Chapter 14 Barrier
Dugu Jialuo couldn't help but laugh: "Even a child understands this truth, but some people don't. If it weren't for me, how could they have achieved such prominence over the years?"

Li Jiancheng knew that she was talking about Duke of Qi Gao Zuo, but he did not respond. He just lowered his head and stopped.

"Do you really think I should admit my mistake? It's obviously not me who's wrong!"

"Your Majesty, if the situation continues like this for a long time, Your Majesty will become resentful out of guilt. Sometimes, the more you show weakness, the more you can take the initiative."

Dugu Jialuo looked at Li Jiancheng deeply and said, "Is it the same as you? You know that if you endure for a while, you will gain my trust."

"When I was young, I heard my grandmother say that Emperor Tianyuan Yuwen Yun was a violent and irrational person. It was Your Majesty who endured humiliation and went to the court to express her gratitude in times of crisis, and even kowtowed until her face bled, which saved the family. This is how the great cause of changing the world came about, and how the Kaihuang Reign came about today. Your Majesty understood the truth back then, have you forgotten it now?"

Dugu Jialuo held onto the table and looked at Li Jiancheng steadily: "I am nearly sixty years old, and I have worked hard for the Yang family all my life. Do I have to continue to endure humiliation for him at this time?"

"Your Majesty, you may not do this for His Majesty, but can you not do this for the country and people of the Great Sui Dynasty? You have shed so much blood and tears on this, and the several princes still need you."

"Your Highness, you are not an ordinary woman in the boudoir. You are the founding queen. You have the ambition of a man, the heart of your country, and the aspirations of a great man. His Majesty is becoming more and more violent. Without your advice, how can this prosperous era continue?"

Dugu Jialuo's body seemed to be injected with some strength, or it could be said that Li Jiancheng's words gave her a good step and a reason to give herself.

"Come on, follow me to see His Majesty."

"promise."

Li Jiancheng followed the empress and walked all the way to Renshou Palace. Yang Jian, who had already received the news, also came out to greet him, still a little at a loss.

Dugu Jialuo felt a pain in her heart when she saw the emperor, who also had dark circles under his eyes and was listless. She bowed her head and knelt respectfully: "I am jealous, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Yang Jian was so frightened that he took a step back, speechless and not knowing what to say. Li Jiancheng also knelt down and said, "I have disobeyed my father and king, and I am restless day and night. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Yang Jian came back to his senses and didn't want to pay attention to him. He quickly helped Dugu Jialuo up and whispered, "No, no, why would I blame you? I just hope you're not angry anymore."

Dugu Jialuo couldn't help crying, and Yang Jian's eyes were also red. They had been together for decades and could no longer give up on each other. Although he was dissatisfied with the queen's excessive control over him, he had never stopped loving her.

I just don't know why, but I feel like there's still a barrier between the two of them...

Seeing that the emperor and empress had no time to care about others, Li Jiancheng quietly withdrew. Just as he took back his halberd and stood still, he saw a eunuch walking towards him quickly: "Mr. Li, His Majesty will restore your position as the Qianniu Guard, promote you to the position of Sanqi Shilang, and reward you with 100 taels of gold and 1,000 pieces of silk."

Sanqi Shilang is of the fifth rank. When the emperor is in power, he advises the emperor on his mistakes and serves as his advisor. When he is out, he rides on horseback and follows the emperor around. He is a casual official who is promoted to a higher rank but has no real power.

Li Jiancheng thanked the emperor for his grace. The attendants around him were confused. Wasn't he sentenced to punishment with flogging just half a month ago? How come he was suddenly promoted and given a generous reward?

He is indeed a member of the Li family. Fortunately, I didn't offend him.

After the eunuch left, a smart man stepped forward and said, "Sir, wait a moment. I will get you armor right away."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"How could that be true, my lord?" The others hurried to congratulate him, and Gao Rui and others in the classroom hurried out to bow to Li Jiancheng after hearing the news, saying, "Jiancheng, we also have our own difficulties."

