I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 287 Prince of Linjiang

The Princess's Residence is located in a garden.

At the edge of the pond, the princess was scattering some bait into the water, watching a group of red and gold koi carp vying for it.

Beside her, a palace maid was reporting, "Your Highness, I heard that last night, His Majesty learned about Gu Qilang and Xia Mudan's affair and fainted from anger. Eunuch Hong summoned the imperial physician to the palace overnight to treat His Majesty."

The eldest princess asked with concern, "Is Your Majesty alright?"

"His Majesty is in good health and woke up not long after. It is said that he summoned Lord Chen to the palace early in the morning and scolded him severely, apparently in a fit of rage."

"Deserve it!"

The eldest princess laughed with a hint of schadenfreude, "It's all because of that terrible idea he came up with that my brother has lost face. Now he's stuck in a bind, unable to move forward or backward."

After saying that, she turned to Princess Mingyu, who seemed a little distracted, and asked, "Mingyu, how do you think my brother will handle this matter?"

Princess Mingyu seemed to wake from a dream, shaking her head and saying, "I dare not speculate on His Majesty's thoughts."

The eldest princess asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? You've been like a lost soul since yesterday. Has something happened?"

"I'm just a little worried about my good-for-nothing younger brother. He's all alone in Jiangzhou. I wonder if he'll cause any trouble."

That sounds like an excuse.

The eldest princess did not expose him, but said, "I did not expect that Gu Qilang would have such abilities. I underestimated him before."

She still found it somewhat unbelievable when she thought about what happened last night.

How could a young man with only a second-grade cultivation level have cleared the Tower of Merit so easily?
Logically speaking, even someone with the strength of the Divine Realm would find it difficult to pass the eighth and ninth levels, because those levels are beyond human control.

But Gu Qilang managed to do it.

To this day, she still can't tell whether he truly possesses such extraordinary abilities or is simply lucky.

It is precisely because it is incomprehensible that it is all the more awe-inspiring.

Extraordinary people do extraordinary things.

“Yes, how did he do that?” Princess Mingyu chimed in from the side.

"By the way, you went through thick and thin with him in the prison last time, so you have a life-or-death bond. What kind of person do you think he is?"

“I can’t say for sure either,” Princess Mingyu shook her head. “However, this person often acts in unexpected ways. Moreover, he does have amazing methods.”

She had personally witnessed Chen Ming kill so many first-rank prisoners, including a half-step Yang God. This was something no ordinary second-rank martial artist could accomplish.

However, afterwards, the eldest sister took the initiative to take responsibility, leading everyone to believe that it was her eldest sister, Princess Lingyu, who turned the tide.

At this moment, another maid came to report, "Your Highness, His Majesty has had an imperial edict drafted and has sent someone to the Qian Yuan Hall to announce it."

"Oh?"

The eldest princess became interested. "It's rare for my brother to be so decisive. I thought he would hesitate for a few days. What did the imperial decree say?"

"Gu Qilang is hereby granted the title of Prince of Linjiang..."

……

[...Gu Xianyu, the seventh son of the Duke of Jingguo, is hereby granted the title of Prince of Linjiang and bestowed with a Xuan Tian Armor...]

[...Princess Yong'an has a daughter, Xia Yanyan, who is virtuous, kind, and graceful. She is hereby betrothed to the Prince of Linjiang...]

[...So be it!]

Inside the Qian Yuan Hall, the Xia family of three, along with Chen Ming and the other three, listened as the eunuch came to read the imperial edict. On the surface, they were all moved to tears and hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

These two imperial edicts demonstrated the emperor's attitude. Regardless of his true thoughts, at least on the surface, he not only did not pursue the matter but also decided to grant the couple a marriage.

This approach is undoubtedly a win-win situation for everyone.

The emperor could also gain a reputation for being magnanimous and benevolent.

The question is, did this emperor really have no resentment at all?
They were so generous, bestowing upon him the title of king and arranging a marriage for him.

I have a feeling that things aren't as simple as they seem, and there might be some hidden traps later on.

"Prince of Linjiang, there's no need for such formalities."

After the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree put it away, he smiled and helped Chen Ming up. "His Majesty said that Your Highness does not need to bow to the Emperor in the future."

Chen Ming smiled and asked, "How should I address you, Father-in-law?"

He secretly slipped her a silver note, which he had prepared for his escape and didn't need for the time being. He could use it to build connections.

"Your Highness is too kind. I dare not accept this." The eunuch refused to accept it no matter what, saying only, "Your Highness can just call me Xiao Dezi."

"So it's Eunuch De."

Chen Ming didn't press the matter.

"Your Highness, I would like to trouble you to come with me and personally express our gratitude to His Majesty."

"this is necessary."

"Your Highness can go alone. Princess Yong'an and her family can go back first."

"Please wait a moment, Eunuch Nade. I'll be right back after I say a few words."

The eunuch was very agreeable. "Your Highness, please don't keep His Majesty waiting too long. I will wait for you outside the Qian Yuan Hall." "Alright."

After these people left, Chen Ming asked in bewilderment, "Why did the Emperor bestow upon me the title of Prince of Linjiang? Can a princely title be granted so casually?"

Throughout history, the title of prince has always been granted only to members of the royal family, especially the emperor's own sons.

Princes of different surnames are extremely rare.

