"What was bound to come had come."
Lin Xuan adjusted his clothes and calmly ordered, "Open the main gates. Invite that official inside."
"Yes!" The guards acknowledged the order and left.
Before long, a squad of heavily armored Imperial Guards, imposing and stern, escorted a clean-shaven middle-aged official into the main hall.
The official wore a crimson fourth-rank court robe and a golden belt. Though his manner was arrogant, the instant he saw Lin Xuan, a flicker of awe swiftly passed through the depths of his eyes.
Clearly, someone had warned him beforehand of just how formidable the young man before him was.
Lin Xuan did not kneel to receive the edict as ordinary citizens would. He simply stood quietly in the center of the hall, his hands behind his back and his gaze level with the official's.
The surrounding Imperial Guards were about to rebuke him when the official shot them a stern glare, forcing them back into silence.
The official cleared his throat, unfurled the bright yellow scroll in his hands, and proclaimed in a loud voice:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
"Lin Xuan of Xiangyang possesses both wisdom and courage, with strategy beyond compare. When Xiangyang faced crisis, he stepped forward, aided worthy generals, crushed the Mongolian Wolf Riders, preserved the territory of Great Song, and saved countless people from fire and water."
"Furthermore, he journeyed to the southwest, and with eloquence and unmatched bravery turned weapons of war into jade and silk. He brought the Dali Duan Clan to join the alliance with the strength of their entire state, forging a brotherly pact and building an iron wall against Mongolia. Henceforth, Great Song's southwestern frontier shall stand secure, sparing the common people from suffering. This is an extraordinary achievement unseen in any age,