Li Jiancheng smiled and said, "Of course I know. Without the support of you brothers, I wouldn't be here today. After your shift, please follow me to Canxia Tower for a drink."

Yuwen Shiji, the third son of Yuwen Shu, the Duke of Bao, said, "How can we let you host a banquet for such a happy event? I will host the banquet to celebrate. Jiancheng, you must not refuse."

"Haha, then Yuwen Sanlang will have to pay for it."

Several others also hinted that they had ignored Li Jiancheng these days because of the Queen's suggestion, not their own intention. They were all relatives and old friends for several generations, so they would drink well tonight to apologize and ask him not to bear a grudge.

Naturally, Li Jiancheng would not offend people like this. He had endured the flogging, so what did a little neglect matter? These were the core children of the Guanlong nobles. If he showed some affection to them, it would be easier to bring them under his control in the future, and he would not have to worry about how many unjust beatings they would receive.

They returned to the classroom together, sat down, drank tea and chatted. Soon it was time to end their shift. Yang Jishan, Dou Dan and others had received the news and came early, and the atmosphere was lively for a while.

A few people were left behind to take charge of the night, and the rest of the people left the palace and led their servants straight to Canxia Tower. This time the top floor had been booked, so they had a banquet on the second floor.

The main course was a dish called Hun Yang Mo Hu. Several Hu people carried a large wooden plate into the hall. Inside was a whole roasted lamb that was steaming and fragrant. Yuwen Shiji stepped forward and used a short knife to cut open the lamb's stomach. There were several roast geese inside. He took out one and brought it to Li Jiancheng.

Li Jiancheng took the short knife and cut open the goose's belly. Inside was a mixture of turtledove meat and glutinous rice, which was steaming hot and extremely delicious.

The rest of the people shared the food, while the roasted whole lamb was carried out and dealt with by the servants and retainers.

There is also a dish of sliced ​​mullet, served with chopped green onion, mustard, black beans, mashed garlic, and shredded orange.

…………

She rushed to the palace early the next morning as there was a court meeting today. She took off her armor and changed into embroidered clothes with flowers and ornaments, then stood guard in front of the gate of Yongxiang, waiting for the emperor to arrive.

The emperor and empress suddenly arrived in a double sedan chair, and they followed behind with ivory tablets and swords on their waists in both hands. Yuan Shibin led the way holding the Qianniu Sword.

After the court session, they lined up on the left and right sides of the emperor's throne and listened to the content of the court meeting.

Today's main purpose is to reward the ministers for their contribution in defeating the Turks. This battle was led by Han Wang Yang Liang as the marshal, with Yue Duke Yang Su leading an army from Lingzhou (now southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia), Shangshu Zuo Pushe Gao Jiong leading an army from Shuozhou (now Shuo County, Shanxi), and Shang Zhuguo Yan Rong leading an army from Youzhou (now southwest of Beijing), and they attacked the Turks from three directions.

The King of Han did not go to the front line in person. The main credit went to Gao Zuo and Yang Su, who defeated more than 100,000 cavalrymen of Dahan Khan and Dulan Khan. Tuli Khan also surrendered to the Sui Dynasty in the south and was named Qimin Khan, becoming a vassal of the Sui Dynasty.

But strangely, the emperor had no intention of rewarding Duke of Qi Gao Zuo, perhaps because he had no more titles to be given and no more rewards to be given. After praising the two, he gave Yang Su 20,000 pieces of silk and a precious belt with ten thousand nails, and promoted his son Yang Xuangan to the rank of general, and Yang Xuanjiang, Yang Xuanzong, and Yang Jishan to the rank of Shangyitong.

The general was a third-rank official, and the Shangyitong was a fourth-rank official. This was what the prominent families of the time looked like. The Yang family was like this, and the Gao family was even worse. The youngest son of Duke Gao Zuo of Qi even had the title of Duke of a county.

…………

(End of this chapter)