Chapter 133 Request for Order
Chapter 133 Requesting for Imperial Order

With a bitter face, Ye Xuan accepted Zhu Yuanzhang's appointment and left the imperial city listlessly, waiting to take office the next day.

Looking at Ye Xuan going away, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and shook his head, muttering: "This little guy, others are looking forward to promotion and wealth, but he is so good, promotion is like my life."

Yun Qi echoed, "Yeah, I don't know what this Captain Ye... oh no, Captain Ye is thinking."

Zhu Yuanzhang teased: “If you could know what Ye Xuan is thinking, you wouldn’t be a eunuch.”

"But people like this who are not greedy for official positions are indeed rare, and they can be reused."

The next day.

Zhu Yuanzhang personally sent the imperial edict promoting Ye Xuan to the Pacification Office, where Mao Xiang and Wei Qingming were unexpectedly efficient.

As soon as Ye Xuan arrived at the yamen, he saw that the incense table and offerings had already been set up in the court of the Zhenfu Division.

Mao Xiang lit a handful of sandalwood himself and was fanning the flame with his hands to make the white smoke thicker.

Seeing Ye Xuan coming, he immediately came up to him warmly and pulled Ye Xuan to the incense table without saying anything.

After stuffing three fragrant incense sticks over, Mao Xiang said with a smile, "Why did you come just now? Don't you know that the imperial decree to promote you has arrived?"

Ye Xuan chuckled and said, "I know, it's just a matter of formalities, there's no rush."

"You, you," Mao Xiang pointed at Ye Xuan, with a look of concern from an elder who was disappointed with his junior, "We have seven or eight thousand-man guards in the Jinyiwei, and if you count the deputy thousand-man guards, there will be even more."

"But which one was chosen by His Majesty? I tell you, there is not a single one!"

"Here," he said, pointing his chin towards the incense table, "Did you see the imperial edict? This must be offered to the gods to thank His Majesty for his great grace!"

After that, she circled around Ye Xuan like a chattering old woman and said, "Did you fast and burn incense when you came here this morning? Hey, why do you still smell like a woman's powder?"

Ye Xuan immediately walked away awkwardly and came to the incense table to prepare for the ceremony, so as to get rid of Mao Xiang's excessive intimacy this morning.

Although it was not common for Jinyiwei officials to be promoted, there were always a few people like this every month or so.

However, there had never been a ceremony to receive the imperial edict in the court of the Pacification Office, not to mention that it was presided over personally by the elusive commander Mao Xiang, which was even rarer.

In fact, this is normal. Usually, promotions within the Jinyiwei, from small flag officers to general flag officers, and from hundred households to thousand households, are basically all decided by Mao Xiang.

Because the Jinyiwei were not like ordinary officials or the army, but royal guards directly under the emperor.

All personnel changes and transfers above the rank of 100 households required Mao Xiang to seek permission from the emperor, and could only take effect after Huangdi's approval.

From a certain perspective, all Jinyiwei officers above the rank of hundred were appointed by the emperor, so basically every Jinyiwei who was promoted would set up an incense table at home. On the one hand, it was a fake ceremony to request an imperial decree, and on the other hand, it was also a way to repay the emperor's kindness.

But Ye Xuan's case was different. He did not go through the Mao Xiang procedure, but was actually appointed as a thousand households by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. So the ceremony of requesting the imperial decree was naturally legitimate.

But logically speaking, Mao Xiang did not need to make an exception and hold this request for imperial decree ceremony in the Zhenfu Division, and he even presided over the ceremony personally.

In addition to Mao Xiang and Wei Qingming, all the Jinyiwei of the Zhenfusi Yamen were present. They all looked at Ye Xuan with undisguised envy.

Watching Ye Xuan casually insert the sandalwood into the incense burner and bow his waist, he considered the ceremony completed.

His former boss, now his colleague at the same level, Wei Qingming, came over with a sad face and said, "Is that it? How can I say this to you? Back then, my fake ceremony for being promoted to a thousand households had three tables set up and lasted for three days and three nights. What a great honor!"

Ye Xuan smiled lightly and said nonchalantly: "I am indifferent by nature. I just want to serve Your Majesty well. I don't care about these things."

Wei Qingming immediately realized that this was just Ye Xuan's perfunctory remark. Seeing that he had been promoted to a thousand households at such a young age and looked as if he didn't care, Wei Qingming suddenly felt that comparison was the thief of anger.

Not to mention how perfunctory Ye Xuan was, the ceremony of requesting imperial decree was finally completed.

After driving away the Jinyiwei who were clamoring for Ye Xuan to treat them to a meal, Mao Xiang brought Ye Xuan to his own public housing.

Mao Xiang first poured Ye Xuan a cup of tea, then took out a package that had been prepared long ago from the desk and placed it in front of Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan opened it and found inside was the official uniform of a sixth-rank Jinyiwei captain, as well as a waist badge with Ye Xuan's name on it and an imperial edict.

The imperial edict clearly stated Ye Xuan's age, hometown, rank and other information, which was equivalent to a letter of appointment for an ancient official.

With this imperial edict, Ye Xuan was considered a true sixth-rank captain.

Although it didn't look like a promotion, Ye Xuan couldn't help but get a little excited when he saw the outfit with his own eyes.

Mao Xiang looked at Ye Xuan's expression with a smile and praised: "Except for those nobles who inherited their father's position, Ye Xuan, you are the youngest thousand households I have ever seen! And you were appointed by the emperor himself. It really opened my eyes!"

Ye Xuan said modestly: "No, no, I am just a fifth-rank officer, which is far inferior to you, my Lord."

"What are you talking about? Although I hold a higher official position than you, don't you see how old I am?" Mao Xiang pretended to be angry and lectured Ye Xuan: "You are only in your twenties, right? There is still a long way to go. I can say this, Ye Xuan, your future is definitely not something that can be accommodated by this small temple of Jinyiwei."

"Your Excellency is too kind. I still have a lot to learn from you about the ways of being an official!"

Although Mao Xiang's words sounded like he was teaching Ye Xuan a lesson for being too ambitious, anyone could tell that this was not a lesson at all. He was clearly treating himself as Ye Xuan's elder and teaching him how to be a good person. He even praised Ye Xuan a little.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a high-ranking official of the third rank, he could say these words to Ye Xuan, and the meaning of his gesture of goodwill could not be more obvious.

Ye Xuan naturally heard it as well. As the saying goes, a sedan chair is carried by people, so Ye Xuan was not stingy with a few nice words.

Sure enough, after hearing Ye Xuan's words, Mao Xiang's smile became even brighter.

He took out a jade pendant from his bosom and handed it to Ye Xuan, saying: "Today is a great day for your promotion. As your direct superior, I don't have anything good to give you. This jade pendant is quite good, so I'll give it to you!"

Ye Xuan knew that this jade pendant was definitely not a rare treasure, but it conveyed a message.

As long as Ye Xuan accepts the jade pendant, it means he is standing on the same side as Mao Xiang.

Making friends with a third-rank Jinyiwei commander would only benefit Ye Xuan, and there was no reason for him to refuse.

(End of this chapter)