Great Yu Dynasty, Yingtian Prefecture, Yannian Palace.

In this solemn and dignified palace, Xu Qing's victory reports fluttered back like snowflakes.

This report, like a dawn breaking through the darkness, swept away the weakened and declining trend of Great Yu Dynasty's foreign battles over the past century.

It brought about a grand victory unseen in a hundred years.

Reclaiming Old Port and successfully re-establishing the Old Port Pacification Office, such illustrious martial achievements had only occurred during the reign of Emperor Chengzu.

As the news spread, the entire Great Yu Dynasty was immersed in a sea of joy and celebration.

Inside and outside the capital, everywhere was decorated with lanterns and streamers. People rushed to share the good news, their joy overflowing in their expressions.

The ministers dared not show the slightest negligence, hurrying to draft congratulatory memorials, filled with praise and acclaim for this great achievement.

All major newspapers, whether the authoritative official gazettes or those vibrant private tabloids, spared no ink in reporting this event. With eye-catching headlines and lengthy articles, the glory of this victory spread to every corner.

Recalling the past dynasty, there was the saying "Luoyang paper becomes expensive," which was due to the scarcity and high cost of paper at the time.

Yet now in Yingtian Prefecture, a similar phenomenon of expensive paper emerged, purely because the demand for paper had reached an astounding level.

The Jiangning Chamber of Commerce, with its great financial power, spent lavishly, purchasing hundreds of thousands of copies of related newspapers to distribute freely among the people of South Zhili.

This generous gesture not only informed more people about the victory's details but also drove the demand for paper to soar further, along with the price of ink.

The printing workers in newspaper offices and staff in various positions were all grinning from ear to ear. The busy period had fattened their wallets, filling them to the brim.

Moreover, they were deeply honored at heart.

After all, the Xu family was one of the major shareholders behind many newspaper offices in South Zhili, essentially their boss.

Among them, the most influential Great Ming Newspaper was even co-founded by Xu Qing. Now with their boss achieving such great feats, these subordinates felt immensely proud.

At this moment, the most concerning issue for the Court was how to appropriately reward Xu Qing and Meng Yuxuan for their distinguished military achievements.

As for Meng Yuxuan, being a Military Officer, his rewards could be processed according to established procedures and standards, relatively straightforward and clear.

However, Xu Qing's situation was rather unique, truly perplexing everyone.

Emperor Wanshou, in this rare instance, broke his long retreat from affairs and personally held a grand court meeting to tackle this thorny issue.

"Elder Huo, regarding Xu Qing's rewards, has the Cabinet reached a conclusion?" Emperor Wanshou sat solemnly on the Dragon Throne, his gaze calmly fixed on Cabinet Chief Huo Jing, his voice, though not loud, echoed clearly in the vast hall.

Huo Jing, who had been bowing his head with a worried expression, felt anxious at being directly addressed by the Emperor. He could only brace himself and step forward respectfully, saying, "I believe that Xu Qing, for his contributions to the state, should have his achievements acknowledged to shield his family, with titles bestowed upon his wife and children and posthumous honors for his ancestors, thus demonstrating the Court's gracious favor."

"That is certainly necessary. Besides that, what else?" The Emperor nodded slightly, his gaze still firmly fixed on Huo Jing.

Knowing there was no avoiding this matter, Huo Jing gritted his teeth and, as if making a resolution, said, "In my opinion, Xu Qing should be granted the title of Marquis!"

With this statement, it was as if a giant stone had been cast into a calm lake, causing a thousand ripples among the Civil Servant Group.

Since the founding of the dynasty, very few civil servants, apart from those founding heroes who followed the Grand Ancestor Emperor in building the state, had ever been granted the title of Marquis.

To the civil servants, being granted a marquisate was not entirely a favorable outcome.

Because once granted, it meant entering the ranks of the noble class, completely parting ways with the civil servant system.

Huo Jing's proposal to grant Xu Qing a marquisate was undoubtedly a move to remove this leader of the Recovery Society, a new sage, from the civil servant ranks.

"Old Huo sure has some guts!" people inwardly marveled.

But from a legal and merit-based perspective, expanding the territory was an unparalleled achievement, and granting a marquisate was indeed justified.

Although, in the Great Yu Dynasty, the subjects' merits were often attributed to the wise leadership of the monarch, if the Emperor truly claimed all the credit, it would indeed be a loss of face.

Granting a marquisate to a subject is undoubtedly an extremely high honor. The rank of Marquis exceeds any official position of a civil servant in theory. Huo Jing's suggestion left the other civil servants in a dilemma.

If they opposed, it was the position of Marquis they were objecting to, a matter of great glory.

Should they stand up to oppose, if Xu Qing had any desire for it in his heart, those opponents would surely incur Xu Qing's resentment, and they might face repercussions in the future.

But if they supported it, Xu Qing might feel they were scheming against him behind his back, trying to push him out of the power center of Great Yu Dynasty, equally inviting Xu Qing's displeasure.

For a moment, everyone internally grumbled: "Huo Jing is surely setting us up!"

Meanwhile, the nobles led by Duke Wei were gloating on the sidelines.

Duke Wei quietly gave a thumbs-up, admiringly thinking: "Well done, Elder Huo! Your maneuver is indeed brilliant. To hold the position of Cabinet Chief, indeed, none are simple characters."

The other nobles, while watching the show from the sidelines, even grew secretly excited.

Recalling the great war a century ago, the noble group had been gravely injured and subsequently oppressed by the Civil Servant Group for nearly a hundred years. Only top noble families like Duke Wei and Britain Duke, with their deep foundations and connections, had not been significantly affected.

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