Chapter 612: Nineteen That Year

The morning sun rose, its golden light brilliant, shining upon the glazed tiles of the imperial palace and shimmering with a dazzling radiance.

On the roof ridge of the Zhenglan Hall, the dragon-shaped spine arched upward, as if yearning to ride the wind and soar.

The sound of bells was melodious and profound, echoing through the silent palace; the civil and military officials, dressed in their court robes, ascended the long steps and entered the Zhenglan Hall in an endless stream.

Li Fei did not yet hold an official rank that allowed him to participate in the court assembly, so he still had to wait outside first.

But unlike last time, this time he did not need to stand in the square outside the Zhenglan Hall to wait.

A eunuch led him to a side hall next to the Zhenglan Hall, where the room was furnished with tea, pastries, and comfortable chairs.

"Master Mingqi, we meet again."

Seeing Mingqi in his red monk's robe inside the room, Li Fei could not help but reveal a smile.

In this Battle of Ming Province, the Buddhist school had intervened at a critical moment, which was the only reason the schemes of the True Monarch Qingxu were thoroughly thwarted.

If one were to speak of contributions, State Preceptor Yunshu ranked first, and the Buddhist school should rank second!

Therefore, Mingqi, this contemporary Buddhist successor, had once again come to Lanling City and the imperial palace on behalf of the Buddhist school and Pudu Temple to prepare for an audience with His Majesty.

Upon seeing Li Fei, Mingqi revealed an extremely pure smile, stood up, and bowed to Li Fei:

"Amitabha, Benefactor Li, I trust you have been well since we last met."

Li Fei's account of his feelings for his Master Hao Yi during the last court assembly had left a deep impression on Mingqi.

Li Fei also felt very favorably toward Mingqi, and the two sat down together to converse.

This time, the two did not have to wait long, as today's court assembly was convened specifically for the affairs of Ming Province.

"Lord Li, Master Mingqi, the time has come."

A moment later, the eunuch standing to the side said to the two.

Thus, the two rose and walked out of the room with composure.

Bathed in the brilliant celestial light, Li Fei and Mingqi walked up the steps, one step at a time.

Under the gaze of the civil and military officials inside the hall, a figure in white and a figure in a red monk's robe entered the hall.

After Mingqi broke through to become a Martial Arts Master, his temperament became increasingly serene; this Glazed Buddhist successor carried a sense of purity and transparency from the inside out, making him unforgettable to all who saw him.

Today, Li Fei had also been dressed up in advance; the white robe he wore carried a crystalline quality, and the mountains, rivers, clouds, and mist embroidered on the garment with silver thread shimmered as he moved, making him appear even more radiant and eye-catching!

Today, Li Fei had just turned nineteen, yet there was not a trace of immaturity on his young face.

What remained was the composure of one who had experienced life and death, and the fortitude of one who had endured sorrow and pain.

His brows and eyes were filled with peace, showing not a hint of sharpness.

Or rather, all his sharpness was hidden beneath his righteous appearance.

He could not be called dashingly handsome, but he was masculine and upright, making one feel favorable and trusting at first glance.

Such a peerless prodigy, the first in the annals of history, walked through the great hall with neither arrogance nor servility, passed by one high-ranking court official after another with Mingqi, and finally stopped in the center of the hall to bow and salute:

"Subject, Li Fei, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Poor monk Mingqi, pays respects to Your Majesty."

Above the imperial dais, the Emperor looked at the youth below with an appreciative gaze and smiled:

"Rise."

Li Fei stood up and looked up at the dragon chair above.

Just like the feeling from his last visit, a grand and majestic aura rushed toward him!

But Li Fei noticed that the Emperor looked a bit older than he had a few months ago.

Perhaps this was the negative impact caused by the damage to the national fortune.

Li Fei thought to himself.

"In the forty-sixth year of Hongguang, the rebels of the Great Luo plotted treason, set up arrays across a province, and slaughtered the common people..."

There was no formal audience before the hall, nor any extra questions; the imperial eunuch held the prepared imperial edict and began to read aloud:

"Fortunately, loyal and virtuous ministers fought bravely to block the enemy, facing the many with the few, fighting to the death without retreating..."

The first half of the imperial edict was an overview and summary of the Ming Province incident, which had nothing much to be said about it.

Everyone knew that the focus of today was the second half.

The liquidation of the Great Luo Sect had initially concluded, and now it was time to discuss rewards after the war!

"Luo Shi, a member of the Stop-the-War Pavilion, was loyal and devoted, heroic and peerless; he blocked the enemy at Taining City, fought regardless of his own safety, and dedicated his life to the state. This is a loss for the family and the nation, and a great tragedy for the world. My heart is heavy with grief, and I hereby commend him, posthumously conferring upon Luo Shi the title of Earl of Su-Yi, with hereditary succession!

Grant one million in compensation to comfort his family, so that his widow and orphans may enjoy prosperity..."

The first to be rewarded was Luo Shi, who had died in this Battle of Ming Province.