The Jin Dynasty was no exception. At the beginning of its founding, it conferred five royal titles to non-royal princes, but only two of these titles have been passed down to the present day, which is extremely rare.

Why did the emperor inexplicably bestow the title of king upon him?
This isn't the kind of praise that's meant to kill.

Xia Shaowen looked at him strangely, "Seventh Brother, you don't even know this? The merits gained in the Trial of the Tower of Merit are no different from those gained in battle. According to the rule set by the founding emperor, as long as you pass the fourth level, you can be granted a title. You have passed the ninth level, so His Majesty will naturally grant you a royal title."

Is there such a thing?
Chen Ming was surprised; no one had told him this before.

Before I knew it, I had become a prince.

No wonder the Nine Nether Demon Lord specially escorted him through the final level; it turns out there was such a benefit.

The title of Prince means that his rank is higher than that of his nominal father, the Duke of Jingguo. In the court, his father will have to bow to him, his son.

Xia Shaowen said, "Now that you have a title, you can establish your own residence and no longer need to feign compliance with the Duke of Jingguo's people. You can even ask His Majesty to obtain an imperial decree for your mother and vindicate her."

Chen Ming's heart stirred. If he could obtain an imperial title for Gu Xianyu's deceased mother, wouldn't that be a way of repaying this karmic debt?

After thanking Xia Shaowen, he left the Qianyuan Hall and followed the eunuchs waiting outside to express his gratitude to the emperor.

……

"The Prince of Linjiang?"

Inside the Princess's residence, the Princess heard the contents of the imperial decree and was somewhat surprised. "Your Majesty's move is quite meaningful. Does he intend for him to deal with Southern Chu?"

A hint of worry flashed in Princess Mingyu's eyes.

She naturally knew the origin of the title "Prince of Linjiang." He was one of the five kings of different surnames at the beginning of the founding of the country and made great military achievements.

The fiefdom of the King of Linjiang was located in the southernmost part of the country, on the banks of the Yangtze River, separated from the Southern Chu by only a river.

The Prince of Linjiang and the Southern Chu fought for hundreds of years, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.

Until a hundred years ago, a fierce and devastating war broke out between the two countries, and the entire Linjiang Prince's Mansion was wiped out. Since then, there has never been a Linjiang Prince.

Now that the Emperor has bestowed the title of Prince of Linjiang upon Gu Xianyu, it is clear that he places high hopes on him.

It should be noted that during the war a century ago, the government claimed that the two sides were evenly matched, but in reality, the high-ranking officials of the Great Jin Dynasty knew that the Great Jin had suffered a crushing defeat and had lost half of its territory, including the fiefdom of the Prince of Linjiang.

The eldest princess shook her head and said, "Your Majesty is being rather naive. The Southern Chu of today is no longer the weak country it was hundreds of years ago. A hundred years ago, even the powerful Prince of Linjiang, with his army of hundreds of thousands, was no match for the Southern Chu. Now, a hundred years later, the Southern Chu has become even stronger. On the other hand, our Great Jin is declining rapidly, unable even to cope with the northern border states. How can we possibly deal with the Southern Chu?"

Princess Mingyu suddenly said, "Perhaps, it's a case of using someone else to do the dirty work?"

Upon hearing her speculation, the eldest princess revealed a strange smile. "If my imperial brother could really come up with such a plan to use someone else to do his dirty work, then I wouldn't need to worry about him. Even if it were a case of using someone else to do his dirty work, it would be those few in the cabinet."

"Hey, these old fogies who hold positions without doing anything are only good at being jealous of the talented and eliminating dissidents."

Princess Mingyu asked softly, "Sister, aren't you going to help him?"

"Why help him? It's a good opportunity to test his mettle and see if he can stir up trouble like he did in the Pagoda of Merit. If he's just another ordinary person, then so be it if he dies. If he truly has that kind of ability, then there's no need for my help. Isn't that right?"

The princess said, looking at her with a half-smile, "You seem to care quite a bit about him."

Princess Mingyu felt a little guilty under her gaze and said, "After all, we've been through life and death together."

……

Meanwhile, those in the capital who were well-informed had all received the news.

Inside the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Gu Haochuan heard the news and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. "The son's title is higher than his father's. It's quite a strange story in the officialdom of the Great Jin Dynasty. Our Duke of Jingguo's mansion will probably be ridiculed for a long time."

Gu Zhengshan, who was standing to the side, did not dare to speak.

This also shows that the Duke of Jingguo's mansion did not hold a very high position in the Emperor's heart.

Even the imperial edicts were not issued within the Duke of Jingguo's residence.

It's likely that news of Gu Qilang's experiences in the Gu family has reached the Emperor's ears.

After a while, Gu Zhengshan cautiously asked, "Master, how should this matter be resolved?"

Gu Haochuan countered, "What kind of cleanup are you talking about?"

"It's about my seventh brother..."

"Remember, he used to be your seventh brother, he is now, and he always will be. Do you understand?"

"I understand, but what if the truth comes out and the Emperor blames us..."

What's fake will always be fake, and it might be exposed one day.

Besides, this person is impersonating the seventh brother, and we don't know what his real purpose is.

just in case……

Gu Haochuan said calmly, "If that day ever comes, we will also be deceived by them and be victims."

Gu Zhengshan suddenly realized that his master was truly wise!
(End of this chapter)