"Ah, ah…"

Screams of pain echoed across the Northern Mountain Village. Gravels and mud flew in all directions and covered the entire area in a cloud of dust.

It was an accident.

The royal guards never expected to encounter so many traps at the entrance to the Northern Mountain Village. Conversely, the villagers also had no idea that the royal guards would pay a visit to the village.

The charging horses fell right into those traps before the royal guards could put a stop to it. Some of them who were riding on the horses also became victims of this accident.

The whimpering of the horses and cries of pain could be heard clearly at the entrance of the Northern Mountain Village. It was a peculiar sight.

The commander naturally would not die from just a simple trap. He quickly got out from the amateurish trap and saw a figure clad in a humble cotton robe standing in front of him. It was Fang Zhengzhi who was holding half a bun in one hand and a dustpan in the other.

At that moment, he was dumbfounded.

"Master Fang?" The royal guard never expected to see Fang Zhengzhi in this state.

This was because Fang Zhengzhi"s predicament had already spread throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

Only half a year left…

Shouldn"t he be using his time wisely? Why is he not putting in an effort to attain the Saint State?

Why would he be standing at the village entrance casually with a dustpan in his hand?

Fang Zhengzhi still managed to swallow the rest of his bun amidst the shock. Following which, he carefully placed his dustpan onto the ground before he patted the dust off his body.

He naturally recognized the attire of the royal guards, though he did not give it much attention. He merely lifted his head to look at the beautiful morning sun and muttered, "What beautiful weather."

The commotion at the entrance of the village naturally attracted the rest of the villagers.

The villagers crowded around the area and watched as over hundred royal guards climbed out of the trap with their disheveled faces,

"They are the royal guards right?"

"Yes, I heard that the royal guards are the private protection squad of the Emperor. They are tasked to protect the palace. Why would they be here?"

"The chief said that they might be here to charge Fang Zhengzhi!"

"Charge Fang Zhengzhi? But why? Zhengzhi is a Rank 3 Official now, why would they do that? Furthermore, Zhengzhi had made great contributions in the Southern Region!"

"I heard it is because he deployed the soldiers on his own accord…"

"How can this be? Zhengzhi finally returned to the Northern Mountain Village after so long. We cannot let them have their way. We have to protect Zhengzhi with our lives!"

Countless villagers stood in front of the royal guards as they became immersed in their discussions. Each of them had a wary expression on their faces.

Zhang Yangping and the farmers had also reached the entrance at that moment. As they stared at the disheveled royal guards, they felt even more uneasy.

They had the impression that the royal guards were here to capture Fang Zhengzhi. If they had treated them well in this period, they might also treat Fang Zhengzhi better. However…

Look at what they have done!

How do they salvage this situation?

What if the royal guards vent their frustration on Fang Zhengzhi on their way back to the capital city?

"Commander of the royal guards, we have no idea you guys were coming, the traps…" Zhang Yangping stared at the ground and fell silent.

"There is no need to apologize. It is due to our negligence that we fall into these traps. This has nothing to do with the Northern Mountain Village!" The commander immediately replied upon hearing Zhang Yangping"s words. He then walked towards Fang Zhengzhi and said, "Master Fang, the Emperor has a royal decree for you!"

"Royal decree?"

"Oh royal guard, is the Emperor going to blame Fang Zhengzhi for deploying the troops on his own accord?"

"This is entirely the fault of the Northern Mountain Village and has nothing to do with Fang Zhengzhi. Please put the blame on us instead!"

Zhang Yangping and the farmers paled upon hearing the commander"s words.

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi walked forward. He then helped Zhang Yangping up from his kneeling position and cast his gaze on the royal guard before saying, "Speak!"

"Speak?"

The villagers stared at each other in shock. Shouldn"t the usual protocol of receiving such decrees require Fang Zhengzhi to kneel down?

Speak…

What did he mean?

Just when the villagers were about to reprimand Fang Zhengzhi for his lack of manners, the commander of the royal guards took out a golden scroll. He seemed unfazed by Fang Zhengzhi"s actions.

"a.s.sistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Fang Zhengzhi, had made great contributions in the battle of Flame Capital City, protecting the dignity and safety of the nation. He will be conferred the t.i.tle Commander of An Bei City, Protector of the Ma.s.ses. He will also be conferred the Imperial History achievement and be elevated to a Rank 2 Official!"

