I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 288 The Troubles of Southern Chu
"Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to speak, His Majesty was originally unaware of the marriage between Miss Xia and Your Highness. It was Princess Yong'an who strongly advocated for this marriage, and several officials, including Minister Chen, advised His Majesty, which led to this misunderstanding..."

On the way, the young eunuch explained to Chen Ming in a low voice, and finally said, "His Majesty has now bestowed a marriage upon the Prince and Miss Xia to make amends. His Majesty has high expectations for the Prince and does not want to have any rift with you because of this matter."

"How could your humble servant dare to harbor any resentment? Your Majesty's kindness will be forever etched in my heart."

Chen Ming immediately expressed his opinion.

But in his heart he was thinking that this little eunuch was saying a bit too much.

It's unclear whether this was the emperor's true intention.

Since that's what they said, I'll just accept it for now.

Before long, they arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Before the eunuch could even enter, the emperor's voice rang out, "Is it Minister Gu? Quickly invite him in."

The voice was indeed somewhat weak.

Chen Ming followed the eunuch into the hall and saw the emperor reclining on a brocade couch, with the empress sitting beside him, holding a bowl of ginseng soup and personally feeding him.

He immediately bowed and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

He had intended to kneel, but when he met the cloudy eyes of the old eunuch by the bedside, he couldn't bring himself to kneel down.

"No need for formalities," the emperor said. "Alright, Minister Gu is here. Let's finish our business before we drink."

The next sentence was addressed to the Empress.

The empress remained unmoved, stubbornly holding the spoon to his lips, her meaning clear: finish the ginseng soup first.

Soon, the emperor gave in and obediently finished the ginseng soup.

The Empress carefully wiped the corner of his mouth before getting up and leaving.

Those present bowed in unison to respectfully see the Empress off.

The emperor beckoned Chen Ming over, saying, "Minister Gu, come and speak with me."

"emperor."

Chen Ming did as instructed and stood beside the soft couch with his hands at his sides.

"It was my oversight regarding Miss Xia's matter. I almost broke up a marriage. Fortunately, I discovered it in time and prevented a major mistake. It's not too late to let you two lovers be together in the end."

"His Majesty is magnanimous and has not pursued the crime of deceiving the emperor against Chief Xia and his family. He is truly a benevolent ruler for all time." Chen Ming flattered him.

Wear it a thousand times, but flattery never wears it.

A slight blush crept onto the emperor's pale face, but he still hardened his expression and said, "Don't say such things again. I have no shortage of sycophants around me. What I need are people who can truly get things done. My dear minister, are you willing to assist me in achieving great things?"

"Your Majesty's kindness in recognizing and valuing me is something I am willing to do even unto death."

"it is good!"

The emperor was also somewhat agitated. He sat up and said, "With Minister Gu's assistance, the troubles in the northern border and the southern Chu are no longer a concern."

……

When Chen Ming left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he finally felt much more at ease.

This emperor doesn't seem like the scheming type; on the contrary, he's a bit naive. After chatting for a while, he got carried away, acting as if pacifying the northern border and destroying Southern Chu is just around the corner.

As an emperor, isn't that a bit too optimistic?
Or.

"Isn't he trusting me a little too blindly?"

Chen Ming, on the contrary, felt a little guilty.

Only he himself knew that his passage through the Tower of Merit was entirely due to the protection of the Nine Nether Demon Lord. In reality, while he wasn't entirely without military strength, he was far from being a renowned general.

If the emperor really wanted him to lead an army of 100,000 to pacify the northern frontier, that would be a real problem.

Fortunately, the emperor knew that doing so was impractical and would only provoke opposition from all his ministers. Therefore, he did not propose it. Instead, he granted him the authority to establish his own government office.

This is why he was given the title of Prince of Linjiang, rather than another princely title.

This shows that the emperor had high expectations for him, but unfortunately, he couldn't provide much support. He had no fiefdom, no money or provisions, and no subordinates.

To put it bluntly, he's now just a figurehead, holding only the title of Prince of Linjiang.

The only thing the emperor could give was a Xuan Tian Battle Armor, a peerless divine armor said to be the protective armor of the former dynasty's greatest general and the most powerful opponent of the Great Jin Emperor.

Later, after Emperor Taizu of Jin killed this man, this armor became his most prized trophy and was kept in the palace.

The emperor gave him this most treasured possession. Clearly, he had nothing else to offer.

In addition, he was granted a residence in the capital to serve as his royal palace.

"Something feels off."

Chen Ming found it increasingly strange.

The emperor seemed to value him highly, bestowing upon him the title of king, granting him marriage, and rewarding him with treasures. However, the support he received was quite limited.

I have a feeling that this is just the emperor making empty promises.

Give him an empty promise and expect him to work himself to the bone.

He might even have to fight back against Southern Chu to take back his fiefdom.

He succeeded later, and the emperor benefited the most.

If he fails, the emperor will not suffer any loss.

...When Chen Ming left the palace, he felt a little dazed. So much had happened during his trip there. He no longer had to run away; instead, he had transformed into a prince.

