivers engraved on the front and a seal character carved on the back.

The seal script character is—传!

The character 传 (chuán) means to inherit, transmit, or pass on.

Li Zhaoting had obtained a few pieces by chance, but later found them useless and sold them haphazardly to various places in the martial arts world.

It is said that this jade pendant contains the Dao of Heaven and Man, and that obtaining it can shatter the void and make one the pinnacle of the martial arts world.

Zhao Yuanyan tricked the Azure Dragon Society into collecting the jade tablets with their help. The Prince of Xiangyang didn't know what these jade tablets were for, and tried all sorts of methods, including dripping blood, burning, and drowning them. He wanted to give them up, but he couldn't bear to.

The Prince of Xiangyang thought to himself that the mountain and water patterns on the jade pendant were mysterious and perhaps truly contained a top secret that could only be triggered under special circumstances.

For example: to become emperor.

For example: being in a desperate situation.

Knowing he was no match for Li Zhaoting, the Prince of Xiangyang assembled the jade pendants, hoping they would sense his do-or-die spirit and unleash a devastating attack, severely injuring Li Zhaoting and giving him a chance to survive.

Li Zhaoting's lips twitched: "Prince of Xiangyang, let me tell you a secret. Our family's ancestral craft is carving jade jewelry. This piece of jade was carved by my father."

Prince of Xiangyang: Σ(⊙▽⊙“a
Li Zhaoting shrugged: "Back then, the Empress Dowager accidentally obtained a treasure. In order to explore the secrets contained in this treasure, she asked my father to carve the patterns on that treasure onto a piece of top-quality jade. You should have seen my files, right? When I was in Dali, my father was a jade seller. This matter is not a secret."

"Liu E... Li Nanxing..."

"The Empress Dowager was indeed farsighted. On the one hand, she let those old monsters who had exhausted their potential and wanted to take crooked paths cause chaos on their own, so as to prevent them from disturbing the martial arts world."

On the other hand, it also helps the national treasury make money by having those forces that are plotting rebellion but lack the strength to spend a lot of money to collect these useless treasures.

The value of these jade pendants was mainly inflated by the Imperial City Guard. I have a concubine named Gongsun Lan, who is the mistress of the Red Shoes, and she has done these tasks.

You spent a lot of money, didn't you?
I remember these jade pendants were very expensive!
I've sold a few!
That's equivalent to several years' worth of my family's living expenses!

Li Zhaoting's eyes were full of laughter; if he hadn't received rigorous training, he would have been laughing so hard he was lying on the ground.

This is totally foreshadowing!
Liu E and your father, you're real dogs!
The Prince of Xiangyang's face turned purplish-blue, ten times worse than Sima Dongming's. He roared to the sky, unleashing his true energy, wanting to fight to the death. But how much combat power could he unleash with the power that had been poured into him, even if it was the Four Illuminations Divine Skill?
Li Zhaoting swept his sword across the battlefield, slaying the traitor.

Zhao Zhen asked, "Minister Li, according to seniority, you are my distant cousin. What kind of reward do you desire?"

Li Zhaoting sighed, "Your Majesty! I will accept whatever you bestow upon me, but I only ask one thing of you: please do not bestow any more women upon me, my back can't take it anymore!"

Zhao Zhen silently added to the imperial edict: "Bestow marriage upon Princess Tianxiang, and reward her with thirty beautiful women..."

Li Zhaoting looked at Zhao Zhen with a regretful expression, showing the bag of snacks he had just finished eating. Half a goji berry could be vaguely seen inside. Zhao Zhen whistled and looked at the large hole in the roof, pretending not to see Li Zhaoting.

“Cousin, I can change your fiefdom from Jinling to Gansu and Liangzhou, which will be more beneficial to you…”

"What's the benefit?"

"Abundant in goji berries!"

Zhao Zhen: ヾ(^Д^*)/
Li Zhaoting: ┓(`)┏

The rebellion ended, and the traitors were beheaded.

However, the culprit was the head of the Green Dragon Society, Sima Dongming, the commander of the Manchu Sticky Rod Office. Zhao Yuanyan was killed by a traitor, the Prince of Xiangyang was assassinated by a traitor, and Chai Yu died suddenly from illness. The blame all fell on the Green Dragon Society.

Zhu Wushi was used by Zhao Yuanyan and Bian Mouting in order to obtain Tianxiang Doukou. Whether this reason was true or false, he betrayed the enemy in the face of battle and made some contributions. Zhao Zhen pardoned Zhu Wushi.

As for Pang Tong, he was assigned to a private room in the imperial prison.

Grand Tutor Pang submitted a memorial requesting to retire and return to his hometown. Emperor Zhao Zhen did not implicate him further and granted his request to resign.

Punishing rebellion should not be rushed.

The focus is on rewarding those who have made contributions.

The emperor was sent to heaven to carry the order, and the edict said:
I have received the favor of Heaven and the heavy responsibility entrusted to me by the ancestral temple. I am constantly vigilant and concerned for the peace and prosperity of the nation. Now, we have Duke Zhenguo, Li Zhaoting, whose loyalty shines as bright as the sun and whose courage is awe-inspiring. He is truly a pillar of the world with unparalleled martial arts skills!
His meritorious service is evident, and I am delighted.
Firstly, you protected the Emperor: When the rebels caused chaos and the capital was in peril, you single-handedly broke through the enemy lines and fought a bloody battle to protect the imperial carriage. The Empress Dowager and I were able to escape from the enemy's clutches. This achievement is comparable to supporting the heavens!
The second is to quell the bandits: the rebel leaders are wicked and bring disaster to the country. You, wielding your sword, will sweep across the eight wastelands, slay the evil dragon on the imperial steps, and wipe out the villains like a whirlwind, bringing peace to the world!
Thirdly, he was loyal and brave: even when he was afflicted with tuberculosis, he fought to the death without retreating. His loyalty and courage were as great as the mountains and rivers. He was truly a peerless national hero!
This special promotion is to show our deepest gratitude:

He was promoted to the rank of King of the Town, a title exceeding that of a first-rank official;
Princess Tianxiang was betrothed to a royal couple, and an auspicious day was chosen for the ceremony, with the phoenix and dragon roosters adorning the Qilin Pavilion.

He was bestowed with a nine-tasseled jade crown, a red-gold dragon armor, ten bushels of pearls from the East China Sea, and a mountain of Hetian jade;
The imperial edict is a hereditary certificate, granting the holder the right to not bow before the emperor or be named when praising him!

The last sentence was added by Zhao Zhen in a fit of pique.

It was mainly because of what Sima Dongming said.

Li Zhaoting: You must be joking!
Perhaps sensing Li Zhaoting's resentment, Zhao Zhen casually gave Li Zhaoting a rather amusing title from the Eighth Prince's bestowal: "He does not bid farewell to the Prince upon leaving the palace!" (End of Chapter)