Chapter 1303: New Noble Title

“Sir Xu, what’s wrong? Sir Xu?”

Xu Yu’s colleagues in Cloudcenter’s officialdom were all greatly alarmed. They quickly moved over to support him. Compared to before, however, when they all seemed to be of the same opinion, there were far fewer of them. That was just how hypocritical the world of bureaucracy was. People could already tell that his accusation of misconduct had failed, which meant there was nothing good awaiting him.

The most important part was that Zu An now had such a powerful backer, Yan Xuehen. Paired with his other identity as the crown princess’ pet, he was already practically unstoppable. There didn’t seem to be any hope for Xu Yu to make a comeback.

Zu An, of course, didn’t feel a shred of sympathy. If he had lost instead, his end would only have been more miserable.

In the mirror, the emperor acted as if he were showing concern for his subordinate, saying, “Have someone support Sir Xu and bring him to a physician.”

Xu Yu’s henchmen brought him away in a flurry of motion.

Then, the emperor asked seriously, “Since you all feel that Sir Zu has earned great contributions, what kind of reward is appropriate?”

Sang Hong felt a chill when he heard that. The emperor was acting as if none of this had anything to do with him! It was as if the shocking interrogation were completely unrelated to him. However, all the court’s insiders knew that if not for his tacit approval, the trial would never have happened.

Considering Sang Hong’s understanding of the emperor, if he really wanted to reward his subordinate, he wouldn’t need to speak such ambiguous words. Instead, he would at least provide the subjects with a direction to discuss the details.

Sure enough, the people present were all sly and cunning, noticing the emperor’s attitude. They all looked at each other, yet none of them spoke a word.

Bi Linglong’s voice was loud and clear as she broke the silence. “Sir Zu has saved the lives of countless people, putting an end to a potential huge disaster. In my opinion, even granting him the title of duke would not be going too far.”

According to the court’s unwritten rules, only the children of the royal family could be granted the title of king. The title of duke was already the highest noble title possible for those without the imperial surname.

Of course, Bi Linglong knew that suggestion wasn’t too realistic, but only starting boldly would leave room for negotiation.

Sure enough, some officials quickly said, “In these past few months, Sir Zu has already risen from a civilian to a baron, and then quickly rose up to viscount. If we raise him to the rank of duke, will that rate of promotion not be a bit too shocking?”

Bi Linglong said coldly, “The reason why our Zhou Dynasty has been able to triumph in every battle is because when there is merit, there is inevitably reward. Thus, if the speed of promotion is cited as the issue, will that not make those who serve our country feel cold?”

Many ministers rolled their eyes. There have been so many people who have brought back more achievements, and yet which one of them has risen up as quickly as Zu An?

Bi Qi was worried that his daughter might end up drawing excessive enmity. He cleared his throat and said, “Sir Zu’s contributions should be rewarded, but he is still too young. Rising up immediately is not always a blessing. This subject proposes that we promote him to a count.”

Sang Hong was left in admiration. As expected of these old foxes… The things they say don’t offend anyone, and even Zu An himself might feel as if he’s trying to pass on some wisdom.

The emperor nodded. That suggestion was close to what he had in mind. Not rewarding Zu An for his contributions was going too far, but he wouldn’t feel too happy about it if he had to give too much. Granting Zu An a countship was perfect. He said, “Then he will be promoted to count. Those present may now discuss the title he is to be given.”

When they heard that the emperor was promoting Zu An to the rank of count, those present in Cloudcenter Commandery looked at Zu An enviously.

Some might have had higher official positions than him, but their noble ranks were now lower. Zu An was so young, and yet he had already become a count. There hadn’t been many examples of that in all of history, right?

Nobility rank and official position were different. Not only did counts have the ability to collect taxes; their title was something that could be passed down to their children! Of course, unless every single generation was outstanding, such noble ranks would usually fall with each successive generation. However, the rank of count was already high enough to be passed down several times! It symbolized the utmost glory and wealth, and was a huge advantage in marriages within the true circles of aristocracy.

Zu An was also quite happy. However, that wasn’t because he was now a count; rather, it was that he could finally get rid of that damn title of ‘Green Hat’. Even though there was no ‘green hat’ slang in this world, he still felt a chill whenever he thought about it.

After the court’s subjects discussed among themselves for a bit, they quickly reached a conclusion.

