No matter what Zhang Liang chose, the next morning was the time for Xiang Yu to formally evaluate the merits of his meritorious veterans and the surrendered Chu princes and to give them further rewards.
This day was not only related to the status and position of meritorious officials and princes, but also crucial to the stability of the Chu regime. Therefore, everyone stayed up all night, got up before dawn, washed, changed into gorgeous court robes and entered the palace.
Even Han Xin, who was not known to be particular about his appearance, was no exception that day.
He changed into brand new and bright court robes, came to the palace with great excitement, and waited outside the court hall with everyone else, just waiting for the king to arrive.
Among a group of people who were either excited or nervous, only Lu Bu, who arrived on time, stood out.
He did not even touch the long black crown that he was supposed to wear for the ceremony. He was still wearing the bright and arrogant battle robe and his beloved pheasant tail crown on his head.
The two long tail feathers are as majestic as their owner, swaying with the wind as the bird walks.
In addition, with his tall stature that stood out from the crowd, even if he was just standing in the front row, shoulder to shoulder with Fan Zeng, Han Xin, Long Ju, Zhongli Mo and others, he would immediately attract countless attention.
His attire was so different that Long Qie and the others just looked at him curiously, but Han Xin was a little anxious: "Brother, why don't you change into court clothes?"
Lu Bu thought, how can I wear that
I don't know which idiot got kicked in the head by a donkey and thought of this, but the court robe he received from the palace the day before yesterday was made of dark blue on the top and dark blue on the bottom. It had so many patterns on it that it dazzled him at first glance. It was much more colorful than this battle robe.
If he really put it on, standing among the Chu officials who were all wearing crowns and robes not far away, he would probably look even weirder than if he was wearing a battle robe!
Lu Bu opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly he heard footsteps behind him, and he couldn't help but have an idea.
A little later, everyone who heard the sound turned around and saluted. It was indeed the emperor who had arrived.
Across the huge crowd, Xiang Yu was able to spot his beloved general at a glance without any effort.
Seeing Fengxian not wearing the gorgeous court robes that he had specially ordered, but still wearing his usual battle robes, he looked even more energetic and brilliant than before...
Xiang Yu felt a little disappointed at first, but soon became happy.
Forget it. With Fengxian’s straightforward temperament, he must have felt that the court robes had too many accessories and made it inconvenient for him to move.
Xiang Yu thought about several things without changing his expression. After ordering everyone to stand up, he entered the hall first.
After the emperor sat on the throne, the ministers guarding outside the palace were allowed to lead the way in.
Lu Bu knew that this day would be long and boring, so he wanted to stand aside and use his painstakingly practiced skill of sleeping with his eyes open for a while.
However, he didn't expect that the bastard old man Fan Zeng and his idiot brother, for some reason, worked together to do bad things. After a while of pushing and shoving, they managed to move his position to the center of the front row - the place closest to the Foolish Emperor.
Xiang Yu, who was sitting on the seat, saw all the little movements of the two men and couldn't help but feel a little better. He suddenly asked, "Why doesn't Fengxian wear court clothes?"
Lu Bu was still secretly glaring at his cheap brother Han Xin who had cheated him for no reason, when he was suddenly called upon to question him, and he could not help but be stunned.
While he was secretly cursing the fool for bringing up such a topic, a quick wit came to his mind, and he calmly made up a story: "If I am rewarded for my military skills, I will come to see you in military uniform; if I am rewarded for my strategy, I will come to see you in scholar's clothes! I am not like the other generals, most of whom are both brave and strategic, and can wear any outfit. I am the only one with the strength to barely get on the stage. I must come to see Your Majesty with my true face, so as to show my loyalty."
Hearing this, Xiang Yu curled the corners of his lips slightly.
Fengxian... is indeed cunning.
The expressions of the people who heard these words suddenly became subtle.
In the huge Chu camp, there is Lü Dushi, who became famous overnight and has the highest reputation since the palace banquet; there is the most capable of influencing the Chu State in terms of strategy, who killed the traitor, recommended the talented Han Xin, and personally defended the capital; there is even more unmatched, the god-like man who dared to beat His Majesty for the second time when his advice was not accepted...
How could such an important official, to whom even his father-in-law Fan Zeng was willing to take second place, say such nonsense as "I only have the strength to get on the stage"!
However, although His Majesty's expression did not change, the atmosphere around him revealed a sense of satisfaction. No matter how much emotion everyone felt in their hearts, they could only sigh that Lu Bu really understood the emperor's mind.
Not only is he good at guessing the emperor's intentions, he also possesses a host of powerful natural abilities. No wonder he has won the favor of His Majesty.
Because everyone knew that Lu Bu had made many contributions and came later than others, so he would be rewarded the most and the earliest.
Xiang Yu then announced in person that since Lü Bu, as a nobleman, had made the greatest contribution to Chu by paying loyalty, planning strategies, and charging into battle, he would be made prime minister and given the highest rank of twenty ranks of nobility, Che Hou, and could personally select a county in Guanzhong and take 30,000 households as his fief.
Such a generous reward made all the ministers amazed and envious.
However, Lu Bu looked normal.
That day, he abandoned everything and fled thousands of miles away, which completely proved his determination not to be an official. Not to mention Xiang Yu who was fond of him, even Fan Zeng did not dare to "press" him anymore. He could only sigh with regret and discuss today's affairs.
Even if Lu Bu was unwilling to accept it, Xiang Yu must reward him heavily for both public and private reasons because he came from behind and made the greatest contribution in the Chu camp.
Xiang Yu still held on to the thought that "after Fengxian figures it out, he might be willing to agree", so he let Yafu and Fengxian finish discussing how to play out this drama.
