Chương 740: His Name Will Be Remembered in History, His Portrait Will Be Placed in the Imperial Arc

The imperial decree was delivered so urgently that it didn't even reveal "what it is."

This completely baffled the entire court.

The military officers reacted most directly, donning their armor and gleaming their swords, ready to go into battle at any moment.

Zhang Fei sat in the carriage, munching on a steamed bun while mumbling something indistinctly to Cheng Yaojin beside him:

"Old Cheng, why is His Majesty calling us so urgently? Is there some trouble in the west again? No way, we've already defeated Rome, who else would be so foolish?"

Cheng Yaojin, with a steamed bun filled with braised pork dangling from his mouth, waved his hand dismissively.

"No way! If we're going to war, how can we not prepare supplies in advance? In my opinion, they might be raising salaries! Think about it, the western expedition was a great victory, the national treasury is full, and His Majesty will be considerate of us old brothers and give us a raise to improve our lives."

"Come on, all you care about is money." Zhang Fei rolled his eyes.

"I think we need to do another five-year plan! The fourth and fifth five-year plans are coming to an end, and the fifth five-year plan should be launched. They want us to come over and discuss where to build roads and where to relocate people."

The two of them chatted back and forth, guessing the answer with great enthusiasm.

Guan Yu, inside the carriage in front, listened to the two clowns behind him making a racket. He closed his eyes slightly, tapped his knees lightly with his fingers, and pondered in his heart.

With the western expedition just concluded and peace restored in all directions, domestically the Fourth and Fifth Five-Year Plans were exceeded, and industry and commerce surpassed agriculture, marking a prosperous and glorious era.

His Majesty's urgent summons at this time cannot be a trivial matter.

The civil officials were much more reserved; their hearts were in turmoil, but their faces remained impassive.

Xun Yu sat in the carriage, flipping through the memorial in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

Fang Xuanling, standing beside him, asked in a low voice, "Wenruo, do you think His Majesty summoned us for this matter? Could it be that there have been changes to the official system of the Roman provinces?"

"It's hard to say." Xun Yu shook his head.

"The west has just been conquered, and there are countless things to deal with, but there's no need to rush to summon the ministers. Perhaps... it's something else."

Du Ruhui stroked his beard and chuckled, "What does it matter? His Majesty always acts with order and method. We'll find out when we get there."

Later, Song Yingxing and Jia Sixie shared a car. The two of them didn't think about the summons at all. They were sitting with their heads close together, a blueprint spread on their laps, studying the gear structure.

"Minister Song, do you think if we changed these gears to helical gears, wouldn't the friction be even less?"

"That makes sense, that makes sense. Old Jia, that's a brilliant idea! Let's build a prototype and try it out later..."

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice the carriage had stopped.

When the procession arrived at the entrance of the Liangyi Hall, the officials disembarked one after another, lined up according to their rank, and whispered among themselves in twos and threes, like gossiping in a market, with the topic being "What did His Majesty ask us to do?"

Some said His Majesty wanted to expand the territory, some said he wanted to reform the system, some said he wanted to confer titles of kings, and others said His Majesty had invented something new and exciting, and invited everyone to come and see it.

The more they talk, the more outrageous it gets; the more they speculate, the more absurd it becomes.

"Alright, alright, stop whispering. You'll find out once you go in."

Xun Yu lowered his voice before speaking, and the officials then stopped talking, straightened their court robes, and filed in.

Upon entering the Liangyi Hall, the dragon throne was still empty.

Everyone stood in their assigned positions, with civil officials on the left and military officers on the right, each with their backs ramrod straight, but their eyes couldn't help but dart towards the back of the palace.

Before long, footsteps sounded.

Liu Ce came out dressed in casual clothes, without wearing a dragon robe or crown. He looked like he was having a casual chat. He sat down on the dragon throne, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.

His Highness fell silent instantly.

Even her breathing became lighter.

Experience tells them: the more casual His Majesty is, the bigger the matter he speaks of.

