Chapter 92 Gender of Sin 92
Officials appointed by the Emperor, regardless of location, must enter the Capital City to thank in person. Naturally, Qin Shuangshuang must also go. Mrs. Bai’s imperial title is due to Qin Shuangshuang’s appointment, so she is technically exempt from entering the Capital City to express gratitude. However, Qin Shuangshuang thought that visiting the Capital City could be both a leisure trip and an opportunity to broaden her horizons, so she decided that the entire family should go to the Capital City together.
Even Fang Yao and Qin Miao temporarily entrusted their responsibilities to a few capable managers, planning to accompany Qin Shuangshuang to the Capital City. Then, Qin Shuangshuang would go with General Qi to express gratitude, while they would tour around the Capital City, experiencing the grandeur beneath the Emperor’s feet.
General Qi is the Border Guard General. When the Emperor decreed their appointments, he specifically stated that General Qi need not enter the Capital City to express gratitude. General Qi, being perceptive, would naturally not truly refrain from going to the Capital City. Instead, he submitted requests again and again to meet the Emperor in person to express his gratitude.
General Qi suppressed the barbarians who had troubled the border city for hundreds of years since the previous dynasty; such a feat could almost be described as a threat to the sovereign. Even though he is trusted by the Emperor, the Emperor couldn’t help but be more mindful of him.
This time, when the Emperor issued the decree, he simultaneously appointed two trusted generals as City Defense Generals for the two nearby border cities next to Feiying Pass. This move was intended not only as assistance to General Qi, but more so as a measure to divide power and keep an eye on him.
However, General Qi’s influence in the border city is firmly established. Even if he does nothing, as long as he is in the border city, the Emperor’s envoys trying to divide General Qi’s authority is impossible. So the special allowance in the Emperor’s decree, permitting General Qi not to enter the Capital City to express gratitude, was merely a test.
If General Qi remains loyal to the Emperor, he would naturally go to the Capital City without hesitation, facilitating the other two trusted generals in establishing their footing and dividing power in the border city. If General Qi harbored any scheming thoughts or intended to become a local despot with his troops, he would undoubtedly take the decree’s suggestion and not go to the Capital City.
Although General Qi was born into a poor family, he is extremely intelligent. He knows well that a subject who poses a threat to the Emperor, unless rebelling, will never meet a good end, not to mention that having too much authority is not favorable for a subject.