The moment he walked into the hall, Chen Ke had regained his composure.
In the magnificent hall, there were bright lights and wine, and dignitaries and celebrities were drinking and chatting happily. There were more than two hundred people there.
In a corner of the hall, King Xia Yunchang of Shu was wearing casual clothes, surrounded by guests like stars surrounding the moon, talking freely and elegantly.
"My dear nephew, come here!" When the King of Shu saw Chen Ke coming in, he stretched out his hand and greeted him without caring about his etiquette.
This voice immediately made Chen Ke the focus of the whole audience. The gaze from the purple-clothed girl made Chen Ke especially frightened.
Chen Ke walked through the crowd and came before the King of Shu. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, I greet you!"
Xia Yunchang raised the crystal glass filled with grape wine and chuckled, "My dear nephew, the academy matter is all thanks to you. I have submitted a petition to the court to confer you the rank of third-class viscount. From now on, you are a viscount in name only."
The people around looked at Chen Ke in surprise, having already guessed Chen Ke's identity.
The assassination of the King of Shu shocked the empire. Although people did not know the inside story, they also knew that it was Chen Ke who saw through the traitor's conspiracy and allowed the King of Shu to escape.
Several young men were extremely envious. Although the third-class viscount was only two ranks higher than Chen Ke's previous fifth-class viscount, the treatment was very different.
For the third grade and above, the title is a real nobility, and the nobles not only enjoy a salary but also a title of nobility.
More importantly, only those with third-class titles or above are eligible to obtain fiefdoms and estates.
Of course, given the current situation of the Great Xia Dynasty, even if it had a fiefdom, it would not be within the Nine Provinces, but only in those territories that had already fallen.
This is both an opportunity and a risk. Throughout the empire's hundred years, many nobles have expanded their power and opened up new territories in the lost fiefdoms, thus gaining greater glory.
However, there were also more nobles who, after arriving at their fiefdoms, were wiped out by the powerful enemies surrounding them within a month.
But no matter what, for a noble to own a fiefdom is itself a supreme honor, and it also means that he has truly stepped into the circle of power and nobility in the empire.
Chen Ke saluted humbly and said, "Thank you very much, Your Highness!"
He had known about this matter for a long time, and he also knew that the reward of the third-class viscount had at most nothing to do with the King of Shu.
The real reason why he was rewarded was the joint recommendation of Wu Jiutian, the principal of Haotian Academy, and Qin Kaishan, the commander-in-chief of the Meicheng garrison.
Chen Ke saved Qin Kaishan's life, preventing the Meicheng army from falling into chaos and also avoiding a heavy blow to the morale of the empire.
Just for this reason, it is not an exaggeration to give Chen Kefeng the title of first-class viscount.
It's a pity that Chen Ke has no military achievements, so it's difficult for him to convince the public.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons of the imperial court and with some people trying to interfere, the first-class viscount that he had originally obtained was reduced to the third-class.
The King of Shu nodded in approval and smiled at the crowd, saying, "Chen Ke also made a great contribution to the establishment of the Young Eagle Foundation. It was his cooperation with the academy to raise two million taels of silver that allowed the foundation to get on track in such a short time."
The two Southern military generals who knew about the situation nodded slightly to Chen Ke, and Chen Ke also nodded slightly in return.
A young man in fancy clothes had a glint of jealousy in his eyes. He looked at Chen Ke and said sarcastically, "Everyone can be generous to others. What's so great about that?"
Chen Ke looked at the arrogant young man and suddenly shouted angrily, "How dare you say that to His Highness? Apologize to His Highness!"
The young man was startled for a moment, then his face flushed red as he shouted, "I, I was talking about you, not Your Highness!"
He immediately looked at the gloomy King Shu and quickly explained, "Your Highness, I really didn't mean anything to you!"
The King of Shu was furious. You are making insinuations now!
The King of Shu smiled and said in a cold tone, "My nephew has come all the way from the capital. He must be tired. Go down and rest first."
The boy's face suddenly turned pale. He wiped away his tears in grievance and walked out with his head lowered.
As he walked past Chen Ke, the boy glared at Chen Ke fiercely.
Chen Ke, just wait for me. When you get to the capital, I will kill you!
The boy left sadly, and the scene became a little awkward.
The establishment of the Young Eagle Foundation actually had nothing to do with the King of Shu, and the King of Shu did not invest a penny in it.
The two million taels that Chen Ke took out were earned by himself after all, but the King of Shu only had empty words, which was the real "spending of other people's money".
But the King of Shu is the King of Shu after all. No one can stop him from picking peaches or grabbing credit and fame.
On the bright side, the King of Shu's involvement in the foundation will indeed attract greater attention from the outside world and gain more support.
Perhaps it was for this reason that both the Southern Military Headquarters and the Haotian Academy remained silent.
Several officials and young men from the capital looked at Chen Ke in surprise again.
The Chen family has two generations of imperial merchants and two presidents of the Shuzhou Chamber of Commerce. Their fame is no longer limited to Shuzhou. No one in the nine provinces of the empire is unaware of the existence of the Chen family.
As the third-generation heir of the Chen family and the only heir, Chen Ke naturally attracted attention.
It's just that according to rumors, Chen Ke is a second-generation rich man who spends his days drinking and drinking without any education. Why doesn't he look like that?
The King of Shu also saw the changes in Chen Ke, not only in his physique, but also in his temperament.
Perhaps he did learn something when he entered the secret realm of the academy.
Boy, you just tricked me, now you have to pay me back!
The King of Shu looked at Chen Ke kindly and said in a gentle tone, "My dear nephew, I heard from the headmaster that you are transferring to the Great Xia Academy. When do you plan to leave?"
Chen Ke said truthfully: "Of course the sooner the better."
This was absolutely his true feelings, especially when he discovered that the Eight-Winged Goddess also appeared in the banquet hall, he wanted to run away right away.
The King of Shu laughed inwardly. He knew that Chen Ke had a hard time in the Haotian Academy. Even his bed was splashed with feces. Of course, he was eager to leave.
Just by leaving Shuzhou and arriving in the capital, do you think you are free?
childish!
The King of Shu feigned curiosity and asked, "I heard that your father intends to ask for the Princess of Qin to marry you?"
puff!
Countless guests who were paying attention to the conversation here almost spat out the wine in their mouths at the same time and looked at Chen Ke in disbelief.
The young men around the King of Shu were even more angry and looked at Chen Ke with sharp eyes.
You second-generation rich kid, a college scumbag, who gave you the courage?!
To say that a toad wants to eat swan flesh is not enough to describe the Chen family's cruelty.
This is blasphemy, a blasphemy to the Princess of Qin, a blasphemy to everyone, a blasphemy to the empire!
However, the King of Shu's next words completely ignited the anger in their hearts.
The King of Shu still looked curious: "I also heard that your father petitioned the Emperor, and the Emperor seemed to be interested?"
Bang, bang, bang!
Countless crystal wine glasses were crushed, like the broken hearts of the young men.
Click, click, click!
The sounds of gnashing teeth and clenching fists echoed in the hall.
Chen Ke looked at the hostile eyes and murderous faces and was shocked.
Isn't she just a princess of Qin, not a goddess? Is it necessary for them to be like this?
In the blink of an eye, I became everyone's public enemy?
"How dare you, you little brat!"
Behind the King of Shu, a young man had his eyes wide open. Suddenly, he roared and pounced towards Chen Ke like a tiger.
(End of this chapter)