The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 652

Lin Lu's return to the capital signifies that the Ming Dynasty's territory has reached an unprecedented level, even gradually surpassing the territory of the Tang Dynasty at its peak.

As for Lin Lu, Jiajing was quite generous in bestowing titles and rewards, including some wealth and an additional fief, as well as the honorary title of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions, a first-rank honorary position. Nowadays, the Five Military Commissions existed in name only.

The Jiajing Emperor's appointment of Lin Lu to this official position was also intended to have Lin Lu reorganize the Five Military Commands. After all, the Five Military Commands were the true protectors of the emperor. Previously, due to the power of civil officials, the Five Military Commands had gradually become powerless. Now that the Jiajing Emperor had power, he naturally wanted to rebuild it.

As for granting Lin Lu the title of Duke? Jiajing hadn't considered it. First of all, Zhou Chu had basically handled all the preparations and strategic planning for this attack on the Yarkand Khanate. Attacking Yarkand was a piece of cake for him, and the credit wouldn't be too great.

Moreover, Lin Lu was Jiajing's cousin. As cousins, it was easy to talk to each other. Jiajing also knew Lin Lu's personality very well. A first-rank Left Vice-Commander-in-Chief was enough for him.

"Your Majesty is truly a great ruler. The territory of the Ming Dynasty has now surpassed that of the Tang Dynasty and far exceeds that of the Hongwu and Yongle reigns."

During the court assembly, Yang Yiqing took the lead in flattering the emperor.

Once the Grand Secretary set the precedent, other officials followed suit, spouting sycophantic praises like "the greatest emperor of all time" and "surpassing even the Tang and Song emperors."

Emperor Jiajing sat on the dragon throne, listening to the flattering voices of his officials, feeling utterly refreshed.

"Gentlemen, although His Majesty's achievements are unparalleled, you should not blindly flatter him. His Majesty is still young and should always be vigilant, rather than indulging in past glories."

Wen Zhengming stepped forward, first subtly flattering Jiajing, then changing the subject to advise the emperor, which was precisely his duty as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

When Jiajing first heard this, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, but when he thought of how Emperor Taizong of Tang was able to maintain his integrity because of Wei Zheng, and how he himself needed such a loyal minister by his side, he suppressed his displeasure.

“Minister Wen is right. I am still young, and the Ming Dynasty has a long way to go. I cannot be complacent.”

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Yang Shen, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

All the civil and military officials echoed his sentiments.

"I intend to build the Zhenwu Hall and place the memorial tablets of the most important ministers of my Great Ming Dynasty there for future generations to pay their respects. What do you all think?"

Emperor Jiajing looked at the civil and military officials and asked.

"Your Majesty, this is a very good move. Back then, Emperor Taizong of Tang established the Lingyan Pavilion to reward meritorious officials. Emperor Guangwu of Tang also set up the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai. Once you entered it, you could leave your name in history."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing instantly became excited. Wasn't this the day he had been waiting for, the day he had been delaying his retirement? Once the Zhenwu Hall was established, he, as the Grand Secretary, would certainly be among the members. As for the ranking, Zhou Chu would definitely be ahead of him, or even first. Everyone had witnessed Zhou Chu's contributions to the Ming Dynasty.

As the Grand Secretary, he has been diligent and conscientious in the past two years, handling the affairs of the Ming Dynasty in an orderly manner and putting forward many constructive suggestions. There is no problem with him being ranked in the top ten, right?

Yang Yiqing was self-aware enough not to aspire to be in the top five. After all, he was well aware of his own abilities and skills, and considering how long he had been stagnant, the only time he could truly make any contributions was in the last two years.

Regarding the establishment of the Zhenwu Hall by the Jiajing Emperor, if we were to say who was most in favor, it wouldn't be Zhou Chu, but rather Yang Yiqing and Wang Xian, because they were able to catch the last train at that age, which made them extremely happy and even extremely eager.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Yang Yiqing said everything Wang Xian wanted to say, so all that can be said is that His Majesty is wise.

"Your Majesty, building the Zhenwu Hall is a waste of resources and has no practical significance. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

An official from the Sixth Division, being quite stubborn, stepped forward to retort.

As soon as he uttered these words, all the civil and military officials turned to look at him. If looks could kill, this person would probably have already been executed by slow slicing.

This made the other officials from the Sixth Section who wanted to stand up and refute the statement shrink back in fear.

They are stubborn, but not blind. If the opinions in the court were divided into two factions, they could support one faction and refute the other. But clearly, the opinions of the civil and military officials in the court are now surprisingly unanimous. Everyone hopes to enter the Zhenwu Hall and make a name for themselves in history. If the Six Ministries stand up again at this time, it will not only be stubborn, but it will offend everyone, including the emperor.

They wouldn't do something like that.

"Weighing instruments, what do you think?"

Jiajing looked at Zhou Chu and asked.

"I believe that it is very necessary to establish the Zhenwu Hall. However, the memorial tablets in the Zhenwu Hall do not need to be fixed directly. After all, Your Majesty is still young, and the Ming Dynasty has a long way to go. In the future, many people will make contributions to the Ming Dynasty. The number of tablets can be increased or decreased as appropriate."

Zhou Chu said.

When Jiajing heard this, he nodded.

"Hengqi's words are very appropriate. Those of you who cannot enter the Zhenwu Hall now do not need to worry. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Those who have entered should not rest on their laurels, as they may be squeezed out by others in the future."

Jiajing's words made Yang Yiqing and Wang Xian feel a sense of urgency, especially Yang Yiqing. He felt that he could retire a few more years to serve the Ming Dynasty and ensure that he would not be squeezed out of the Zhenwu Hall by others.

Wang Xian was in the same boat. In terms of contributions to the Ming Dynasty, he was far inferior to Yang Yiqing. He might be able to enter the Zhenwu Hall now, but he knew that if he continued like this, it would be only a matter of time before he was squeezed out.

The Ming Dynasty was developing and expanding rapidly, and they all knew very well that in the future, the Ming Dynasty would produce many meritorious officials and generals.

For example, Hu Ruzhen and Zhao Mengjing, who were highly rewarded this time, are said to be the ones who contributed to the attack on Yarkand. The two of them led light cavalry and reached the capital of Yarkand in just seven or eight days.

Truly, heroes emerge from among the young.

Wang Xian felt immense pressure whenever he thought of those two.