Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2100 Ren Gui Joyfully Searches for His Beloved Son, The World's Number One Divine Bow
At the banquet, after Wang Yu and Yelü Qingde had finished their charade, they finally brought the matter to a close.

A small Eastern Yi dynasty was about to disintegrate, and Xiping Road was officially incorporated into the Han Dynasty, becoming the end of the Han Dynasty's territory after the nine other roads: Yanbei, Yannan, Hebei, Henan, Hedong, Shanyin, Shenglan, Guangyin, and Qingbei.

Of course, Xiping was originally under the actual control of the Han Dynasty, but at least before, in name, it was still the land of the Eastern Yi, not the land of the Han Dynasty.

Now, they've simply torn off that fig leaf completely.

Wang Yu and Yelü Qingde's so-called acting was, in fact, as long and tedious as an old woman's foot binding cloth, lacking any skill whatsoever. Moreover, any intelligent person could see through it.

However, this kind of thing isn't meant to fool intelligent people. How many intelligent people are there in this world? The vast majority, of them, are ordinary people who have never gone to school and are illiterate.

Even among intelligent people, there is a principle that they can see through but choose not to reveal.

To put it bluntly, this kind of thing is the same as the three refusals and three concessions; it doesn't care at all about being seen through, and it's just going through a conventional process.

"By imperial decree, Yelü Qingde is hereby granted the title of Duke of Ningping, a hereditary title with no change of succession, a fief of ten thousand households, and a certificate of merit. He shall not address the emperor as a subject when presenting memorials, nor shall he bow when receiving imperial edicts. He shall be allowed to use the emperor's carriage and robes to perform suburban sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples."

Since Yelü Qingde was sensible enough to cooperate, Wang Yu would not be stingy with his rewards.

This reward even made most of the civil and military officials present envious.

Although Duke Ningping was the highest rank that most people present could achieve, after all, apart from the royal family, no one else was qualified to be a king. No matter how hard they tried, they could only be a duke at most.

Meanwhile, a small group of people in the audience believed they were qualified to receive a dukedom in the future, and some had even already been granted the title of duke.

However, if the title of duke is followed by hereditary succession, then it has a completely different meaning.

Although the Han dynasty made some improvements to the system of nobility, it generally inherited the system from the Han dynasty.

In terms of peerage, titles are passed down through generations in descending order, unless granted by imperial decree allowing the next generation to inherit the same rank. However, hereditary peerage means that unless the bloodline dies out, the title will never be downgraded and will remain a dukedom as long as it is passed down.

In the Han Dynasty, no one is currently qualified for hereditary succession. Not to mention officials from other families, even members of the imperial clan do not have such an honor.

It can be said that Yelü Qingde was the first person in the Han Dynasty to receive a hereditary title that could not be replaced, and it was even the title of Duke.

This is true empathy for the nation!

What were the vast majority of people fighting to the death for? Wasn't it just these things?

The hereditary system meant that as long as the Han Dynasty stood, their family would remain nobles forever, and even great nobles at that.

If it were the former Great Cang, only those fourteen families would have hereditary titles.

On the contrary, those negative aspects are merely matters of reputation, with little practical significance.

The iron certificate of merit, although it is equivalent to a death-exempt token, can save one from death except for treason.

But having already risen to the rank of Duke, what crime, besides treason, could possibly be enough to destroy him?

As for not addressing the emperor as a subject when presenting memorials, not bowing when receiving imperial edicts, and using the emperor's carriage and clothing to perform suburban sacrifices to heaven, earth, and ancestral temples, the imperial power permitted these things. However, if one is a smart person, one will simply continue to do what is right and will not take such things seriously!

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!" Yelü Qingde's face lit up with joy, and he quickly came out to express his gratitude.

So what if he lost the throne? He couldn't have kept it anyway, not to mention that he got the throne for free in the first place.

If he was somewhat reluctant to lose it before, he became more accepting of it after actually losing it.

From the beginning, what he wanted was not the throne itself, but the freedom to enjoy himself without restraint once he had it.

Although he has lost the throne, at least the compensation he received from his adopted father is not bad.

Ningping County is located in the area north of the Han River, and this place is extremely wealthy.

Having a fief of ten thousand households meant that the taxes collected annually by those ten thousand households in Ningping County belonged to him, not the imperial court. Although he didn't have an actual fief, Yelü Qingde was already satisfied with having ten thousand households supporting him.

