I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty - Chapter 58



Chapter 58: The Welcome

At the gates of Tai’an City, amidst the cheers and applause of the people, the soldiers and their general celebrated their victory.

Of course, not all fifty thousand soldiers returned. To ensure that defense work in various regions continued as usual, Qin Ji formed this temporary unit by drawing a portion from the twelve armies stationed across the country. In reality, only General Bai and the few thousand soldiers already stationed in Tai’an City returned.

General Bai rode his distinctive black horse, his armor appearing even more imposing under the sunlight.

People cheered along the roadside. For the people of Daxia, the strength of Daxia was something worth cheering for, especially General Bai.

To be honest, General Bai’s face was truly frightening, but that did not hinder his popularity. On the contrary, to many, it became a symbol of this hero—children often played with mud, imitating the scar on General Bai’s face.

Although most children would still be scared to tears when they saw him in person…

General Bai rode all the way, dismounted, and bowed to Xia Yuxiao, who was on horseback in front of him:

“Your Majesty, I have concluded the northern campaign and returned to report.”

“Your dedication to Daxia is truly a blessing for our nation.” Xia Yuxiao smiled at the general before him. “Look, the people of Tai’an City have all come out today. This is Daxia’s recognition of you.”

“Your Majesty flatters me.”

After speaking, General Bai looked at Qin Ji beside him.

“General Bai has made great contributions this time,” Qin Ji said as he dismounted. “Look, today His Majesty did not use any sedan or carriage but came on horseback. According to His Majesty, this is called… oh right, this is called the Ceremony of the Military Camp.”

The so-called Ceremony of the Military Camp is essentially a military etiquette. Daxia was built through hard battles, with many ancestors who did not ride in carriages but commanded battles on horseback.

For a general, the emperor of Daxia greeting him on horseback was a very grand ceremony—provided the person being greeted was a soldier.

“I am merely executing His Majesty’s decisions and following the orders of the Grand Marshal. The credit for this achievement does not belong to me alone but is shared by His Majesty, the Grand Marshal, and all the generals who planned with me.”

General Bai said respectfully.

“Your Majesty, look, General Bai is being modest again.”

Qin Ji said to Xia Yuxiao with a smile.

“Sometimes, there’s no need to be too modest,” Xia Yuxiao looked at the soldiers behind him. “I appreciate the efforts of all the soldiers who fought for Daxia. I intended to reward you all greatly, but the rewards will come later. For now, I invite you all to the palace for a good meal to cleanse the dust of battle.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Thus, the troops and the royal entourage headed to the palace together. However, as Qin Ji rode along the road, General Bai suddenly rode up to him:

“Lord Qin.”

“What’s the matter?” Qin Ji asked, puzzled by General Bai’s mysterious demeanor.

“After I captured Hanyin City, there was some damage, and much of the grain was burned by the Sa’er people. There were also civilian casualties. The people need relief, the grain needs replenishing, and the city’s facilities need restoration… This money is urgently needed, and the tribute and compensation from Sa’er won’t arrive immediately. Does the treasury still have money?”

“If there’s no money, what will General Bai do?”

Qin Ji asked with a smile.

“This…” General Bai was silent for a moment, then said, “If there’s no money, I could start by persuading officials to donate some money, at least to address the immediate needs…”

“Don’t, General Bai,” Qin Ji quickly waved his hand. “If Daxia needs donations to restore a city, it wouldn’t sound good if word got out. Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

“What plan?”

“I can collect a little from certain officials.” Qin Ji whispered. “Remember the canal that’s being built now?”

“I remember, isn’t that a huge expenditure…”

“The officials related to the canal have eaten too much. My original suggestion to His Majesty was to let them privately take about ten percent. The canal is a big project, and ten percent should be enough to fill them up.”

“As a result, the officials in charge have now swallowed more than twenty percent, close to thirty percent, and they still won’t stop. I let them take a little so they could focus on the canal, but their appetites have grown too large.”

“In that case, why don’t we all stop eating, and even spit out the money we’ve taken over the years? I ordered an investigation into the few who ate the most yesterday and wrote an impeachment memorial. If nothing unexpected happens, the money from these families should be enough for emergency use. After scaring the others like this, they should know when to stop.”

Qin Ji sighed deeply at this point: “Ah, so people can be insatiable sometimes.”

General Bai was speechless.

Goodness, is this considered fishing?

But since his superior said so, he didn’t have to worry about the money. After all, he didn’t want to see another easy breach in Hanyin City.

The celebration banquet was very lively. This was an old tradition of Daxia, but what they ate depended on the era. During the late emperor’s time, the celebration banquets were mainly roasted meat and stews.

Now, the dishes in Daxia are more abundant, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat all available, and most of it is meat. After all, the soldiers are mostly strong young men, and meat is their favorite.

These soldiers could indeed eat and drink a lot. Facing jars of wine, they drank heartily. Fortunately, Xia Yuxiao didn’t impulsively bestow the imperial wine to them, otherwise, they would have drunk the entire stock.

Qin Ji hadn’t drunk much before he felt a bit overwhelmed. Compared to the era he lived in, the alcohol content of Daxia’s wine was much lower, and Daxia didn’t pursue high alcohol content; they pursued the aroma of the wine.

The aroma was the most important, and the taste of the wine was just like a seasoning. Therefore, even someone like Qin Ji, who rarely drank, could easily drink several large bowls.

But he couldn’t resist the soldiers’ persuasion to drink, so he drank more. In the end, General Bai had to step in to “rescue” Qin Ji.

Afterwards, facing the drunk Qin Ji, General Bai had no choice but to notify Ling Yan. Finally, Ling Yan came and took him away, bringing the night to an end.

The next morning, when Qin Ji woke up, he found himself lying in his bedroom.

Ling Yan was by his side.

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At the same time, Xia Yuxiao was sitting nearby.

“!? ?”

Qin Ji’s originally muddled mind was immediately stimulated by this scene, and he sat up quickly, looking at Xia Yuxiao:

“Your Majesty, why are you here?”

“You were drunk for a whole day and missed the award ceremony. I asked and found out you hadn’t woken up yet, so I came to see you after the ceremony.”

Xia Yuxiao looked at the person in front of him.

Finally, he found a flaw in this guy: poor alcohol tolerance, a little more and he would pass out.

But honestly, this flaw wasn’t very useful. Most people speak the truth when drunk, but he, if he drinks a little, he doesn’t get drunk, and if he drinks a lot, he passes out without even talking in his sleep. What’s the use of getting him drunk?

His drinking manners were too good, how could he get any information out of him in the future?

PS: A new group has been created! It’s called “The Strange Inn of the Big Raccoon,” group number 392655868. If you’re interested, you can join!

By the way, my updates may indeed be few in the next few days.

On one hand, this book is about to be published, and I need to prepare a lot of drafts in advance.

On the other hand, I’m taking exams these days… I write during my breaks, and I hope to create a satisfying work, so I need to carefully consider many aspects of the plot, which means the updates won’t be frequent.

Please forgive me, after the exam, the updates will be more frequent, at least two updates per day can be guaranteed~