The Surging Tide of the Times; Civil and Military Merit Rewarded Separately
The villa of Prince Ding's Residence.
Flying Tiger was sitting cross-legged. On the ground in front of him, a distorted and ever-changing phantom was constantly releasing earth element energy, but it was suppressed by a talisman and could not break free.
On the other hand, with the suppression of Prosperity Capital Will and the shroud of Dragon Qi, this earth element aura was suppressed to a considerable degree, as if it might disappear at any moment.
However, this earth elemental phantom had a remarkably resilient core. Even when suppressed, it remained undestroyed, emanating a frenzied and ruthless aura that was directed at the nearby Flying Tiger Daoist, causing the latter to feel a strong sense of hatred.
"Don't blame me, if I hadn't stopped you, and you had gone to cause trouble for Qiu Yan, you would have only faced destruction. After all, you are the essence of earth element that has been accumulating for over a hundred years; it would be such a pity to destroy it like this..."
Flying Tiger shook his head, looked at the illusory figure in front of him, and spoke calmly, but he stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Rumble!
Thunder roared in the Void!
Flying Tiger's expression changed slightly. A bit of the Way of Knowledge and Action began to flow in his mind, causing him to look up at the sky for no reason. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, covering his pupils. Although Prosperity Capital had the ability to suppress Divine Ability, he could still use some minor abilities.
As he looked, his gaze traversed time and space, and he saw a scene in the Void: raging waves, lightning and thunder, endless and continuous, like a rushing river flowing into the distance.
Its overwhelming power is so great that it will even break through the Void barrier and come to the present world to wreak havoc on the Imperial City!
"What's going on? In the Imperial City of a dynasty capable of suppressing Divine Ability, why would there be such a commotion?" Flying Tiger's heart trembled. When he tried to investigate further, he discovered that his Divine Sense could not even reach the Void current!
"Hmm? This seems to be slightly different from Divine Ability power, rather..."
"The tide of Human Path is upon us!"
At the same time, in the Literary Hall.
A dozen or so great Grand Confucian were seated cross-legged. Among them were Junior Chen, Zhou Dongyi, Pang Chu, Xu Shi, and other Grand Confucian and Grandmaster whom Qiu Yan had met in Eastern Capital.
There were also Senior Chen and others who were already based in Imperial City, as well as many unfamiliar faces.
These people, who were debating and verifying each other's points, all stopped talking and looked up. Their gazes seemed to pierce through the roof and point directly to one spot.
"The tide of history is irreversible, and human effort cannot reverse it."
"However, such a grand undertaking is of unknown origin. Qiu Yan has only just returned, yet it has already caused such a change. Could he truly be the leader of this era?"
"It's hard to say. The Essentials meet them in person and debate them to know for sure."
As the words were spoken, a faint glow appeared in the room, and the raging waves of lightning in the Void even reached this place, where the Grandmaster and Grand Confucian radiated light and luster.
The radiance forms rings, each with a different color, subtly evolving into various Human Path scenes.
Hundred Schools Aura!
These were clearly Hundred Schools Aura from various schools of thought. The halos shimmered from behind everyone in the room, most of them only had one, some had two, while Great Chen and Junior Chen had three.
As the halos appeared, their interplay subsided somewhat, calming the Void. The hidden information within them became clearer, and the people inside the room grasped a rough outline of what was happening.
"The Way of Writing? The Way of Communication?"
"Related to these two paths? No wonder it caused such a stir!"
"Is there any room for improvement in these two dishes?"
"Leading the tide of Human Path, he could become the fourth Hundred Schools Aura. It seems Qiu Yan is about to succeed. However, it is rumored that he cultivates Divine Ability. Without breaking through the final illusion, he will ultimately be trapped within its confines. What a pity."
"There is no order of precedence in learning; those who have achieved greatness are our teachers. If he has truly attained such a level, we should all seek his guidance."
As their understanding progressed, the Grand Confucian and Grandmaster in the room gradually grasped a trace of the pulse of the times. The surging waves and thunder were like the blood of the world, flowing endlessly, but there was also a slight fluctuation within them.
"The pulse of the times? Dynasties rise and fall, the world changes, eras shift and change, each thing stands on its own."
In a corner of the room, Bai Zhaoyuan, dressed in white, sat silently, but his eyes shone with various lights as he watched the waves in the Void.
Behind him, a Hundred Schools Aura Human Path also shimmered. The halo contained little of the humanistic scene, but was filled with abstract concepts, ever-changing and conveying a sense of discerning truth from Separating Falsehood from Truth and seeing through reality.
As the halo expanded, a figure gradually became clear within the Void waves. Seemingly faint, yet actually upright, this person was someone Bai Zhaoyuan was already familiar with.
"You've reached this level? That's truly unexpected. But standing at the forefront of events and riding the waves of the world is no easy feat."
Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Amidst the raging Void waves, the Golden Hall, the source of all this chaos, remained remarkably calm, like the eye of the storm.
Prince Ding Li Duo, held the imperial edict and slowly recited Qiu Yan's achievements, interspersed with numerous praises. Judging from the tone, it was clearly spoken by the current emperor.
This imperial edict, though over a hundred words long, was full of gems. It not only mentioned the matter of the top scholar but also his military strategy in Jiannan, in which he anticipated the enemy's moves and drove away the invading Marshfolk People. It then mentioned some literary matters, but these were merely appetizers. When Li Duo read the phrase "leading the imperial staff out of the pass, heading north to the northern frontier," the assembled officials knew that the main event was about to begin, and they couldn't help but murmur to themselves.
"With such a display of power, could it be that Qiu Yan will soon bestow a reward upon them?"
