Douluo: Peerless Light...

Chapter 270 Three Major Chambers of Commerce
The court meeting ended at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy.

The emperor personally came to inquire about Juzi's condition and comforted her. Then he said kindly, "Juzi, I am not here as an emperor today, but as a father and an old man. In addition to inquiring about your condition, I also want to ask you a question."

"Your Majesty, please feel free to speak!" Orange said respectfully.

"Juzi, do you love Tianran?" The emperor's tone turned serious. "When Tianran proposed to me that you should be the Crown Princess, I also asked Tianran this question. And his reply was that you might be the woman he trusts most in his life."

"Now that I think about it, it was a little inappropriate for me to agree to this at the time. After all, I hadn't asked for your opinion as the person involved."

"Fortunately, things have not been finalized yet, so there is still time. Therefore, I would like to ask you for your opinion again."

Sure enough, he came after all? Ju Zi sneered in his heart, but he kept a respectful look on his face and said seriously, "Your Highness not only saved my life, but also helped me to cultivate it. All these favors are like a rebirth. I am willing to serve Your Highness for the rest of my life!"

"It seems that I was wrong." Seeing that he had backed off, the emperor sighed, "I am really happy for Tianran to have such a loyal follower like you."

"However, precisely because of this, I cannot neglect this friendship, especially when I know your background. I cannot let you miss out on happiness because of this."

"Being in an imperial family, there are too many things that are beyond your control, especially in terms of emotions."

"It's also Tianran's fault for not thinking it through and making a rash decision. I apologize to you on his behalf!"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind!" Juzi said quickly, "This is my duty as a subject, and it's all my duty."

The emperor shook his head. "The relationship between the ruler and his subjects should not only be one of superiors and subordinates, but also of a loving relationship. Only in this way can they work together for the sake of the country. Juzi, you have contributed greatly to the country's suppression of the rebellion and are a great contributor to the empire. I cannot neglect you out of any sense of justice or affection."

"Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, let's do this." His face straightened, "I will now confer upon you the title of Imperial Earl, both as compensation and to commend your achievements."

"As for Tianran, I will go and explain it to him personally."

"When it comes to relationships, it's important to let it flow naturally and not force it. If the relationship between you and Tianran can evolve into a relationship between a man and a woman in the future, I'd be happy to see it. Otherwise, Orange, then you should bravely pursue your own happiness."

Juzi was so touched that he knelt down immediately, saying sincerely, "Your Majesty, I have no way to repay your kindness. I will serve the country wholeheartedly in the future!"

"Thanks to your kindness, my trip today has not been in vain." The emperor said with a smile.

After saying this, he stroked his long beard and changed the subject, "Juzi, I have heard about your condition from Tianran. Since you need a long period of recuperation, you should continue to stay here to recuperate. Arthas has superb medical skills. With him watching over you, he can adjust the treatment according to the changes in your condition at any time, and you will get better faster. In this way, you can recover sooner and serve the country again sooner."

"If there is any need, you can have someone contact Tianran or me at any time."

Are you asking me to monitor Arthas? Orange thought to himself, keeping a respectful face, and said solemnly, "I understand!"

The emperor looked kind and nodded slightly, "Tianran is right, you are a smart and good child."

"Okay, now that we've finished talking, I should go back."

"Farewell, Your Majesty!" Orange stood up and saluted.

The emperor nodded, turned and walked out of the room, surrounded by a group of guards.

An hour later, the news spread that Juzi's title of Crown Princess was stripped and she was made Earl. The reason given was just as the Emperor had discussed with Juzi, that it was all a misunderstanding due to the Crown Prince's trust in Juzi and Juzi's loyalty to the Crown Prince.

In recognition of this loyalty and also in recognition of Orange's achievements, he was specially conferred the title of Imperial Count, followed by a host of rewards.

The news spread quickly in Mingdu, causing an uproar. This was the first time in the empire that a female earl had been elected.

"Alas, we have wronged Juzi before. This woman is loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Empire. I am not as loyal as her!"

"Your Majesty and His Royal Highness were also very generous. After asking for clarification, they immediately changed the situation. The way they handled it was also very kingly."

"I suddenly feel that oranges and Arthas are actually quite a good match."

Public opinion changed immediately.

Of course, this is inseparable from the promotion of the royal family.

