Jiuxi

Chapter 593 [Holy Favor]

Today's grand court meeting seemed extremely solemn from the very beginning.

With the officials of the Ministry of Rites working day and night and reading through various books related to posthumous titles, and the two prime ministers participating in the whole process, and the new emperor personally drafting the plan, the temple name and posthumous title of the late emperor were finally determined and announced to the world at today's court meeting.

Emperor Gaozong Ming of the Great Qi Dynasty.

These seven short words were the praise from Li Zongben and all the officials in the court for Li Duan's diligent life. They were also the final verdict on this king who moved south.

All the ministers felt sad when they thought of the late emperor.

Those noble civil officials came forward one after another to explain the profound meaning of these seven short words to express their respect and remembrance for the late emperor.

Gaozong is the temple name of the late emperor. Its meaning is needless to elaborate. "Taizhong Shi" has been a model of honorific titles since ancient times.

Emperor Ming was the posthumous title of the previous emperor, which was a beautiful posthumous title with great praise for the emperor.

In the military honor train, Lu Chen listened quietly to the civil officials talking.

Although he did not have much knowledge, he had checked many classics during this period and consulted Xue Nanting and others, so he was familiar with the meaning of the late emperor's posthumous title.

To think far-reachingly is called wisdom; to protect the people and the elderly is called wisdom; to appoint virtuous people and pursue far-reaching goals is called wisdom.

To be able to see things independently and know them first is called wise; to be able to promote the obscure is called wise; to be able to observe people’s expressions and emotions is called wise.

Internal order and harmony are called Ming; being honest and self-aware is called Ming; keeping quiet and knowing the constant is called Ming.

When virtuous conduct is made known, it is called Ming; when intelligence and reason are clear, it is called Ming; when the nature of the group is clear, it is called Ming.

Generally speaking, the word "Ming" may not be able to fully summarize Li Duan's life achievements, but it can basically prove that he made great contributions to the reconstruction of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Standing in the somewhat noisy hall, Lu Chen felt a little ironic.

If these officials who are now grieving over the late emperor's passing had not opposed him in the past ten years, how could he have died of illness due to overwork?

Regardless of whether they were truly sad or just pretending, at least half of Li Duan's death was attributed to these ministers in the court.

As the Imperial Censor Jiuyi came forward, the hall gradually became quiet.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Li Zongben had been silently observing his ministers.

The greatest virtue he learned from his father was the patience to overcome obstacles with stillness, and in order to achieve this, he must first learn how to observe and analyze his subordinates.

Taking in the reactions of the high-ranking officials and ministers below, Li Zongben turned and nodded to the eunuch standing solemnly to one side.

The eunuch's name was Yuan Yuji, an old acquaintance of Li Zongben's from his time in the palace. He had been in charge of the internal affairs of the Prince of Xiang's mansion and was highly trusted by Li Zongben.

After Li Zongben entered the palace, Yuan Yuji was naturally appointed as the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, replacing Lu Shizhou, who was most trusted by the previous emperor.

This is human nature and did not cause any trouble.

Yuan Yuji took a few steps forward nervously. Facing countless gazes cast at him, he opened the imperial edict with slightly trembling hands, and a sharp voice rang out in the hall.

"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, decrees: Rewarding the virtuous is the great virtue of the court, and extolling the virtues of relatives is also the deepest love of a son. Now there is Li Tianrun, the Duke of Huai'an, who is broad-minded, prudent, honest and righteous, and has a good understanding of the country and a stable and peaceful state. The late Emperor considered him a virtuous man."

All the ministers were in awe, looking at Li Tianrun who was standing at the head of the military merit class.

There is no doubt that this was an imperial decree to commend Li Tianrun, and the "志曰" means that it was not polished by the Secretariat, but was written by Li Zongben himself.

Naturally, all officials had no objection to this. This imperial edict did not require the intervention of the Prime Minister, and it did not even need to be discussed by all the ministers. This was not Li Zongben's arbitrary decision, because this was the content of the previous emperor's will, and he was also the only important minister that Li Duan had decided to reward during his lifetime.

During the past six months of the Jiangbei war, Li Tianrun's contribution was not the only one. At least Xiao Wangzhi and Lu Chen were not inferior to him.

The reason why the late emperor rewarded him individually was because he insisted on fighting on the border despite his illness and dealt with the Jing army at the cost of his life, so he naturally deserved this grace.

Another point is that Li Tianrun's illness meant that he could not continue to serve as an official in the court, but it was different for others. Therefore, the late emperor left the kindness he showed to others to the new monarch.

"…Your loyalty is innate, and you have never failed in your duties as a minister; you have always been upright and honest, and you have never slacked off in your conduct; your meticulousness in handling matters, your composure in dealing with matters, you are truly the pillar of the court and the bulwark of the country. Your efforts in serving the country should not be ignored, so I confer upon you the title of Duke of Wei."

Li Tianrun had already left the class and was listening to the announcement with his head down, without any arrogance at all.

Most of the ministers looked at him with admiration, and no one harbored any hatred.

The reason is that Li Tianrun has devoted all his efforts to Da Qi, even at the cost of his life. Such a person can naturally win the respect of others.

Yuan Yuji had calmed down at this moment. He paused for a moment and glanced at Li Tianrun below him, then continued reading: "His son Liangyu is kind, filial, and like his father, he has made many meritorious services on the frontier and was promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Li Liangyu also stood up and stood quietly behind Li Tianrun.

