As Ji Zhiyuan spoke, he glanced at Yang An beside him.
Yang An understood. He cleared his throat and said, "Reward everyone from the Military Council with ten thousand taels of gold and two portions of Shadowless Starsilk. If anyone wishes to stay in the Academy to continue their studies, they will be rewarded with an Origin Casting technique."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
Then, they thought about it and understood Ji Tiansheng's intentions. They couldn't help but praise his ingenuity.
The reward here was not a simple reward. It was a reward from the Emperor. He treated everyone from the Military Council as his subordinates. The competition between the two academies had become a show between two children. There were rewards regardless of who won or lost. Ji Tiansheng had placed himself in the position of the Emperor.
Moreover, he had a good reason to do so. After all, no matter how the civil war had been, Qin Queyue had never been conferred the title of King. He was still a mere provincial governor of the Empire. There was nothing to criticize about this.
Increasing the reward method was a blatant attempt to poach him away. The previous rewards paled in comparison to the value of the Origin Forging Technique. They could not be compared at all. Therefore, this was a true reward as long as one was willing to accept the olive branch.
Qin Guanyue's eyes were about to spit fire. He stared coldly at Ji Zhiyuan and said, "Monarch Ji, you've gone too far!"
The title of Monarch Ji was not lacking in etiquette. It also declared Western Liang's independence from the Empire. It was a brilliant move.
But don't forget that Western Liang had lost the bet. The content of the bet was that if the Academy won, the Western Liang Iron Cavalry would be disarmed and Liangzhou would return to the imperial territory. Qin Guanyue's words were treason.
"How dare you!" Yang An immediately glared at him and said in a sharp voice, "You're merely the younger brother of a provincial governor. You don't even have a military position. You've only been an instructor in the Inner Academy for a few days. How dare you speak to His Majesty like this? Don't forget whose servant you are now."
Even though he knew that the bet was difficult to fulfill, he might as well use the tiger's skin.
Qin Guanyue was not stupid. He said coldly, "Western Liang will not go back on its words. However, don't forget the condition of the bet. It will only take effect when Monarch Ji marries the Dragon Butcher of Yan."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gazes descended onto Yan Li in unison.
Yan Li was chewing on a chicken leg when he suddenly felt the atmosphere was a little strange. He blinked his eyes and said seriously, "Dragon Head said he doesn't want to marry into the palace and be a gigolo."
Bang!
Ji Zhiyuan suddenly slammed the table. Her pretty face was as cold as ice. "He has to marry even if he doesn't want to. It's not up to him!"
Everyone was speechless. He didn't even know what that person looked like, how old he was, or whether he was a man or a woman. Was it appropriate for him to be so domineering?
She was the most beautiful woman in the world, but she didn't know what being reserved was.
Although he thought about it, he was still shocked by Ji Zhiyuan's determination for peace.
She didn't seem to know her own value and would rather throw herself at him to make this bet happen. However, was it really that easy?
The more crucial question is, if peace does come, will it really be a happy ending for all?
No, that would be a disaster for Yanshan Robber.
Although Yan Xiaoyi was sitting at the table, he kept thinking about the conversation he had overheard between Lu Xian and Qin Guanyue before he left.
"Young Master is kind and generous. He might want peace."
"You mean he lost on purpose?" Qin Guanyue's eyebrows twitched.
Lu Xian smiled bitterly. "That's not what I meant. Let's not talk about whether Young Master did his best or not. I'm saying that he will most likely try his best to make the bet happen, which is peace. In his words, for Miss Tang's beauty … "
"Ridiculous!" Qin Guanyue interrupted him coldly. "How can there be love in the struggle for hegemony?"
He seemed to know his nephew's character and felt helpless. He paused and said, "What do you think about this?"
Lu Xian said, "I think we should honor the bet."
Qin Guanyue was a little surprised. "Tell me what you think."
Lu Xian said, "First of all, the Young Master will be in charge of the Military Council in the future. The Military Council should be close to his ideals in order to be able to merge into one and exert several times the power. Second, if the Young Master wants to rule the world, the Swallow Mountain Bandits must be eliminated. Why don't we first rely on Ji Tiansheng and eliminate the Swallow Mountain Bandits before slowly planning … If Second Master wants to enter the palace this time, you can give a hint. I think Ji Tiansheng is extremely smart and will know what to do … If so, losing the bet this time might not be a bad thing."
"Oh!" Qin Guanyue seemed to be deep in thought.
People who could turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one were very scary.
"But you, did you even expect this to happen? Or did you think I would be softhearted …" Yan Xiaoyi silently looked at Yan Li.
Ji Zhiyuan gestured for Yang An to continue.
Yang An said, "The disciples of the Academy are the Emperor's disciples, so the rewards are naturally indispensable. Among them, Luo Gensheng died in battle and will be compensated according to first-class merit. The rest of the disciples will be rewarded with 20 portions of Shadowless Starthread and 30 academic points …"
One portion of Shadowless Starthread was worth a thousand taels of gold. One academic point had the purchasing power of a thousand taels of gold. In total, it was equivalent to fifty thousand taels of gold. The rewards were generous.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generous rewards."
"My dear ministers, please help yourselves. I am a little tired." Ji Zhiyuan said and stood up. His purple and gold robe that dragged on the ground drew a mesmerizing arc. Dressed up, she was beautiful, but she had a very strong aura. The majesty of an emperor made people unable to look at her directly. It was not as exciting as her casual clothes.
After taking two steps, he stopped and whispered a few words into Yang An's ear before leaving.
Yang An summoned a eunuch and also whispered something in his ear. The young eunuch ran to Yan Li's side and said in a low voice, "Yan Gongzi, His Majesty wants to see you, please go to the Zichen Hall and wait there."
Meanwhile, over at the Grand Council, Lu Xian kept giving Qin Guanyue looks, but he did not say a word.
After Ji Tiansheng left, he smiled bitterly and whispered, "Second Master, compared to the great cause of Xiliang, personal honor and disgrace are nothing …"
Qin Guanyue's expression had not calmed down yet. Obviously, he was holding back a bellyful of anger and had completely forgotten his original purpose.
"Forget it, I was too impatient." He adjusted his state of mind and lowered his head to admit his mistake. This was rare.
Lu Xian sighed secretly and did not speak anymore.
"Tomorrow?" Yan Xiaoyi sat next to Lu Xian.
Lu Xian nodded and said, "We cannot add any more variables to this trip. His Majesty has also sent a message for us to return to Xiliang."
Yan Xiaoyi said regretfully, "It is a pity that the jar of Heavenly Fire I hid …"
Lu Xian's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He anxiously grabbed Yan Xiaoyi's clothes and whispered, "What? When did you hide a jar? Quickly take me to get it, we can't let others take advantage of it. "
Yan Xiaoyi expressionlessly slapped his hand away and leisurely said, "What's the rush, isn't it just a jar of wine? I originally wanted to give you and Young Master a surprise, but I didn't expect to lose the competition and forget about it."
"What do you know!" Lu Xian suppressed his voice. "Do you know that when I drink other wine, it tastes like horse piss? It tastes so bad that I want to vomit …"
"Then go and get it, lest your resentment disturbs my peace." Yan Xiaoyi said impatiently.
"Wait!" Lu Xian suddenly pressed him down.
Yan Xiaoyi's heart thumped. Could it be that he had sensed it?
Unexpectedly, Lu Xian suddenly looked like he could not hold the alcohol and turned his head. "Young Master, Second Master, this subordinate is a bit tired and will go back to rest."
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