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Chapter 254 The Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique
royal palace.

Only when the Marquis of Donghuang left and completely walked out of the palace gates did he finally breathe a deep sigh of relief and relax his tense nerves.

Only then did the Marquis of Donghuang realize that the back of his clothes was already soaked with sweat...

This trip to the palace to meet the emperor felt like a brush with death for the Marquis of Donghuang.

Its danger level is even greater than that of the battlefield.

Even the Marquis of Donghuang, who remained unfazed on the battlefield, was still shaken.

On the battlefield, though there are swords and spears, they are all in the open.

But in the palace, a single word, a glance, or even a moment of hesitation could mean the difference between life and death.

Marquis Donghuang understood that if he had dared to utter a single word of sophistry or hesitate even slightly in the palace, he probably wouldn't be able to leave the palace by now.

It wasn't that Marquis Donghuang was exaggerating; rather, he was fully aware of the situation.

The emperor was just giving him a warning, but wasn't he also testing him?

Fortunately, the Marquis of Donghuang passed the test.

At that time, the Marquis of Donghuang neither made excuses for himself nor hesitated to drink the wine.

This allowed him to leave the palace unharmed.

However, compared to the open and covert battles in the palace, the Marquis of Donghuang still preferred the life-and-death struggles on the battlefield.

As for the cup of imperial wine that the emperor had just bestowed upon him, although it frightened the Marquis of Donghuang quite a bit, he dared not utter a single complaint.

Moreover, the Marquis of Donghuang not only had no complaints, but was also pleasantly surprised.

At least he passed this hurdle.

From then on, Marquis Donghuang no longer had to worry that the court would treat him, Marquis Donghuang, the same way it had treated Marquis Zhenbei and Marquis Xiliang.

In other words, the emperors before him, the Marquis of Donghuang, no longer cared about his past.

This was what surprised the Marquis of Donghuang the most.

Marquis Donghuang glanced back at the majestic imperial palace, then left with a relaxed expression.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen only gave Donghuang Hou a warning and tested him, and had no intention of making any moves against him.

In Zhou Chen's eyes, the Marquis of Donghuang was capable, but his loyalty was somewhat lacking.

But the root cause of all this was the decline of the imperial court.

If the imperial power is strong, there is no need to worry about the loyalty of people like the Marquis of Donghuang.

This is also why Zhou Chen has not made any move against the Marquis of Donghuang.

If, just now, when Marquis Donghuang drank that cup of wine, he had truly hesitated, or had found a reason to refuse.

Then, Zhou Chen would no longer spare the Marquis of Donghuang, and would either give him a cup of poisoned wine or take him down directly.

"The Emperor's Conferment of Divinity Technique".

After the Marquis of Donghuang left, Zhou Chen focused his mind and began to cultivate.

No matter when or where, Zhou Chen never forgot that strength is the fundamental factor that determines everything.

Even he, the emperor, could not suppress the destiny of the Great Zhou Dynasty without sufficient power.

A mysterious and profound 'qi' began to circulate within Zhou Chen's body.

The Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique is a cultivation method rewarded by the system after Zhou Chen was bound to it.

According to the system prompt, the Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique is a fundamental cultivation method that directly points to the supreme origin of the Great Dao, and it is also a special cultivation skill unique to the Emperor.

The Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique is different from other ordinary cultivation methods.

Other common cultivation methods require talent, spiritual energy, and resources; without these, it is difficult to achieve anything.

However, the cultivation of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods technique is different.

The Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique cultivates the power of destiny; the Emperor's destiny is also the destiny of the nation.

The more prosperous the nation, the stronger the emperor's fortune, and the faster the emperor can cultivate the divine conferment technique.

As long as the Emperor's Conferring of Gods technique is cultivated to its highest level, the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty will not perish, and Zhou Chen will not die.

Even if countless years pass and the Great Zhou Dynasty declines and perishes, if the world still retains a trace of the Great Zhou's flame, Zhou Chen will still be able to return once more.

This is the terrifying aspect of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique.

Moreover, this is only one characteristic of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique.

Besides this characteristic, the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique has many other features.

For example, when Zhou Chen is fighting against an enemy, he can draw upon the power of the Zhou Dynasty's national fortune.

Furthermore, within the territory of the Great Zhou, Zhou Chen can use the nation's fortune to foresee events thousands of miles away, and he can also use the nation's fortune to suppress enemies thousands of miles away.