Yuan Yuji suddenly raised his voice and said with emotion: "Dai Enlun has been passed down from generation to generation, and he has been able to bring honor to the family. He has been a rock for thousands of years, and he is expected to be praised forever. He has been honest and upright, and has been unswerving in his conduct. I encourage you to do good things and praise you for your kindness. I admire you!"

In a solemn atmosphere, Li Tianrun bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, Li Tianrun, accepts your command and thanks you!"

"Please stand up, Duke." Li Zongben said in a gentle tone, "I... read the strategy for pacifying the enemy written by Duke himself to the late emperor in the late emperor's bedroom that day. I was moved by your loyalty and righteousness. I only hope that you can defeat the powerful enemy and return to the capital safely. I know that you have worked hard for the stability of the border and have been suffering from illness for a long time. Therefore, I abide by the late emperor's will and summon you back to the capital to recuperate. Today's court meeting is relatively long, and Duke's illness may not be able to stand for long, so I decided to issue this imperial edict first."

These words made the ministers curious.

They are all experienced people in the officialdom, and their ability to listen to what others say is not rare. They have already understood the new monarch's implication.

Li Tianrun was a little surprised.

Seeing this, Li Zongben continued, "The Duke can go back home and rest first."

Li Tianrun was moved and said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your kindness, but the court has its own rules. How can I leave the court without permission?"

Li Zongben insisted, "It's alright, please follow my orders, Duke."

Without waiting for Li Tianrun to continue to refuse, he said loudly: "Send a carriage to take Duke Wei back to his mansion."

Yuan Yuji immediately responded, "I will obey your order."

Lu Chen couldn't help but frown slightly.

Li Zongben's move is actually not difficult to understand. He naturally wants to show supreme favor to Li Tianrun to show that he will not compromise on the late emperor's will in the slightest, and will even go a step further.

There was no ban on carriages and horses in the palace. Even an important official of Li Daoyan's status and qualifications had to walk. However, Li Zongben summoned a carriage to escort Li Tianrun out of the palace, which was a unique event in the Great Qi Dynasty in the past hundred years.

Moreover, this move will not arouse opposition from the ministers, because everyone knows that Li Tianrun is ill, and no matter how many honors he receives, they are only symbolic and will not affect his position in the court, nor will they affect the power structure in the court.

As expected, no one in the court had any objection to this.

The problem is that doing so would be a bit too much, as it would be tantamount to blocking Li Tianrun's possibility of consulting on state affairs in the future.

The reason was simple. The Duke of Wei was so ill that the emperor had to send a carriage to escort him. It was obvious that he could not even participate in the court meeting in its entirety, so he could only focus on recuperating his illness.

But Li Tianrun couldn't refuse outright, otherwise he would probably arouse suspicion among the court officials.

Lu Chen moved slightly, and at this moment, Li Tianrun looked up at the young emperor on the dragon throne, looked at his earnest and sincere eyes, and said calmly: "I thank your majesty for your grace!"

Then he bowed.

Lu Chen only took a step with his left foot and then stopped.

Li Tianrun had already made his attitude clear, so it was not easy for him to interfere.

"Your Majesty, I take my leave."

After a brief silence, Li Tianrun spoke calmly.

Li Zongben nodded and said, "Duke, please rest and recuperate. I have asked the Imperial Hospital to collect rare medicinal materials, which will be sent to your house tomorrow."

Li Tianrun thanked him again, then bowed and left.

The ministers looked at the newly promoted duke with envy as he left. Although they knew that this was the treatment Li Tianrun had earned at the cost of his life, the young emperor still showed him the utmost favor.

If being an official is like this, what else can I ask for?
The hall fell into a strange silence.

Li Zongben seemed not to have seen Lu Chen's step. He turned his head to look at the young marquis and said gently, "My dear ministers, Da Qi has faced a great crisis in the past six months. If it were not for the painstaking planning of Duke Wei, Duke Rong, and Marquis Shanyang, our border troops would not have been able to defeat the enemy in the north. If it were not for the victory at Luwu Mountain and the great victory at Yongqiu, the enemy might have already reached the north bank of Hengjiang River, and the wealthy land in the south of the Yangtze River would have been plunged into war."

All the officials immediately realized that the emperor wanted to use the opportunity of conferring the title of Duke on Li Tianrun as a way to reward him for his merits in the series of great victories in Jiangbei.

This naturally cannot bypass Lu Chen.

To their surprise, before the emperor gave a clear statement, Lu Chen stood up first.

"Your Majesty, I dare not take credit for this."

Nine concise words, without the slightest disturbance in the tone.

Lu Chen took the initiative to step out of the class, stood straight in front of all the officials, looked at the king on the dragon throne, and calmly stated his attitude.

Li Zongben didn't seem surprised. He looked at Lu Chen, who looked calm, and said calmly, "Why should Marquis Shanyang be so modest?"

Lu Chen's tone was steady and firm: "Your Majesty, the victory in Jiangbei is the credit of the late emperor, Duke Wei, Duke Rong, Lord Liu and the 200,000 Daqi soldiers. I just did my duty and I dare not take credit for it. I was appreciated by the late emperor. I was only young and received the title of Marquis and the position of Minister of Military Affairs. It is a unique grace. How dare I be greedy and ask for more? The court has set the rules for rewarding people according to their merits. However, except for Duke Wei, the people who really need to be rewarded are all at the border of Jiangbei. Please understand, Your Majesty!"

He raised his head and met Li Zongben's gaze without any hesitation on his face.

Xue Nanting looked at Lu Chen with a little concern.

Li Daoyan, who was standing next to him, narrowed his eyes slightly, and an elusive smile appeared on his old face.

(End of this chapter)