Bestowals, Land Swaps, Promotions, Luck Golden Dragon! (6K)

The process of bestowing rewards had already been explained to Jia Pu.

Upon their return on February 24th, Zhao Xing and the others had three things to do every day: bathe and change clothes, burn incense to ward off evil spirits, and await their rewards.

Once the rewards arrived, they no longer needed to scramble for anything.

As it flew into the sky, many envious glances were cast from below.

Only generals with over a million battle merits were given this privilege: being led to the Heaven's Heart Palace for pilgrimage.

For those of low rank (eighth or ninth grade) with low battle merits, the Pinghai Province military headquarters would issue a commendation document, and the Military Realm Grotto-Heaven would distribute the reward, and that would be the end of it.

Yang City is a large city, and among the ten garrison troops, quite a few have achieved more than a million battle merits.

Zhao Xing glanced around and discovered that there were nearly a thousand people taking off together, most of whom were Sixth Rank, with only a few Seventh Grade.

Zhao Xing has now reached the early stage of the Sixth Rank Heavenly Star Realm.

He Soul Offering Pass Gate before, in order to break through before the reward was conferred.

If he doesn't reach the Sixth Rank, then the power of the dynasty's fortune will help him improve with this reward, wasting some of that power on his cultivation level, thus reducing the amount allocated to his lifespan and fortune.

The battle ended at the end of December, and now it's mid-February. Zhao Xing's breakthrough to the early stage of the Heavenly Star Realm went relatively smoothly.

"Buzz~"

The flight was very slow. The appearance of this Golden Light was meant to make those below envious and those above feel proud.

Moreover, each ray of Golden Light magnifies the appearance of the guide in the sky.

Once everyone enters the hall, a sound will be emitted, reaching everyone's ears, essentially like opening the "server-wide megaphone" of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

After a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing and the others were finally absorbed into the Heaven's Heart Palace.

After entering the Heaven's Heart Palace, the process was the same as the previous promotions: first pay respects to Grand Ancestor and Wen Emperor, and then see Emperor Jing sitting high on the throne.

Emperor Jing still looked like a giant, but compared to when he was appointed Ninth Grade official, Zhao Xing could now see his full appearance clearly.

Emperor Jing's Heavenly Emperor's Mianfu consisted of three parts: the crown, the robes, and the accessories.

First, there is the crown plate on the crown, called 𫄧, which is long, slightly rounded at the front and square at the back, metaphorically representing the roundness of heaven and the squareness of earth.

The jade ornaments hanging from the front and back edges of the crown resembled a curtain, just enough to partially obscure the emperor's face.

This was done for two reasons: first, to maintain the emperor's mystique, and second, to require the emperor to stop focusing solely on foreign lands and instead pay more attention to the domestic situation. The idiom " to See No Evil" originates from this.

The ear ornaments hanging from both sides of the crown are a metaphor for those who wear ear ornaments, implying that they should not listen to slanderous words. The phrase "turn a deaf ear" is derived from this.

The crown is entirely black, which is the configuration for the Son of Heaven when he goes to court. When he goes to war, he wears the Heavenly Emperor's helmet, the Human Emperor Armor, and carries the Human Emperor Sword.

The emperor's crown was paired with Heaven and Earth Dark Robe, the upper garment and the two embroidered pieces being black on a black background.

Embroidered dragons, phoenixes, Qilin and other auspicious beasts.

The belt is white, the skirt is red, and the brown and white skirts are separated, with the two parts representing heaven and earth respectively.

Emperor Jing is depicted kneeling with his hands placed on the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' regions of his robe, signifying his control over the heavens and the earth!

The imperial robes were also decorated with patterns; the patterns on the upper garment were painted, while those on the lower garment were embroidered. The twelve-symbol pattern was the most valuable, and no other kings, nobles, or commoners were allowed to embroider the twelve-symbol pattern.

The twelve symbols of the imperial robes and crown include mountains, sun, moon, stars, fire, dragon, axe, rice, Hai Bo, drums and music, Dark Bird, and temples, symbolizing the emperor's achievements and virtues.

Zhao Xing only saw Emperor Jing's lips and nose, and was unable to see his full face.

Whether you can see it or not doesn't really matter.

The imperial mandate meant that Emperor Jing's image was perceived very differently by each of his ministers.

Once someone becomes emperor, no one knows what it truly looks like.

But if you see him in a formal setting, you'll immediately recognize him as the emperor.

After taking one look, everyone lowered their heads slightly, no longer looking directly at the wrath of the heavens.

After paying homage to Emperor Jing, a pretentious routine was followed: boasting about one's achievements.