This treatment not only showed the generosity of the emperor and the prince, and their concern for their subjects, but also showed the empire's attention to meritorious officials. Naturally, it should be publicized well to turn the scandal into praise. Therefore, the emperor ordered all the royal children to cooperate with him.

The court officials who knew the truth did not dare to go against His Majesty and could only assist.

Just as the entire Mingdu was caught up in a heated discussion about this, Arthas returned with his team.

Lin Jiayi came to greet them. After some small talk, he glanced at Arthas and said, "Tomorrow is quite lively these past two days."

"Oh?" Xiao Hongchen immediately became interested.

"What happened?"

Lin Jiayi immediately gave a brief account of the matter concerning Orange.

Meng Hongchen frowned immediately, thinking that the royal family was getting rid of him after he had done his job, and at the same time felt a sense of crisis.

Since Orange doesn't have to be the Crown Princess anymore, doesn't that mean I can compete with her for Arthas?
Arthas looked calm. Although things were a little different from what he had expected, Orange was still relieved and the result was good.

As for whether it can help him in the future, we can only look forward to it.

"There is such a thing!" Xu Tianzhen was surprised, and then said, "But this is also good."

"Without love, there will be no happiness if you force yourself to be together. Father and Big Brother are doing the right thing!"

"Alright." Arthas said calmly, "The competition will start in two days. Everyone should have a good rest and relax when you go back. There is no need to train anymore."

"Oh yeah!" Xu Tianzhen yelled, "I have to have some fun these two days!"

Arthas continued, "Director Lin, my mission is complete, so I will go back first."

"Okay." Lin Jiayi nodded, "Everyone go back and have a good rest."

Arthas left immediately.

After returning to his residence, he took a bath and had a meal, and immediately rushed to Orange's residence to help check on his condition. With the maid present, the two did not talk about any special topics.

Juzi and Keke only told him some recent events in Mingdu, among which they mentioned that the three major underground chambers of commerce in Mingdu were planning to hold a Mingdu Elite Soul Instructor Competition during the Soul Master Competition, and the rewards were quite valuable.

There are even ninth-level soul guides, and I heard there are precious metals. The location is at the Qingse Hotel, which is very close to the Mingyue Hotel where the contestants are staying.

"Arthas, if you want to go over and have a chat and compete for the championship reward, maybe you can go to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to help."

The appearance still needs to be done
Ke Ke nodded confidently, "Arthas, I believe you can definitely win the championship! That's a ninth-level soul guide, you can sell it for a lot of money." "If you have the ability, take it, don't miss it!"

"Can you tell me about these three chambers of commerce?" Arthas asked knowingly.

Juzi nodded. "I heard a little about it when I was working for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. First of all, there's the Ordinary Alliance. The name sounds ordinary, but in fact it controls the entire Mingdu porn industry and has connections with many dignitaries. It's very well-informed."

"The second is the Aodu Chamber of Commerce. Its internal structure is complex, mainly composed of some evil forces, such as the Killer Guild, the Thieves Guild, etc. They also do some shady things, such as collecting protection fees, assassinations, thefts, etc. The grassroots are mostly from the lower classes, with the most complex network of relationships and the largest number of people, making it difficult to control and clean up. Therefore, the empire has never chosen to send troops to eliminate them, and can only knock on the top from time to time to control their power within a certain range."

"In addition, the Aodu Chamber of Commerce has a very close connection with the Pingfan League. The reason is that one can collect some news from the court, and the other can collect gossip from the grassroots. They can complement each other in terms of information collection."

"Sometimes, they know things that even the authorities don't know, and sometimes we even need to ask them for help."

Arthas nodded slightly, perhaps this was one of the reasons why the Empire did not choose to eliminate it.

"The last one is Xishui League, which is also the target that Aodu Chamber of Commerce and Pingfan League are currently fighting against." Juzi continued, "The reason is that Xishui League controls the most profitable business in the underground world, including drug sales, arms sales, and human trafficking. They have not succeeded so far, one is the backing of Xishui League, and the other is the strength of Xishui League. It is rumored that there are powerful title holders."

Backstage, isn't the backstage the royal family? Arthas thought.

Due to the presence of two maids, Ju Zi did not reveal more, but only said, "For this Soul Master Competition, the three major chambers of commerce have joined forces, which is rare. They are ready to make a fortune by taking advantage of the opportunity. To this end, they even invited a royal priest to be the referee."