Although he was just a commander without troops, he was still a legitimate prince. His status was highly respected, and even a first-rank official of the court would have to pay his respects to him.

All I can say is that life's ups and downs are incredibly exciting.

Chen Ming followed several eunuchs to his princely residence, which was originally a royal garden. The emperor bestowed it upon him as his princely residence with a stroke of his pen.

After all, the Great Jin Dynasty has been established for five hundred years. Where would there be any vacant mansions left to be given as rewards?

When Chen Ming arrived at the place, he was struck by its magnificent splendor. It rivaled even the imperial palace in grandeur.

This royal garden was built over a decade ago by an emperor who used it to house his mistress.

Legend has it that the emperor fell in love with a woman of unparalleled beauty, but due to ancestral rules, he could not make her his empress. So he specially built this garden so that she could be the mistress of a palace here.

Therefore, this place is also known as Zhenfeng Palace.

Chen Ming was very satisfied with the place and moved there that very day. He simply changed the plaque on the palace gate, and it became the Linjiang Prince's Mansion.

The next day, countless guests arrived, and gifts were delivered in cartloads. This exhausted the temporary stewards of the Prince's mansion, namely the eunuchs and palace servants sent by the Emperor.

Chen Ming refused to see any of the visiting guests, only accepting the gifts.

He practiced his skills alone in his bedroom, mainly focusing on comprehending the "Nine Heavens Divine Thunder".

The path of a cultivator is quite different from that of a martial artist.

Cultivators harness the power of heaven and earth, unleashing terrifying power hundreds of times greater than their own. Given enough time to prepare, a spell cast by a first-grade cultivator can annihilate even a Divine Realm expert.

Martial artists focus solely on self-cultivation, which gives them an advantage in that they are almost free from inner demons.

Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages.

Of course, there are also techniques that combine the characteristics of both, such as the Heavenly Heart Technique of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, which is clearly a product of combining martial arts with cultivation.

Among all spells, the "Nine Heavens Divine Thunder" is one of the most destructive.

Moreover, this spell is also the nemesis of cultivators.

The only drawback is that it is extremely difficult to master. The requirements are extremely demanding, and very few successive generations of the Celestial Master's Mansion have been able to master this thunder technique.

Of course, this is not a problem for Chen Ming, as long as he can get the basics down.

He was just missing a powerful trump card, and this "Nine Heavens Divine Thunder" was just the right one.

……

A few days later, after nightfall, Chen Ming felt the time was right, and silently chanted three times, "Daoist Wangchenzi, Daoist Wangchenzi, Daoist Wangchenzi..."

A wisp of consciousness entered that mysterious cave and met the old Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom.

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "It seems you have successfully left the Nine Nether Tower."

Chen Ming said, "I was just lucky."

Have you ever seen the one inside the Nine Nether Tower?

"I saw them, and quite a few things happened..."

He recounted the events that occurred inside the Nine Nether Tower, omitting only the part about how the Heavenly Master Yang Shen was destroyed using the "God-Slaying Thorn".

If the old Taoist priest knew that he had already mastered this secret technique to the fourth level, wouldn't he be scared to death?

The old Taoist priest suddenly realized, "So he was infected with demonic thoughts by the Undying Demon Lord. No wonder."

As he spoke, he suddenly stared at Chen Ming for a while, "I see that you have a purple aura above your head, which is extremely noble. You are probably now more noble than a king or nobleman."

Chen Ming was filled with respect. "Daoist Master, you have excellent eyesight. How could you tell that?"

"Just a trivial matter."

He seized the opportunity to ask, "Master Daoist, you are very knowledgeable. Do you know anything about Southern Chu?"

"Southern Chu, I once lived there for a period of time. However, a full sixty years have passed since then, and I wonder what changes have taken place there."

"In your opinion, how does Southern Chu compare to Great Jin?"

"Southern Chu is like the rising sun. But the Great Jin is somewhat like the setting sun."

Chen Ming asked curiously, "Does the Taoist priest mean that Southern Chu is thriving? Why is that?"

Logically speaking, the Southern Chu Kingdom has been established for five hundred years. It should have the same problems as the Great Jin Kingdom, and its national strength is even worse. How can it be like the rising sun?

The old Taoist priest said, "It is because a remarkable figure emerged in Southern Chu, and under his rule, the country's strength has grown day by day."

"What character?"

Chen Ming had genuinely never heard of this. He knew very little about Southern Chu. He didn't even know what their current reign title was.

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "His name cannot be revealed. Some call him Wenxiang, while others respectfully call him Wengong. Since you are already as noble as a king or marquis, you will naturally know about this man."

Chen Ming became even more curious, "Why can't I say?"

“This person’s cultivation is far superior to mine. He already possesses great supernatural powers. As long as his name is mentioned, he will sense it.”

I'm very familiar with this supernatural power.

Chen Ming thought to himself. In other words, the prime minister of Southern Chu, most likely, is actually a person with great supernatural powers.

Why would someone like that go out into the mortal world to join in the fun instead of hiding away and cultivating in seclusion?
(End of this chapter)