Chapter 279: Risking Everything and Vowing to Change Fate
Cheng Su, who didn't believe it, now changed his previous lifeless attitude and happily held the letter in his hand and shouted weirdly.

"Hehehe, oh oh oh, the kid has already gone to Fengzhou... Hey, why is he going to Fengzhou again? Doesn't this kid think we are still in Fengzhou? No no, Yue kid, I have to go to Fengzhou."

Shen Yue...

"Uncle Cheng, didn't you see what was behind? Yaoguang asked you to stay in Pengcheng and not run around, so that you wouldn't miss each other again. Wait for her to come back, and then you can go home together."

"Go home?" Cheng Su was so excited that he suddenly stopped when he heard the word. Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind. He suddenly looked at Shen Yue and shook his head solemnly and seriously, "No, I'm not going home."

Shen Yue was surprised: "Why?"

Why?

"Ah!"

Thinking back to the time when the Marquis' Mansion forced him to join the army, he felt helpless;

I think of the persecution of my own children who were deliberately pushed off the city wall;
Thinking back to how Black Whirlwind almost died while protecting them;

Then I thought about the sudden withdrawal of the army when I was looking for my child, the sudden reduction of the search team, and my own inability to do anything...

No! He can't continue to be such a coward, he must make achievements, he must rise to a high position, holding people and power!
The powerlessness he experienced time and again made him realize clearly that he had never wanted to climb up as badly as he did right now, step by step.

Only by climbing to a high position and holding power can he protect all the people he wants to protect, his wife, children, friends...

When he learned that his niece was finally safe, Cheng Su let go of everything and made a final decision. He clenched his fist secretly and knelt down on one knee towards Shen Yue.

"General Shen, I am Cheng Su, a seventh-rank grain transport officer specially sent by the capital. I am dedicated to serving the imperial court. I am willing to join General Shen's army and fight for Dajing and the Shen family army. I vow to drive out the Tartars and recover our northern land. I hope the general will take me in."

Shen Yue...not uncle, what are you doing?
Immediately afterwards, two letters were sent out through the branch of Jishiditang in Pengcheng. One letter followed the footsteps of the carrier pigeon in front and rushed to Jinling, asking Uncle Dong who was in charge of Jinling to convey it to Yuhang. It was a confession letter written by Cheng Su to his wife; the other letter flew to Fengzhou City, which was a notice to Li Yaoguang.

At the same time, Shen Yue, whose brain was almost worn out by Cheng Su, finally settled down in his study and wrote a memorial to the court to request credit for Cheng Su.

Because Li Yaoguang's secret could not be exposed, and he also had the selfish desire of not wanting to reveal that she was a woman, as well as the earlier agreement with her, Shen Yue respected Li Yaoguang's wishes and with a stroke of the pen, attributed all the credit for her rushing to help Fengzhou to Cheng Su.

In his memorial, he praised Cheng Su's achievements in great detail and tactfully expressed Cheng Su's strong desire to destroy the enemy. He begged the court to allow him to stay in the north, and his letter was full of praise.

As soon as the memorial was ready, he rode a fast horse to Xinjing.

At the same time, a carrier pigeon was sent from the Jishidiang branch, and it arrived in Beijing almost at the same time as the express horseback memorial.

Let’s not talk about how Mei Xue reacted when she received the letter conveyed by Doctor Wu Tuo Lu Fang in the Cheng’en Mansion, but let’s talk about the court.

At the grand court meeting the next morning, the emperor sat upright on the new dragon throne made of golden nanmu wood, yawned, and glanced at his ministers. As soon as the court began, the Minister of War came out holding a memorial and shouted "Long live the emperor" three times.

The good news came that the north had recaptured two cities and driven the rampant Hu dogs out of the area north of the Yangtze River and south of the Zhuo River. The imperial court had also received the battle report a long time ago. These days, not only the imperial palace but also the entire Jiangnan area was filled with joy. This made the emperor very happy. He felt that he was a wise and benevolent monarch, and his ancestors blessed him, and he was very proud of it.

