Chapter 651: The Title of Marquis!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Eunuch Gao, the student has learned courtesy.”
Wang Chong quickly turned his head and gave the eunuch a deep bow.
The scions of the capital had many unspoken criticisms of these castrated eunuchs, but Wang Chong was different. In front of his eyes was nothing more than a virtuous official. Whether he was a eunuch or not, someone who could be loyal to the country, loyal to the sovereign, loyal to the world, was a person worthy of respect.
Moreover, when Wang Chong was in prison, Eunuch Gao had treated him kindly.
“Haha, when we last met in your cell, I knew that Young Master was an extraordinary individual. From a tiny cell to today’s meeting, all was as expected. In the war of the southwest, Young Master achieved enormous merit. You truly have not disappointed His Majesty.”
Eunuch Gao raised the decree as he smiled.
Unlike the other eunuchs, Eunuch Gao had never referred to himself as ‘this one’, or ‘this lowly one’, but had always simply used ‘I’. This was a great honor within the palace, and from this aspect alone, one could see how greatly the Son of Heaven favored him.
“Eunuch Gao’s praise is too much. When the world is in danger, every person has their duty to save it. Wang Chong only did his duty.”
Wang Chong gave a small bow.
“Oh?”
Eunuch Gao’s eyes brightened as he looked at Wang Chong in surprise.
“When the world is in danger, every person has their duty to save it? Interesting. Young Master’s thoughts truly are different from ordinary people, truly deserving of His Majesty’s great kindness.”
In the world that Wang Chong had come from, ‘When the world is in danger, every person has their duty to save it’ was a phrase that every person was familiar with, but in this world, it was clear that no one had heard of it before.
(TN: That is because this phrase has yet to be written. The originator of the phrase was Gu Yanwu, who lived in the time that the Ming Dynasty collapsed and was invaded by the Qing Dynasty. The phrase in its exact form was formulated by Liang Qichao, a renowned reformist who lived during and past the end days of the Qing Dynasty.)
It was clear that this was the case for Eunuch Gao as well.
“Wang Chong, receive the decree!”
Eunuch Gao nodded and immediately unfurled the second divine decree.
“Wang Chong receives the decree!”
Eunuch Gao’s voice began to boom over the Imperial Stairway, resounding through the entire palace and beyond. In an instant, everyone, whether it was the guards, maids, or even the people in the distant Yuzhen Palace, perked up their ears and began to carefully listen.
The war of the southwest was an extremely important war, one that was related to the fate of the entire Great Tang. Many people were very curious to see what sort of reward Wang Chong would be granted, but no one would be able to know until the decree was promulgated.
King Qi, Abusi, Duan Qian, and many more officials, including Wang Gen, all showed signs of focus. Wang Chong was no exception.
Although he had already experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, which had tempered his mind to an extremely formidable level, this reward ceremony was extremely important to him. But not even he knew what the Sage Emperor would reward him with.
All of this had already broken away from the course of history. At least in his last life, such a thing had never happened before.
“Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Emperor declares:
“In the war of the southwest, Wang Chong of the Wang lineage pacified Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang to the benefit of his country. He is rewarded with three million taels of gold, thirty thousand bushels of pearls, four hundred thousand rolls of silk, and the rank of marquis, with the title ‘The Young Marquis’…”
Boom!
The words ‘Young Marquis’ were like a boulder being dropped into a lake. The entire palace was in an uproar, the observation platforms abuzz with chatter.
“A marquis?! The Sage Emperor made him a marquis!!”
“He’s only seventeen. For him to be made a marquis is unprecedented. In all the three hundred years of the Great Tang, no one this young has ever been made an Imperial Marquis!”
“I’ve been in charge of the Bureau of Rites for so many years and am very familiar with all the ancient texts of the Imperial Court. Never since ancient times has there been a title like ‘Young Marquis’. His Majesty created this title specifically for him. Doesn’t that mean that of all the countless youths in the world, only he alone can be called marquis? How great of a regard is this?!”
“The Young Marquis, the Young Marquis! Putting aside all the gold and pearls, His Majesty actually made him a marquis. This sort of thing has never happened. Doesn’t this mean that his rank now exceeds many of the first-rank officials of the court!!!”
……
The observation platforms were in an uproar, everyone showing shock on their faces. Many people had speculated that the Sage Emperor would richly reward Wang Chong upon his return from the southwest.
But Wang Chong had no rank, and didn’t even have his name written down in the registers of the Great Tang army. This was an inherent problem, so many people believed that no matter how richly the Emperor would reward Wang Chong, he would at most confer upon him the title of count.
No one had expected the Sage Emperor to go this far. Despite the fact that Wang Chong had no position within the empire and was essentially no different from a common citizen, he had been raised straight to the rank of marquis.
Such was his status that he now outranked many important officials of the court.
Even his big uncle Wang Gen was now suppressed by Wang Chong’s brilliance.
“Hahaha, a marquis, a marquis! My Wang Clan actually produced such an excellent youth!”
Wang Gen stroke his sparse beard, his eyes shining brightly as his robe trembled in excitement and relief. For the Wang lineage to have a seventeen-year-old marquis in his lifetime was simply unthinkable.
