Reward Merit, Bestow Feast, Harvest

After the chief officials of every ministry and the aristocratic families and provincial governors of every province had sung praises of the regime's merits and virtues, an inner court official emerged carrying an imperial decree. He unfurled it and began to read.

The decree consisted chiefly of three parts. The first likewise listed the achievements of the preceding sixty years, though from the Human Emperor's perspective, and it contained many words of humility.

The second part concerned rewards for merit and the granting of honors. It bestowed rewards upon the Immortal Dynasty's various achievements over the past sixty years.

For instance, those who had opened up the East Sea and established Ying Province—the Yang Family of Yang Province, "Dragon River"; the Liu Family of Qing Province, "Changfeng"; the Peng Family of Xu Province, "Shouchun"; the Xie Family of Ying Province, "Orchid and Jade"; Ying Province's Grand Central Arbiter, True Lord Xu Yuan, and others—all received their rewards.

Even Liang Zhaohuang felt the Immortal Dynasty's national fortune descend upon him. This was a reward for his contributions to opening up the East Sea and establishing New Sea Commandery.

Nor was it only him. Although the commandery governors of Ying Province were not specifically mentioned in the decree, after the Xie Family of Ying Province, "Orchid and Jade," came the words "and their followers." Those commandery-governor clans that had established the various commanderies were included within those few words, "and their followers."

Though it was merely mentioned in passing, under the Immortal Dynasty's national fortune, rewards and blessings naturally followed.

Of course, beyond the establishment of Ying Province, the Lu Family of Liang Province, "Tyrant Thunder," was rewarded for opening up ten cities in the Western Regions; the Mu Family of Ning Province, "Withered-Prospering Wood," and the Hu Family of Jiao Province,