Chapter 133: The Emperor's Appreciation

  "Hmm, you said you haven't formally studied martial arts or military strategy in the army." The emperor pondered for a moment.

  "There's nothing." Xia Yan said calmly: "My martial skills are just a few casual swings of hunting and chopping firewood, relying on my height and strength. When fighting, it's just 'desperate'."

  "Hmph, daring to fight to the death is already quite rare." The Emperor suddenly said this, then let out a sigh: "A guy like you would actually be quite suitable for staying in the Rodoria Cavalry Corps."

  Xia Ya was overjoyed at once, if he could continue to stay in the Rodria Cavalry Regiment, he would be more than willing.

  "But... I have other plans for you." The Emperor's next words disappointed Xia Ya.

  Cantos picked up his wine glass and took another sip, pondering for a moment.

  Originally, Kanto didn't pay much attention to this kid, but took the opportunity of the military department's farce to find an excuse to strike at those warlord party wings. As for this kid, since he had made achievements, meeting with him personally would also serve as a signal to the military: the emperor attaches great importance to what you've done this time!

  Then, casually praised a couple of sentences. If this kid really had some skills, he was originally going to be thrown into the army under the control of the hawkish generals loyal to the imperial family. If it was a useless lucky guy, he would simply be thrown at the Ministry of War to let them vent their anger, and the struggle would temporarily come to an end. Sacrificing this kid could also ease the tense relationship with the Ministry of War.

  But now it seems... this kid has piqued Emperor Cantos' interest.

  A young rustic who has never studied martial arts or military strategy, unexpectedly achieved great merit and performed outstandingly. What's most surprising is that Xia Ya's display of being simple-minded yet brave and daring to fight to the death, is quite to the Emperor's taste.

  He heard him severely deal with Bonfret, who had been a headache for many years... The original arrangement now seems somewhat inappropriate. This little guy is actually a malleable talent, the most valuable thing is that he has no background, and it's easy to cultivate him into his own loyal confidant.

  Well, the only difficulty is... it seems that his own useless son hates this little guy to death.

  "Thinking of this, Kantos suddenly had a change of heart and deliberately let out a cold laugh. He opened his mouth and said: "Xia Ya, you killed Bonfret, that guy was my son's... uh, his trusted confidant. Don't you fear he'll take revenge on you?"

  As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with a stern light, enveloping Xia Ya.

  Xia Ya snorted in her heart, thinking: Dammit, did you really take me for a brainless young fool? Just now when I said how to deal with that old white face, you laughed so hard your face turned into a flower. I'm not stupid, can't you see that this thing I did is exactly what you wanted?!

  Xia Ya had a number in her mind, and immediately shook her head, calling out to Qu: "Your Majesty! That Bonfret wasn't killed by me! Can't say it like that, can we? Bonfret was clearly killed by Hastings, he himself was greedy for merit, and became the target of Hastings' purge, what does that have to do with me?! Even if the Crown Prince wants to hate someone, shouldn't it be Hastings instead?"

  "Hmph, but you did humiliate Bonfret in the past, that's true. Now the Crown Prince has a good opinion of you, don't you regret those actions?"

  "Ugh...!" Shaya hesitated for a moment, this time not pretending anymore, and said frankly: "At that time, we were surrounded by the Odin army, Bonfret was the commander-in-chief who stayed behind, but he was flustered and disrupted the morale of the troops! Hmph! This kind of trash almost ruined everything on his own! Once the morale is disrupted, everyone will be in danger! Although I didn't stay in the Rodoria cavalry for a long time, every brother in the Rodoria cavalry is a brave and good man! This waste, just looking at him makes me angry! I beat him up, but I still feel like it's not enough! Let alone that he's already dead, even if things were to happen again and he came back to life, I'd want to break his two legs and knock out all his teeth! This kind of useless trash who can't even lead an army properly, deserves to be beaten! Deserves to die!"

  The Emperor Cantos had a big smile on his face this time.

  Good! Very good!!

