"Emperor has said so, and Lu Xun no longer has any reason to refuse."
He got up from his seat, straightened his robes, and then leisurely walked to the center of the hall, seriously bowing: "Subject appreciates the emperor's marriage! Subject will do his utmost loyalty and devotion to the emperor and Great Wei!"
"Although it is the will of parents and the words of matchmakers, but with my, as the father and emperor, explicitly choosing your marriage partner in front of you, I believe it is already sufficient."
"Although Cao Rui is only 25 years old, as a king, his composed demeanor makes it seem natural for him to say 'son of the king' when he does."
Cao Rui rose to his feet and helped Lu Xun up, smiling and saying, "Now that I have said it, you and the emperor are also relatives. Since you are relatives, I will also give you whatever you had in Jiangdong."
"Send for someone!" Cao Rui called out loud.
Jiang Wei entered, bowing one hand: "What orders does the emperor have?"
"Bring Liushi to me!" Cao Rui said with determination.
Jiang Wei took the order and left.
Before Cao Rui and Lu Xun could chat for long, Liu Fang quickly entered the hall from outside. He was clearly stunned when he saw Lu Xun, but he still collected his thoughts and bowed: "What does the emperor want me to do?"
"Draft an edict," Cao Rui said casually. "Commander Lu Xun, as the Protector of the Qiang, has been loyal to the country and dedicated to the king's affairs. He is to be promoted from Protector of the Qiang to Commander of the Qiang, and is to be enfeoffed as Marquis Wu with a fief of one thousand households!"
"Marquis Wu! Marquis Wu!"
At the emperor's words, both Liu Fang was stunned and Lu Xun looked disbelieving.
Liu Fang looked at the emperor, then turned to look at Lu Xun, swallowed, and asked, "May I inquire, Your Majesty, where is the fief of Marquis Wu?"
"Wu County, Wu County, Wu Prefecture in Yangzhou," Cao Rui said in a low voice.
Liu Fang, shocked but not forgetting to respond, said: "I understand. I will write the edict right away."
Since last year, when Sun Zi was sent to be the Inspector of Yanzhou, the Office of the Chancellery no longer had any powers to participate in political matters. In the great Wei palace, all matters were given priority to by the Western and Eastern cabinets and the officials-cum-chancellors.
Who would willingly share power with others? With the supervision of four cabinet ministers and four officials-cum-chancellors, Liu Fang truly did not intervene in state affairs again.
For such astonishing events as what just happened, he could only express his feelings by means of confirming the imperial decree.
Lu Xun's voice was almost trembling.
Isn't it just a matter of following the emperor's command and editing some Qiang ethnic auxiliary troops? How can one get promoted to a higher rank, get married to a princess, and be enfeoffed as Marquis Wu?"
Lu Xun wouldn't be so naive to think that the emperor is unaware of the allusion to Marquis Wu.
But Lu Xun's years of serving the Eastern Wu as an official had made him bite his teeth and ask, "Your Majesty, the title of Marquis Wu seems to be..."
"What is it?" Cao Rui raised his eyebrow and looked at Lu Xun with a mixture of questioning and disdain.
Lu Xun was greatly frightened in his heart and quickly changed his words: "It is an honor too great! Your Majesty, considering that I am from Wu County, you have bestowed the title of Marquis on me. I am truly unable to return the favor!"
Finally, he didn't say the word 'inappropriate'.
Cao Rui smiled indifferently, "If there is truly nothing to repay, then you can repay it gradually."
"Go back and tidy up your military affairs. The emperor is tired. Come to see me again before the army leaves."
Lu Xun, with a complicated heart, bowed and then slowly withdrew.
It was not until he reached the courtyard, watching the afternoon sun shine through the branches of the trees in the courtyard and cast patchy shadows on his face, that the sense of unreality gradually lessened.
Thunder, rain, and dew are all the emperor's grace.
But the "raindew" from the emperor today was indeed too much! It was so excessive that Lu Xun himself felt panic!
During his time in the Eastern Wu, Lu Xun was a Grand General, Commander of the State's Aid, and Governor of Jingzhou, with the title of Marquis of Jiangling. His status was most prestigious; he was almost the first person under Sun Quan in the entire Eastern Wu.
But on the Great Wei side, he was just a Protector of the Qiang with a salary of two thousand stone.
Lu Xun had already accepted such a difference, but the emperor's consecutive gifts and honors today still surprised Lu Xun greatly.
But to be honest, who doesn't want to be rewarded and who doesn't want to be favored and used?
Lu Xun had been in the Wei court for nearly a year, and he had never felt this relaxed in his heart before today.
His family in Wu-chang was safe and sound. He received honors and promotions in Liangzhou. And even more importantly, he would be marrying Princess Dongxiang, an honor indeed!
Everyone has seven emotions and six desires. No matter how high one's rank is or how wise one's mind is, it is hard to escape the nature of human beings. Since I have accepted it, let's be composed about it.
For a moment, Lu Xun even wondered if the Eastern Princess Cao Ying, as claimed by the emperor, was indeed as beautiful as he was described.
After Lu Xun left, Liu Fang also wrote the imperial edict in a flourish in the hall. He walked forward with the document in his hands to present it to the emperor for sealing.
Seeing Liu Fang hesitate to speak, Cao Rui finally laughed and said, "Are you, Liu Zhongshu, also contemplating the title of Marquis Wu that I have given to Lu Xun?"
Since the emperor had asked directly, Liu Fang naturally knew how to respond: "As I remember correctly, the Emperor Wu issued an edict changing Sun Ce's title from Wu County to Marquis of Wu. Sun Ce held the position for a total of three years."
"Sun Quan was enfeoffed as Marquis of Nanchang after capturing and killing Guan Yu in the 24th year of the Jian'an era. Then, the former emperor enfeoffed him as the King of Wu."