Of course, to achieve this, one would need to cultivate the Emperor's Conferment of Gods technique to a very high level.

At the same time, the Great Zhou Dynasty must be elevated to a dynasty of destiny.

Currently, Zhou Chen does not have the strength or ability to do these things.

Zhou Chen slowly activated the Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique, and a mysterious 'qi' permeated his body, faintly resonating with the surrounding void.

This mysterious and profound energy is not the spiritual energy that ordinary people cultivate, but a special kind of luck energy.

As Zhou Chen cultivated, a constant stream of fortune gathered at the Hall of Mental Cultivation from all directions.

These formed golden dragons of fortune, which then entered Zhou Chen's body.

Since the extermination of the four foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall, the abolition of the tax-exempt privileges of aristocratic families, and the beginning of cleaning up the internal problems of the Great Zhou, the national fortune of the Great Zhou has been greatly enhanced.

Zhou Chen, the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, naturally had his imperial fortune increase as well.

Zhou Chen's cultivation of the Emperor's Conferring God Technique was also significantly faster than before.

Half an hour later, Zhou Chen opened his eyes.

"It's still not quite there."

Zhou Chen sighed.

Although the internal energy within him had increased considerably during this training, the actual gains were not significant.

The cultivation method of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique is different from ordinary cultivation methods.

The usual methods of cultivation are nothing more than strengthening the body and nourishing the vital energy.

Even those who are half-step into the Celestial Realm are no exception.

However, the cultivation of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods technique requires the nation's fortune!
Without sufficient national fortune, Zhou Chen would be unable to break through in his cultivation.

Of course, if there is enough national fortune, then Zhou Chen can break through without any restrictions.

It can be said that the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique was a skill prepared entirely for the emperor.

Under heaven, besides the emperor, who else can possess the destiny of a Son of Heaven and the fate of a nation?

However, even though the Great Zhou Dynasty has already exterminated the four foreign tribes outside the pass and begun to clean up internal problems, and its national fortune has improved considerably, it is still not prosperous.

It wasn't enough for Zhou Chen to make a rapid breakthrough.

It seems that if we want to go further, we need to completely eliminate the internal problems of the Great Zhou.

Zhou Chen thought to himself.

Zhou Chen has now cultivated the Emperor's Conferring God Technique to the late stage of the first level, which is the so-called late stage of a first-grade Grandmaster.

He was just one step away from perfecting the first level of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique and breaking through to the peak of the Grandmaster level.

But this very step caught Zhou Chen off guard, making him feel like he was falling short.

……

In Luoyang, after investigating the land grabs by powerful families and confiscating their private armies, another large-scale operation immediately began.

This matter involved establishing a royal academy.

The Ministry of Works is building a royal academy.

Du Ruhui was also leading the Ministry of Rites in preparing for the establishment of a royal academy. As news of the court's plan to establish a royal academy spread, it once again stirred up considerable discussion among the powerful and wealthy families.

The powerful and wealthy families all knew how significant the impact would be on them once the imperial academy was established.

Nowadays, 80% of the officials in the country come from powerful and wealthy families.

However, after the establishment of the royal academy, within a few years, many of the aristocratic officials in the country will be replaced.

In a few more years, the influence of powerful and wealthy families among the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty may drop to rock bottom.

Because a large number of officials from humble backgrounds will emerge, and the monopoly and influence of powerful families on officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be completely broken.

These are things that powerful and influential families can see clearly, but they are powerless to stop it now.

However, all the poor scholars in the country were overjoyed and wept with joy when they heard that the imperial court was going to establish a royal academy to teach both literature and martial arts.

In the past, if students from poor families wanted to achieve academic success or enter officialdom, they could not do without the barrier of powerful and wealthy families.

Without the guidance and recommendations of professors from prominent families, it would be virtually impossible for students from humble backgrounds to rise above their circumstances.

But now, the imperial court has established royal academies, giving children from humble backgrounds a path to success, without having to pass through the barriers of aristocratic families.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Just as Zhou Chen finished cultivating the Emperor's Conferment of Gods technique, the eunuchs and guards came in to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Du Ruhui is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Summon Du Ruhui in."

Zhou Chen glanced at the eunuchs and guards and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

moment.

Du Ruhui then entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject, Du Ruhui, greets Your Majesty."

After Du Ruhui entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"Ke Ming is exempt from the gift!"

Zhou Chen looked up at Du Ruhui; "Keming, is there something you need to see me in the palace?"

