Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife-Chapter 163: Appointment as Imperial Censor

At the break of dawn, the expedition army had already arrived outside Shengjing City.

Leading the charge was General Cao Yin, alongside him were Luo Xie and Chang E, followed by several deputy generals, commanders, and thousands of soldiers.

Behind these soldiers were carriages of captives, among them were prisoners from Xiliang, one of whom had his chin dislocated, limbs broken, was barely recognizable, and was the enemy commander, Hatu.

Behind them stretched an endless array of troops!

The city gates slowly opened; the army streamed in, and on both sides, the people cheered, yelling "Long live the Emperor!"

Two days prior, the court announced the termination of the Liang Zhou Alliance, proclaiming that from then on, Dazhou would no longer pay the annual tribute to Xiliang, and taxes would be reduced by ten percent, causing the populace to rejoice.

"Great General!"

Li Qingmu had been waiting here for quite some time; upon seeing Cao Yin enter the city, he rode up to greet him.

Cao Yin waved at him, beckoning him to come closer, which immediately drew envious glances from behind, namely from Chang Yao and Luo Xiaoxiao.

The grand army advanced, grandly entering the Imperial City, and in no time, reached the palace gate.

Emperor Qi Yun led the civil and military officials out to greet them, and on the plaza of the Imperial Palace, he convened with tens of thousands of soldiers, rewarded the three armies, and executed the Xiliang captives on the plaza, sacrificing them to heaven with the blood of the enemy general.

Subsequently, Cao Yin and several main and deputy generals entered the hall to once again pay homage to the Emperor.

Qi Yun sat high on the Dragon Throne, looking down at the ministers; his gaze fell on Cao Yin, and he rare showed a gentle smile: "Cao Aiqing, Your defense of the Xinan has not let Us down. The great victory in the Xinan this time owes a great deal to your efforts! Speak, what reward do you wish for? We will do Our utmost to satisfy you!"

Cao Yin knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, this campaign in the Xinan, I merely did what I ought to have done. The true credit belongs to this young man beside me! This lad is clever. He infiltrated the enemy’s rear and burnt their provisions; others would have simply set a fire; he actually..."

Cao Yin was there praising Li Qingmu profusely, spoke at length and suddenly realized there was no reaction from beside him. He turned his head, and was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode!

The lad was actually in a daze, completely unresponsive!

This rascal, usually so clever, why was he so dumbstruck at a critical moment? Embarrassing himself in front of the hall, it left no room for paving the way for him!

Anxiously giving him a signal with his eyes, and with a low voice transmitted, he said, "A Mu, still not paying respects to His Majesty?"

However, the other was still dazing out.

"Li Qingmu!"

Cao Yin was thoroughly vexed, and sternly reprimanded him. Nearby, a minister noticed the oddity, lightly coughed, and someone let out a soft laugh.

Li Qingmu snapped out of it, hastily knelt in salute: "This humble servant was discourteous in front of the hall, I beg the Emperor to punish!"

Qi Yun narrowed his eyes, looking at the young man below, who appeared to be no older than twenty, yet could conceive of such an extraordinary strategy. One would think he must be adept at scheming. But what’s with this foolish and silly demeanor?

Starting by admitting fault, shouldn’t he struggle a bit more? If the Emperor wasn’t in a good mood, would his head still be there?

Li Qingmu’s performance intrigued Qi Yun greatly. He sat up straight and asked with interest, "Why are you being discourteous?"

"Your Majesty, it’s my first time coming to the Capital City to meet Your Majesty, I couldn’t help but feel nervous seeing you sitting so majestically on the Dragon Throne, and that made me even more nervous, so... I was discourteous, I beg the Emperor to punish!"

"Oh, am I that majestic?"

Though everyone could hear the flattery, Qi Yun found it pleasing. Not for anything else, but just seeing the young man speak with such an earnest and silly manner, it made one find it believable!

Honest, straightforward, and a bit of a simpleton, such a minister is good, easy to control, and can even block bullets!

"Rise, I forgive you!"

Qi Yun waved his hand, his words unusually gentle, and Li Qingmu respectfully rose.

"Retreating to Mountain Gate Pass, cutting enemy supplies, setting the vast mountains on fire, were all your ideas?"

"Yes, I only wanted to end the war sooner to avoid more soldier casualties, and came up with the strategy in desperation, it may have been a bit extreme..."

"Hahaha, what’s extreme about it? It suits my inclinations well! Reward, a grand reward! That... Wasn’t there an Imperial Censor who was dismissed? You can just fill in..."

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Qi Yun’s words fell like a stone into a pond, causing ripples. An officer hastily stepped forward to stop it.

Qi Yun’s face turned dark as iron, and he coldly looked at the officer, sneering coldly: "Unacceptable? What’s unacceptable?"

"Your Majesty, the position of Imperial Censor is a Standard Sixth Rank post. He is merely a young scholar, lacking knowledge and experience, how can he undertake the role of Imperial Censor? I kindly ask the Emperor to retract his order!"

"Is he lacking experience? According to you, you have experience? Then I must ask, what merit have you provided me with, eh? Besides fighting over power in this Golden Hall every day, what merit have you achieved? Tell Me! Can’t say anything, then I shall exile you to the Xinan!"

"Your Majesty, this minister is terrified!"

The aggressive official immediately faltered at these words, as the Emperor’s temper has been increasingly fierce recently, often punishing officials, to the delight of the opposing faction.

Court conflict led to this bad outcome, with the Emperor becoming supreme.

"Hmph, useless!" Seeing the official shrink back, Qi Yun grew more disdainful, coldly said, "Since someone questions his qualifications, how about I grant him a scholar title?"

"Emp... Emperor..."

The ministers were suddenly dumbfounded.

First met with the position of an Imperial Censor, disregarded qualifications, then bestowed a scholar title... Truly capricious, this Emperor!

"Li Qingmu, I recall you were the top scorer in Ling’an City’s recent exams, weren’t you?"

"Yes!"

"Good, due to the Xiliang envoy incident, you were forced to go to Xinan, missing the autumn examinations. Therefore, I grant you a scholar title instead, and next spring, when the exams are held, if you secure the Jinshi title, you will permanently have the position of Imperial Censor, how does that sound?"

The implication is that Li Qingmu is currently an Imperial Censor, but only as a substitute, his position remains unsteady, only if he passes the Jinshi exams will he truly secure the office!

"The Emperor is wise!"

The ministers, hearing this, no longer raised any objections. It must be said, this is indeed the Emperor’s Heart Skill, wielding both favor and power!

"Your Majesty, this kid is only eighteen, asking him to pass the Jinshi exams at this young age seems too challenging..."

Cao Yin felt the Emperor’s decision was somewhat unjust and repeatedly petitioned on his behalf.

"Great General, His Majesty is not wrong. If I can’t even manage this much, how could I assist His Majesty?"

"Cao Aiqing, listen, this lad is quite sensible! Rest assured, even if he fails the Jinshi exam, I will still arrange another position for him!"

Among the ministers, some felt a twitching in their facial muscles.

"I don’t care, this boy achieved such a great feat, if the only reward from the Emperor is a Sixth Rank small official that isn’t necessarily secured, I, Cao Yin, will not be satisfied!"