This member of the Stop-the-War Pavilion and Martial Arts Master was posthumously conferred the title of Earl, and it was hereditary!

Posthumously conferring the title of Earl upon Luo Shi was a reward most officials could anticipate; after all, Luo Shi was a cabinet official and a Martial Arts Master, so being named an Earl after death was well-deserved.

What was truly unexpected was the "hereditary succession" part.

Titles of nobility in the Great Lan Dynasty were very rampant at the beginning of the dynasty, with many conferred, and quite a few were hereditary without reduction.

Later, with the reforms of each generation, especially after changing from a feudal imperial system to a dual constitutional monarchy, a large number of titles were abolished.

Today, the nobles of the Great Lan Dynasty still had fiefs, but they were not actual holdings.

That is to say, they could "collect taxes" and draw revenue from the fiefs, but they did not possess the power of governance; all power belonged to the government.

Even so, titles remained very precious because they corresponded to various benefits and treatments, the most valuable of which was cultivation resources!

For example, although Luo Shi was posthumously conferred the title of Earl, his descendants could still enjoy the treatment of an Earl's son:

They could obtain high-quality elixirs and implants.

They could obtain high-grade cultivation techniques and martial arts.

They could directly obtain quotas to enter the thirteen universities...

Moreover, Luo Shi's title was hereditary with succession, meaning that with each generation, the title would be lowered by one rank.

Although this Martial Arts Master was dead, he could at least protect his descendants for several decades!

It could be considered dying for a worthy cause.

Li Fei's mind recalled the appearance of Luo Shi, and he sighed in his heart.

Next was the reward for the Martial Arts Master Mu Kairen, who had also died in battle.

This Commander of the Imperial Guard was also posthumously conferred the title of Earl, also with hereditary succession!

Such a beginning could not help but make people look forward to the rewards that followed.

Next, rewards were given to Lu Wenxing and the others.

There were twenty-nine of them in total; they had followed Li Fei to defend Chong City, later wiped out the "Twelve Owls," and participated in blocking the True Person Qingyu.

Although the main force had always been Li Fei, they could also be considered to have "assisted."

In the end, none of these people were promoted, but they all received generous rewards:

Money, elixirs, protective clothing, exotic weapons, and the opportunity to enter the Library Pavilion to choose martial arts.

Lu Wenxing and the others stepped out from the ranks to bow and thank the Emperor for his grace.

Glancing at the white-clad figure standing in front, Lu Wenxing's eyes were fiery and full of anticipation.

This Son of Heaven had always been generous and magnanimous to his subjects; judging from these rewards, he was even more generous than expected!

If Lu Wenxing and the others could receive such rich rewards just for contributing a little and taking a few risks, then what about Li Fei, who had contributed more and achieved greater merit?

Next to be rewarded was Chang Pengfei.

This person was also a Commander of the Imperial Guard and a Martial Arts Master, who had originally followed the orders of Yunshu to defend Badong City.

He was lucky enough not to encounter the reinforcing Imperial Camp cavalry, and in the end, he easily defeated the enemy forces in Badong City, defeated the fifty-plus invading Imperial Camp cavalry and the others, and held Badong City.

Chang Pengfei was finally promoted by one rank and conferred the title of Viscount; in addition to this, he also received rewards such as money, elixirs, protective clothing, exotic weapons, and the opportunity to enter the Library Pavilion to choose martial arts.

Next was the reward for Mingqi, or rather, for the Buddhist school.

This order was somewhat unexpected, because according to the magnitude of merit, Li Fei should definitely rank after the Buddhist school, so there was no reason to reward the Buddhist school first.

But the Buddhist school's intervention against True Monarch Qingxu this time was actually not under the orders of the imperial court, but a form of cooperation.

Because even if the imperial court had not allowed the Buddhist school to intervene, the Buddhist school would definitely have done so.

The Buddhist school could not sit idly by and watch True Monarch Qingxu establish an Eternal Daoist Kingdom!

Now that the Emperor placed the reward for the Buddhist school before Li Fei, it was evident that the extent of the reward would not be too great.

But the final result still exceeded many people's expectations:

The Zhengfa Pavilion opened thirty quotas to the Buddhist school, permitting Pudu Temple to appoint ten people to serve as cabinet members and twenty to serve as officials, responsible for managing the Buddhist temples of the world!

The Buddhist school had been suppressed for so many years; the number of regular temples in the world could not exceed one hundred and eight, and all were incorporated into the management of local government.

Previously, in order to increase the number of evil weapons, this restriction was broken, allowing the Buddhist school to build one more temple for every fifty sets of evil weapons they refined and maintained.

But these temples were also controlled by the imperial court.

Now that the imperial court allowed Pudu Temple to send people to participate in the management of the world's temples, it was openly delegating power to the Buddhist school!

This was the treatment previously enjoyed only by the Daoist school!

The disaster of the Great Luo Sect was still fresh in their minds; were they not afraid of repeating the same mistakes?

Many ministers in the hall changed their expressions.