  The emperor had already thought it out before Xia Ya opened his mouth. If this kid said something like "dedicate myself to the country, serve Your Majesty with loyalty, dare not neglect public duties for personal reasons..." and other pompous nonsense - as long as this kid dared to say so, then he would be sent packing directly!

  Kexia's words earned him a few points of appreciation from Emperor Kandos. In his younger years, most of his life was spent in the military, and the name "Gun Emperor" was also obtained through his battles in the south and north! Deep down, Gun Emperor liked those straightforward and heroic generals in the military!

  Xia Ya's words, however, happened to soothe the temper of the Emperor of the Riding Gun.

  At this moment, this turtle has another advantage in the emperor's eyes: straightforwardness!!

  (Dororo continued to pat the wall...) After carefully sizing up Xia Ya for a while, Xia Ya only felt that this emperor's eyes were getting more and more fervent, and couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

  Damn it! My son likes men, this old man won't have that kind of hobby too, right!! Mom's, if he dares to have that kind of thought about me, I'll fight to the death and kill him, this old glass heart!

  At last, Emperor Gun smiled slightly and withdrew his gaze. The expression on his face returned to its usual calm and stern demeanor: "Alright, you can go back now."

  "......Uh......Ah?" Xia Ya was stunned.

  Is this going back?

  What about the reward? My reward? And what about the appointment arrangement afterwards... nothing was said at all?

  I rushed to Yanjing for you, told your emperor a story or two, made you laugh, and that's it?!

  However, Xia Ya's face didn't show much, only a slight surprise, and he nodded immediately. He didn't kneel down, but instead gave a military-style chest salute, turned around and was about to leave... "Wait."

  The emperor suddenly spoke up, and Xia Ya turned around to see Emperor Kantes' face with a smile, grabbing the huge golden candelabra on the table and tossing it over: "I said, this reward is for you. Go buy some new clothes! Haha! Among all the people I've met, yours are the most tattered, kid, are you very poor?"

  Xia Ya opened his arms to catch the candelabra, holding it tightly in his arms, and his heart was filled with joy: It's so heavy! His previous estimate was wrong, this thing is probably around 10 kilograms heavier!!

  After walking out of the dining hall, the courtier waiting outside the door saw Xia Ya actually carrying the golden candelabra from His Majesty's table and couldn't help but open his mouth wide, pointing at Xia Ya: "You, you, you, you this..."

  Xia Ya smiled at him with a hint of mischief: "A gift from the Emperor."

  The messenger gulped and swallowed his saliva, his eyes rolled over, and the arrogance on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a flattering expression. His eyes also added a few points of fawning: "So that's it! General Xia Ya, it seems that His Majesty highly appreciates you! From now on, your future will be bright and boundless..."

  Alas, I originally thought he was just a rural bumpkin who had walked into good luck, but unexpectedly, he has gained the emperor's favor. This kid may achieve great things in the future and might even become a powerful general... My previous attitude towards him was too harsh, I need to think of a way to make amends.

  General Xia Ya? As soon as Tu Bie heard this title, he was delighted.

  All the way out, this palace envoy took the initiative to find Xia Ya and chat with him. After circling around for a while, he asked: "General Xia Ya, I don't know how the emperor's reward appointment is? I've been in the imperial palace for many years, but I haven't seen the emperor directly rewarding someone like this. Are you directly promoted to a high position in the military department?"

  Xia Ya didn't hide it: "No, Your Majesty asked me a few questions, I answered, and then Your Majesty rewarded me with this thing. As for the appointment and reward, there was no mention."

  The envoy's mind turned around for a moment, but his face became even more respectful.

  He has been in the imperial palace for many years, familiar with the surname of the Emperor of the Gun, and the Emperor of the Gun is willing to reward him so much. It's only natural that he highly appreciates this young man! However, there was no mention of rewards or appointments, which might even suggest that His Majesty attaches great importance to him and will carefully consider it before making a decision! Moreover, once decided, the content of the reward will be absolutely not simple!!

  All the way to see Xia Ya out of the imperial palace, when they walked to the gate of the castle outside, Xia Ya jumped onto his horse. The courtier beside him was still warmly inviting Xia Ya to ride in a carriage to send him off, but Xia Ya just smiled and said lightly: "Thank you for your kindness, it's just that as a military man, the great general of the empire, Duke Minas, once said... A soldier does not ride in a carriage!"

