The three thousand imperial guards lined up neatly on both sides of the palace. Although they were still like pine trees, their momentum was like a flood. In front of the majestic palace gates, the three dukes led by Cao Cao slowly walked towards the main hall.
Among the three dukes, after Yang Biao was dismissed, Yuan Shao, who was far away in Jizhou, was made Grand Marshal. As for Situ Zhaowen, he was weak and humble, and he was obedient to Cao Cao. Therefore, the current political situation in Xudu was controlled by Sikong Cao Cao.
Cao Ang lowered his head and followed behind the officials. When he reached the front of the hall, he raised his head and met Xun Yu's eyes. Xun Yu smiled and nodded, his eyes full of encouragement. Cao Ang smiled back at him without leaving a trace. Then, he took off his sword and boots and walked into the hall with the others.
Inside the spacious main hall, the hall was several feet tall. Giant wooden pillars were carved with cloud dragons on them. Grindstones were used to pave the ground, and beams were suspended from the roof. It was a magnificent sight. Cao Ang could only stand in front of the palace door as he had yet to reach his official position. He couldn't help but laugh secretly in his heart."It seems that my father is quite kind to this down-and-out emperor. He built such a large palace for him.”If Cao Ang had seen the magnificent palaces of the two capitals, he would not have said so.
All the officials were wearing court clothes and hats, sitting according to their ranks. Liu Xie, who was only sixteen years old, was sitting steadily on the throne in a black crown. It was quite imposing.
After the complicated ceremony, Liu Xie gently straightened his body. His tender face slightly put on a dignified expression as he said to the officials below,"Previously, Yuan Shu rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor. I wanted to personally lead the army to attack, but I was dissuaded by the ministers. They said that Yuan Shu did not cultivate virtue and brought disaster to the world. There is no need for me to personally drive a boat to attack, so I ordered Cao Aiqing to take command of Pingnan. This time, Cao Aiqing has worked hard to pacify the rebels in the south. Now that the Yuan rebels have abandoned Shouchun and fled south, they will surely destroy themselves soon.”
After he finished speaking, Cao Cao said expressionlessly,""This is my duty." The entire hall was silent. Liu Xie pretended to say a lot, but his warm face was met with cold buttocks, and was dismissed by Cao Cao with a single sentence. For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely awkward.
Liu Xie gently swept his gaze over the officials who had their heads lowered and remained silent. His face was slightly red as he forced a smile and said,"Cao Qing has worked hard and made great contributions. I will naturally reward the meritorious ministers that you have recommended a few days ago. With the support of all the ministers, I am at ease! Please reward the meritorious officers and soldiers of each department.”
Cao Cao said calmly,"This subject obeys the decree!" Then, he closed his eyes and did not speak. Instantly, the atmosphere turned silent again. Liu Xie looked at Cao Cao who was ignoring him. The hands hidden in his sleeves could not help but squeeze hard. Then, he smiled and said,"My dear minister, a few days ago, Minister Xun reported that my son Cao Ang has made outstanding contributions in this southern expedition. Why don't you announce it and let me meet him?”
At this moment, Cao Cao, who had always been arrogant and indifferent, finally smiled for the first time. However, it was also difficult to detect. It disappeared in a flash. Cao Cao stood up and cupped his hands,"Yes." Then, he turned around and gave a look to the small yellow door beside the hall.
"Summon Cao Ang to the palace!" The sharp voice of the Little Yellow Gate echoed in the spacious hall. Cao Ang, who was standing at the side of the hall, immediately tidied his clothes and stepped into the hall. He knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to pay his respects to the emperor.
Liu Xie smiled stiffly and said softly,""Please stand up and speak." After Cao Ang stood up, Liu Xie looked at him carefully for a while, then smiled and said,"Your appearance is indeed extraordinary. I heard that you first offered advice to protect the lives of the people in Jianghuai and then planned to kill the traitor Ji Ling. Indeed, a tiger father does not have a dog son. You are indeed the son of Cao Aiqing!”
Cao Ang carefully said,""I am truly terrified to be praised by Your Majesty. The victory in the battle of Huaibei and the removal of the traitor Yuan Shu are all thanks to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise and divine. Although our dynasty is currently in a small crisis, our foundation is deep. As long as Your Majesty continues to be close to the wise and keep away from the villains, understand the secrets, and cultivate benevolent politics, the revival of our Han Dynasty is just around the corner.”
Flattery would not wear down. Although Liu Xie had experienced many hardships, he was still a sixteen-year-old youth. He had just received a cold reception from Cao Cao, and now he was suddenly blown to the sky by Cao Ang's flattery. He actually felt a little proud!
After a long while, Liu Xiexuan said," Pass on my decree. Cao Ang has made outstanding contributions in his southern expedition against the rebels. He has been conferred the title of General of the Han Dynasty. He has a golden seal and purple ribbon. His fief is two thousand catties and belongs to the Marquis of the Pavilion.”As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Ang was about to kowtow to thank Liu Xie when he heard a light cough. Cao Cao suddenly stood up and bowed to Liu Xie. He said indifferently,"Your Majesty, since ancient times, the way of the sage-kings has been to reward meritorious deeds and punish guilty ones. Meritorious service is uncertain, reward and punishment are unfair, not for a wise monarch to do, Your Majesty can inherit the Han Dynasty, naturally should be able to make a clear judgment. Now Cao Ang has made two suggestions and will kill Ji Ling. Your Majesty treats him as a pavilion marquis. I'm afraid the world will be angry. I hope Your Majesty will think about it."