After all, as far as he knew, in the entire Han Dynasty, only a few members of the imperial family had fiefdoms; the rest were all granted fiefs.

A fiefdom represents not only the right to tax, but also administrative power, and even the right to form a part of the army. Wang Yu will not easily relinquish control over these aspects.

"Zhuge Liang is hereby granted the title of Marquis Wu, with a fief of three hundred households, and appointed Magistrate of Henan!"

"seal up……"

After bestowing titles upon Yelü Qingde, Wang Yu also casually bestowed titles and rewards upon some of the key officials of the Dongyi court.

A group of officials, led by Zhuge Liang, were actually Wang Yu's men, just like Wen Zhong.

However, Wen Zhong was a citizen of the Han Dynasty, both in name and in reality, and the Guandong Army was not an army of the Eastern Yi, but an army of the Han Dynasty. Only the Yi Xie Army was nominally an army of the Eastern Yi.

As for Zhuge Liang, his official position in the Eastern Yi court was the Eastern Yi Chancellor, which was nominally an official of the Eastern Yi court, not an official of the Han Dynasty.

Wang Yu had previously left the position of Governor of Henan Province vacant, also in preparation for Zhuge Liang's future. The so-called "Governor of Henan" was actually the Governor of Henan.

It's time to bring Zhuge Liang back to the central government.

He can exert a greater influence at the central level than at the local level.

After all, Guan Zhong devoted most of his energy to reform.

Although the reforms have been underway for some time, such things cannot be accomplished overnight; they truly require the passage of time to mature.

The reforms of the two Whites in Daxiao and the reforms of Alexander the Great in Macedonia—which of them could be completed in one or two years? Aren't they just getting started now?

Having finished discussing this matter, and seeing that the time was about right, he gave an order, and the singing and dancing resumed, with palace maids and eunuchs continuing to serve fruits and dishes in an orderly manner.

Inside the palace, the sounds of clinking glasses, melodious music, and whispered congratulations filled the air. The Empress Dowager glanced at the young people below and then summoned the Empress to come forward. After a brief whispered conversation, the Empress smiled and beckoned Cao Zhengchun to make preparations.

If Zhao Gao was Wang Yu's chief eunuch, then Cao Zhengchun would be the number one eunuch on the Empress Dowager's side.

With one-third of the Sunflower Guard in his hands, plus his mastery of the Heavenly Gang Boy Skill, Cao Zhengchun's power and status among the eunuchs of the Han Dynasty were indeed among the highest.

The eunuch in front of him shouted loudly, and everyone fell silent.

The Empress smiled gently and said, "It's rare to have so many young people at today's banquet, so of course we should all have some fun. It just so happens that I have just acquired two treasures. Tonight, if any young master or lady shows off their best skills and wins the competition, I will give them these treasures."

Upon hearing this, everyone craned their necks in curiosity to look, and saw two eunuchs carefully unfolding a painting.

When a minister who was nearby saw the signature, he exclaimed "Ah!" and his face turned red with excitement. "Could it be that this is the famous painting of eight horses by the master painter Xu Beihong three hundred years ago?"

She even looked as if she wanted to hold and hug him carefully, as if afraid that the eunuchs would ruin him.

The ministers were quite excited upon hearing this. Even figures like Guan Zhong and Fang Xuanling couldn't help but move closer to observe.

It's perfectly normal for civil officials to be interested in these authentic works by famous figures!

Three hundred years have passed, and very few of the original works by the Sage of Painting have survived to this day!
Not to mention, it is the last authentic work of the painting master during his lifetime, according to records.

The young men and women present were well aware of the significance of the painting, and they were all eager to try their hand at it.

After the painting, four eunuchs carried a giant bow into the hall.

The bow is entirely red, made of black iron, as vibrant as fresh blood. It is estimated to weigh over a hundred pounds. The bowstring is of unknown material, but it appears thick, sturdy, and quite elastic. Both ends of the bow are inlaid with gold wire, giving it a luxurious and extraordinary appearance. There is also a white quiver containing specially made arrows.

"This bow weighs exactly 108 jin. The bow body is made of black iron, and the bowstring is made of the back sinew of a dragon. It is exceptionally tough, impervious to ice and fire, and resistant to swords and spears. It is one of the legendary treasures passed down through generations, named Shooting the Moon. You are all learned people, so you must understand the preciousness of this bow!" Huangfu Jingya's gentle voice rang out once again.