Across all the clans of the capital, not a single clan had ever had such a young marquis. The Wang Clan stood alone.
“Chong-er, good job. Big Uncle didn’t make the wrong call. With you here, our Wang Clan is certain to have an even more dazzling future!”
Wang Gen’s heart was thumping in excitement.
“Bastard!! The Young Marquis, the Young Marquis… this wet-behind-the-ears brat was actually made a marquis by His Majesty. The Great Tang has never had such a young marquis before. This is simply unreasonable!”
Unlike Wang Gen, King Qi had an ashen complexion paired with a nasty grimace.
Not only had Wang Chong dodged his scheme, the Sage Emperor had also created the title of ‘Young Marquis’ specifically for him. King Qi had never expected this. One Wang Clan together with King Song was already hard enough to deal with. Now that Wang Chong had become the Young Marquis, wouldn’t the task be even more difficult?
King Qi felt like there was a dagger pushed against his back.
“Damn it, damn it!”
King Qi’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. He had a mind to leave with a sweep of his sleeve, but all the officials were assembled to watch the Sage Emperor give out rewards for the victory in the southwest. Not even the boldest person would dare to mess around at this time and disrupt the ceremony in front of the Sage Emperor.
But when everyone believed that this was the extent of the Sage Emperor’s rewards, they learned that it was far from over.
“In addition, Wang Chong is wise despite his youth. In commendation for his feats in the southwest and so that he might serve as a model for the world, an exception will be made and he will be granted a fief! The specific area in question to be conferred will be decided through discussions with the Bureau of Rites and the Bureau of Revenue after the ceremony!”
Boom!
Another boulder set out countless waves. Wang Chong’s being made a marquis was surprising enough, shocking everyone. But now, Wang Chong had been graced with a fief, delivering an unprecedented blow to everyone present.
“A fief! His Majesty is granting him a fief! Not since Emperor Taizong has anyone been granted a fief. This is a true marquis. Just how virtuous or capable is this boy that he is able to obtain such an honor. This completely contravenes the rules of our ancestors!”
An old censor finally couldn’t suppress his shouts.
He could accept the Sage Emperor’s making Wang Chong a marquis, but to even give him a fief… even the smallest territory was unacceptable.
“Ridiculous!!”
King Qi’s face was twitching, contorted in a nasty expression. He could no longer hold himself back.
“A seventeen-year-old boy, immature and inexperienced, with no title or rank! I can accept him being made a marquis, but for him to be also given a fief is absolutely absurd!”
Swish!
King Qi could no longer watch. With a sweep of his dragon robe, he suddenly turned around and rudely made his exit before the crowd. This ceremony was no minor affair, and not even King Qi would dare to disrupt it. But right now, King Qi had already reached his breaking point.
He had only come today to be humiliated!
The title of marquis and the reward of territory were like two vicious slaps across his face. He felt like everyone around him was laughing at him.
Even that old scoundrel Wang Gen was laughing at him.
Let alone Wang Chong at the top of the Imperial Stairway.
King Qi did not have the personality capable of enduring all this.
“Your Highness!”
Yao Guangyi was stunned. He had taken his father’s advice and done his utmost to remain inconspicuous today. Given the Yao Clan’s customary demeanor, this wasn’t really much of a feat. There was truly very little that the Yao Clan could not accept.
But he hadn’t expected King Qi to just suddenly leave.
Wang Chong wasn’t the only person attending this ceremony. This wasn’t merely a question of not giving Wang Chong face. If King Qi left so willfully, it would be an utter disaster.
“Quickly stop His Highness!”
Yao Guangyi wanted to stop King Qi, but it was too late. King Qi was much stronger than he was, and he was always proud and arrogant. If he wanted to do something, who could stop him?
“Your Highness King Qi, where do you plan on going?”
A laughing voice like that of the Maitreya Buddha came from the top of the Imperial Stairway. Eunuch Gao had spoken.
“Stubborn eunuch! Leave me…”
King Qi cursed as he walked, not even turning his head. He was an imperial clansman, so if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him. But suddenly, without the smallest warning, a terrifying energy that could make the world dim suddenly burst out from beneath King Qi’s feet.
King Qi was himself an extremely formidable expert, but this stream of energy was even more powerful.
“Ah!”
With a shout, King Qi was instantly sent flying by this powerful energy.
Buzz!
All was quiet, everyone trembling in fear. Even Wang Chong shot a stunned glance at Eunuch Gao.
What a powerful expert!
Wang Chong blinked in surprise. He knew just how powerful an expert King Qi was. Unlike other Imperial Princes, King Qi had been obsessed with martial arts as a child and could be described essentially as a martial arts maniac.
Thus, in martial arts, he was much stronger than King Song. Even though Wang Chong had reached the Imperial Martial realm, he was still no match for him.
But Eunuch Gao had sent King Qi flying while barely seeming to move.
Wang Chong was now much stronger and was also very close, yet he had still somehow failed to notice when Eunuch Gao had struck. Such cultivation was simply beyond belief.