Normally, when officials wear court robes to hold large meetings, it's always a routine agenda that follows the established procedures; but when they are summoned in everyday clothes, it's almost certainly because there's something "new" going on—either a new policy or territorial expansion—nothing is "trivial."

Looking at the tense atmosphere below, like a group of students waiting to be scolded, Liu Ce couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't be nervous, everyone relax. It's not about implementing new policies or starting a war. I've just been looking through history books recently and came across something interesting that I'd like to share with you all."

Everyone felt even more uncertain.

If there's no war and no system reform, what's the point of having so many people here?

Surely His Majesty hasn't just written a new poem and invited everyone to come and appreciate it?

Liu Ce put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a hint of interest:

"When I read the history books, I saw that Emperor Xiaoxuan had eleven meritorious officials in the Qilin Pavilion, and Emperor Guangwu had twenty-eight generals in the Yuntai Pavilion. To put it bluntly, it was about building a magnificent pavilion and displaying the portraits and biographies of the meritorious officials inside."

Future generations can go in and see who conquered this land and who the true pillars of the nation are. Their names will be hung in the pavilion, ensuring their lasting fame and recognition for generations to come.

As soon as he finished speaking, His Highness fell silent.

Immediately afterwards, with a "buzz," as if a hornet's nest had been stirred up, the area below instantly erupted in chaos.

Hall of Meritorious Officials!

The portrait is in the cabinet!

His name will be remembered for generations to come!

These words, once they crossed our minds, made everyone's blood boil.

The generals' eyes lit up instantly, like hungry wolves eyeing meat.

Zhang Fei clenched his fists and rubbed his hands together, his face flushed red. He leaned close to Guan Yu's ear and shouted in a low voice that half a row of people could hear:

"Second brother! Did you hear that? The Hall of Meritorious Officials! My goodness! When the portrait is painted, the painter must make us look taller and stronger, and our beards must look more imposing, so we don't look like we lack presence!"

Oh, and we need to get the artist to draw my eighteen-foot spear too, standing right next to me. It looks so imposing!

Guan Yu ignored him, only slowly stroking his beard with his hand, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and the smile in his eyes could not be hidden.

Guan Yu was proud and arrogant his whole life, and he didn't really care much about gold, silver, treasures, high-ranking positions, or generous salaries.

His name would be remembered in history, his portrait would be displayed in the imperial archives, and future generations would know the achievements of Guan Yu, the Marquis of Hanshou. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?

Zhao Yun stood at the front, still with his usual composed demeanor, but the fingers gripping the ceremonial tablet tightened unconsciously.

Zhao Zilong of Changshan, clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear, spent his life in battle.

If one day my portrait could be displayed in the cabinet, ranking alongside famous ministers and generals of past dynasties, then my life would not have been in vain.

Dian Wei muttered to Xu Chu beside him, "I'm just a guard, how dare I get in?"

Xu Chu patted him on the shoulder: "Why not! I'm sure you'll get in!"

Dian Wei scratched his head, chuckled, and his face turned red.

The civil officials were a beat slower to react, but their minds worked faster than anyone else's.

Within seconds, some people had already started mentally searching through the Four Books and Five Classics, historical allusions, and pondering what name to give the pavilion.

If His Majesty adopts this name, it will be a name that will be remembered for all time!

Tian Feng and Ju Shou exchanged a glance, both seeing eagerness in each other's eyes.

Guan Ning stroked his beard, his brows furrowed slightly, already pondering ancient etiquette and rules.

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, his gaze calm, yet his eyes held a hint of contemplation.

Looking at the excited crowd below, Liu Ce chuckled inwardly and continued:

"I've been thinking about it. It's been over twenty years since we started our rebellion. We've dealt with the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Goguryeo, the Western Regions, the barbarians of the Indochina Peninsula, the Japanese islands, the Kushan Empire, the Parthian Empire, and the Roman Empire."

The brothers who have followed me through thick and thin, and the ministers who have worked diligently, are too numerous to count. Such great merit cannot simply be recorded in a couple of lines in the history books, can it?