Chapter 281 The Conferment Ceremony Is Exciting (Part 1)

After Li Jingyu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Fu, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, left the Imperial Study Room, they took a carriage together and left the palace, carrying with them a list of titles personally drawn up by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian.

Looking at the name on the list of conferees, the name that was originally at the top of the column of marquis was finally marked with a cross with a brush and was re-listed to the end of the column of earl;

Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, finally couldn't help but asked: "Master Li, do you think this emperor clearly intends to designate General Liu as a marquis, but he is still ranked first among the eighteen princes in the Tang Dynasty?

"Why is it that General Liu was removed from the title of marquis and changed to an earl?"

Zhang Fu continued with a puzzled look on his face: "As far as I know, General Liu is not only the adopted son of King Wu Ning, but also the adopted brother of the current empress;"

"He was the first general in the previous dynasty to hold high the Jin King's flag and declare his allegiance to the emperor. After that, the emperor made great military exploits during his southern expedition. Logically speaking, General Liu is fully qualified to be named a marquis. !”

"To say the least, even if General Liu is to be changed to an earl for other reasons, he should at least be the head of the thirty-six earls of the Tang Dynasty;"

"Why, how can General Liu end up with the thirty-sixth count?"

Obviously, it was difficult for Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, to understand why the emperor did this.

Moreover, the Liu Ziyu who was crossed out and the Liu Ziyu who was re-written on the list of conferees were clearly not dry yet. At a glance, it was clear that this was the emperor's impromptu act today, which made Zhang Fu even more curious.

On the carriage, Li Jingyu, Minister of the Ministry of War, listened absently. His mind was filled with the sharp eyes that Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an looked at him when he was in the imperial study room today;

In my mind, I kept recalling what Chen Huaian said: I don’t want any content on this list to be leaked before the ceremony!

Li Jingyu is not stupid, he knows that the emperor will definitely not say these words to the two of them without any reason.

He couldn't help but recall that when he was having dinner and drinking with Liu Ziyu, the deputy general of the Left Route Army, he seemed to have revealed the news that after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, six princes, eighteen marquises, and thirty-six earls would be established.

Then think about the fact that today the emperor suddenly decided to change Liu Ziyu, the deputy general who was originally named the head of the eighteen princes of the Tang Dynasty, to an earl and ranked at the bottom of the thirty-six earls;

The next moment, Li Jingyu couldn't help but feel a chill running down her back, and a chill arose spontaneously.

"Master Li, Master Li——"

Um?

Under the constant shouts of concern from Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites who was accompanying him, Li Jingyu suddenly came back to his senses, looked at Zhang Fu beside him blankly, and said, "Master Zhang, what did you just say?"

oh!

Li Jingyu forced a smile on her face and said: "The emperor's actions are naturally justified by the emperor's reasons. As ministers, the most taboo thing for us ministers is to try to figure out the holy will;"

As he spoke, he waved his hand and said: "Master Zhang, don't dwell on things that you shouldn't care about. It is our duty as ministers to handle the matters related to the enthronement ceremony for the emperor."

Um!

Zhang Fu nodded. He also noticed that Mr. Li's expression was a little abnormal, so he stopped talking and just took care of himself and did his job well!

Soon, the two parted ways after leaving the imperial city and returned to their respective mansions to handle government affairs.

The first thing Li Jingyu did after returning home was to find the housekeeper and ask the housekeeper to close the door to thank guests from today until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month and see no one.

Li Jingyu, an old fox who has experienced four dynasties, clearly sensed that a huge earthquake was about to occur in the Tang court.

Facts have proved that Li Jingyu’s decision to thank customers behind closed doors was forward-looking and foreseeable.

The civil and military officials in Jinling City, after they retired from the court, knew that Li Jingyu and Zhang Fu were called alone by the emperor to the imperial study room to discuss matters, they could probably guess that the list of ennobled people was to be finalized in advance.

Therefore, not long after Li Jingyu returned to his home, people kept coming to visit him, wanting to inquire about the conferment ceremony.

Among them, naturally included Liu Ziyu, the deputy general who was the leader of the military generals of Youyun Sixteen Provinces.

Of course, the servants sent by Liu Ziyu to Li Jingyu's house were rejected like other people who came to visit him.

However, Liu Ziyu didn't take it to heart and still invited civil servants and military generals from Youyun Sixteen Prefectures to drink and have fun by the Qinhuai River every day.

In his opinion, isn't it a certainty that he will be granted the title of Duke of the Tang Dynasty, ranking first among the six Dukes?

time flies.

In the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival came on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which was also the day that the military generals in the DPRK looked forward to most after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Because the long-awaited ceremony for the conferment of the generals has finally arrived!

On this day, all the civil and military officials from the DPRK and the DPRK attended in their best attires. Everyone's face was filled with excitement and excitement. Isn't it just for the day of the conferment ceremony to follow His Highness the King of Jin in his expeditions to the north and south to conquer the world?

In the Jinluan Hall, the civil and military officials from all over the court had already stood in their respective positions, waiting for the emperor to arrive.

The deputy general Liu Ziyu, who was wearing Mingguang armor, held his head high and had an air of dignity on his face. His eyes kept wandering around and he almost had the four characters "I am the Duke" written on his face.

Suddenly, Liu Ziyu's arrogant eyes met the deputy commander Chang Yuchun who was standing in the front row and suddenly turned around.

As soon as the latter glared, his powerful aura of calmness and self-restraint immediately shocked Liu Ziyu, who subconsciously shrank back and lowered his head unconsciously.

After Chang Yuchun turned his head back, Liu Ziyu raised his head again, regaining his expression, mixed with a bit of provocation;

Looking at Chang Yuchun's back, he said in his heart: Humph, what's so arrogant, isn't he just a deputy marshal of the army? When my uncle is conferred the title of Duke of the Tang Dynasty, I'll see if you dare to look at my duke with this look!

"The emperor has arrived--"

At this moment, the announcement of Cai He, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, came from outside the Jinluan Palace.

Then, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, wearing a bright yellow five-clawed dragon robe, strode up the stairs of the Jinluan Palace and sat directly on the dragon throne.

In the Golden Palace, all the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"

"My dear ministers, please stand up--"

On the dragon throne, Chen Huaian waved his hand, and all the civil and military officials stood up again.

Afterwards, Chen Huaian nodded to the eunuch Cai He beside him, who immediately understood what he meant. He came to the front of the palace with the imperial edict that had been prepared in both hands, and read the imperial edict to the civil and military officials: "In compliance with the will of heaven, the emperor decrees:"

"Since ancient times, the rule of emperors must rely on wise and capable people to assist in governance and work together for world peace; now that the Tang Dynasty has just been established, everything is new; I accept the will of heaven and follow the will of the people, and vow to create a prosperous era and set an example for generations;"

"There are many beloved ministers here, some are brave and good at fighting, and are the pillars of the country;"

"Some are good at civil and military strategy, and are the cornerstones of the country; I remember them deeply."

"To show my heart, I will specially reward them to show their merits;"

"Now confer them--"