However, the "assassination of the Emperor" had just occurred, and the Emperor had also "granted amnesty" to the officials, so for a time, no one stood up to object.

Moreover, the Buddhist school had been suppressed for many years after all; even if they really wanted to be as deeply rooted as the Great Luo Sect, it would take at least a hundred years of operation.

Many people actually did not care that much about what would happen in a hundred years.

After rewarding the Buddhist school, only two people remained who had not yet been rewarded for this Battle of Ming Province:

Yunshu and Li Fei.

The status of State Preceptor Yunshu was already set; he was already a major figure ranking in the top five of this empire, and no matter how he was rewarded, he could not advance any further.

Therefore, what people were most concerned about was the reward for Li Fei.

How would the Emperor reward this peerless prodigy?

The reward for the Buddhist school, which ranked third from the bottom, was already so generous; what kind of reward would Li Fei receive?

Under the gaze of everyone, the Eunuch before the throne actually put away the imperial edict in his hands.

Without waiting for the crowd to be stunned, the Emperor turned his head to look at the Grand Secretary sitting to one side.

Ye Ze rose to perform a salute to the Emperor, then took out a new imperial edict, walked below the steps of the throne, and turned to face the crowd.

The following rewards would be announced personally by this Grand Secretary!

This meant that the Grand Secretary had been aware of all the rewards today beforehand.

Although Ye Ze did not practice martial arts, when he rose, he still gave people the feeling of being as tall as a mountain, like a pillar supporting the sky!

He opened the imperial edict, his expression solemn:

"The Great Lan Dynasty has been founded for over five hundred years, dominating the Eastern Continent, with ten thousand nations coming to pay tribute.

I inherit the legacy of my ancestors and bear the responsibilities of the present time, with the intention of unifying the world under heaven!

Without peerless talent, one cannot establish such merit!"

Just these opening words were enough to shock the assembled officials, causing their expressions to change one after another.

From the seizing of the Daoist school's power, the raising of the Buddhist school's status, and the increase in the number of evil-suppressing weapons, many people knew that the current Son of Heaven had great ambitions and that there might be major movements ahead!

However, looking across the Eastern Continent, the grassland royal court in the east had long been beaten into pieces by the White Flame Army, completely broken in spirit, and had bowed their heads to submit.

The two great desert nations in the southern wilderness had been fighting for years under the instigation of the imperial court, filled with contradictions, and were unable to invade the borders.

As for the small nations in the high mountains and steep ridges to the north, their economies, systems, cultures, and military forces were all comprehensively backward; they could only pay tribute year after year and were not worth worrying about.

Only that Western Continent across the sea to the west and those Western nations were the only enemies of the Great Lan Dynasty in this world.

Now that the Emperor had publicly stated his "intention to unify the world under heaven" and had for the first time proposed the ambition of a "Western Expedition" in terms of political stance, the significance was truly momentous!

Although the national fortune of the Great Lan Dynasty was currently damaged and its national strength was in decline, a "Western Expedition" was impossible in the short term.

But the Emperor publicly proposing such a vision could at least allow everyone to lift their spirits, so they would not feel that the Great Lan Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

Ye Ze continued to read the imperial edict.

The following content was all related to "peerless talent":

"There is now one named Li Fei, a peerless prodigy with unparalleled elegance!

His courage is as great as a mountain; his will is as firm as a rock. With dedicated effort, he has established extraordinary merit:

Ordered to investigate a case, he faced the might of a True Person directly without degrading the dignity of the imperial court.

He suppressed rebels, recovered Chongcheng, and thwarted their schemes.

Alone, he faced the rebel army directly, killing over fifty cavalrymen of the Imperial Camp rebels!

Facing danger, he accepted the mission, acting under the mandate of heaven, and fought off over a hundred Imperial Camp rebel cavalrymen, making the rebels' formation incomplete, as if gripping the enemy by the throat!

He led a team to annihilate the evil thieves known as the 'Twelve Owls', ridding the world of evil.

Ordered to intercept the rebel Qingyu True Person, he destroyed his travel tools and damaged his flying sword, establishing great merit for the execution of this thief.

Martial arts have seven virtues, with the primary one being to suppress violence and stop conflict, bringing peace to the world.

Li Fei has accumulated merit in this, and is hereby enfeoffed—Marquis of Jing'an!"

"."

Inside the vast Zheng Lan Hall, there was silence at this moment.

One by one, the important officials of the imperial court looked with astonishment at the figure in white in the center of the great hall.

How old was this child this year? Eighteen? Nineteen?

A Marquis not yet twenty years old—had there ever been such a precedent in the history of the Great Lan Dynasty?

Li Fei, who had maintained his composure throughout, also felt a moment of trance after hearing this result.

He had thought that he might be heavily rewarded this time, but he had never imagined it would be such a heavy reward!

Inside the great hall, the golden sunlight shone on the straight path in the middle, dragging Li Fei's shadow very, very long.

At this moment, it seemed that all the light was concentrated on him alone.

Nineteen years old that year, enfeoffed as a Marquis before the throne!

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(End of this chapter)