"The world's greatest bow! Shoot the moon!"

Now, all the generals who possessed this bow were in an uproar! The number one divine bow in the world, the famous Moon-Shooting Longbow! How could they not be moved and eager to fight for it?

The value of a weapon depends not only on the weapon itself, but also on its owner.

The owner of the Imperial Heaven Sword held it in the highest esteem, and thus, even though it had not appeared in the world for over a hundred years, it remained the number one sword on the list of famous swords.

As times progress and sword-making techniques develop, are swords from later generations truly inferior to those from a thousand years ago?
However, the masters of those swords in later generations could not compare to the master of the Heavenly Sword!

Is the Moon-Shooting Longbow the best bow in the world? Nobody knows!

However, because it once had the best owner in the world, this bow became the best bow in the world!
The bow was not once owned by a general who fought on the battlefield, but by a martial artist from the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world).

In the last sixty years, Gu Qingzhu was hailed as the greatest in the world.

But before Gu Qingzhu, this person had been invincible in the martial arts world for thirty years. Even Gu Qingzhu could not achieve that.

After all, Gu Qingzhu wasn't exactly a member of the martial arts world, so even if he was considered the best in the land, he couldn't be invincible. The Confucian and Legalist schools of thought disdained associating with the martial arts community.

Before the emergence of the system-wielding martial artist, the demon of Great Xia, now summoned by Donghuang Taiyi, possessed unparalleled strength in the martial world. However, this one was much more low-key, rarely displaying his prowess in public. Therefore, there were still those who resented him.

The former owner of the Moon-Shooting Longbow was truly and undeniably invincible in the martial world!
Beneath the bow that shoots at the moon, even celestial beings are hard to survive.

In all recorded history, there has only been one archer at the pinnacle of divine skill. Of those who practiced archery, most who were once wandering swordsmen ended up in the army.

Unfortunately, this person was highly skilled in martial arts, but also quite upright.

The punishment of evil and promotion of good has reached the officials. In Da Cang, it's alright; the highest rank they've held is only a prefect. But in the neighboring Da Qian, a prince has been directly removed from office. As a native of Da Qian, this person's activities were concentrated in both Cang and Qian, especially in his ancestral home of Qian.

Although these officials were indeed guilty, isn't it a direct challenge to the court's bottom line for the common people to execute court officials?

It would be one thing to let it go once or twice, but given that these officials already had problems, the imperial court was happy to find a pretext to give both sides a way out.

But with such incidents happening one after another, and even directly affecting the princes of the imperial family, could the two great courts continue to ignore it?

Therefore, the two dynasties joined forces, sending countless masters both openly and secretly. In any case, in the end, this invincible hero who had been a legend in the martial arts world for thirty years never appeared again, and his divine bow that shot at the moon vanished without a trace.

Now it seems that it has long since fallen into the hands of the Great Cang royal family.

After all, the Great Cang Dynasty was one of the people behind that person's "disappearance".

Generals skilled in archery, such as Hou Yi and Xue Rengui, never took their eyes off the bow. Upon seeing it, they almost exclaimed that this bow was destined for them!

Such a divine bow held a similar allure for them as much as a stunningly beautiful woman.

Although they already possessed divine bows, it's like how people never feel they have too much money!
However, despite the burning desire in his heart, he could only sigh helplessly.

The Empress said it was for the young people to have some fun, so the two of them were too embarrassed to go on stage!
Hou Yi is already thirty-one this year, and Xue Rengui is even older, already thirty-four, after all, his son is already sixteen.

"Ding Shan!"

Upon hearing Xue Rengui call his name, Xue Dingshan, who was equally envious, immediately stood up, looking eager to try.

When Xue Dingshan was a child, his family went missing while fleeing. Xue Rengui had been trying to find them, but there had been no news.

During the Southern Expedition, fifteen-year-old Xue Dingshan took the initiative to search for his relatives on the front lines, which could be considered as fulfilling a long-cherished wish of Xue Rengui.

Hou Yi was helpless, even though he had been married for many years.

However, over the years, he has either been stationed at Tianlang Pass or fighting on various fronts, rarely having the chance to reunite with his wife. As a result, he doesn't even have a son as old as Xue Dingshan yet!
This matter also gave Hou Yi a big headache!
After all, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring. He is not young anymore, already in his thirties.