  The messenger listened and also showed a few points of respect in his expression.

  Xia Ya rode his horse back, and after the imperial envoy returned, he was summoned again by the Emperor of Gun, who asked him a few questions in detail. This imperial envoy did not understand the emperor's intention and reported the sentence "Military personnel do not ride cars!" as it was.

  Emperor Cantos listened and fell silent. After a while, he suddenly smiled and waved his hand to let the messenger go down.

  Soldiers don't take buses?

  What a young man, indeed with some heroic spirit. Hum... Military men should endure hardships and training, but those warlord aristocrats, who claim to be military men, are actually just aristocrats, where is the iron bone and heroic spirit of a true military man?! I'm afraid that those indulgent and decadent lifestyles, surrounded by beautiful women and fine wine, have already softened their bones!!

  This kid... is actually quite interesting.

  The hardest thing is that he has no background... and it's also not easy for him to be won over by the Senate.

  I recall how I painstakingly established the military academy, cultivating a new batch of imperial soldiers and forming the hawkish generals loyal to the royal family. However, among them, there are some who seem to have been driven mad by reading books. Recently, I've heard that some of these individuals have been consorting with those old men in the Senate who keep spouting nonsense about "restraint" and "limiting imperial power"... it's enough to make my blood boil.

  This kid... hasn't read any books, doesn't understand the Senate's tricks, perfect!

  Kantos the Great thought of this, suddenly turned his head and glanced at the corner behind him, where that middle-aged man like a shadow was still standing quietly in the shadows.

  "What do you think of this kid?"

  The emperor's question was left unanswered, and the middle-aged man simply shook his head silently, pointing to his mouth.

  "Ah...... I'm also confused, these things shouldn't be asked of you." Emperor Cantos smiled, looking very relaxed.

  Cantos fell into thought for a while, then suddenly laughed and his face showed a resolute expression: "Hmph, I've been indecisive for so many years, and now it's come to this. What else is there to hesitate about? Cavishir was right, if you can't be decisive, then it's better not to do it!"

  The Emperor picked up the pen and paper on the table, wrote a line quickly, then took the ink bottle, dripped a drop of ink on the paper, and pressed a copper seal on it. "Come in!" he shouted.

  When Xia Ya returned home, Rourou was already waiting for him at home. This fat rabbit general had arrived about an hour ago. As soon as Xia Ya came back, Rourou immediately pulled him into the house anxiously. Without even letting Xia Ya sit down, he stared and asked: "Did His Majesty summon you? How was it? What did he say to you?"

  Xia Ya smiled and tossed the cloth package in her hand onto the table, opening it.

  Ruru took a look and couldn't help but change color, saying: "Huh? Why does this golden candelabra look so familiar?"

  After taking a closer look, Fatty was shocked and exclaimed: "Oh my god! This is the one on His Majesty's dining table, I've seen it several times!"

  Fatso stared at Xia Ya as if he had seen a ghost: "You... you daredevil, stealing things and actually stealing them into the imperial palace!!!!!!"

  Xia Ya was furious: "Nonsense! Who said I stole it? It was given to me by the old emperor!"

  Lu Rui was taken aback and involuntarily opened his mouth wide.

  It's not uncommon for a king to bestow personal items on his subordinates, but such favors are usually reserved for trusted and favored ministers. But this turtle... what is he?

  Xia Yahahaha laughed and enjoyed Rour's shocked expression, then slowly told him the process of meeting the emperor. The more Rour listened, the more frightened he became: This little guy actually got the appreciation of the Gun Emperor?

  "It's just like that, but there are no other rewards or appointments... Xia Ya mentioned this and felt a bit depressed: "Damn it, did I run all the way to Yanjing just to tell stories to the old emperor? After telling the story, rewarding me with a golden candle holder is enough to get rid of me?" He snorted twice: "But melting this thing for money is enough to compensate me for my round trip."

