A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

The team that issued the imperial edicts of bestowal and reward?

Zhao Daxuan's eyes lit up, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He said, "A reward? Is it for me?"

Yue Zhenyuan nodded solemnly, "That's right. The Tartar army marched south, and it was all thanks to you that you single-handedly repelled them, even recapturing the Black Mountain Pass and recovering the lost territory."

"Your achievements are so great that you deserve not only the rank of a mere captain, but also the rank of a general."

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand sheepishly, "General, you flatter me. I am not worthy of such a title."

"It's mainly thanks to the hard work of my men, especially your strong support, General. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to achieve such merits."

"So... does that mean the imperial court has agreed to appoint me as a captain?"

Yue Zhenyuan gently shook his head.

Zhao Daxuan was slightly taken aback, then frowned. "What? Are my achievements not enough to warrant a promotion to captain?"

"Not at all. This time, the imperial court's reward for you is not merely generous, but rather excessively generous!"

"What...what do you mean?"

"Zhao Daxuan, this time His Majesty has personally appointed you as the Marquis of Wangbei and General Zhenbei. In addition, you will receive one hundred taels of gold, one thousand acres of fertile land, and one hundred bolts of brocade."

"Hiss—! So many?!"

Zhao Daxuan's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise.

His face then lit up with ecstatic joy, and he bowed deeply to Yue Zhenyuan, saying gratefully, "Thank you so much for your kindness, General. I have no way to repay you!"

This reward far exceeded his expectations, since he had only been told that he would be reported to the court and promoted to the rank of colonel.

Now, the imperial decree has ordered him to be promoted two ranks and directly appointed as the General Who Guards the North.

Not only that, he was also granted the title of Marquis of Wangbei, which made the other rewards insignificant in comparison.

Each one of them was far beyond his expectations, let alone the fact that two rewards appeared together.

In Zhao Daxuan's mind, the only way to achieve this result must be that Yue Zhenyuan secretly helped him. Otherwise, how could he have such immense wealth?

However, Yue Zhenyuan's answer was beyond his expectations.

Yue Zhenyuan waved his hand, "It wasn't me who helped you, but Prime Minister Gu Yanqing who secured the official title and rewards for you!"

Zhao Daxuan was completely bewildered.

Prime Minister Gu Yanqing?

He had absolutely no connection with him; they did have some interactions, but they were all negative.

Now, his several wives have had their home ransacked and have become prisoners, all thanks to Prime Minister Gu Yanqing.

Is the prime minister so kind that he would help him get official titles and rewards?

There's definitely something wrong with this!

Zhao Daxuan suddenly looked up at Yue Zhenyuan and noticed the unusual expression on Yue Zhenyuan's face. His heart sank and he knew something was wrong.

"General, is there something fishy going on here?"

Yue Zhenyuan's lips curled up slightly. Zhao Daxuan was not blinded by the overwhelming wealth, but immediately realized that there was something fishy going on, which was commendable.

Yue Zhenyuan nodded and said in a deep voice, "That's right. In the imperial court, our military originally only wanted to promote you to the rank of colonel and then grant you the title of viscount."

"The civil official group, led by the Prime Minister, originally strongly opposed it, but after you ambushed the retreating Tartar army and captured the Black Mountain Pass, my Great Xia was able to recover the territory within the Black Mountain Pass."

"This achievement is too great, so great that even the civil service cannot oppose it, therefore the Prime Minister chose the tactic of flattery to his detriment!"

After a pause, Yue Zhenyuan showed a helpless expression.

"His Majesty originally appreciated you highly, but under the Prime Minister's flattery, His Majesty began to be wary of you, and I even suspect that His Majesty has already decided to kill you."

As soon as Yue Zhenyuan finished speaking, Zhao Daxuan almost jumped up in anger.

Is this emperor a pig-brain?

It's utterly absurd that the Prime Minister would harbor murderous intent towards a meritorious official who had made great contributions to the Great Xia Dynasty with just a few words.

"General, perhaps we're overthinking it? Maybe His Majesty doesn't have this intention?"

Zhao Daxuan was unwilling to accept this, and he suspected that Yue Zhenyuan was overthinking things.

"As far as I know, after this imperial edict is issued, you will be required to relinquish your military command at Black Mountain Pass and then return to the capital to report on your duties."

Yue Zhenyuan shook his head, looking at Zhao Daxuan with a deep gaze, and said, "The capital is like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. Once you get there, whether you live or die is entirely up to them."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

He jumped to his feet, his face contorted with resentment, and his voice was low and furious as he said, "General, is this emperor an idiot?!"

"I, Zhao Daxuan, am utterly loyal, having risked my life for the Great Xia and rendered outstanding service. How can you treat me like this because of a few words from the Prime Minister?!"

Yue Zhenyuan frowned, tapped the table, and said coldly, "Be careful what you say, or the walls may have ears."

Then he said calmly, "Nothing is impossible. Aren't all your beautiful wives in this state the same way?"

Yue Zhenyuan was used to such things.

"But..." Zhao Daxuan still looked unwilling, "Then we have no other choice?"

Yue Zhenyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a meaningful look on his face, and said, "The imperial decree has been issued, and its word is law. What can we do? Unless, you encounter a border war and cannot be left unattended."

"But the Tartars' route to the Black Mountain Pass is blocked and hasn't been cleared yet, so how can there be any border war? Are we supposed to help them clear the way...?"

As Zhao Daxuan spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he revealed a look of sudden realization.

"General, do you mean...?"

Yue Zhenyuan looked at Zhao Daxuan with a smile and nodded, saying, "The situation on the border is constantly changing. Who can say for sure when the blocked passages will be cleared? And when the Tartar army will arrive?"

Zhao Daxuan nodded in agreement, letting out a long sigh of relief: "This subordinate understands, thank you, General!"

"Good to know. Anyway, it's best to avoid going to the capital if you can avoid it. It's still too dangerous for you right now."

Yue Zhenyuan leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice to continue, "Outside Black Mountain Pass, the remaining eight thousand city guards will be temporarily under your command, ostensibly to assist in the defense of Black Mountain Pass."

"The stronger you are, the more the court will fear you, and the more reason you will have not to leave Black Mountain Pass."

"But you have to be mentally prepared that if you choose this path, you may never be able to leave the Black Mountain Pass for the rest of your life."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan remained silent for a moment before saying, "I know, but there's no better way right now."

As Zhao Daxuan spoke, he was actually thinking about the best strategy Shen Qingci had told him before: "Store up grain and delay declaring yourself king." Perhaps this path was feasible.

"Alright, then you should go back and prepare to welcome the imperial envoy's entourage at Black Mountain Pass. You have no advantage in Zhenbei City."

"As for Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan, you handle these two traitors as you see fit, but don't leave any loose ends for yourself."

Zhao Daxuan looked grateful.

Yue Zhenyuan had always been very supportive of him, and although much of it was due to Shen Qingci, Yue Zhenyuan's kindness to him was genuine.

"I will never forget the general's kindness!"