"In short, it was held in a very grand manner!" Ke Ke said, "Many people know about this. You can go to Mingde Hall and ask. It is said that the three major chambers of commerce have made some kind of deal in private, so in order to win the championship, they all went to Mingde Hall to hire soul mentors to participate in the competition."

"Hehe, I heard from Teacher Xuan that they want to send a message to you through him to hire you."

Arthas nodded and asked, "When does the game start?"

"The preliminaries and the Soul Master Competition will start on the same day, but at night." Ke Ke said.

"Do the three major chambers of commerce train their own soul mentors?" Arthas continued to ask.

In Mingde Hall, he has no rivals below the eighth level of soul master.

Of course, Juzi knew this and nodded, "Yes! Hiring an external soul guide is just to add an extra layer of insurance."

"Also, it's to build momentum for this game."

"With fewer people going there, who are they going to make money from?!" Ke Ke said indifferently.

"It's definitely worth a visit." Arthas nodded. "I'll find some time to talk to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I just hope that this competition will allow me to gain something and see some new ideas for the development of soul guides."

"Then, can you take me and Orange with you?" Ke Ke whispered.

Arthas hesitated for a moment and nodded, "I'll ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to arrange some guards to accompany him when the time comes."

This way, Xu Tianran could also be prevented from getting suspicious.

"Yeah!" Keke was delighted.

In the afternoon, Arthas went to the palace in person, first helped the old emperor and Xu Tianran to check their physical conditions, and then asked someone to escort him to participate in the soul mentor competition held by the three major chambers of commerce. He also said that he had heard from Juzi and Keke about the three major chambers of commerce, and that all three were complex, so for safety reasons, it would be better to bring someone to escort him.

As for the reason for wanting to participate in this competition, it is of course to have a good exchange with soul mentors outside the academy.

The emperor readily agreed and asked Xu Tianran to make the arrangements.

Xu Tianran immediately called Shadow Douluo Xuechen in and asked him to go with him. To be honest, he really wanted Arthas to represent Xishui League in the competition, because this would be the greatest benefit to the cooperating royal family and they would get the most profit.

But thinking about the industries that the Xishui League was involved in, Arthas might not be willing to go along with it, and bringing it up himself would only make Arthas think of cooperation with the royal family.

The bright image of the royal family still needs to be maintained.

"As for whether you want to sign up yourself or represent a certain chamber of commerce, you can decide for yourself," he said at last. "What I can guarantee is that they will never dare to force you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Arthas bowed to express his gratitude, then said goodbye and left.

When he left, the emperor regained his composure and said, "It seems I was overthinking it."

When Arthas returned to his residence, he immediately wrote a letter and threw it into the Gate of the Dead.

That night, Minghui, who was not far from Mingdu, secretly opened the Gate of the Dead, took out the letter and read it, and immediately gave a thumbs up in his heart.

"In this way, there is one less Title Douluo who can support the battlefield in a short period of time. Well done!"

The next morning, I followed the team into Mingdu.

"The popularity of soul guides here is so high!" Xiao Xiao couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the soul guide products that could be seen everywhere.

"In the application of soul guides, the original three empires are indeed much weaker than the Sun-Moon Empire." He Caitou nodded.

"The academy is already trying hard to catch up, but it is still difficult to catch up in a short period of time. After all, the Sun-Moon Empire has accumulated thousands of years of experience."

"Take your time." Minghui was very calm.

"The receptionists are here." Xuan Zi glanced at the group of guards walking towards this side and said lightly.

Everyone looked in the direction he was looking at and immediately stopped discussing.

Soon, he followed the guards into the Mingyue Hotel.

As soon as the guards left, Xu Jiujiu led a team to come towards them and saluted politely, "Greetings, Senior Xuanzi!"

Xuan Zi just nodded slightly.

"Brother Minghui, long time no see." Xu Jiujiu turned to look at Minghui, glanced around, and said with a smile, "Brother Minghui, did you bring so many players this time? Isn't this a bit too many? It seems to have exceeded the stipulated number of participants."

"I'm not participating in the competition on behalf of Shrek Academy." Minghui said.

Xu Jiujiu was surprised, "Could it be the Qingluan Sect?"

Minghui shook his head. "It's an organization I created myself. It's called the Soul Palace. Princess, you'll know what it does in the future."

Xu Jiujiu subconsciously thought of the new building in the south of Shrek City reported by the spy, and nodded slightly.

"Then I'll wait and see!"

(End of this chapter)