Chapter 747 – Wanzhou Governor, Male or Female? (Part 2)
After counting the three greatest contributors, the focus shifted to the allied lords who excelled in the Battle of Jiamen Pass.
Don’t underestimate the King’s Reinforcements; even among the short ones, there are tall ones!
Huang Song and An Huan stood out noticeably.
With the schemes of Cheng Jing and Feng Jue, Huang Song’s performance was commendable, especially in the midst of everyone’s negligence, which highlighted him even more. On the other hand, An Huan, compared to Huang Song’s opportunistic ways, relied solely on his solid military merit and hard work.
Out of the one-tenth of manpower Jiang Pengji assigned him, An Huan lost one-third in the Battle of Jiamen Pass, making it the highest casualty ratio among the lords’ forces—definitely a significant loss of strength. Under such conditions, An Huan was not looked down upon; instead, he garnered much respect from various powers.
Why?
Because the brothers he brought from the Red Lotus Sect were incredibly capable, one braver than the next, fierce on the battlefield as if they had no regard for their lives. Thanks to these brothers, An Huan was considered a hot contender among the allied forces.
Of course, such a dark horse meant little to the court.
As one of the more outstanding factions among the allies, An Huan’s influence and connections in the court were too weak, with nearly half of his contributions covertly snatched away. As for Huang Song? He had his grandfather, Huang Changshi, protecting him, and under the old man’s management, he secured that share of merit.
Fuming with anger, An Huan, as a noble scholar of Nan Sheng, was all too aware of the dark dealings in the official world.
The situation was stronger than the man, so he had to swallow his frustration.
Thus, An Huan’s reward was far less generous than Huang Song’s, resembling more of a consolation prize.
Huang Song had already been promoted to the governor of Maode County in Haoshi beforehand, so he was not eligible for further elevation; therefore, the court granted him a high-ranking empty post as a reward, along with a significant number of slaves and rice. Huang Song accepted the fortune gracefully and didn’t make a fuss.
Other lords also made gains; this time, the King’s Reinforcements were not in vain.
The rewards varied widely, but Jiang Pengji’s award attracted the most attention.
Wanzhou Governor!
“To be granted the title of Wanzhou Governor in one fell swoop, tsk tsk, an unprecedented occurrence.” An official dressed in ceremonial robes held a tablet, seemingly serious but actually whispering to the officials beside him, “I heard this Liu Xi was just a poor county magistrate managing a tiny fraction of land. Now, he’s hit the jackpot, receiving a reward even greater than others’ factions—starting right off as the Wanzhou Governor!”
“Indeed unusual; today’s youth are something else.”
“Heh, rather than saying today’s youth are remarkable, it’s more about their fathers being remarkable.”
Regarding others’ rewards, people felt envy but could accept it.
When it came to Jiang Pengji, however, many found it a bit outrageous, and the sourness soared sky-high.
Jumping from a poor county magistrate to Wanzhou Governor, even if Liu Xi’s dad is Liu Zhi, that’s stretching it a bit too far.
Of course, those complaining were mostly shallow-eyed, unaware frogs in a well, ignorant of the court’s dynamics.
Jumping from a magistrate to a governor is a big leap?
It indeed is.
But if Jiang Pengji’s reward was the heaviest, all the other lords in the King’s Reinforcements wanted to use their tablets to fan themselves.
On the surface, Jiang Pengji’s award was indeed substantial, but in terms of actual weight, it was nearly at the bottom among the allies.
Wanzhou Governor?
Before the King’s Reinforcements, she had already unified Wanzhou, with Fengyi County, Chengde County, and Shangyang County all under her control. Even if the court dared to send a governor to take over, they would have to ask the local overlord if they were willing to hand over Wanzhou. Liu Xi was not a governor but practically operated like one.
Now appointing Liu Xi as governor was merely a formal acknowledgment, legitimizing the title of Wanzhou Governor.
In times of peace, whether to grant the title was up to the court.
But given the current situation, it didn’t matter what the court said about granting the title.
Even so, there were still people who looked unfavorably at Jiang Pengji, their anger, jealousy, resentment, and malice nearly spilling out.
Jiang Pengji calmly faced it; this was merely a small skirmish.
The amount of jealousy and envy she could bear now would determine the magnitude of the glory she would acquire in the future.
Listening to the unfamiliar attendant announce the imperial decree, Jiang Pengji appeared serious, but in reality, her focus was elsewhere, keeping an eye on the sources of those hostile gazes.
When the lengthy and convoluted decree was finally read, she took the decree with both hands, about to express her gratitude, when one of the hostile gazers could no longer hold back.
“Wait—this minister has something to report.”
Liu Zhi, Huang Song, and An Huan all furrowed their brows, while other allied lords looked in surprise at the speaker—Wu Ma Shang, the governor of Hu County.
Jiang Pengji sneered, “If Governor Wu Ma has important matters, it should wait until the junior has thanked the dragon’s grace, right? Such rudeness, could it be intentional?”
Wu Ma Shang stepped out from among the officials, holding the tablet, bowing deeply to the Young Emperor on the dragon throne.
Afterward, he addressed Jiang Pengji, “Unfortunately, I was indeed intentional.”
Jiang Pengji’s expression remained calm; she was not the least bit surprised by Wu Ma Shang’s interruption.
Other officials gaped at Wu Ma Shang in shock, wondering if this Hu County governor had lost his mind, suddenly causing a scene.
“Your Majesty, this minister truly does not want you to be deceived by such a scoundrel. This person may have great merit but has also committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. Sin outweighs merit; how can he become a governor of a state?” Wu Ma Shang knelt on the ground earnestly, appearing like a loyal minister, not at all resembling someone who had been secretly cursing the emperor the night before, “To enforce the law and cleanse the court, I earnestly request Your Majesty to severely punish this sinner as a warning to others!”
The livestream audience, eagerly awaiting Jiang Pengji’s promotion, suddenly had a clown jump out, causing an explosion in the comments.
[I’ve heard]: MMP, where did this idiot come from?
[Mushroom is very cute]: I’m so mad! Where did this drama queen come from to add drama? I could slap him dead.
[Updating diligently]: I’m a bit concerned; the host’s gender has always been undisclosed, and if you think about it, it truly is the crime of deceiving the emperor.
[I Never Owe Debts]: What deceiving the emperor? This group of idiots can’t even stir a hair on the host, I’d live stream eating a keyboard!
Jiang Pengji let out a cold laugh, not even bothering to spare the man a glance.
Huang Song stepped forward to speak on her behalf, a hint of anger on his face, “Zhong Langjiang is deeply loyal to the court, hastening a thousand miles just to rescue the emperor. Such loyalty, the heavens can witness, and the sun and moon can testify. How did it turn into the sin of deceiving the emperor when it reached the governor’s lips? Zhong Langjiang is a good minister of the state, a pillar of the nation. Governor Wu Ma, without evidence, you shouldn’t slander people with mere words!”
An Huan also wanted to say a few words in support, but upon glancing at Liu Zhi, he held back.
After all, his own father wasn’t anxious; why should he, an outsider, rush?
Wu Ma Shang sneered, “Evidence? Of course there is! Just let this person strip off all his clothes and expose his body here on the dais.”
Everyone was perplexed, while Liu Zhi and Jiang Pengji remained unshaken.
Huang Song frowned, “This is a court meeting; being improperly dressed is a grave disrespect. How can one expose their body? Governor, did you drink too much yesterday and are still intoxicated? Spouting nonsense as if you think you’re dreaming right now…”