"However, in the past twenty years, although Sun Quan had no title, his officials in the Eastern Wu referred to him as 'Knight Wu' as a sign of respect. Lu Xun certainly knew this custom."
"I did it on purpose," Cao Rui said indifferently.
"After Sun Quan's defeat in Huaiyuan last year, he repeatedly showed deference to me, offering lavish gifts and humble words. It was merely a repetition of the old affair during the reign of the former emperor, hiding malevolent intentions."
"Since Sun Quan wants to retreat, then I will move forward again. Repeatedly doing so until he has no choice left but to surrender or rebel completely!"
Liu Fang merely bowed and said: "The emperor is wise. When dealing with such indecisive people, there can be no mercy."
Cao Rui said, "I have tested Lu Xun for a year, and I am satisfied with what he has done in Liangzhou. But as a submitted minister, I cannot risk giving the central or foreign armies of the Great Wei into his hands. Letting him temporarily lead the Qiang soldiers is already an act of grace."
"I will tell Lu Xun directly that he has no choice but to serve the Great Wei. Now both Wu and Shu are his sworn enemies, so he should just focus on doing his job in Qinzhou!"
Liu Fang bowed and said: "If things are handled this way, future battles with the Eastern Wu may prompt their generals to consider the Great Wei as a fallback option."
Cao Rui lightly nodded: "Is it not said in the court that I am generous with everything? Then I will continue to be generous, until the Eastern Wu and Shu are pacified!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Liu Fang bowed deeply.
…
The fastest speed in this era is no more than that of the four legs of a scout horse.
Just like when last year's Wei-Wu war was fought, Zhuge Liang in Chengdu was constantly waiting for the latest news from the battlefield. Sun Quan in Wuhan was also doing the same.
Zhuge Liang dispatched Jiang Wan to the Eastern Wu on December 1st of the eleventh month of Han, a month after he sent troops to the battlefield. This message informed Sun Quan, who was far away in Wuhan.
After the Great Wei defeated the Shu army at Lueyang, it was not until after the New Year that they sent someone from Shangguan to inform Sun Quan of their victory at Lueyang.
In this way, Sun Quan in Wuhan became very perplexed.
On the same afternoon that Lu Xun was granted the title of Marquis Wu, Sun Quan received a report from the Great Wei at his mansion in Wu in Changling. He also learned that his eldest daughter, Sun Luban, was pregnant.
Sun Quan naturally began to calculate in his mind again.
When Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong were all appointed to outside positions, Sun Quan could only summon his two most trusted advisors, Guan Rong and Zhang Zhao, to discuss this important matter.
"So it seems that Emperor Cao Rui of the Wei notified our sovereign about the battle before Zhuge Liang?" Guan Rong furrowed his brow and analyzed: "The Han troops have suffered another loss of more than 20,000 men. If this continues, it may be difficult to maintain control over Shu region in the long term!"
Zhang Zhao, however, was more composed: "It is true, according to geographical distance, Emperor Cao Rui of the Wei delivered the message faster than Zhuge Liang."
"From the Longyou region of the Wei, the message can be transmitted through the Wei-Han Road to Chencang, then through Wuhan to Nanyang."
"Zhuge Liang's message would have to travel southward from Longyou, following the Sichuan Road to Badong, and then follow the Yangtze River downstream to Wuhan."
Sun Quan sighed, "I truly didn't expect that the grandson of Cao Mengde could be so capable and brave in battle!"
"Emperor Cao Rui had Sima Yi write a letter to me, clearly stating the time of our invasion. I calculated that after the Wei central army received news from Longyou, they did not waste a day and immediately attacked at Longyou before winning!"
"Is this how you fight a battle?" Sun Quan looked at his two most trusted ministers: "Rushing over 1,000 li in one go, and winning the next day?!"
Sun Quan laughed with a hint of self-mockery, "If the Wei army is always like this, then how did Cao Mengde and Cao Zifan, who fought with me for more than twenty years, conduct their battles?"
"The Supreme Emperor does not need to worry," Zhang Zhao reassured him: "We still don't know how strong the other Wei armies are, aside from the central army."
"We have the Yangtze River as our natural barrier to the north. Cao Wei can't harm our Great Wu, and we have the time to recover at our own pace."
"What do you think about Zhuge Qian's proposal for me to lead the army to attack eastward in Yangzhou and coordinate with him? How do you feel about it?" Sun Quan asked: "When Jiang Wan came to Wu to lead the army, I used the excuse that it would take time as an excuse. Now it's been almost a month, and it's about time we moved out."
Zhang Zhao, as a habitual response to the instinctive physiological reaction, avoided discussing the matter of launching an army.
It was Guan Rong who spoke up, asking: "Supreme Emperor, where do you want to fight? We might not be able to muster the troops; we may have the intention but lack the strength! We suffered a huge loss of troops last year."
You don't need to tell me.
Sun Quan naturally knew that he couldn't raise an army, but still asked his Chancellor: "Can you make Guangling show a little strength? Not to fight, but just to have their ships boast on the Yangtze River."
Guan Rong was practical and quickly shook his head, "Once an army is sent out, there are risks involved. If Cao Xiu takes this as a reason to attack southward again, wouldn't that mean we would have to fight another battle with him?"
"Above all, please keep the well-being of the people in mind."
Sun Quan gently shook his head, wrestling with his thoughts for quite some time. However, when he remembered that he would soon become a grandfather, a strange feeling filled his heart.
"My eldest daughter wasn't adopted by the Emperor of the Wei and enfeoffed as a Consort, was she?" Sun Quan felt awkward to speak, but facing his two most trusted ministers, he couldn't hide it for a moment: "She is now pregnant."
"Then the problem is back on me." (Chapter ends)
