Chương 498: Conferment Completed

The atmosphere inside the hall was both solemn and enthusiastic. Each time a name was called, the person would step forward and respectfully accept the document and the golden seal.

Shen Wansan knelt in the queue, his hands trembling more violently than anyone else's. He wasn't nervous; he was excited.

He never dreamed he could be granted the title of Duke in his entire life.

As a merchant, he wouldn't even be qualified to be an official in the previous dynasty.

Now, standing in the palace, dressed in court robes, kneeling before the emperor, waiting to receive the golden seal.

He secretly pinched his thigh, wincing in pain; it wasn't a dream.

Lu Bing knelt beside him, his expression calm, but his heart was pounding.

The Duke of Haiyan County was granted a fief of 6, 000 households, with an actual fief of 1, 000 households.

The salaries of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were already quite high, and with this additional official title, their entire family would be set for life.

When Lu Bing took the gold seal, his hand was very steady, just like when he was handling cases.

"Fifteen county magistrates expressed their gratitude!"

The crowd bowed again and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness!"

...

Finally, Liu Yu read the imperial edicts in batches for the ranks of county marquis, earl, viscount, baron, and marquis within the pass, and bestowed upon them either a silver seal and blue ribbon or a bronze seal and black ribbon.

This group has the largest number of people and the most complex situation.

There were veteran generals who followed Liu Ce in conquering the world, those who joined later, civil officials who governed the country and brought peace, skilled technical talents who were proficient in all kinds of crafts, and divine doctors who practiced medicine to save lives.

Although Li Jing, Li Ji, Su Dingfang, Yue Fei, and Qi Jiguang arrived late, their contributions were no less significant.

Li Jing assisted Liu Ce in quelling Dong Zhuo, Li Ji pacified Guanzhong and Liangzhou, Su Dingfang assisted Liu Ce in quelling Dong Zhuo, Yue Fei recovered Jiaozhou, Qi Jiguang recovered Yizhou... Although their titles were only county marquises, their actual fiefs were not low, and their treatment was not bad.

Gao Shun, Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Luo Cheng, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, Gao Lan, Xu Huang, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang—these military generals each had made significant contributions in battle, and their titles of county marquis were well-deserved.

Gao Shun's elite vanguard and Qu Yi's elite suicide squad were Liu Ce's trump cards, having fought countless hard battles.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou were famous generals from Hebei who made great contributions after following Liu Ce.

Luo Cheng, with his silver spear and white horse, roamed the battlefield, invincible.

Taishi Ci was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, while Gan Ning, a former pirate, became the most valiant naval commander...

Although Cai Yong, Zhen Yi, Zhao Peng, Wang Xiu, Zhou Yi, and others did not go to the battlefield, their contributions to governing the country and educating the people were no less than those of others.

Cai Yong organized classical texts, compiled national history, and taught and nurtured countless talents for the Han Dynasty.

Zhen Yi, the patriarch of the Zhen family, governed Ji Province with great efficiency; Zhao Peng, Wang Xiu, and Zhou Yi were all veteran officials of Zhuojun, who followed Liu Ce from scratch, step by step, to where they are today...

The two legendary physicians, Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo, saved countless lives, and they truly deserved to be enfeoffed as county marquises.

Without them, countless wounded soldiers would have died in the barracks.

Song Yingxing and Jia Sixie, one focused on industrial and military production, the other on agriculture and water conservancy; one was involved in the nation's vital infrastructure, the other in the foundation of the people's livelihood...

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao had followed Liu Ce since the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Although their reputations were not as great as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they had made considerable contributions.

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao were honest and hardworking, always willing to do anything without complaint, and were among the most trusted elders of Liu Ce...

Tian Chou and Tian Yu, one a renowned scholar from Youzhou and the other a capable general from the border regions, both made great contributions to the Han Dynasty...

Some only had a symbolic fief of one hundred households, and the actual fiefs were even fewer, but being able to stand in this Deyang Hall and receive the emperor's investiture was already the highest honor.

There was an old soldier who had followed Liu Ce in Zhuo County. After his unit was broken up, he became a junior officer. He followed Liu Ce all the way to Luoyang, covered in wounds and even lost hearing in one ear.

Today, when I was granted the title of Marquis within the Pass and received the bronze seal, my hands trembled, tears streamed down my face, and I kept muttering:

"It was worth it! It was worth it in this life! Back when I was fighting the Yellow Turbans with His Majesty, I said that following His Majesty would definitely lead to a bright future! See, I didn't lie to you!"

The people around him were moved by him, and several veterans also wiped away tears.

The person next to him patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Brother, don't cry, this is a happy occasion!"

The veteran wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously, "I know, I know! I'm just happy! Happy!"

...

As the last Marquis of Guannei rose to express his gratitude, the "Music of Peace" began to play leisurely.

All the meritorious officials who had been awarded titles had taken their places, and the hall was filled with solemnity.

The lingering sound of the chime bells and stone chimes echoed in the hall, lingering for a long time.

The Grand Herald stepped forward, faced north, and bowed twice: "Your Majesty, the investiture ceremony for the founding heroes is complete!"

Liu Ce slowly rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.

From the few brothers who started their rebellion in Zhuo County to the civil and military officials who now fill the court, eight years of fighting, countless life-and-death separations, and countless bloody battles have finally brought us to today's peaceful and prosperous era.

He took a deep breath, his voice echoing throughout the entire Deyang Palace:

"All of you, rise."

Everyone stood up and looked at the emperor on the throne.

"Eight years ago, I was with Yun Chang, Yi De, Zi Long, and E Lai in Zhuo County... At that time, I never imagined that one day I could stand here, unify the world, and enable the people of the world to live in peace."

Liu Ce's voice was tinged with emotion, and his eyes were slightly red.

He wasn't a sentimental person, but on this day, eight years of fighting were vividly before his eyes, and the brothers who fell on the road, those who would never come back, all appeared before him.

"Today, I have bestowed titles and fiefs upon you. But this is not my achievement alone; it is the achievement of all of you, the achievement of the millions of soldiers who died on the battlefield, and the achievement of all the people under heaven."

"I assure you that as long as you remain loyal to the Han Dynasty and to the people, I will never mistreat you. Your descendants will also enjoy wealth and honor because of your contributions."

At this point, his voice suddenly turned stern: "But I must also remind you, anyone who dares to embezzle, abuse their power, oppress the people, or betray the Han Dynasty, no matter how great their merits, I will not let them off lightly! Those who deserve to be killed will be killed, those who deserve to be arrested will be arrested, and those whose homes should be confiscated will have their homes confiscated—there will be no leniency!"

Everyone in the hall felt a chill and lowered their heads.

Liu Ce's tone softened again:

"From this day forward, we, ruler and subjects, shall be of one mind and work diligently to govern the country. Let the banner of the Han Dynasty fly over every corner of the land! Let all the people of the world have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, live in peace and prosperity, and enjoy lasting peace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the music of peace and tranquility began to play again.

All the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down in unison and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Great Han!"

Cheers rose and fell, echoing throughout the imperial palace, the entire city of Luoyang, and the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty.

Hearing the cheers from the palace, the people outside the city joined in, their cheers rising in waves and lasting for a long time.

...