Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

A eunuch's shrill voice rang out: "All officials, enter the hall..."

Everyone straightened their clothes, lined up according to their rank, and filed in.

Inside Deyang Palace, everything was resplendent in gold and jade.

The enormous dragon throne sits high above, flanked by gilded dragon pillars, and the ground is paved with gold bricks that gleam like mirrors.

Liu Ce stood at the front of the military officers' ranks, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

Before long, a eunuch announced loudly, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Today, Liu Hong was unusually energetic, dressed in a ceremonial robe with twelve imperial symbols and a crown tassel on his head, exuding an air of great majesty.

With the help of eunuchs, he walked up the imperial steps and sat on the dragon throne.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty be well!"

All the officials bowed in unison.

The roar of shouts shook the very beams of the palace.

A fixed procedure: all officials bow, the eunuch announces "Rise," and then the meeting begins.

But today, everyone knows who the main character is.

Liu Hong sat on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the officials before finally settling on Liu Ce, a smile playing on his lips.

"My lords," he began, his voice carrying the majesty of an emperor, "today's court assembly is for one matter only—to bestow honors upon Liu Ce, the Marquis of Champion, for his meritorious service in the northern expedition."

He looked at the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and said, "Proclaim the imperial decree."

The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat bowed to receive the decree, turned to retrieve the jade book from the palace, took half a step up the palace steps, unfolded it, and read aloud:

"In the tenth month of the third year of Zhongping, the Emperor decreed: Liu Ce, General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, and Marquis of Champion, is a hero of the imperial clan and a pillar of the state... He defeated the Xianbei in the north and sealed the wolf's lair; he pacified Goguryeo in the east and expanded the territory by a thousand miles... His achievements are unparalleled and his virtue matches heaven and earth... He is hereby specially enfeoffed as the King of Yan, with a fief of 20,000 households, and the title shall be hereditary and perpetual..."

After the policy document was read aloud, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat shouted, "Marquis of Champion, receive this policy!"

As this series of rewards was read out, the entire Deyang Palace fell silent instantly.

Liu Ce took a deep breath, his face quickly switching to an expression of "deep gratitude and trepidation"...

Then he prostrated himself on the ground and performed the most solemn three-bowing ceremony...

He spoke loudly and clearly, his voice filled with sincerity: "Your subject, Liu Ce, respectfully receives the imperial edict and kowtows to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's great favor! I am a member of the Han imperial family, and thanks to Your Majesty's trust and support, I was able to defeat the Xianbei in the north and pacify Goguryeo in the east. All of this is due to Your Majesty's wisdom, the valiant efforts of my soldiers, and the assistance of my officials! Now, I am enfeoffed as the King of Yan, with a hereditary fief. I will certainly fulfill my duties diligently, guard the vassal state, secure the borders, and protect the vast lands of the Han Dynasty, living up to Your Majesty's trust and the glory of the imperial family! Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"

An attendant stepped forward, took the document, and handed it to Liu Ce. Liu Ce held the document with both hands, still kneeling and unable to rise.

...

"Your Highness, please rise." Liu Hong personally rose, descended the imperial steps, and helped Liu Ce to his feet. "You have rendered unparalleled service to the Han Dynasty; this is what you deserve."

He took Liu Ce's hand, turned to face the officials, and said, "My lords, from this day forward, the Prince of Yan is my right-hand man and the pillar of the Han Dynasty! I hope you will all work together to support the nation!"

The officials all cried out in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! We pay our respects to Prince Yan!"

The voices were in unison, but Liu Ce could tell that some people were shouting reluctantly.

It doesn't matter.

He turned around and looked outside the hall.

The sunlight was perfect, shining into the main hall, and the golden bricks reflected a dazzling light.

The King of Yan.

From today onwards, this title will belong to the Liu family.

His Liu.

The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat took out another imperial edict and continued reading it—this was an edict to reward the generals under Liu Ce.

Xu Da was enfeoffed as... Marquis of the Township, Xue Rengui was enfeoffed as... Marquis of the Township, and Guan Yu was enfeoffed as... Marquis of the Township.

Other generals: Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Lü Bu, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Luo Cheng, Yuwen Chengdu, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci... were all granted the title of Marquis.

Even strategists like Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and Xi Zhicai were granted the title of Marquis within the Pass.

Although they were all honorary titles, they came with a fief (not much, just symbolic), which was an honor.

For a moment, the hall was filled with envious glances.

Liu Hong concluded by announcing, "The ceremony for the enfeoffment of the Prince of Yan will be held in half a month. At that time, I will personally preside over the ceremony, offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and proclaim the news to the world!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The meeting dispersed.

Liu Ce walked out of Deyang Palace, the sunlight shining on him, warm and pleasant.

Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, and all the officials stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Liu Ce responded politely to everyone, his smile appropriate and his words humble.

Stepping out of Deyang Palace, the sun was shining brightly.

Liu Ce looked up at the sky, then at the imperial edict in his hand, and smiled.

The King of Yan.

This identity is sufficient.

Liu Ce left the palace and rode in a carriage back to his residence.

Throughout the journey, the words "Prince of Yan" kept swirling in his mind.

"The Prince of Yan..." he muttered, leaning against the carriage wall. "It sounds impressive, but when I think about it—where is Yan? Isn't it just Youzhou? So I was originally the governor of Youzhou, and now I have the title of Prince of Yan, but my territory hasn't increased at all, and I still have to pay tribute to the court every year?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had been cheated.

"However..." he thought again, "A prince is still a prince. From now on, when I see the emperor, I'll address him as 'your humble servant,' and when I see officials, I'll refer to myself as 'this king.' My status will instantly rise. Moreover, it's hereditary; as long as the Han Dynasty doesn't fall, my Liu family will always be princes. In the long run, this is a worthwhile deal. Wait, no, what about later..."

Just as I was pondering this, the carriage stopped.

"Your Highness, we've arrived," the coachman called from outside.

Liu Ce lifted the carriage curtain and saw—wow, the signboard at the entrance had been changed.

The four gilded characters of "Champion Marquis's Residence" are gone, replaced by "Prince Yan's Residence," with gold characters on a black background that dazzles the eyes in the sunlight.

As soon as I stepped across the threshold, I heard a loud "whoosh" sound.

All the servants in the mansion—stewards, servants, maids, cooks, grooms—dozens of people lined up neatly from the entrance all the way to the front hall. Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Lu Bing stood at the very front, each dressed in new clothes and smiling.

Upon seeing Liu Ce enter, everyone bowed in unison, their voices loud and clear:

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yan!!!"

This display of force startled Liu Ce.

He paused for a moment, then laughed—goodness, these guys must have rehearsed, right?

"Alright, alright, rise, rise. No, this isn't the palace, no need to be so formal. Get up, all of you." Liu Ce waved his hand and walked into the courtyard.

The steward, an elderly man in his forties surnamed Wang, who had previously worked at the Zhen residence and managed this mansion in Luoyang for many years, quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "Your Highness, you're finally back! Everyone in the mansion is so happy for you!"

"Butler Wang, thank you for your hard work," Liu Ce said with a smile. "You changed the signboard quite quickly."

Steward Wang bowed and said, "The imperial decree was issued this morning, and not long after, people were sent to replace the plaque, and even the stone lions at the entrance were repainted."