Chapter 94

Note: This is the third update of the day, with a total of 10,000 words. I sincerely beg for your monthly votes, as the situation is really precarious.

...

Solen's response was essentially a refusal of the goodwill from the cabinet and the general staff, causing the faces of both parties to turn sour.

King Jibian smiled and said, "Yan Wujie, Turingduo, it seems your appeal isn't strong enough; our future Count Solen doesn't want to work under you."

Yan Wujie, the Prime Minister of the cabinet in Anglang Kingdom, is a count.

Turingduo, the First Marshal of Anglang Kingdom, is the supreme military leader.

These two, one civil and one military, are the left and right arms of King Jibian, the pillars of Anglang Kingdom. In particular, Duke Turingduo is regarded as the military god of Anglang Kingdom. In the past twenty years, Anglang Kingdom has expanded its territory by several thousand miles, with most of it conquered by him.

Although the world does not rank martial prowess, everyone implicitly considers Turingduo the top military expert.

Of course, Turingduo has another identity: he is Turingduo's father.

This mysterious campus beauty has fully inherited her father's martial talent. Currently, in the entire Royal City Academy, apart from Ling Ao, no one is likely to be her match.

If nothing unexpected happens, she and Ling Ao will break through to Dragon Warrior before they are twenty-six or twenty-seven, becoming top experts in this world.

Although Jibian is a member of the royal family, in the Royal City Academy, his status and influence are far below that of Turingduo.

At the age of sixteen, she had already been secretly serving the kingdom. Since she entered the Royal City Academy, the total time she has spent in class has not exceeded three days. However, from the dean to the mentors, no one has any objections and still considers her the best student.

At this rate, Turingduo is likely to inherit her father's legacy. It is believed that Anglang Kingdom will soon welcome its first female marshal.

Seeing the king speak this way, Prime Minister Yan Wujie chuckled, while Turingduo remained expressionless.

In the grand hall, Solen also noticed Jili. However, he was completely different from the bold and unrestrained person he was last night. He was meticulously dressed in a prince's robe, standing respectfully to the right of the king, not uttering a single word throughout, appearing very disciplined and courteous.

Solen's sense of smell is very acute. He vaguely sensed that the reason why Yan Wujie and Turingduo, the two big shots, were so eager to keep Solen, offering him a promotion to marquis and high office, was all for one person: Prince Jili.

Both the military and political sides were fully supporting Jili. If this wasn't entirely at the king's behest, it would be very strange.

"A forced melon is not sweet," King Jibian said. "So, you may return to your Tian Shui City."

Solen bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

"Record it," King Jibian pointed to the eunuch in the corner of the hall.

Immediately, the eunuch straightened his back, gripped his writing brush, and perked up his ears, ready to record the king's words.

Whenever the king said "record it," it meant an important decree was being issued, to be recorded on a jade scroll and preserved for centuries.

At the same time, all the high-ranking officials present bent their waists and perked up their ears to listen to the king's decree.

"Solen, the nineteenth-generation heir of the Suo family, is loyal, benevolent, and filial, with both civil and military prowess. From today, he is ordered to inherit the title of Count of Tian Shui, and is granted a count's robe, a golden crown, and a precious sword!"

Immediately, several eunuchs entered, carrying the count's robe, golden crown, and precious sword.

Solen knelt and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

"Record it," the king said again. "Solen, the nineteenth-generation heir of the Suo family, is brave, upright, noble, and fearless. From today, he is ordered to inherit the position of Lord of Tian Shui City, and is granted a lord's battle robe, armor, and precious sword!"

Then, several more eunuchs entered, carrying a golden silk armor, a mithril helmet, and a golden precious sword.

Solen knelt on one knee and performed a warrior's salute, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

Because the lord must bear the responsibility of defending the land and repelling enemies, he saluted in the manner of a warrior.

King Jibian stepped forward and presented the king's ring to Solen, saying, "From today, you are the twenty-first vassal of Anglang Kingdom. I hope you can shoulder the responsibilities of a vassal, not only protecting the people of your territory but also being loyal to the royal family and your lord."

The vassals of the kingdom have only one lord, the king.

Strictly speaking, each vassal is a partner of Anglang Kingdom. Each vassal brings their territory and army to serve the royal family, and their power comes from their own family, not from the king's enfeoffment.

Therefore, the relationship between the vassals and the king is maintained through the identity of vassal and lord.

Solen held King Jibian's right hand, lowered his head, and lightly kissed the king's ring.

"Solen swears to serve the royal family and his lord to the death," Solen said solemnly after kissing the ring.

At that moment, he felt only one thing: King Jibian's hand was very cold.

"Rise," King Jibian said.

Solen stood up. From now on, he was one of the twenty-one vassals of the kingdom, the Count of Tian Shui, and the Lord of Tian Shui City.

At least in terms of law, the five hundred miles of territory of Tian Shui City, hundreds of thousands of people, and tens of thousands of troops all belonged to him.

The reason the king only granted the robe, sword, and did not give the lord's seal was that the lord's seal was passed down through generations of the Suo family, not granted by the king. This also indicated that the king had no right to directly interfere with the vassals' generational succession.

"Solen, since you do not wish to stay in the capital, the capital's Count of Tian Shui residence, which was granted to your family, will be reclaimed," King Jibian suddenly said.

This statement not only surprised Solen but also the other officials present.

There are two Count of Tian Shui residences. One is in Tian Shui City, which serves as both the count's residence and the lord's residence.

The other is in the capital, which is the residence Solen is currently staying in.

The capital's Count of Tian Shui residence was granted by the royal family, and it has been several generations. However, this residence has been unoccupied for a long time. It was only when Suo Long was severely injured in battle and had to come to the capital for treatment that he began to live in the capital's Count of Tian Shui residence.