"Commander of An Bei City?"

"Protector of the Ma.s.ses?"

"The Imperial History Achievement!"

The villagers could not believe their ears when they first heard those words. They actually have no idea what all those t.i.tles meant.

However, they understood the most important part.

Rank 2 Official!

Fang Zhengzhi was now a Rank 2 Official!

That was equivalent to the rank of the Six Council Officials!

Not only did the royal guards ignore Fang Zhengzhi"s mistake, they even gave him a higher rank in court! This was something that all the villagers did not expect.

However, after a moment of silence, a crisp voice could be heard.

"Chief of the Northern Mountain Village, Zhang Yangping, thank the Emperor for this heavenly grace on behalf of Fang Zhengzhi!"

"Thank you for the heavenly grace!"

Cries of respect for the Emperor"s benevolence echoed through the area. Each of the villagers had tears in their eyes as they bowed towards the East.

"Rank 2 Official?" Fang Zhengzhi muttered as he stared at the kneeling villagers. He wanted to stop them from doing so, though he knew that his words would fall on deaf ears.

It would be preposterous if he wanted them to receive a royal decree while standing like him. If he chose his words wrongly, he would even be reprimanded by Zhang Yangping afterward.

There was no helping the situation.

Though it was completely understandable.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves could be heard once again. Following which, another group of royal guards appeared in their field of vision.

"Why are there more royal guards?"

"Did the Emperor change his mind?"

"It cannot be? Didn"t they say the Emperor should not go back on his words?"

"Could the Emperor be giving two separate royal decrees? I heard that the Emperor is a man of fairness. Fang Zhengzhi had contributed to the war, which ent.i.tled him to rewards. However, he would also be charged for his errs."

The villagers stared at the incoming royal guards as their expression of joy turned serious.

Quickly, the second group of royal guards arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi and the villagers.

"Master Fang, you have a royal decree!" The second group of royal guards stared at their disheveled counterparts with a confused expression on their faces.

However, they did not probe further. They quickly stood in front of Fang Zhengzhi and took out a golden scroll.

"Speak," Fang Zhengzhi muttered once again.

This time around, the villagers had gotten used to Fang Zhengzhi"s brazenness. However, they were extremely nervous when they saw the golden scroll.

"Commander of An Bei City, Holder of the Imperial History Achievement, Fang Zhengzhi has quelled the chaos in the Northern Lands and protected countless lives. He will be conferred the t.i.tle of Chief of An Bei, Protector of the ma.s.ses, Honorary Imperial Protector, Sub-Rank 1 Official!"

"Sub-Rank 1?"

"With the Honorary Imperial Protector t.i.tle?"

"Chief of An Bei!"

If the previous royal decree was enough to make them surprised and shocked, the content of this royal decree was simply unbelievable.

Sub-Rank 1 Official!

What else could be more prestigious than a Sub-Rank 1 Official!

If there was a family that managed to produce a Sub-Rank 1 Official, it was an achievement that they could brag about for generations. How could anyone in such a small village in the Northern Lands have dreamt of such glory?

However…

Fang Zhengzhi had done it.

Fang Zhengzhi, a person who was born into a poor family in the Northern Mountain Village, had become a Sub-Rank 1 Official of the Great Xia Dynasty. Even if it was not a full Rank 1 Official yet, this still called for a huge celebration.

"Thank Your Majesty for the heavenly grace!"

"Zhengzhi ah, Zhengzhi... quick, thank the Emperor!"

"Yes, Zhengzhi, don"t" just stand there. Quick, this a such a good t.i.tle. The Emperor had conferred upon you the t.i.tle of the Chief of An Bei!"

"The Northern Mountain Village is truly blessed. We did not even have an official previously, but now, we have a Sub-Rank 1 Official!"

The villagers were extremely excited, some of them even shedding tears of joy. Even though this glory belonged solely to Fang Zhengzhi, their bodies still trembled from the news.

Fang Zhengzhi then stared at the agitated villagers as he laid out his hands helplessly. Kneel? How long must he kneel for?

"There is more!" Fang Zhengzhi said as he pointed to a spot far away.

"More?" Zheng Yangping and the villagers immediately turned to look in the direction where Fang Zhengzhi was pointing. Following which, they saw another group of royal guards in golden armor.