However, Lu Bu was a lazy person and had been frightened by the pain of constantly using his brain a while ago. Now that his great revenge was about to be taken, how could he be willing to work so hard like a fool!
So he declined the offer without blinking an eye and said, "Your Majesty had defeated the tyrannical Qin and stationed troops outside the Great Wall. I was displaced and was fortunate enough to join the Chu camp. It must have been guided by God. Moreover, I have little ability, but I am loyal and have always been by your side. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and discerning. You can choose one wise man among a hundred fools and one virtuous man among the useless. You have a keen eye for heroes and have many brave generals and wise men under your command, so that we can defeat the enemy one after another. Today's hegemony of unifying the world is clearly a fortune bestowed by God on Your Majesty. How dare I take credit for it? I am satisfied with just the title of marquis, and I dare not accept any title of nobility or household!"
Lu Bu recited his speech here without blinking, and that was the end of it. He just bowed and waited for Fan Zeng to smooth things over.
But he didn't know why, when he saw the silly boy's expression of loss, his eyes rolled, and he continued without anyone noticing: "A real man is upright and has been through life and death for many years. It is inevitable that he wants to make achievements and be rewarded with a title. I am no exception. However, I see that the people have sacrificed their lives for Your Majesty, but their bodies are exposed in the wilderness and no one cares. The cries of fathers and sons separated are heard everywhere, and the good fields are abandoned and no one cultivates them... If it is only for my own selfish desire to become king that the world is difficult to unify, and it falls into a state of division and disunity like the recent period, wouldn't it be unfair to Your Majesty, who is determined to revitalize the world and restore the prosperity?"
Lu Bu bowed deeply to Xiang Yu and said in a loud voice: "How can a child have more than one parent and family? Your Majesty was only the King of Chu in the past, and you only had to pity the people of Chu; now you are the Son of Heaven, and everyone in the four seas and eight wildernesses is your Majesty's subject. What does it matter whether they belong to your fiefdom? The Zhou Dynasty was once powerful, with all the princes submitting to it and foreigners paying homage to it. The world was peaceful and prosperous; but once the rulers declined, many heroes rose up, and the world was in tatters, and the people were displaced."
This was not only true of the Zhou Dynasty, but also of the Han Dynasty, which he was more familiar with.
When the imperial court was strong, the provincial governors worked diligently and the territory was stable; but when the imperial court was in turmoil, the provincial governors who held real power took advantage of the fact that "the emperor was far away" and broke away from the court to compete for supremacy in the Central Plains.
Recalling the tragic scenes he had witnessed, even a man as hard-hearted as Lu Bu could still reveal a bit of sadness in his eyes.
"Your Majesty is willing to pity me, which is a blessing for me. However, I should also know the duty of being a subject and should not put all the people in the world in trouble! I am willing to accept the title of nobility as a reward; I am also happy to accept gold, silver and jewelry; but if you want to give me a piece of land as a gift, I think it is absolutely unacceptable!"
After hearing this, some ministers who still held out hope could only accept it with a pain, no matter how unwilling they were.
Although they didn't know why, how could Lu Bu not be so greedy for fame and fortune that he had to resolutely refuse the reward that had been given to him...
But I know that the practice of dividing the land and enfeoffing kings and dukes will probably never happen again.
After all, even Lu Bu, who had made outstanding achievements, was humble and refused to accept the title, and even cited the righteousness of the world as an excuse.
Their contributions are far less than those of the other party, so how can they reopen the conversation
Moreover, the person who made the greatest contribution to suppressing the world and breaking the backbones of the princes was Xiang Yu himself, who had unparalleled reputation in the Chu army and was the one who had the final say.
Xiang Yu lowered his head, as if listening attentively, and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, Fang sighed softly, his eyes complicated and depressed: "Just follow what Fengxian said."
After Lu Bu declined and accepted only a title without land and gold and silver treasures, the ministers who were granted titles after him had no choice but to accept it even though they were reluctant.
Not daring to be the first one to get beaten, he reluctantly declined.
So Xiang Yu continued to give out rewards, and the titles and money he gave out were countless, but he did not lose any of the territory under his jurisdiction.
Apart from Lü Bu, who was eager to have less trouble and enjoy himself, the only three people who were truly happy about this were Fan Zeng, Han Xin and Chen Ping.
Even the loyal veterans who had followed Xiang Yu for many years, such as Long Ju, Zhongli Mo and Ji Bu, could not help feeling a little disappointed when they learned that they had no hope of being rewarded.
Fan Zeng was old and had long since given up his selfish desires. He only wished for the prosperity of the State of Chu and the realization of his lifelong ambition.
Han Xin had military books, military belts, and battles to fight—if he had only one of these three, he would be satisfied. He was even happier to be recognized as a marquis.
As for whether there was a fiefdom... Even if there was, he would be reluctant to give it to his brother who was destined to stay in Xianyang and the countless military books he had not yet finished reading.
In contrast, Chen Ping's calmness comes from his thorough understanding.
With a playful look in his eyes, he cast an unobtrusive glance at Lu Bu, who had a calm expression on his face.
—There is no false reputation under a great name. This Lu Qishi is indeed a man with foresight.
Chen Ping smiled, his fox eyes narrowed slightly, thinking: Who cares how great the achievements are, or how much the king trusts him? If the mansion collapses, today's honey will be tomorrow's love.
Even if Xiang Yu really had the magnanimity to endure the situation throughout his life, his successors would probably not turn a blind eye to this fatal threat.
The more generous Your Majesty is today, the more vicious and cruel the means will be if he intends to take back the title in the future.
It would be better to be like Lu Bu and retreat a few steps gracefully, which not only demonstrated his purity and lack of ambition, but also completely consolidated the emperor's trust.