Chapter 38: Distribution of the Hidden Reward
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Zhao Kuo’s eyes widened, and she instinctively dug at her ears.
Could it be that she was still dreaming? Or had she simply heard wrong?
Seeing her expression, Li Chen cheerfully offered another explanation.
“They are all living people of flesh and blood. Even if Great Zhou differs somewhat from other countries, a life is still a life!
“Even ants cling to life. If someone fled in order to survive, that would hardly be something to be ashamed of!
“If you are still worried, I can add a clause to the imperial edict pardoning you of all guilt!”
His words struck the entire court like a bolt of thunder.
The civil officials could only feel that the emperor had gone too far. How could he say something so dispiriting before the battle had even begun?
The military commanders, however, felt that this was already an insult to them.
After all, he had passed them over and appointed the guilty Zhao Kuo instead, which was shocking enough.
And now he was even allowing Zhao Kuo to flee. Looking throughout history, when had anything like this ever happened?
Han Xin gave a cold snort.
By now, she was certain that she was being deliberately targeted. Even Li Chen’s appointment of Zhao Heng had most likely been because of her.
“What is wrong with His Majesty? Even Zhao Kuo now wishes to die fighting for the country, yet His Majesty is saying such things instead?”
Bai Lian could not help herself and quietly discussed the matter with Ouyang Yu and the others.
Ouyang Yu merely shook his head. For a time, he could not think of any convincing explanation either.
Zhang Cong glanced at Zhao Kuo kneeling on the floor, then looked at Li Chen. The moment he opened his mouth, it was to criticize him.
“His Majesty truly is—leaving so many famous generals unused, yet choosing such a worthless fellow instead. I fear Great Zhou will suffer a defeat this time!
“Everyone, I think we should jointly urge His Majesty to withdraw his decree and appoint the Grand General instead.”
Zhao Kuo clenched both fists. She was so agitated that even her lips had turned pale.
She did not understand. If the emperor trusted her enough to withstand all opposition and entrust her with such an important position, why was he now saying things like this?
But very soon, she thought of what seemed to be the most reasonable explanation.
The emperor was testing her!
At once, she turned toward Li Chen and forcefully struck her forehead against the ground.
“Your Majesty, I dare swear that if I cannot defeat the Wa, then Your Majesty may confiscate my property and exterminate my entire clan!
“I would never cling shamelessly to life, nor would I ever dare betray Your Majesty or Great Zhou!
“If this battle cannot be won, I will absolutely be the first to die on the frontier!”
Hearing this, Li Chen felt utterly speechless.
Why was this fellow so concerned with saving face?
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I had already given you an easy way out. Forget accepting it—did you really have to tear it down yourself?
Others might not know their own capabilities, but surely you knew yours?
From now on, I might as well call you Big Cannon. You really are the undisputed king of empty talk!
But Li Chen also understood that such thoughts were best kept to himself. Saying them aloud in public would hardly be appropriate.
His brief moment of astonishment, however, only deepened everyone’s suspicions.
Zhao Kuo in particular now felt even more uneasy.
“All right. A ruler’s word is sacred. I have already said that even if you flee, I will not blame you.”
Li Chen found the matter tiresome, so he simply reaffirmed his promise. Then, ignoring everyone else, he reminded Ouyang Yu:
“The chancellor has worked hard as well, but when all is said and done, border defense is a military matter.
“I do not doubt the people I employ. Therefore, all military arrangements and deployments this time may be left entirely to Zhao Kuo.”
His words caused everyone’s hearts to sink once more.
Some people present knew Zhao Kuo, while others did not. But after the disturbance just now, everyone had learned more or less about Zhao Kuo’s past.
To place someone tainted by embezzlement, disloyalty, and every other kind of corruption in command of the imperial army—
It was practically the creation of a destabilizing force within Great Zhou.
The greater problem was this: what exactly had Li Chen just said?
He had granted Zhao Kuo the privilege of fleeing in the middle of battle, and now he intended to hand over military deployment and all related authority to her as well.
Zhang Cong’s expression became strange. After hesitating for a long while, he once again prepared to step forward.
Before he could act, however, Bai Lian reached out and held him back.
“Minister Bai, what do you mean by this?”
Zhang Cong looked displeased, clearly believing that Bai Lian was currying favor with the emperor.
Bai Lian was just about to explain when Ge Siwang spoke first in a low voice.
“Could it be that you still do not understand? This is precisely the emperor’s true foresight!”
His words left Zhang Cong even more puzzled. Fortunately, Ge Siwang had no intention of keeping him in suspense.
“Think about it. Just now, the Grand General wanted to threaten His Majesty by offering his resignation. Is that something any emperor could tolerate?
“And why, at this particular moment, did His Majesty order the chancellor to relinquish military authority to Zhao Kuo?
“Do you really think it is merely because His Majesty trusts Zhao Kuo?”
Zhang Cong grew increasingly confused and asked instinctively, “Could it not be that His Majesty has been misled and believes that someone like Zhao Kuo can be of use?”
Ge Siwang sneered.
“Think about it. If that were the case, why would His Majesty need to say what came afterward? It is clearly His Majesty’s hint—and his method!
“To put it plainly, His Majesty wants to tell the world that if he wishes to grant you authority, you can have it.
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“Conversely, no matter what you possessed before, you can be reduced to utter poverty in the blink of an eye!
“And even someone like Zhao Kuo can be subdued by His Majesty. What happened just now proves that beyond doubt!
“If you step forward now, you will be opposing His Majesty. You may even be treated as one of the Grand General’s followers.
“Your own downfall would be a small matter. But what if His Majesty consequently began to distrust everyone? What would become of the court after that?”
After hearing Ge Siwang’s words, everyone was secretly shaken once more.
Although Ouyang Yu felt that there were some flaws in Ge Siwang’s reasoning, he did not say anything more at that moment.
After all, the matter was already settled.
Besides, the emperor had made no mistakes during this period.
On the other side, the Prince of Dai, who had remained silent throughout, now flashed a cold smile.
In his view, Li Chen had taken this action for the sake of his prestige, regardless of the country’s interests.
An emperor like that, even if he possessed some talent and ambition, would ultimately find it difficult to accomplish anything. Once all those troubles erupted, he would be a spent force.
After thinking for a moment, Cai Jing also realized that it was time for him to act.
Thus, while everyone remained silent, he hurriedly stepped forward.
“Your Majesty has shown General Zhao such extraordinary favor. General Zhao must not fail to live up to His Majesty’s expectations.”
“Your Majesty, I believe today’s events should be recorded separately by the court historians and circulated among the people, so that they may become a celebrated tale!”
Li Chen’s heart stirred when he heard this. He felt that the proposal could indeed further damage the fortunes of the nation.
After all, the last time he had gone out, people had nearly begun calling him an immortal.
If today’s events were spread, his reputation would certainly be affected, perhaps even directly harming the nation’s fortunes.
“Very well. Your suggestion is sound, my esteemed minister. I will entrust this matter to you.”
Cai Jing was overjoyed.
He secretly thought that once the news spread, Zhao Kuo would surely lose. At that point, Li Chen would have no choice but to abdicate in disgrace.
When that happened, he would have rendered the Prince of Dai a tremendous service.
Li Chen naturally had no idea what he was thinking. At that moment, however, another matter came to mind.
Just as he was about to take advantage of the opportunity to speak of it, the familiar system prompt rang out once more in his mind.
Holy crap!
Does it have to be this incredible?
Congratulations, Host. A hidden reward has been issued!
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the skill: Master Craftsman. You can use stone, wood, and iron to create any object you desire!
Current Master Craftsman level: Level 1!
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