At this meeting, the Minister of War finally came up with Shen Yue's memorial to request merit. The emperor's eyes darkened, but his face was still very happy. He raised his hand, and the eunuch beside him understood, and personally went down the Nine Dragons Platform, took the memorial from the Minister of War and read it, and then presented it to the emperor. The emperor carefully read the content and process, and couldn't help laughing.

"Good, good! My dear little Shen is very good, and has the style of his father! Well done! This battle has enhanced the prestige of our country, and he deserves a great reward. Pass on my decree that Shen Yue will be promoted to the first rank, and he will be awarded 1,000 taels of silver and 1,000 pieces of cloth. As for Cheng Su..."

The emperor was stuck and couldn't remember who it was. The smart eunuch beside him leaned over and reminded him in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, this is the sixth son of the Zhenwei Marquisate. He was the one who caused a big fuss and joined the army in the street."

"Oh." The emperor nodded in understanding. Lang smiled and waved his hand. "This boy is loyal and righteous. As a pioneer in transporting grain, he not only helped our army to break through the crisis in Pengcheng, but also led a lone army to rescue Fengzhou. He is truly a son of sincere loyalty and righteousness. It is rare. I will draft an edict to confer the title of General Huwei on Cheng Su, the sixth son of the Zhenwei Marquis's mansion, and grant him a set of golden armor."

Zhenwei Hou, who was standing at the end of the court row and about to leave the court row at the jade steps, almost gritted his teeth when he heard this.

Damn it, this is a promotion!
But no matter how much infighting there was within the clan, or how they attacked in secret, they had to stand united in the face of external forces. He had no choice but to hold back his breath and step out to accept the order and express gratitude on behalf of that disobedient dog.

Fourth rank, a general of the fourth rank, personally conferred by the Emperor, much more glorious than a promotion from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, isn't it much better than my current position of being a fifth rank magistrate with only an empty title? What a pity that it's not me.

"I, as a minister, thank Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of your unworthy descendants. Long live Your Majesty."

"No need to be polite, please stand up. Hahahaha, I hope you and your ministers will work together to restore our Dajing. I look forward to the day when I will return to the Northern Capital in the future."

"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."

Today was a day of joy and the emperor was in high spirits. He inquired about government affairs and learned that all was well inside and outside the court. He excused his ministers and asked the eunuch to adjourn the court.

As the emperor left, he retracted his hand that he had almost pinched to pieces, put it into his court robes, tried not to be seen by others, and shook off his legs that were numb from kneeling. Seeing Prime Minister Qin leaving the hall in front of him, he gritted his teeth and followed.

When the ministers around Prime Minister Qin dispersed a little, he wanted to go closer, but the eunuch beside His Majesty came out from behind. Marquis Zhenwei could only watch Prime Minister Qin follow the eunuch around the Qiankun Hall and go to the Antai Hall where His Majesty worked.

Marquis Zhenwei was extremely curious, but he couldn't follow, so he watched the man walk away from afar. Finally, after he disappeared at the gate of the inner palace, Marquis Zhenwei was still thinking in his heart, is there some important matter that His Majesty wants to invite Prime Minister Qin to?

Inside the Antai Hall in the new palace.

When Prime Minister Qin was escorted into the side hall by the chief eunuch, the emperor was leaning on a pillow in the warm room by the window, with two palace maids massaging his shoulders and legs from his left and right.

When Prime Minister Qin came in, the emperor raised his eyelids but did not move at all until Prime Minister Qin, who was over fifty years old, bowed and greeted him, "This old minister greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health."

"Oh, the Prime Minister is here, look at me, alas, the south is not as good as the north, I am not used to lying on this soft bed, it is more comfortable to sleep on the warm kang in the north, I am lazy for a while, please don't blame me, Prime Minister."

Prime Minister Qin knelt down and bowed, "Your Majesty, that's not true. You are very busy, please take care of yourself."

The emperor seemed to have just realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "Ah, look at me, I was just talking. Prime Minister, please get up quickly. Come on, why don't you give me a seat?"

The chief eunuch looked terrified, and quickly moved a round stool to the warm step and put it down. Prime Minister Qin lowered his half-drooped eyes, and when he stood up, his face was full of terrified respect, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I don't deserve it."

"Hey~ The Prime Minister is an old man of two dynasties, he has worked hard and made great contributions. Saying these things is being too formal to me."