Now, since Solen is returning to Tian Shui City, the king is directly reclaiming this residence, which is very unexpected.

In general, a noble's residence is only reclaimed if they are stripped of their title due to a crime. King Jibian's actions seem to suggest he is eager to send Solen back to Tian Shui City.

Or perhaps, he is unhappy with Solen's harsh treatment of the royal family in the recent bet with Jining?

In any case, reclaiming the residence makes the king appear petty, which is not the behavior of a king.

However, for King Jibian, his actions are often unpredictable and cannot be judged by conventional standards. Every move he makes has deep meaning, and if you cannot understand it, you are in danger.

"Yan Wujie, remember to notify the Internal Affairs Department to reclaim the Count of Tian Shui residence within five days," King Jibian said.

"遵旨," Prime Minister Yan Wujie bowed and said.

Solen vaguely sensed that the king's action was to cut off his path to staying in the capital.

It seemed as if the king was forcing him onto a certain path, though Solen had not yet fully figured out which path it was.

But one thing was certain: he could not stay in the capital. The king had given him a deadline to leave the capital within five days.

"Alright, Solen, you may go," King Jibian said. "When the time comes, you don't need to come to say goodbye. Just return to Tian Shui City directly. Without a royal decree or important military affairs, you are not allowed to return to the capital, nor are you allowed to privately associate with officials or members of the royal family."

This king was so unique, speaking so directly that it seemed he had no hidden agenda.

However, only those who had been close to him for a long time knew how deep his scheming and plotting were, and how terrifying it was.

"臣遵旨," Solen bowed and then left the grand hall.

Several eunuchs, carrying the robe, sword, and other items, followed him out of the palace and returned to Tian Shui City.

...

After returning to the Count of Tian Shui residence, his sister Suo Ningbing eagerly had Solen put on the Count of Tian Shui's embroidered golden robe, wear the golden crown, and wear the precious sword.

"Very impressive, very handsome, truly making all the women in the world swoon," Suo Ningbing clapped her hands. "You are definitely the most handsome and beautiful master in our Suo family for hundreds of years."

Then, Solen let his sister arrange him in various poses, and the servants, maids, and family warriors in the count's residence watched.

As they watched, they clapped and cheered, and the maids' eyes sparkled, regretting that Solen had reined in his behavior and no longer flirted with them.

For the past few months, the atmosphere in the Count of Tian Shui residence had been filled with oppression and pain, even making it hard to breathe.

This was because the Suo family had been in a precarious state, facing the threat of extinction.

But today, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and joy.

Indeed, this was the happiest day for Suo Ningbing. Solen had finally overcome all obstacles to inherit the position of Lord of Tian Shui City, preserving the Suo family's centuries-old legacy.

Because Solen had turned the tide and saved the Suo family from this crisis of destruction.

As for the current Solen, who was not the real Solen, she no longer cared at all.

She had not even thought about it, because in her mind, this Solen was not just her brother and family, but also... a lover. However, she dared not admit or accept this.

"Sister, the king's decree is to reclaim this residence, and we are given five days to leave. We are not allowed to return to the capital without a royal decree," Solen said.

"Reclaim it, then reclaim it. I don't like this cold place at all," Suo Ningbing said indifferently. "Tian Shui City is our home, our root. We will move out of this residence in three days, not five, and return to Tian Shui City."

Then, the excited Suo Ningbing immediately had the servants and maids pack their belongings and prepare the carriages. She was eager to leave and return to Tian Shui City that very night.

"We will return to Tian Shui City in three days, back home," Suo Ningbing said loudly.

Immediately, all the family warriors, servants, and maids cheered.

They had been oppressed for a long time and could finally cheer, as they were going home.

Then, everyone happily packed their belongings and prepared to move.

...

When his sister Suo Ningbing left and was completely out of sight, Solen's smile completely vanished.

He went outside the courtyard, closed his eyes, and faced the bright moon, as if letting the moonlight heal the burning and aching in his eyes.

Although his eyes had recovered their luster, they were still damaged and often felt burning pain.

"Miss has never been this happy before," Ye Jingyu said beside him, then came behind Solen, gently massaging his eyes, and asked, "Young Master, what are you worried about?"

Feeling the firm elasticity of Ye Jingyu's chest, Solen leaned against her and slowly said, "Jingyu, we can't return to Tian Shui City, we can't go home."

"What?" Ye Jingyu trembled and said.

"I have had this feeling for a while, and today's decree from the king has confirmed it. We can't return to Tian Shui City, and we have lost the capital's residence," Solen said. "So, in five days, we will be homeless. I really don't have the heart to tell my sister. I don't want her to lose her smile, which is so rare."

"What's going on?" Ye Jingyu asked in pain.

"We have entered a vortex, and Prince Jili's strategy is just the first layer," Solen said. "Behind this, there is another vortex, one that is bottomless. This is the king's strategy. He is pushing me onto another path, one that is fraught with danger and will completely destroy me and those around me."

"Which path? What path?" Ye Jingyu asked.

"I can't tell you, it's too dangerous," Solen said. "Everyone says King Jibian is the most terrifying person in the world. Today, he only showed a glimpse, but it deeply made me realize this. He is truly terrifying, no wonder all the officials, warriors, and vassals of the kingdom are no match for him."

Taking a deep breath, Solen said to Ye Jingyu, "Go tell the family warriors to sharpen their weapons, bring nothing, and prepare the horses. We... are going to fight."

"Moreover, the legendary Princess Jiyuan should be returning from the Flame Capital's Divine Dragon Temple soon," Solen muttered to himself. (To be continued.)

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