"Tigron Army, Wei Hong."

Golden Light shimmered on the throne, and a majestic voice rang out.

"Your subject is here!"

One person stepped forward from the hall and knelt down.

"In the third month of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar, you led your army to a great victory over the barbarian ' Heavenly Nether Tribe,' beheading 157 enemy chieftains and 48,720 enemy soldiers..."

Emperor Jing began to list the merits that Wei Hong had made.

At the same time, a majestic voice came from the outside world.

"... Tigron Army Wei Hong, with outstanding military achievements, was promoted three ranks and granted the Nobility Title, and was named ' Establishing Merit Marquis '."

"He is granted 2.78 million mu of land, a fief of 2,780 households, and awarded a ' Loyal Valor ' sword, two Blue Dragon Leopard... He is promoted to Public Discussion Grandee and given a five-rank honorary title, in recognition of his merits!"

When praising achievements, they would only briefly mention the outstanding battles, but they would go into detail about the titles, rewards, and bestowals, and do so in a very long way.

Wei Hong's military achievements amounted to 2.78 million, which was insufficient to be granted the title of Martial Marquis, so he was granted the title of a third-class marquis.

The title of a third-rank marquis is usually named after the fiefdom, but there are differences. If it is to commend achievements and contain the emperor's expectations, then it is like Wei Hong, who Establishing Merit Marquis.

It's a level above those with a fiefdom name, although there's practically no difference, but it's a kind of honor.

"Your subject, Wei Hong, kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace. May Your Majesty live forever!"

After a brief pause, Emperor Jing called for the next person.

"Helian Lie!"

"Your subject is here!"

"June of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar..."

The wait was long, and Zhao Xing listened attentively.

Those who can enter the Heaven's Heart Palace have now reached the threshold of marquis, but some of their titles are rather mediocre or even ridiculous.

For example, a man named Zhang Ping had a marquis title named after his fief, and that county was "Bagralu" in Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture.

Before the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture had a chance to rename the county, this person was given the title of "Baglalu Marquis".

No one would laugh at him, because most people had such marquis titles. Not only this time, but many marquises in the Great Zhou had strange and unusual titles.

When encountering such tongue-twisting or very long names, we usually don't use the full name, but rather refer to the person by their surname followed by their title, or by their abbreviation.

For example, Zhang Ping would be Marquis Zhang or Marquis Ba, and his subordinates would simply call him Marquis.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were countless idle marquises, with only the first and second-rank Martial Marquis carrying any real weight. This was because Martial Marquis were basically generals with real power; once they were granted the title, they would inevitably wield great authority and would certainly be above the Fifth Grade. First-rank marquises were usually Fourth Grade.

As for granting a title to someone of a different surname, that's extremely rare; only those of the Third Grade or above) have the opportunity to do so.

There are quite a few princes among the royal family members, but princes of the first rank are equally rare.

It was only during the collapse of the Great Zhou that such titles became rampant. However, by then, the title of king no longer provided any benefits, and even if it was conferred, it would not bring much luck back; in fact, it would be a burden.

"Divine Might Army, Zhao Xing."

When Zhao Xing's name was mentioned, it was already the morning of February 27th.

"Your subject is here."

Zhao Xing stepped forward and knelt down according to procedure. He did not need to bow at this time, but had to wait until the bestowal of titles and rewards was finished before he could kowtow, meaning his head had to touch the ground.

Old Master Zhao didn't feel any pressure; he just hoped that Emperor Jing, the big boss, wouldn't bestow any strange or unusual titles upon him.

"On the 25th day of the sixth month of the 17th year of the Jingxin Calendar, you killed Pati, the chieftain of the Sha tribe, and saved Sea Pacifying Army Supply City from danger."

"In July of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar, you completed a total of thirty-four advancement missions, planting Blood Yuan Fruit and Heart Insect Grass to meet the needs of the Eastern Theater Command..."

"On the 27th day of the eighth month of the 17th year of the Jingxin Calendar, you infiltrated Fire Dragon Pass and successfully brought back the rare spiritual seed ' Earth Fire Lotus '..."

"In September of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar, you cultivated a fifth-order Earth Fire Lotus, providing the army with materials for Fire-Warding Robe."

"In September, you followed the army across the Flame Mountain and destroyed ' Round Moon City ' inside the Fire Dragon Pass..."

"In the twelfth month of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar, the Bewitching Array was broken, providing supplies for the 140,000-strong army..."

"Zhao Xing the Divine Might Army has made outstanding military achievements. He has been promoted three ranks and granted the Nobility Title, and is now known as the Marquis Yuan Rang!"