  Rourou thought for a moment, then the fat man suddenly burst out laughing and walked to Xia Ya's side, punching him hard: "Little guy, congratulations! This time you really had dogshit luck! His Majesty didn't immediately reward you. Based on my understanding of His Majesty... I'm guessing that before meeting you, His Majesty must have already thought out arrangements for you. According to normal reasoning, he would tell you in person. However, after meeting you, His Majesty suddenly changed his mind and had new arrangements, so he needs to weigh the considerations again before making a final decision. Moreover, based on what you said, it seems that His Majesty really likes you, so this new decision after changing his mind will definitely be much better than the previous one."

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of which, Rourl shook his head: "I really don't understand, what's good about this kid." Glancing at the golden candelabra on the table, the fatty sneered: "Tell me honestly, didn't you steal this thing? If it was stolen by you, then hurry up and roll up your bedding and escape!"

  "Nonsense!" Xia Ya laughed, staring at the fatty: "You're a good one, General Rabbit! You actually said that I being favored by His Majesty is 'having dogshit luck'! If you say so, who's the dogshit? Be careful or I'll report you and let the Emperor send you to the palace to be a eunuch!"

  The two of them chatted and laughed for a few sentences. Rouran, now that he knew Xiaya had gained the Emperor's favor, felt that his biggest worry no longer existed, so he smiled and said: "I went to the Military Academy this afternoon to take a look at General Green, that mad dog. He's been stuck in the Military Academy for so long he's almost rusted. I've invited him out for drinks tonight, why don't you come with me?"

  As he spoke, the fat man deliberately glanced at Xia Ya twice, and smiled strangely: "I think you're still a virgin, huh? Tonight, General Ben will take you to experience the romantic night of Osgilia, hahaha!"

  Xia Ya's face immediately turned red - the identity of a virgin, had always been a sore spot in Tu Jie's heart. For other things, Tu Jie could still retort back to Pang Zi with two sentences, but for this one thing, he himself only had the share of being ridiculed.

  The two of them chatted and laughed for a while, just as they were about to leave when the sky was no longer early, suddenly heard the sound coming from outside the door.

  "General Xia! General Xia, please come out and receive your orders!"

  The two walked out of the house, but Xia Ya was stunned. It turned out that the visitor was actually the palace envoy who had come to take him to the imperial palace for an audience this morning. He had just returned from the imperial palace not long ago, so how did this guy come again?

  The courtier's face was beaming with joy, the powder on his face falling off in flakes as he hastened to bow and smile: "General Xia Ya, I have brought the Emperor's personal edict of reward, please accept it."

  After finishing speaking, he handed over a high-quality paper scroll in his hand to Xia Ya. Xia Ya just took it and hadn't unfolded it yet when Ruru on the side suddenly exclaimed: "So fast?!"

  Fatso snatched it away with one hand, then pushed Xia Ya away. Xia Ya was stunned and confused. Fatso sighed, took out a small gold biscuit from his bosom, stuffed it into the messenger's hand, and smiled: "Alright, thanks for running an errand."

  This messenger was clearly familiar with Rour, hastily bowed and smiled to receive it. When he left, he thought in his heart: Damn, this country boy is actually a partner of Rour's, could he also be a direct descendant of Duke Minas? It seems that being polite to him was the right thing to do, relying on Duke Minas' big tree, and flying high is not bad either.

  After the messenger left, Xia Ya frowned at Lulu: "What did you grab this reward order for? Hand it over to me quickly."

  The fatty glared, and immediately sneered: "Can you understand it? You uncouth little brat, the Emperor's imperial decree is written in an ancient Byzantine script with floral patterns, its grammatical structure and writing style are quite different from modern text. Only nobles can decipher this script. I'll give it to you, can you make sense of it? Or should General Zhang read it aloud for you?"

  He immediately opened the scroll, and although he had already mentally prepared himself, guessing that the emperor's reward would not be light, but when he really saw the words on it, even if it was Lu Er who couldn't help but take a deep breath, exclaimed, and raised his head to stare at Xia Ya with a strange expression.

  "You... you little brat, I'm even starting to suspect that you're probably the illegitimate son of the Emperor himself!"

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