Chapter 93

Note: Here is the second update, tears streaming down my face as I beg for monthly votes. The monthly vote ranking is really dangerous, it could drop at any moment.

...

"Your Majesty."

Led by Soren, the ten students who had received the Noble Warrior Medal knelt整齐 in a row.

After a while, two feet clad in boots stepped in and stopped in front of the ten people.

After a good while, King Jibian seemed to come to his senses and said, "Oh, rise."

Then, the ten people stood up, their eyes cast downward, not daring to raise their heads to face the king.

"Look up, let me see you," King Jibian said. His voice was a bit hoarse, but it seemed to contain a sharp, metallic edge, leaving a deep impression on those who heard it.

This was the first time Soren had seen the king's face. It was somewhat thin, not particularly handsome, with deep-set eyes and a high, steep nose.

Unlike other kings, Jibian had short hair and a hard beard, half of which was already gray.

His face gave a very resolute yet cold impression, especially his deep-set eyes, which were intimidating to look at.

However, his gaze was often very scattered, as if he was always thinking about something, making it hard for him to focus on what was in front of him, thus giving an impression of being lax.

Resolute and lax, these two contradictory qualities coexisted on the king's face.

The entire Anglang Kingdom's evaluation of King Jibian was that he was stern and even harsh and unkind.

When he was a child, the previous king had commented that Jibian was unpredictable and had many changing thoughts.

At the time, when the princes were vying for the position of crown prince, no one favored Jibian because he had poor relationships. All the nobles supported Prince Jilan because he was kind, brave, and wise, embodying the best qualities of a king.

However, Jibian ultimately seized the throne, donning the crown in a sea of blood.

After he ascended the throne, his relationship with the kingdom's nobles was very cold and even tense for a time. But he immediately began to support the elite civilian class to counterbalance the nobles. The nobles, fearing the loss of their power, came to curry favor and flatter him.

In nearly twenty years since King Jibian ascended the throne, he had brought the Anglang Kingdom's southern expansion strategy to its peak militarily, directly reaching the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and driving the barbarians out of the Central Plains.

Politically, he vigorously supported the elite civilian class, replacing the increasingly corrupt noble class. This rejuvenated the already somewhat corrupt ruling class, allowing the entire Anglang Kingdom to continue its strong and prosperous momentum.

Therefore, even those who were most hostile to King Jibian had to admit that he was one of the most outstanding kings of the Anglang Kingdom.

...

The king walked up to Soren, and his previously indifferent gaze finally focused a bit as he looked at Soren's face and said, "You are Soren."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Soren replied.

King Jibian looked at him again but said nothing. His gaze quickly flashed with a hint of contemplation before leaving Soren's face.

"Let's begin," King Jibian waved his hand and said to the eunuch beside him.

Then, ten eunuchs entered, each carrying a plate with a Noble Warrior Medal on it.

Originally, the ceremony for awarding the Noble Warrior Medal was very grand, with the king personally attending the Royal City Academy and the grand square of the academy. All the students would be present, along with high-ranking officials and military commanders.

Then, in the presence of the crowd, the king would award the Noble Warrior Medal to the ten people.

However, King Jibian disliked extravagance and such grand, ostentatious scenes. He even avoided appearing in front of many people.

Therefore, this time, the ceremony for awarding the Noble Warrior Medal was kept very simple.

Next, the king personally pinned the medal on each student.

"Swear allegiance to the king, swear allegiance to the royal family." Each student knelt on one knee.

Soren was the first, so he was the last to be awarded the medal.

"Swear allegiance to the king, swear allegiance to the royal family." After the king pinned the medal on him, Soren knelt on one knee.

After the ceremony, the king looked at the ten Noble Warriors, his gaze finally focusing a bit. He pondered for a moment and said, "Some of you will inherit titles, and some will not. Regardless, I hope that in the future, when you do anything, you will consider the interests of the kingdom, not just your own and your family's interests."

King Jibian never spoke empty words or grandiose platitudes; he always spoke the truth.

But Soren was a bit surprised. As a king, not saying a single word of formality was really... unique.

"Alright, that's it. You may go," the king waved his hand.

The ten Noble Warriors knelt on one knee and then retreated.

"Prepare yourself, Soren. Attend the court session tomorrow," King Jibian said. "After the court session, you will be ennobled and appointed to your position."

Soren was taken aback. You're only telling me this important news now, when I'm about to leave?

"Your will, I thank Your Majesty," Soren had to kneel and bow again.

