Chapter 336: Women Appreciating Women

Chapter 336: Women Appreciating Women

Qin Xiaoyao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to the emperor.

"The victory in the battle against the Liao was the result of the soldiers standing united and fighting with one heart. I humbly cannot accept the credit," she replied.

"The emperor laughed heartily."

He exchanged a glance with Empress Jia beside him.

"Minister Qin, there's no need for modesty," Immediately afterwards, Empress Jia spoke.

"With only a little over a thousand soldiers, you were able to capture several towns in succession. After that, you recaptured Ning'an Prefecture, eliminating most of the Liao bandits within the Great Jin."

"Upon arriving at Tong Pass, you repeatedly achieved great feats. You annihilated tens of thousands of Liao troops and even beheaded Xiao Yuan, one of Jin's greatest enemies. You completely changed the course of the Jin-Liao war."

Empress Jia looked at Qin Xiaoyao with eyes full of admiration.

"What makes this even more remarkable is that you are a woman." Upon saying this, Empress Jia nodded, appearing proud of her.

Qin Xiaoyao, hearing these words, couldn't help but look up at Empress Jia.

Seeing her expression, she felt a stir in her heart.

In this ancient time, there were many oppressions and constraints on women.

Women like her and Empress Jia were indeed rare in this era.

It was not surprising that Empress Jia admired her.

It was a shame that if Empress Jia weren't an enemy of her husband, Qin Xiaoyao might have wanted to become closer to her.

As soon as Empress Jia's words were spoken, many people secretly glanced at her, including the emperor.

While others looked at her with curiosity, the emperor's gaze was filled with affection.

Empress Jia, however, did not care and looked back at Qin Xiaoyao.

"Minister Qin has achieved so many great feats and should be rewarded!" she said excitedly.

Without waiting for Qin Xiaoyao to reply, she continued, "Qin Xiaoyao, receive the imperial edict!"

Qin Xiaoyao was taken aback.

She quickly bowed.

"This subject receives the edict!" she said, clasping her fists in salute.

Empress Jia looked at Qin Xiaoyao with satisfaction.

"Middle General Qin Xiaoyao, valiant in battle and repeatedly earning merits, has contributed greatly to our Great Jin. Today, she is further enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xiaoyao, with the title to be passed down hereditarily."

"Additionally, Zhao County will henceforth be known as Xiaoyao County and granted as the fiefdom of the Marquis of Xiaoyao."

"Furthermore, a mansion in the capital city will be bestowed upon you, along with a thousand taels of gold, as a reward."

Qin Xiaoyao was shocked to hear this.

She hadn't expected to be promoted to Middle General, nor to be enfeoffed as a marquis. To top it all off, she was granted Zhao County as her fiefdom, along with a mansion and a substantial reward of gold.

Didn't the second prince say that Qin Xiaoyao is now seen as one of his people?

Empress Jia and the second prince are not on good terms.

Yet now, she shows such favor to me. Is it deliberately for the sake of the court officials, or does she have other intentions?

Forget it; whether or not she has ulterior motives, it would be foolish not to accept the benefits when they come.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Empress Jia!" Qin Xiaoyao quickly bowed.

"Haha, rise!" To Qin Xiaoyao's surprise, Empress Jia personally came down to help her to her feet.

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao's refined and striking features, she felt even more admiration.

"You will need to stay in the capital for some time, and when you are free, come to the palace to keep the emperor and me company."

"Both the emperor and I have been captivated by your recent accomplishments. We've been looking forward to seeing your abilities firsthand since you returned to the capital."

As she spoke, she turned her head and laughed as she made eye contact with the emperor.

The emperor, upon seeing this, nodded with indulgence.

From the sidelines, Qin Xiaoyao observed that the bond between the emperor and empress was unusually close.

"This official obeys!" Qin Xiaoyao replied.

Since she was going to stay in the capital, visits to the palace were inevitable.

Empress Jia smiled with satisfaction.

After exchanging a few more words with Qin Xiaoyao, she then shifted her gaze to the second prince.

"Wudi has also made great contributions this time, helping our Great Jin recruit a talent like Marquis of Xiaoyao."

"But you are of noble status, already a prince, and a general in the court. There's not much more that can be added to your title."

"But such significant contributions cannot go unrewarded."

"How about this. Your Majesty, why not grant Wudi the title of Huaiyin King and bestow Huaiyin County as his fiefdom?" Empress Jia said with a smile as she looked at the emperor.

The emperor's smile stiffened.

Huaiyin County was not considered a good place.

Clearly, the empress was only feigning generosity. She had agreed to bestow a title on her second son, but—

"This..." The emperor looked at the second prince, his expression troubled.

In the past year or two, his health had been failing.

He couldn't help but miss his sons, thinking of his second son the most. He felt he owed his second son the most and wanted to make amends.

This time, his second son had earned significant merit, and the emperor had even approached the empress about granting him a title.

The empress had agreed readily, and he had been happy, thinking that there was finally a chance to resolve the long-standing conflict between her and his second son.

But in the end, things unfolded just as they always had.

The second prince caught the emperor's gaze and felt a flash of helplessness in his heart, though he didn't show it on his face.

He bowed to the emperor.

"Your Imperial Highness, I thank Father and Mother for their generous grace."

After all these years, he had grown used to it, so he didn't feel disappointed.

Being able to return to the capital and receive a princely title was already more than he could ask for.

As for where his princedom would be located, it truly didn't matter.

After all, what he desired was never just a simple piece of land.

What Empress Jia owed him and his mother, he would reclaim from her, little by little.

"The second prince is still so sensible." Empress Jia said with a smile to the second prince, not bothering with the apologetic look the emperor gave him.

Following that, the second prince's reward was decided.

Next, the matter of the peace negotiation between the Great Jin and the Liao Kingdom was discussed.

The Liao envoy would arrive in the capital the next day. In this negotiation, the Great Jin held the upper hand, yet Empress Jia arranged for the second prince to enter the Ministry of Rites to preside over the matter.

Additionally, the task of managing the displaced people in Jin territory was assigned to the third prince, who was also the current crown prince.

It was clear to all that Empress Jia was paving the way for her own son and gathering the people's hearts.

The second prince was naturally aware of this but accepted it completely.

In the court, Qin Xiaoyao witnessed Empress Jia's tactics.

Qin Xiaoyao admired how the second prince remained calm and respectful, even when Empress Jia treated him unfairly.

Finally, the court session ended, and Qin Xiaoyao left together with the second prince.

However, as soon as they walked out of the Imperial Council Hall, a palace attendant approached her.

The attendant informed her that the emperor and Empress Jia wished to see her.

With a sigh, Qin Xiaoyao let the second prince leave first and followed the attendant to meet the emperor and Empress Jia.

Following the attendant away from the Imperial Council Hall, they walked for quite a distance before Qin Xiaoyao reached the imperial garden.

By then, the emperor and Empress Jia were already waiting for her in the imperial garden.

The spring flowers were in full bloom, and the warm sunlight made the imperial garden particularly picturesque. The emperor and Empress Jia were enjoying tea and the lovely scenery, seemingly in good spirits.

Qin Xiaoyao approached and bowed formally.

"Your humble subject greets the emperor and Empress. May the emperor reign for ten thousand years, and may the Empress live for a thousand years."

Empress Jia looked at Qin Xiaoyao first, her eyes filled with a smile.

"Minister Qin, please rise." she said.