"Shouldn't we wait until the war is over and everyone is being rewarded before bestowing honors upon Qiu Yan?"
"The prince read it aloud; this is quite an honor. I wonder if Qiu Yan can accept it."
"The fact that the title of General's Insignia was directly given to Qiu Yan probably reveals His Majesty's intentions."
"I wonder what the outcome will be."
Amidst these various thoughts, Li Duo read the imperial edict to the end. It described the mission to Three Rivers and the signing of an alliance, followed by a series of praises, clearly a prelude to bestowing official titles.
The courtiers then realized that the imperial edict made no mention of military achievements!
However, no one would think that Li Kun was trying to steal Qiu Yan's war merits, but rather to distribute them and reward them after the war was over. What he wanted to give Qiu Yan now were merits unrelated to the war!
In this way, all the officials immediately understood Li Kun's purpose.
"This is just the prelude. Will there be more military merits later? Is this a case of rewarding Qiu Yan twice, once for his civil and once for his military achievements?"
Upon reflection, some immediately felt it was inappropriate. If it was merely a single reward, having a prince read the imperial edict, while perhaps a bit excessive, wasn't necessarily excessive. After all, Qiu Yan's achievements were undeniable, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them unparalleled.
However, if we remove the battle achievements, it seems somewhat weak.
However, when the imperial decree was announced, even if they had opinions, they could not utter a word of objection.
On the other side, Prince Ding Li Duo, whose face had been summoned, grew increasingly solemn. After reading the praise for Qiu Yan's compilation of the two classics, he finally got to the point.
"... I think of the wise men of old, who among them loved four thousand households but did not comfort their children? If merit is not rewarded, even Yao and Shun could not govern. Now, Minister Qiu has rendered meritorious service to the nation for generations to come. He elucidates the words of the sages and perfects the way of education, which is a matter of great importance to humanities, and should be further improved..."
The moment the phrase "a matter of great importance to humanity" was uttered, not only did the expressions of the officials in the hall subtly change, but even Qiu Yan, who stood with his head bowed before the emperor, felt a jolt in his heart and sensed a rapid surge of Fortune. Yin Spirit 'Heart Fire suddenly shifted!
"... Appoint Qiu Yan as Hanlin Academician!"
These words immediately stirred up a turmoil in the hall, with some attempting to suppress the unrest through ritual, while others were on the verge of erupting into a boiling rage!
The position of Hanlin Academician was the head of the Hanlin Academy, Principal Fifth Rank!
Qiu Yan was Original Edition Hanlin Compiler, Subordinate Sixth Rank official. Now he has skipped the Principal Sixth Rank and Subordinate Fifth Rank ranks and directly obtained Principal Fifth Rank position, and he has only been in officialdom for a year!
In just one year, he rose three ranks in the Central Pivot of the Imperial City, a speed that is astonishing. However, considering Qiu Yan's current influence, it is not surprising, except that this position is too sensitive.
Judging from the name, the Hanlin Academician has a close relationship with the Hanlin Academy where Qiu Yan is currently serving. In fact, the Hanlin Academician is the head of the Hanlin Academy, but this position is usually held concurrently.
For example, Tian Youqing once served as Hanlin Academician for a period of time. From this, one can imagine that Hanlin Academician did not have the energy or time to manage the Hanlin Academy. The real leaders in the Hanlin Academy were the Subordinate Fifth Rank Academician Reader-in-Attendance and Academician Lecturer-in-Attendance, namely Han Bian and Yang She, whom Qiu Yan had met before.
However, this does not mean that the title of Hanlin Academician was merely an empty one, because the functions of this official position were not limited to the Hanlin Academy, but also extended to other areas, including giving lectures on classics, writing treatises, drafting imperial edicts, and so on.
These functions may seem simple, like those of a private advisor, but this "private" advisor is none other than the current emperor!
A single thought of the emperor could stir up a storm in the dynasty; no matter how small, his words and actions were of utmost importance.
As close advisors to the emperor, Hanlin Academician had access to imperial edicts. Even if they couldn't change them, they could still learn about them in advance, which was an advantage in itself. Not to mention, they could easily influence the emperor's thinking by taking advantage of their proximity. For example, during the Imperial Lectures, they could instill their own doctrines into the emperor and the crown prince.
It can be said that the power of this position is not directly reflected in the aspect of power, but in the influence of culture and doctrine. Of course, it can also provide some advantages in terms of policy.
This position has always been a focal point of contention New and Old Parties, with the two parties often taking turns holding it. Today, however, it has been bestowed upon Qiu Yan, which naturally makes people's hearts flutter.
Now, information about Qiu Yan has been known to many people, including many officials. They know that he has ties to the Old Party but also to the New Party, making him a complex figure.
"This position was given somewhat suddenly, but obtaining a Principal Fifth Rank official position by forging Human Dao Canon isn't unreasonable..."
While many ministers were weighing the gains and losses and considering the future direction of events, Li Duo continued speaking. After offering words of encouragement, he added, "Promote Qiu Yan to the Privy Council Chief Secretary!"
Upon hearing this, the hall fell into complete silence! (To be continued...)
ps: Thanks to "Yue Lin ￡ Meng Xing", "I Want to Fly Free", "Playing the Drop Down" and "Shen Shou Kun Palace" for the rewards!
Thanks to "sugar☆index", "Xingxingzi", "wiler", "Eager to vote", "Unlimited Wireless", "Never Vote", "Educated Youth KJ", "Yueying Chenxin", "Love to Pick Bones", "Aesthetic★Nebula", "Reform France", and "Kunlun Nine Heavens" for their monthly votes!