"The Emperor has ordered that due to Fang Zhengzhi"s glorious performance, he would be named as the General of An Bei, Protector of the Ma.s.ses, National Councillor, Imperial Protector and a full Rank 1 Official!"

"National Councillor!"

"Did I hear National Councillor?"

"Full Rank 1 Official!"

"A general has appeared in the Northern Mountain Village! It is an important general at that!"

Zheng Yangping"s face went red from the excitement. He had never been so agitated in his life. Rank 1 Official, National Councillor and the General of An Bei.

This was almost as high as rankings go in the Great Xia Dynasty!

There were probably no other t.i.tles that could be better than this.

How old was Fang Zhengzhi?

He was merely 18 years old and was already the National Councillor of the Great Xia Dynasty. How could anyone believe such a preposterous news?

He knelt and muttered his thanks.

Zhang Yangping and the villagers fell speechless. Only smiles remained on their faces, smiles as bright as the golden sunrays.

However, it didn"t take long…

Before their smiles froze.

That was because they saw another group of royal guards coming. Their golden armor reflected the blinding sun rays.

"There"s more?"

"He is already the National Councillor, what else is there?"

They merely felt nervous and afraid for the first three times. However, they did not know what to feel for this one.

Was there a higher ranking than a Rank 1 Official?

However…

What else could there be? That was not possible. Rank 1 Officials already held the most power in court. Furthermore, he was already the General of An Bei.

No one could fathom this sight.

The royal guards once again appeared in front of them. The over hundred royal guards had completely filled the small Northern Mountain Village. The commander of the most recent royal guards took some time to squeeze through the crowd before he arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi.

"Master Fang, you have a royal decree!"

"Speak," Fang Zhengzhi fell speechless. He could tell that this was a deliberate act by Lin Mubai.

He could completely understand the reasons behind them.

Since the creation of the Great Xia Dynasty, ranking promotions were bound by a stringent set of rules. If Lin Mubai did not want too many objections to Fang Zhengzhi"s elevation, he would have to promote him through the ranks.

He was merely a Rank 3 Official at the beginning.

Lin Mubai had to slowly promote him first to a Rank 2 Official, then to a Sub-Rank 1 Official before he reached a Rank 1 Official.

Step by step.

Fang Zhengzhi stared at the glaring sun in the skies. If he was merely a Rank 9 Official, how many promotions would it take before Lin Mubai would be satisfied?

"General of An Bei, National Councillor Fang Zhengzhi had made great contributions to the nation. The Emperor has conferred upon you the t.i.tle Lord of An Bei. Your mother Qin Xuelian will be conferred the t.i.tle of Rank 1 Imperial Decreed Lady, and your father Fang Houde as Master of Ceremonies c.u.m Imperial Tutor."

"Lord? Fang Zhengzhi is now a Lord!"

"Even sister Xuelian is conferred a Rank 1 Gao Ming t.i.tle! Houde is also now a Tai Chang Scholar. Oh, my lord, the Northern Mountain Village is blessed!"

Zhang Yangping and the villagers were already feeling thirsty from all the cheers and celebratory hollers. However, they still could not contain the excitement within themselves and continued to shout with their raspy voices.

At that moment…

Another group of royal guards appeared in their field of vision. Dust flew behind them as they charged forward, their golden armor s.h.i.+ning brightly as usual.

Zhang Yangping and the villagers froze in their tracks.

At that moment, they naturally would not think that the Emperor was here to offer a punishment. That was because Fang Zhengzhi was already conferred the t.i.tle of the Lord of An Bei.

However, what other t.i.tles were there?

"Lord of An Bei Fang Zhengzhi, please receive your royal decree!" The commander of the royal guards squeezed through the crowd and arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi after many struggles. He then took out a golden scroll from his armor soaked in his perspiration.

"Are there any more of you?" Fang Zhengzhi stared at the commander and quickly glanced behind him. Unfortunately, his field of vision was completely blocked by the horde of royal guards.

"This… I do not know, my lord!" The commander seemed startled by the question and carefully shook his head as he replied.

"Forget it, speak," Fang Zhengzhi sighed and merely looked in the direction of Flame Capital City and said, "d.a.m.n it, I have been doing this for over half an hour. The meat buns have already gone cold!"