...

After returning to the earl's mansion, Soren told his sister, Soningbing, the news.

Soningbing's beautiful face lit up with unprecedented joy. She said, "We can finally go home, we can finally return to Tianshui City. I am so happy."

Not just Soningbing, but everyone in the earl's mansion, whether servants or family warriors, was very excited.

In the royal city, they were just nobles, facing the royal family's oppression and having to be extremely cautious every day, walking on thin ice.

But once they returned to Tianshui City, they would be the masters of that land.

Soningbing was right; no matter how large the Tianshui Earl's Mansion was, it was not home. Tianshui City was home.

Excited, Soningbing could no longer contain herself. She immediately directed the servants and maids to start packing their belongings, eager to return to Tianshui City, to their home.

Soren's gaze flashed with a hint of gloom, and he hesitated, ultimately not saying anything.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Ye Jingyu asked Soren in a low voice, "Master, what are you worried about?"

"Call me by my name," Soren said.

"Master, what are you worried about?" Ye Jingyu said. "The king has spoken, and tomorrow you will be the Earl of Tianshui, a vassal of the kingdom, and the lord of Tianshui City."

"I'm not worried about the past," Soren said. "I'm worried about... Suohanyi."

"Lord Suohanyi?" Ye Jingyu said. "Hasn't he already defeated the rebels?"

"Exactly because of that, he might not welcome us. Even now, Tianshui City might belong to Suohanyi, not to us," Soren said.

Ye Jingyu was taken aback, then said firmly, "No, Lord Suohanyi may be a bit arrogant, but his loyalty to the Suo family is unquestionable. Master, you are overthinking it."

"I hope so. I hope I am overthinking it," Soren said.

Because he was an orphan from a young age and had endured many people's disdain, Soren had always been inclined to think the worst of others. He had always had a pessimistic view of human nature.

...

The next morning, Soren dressed in formal attire and rode in a carriage to the palace again.

Today was perhaps the most important moment for him.

After today, he would become a vassal of the kingdom, the Earl of Tianshui, and the lord of Tianshui City.

All his past struggles and battles were for this day.

Because he was not yet the lord of Tianshui City, he did not have the right to attend the court session. Therefore, he could only wait in a side room, waiting for the session to end.

The Anglang Kingdom's court sessions were held every three days, with all high-ranking military and political officials in the royal city attending.

Today's court session was closely related to Soren. The topic was the kingdom's new southern expansion strategy, specifically whether to use Tianshui City as a military base for the kingdom's offensive against the southern barbarians.

Since this strategy was proposed by Jili, both the military and political sides agreed.

However, their disagreement was whether to keep Soren in the royal city and have the cabinet and the general staff temporarily take over Tianshui City.

As compensation, Soren's title would be elevated to a marquis of the kingdom, and he would be given a high-ranking position.

Both the cabinet and the general staff had prepared a high-ranking position for Soren.

One was a senior advisor in the cabinet, directly responsible to the prime minister. The other was the deputy commander of the royal dragon guard.

Of course, these two positions had a common feature: they were very prestigious but had little real power.

For example, the first position was essentially the prime minister's assistant and a necessary step for anyone aspiring to the cabinet's upper echelons. Every prime minister had once been a senior advisor in the cabinet when they were young.

The second position might seem insignificant, but the commander of the royal dragon guard was Prince Jili.

Therefore, these two positions were highly coveted by the young nobles of the entire Anglang Kingdom.

However, what was honey to others was poison to him.

As the high-ranking officials of the military and political sides were arguing over Soren's position, King Jibian said, "You are arguing so much. Why not let the person involved give his opinion? Bring Soren in."

A moment later, an eunuch led Soren into the grand hall.

This was the first time Soren had seen the true ruling core of the Anglang Kingdom, where almost all the high-ranking civil and military officials of the kingdom were present.

King Jibian said, "Soren, you are about to be ennobled. They are arguing fiercely about your future. You have three choices: first, join the cabinet to assist the prime minister; second, join the royal dragon guard as deputy commander; third, return to your Tianshui City."

Soren's breathing grew heavy. He did not expect to be given a difficult choice at this critical moment. However, for Soren, this choice was not difficult at all.

His goal had always been clear: to reclaim the Suo family's century-old legacy. For those prestigious positions, the saying still held true: what is honey to others is poison to him.

Soren bowed and said, "Your subject chooses the third option, to return to Tianshui City and govern the century-old legacy left by our ancestors." (To be continued.)