"He was granted 165,000 mu of land and a fief of 1,650 households."

"A 'Guardian' scepter, two Azure-Eyed Dragon Lion, a qilin Qilin Flying Boat, a pair of Jade Ruyi scepters..."

"Promoted to the Commandery Councillor and awarded six ranks of honor in recognition of his merits!"

After Emperor Jing finished speaking, Zhao Xing immediately kowtowed and shouted loudly, "Your subject Zhao Xing kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your grace. May Your Majesty live forever!"

On February 28th, Zhao Xing emerged from the Heaven's Heart Palace, finally bringing to an end this long process of bestowing titles and honors.

This was merely a pilgrimage to praise one's achievements; the rewards were Nobility Title, ranks, and honorary official positions.

The actual Official Rank titles and rewards will be determined later by the Military Realm, the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture military department, and the commander of the Divine Might Army. They will then enter the temple again to receive the boost from the dynasty's fortune.

There are many specific details, such as Zhao Xing now owning 160,000 mu of land, but it is impossible that all of this land is low-grade farmland.

In addition, the "Guardian Army" staff, two Azure-Eyed Dragon Lion, a Jade Ruyi Qilin Flying Boat, and a pair of jade ruyi scepters bestowed by Emperor Jing were all extra gifts.

After becoming Sixth Rank official, his official hat, robes, seal, and all equipment had to be reconfigured.

The process for becoming Third Grade official is much more complicated.

In any case, I've finally achieved a small goal.

"What a fine Marquis Yuan Rang! Congratulations!" After Zhao Xing came down, many people came over to congratulate him.

Among them were Zhuang Ziqing and Cao Shuang, former friends from the Earthly Advantage Institute, as well as Han Bing, Wang Ji, Che Shihai.

"Rang means abundant crops and a thriving future, which suits your style quite well, Boss," Che Shihai praised.

"The Azure-Eyed Dragon Lion is a rare and exotic beast from Grotto-Heaven! Having one as a mount would be so cool!" Cao Shuang said enviously. "I've only seen them twice."

"The Qilin Flying Boat is not for sale; it's a symbol of status and honor. Just by putting on this official air, when we go to other small county towns, the main officials will have to kneel down to greet us."

"Damn it, treat us to a feast!" Zhuang Ziqing said. "Let's quickly treat the brothers to a big meal and drinks."

"Among the reserve Agricultural Official in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven over the past sixteen years, only Zhao Xing has fared the best. He is now a Sixth Rank official and has even become a marquis."

This was certainly something to celebrate. Among the entire reserve force, only Xia Jing and Zhao Xing had achieved over a million merits and were granted the title of marquis.

Even geniuses like Shi Yong and Fu Ying from that era could not reach the level of Zhao Xing.

"Of course," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "Once I'm done with these next few days, I'll host a banquet in the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard. You'll all be there!"

Even after the bestowal of titles and rewards, there's still a lot to do, the first being the issue of fiefdoms.

Zhao Xing consulted with Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing.

Old Chen's title was Marquis Yuan Zhen, and Long Xiao's title was Cloud Soaring Marquis.

Chen Shijie's rank reached the lower Sixth Rank, and so did Long Xiao's.

Because both of them were previously officially ranked Official Seventh Rank, Upper, they have now been promoted three ranks.

Xia Jing Qidian the same level as Zhao Xing, both of them Official Seventh Rank, Lower after completing their missions. Now, they have risen three ranks to Sub-Sixth Rank.

Previous temporary positions were all temporarily promoted by the army's commander-in-chief, who only granted authority but did not elevate their rank.

"The fiefdoms are jointly determined by the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture and the Pinghai Province Military Command, and submitted to the thirty-three Military Realm kings for review. Once submitted, they are usually not returned unless they violate the regulations."

"As far as I know, most of the marquisate fiefs this time are located in Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture, with a few inland. The land grades are calculated proportionally, so it depends on luck," Xia Jing spoke first, as he knew the most about this matter.

"Is there a controllable space inside?" Zhao Xing asked.

Xia Jing nodded. "Yes."

"People like you and me, who are not granted titles and ranks based on fiefs, should be considered superior to others and have room for negotiation."

"If the fief and the title are tied together, then there's nothing we can do; we have no choice."

Zhao Xing nodded. "Can I move everything to the inland areas?"

Xia Jing asked curiously, "Why did you change them all?"

"Although the land is not as good as the land in the inland areas in the short term, in the long run, our Great Zhou is at its zenith, and Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture will become a fertile land in the future."