Other than a few of his trusted aides, the rest of the people, including Liu Xie and Cao Ang, did not care about Cao Cao's words. Especially Liu Xie, he couldn't help but secretly curse the old thief for being shameless. He actually thought that the Ting Hou he gave his son wasn't big enough, simply raising the price.
However, Liu Xie had dealt with Cao Cao for more than two years and knew that the old thief's actions must have a deeper meaning. He immediately asked,"Since you don't want to confer the title of Marquis Ting, then how about you confer Cao Ang the title of Marquis Yi Xiang?”Cao Cao said calmly,"The army forced the Huai River and saved the people from fire and water. The credit is not something that can be repaid by the Xiang Hou."”
At this moment, Cao Ang, who was kneeling on the ground, was filled with questions. He did not know what Cao Cao was planning, but he still obediently lowered his head and did not say anything. He only wanted to see what Cao Cao would fight for for him in the end.
Liu Xie was puzzled for a moment before he said softly,"Since that's the case, let's make Cao Ang a county marquis.”Seeing that Cao Cao did not object, Liu Xie secretly let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he secretly cursed Cao Cao for being shameless. Then, he whispered,"Since you are a county marquis, then this fief shall be sealed..."
"Your Majesty!" One of the important officials stepped out. It was Xi Lu." Your Majesty, after my investigation, there are currently places that can be conferred with county marquises and fiefs. I don't think we can help. The best place to be conferred with fiefs is Champion County."”
As soon as Xi Lu finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent. Liu Xie's face turned purple, which was terrifying. Among the people in the hall, only Cao Ang was confused, while Cao Cao had an indifferent expression. It was obvious that he was the one who had planned for Champion County.
"Servant Xi, you should know where Champion County is! Why do you say that?" A deep voice resounded throughout the hall. A stalwart middle-aged man stood up and shouted. When Xi Lu saw this person, he frowned and said,""Doctor Kong, Champion County is the territory of our Great Han, what's the difference?”
The person who spoke was the great craftsman Kong Rong. When Kong Rong heard this, he said angrily,"The only person in our dynasty who had Guanjun County as a fief in the past four hundred years was the Marquis of Jinghuan! Do you know?" Cao Ang was confused. Who was the Marquis of Jinghuan?
"Kong Wenju, your words are too pedantic." Xi Lu sneered. Could it be that it was once the territory of the Marquis of Jinghuan, so it couldn't be given to others? When did our Han Dynasty have such a rule?”
Kong Rong was just about to reply when he saw the Guardian of Gold, Jia Xu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly say softly,"Huo Qubing is an outstanding talent of our Great Han Dynasty. "But times have changed, and now Champion County is a land without a city, so it's reasonable to enfeoffe others." Jia Xu paused, then looked at Kong Rong faintly and said,"Moreover, during the time of the Emperor, the Huo family had launched a coup and three clans were exterminated. So, why can't Champion County enfeoffed others?”As soon as he finished speaking, Kong Rong was instantly speechless.
Cao Ang didn't know about Champion County or the Marquis of Jinghuan. But no matter how stupid he was, he should know who Huo Qubing was, right? Thinking of this, Cao Ang suddenly broke out in cold sweat! Could it be that this Champion County was once Huo Qubing's fief during the Western Han Dynasty?
After pondering for a while, Cao Ang suddenly realized Cao Cao's intentions. Huo Qubing was a legend of the Great Han Dynasty's God of War, and he had a great influence on the Han people. The number of food cities in Champion County was not important, but how much influence would the person who inherited this God of War have on the people? How resounding would the title of Champion County Marquis be in the hearts of the Han people? Cao Ang didn't know, but he understood that this amount was definitely not low!
Moreover, the meaning of making him the Marquis of Champion County might not be as significant as this. Cao Cao was showing the people of the world that his Cao family was not Dong Zhuo or Wang Mang who usurped power. Instead, he was imitating Huo Guang and Yi Yin. He was taking over the military and political power for the sake of the Han Dynasty's revival. He had no choice! In this way, Cao Cao's reputation in the hearts of the people would no longer be that of a powerful official, but that of a meritorious minister of the Han Dynasty!
Thinking of this, Cao Ang couldn't help but look up at Cao Cao, who was the leader of the officials. This cheap father was too powerful! It was just to make him a marquis, and he could come up with so many tricks. However, if he really became the general and the Marquis Champion, he, Cao Ang, would be like Cao Cao, standing at the cusp of this chaotic world!
"Your Majesty, the title of Marquis of Champion County matches Cao Ang's achievements.”Cao Cao ignored Liu Xie's erratic gaze and reported lightly. After Cao Cao expressed his stance, almost all the officials in the hall said in unison,"Your Majesty, Cao Ang can be conferred the title of Champion County Marquis.”
Liu Xie's face turned from red to white, and then from white to red. He clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked. He glared at Cao Ang, who was kneeling on the ground, and the good impression he had of Cao Ang disappeared in an instant. "Hypocrite!" Liu Xie cursed in his heart.
Although he was young, as the emperor, Liu Xie had studied politics since he was young. He naturally knew that this did not matter to him at all, but it had a huge impact on the Cao family among the people. Champion County Marquis Liu Xie gritted his teeth! But he could not refute, nor did he have the ability to refute. Cao Cao, who had a cold and emotionless face, and Cao Ang, who had been lowering his head and not saying a word, looked at the father and son who had different personalities but were on the same side. Liu Xie suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness.
After a moment of silence, a rather unwilling and somewhat helpless voice was heard in the hall."Allow!"
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