Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Not long after, the head of the Northern Barbarian Crown Prince was sent back to the capital by fast horse to be displayed by the people. Along with it came an urgent military report.

In this great victory, several generals took the lead and risked their lives by falling into traps. However, their schemes had already been seen through by the Northern Barbarians. For the sake of the overall situation, the generals, despite the vast difference in strength between the two sides, used tens of thousands of soldiers to hold back the Northern Barbarians' forces, which were more than three times their size, thus laying an important foundation for this great victory.

Xiao Tianze's words in this military report were particularly earnest, and he was in tears. He claimed that he felt heartbroken whenever he thought of these good sons who were loyal to the country. Unfortunately, their lives were gone and could not be brought back. He could only beg His Majesty to bestow more rewards and comfort on their families.

This should have been a smooth and natural process, with the emperor bestowing more rewards to demonstrate his benevolence. However, after reading the urgent report, the emperor's expression changed drastically, becoming grim and gloomy as if a storm was brewing.

Inside the imperial study, the emperor gripped the urgent report tightly, his gaze burning as if he wanted to stare a hole through it. But after a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with terrifying murderous intent that sent shivers down everyone's spines.

He pointed to the urgent report and said to De Shun, who was standing next to him.

"Commander Xiao truly deserves to be called a pillar of the nation; he remains silent until he speaks out, and when he does, he amazes everyone."

De Shun was still somewhat bewildered, but when the emperor threw the flimsy military report on the ground, he picked it up and saw several familiar names on it. It was as if a lightning bolt suddenly pierced his mind, making him understand immediately.

Could it be that Commander Xiao is using military campaigns as a pretext to eliminate dissidents? This is Commander Xiao, after all, and those officials are His Majesty's trusted ministers. Was Xiao Tianze doing this intentionally or unintentionally? Does he even know what he's done?

If he knew he was doing something wrong but did it anyway, then what difference was there between this action and publicly slapping His Majesty in the face? He was suddenly startled and looked up at His Majesty, only to find that His Majesty's face was dark and inky, and although he had forced a smile on his face, it was terribly embarrassing.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Whether Xiao Shuai did it intentionally or unintentionally, at this point, in His Majesty's mind, he would only be seen as intentional.

The old eunuch's frail body trembled. Although he was dressed rather conservatively, he was completely captivated by a chill emanating from his heart. He dared not think about the future; just a brief thought made him feel that the fate of the Great Xia Kingdom was in peril.

The old eunuch kept his eyes down, staring at his toes, not daring to breathe. After a long while, he let out a deep breath, feeling a chill run through him.

Following this great victory, the court officials submitted a memorial, suggesting that the Xiao family should also be rewarded.

Commander Xiao has worked hard and made great contributions, and is already one of the top nobles of the Great Xia Dynasty. There is nothing more to reward him with. If we continue to reward him, it will easily lead to arrogance. It would be better to reward his grandson, whom he values ​​highly, which would better demonstrate His Majesty's benevolence.

Xiao Lie was summoned to the palace again, and this time His Majesty asked with a smile.

"Your grandfather performed a great service in the North. What reward do you desire?"

Xiao Lie smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "It is my grandfather's duty to be loyal to the country, and I dare not accept any reward."

"Alas, fulfilling one's duty is one thing, and making contributions is another. If meritorious officials are not rewarded, it will only discourage the court and the public. What do you want? Just say it."

This statement put Xiao Lie in a difficult position.

What could he possibly want? Being a spoiled, idle young master who only eats and drinks is no better than this. He's afraid that if he keeps begging, this petty emperor will overthink things and might cause some trouble.

But looking around at the palace servants standing silently, while the emperor remained seated at the head of the table, waiting for his answer without blinking.

Xiao Lie sighed inwardly and had no choice but to kneel down.

"For a moment, I don't know what reward I should ask for. Since Your Majesty is so kind, please give the Duke's mansion plenty of gold and silver."

These valuable items are always a safe bet. Of course, it can only be gold and silver; if it were jewelry, it would probably be harder to resell.

"Oh, gold and silver are too insignificant. This morning at court, many ministers suggested to me that I reward you with an official position, so that you won't be idle all day and cause trouble in the capital. Besides, having an official position will allow you to continue the Xiao family's glory."

Are you aware of this matter?

Xiao Lie scratched his head honestly, "I don't know."

Who is this bastard who thinks this is a small matter and wants to harm him? Now that the emperor has made his wariness of the situation public, aren't these officials making these demands blatantly trying to push the Xiao family into a fire pit?

Looking into the emperor's gloomy eyes, Xiao Lie knew he was overthinking things again. He must have assumed that the assassination of the court officials was a pre-arranged conspiracy, orchestrated by his Xiao family through infiltration of the court.

But sorry, this matter really has nothing to do with the Xiao family.

Those officials who submitted memorials were either naive newcomers to officialdom who couldn't see the situation clearly, or they harbored resentment towards the Xiao family for a long time and wanted to add fuel to the fire for the Xiao family at this critical juncture.

These people... really have ulterior motives.

Xiao Lie chuckled and said, "My lifelong wish is to live a comfortable life. Being an official requires not only handling affairs but also daily attendance, which is too tiring for me."

The emperor chuckled, "Which founding noble's son is like you, at such an age, still without a single official position, spending your days just playing with cats and dogs, wandering the streets and alleys? I think this suggestion is excellent."

Oh? This damn emperor doesn't seem to be here jokingly. What's wrong with him now?

Xiao Lie hesitated, unsure of what he was thinking, so he had no choice but to ask.

"I wonder what official position Your Majesty intends to bestow upon me?"

"Since this is a reward, I should naturally give you a good place to go. However, you are too young and have no experience. If I give you an important position, I'm afraid you won't be able to win people's respect. So, I will give you the honorary position of Deputy Procurement Officer of the Inner Palace."

"Although this position is not high, it is easy and there is no need to show up for duty. You can gain some experience here first. There are some procurement matters in the palace. You can try it out first. If the opportunity is right in the future, we will promote you."

These seven positions are not high-ranking, but they are easy jobs with lucrative rewards. It is hard work for the emperor to find a "connected person" to hold such a position as a reward without affecting the overall situation.

Xiao Lie smiled and bowed, then accepted the order and withdrew.

The following day, he took his waist token and went to the Imperial Procurement Office for a stroll.

He made inquiries and learned that the procurement was actually for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.

"The Empress Dowager will be returning to the palace soon to hold a birthday banquet. You all must be very careful. If anything goes wrong and you lose your heads, I cannot protect you."

A pale-faced, high-pitched eunuch surveyed the area, gave a perfunctory reprimand, and upon seeing Xiao Lie, immediately stepped forward and bowed to him.