"Because the main policy will inevitably focus on Yingyuan Prefecture and carry out large-scale development, these lands will appreciate in value."

Long Xiao and Chen Shijie also looked at Zhao Xing with curiosity.

They never imagined that the Great Zhou would be defeated this time, and that even the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture would be lost in half.

We've won a great victory! In less than two years, we've expanded our territory by tens of thousands of miles!

In a few years, the Southern Barbarians might be destroyed, and Yingyuan Prefecture will definitely appreciate in value. Why should we change it?

Zhao Xing initially wanted to make up an excuse, but since these three people were on good terms with him, he spoke his mind, "You only saw the big victory, and you only thought about that one outcome. Have you considered other possibilities?"

"What do you mean?" Xia Jing frowned. "You think we will lose the Pacifying Barbarians War? Our dynasty has accumulated a thousand years of experience under Wen Emperor, and the Holy Emperor emperor has been working hard for hundreds of years. We have produced many talented people and have a strong army. I really can't think of any possibility of defeat."

"What if?" Zhao Xing said, "We should learn from history. The Central Divine Continent has always only had Nineteen Provinces. What if our dynasty also fails to conquer the Southern Barbarians?"

Seeing that Xia Jing was about to argue again, Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "Don't rush to argue with me. I'm just saying that if there is such a possibility, then if all our land is placed in the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture, we will suffer a huge loss."

"A fiefdom with one or two thousand households represents a considerable sum of money each year. If it is lost, the imperial court will not replenish it."

"I'm not short of money," Xia Jing pondered. "But since you put it that way, I'll exchange half of it for the inland areas. It's easy to do. There are many people who want a place in Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture. If you want to exchange, just tell me. Yang An may not have as much influence as my father."

"I want to replace everything, preferably in the eastern part of Pinghai Province," Zhao Xing said.

"The East? You want to go and become an island owner?" Chen Shijie asked in surprise. "You've seemed to have a longing for coastal cities for a long time."

While in Gucheng, Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie talked about the female deity Azure Cloud Matriarch. At that time, Zhao Xing mentioned Purple Cloud Island and asked if the "Water Book" was kept there.

"It's not necessarily about becoming an island owner. It's just that I've never seen the sea before and I want to go there to see it," Zhao Xing said. "Old Chen, why don't you move there too? The weather is very changeable on the sea, as you know. Weather changes every hundred years or even every thousand years occur at sea."

"Maybe if we go to the East Sea, we might find some treasure."

Chen Shijie glanced at Zhao Xing, nodded, and said, "Alright, it's just a fief anyway, so anywhere is fine. I'll switch there too. Your Heir Apparent, when you're making the arrangements, is it feasible to tie my fief to Zhao Xing's?"

Long Xiao said, "Me too, me too! How could you two forget about me?" "I want to switch over and team up with you too."

"Brother Long, aren't you going back to your hometown?" Xia Jing asked in surprise. "It's a great opportunity to Return Home in Glory."

Long Xiao shook his head and said, "My hometown, Pingze County, was submerged by a great flood at the end of the Renovation Era Calendar. My mother died in the flood, and my father contracted tuberculosis. Later, he took me to live with my uncle, and he passed away in the tenth year of the Jingxin Calendar."

"Most of my relatives are gone. I only have one older sister, who has married and moved to another county. I would like to Return Home in Glory, but my hometown still needs to exist."

"My hometown and all my acquaintances are gone. What's the point of showing them anything but air?"

Xia Jing couldn't help but want to laugh, but then she felt it was a sad thing and she shouldn't laugh, so she forced herself to hold it back.

"Are all three of you going to the East Sea? Brother Zhao, why don't you switch to Nanyang County?"

Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "No need, I'll just buy some land in Gucheng later."

In fact, Zhao Xing had no intention of buying land in Gucheng.

He also plans to move Zhao Zheng, Madam Cai, and Zhao Ruide away.

Because when the Liang King Rebellion, all parts of Pinghai Province will suffer disasters, not only from war but also from natural disasters.

The rebellion of a prince from the royal family in Pinghai Province has a huge impact on the fate of the country. Pinghai Province will be in turmoil. Although the rebellion was quelled in just two years, there is a fear that innocent bystanders may also be affected.

East of Pinghai Province lies the East Sea. Zhao Xing remembered that area hadn't been affected, and besides, he planned to work there in the future, so it was best to move there as soon as possible.

"Since that's the case, then I'll get a piece of land there too." Xia Jing stroked his chin. "I always feel like I'll get rich following you, even though I'm not short of money, hahaha."

The land exchange is only possible during this period.