Pei Shao suggested, “A recent report says that many people have recently migrated to Great Lady City, so perhaps we could designate that as Sir Zu’s territory?”[1]

The emperor nodded and said, “Good; we can give Zu An the title of Great Lady Count. This emperor is tired, so let us end the court session here.”

Bi Linglong naturally knew that Great Lady City was extremely poor. It was a rather empty territory, owing to its poor environment and its problem with bandits. The so-called people who had migrated there were nothing more than refugees.

The reason why the Pei clan had suggested that territory was purely to get back at Zu An as much as they could. Unfortunately, the emperor had already decided before she even had time to complain. There was no way of changing the decision anymore.

Even though Great Lady City is a bit poor, at least Zu An is a count now, for better or for worse. It’s not too bad, she thought to console herself.

Meanwhile, Zu An rolled his eyes. Great Lady Count? First it was Phoenix Man, then it was Green Hat. Now he was a Great Lady Count?

Why can’t I have a normal name for once? Damn it all!

…

As the emperor left, the courtiers all saw him off respectfully.

Zhuxie Chixin gave Pei Mianman a long look. In the end, however, he didn’t expose her identity. Zu An himself was present, so it really wasn’t too appropriate to do anything. His majesty hadn’t even given him any instructions, so he obviously wouldn’t dare to make any such decisions on his own.

When the courtiers all left, Bi Linglong appeared in the recording mirror. When she saw Zu An, she wanted to say something, but hesitated. In the end, she said, “Sir Zu, you should not fail to live up to his majesty’s kindness.”

Zu An knew she had many things she wanted to say to him, but they couldn't say any personal things in such a public setting.

“Thank you for your advice, crown princess. This subject will definitely devote every breath in my body, unto my dying day,” Zu An said in a loud and clear voice.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The people around him widened their eyes when they heard him, mouthing what he had just said inwardly. This guy looks rather uncouth, but he actually spoke quite the cultured phrase just now. His praises are pretty elegant! It seems we really looked down on him too much before.

Bi Linglong’s face instead heated up. This guy clearly isn’t saying that to the emperor, but to me… Her heart began to race. She was scared that the onlookers would notice something, so she quickly turned around and left after a slight nod.

Then, a group of officials rushed forward to congratulate Zu An on his promotion. Zu An responded to all of them quickly. Then, he told them that he was tired and would be returning to his room to rest.

Many among them had participated in the impeachment earlier. They naturally felt a bit embarrassed, and thus took the chance to be excused too.

…

Sang Hong found a chance to come to Zu An’s room. He said, “Ah Zu, this old man has already been a part of the political circles for several decades, but my heart has never tossed and turned as much as it did today.”

“I was the one who was too rash. I’ve made respected uncle worry,” Zu An apologized. He had left a huge mess behind after leaving, and it was Sang Hong who had taken care of everything in his place.

Sang Hong opened his mouth, but he still gave up in the end. Instead, he said, “Forget it. At least the end result was good. However, there’s something else I’m more worried about. Why did his majesty give up on you?”

Zu An knew why he would say that. Judging from the events of the day, the emperor was clearly trying to get rid of him. He was also curious. Don’t tell me what happened in the dungeon was exposed? But that doesn’t make any sense…

“It might be that he’s angered King Qi quite badly, so he plans to use me as a sacrifice to appease King Qi’s anger. Furthermore, there’s the matter of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, which has always made him unhappy,” Zu An said. He couldn't explain what had happened in the dungeon to Sang Hong, so he could only explain things that way.

“That’s probably it,” Sang Hong said with a nod. However, his expression suddenly became extremely strange as he asked, “Right, why would Sect Master Yan speak up for you? The two of you… don’t have a thing going on, do you?”

Pfft!

Zu An had been drinking tea. When he heard that, he spat out his tea. He protested, “Respected uncle, please don’t make random guesses like that! Sect Master Yan cares a lot about her reputation, you know?”

Sang Hong was about to say something, but then his expression changed. He hurriedly said, “Ahem, you must be tired from your trip. Rest up well; I’ll be leaving first.” Then, he left as if he were running away.

Zu An was curious about his behavior, but when he saw a completely cold-faced Yan Xuehen at the entrance, he immediately understood. He said with a laugh, “Haha, what a coincidence.”

1. ’Great Lady’ here sounds like ‘Daji’. ☜