The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 122 bestowing an honorific title and a grand reward

Spring goes and summer comes.

In April of the 26th year of Jian'an, on a bright and sunny morning.

Liu Bei, the King of Hanzhong, led his troops to Wudan Mountain in Chengdu and formally ascended the throne as emperor.

One more thing must be mentioned here.

The year 26 of Jian'an was not a real reign title.

Rather, it was a reign title temporarily used by the people of Shu to ensure the legitimacy of the emperor's ascension to the throne.

They even commissioned a special stele, later known as the "Yellow Dragon Sweet Dew Stele," to commemorate this historic moment.

Without a doubt, Li Yan has played a significant role in this matter.

Now let's get back to the present.

After Liu Bei finished the formalities, he officially assumed the title of "Emperor" and ruled the world, changing the era name to "Zhangwu".

All the officials were also rewarded.

As expected, Zhuge Liang, who was nominally the strategist but in reality the prime minister, was officially appointed as prime minister, granted the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, and given the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat.

The "Chancellor" here was no longer one of the Three Dukes of the early Han Dynasty. After several changes, it eventually became the honorary title of "Minister of Works".

Instead, he was a prime minister, who held a position above the Three Dukes and wielded real power.

The appointment of Zhuge Liang as prime minister and his role as acting prime minister were both intended to strengthen Zhuge Liang's authority as prime minister.

In other words, Zhuge Liang's status rose to the top among all officials.

No one disagreed.

Under Zhuge Liang, only two of the Three Dukes, whose positions had become largely nominal, were actually appointed.

The Situ is Xu Jing, just like in the original history.

Unlike others, General Mi Zhu of Anhan was appointed Minister of Works for his merits and was also ranked among the Three Dukes.

This appointment has sparked some controversy.

Some people believe that Mi Zhu rose to power because of his son's merits.

But Zhuge Liang refuted him with a single sentence:

"If any minister has a talented person like Mi Shishan in their family, they should recommend him without regard to kinship."

"If the person recommended is indeed talented, the recommender will also be rewarded!"

After the Three Dukes, there is a general with an even higher title than the Three Dukes.

Guan Yu was appointed Grand General, granted the authority to command troops, appointed Governor of Jingzhou, and enfeoffed as Marquis of Jie.

Ma Chao was appointed General of the Cavalry, granted the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, and appointed Governor of Liang Province, and enfeoffed as Marquis of Taixiang.

Zhang Fei was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, granted the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, and appointed Commandant of the Capital Region. He was also enfeoffed as Marquis of Xixiang.

Wei Yan was appointed General Who Guards the North, overseeing Hanzhong, and retaining his position as Prefect of Hanzhong.

Lai Gong was appointed Grand Master of Ceremonies, Huang Zhu was appointed Grand Master of the Palace, and Wang Mou was appointed Junior Minister of the Imperial Treasury, as before.

He Zong, who was in charge of the sacrificial ceremony, was appointed as the Grand Herald to highlight his contribution in planning the ceremony.

The positions of the other nine ministers were also arranged.

However, just as the Three Dukes have become nominal positions in this era.

During this period, the Nine Ministers could only handle some minor matters.

The real power in the government still rested with the Secretariat.

The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat at this time is Liu Ba, and there is no need for change.
It was only nominal that he was promoted from the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the King of Hanzhong to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Great Han Dynasty, which can be considered as a rise in rank.

The other court officials and generals were promoted or reassigned in various ways.

It is worth mentioning Wu Yi and Li Yan.

The former was appointed remotely to oversee the Guanzhong region.

This can be seen as a demonstration of the imperial court's determination to conquer Guanzhong.

Li Yan was promoted to "General Who Assists the Han" for presenting auspicious omens and carving a stele.

He remained the Prefect of Jianwei and the Right Governor of Yijiang.

However, like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Wei Zhongxian, he was responsible for defending the border and could not act rashly, so he did not attend the ceremony and only sent his relatives or subordinates as representatives.

Later, an envoy will come to bestow official titles and distribute rewards.

As for the appointment of Queen Wu as Empress, the appointment of Liu Shan as Crown Prince, and the selection of virtuous and capable officials to guide the Eastern Palace... these are all self-evident matters and need not be mentioned further.

The only point worth mentioning is that Fei Yi, due to Mi Wei's recommendation, skipped the process of becoming a subordinate official of the Crown Prince.

Once Dangyang Chang's term is over, he will probably be promoted directly to Shangshu Lang.

However, not everyone has made "progress".

For example, Liao Li, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, remained in his original position.

Moreover, since the power and responsibilities of the Attendant-in-Ordinary depended entirely on whether the emperor gave him orders, it couldn't even be said that his power increased with the rise of the emperor.

