Chapter 74

"Imperial Edict: Little Nineteen, you have always been able to hide your talents and protect yourself, showing wisdom from a young age. Recently, you have accomplished your duties and achieved merit, which brings me great comfort. I hereby grant you the title of Duke of Dust and some wealth. Wear it well, and if you achieve more in the future, there will be further rewards. The court is clear in its rewards and punishments, so remember, your merits will not be overlooked, nor will your faults be forgiven."

The eunuch read the imperial edict, and Gu Chensha knew it was in the style of Emperor Tianfu, simple and straightforward, without any embellishment.

After finishing, the eunuch saw Gu Chensha stand up and quickly bowed. "Congratulations, Your Highness, for being enfeoffed as the Duke of Dust. Behind me are the golden book and jade scroll, along with three hundred fire spear guns, nine thousand bullets, three hundred fine gold white tiger war knives, three hundred flasks of battle wine, and the royal deeds for two estates, all of which have been recorded in the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

The enfeoffment of meritorious officials is done with a golden token, but for the imperial family, it is done with a golden book and jade scroll.

"Someone, give the eunuch a reward." Gu Chensha indicated, and a warrior naturally took out a stack of bills and handed them over.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The eunuch did not hesitate and accepted the reward openly in front of everyone.

This was a form of gratuity, which was prohibited in the previous dynasty, so eunuchs could only secretly accept it without making it public. However, in Emperor Tianfu's reign, this prohibition was lifted, allowing officials and eunuchs to have appropriate exchanges, as long as they were recorded and reported to the supervisory agency.

Many officials called this a benevolent policy, and the eunuchs in the palace were overjoyed.

"Old Nineteen has a lot of money, didn't you see? He even gave the eunuchs several thousand yuan as a reward." The Tenth Prince whispered to the Third Prince.

"He seems to have struck it rich." The Third Prince immediately recalled the empty treasure house in Tao County and realized that Gu Chensha had taken everything, not even leaving him a drop of soup. This instantly filled him with murderous intent.

According to his intelligence, the treasure house contained tens of millions of wealth.

Tens of millions was a huge sum. As a prince, his annual salary was only a few ten thousand, plus the income from his estates and various businesses, and the hidden income from officials, totaling about two million a year. This was already considered a lot among the princes, yet it still did not cover his expenses, and he sometimes had to borrow from his mother's clan, the Fan family.

The princes appeared to be in a good position, but to vie for power and cultivate talent, and to maintain social relations, even mountains of gold and silver would be spent. The accounts were always tight.

If he could get his hands on tens of millions of wealth, it would be equivalent to nearly ten to twenty years of income, allowing him to accomplish many great things.

"Imperial Edict! Duke of Dust, receive the edict."

Just as Gu Chensha had received the edict and the golden book and jade scroll, another voice was heard.

"Another edict?" Gu Chensha was startled and quickly knelt down. Another group of eunuchs was approaching from a distance.

"Imperial Edict: Little Nineteen, I have read your memorial from the day before yesterday. Since the Kingdom of Baoyu has shown a willingness to submit, I hereby appoint you to handle this matter. After the war, you may go to the Kingdom of Baoyu to pacify them. If you can successfully accomplish this, it will be a great achievement." The new eunuch read the edict, causing a great stir and a significant shock to Gu Chensha.

He never expected that his memorial from two days ago had already reached Emperor Tianfu and that he would be given an edict.

However, this was not surprising, as important memorials were sent through secret and rapid channels, either by hawks or even faster "telegrams," the latest research from the Heavenly Engineering Academy, which could transmit messages instantly, even over thousands of miles.

What was shocking was the content of the edict.

He was actually appointed to pacify the Kingdom of Baoyu.

To pacify a country with tens of millions of people, the complexity and entanglements were like a tangled mess, involving countless forces, making it as difficult as moving a mountain. Not to mention that the First Prince was stationed at the sea border, watching closely, and handling this task would be like taking food from a tiger's mouth, requiring a desperate effort. Even within the Kingdom of Baoyu, there were conservative factions that would certainly oppose the pacification, and the Great Wei Dynasty and various evil forces were also watching.

Many forces in the court also wanted a share of the pie.

Of course, this was also a great opportunity. If he could accomplish this, he would not only gain the support of the Kingdom of Baoyu but also consolidate his prestige and accumulate a significant force.

Killing the four major demons and the tribal general, in the eyes of many officials, was merely "brave."

If he could successfully pacify the Kingdom of Baoyu, it would be a completely different matter, showing "great talent and vision."

The edict stated that this was a "great achievement," and although it did not specify the consequences of failure, everyone knew that if he did not succeed, the punishment would be severe.

This was Emperor Tianfu testing his abilities.

Of course, although the task was difficult, the benefits were also significant. At least with this authority, other princes could not openly interfere with the Kingdom of Baoyu.

Hearing this edict, the Tenth Prince almost lost his temper, but the Third Prince held him back. "Tenth, do not act rashly. This is the Emperor's edict. If you defy it, no one can save you, and even your mother will be punished in the palace."

The Tenth Prince then calmed down.

"Your subject receives the edict." Gu Chensha stood up, gave the eunuch a reward as usual, and then followed the welcoming governor and generals to the governor's office of Chengtian Pass.

