RPAGF Chapter 134: Marquisship
Chapter 134: Marquisship
Shen Lian chatted with Empress Dowager Cixi casually.
The officials below saw him standing on the carriage, looking incredibly glamorous, but who knew how Shen Lian felt? Being stared at by a sixty or seventy-year-old witch made Shen Lian feel extremely uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the carriage was moving quite fast, and soon they arrived in front of the Forbidden City.
"Minister Shen, you've worked hard. Go home and rest now! Remember to attend the grand court assembly tomorrow." The carriage stopped in front of the Meridian Gate, and Empress Dowager Cixi gave the order.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Lian hurriedly got out of the carriage. Only then did he realize that his vest was completely soaked.
The details of what happened after Shen Lian returned are not elaborated here.
At four o'clock the next morning, with the help of a maid temporarily borrowed from the Nie family, Shen Lian put on his second-rank official robes. To show his importance, Shen Lian also wore a fake braid.
Tan Ya was waiting at the gate in a carriage. He had been promoted to lieutenant colonel by Shen Lian because of his merits, and Shen Lian had also recommended him for the position of guerrilla commander in the merit report.
Shen Lian nodded and sat in the carriage. The carriage slowly moved forward, with two hundred soldiers from the guard company standing guard on both sides, vigilantly watching every blade of grass and tree along the road.
Soon the carriage arrived outside Donghua Gate. Shen Lian stepped down, and a number of officials had already gathered outside. Upon seeing Shen Lian, they all came over to greet him.
"Zhiyuan, come to my side!" Yikuang called out with a smile. Now, because of signing the ceasefire agreement in the capital, his reputation had soared, and he was already the most important official in the court.
He himself understood where the credit came from, and he became even more affectionate towards Shen Lian.
Today was the first grand court assembly since the Emperor's return to the capital. Representatives from Western countries were also invited to observe the ceremony, and they all nodded in greeting upon seeing Shen Lian. Shen Lian also noticed several foreigners dressed in different official robes.
"They are envoys from our tributary states, and they are here today to observe the ceremony," Yi Kuang said, nodding as he saw Shen Lian looking at the foreigners.
"These few and far between dare to call themselves vassal states?" Shen Lian couldn't help but shake his head. If he wasn't mistaken, those should be envoys from Korea, Vietnam, and Ryukyu.
Ryukyu was annexed by Japan twenty years ago, and although the Qing government did not recognize it, it was of little use. Vietnam is now also a French colony and can no longer be considered a tributary state.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty was forced to recognize Korea's independence. Had history remained unchanged, Korea would have been annexed by Japan a few years later.
The Qing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, yet it still dreamed of being the Celestial Empire.
Soon, an imperial censor came out to organize the ranks, and the officials lined up according to their rank and walked silently inside.
Upon arriving at the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, officials of the third rank and above could enter the hall to take their places, while officials of lower ranks could only stand outside the hall.
Fortunately, he was only a second-rank official, otherwise he would have been stuck outside in the wind. Shen Lian sighed inwardly.
After standing in the main hall for a while, Shen Lian heard three loud cracking sounds outside. This must be the execution of the whip. The officials quickly straightened their clothes and stood quietly and solemnly.
Soon Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu entered. Cixi sat on the imperial throne in the center, while Emperor Guangxu could only sit on a small stool to the side.
The master of ceremonies shouted "Hail!" and the officials hurriedly knelt down, kowtowed, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" After they stood up, the master of ceremonies shouted "Hail!" again. Everyone knelt down again, kowtowed, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" once more.
This action was repeated three times, which is what is known as "shouting 'Long live the Emperor!'" Although Shen Lian was unhappy, he could only kneel and shout along.
Next came the congratulatory messages from the foreign envoys, thankfully not all of them were read aloud. It's likely that Empress Dowager Cixi knew the messages from the other countries wouldn't be very pleasant either.
They only chose one congratulatory message from a Korean envoy to read aloud. And this Korean envoy was quite something! He praised both Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu to the skies in the message, making them both beam with smug smiles.
Next came the congratulatory messages from the governors and viceroys of various regions, which were not read aloud, perhaps due to time constraints.
Now comes the moment Shen Lian is most concerned about.
"Zhili Governor-General Nie Gongting, hereby appointed!"
Nie Gongting hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down: "Long live the Emperor!"
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Nie Gongting, the Governor-General of Zhili, for his outstanding military achievements and unwavering loyalty... is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Jingyuan, a hereditary title. So be it!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Nie Gongting excitedly kowtowed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" He had finally achieved the highest honor for a military officer: being appointed a general and granted a marquisate.
"Governor of Zhili, Shen Lian, hereby receive your decree!" Li Lianying produced another imperial edict.
Shen Lian had no choice but to kneel down in the middle.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Shen Lian, Governor of Zhili, is of noble character and outstanding achievements... He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Zhenyuan, hereditary and perpetual. He is also awarded the double-eyed peacock feather. This is the imperial decree!"
"Long live the Emperor!" Shen Lian kowtowed and accepted the imperial edict. Although he had become a first-rank marquis with a hereditary title, he felt little excitement.
At the same time, Shen Hu's father was also granted a title, becoming a First-Rank Jianwei General. His wife, Nie Xiaoqian, was granted the title of First-Rank Lady, and his concubine, Xiao Yue'er, was granted the title of Third-Rank Shuren.
His child hasn't been born yet, otherwise he would also receive a blessing.
Fortunately, this time I didn't have to buy the clothes myself; the imperial court bestowed upon me a court robe with nine python patterns embroidered on the rank badge and an imperial seal.
"My two beloved ministers have rendered outstanding service and are respected throughout the land. I hope you will continue your efforts and make new contributions to the court," Empress Dowager Cixi said.
"Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness!" Shen Lian and his father-in-law knelt down again to express their gratitude.
This concludes today's grand court assembly. Throughout the entire assembly, Emperor Guangxu remained silent, sitting to one side like a puppet on strings.
After the officials knelt to see Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu off, they all left the Hall of Supreme Harmony in turn.
"Gongting, Zhiyuan! Congratulations! You two, father-in-law and son-in-law, have both been granted the title of First-Rank Marquis. It's truly enviable! Hehe!" Yikuang walked over and said with a smile, pulling the two of them aside.
"I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's guidance!" Nie Gongting quickly bowed. Shen Lian also bowed in return.
"Very good! I know you two, father-in-law and son-in-law, you have always been loyal to the court. You have made such great contributions, so it is only right that you be granted titles. Keep up the good work! The court is counting on you, especially Zhiyuan!"
"We will heed Your Highness's teachings!" The two bowed again.
"Haha, good!" Yi Kuang patted Shen Lian on the shoulder, turned around and strode away.
"Father-in-law, let's go!" After leaving the palace gates, Shen Lian thanked the officials who came to offer their blessings and said.
"Alright! Let's go back to the manor! Your mother-in-law has prepared a delicious meal today, let's have a good drink together!" Nie Gongting strode happily toward the carriage.
The fact that both father-in-law and son-in-law were granted the title of marquis was an honor unique to the imperial court, and he was extremely proud of it.
Shen Lian also got into the carriage and followed. The governor's mansion was sure to be incredibly lively tonight!