There were also Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant Guan Xing and Cavalry Commandant Ma Dai.

Because he had just been granted an official position, and it was a position that benefited from imperial favor.

Therefore, there was no additional promotion.

The exception was Mi Wei. He had thought he was also someone who had received preferential treatment through connections, and that he was probably just here to slack off.

Anyway, my dad has already paid respects to the Three Dukes, so I'm set for life.

But he never expected it.

That very night, Liu Bei issued an imperial edict.

Jia Miwei was appointed as "Attendant-in-Ordinary".

In the future, he will be allowed to enter and exit the forbidden area in preparation for advisory responses and to fill any gaps in his knowledge.

In addition, the original duties of Mi Wei, "Fengche Duwei", were added.

He instantly became the most favored person in the emperor's court.

Miwei was immediately shocked.

Lao Liu, what do you mean? Are you treating me as a substitute for Ma Liang?

If we round it up, wouldn't I be considered a substitute for Prime Minister Zhuge?
They're not afraid of lowering the status of the Prime Minister and White Eyebrows!
However, the imperial edict, written in black ink on yellow paper, left him no room for doubt.

They assumed that Lao Liu was just in high spirits because of a happy occasion, so they let his men enjoy it too.

Subsequently, Liu Bei held a grand banquet for three days to entertain his ministers and the Qiang nobles who came to observe the ceremony.

Throughout the event, various rewards and gifts were given continuously, and musicians and dancers provided entertainment.

I indulged in a rare luxury.

Zhuge Liang did not try to dissuade him from this.

Even the most conservative and old-fashioned scholars and Confucian scholars did not engage in any dramatic acts of admonishing the emperor in person.

Because everyone knows that this is a case of spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.

Once these Qiang people return, they can widely publicize the kindness shown to them in Sichuan, attracting more Qiang tribes to join them in the south. Then all the sacrifices will have been worthwhile.

And so it went until the third day.

The Qiang chieftain had become very familiar with the civil and military officials of Shu.

He claimed he was sending several of his daughters out to become men's concubines.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in carrying an urgent report.

Liu Bei was so drunk that his face was flushed and he could barely read, so he asked Zhuge Liang to read for him.

Zhuge Liang unfolded the bamboo slips, his face ashen, revealing no emotion.

But Mi Wei was serving Liu Bei closely.

It was clear that Zhuge Liang's hand was trembling slightly.

He just concealed it very well.

A bad feeling immediately arose in my heart.

The next moment, Zhuge Liang turned the bamboo slips upside down, bowed to Liu Bei, and said:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! General Li Zhengfang, who assists the Han, has cleverly lured the enemy and has already killed Gao Ding, the chieftain of the Yuexi tribe."

"From this day forward, the journey from Shu County to Yuexi will be a smooth and unobstructed one!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei laughed heartily and exclaimed "Great!" three times.

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials, including the Qiang tribal leader, all stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

The latter, in particular, looked at Liu Bei with even greater awe upon hearing of the destruction of Yuexi Gaoding, and his determination to send his daughter to him became even stronger.

Liu Bei then praised Li Yan in the form of an imperial edict, and then allowed the interrupted musicians and dancers to continue playing music and dancing.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhuge Liang excused himself to change his clothes.

Subsequently, other officials left the scene one after another for the same reason.

At first, Liu Bei did not notice anything unusual, but as more people gathered, he eventually became aware of it.

But he remained seated, beckoning Miwei forward, and said:

"I have recently acquired a magnificent steed, just like the legendary Dilu of yesteryear. Go to the stables and bring it here, so that all the ministers of the Qiang tribe may come and admire it together!"

As he spoke, he tapped Mi Wei's palm firmly with his fingertip.

Mi Wei immediately understood and said:

"The divine steeds are fierce and will take some time to tame. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty!"

……

After leaving the banquet hall, Mi Wei was about to inquire about the whereabouts of Zhuge Liang and the others when he saw Huang Quan already waiting for him.

"Don't make a sound, don't turn around, let's talk in another room."

Miwei blinked in response.

Without saying a word, Huang Quan led the way.

Before long, the two moved to a military tent far from the banquet hall.

Chancellor Zhuge Liang, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Ba, General Wu Yi who was in charge of suppressing rebellions in Guanzhong, General Zhao Yun, Deputy General Chen Shi, Deputy General Feng Xi... including Yang Hong, who had just been transferred from the provincial capital to the governor of Shu Commandery, and a host of important officials and generals who had accompanied the emperor, had already gathered together.

Everyone, without exception, wore a solemn expression.

Mi Wei's heart skipped a beat.

What a big deal!

(End of this chapter)