After the campaign against the Southern Barbarians went poorly, the expected value of the land in Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture also dropped significantly, and no one was willing to come and exchange it.

If we switch now, many people will be willing to agree, because they want to reap the expected benefits of the positive policy.

After the exchange, one plot of land might be expanded into ten plots, and of course, plenty of people would be willing to do that!

The solution to the fiefdom issue is the acquisition of Official Rank.

After consulting with Yang An, the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture consulted Yang An Zhao Xing: "It is tentatively decided that you will be promoted to the rank of ' Army Protector Commandant ' of the Sub-Sixth Rank."

"Zhao Xing, do you have any thoughts?"

"I leave it to the General to decide," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Yang An, who had lost his arm, smiled and said, "Alright, then this is the Official Rank."

This position has flexible responsibilities and can handle any task. If Zhao Xing is transferred in the future, there will be no need to go through any procedures; he can be moved wherever he is needed.

Chen Shijie was a "Army Management Commandant" of the Sixth Rank, and Long Xiao was a "Ceremonial Commandant". All three of them were capable of commanding troops independently.

The Official Rank assigned to the three of them by the Military Realm all hinted at a desire to continue using them in subsequent wars.

But Zhao Xing didn't care about this. He knew that the intensity of the war would not be increased in the Jingxin Eighteenth Year, and that the troops still needed to be trained.

If I can accumulate more merits and advance my rank, I'll have plenty of ways to escape later.

Expressing loyalty to the court now, with righteous indignation, can pave the way for a later escape.

The proposed Official Rank positions were submitted to the three kings and were quickly approved after final review.

Zhao Xing arrived at the temple in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven to complete the final step in his promotion—receiving the National Dynasty Luck Cleansing.

The familiar Heaven's Heart Palace, the familiar court of officials.

Upon entering the magnificent palace this time, Zhao Xing discovered that he had grown much taller.

Looking back, the officials of the Third Grade were endless, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Looking ahead, although the number of officials of the middle Third Grade is still huge, at least there is no feeling of crowding, and it is no longer an endless expanse.

"Boom!"

Emperor Jing, seated on the throne, waved his hand, and a golden dragon-shaped Golden Light enveloped Zhao Xing in the palace.

"Luck Golden Dragon! This time it's going to be big!" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat.

The Luck Golden Dragon entered Zhao Xing's body, first exploring his cultivation level and foundation.

But this time, Zhao Xing Xing's Fate Soul was already at the Sixth Rank, and his cultivation foundation was extremely solid, so it couldn't be increased at all.

Thus, the Luck Golden Dragon only symbolically passed through the dantian and Sea of Consciousness before rushing into Zhao Xing's Life Palace.

Buzz~

The place of the Life Palace was desolate, but now it was bathed in a golden light by the Luck Golden Dragon.

Unbeknownst to them, Zhao Xing's fortune and lifespan were altered.

After a long while, the Luck Golden Dragon flew away again with a whoosh.

Zhao Xing looked at the Luck Golden Dragon, revealing a sense of reluctance.

But he soon thanked Emperor Jing and left the temple.

As Zhao Xing stepped out of the temple, he glanced back.

"If we learn the secret techniques of the Outer Sects and lock down and refine this Luck Golden Dragon, I wonder how much benefit we would gain."

"Unfortunately, daring to do this during this period is tantamount to courting death."

During Emperor Jing's reign, no one dared to steal the dynasty's fortune because the Great Zhou was still at its zenith. To learn unorthodox methods and steal fortune?

He'll die instantly, his soul scattered! And his entire family will be exterminated!

By the time of Wu Emperor, there was no need to steal, because Wu Emperor was not stingy like Emperor Jing, and he gave more than usual.

Only in the dynasties following Wu Emperor's reign could the dynasty truly seize the destiny of the Great Zhou.

At that time, Old Master Zhao would certainly be in a high position, so he wouldn't need to be afraid to do things.

"This time, I was promoted from the lower Third Grade to the middle Third Grade, but my Fate Soul did not improve at all. It was all in my luck and lifespan."

"I wonder how they were allocated," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

This time, what he wanted was more good fortune, because the Heavenly Spirit Essence of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven was about to arrive.

With increased fortune, one will inevitably acquire more of the Heavenly Spirit Essence.

Then you'll be able to find even more good things.

"Let's go back first."

Zhao Xing did not check immediately. Instead, he left the temple and returned to the Eighteen Locust Willow Courtyard before opening the panel to check the changes after his promotion.

I updated before midnight, my sleep schedule is well adjusted. I hope I can update earlier tomorrow and try to update three times a day to make up for lost time!