Du Ruhui immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have come regarding the matter of the Royal Academy."

"This is the result of discussions between me, the other six ministers, and the Left Chancellor regarding the establishment of the Royal Academy."

"Your Majesty, please review this."

Du Ruhui took out the prepared memorial from his sleeve, held it in his hands, and said.

Upon seeing this, the eunuchs and guards standing in the hall immediately stepped forward, took the memorial from Du Ruhui's hand, and presented it to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen opened it and started reading.

Establishing a royal academy is no simple task.

From the construction of educational institutions to regulations and systems, and then to the quality of teaching staff, none of these aspects can be overlooked.

Therefore, even someone as decisive as Du Ruhui did not act unilaterally, but discussed the various matters concerning the establishment of the royal academy with Xiao He and Fang Xuanling.

After reading Du Ruhui's memorial, Zhou Chen looked up at Du Ruhui and said, "We will proceed according to the procedures you have discussed, but there is one thing to keep in mind: the teachers in the Royal Academy must be carefully selected, and no mediocre teachers can be mixed in."

"I do not wish that the royal academy I have painstakingly built will produce only a bunch of scoundrels, who are all talk and no action and are incompetent."

Zhou Chen looked at Du Ruhui and said seriously.

The Royal Academy was prepared by Zhou Chen to break the monopoly that 80% of officials in the world came from powerful and wealthy families.

In the future, most of the students who graduated from the Royal Academy would have to enter the officialdom and military of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If these students are all talk and no action, without any real talent or learning...

That would not only waste Zhou Chen's efforts in establishing the royal academy, but could also harm the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The talent and character of the teachers at the Royal Academy are of paramount importance.

As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will also be crooked.

The kind of teachers you have determines the kind of students you will have.

Therefore, Zhou Chen had to earnestly instruct Du Ruhui to be extremely selective in choosing the teachers for the Royal Academy.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will strictly vet and select the teachers for the Royal Academy."

Du Ruhui bowed and said.

"Hmm, the Royal Academy has already started construction, right?" Zhou Chen nodded and asked again.

"Your Majesty, the site for the Royal Academy has been chosen, and the Ministry of Works has begun construction," Du Ruhui replied.

"That's good."

"Once the Royal Academy is established, make copies of all the martial arts manuals and classics that the court previously seized from those powerful families and sects, and place them in the Royal Academy to enhance its foundation."

Zhou Chen knew that after the establishment of the Royal Academy, a sufficient number of cultivation manuals would be needed.

Otherwise, what will students learn, and what will attract students and teachers?

Previously, the imperial court had exterminated many powerful families and martial arts sects.

From these exterminated powerful families, martial arts sects plundered a considerable number of martial arts manuals and classic texts.

These things can now be used at the Royal Academy to enhance its prestige.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Du Ruhui bowed and said.

"I was just about to ask Your Majesty about this matter, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to have already thought of it."

"We seized a lot of cultivation techniques and books when we wiped out the powerful families. If we wait until the academy is established to copy and prepare them, it may be too late."

"I believe that we can begin copying those cultivation manuals now."

"Once the academy is established, the copied cultivation manuals can be directly moved to the Royal Academy."

Du Ruhui said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen nodded; "Alright, make a copy of some of the royal family's cultivation manuals as well!"

"The Royal Academy is newly established and lacks sufficient foundation. It needs to offer something truly attractive to draw in talent."

Zhou Chen thought for a moment and then said.

Du Ruhui immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"besides."

"The teachers for the Royal Academy will be recruited and selected from within the royal family. I will issue an edict to the Imperial Clan Court to cooperate."

Zhou Chen thought for a moment, then spoke again.

As a royal academy, it naturally recruits its teachers primarily from within the royal family.

Zhou Chen also had his own selfish motives.

Recruiting teachers from within the royal family first can indirectly increase the royal family's strength.

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Du Ruhui's eyes flashed; "Your subject obeys the decree."

Du Ruhui bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

As someone who could strategize and make decisions like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, Du Ruhui naturally saw through Zhou Chen's intentions.

Recruiting teachers for the Royal Academy from the royal family first is a win-win situation.

This approach effectively utilizes the royal family's resources, gradually enhances the royal family's strength and influence, and also addresses some of the initial issues faced by the royal academy's instructors.

It can be said to serve multiple purposes.

Afterwards, Du Ruhui reported on some matters concerning the Royal Academy and then left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

……

(End of this chapter)