Now that he was a duke, he was extremely honored. With the emperor's edict praising him and the generous rewards, many officials treated him with great enthusiasm, each trying to curry favor, even secretly offering gifts, which he naturally refused one by one.

He was not short of money now.

He even declined the banquet hosted by the officials, saying that a major battle was imminent and the soldiers needed rest after marching for two days, and returned to the imperial envoy's inn to practice in seclusion.

After receiving the two edicts, his first action was to return and perform a sacrifice.

The edict for enfeoffing him as a duke contained a stronger imperial aura than when he was enfeoffed as a national duke, especially the golden book and jade scroll, which were the most important.

Returning to his room, he had Yiming guard the door, strictly prohibiting any unauthorized personnel from entering.

He carried the edicts into the space of the Sun and Moon Altar.

The altar space was now filled with large boxes, which he had not had time to sort out. He would deal with them later after settling down.

On the altar, he gathered the two edicts and the golden book and jade scroll, and performed a sacrifice to the heavens and the Way.

"Great Heaven above, your subject Gu Chensha offers the imperial aura in sacrifice..." Gu Chensha silently recited, hoping to communicate with the Way and understand its nature, which would be very beneficial for his future cultivation.

However, he did not sense the operation of the Way. The two edicts burned, and the entire altar space expanded, with the projections of the sun and moon becoming clearer, but there were no other substantial changes.

However, on the altar, Gu Chensha clearly felt that under the light of the sun and moon projections, his blood, qi, soul, and spirit were exceptionally lively. He felt weightless, as if he were one with the light of the sun and moon, without any weight, and his cultivation of the Sun and Moon Exercises, Sun and Moon Transformation, and Sun and Moon Killing techniques became smoother, with no risk of meridian rupture.

"Indeed, the Sun and Moon Altar has condensed a bit more. Unfortunately, it has not yet fully condensed. The Sun and Moon Altar can completely master the technique of Sun and Moon Radiance, which is used for cultivation. As for other wonders, I must read ancient books to find out." Gu Chensha pondered and speculated.

Under the light of the Sun and Moon Altar, the Sun and Moon Exercises, Sun and Moon Transformation, and Sun and Moon Killing techniques could rapidly improve, which was something he could not feel outside.

Without the Sun and Moon Altar, even if outsiders learned the Sun and Moon Exercises, Sun and Moon Transformation, and Sun and Moon Killing techniques, they would only understand the surface.

In a daze, Gu Chensha felt himself transform into the sun and moon, swiftly traveling the world, mastering the operation of the Way, the changes of the seasons, and the alternation of day and night.

"This body is not that body; the sun and moon are my body!"

He did not know how long he had been cultivating, but a phrase flowed through his mind, and he became clear. Looking inward, he saw his meridians, blood, qi, organs, and bones clearly.

His body was entirely pure flesh, without any impurities or disease.

His thoughts flowed, and he exited the space of the Sun and Moon Altar, appearing in the room. He noticed that the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales were not visible on his skin but were hidden beneath it, with a faint golden hue.

In the past, when he cultivated the Sun and Moon Transformation, the excess energy transformed into Sun and Moon Dragon Scales on the surface, which would make him look like a monster if his entire body were covered. Now, the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales were hidden under the skin, leaving no trace.

"Yiming, come in."

"Yes."

Yiming faithfully guarded the room and immediately entered upon hearing the command. "Master, your aura seems to have been refined in a crucible, free of impurities, with the five true intentions of energy, qi, bone, and spirit condensed, like a dragon lying in the depths, ready to soar to the heavens. If you were to冲击道境 now, you would definitely succeed."

"Thank you for the compliment." Gu Chensha knew he had benefited greatly but did not become complacent. "I am not planning to冲击道境 now, but to let it naturally break through."

He took two cups from the table, filled one with water until it overflowed: "Look, I am this cup. When it is full, it naturally overflows and breaks through."

Then, he poured half a cup of water into the other cup and slapped the table, causing the water to splash out and wet the table: "冲击道境 is like artificially depleting potential. The water comes out, but the cup is empty."

"Master has truly grasped this realm, which even I did not see so clearly in my time." Yiming was shocked for the first time. "I only knew that the more solid the foundation, the easier the breakthrough, and that a slight push would be enough to break through. But I never thought that it would naturally break through without any effort, full and overflowing, yet still having a foundation."

"That's like filling the cup to the brim and slightly shaking it, causing the water to overflow. It is not as perfect as natural overflow, and this subtle difference is the foundation for future achievements." Gu Chensha said, "In the future, each time I cultivate a new transformation, I will let it naturally break through, achieving true perfection and flawlessness, allowing me to go further."

"Master can grasp this on your own, and you will surely become a god or a deity in the future." Yiming knelt on one knee.

"Get up." Gu Chensha extended his hand. "How long have I been cultivating?"

"Master has been cultivating for a day. Several times, the maid from Lou Baiyue came to see you, saying she wanted to discuss important matters, but I told her you were in seclusion. Do you want to see Lou Baiyue?"

"That's fine. You don't need to come. I will go alone." Gu Chensha thought. "You lead the team. Make sure no one else infiltrates my team of 243 people."

"Yes."

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