Chapter 5

Being able to receive a dragon-carved gold medal bestowed by the ruler of a nation, what does this mean?

It means that from now on, Jiang Chen can enter and leave the palace freely.

If this young man really cures the illness of the princess, he will become a favorite and a lucky general in the eyes of the ruler. Who in the entire kingdom would dare to offend him?

Jiang Chen also went along with the flow, shouting "Long live the emperor" and taking the dragon-carved gold medal. To be honest, in his previous life as the son of the Heavenly Emperor, he found it hard to lower himself to kneel before a mortal ruler.

Since he doesn't have to kneel before the ruler, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Of course, after receiving such a benefit, he had to show his attitude. He patted his chest and said, "Your Majesty, I won't boast. I only have one thing to say: if the princess suffers any mishap due to my inadequate treatment, I am willing to be buried with her."

There are many beautiful words to show loyalty, but nothing is more direct than this. If he can't cure her, he will die with the princess!

This is a bold move that risks his own life!

Who among the princes of the world has such courage and loyalty?

For a moment, even Jiang Chen himself was almost moved by his own performance.

A performance that could move himself naturally also conquered some people.

The few nobles who came with Dongfang Lu were secretly astonished. They didn't expect the successor of the Jianghan Marquis to have such courage, truly a tiger does not give birth to a dog.

Even the people of the Tianshui Marquis faction felt that if they were in his position, they might not have such courage.

Jiang Chen's performance wasn't over yet. He continued, "Your Majesty, the divine spirit also has instructions. Everything that happens today must be kept secret, not a word can be leaked out. First, it would be disrespectful to the divine spirit, and second, it would also consider Your Majesty's reputation."

If the farce of tonight were to spread, it would indeed damage Dongfang Lu's reputation. After all, seeing a prince slap his own face is not a dignified matter.

Of course, most importantly, it would be disrespectful to the divine spirit. If someone leaks the information and angers the divine spirit, and the divine spirit punishes Dongfang Zhiruo, that would be a disaster.

Without hesitation, the emperor issued an edict: "What happens today, no one can leak a single word. Otherwise, it will be considered an act against the Dongfang royal family!"

Fortunately, not many people were present. Apart from a few people from the Jianghan Marquis side, only six or seven people came with the ruler.

These people were all seasoned officials and knew that the ruler's words were not a joke. If the news really spread, their heads would be in danger.

Moreover, their performance today was also very undignified. If it spread, it would also damage their reputations.

By borrowing the name of the divine spirit, Jiang Chen intimidated the ruler and his ministers, which was also a consideration to keep a low profile.

He didn't want to be seen as a freak or a weirdo by the entire nation after the news spread.

Dongfang Lu was quite moved, holding the hand of the Jianghan Marquis and saying, "Marquis Jiang, the loyalty and righteousness of you and your son deeply move me."

Jiang Feng could only laugh bitterly. His son had taken on everything, and the words were already said. If he tried to stop, it would be self-defeating. He could only mutter to himself.

"Brat, you take on everything so easily, but don't mess it up. Well, well, as father and son, if you mess it up, I'll take the blame for you."

After this dramatic change, Jiang Feng's mindset became much more stable.

As the saying goes, long-term illness makes one a doctor. In his previous life, Jiang Chen was troubled by the Yin Body for a million years. He naturally studied this condition extensively.

Of course, with the current conditions, it was impossible to refine a Sun and Moon Divine Pill like his father did in his previous life.

The Sun and Moon Divine Pill is a divine pill that defies the laws of nature and competes with the sun and moon. Even the Heavenly Emperor had to sacrifice his divine essence and lifespan to refine it.

The materials needed to refine the Sun and Moon Divine Pill might not even exist in this world, and even if they did, no one in this mortal world could replicate the Heavenly Emperor's great feat.

Although the Sun and Moon Divine Pill is not available, a pill that imitates its effects, even if it only has one ten-thousandth of its power, would be enough to extend life by a hundred years.

After all, in his previous life, Jiang Chen lived for a million years after taking the Sun and Moon Divine Pill. If not for the heavenly calamity, he would have been immortal.

For Dongfang Zhiruo's condition, making her live for a million years would be impossible even for the Heavenly Emperor himself.

But making her live for a hundred or eighty years, Jiang Chen definitely had a way, and not just one.

However, Jiang Chen didn't plan to solve the problem all at once. If he solved Dongfang Zhiruo's problem in just a few moves, it was uncertain how long Dongfang Lu would be grateful.

The art of imperial rule is the most fickle. Short-term gratitude cannot guarantee long-term harmonious relations.

Jiang Chen needed time. In the future, a mere mortal ruler of a secular kingdom would not be a concern for him.

So, he decided to take his time. As long as he could extend the princess's lifespan, everything would be fine.

This way, he would not only gain ample time. It would also provide him with an invisible shield.

The dedicated imperial physician for the princess, anyone who wanted to harm him would have to consider whether they could withstand the ruler's wrath.

Jiang Chen's eloquent speech and his promise to diagnose the princess in three days finally managed to send this group away.

Xuan Fatty, however, came over with a sad face, "Brother Chen, you're really cruel. If you were going to pretend to be dead, you should have given me a hint. My illustrated version of 'Rouputuan' is a rare edition, and it's gone now. How will I spend the long nights?"

"And, the ten thousand taels of silver, that was real..."

"Fatso, you dare to say the ten thousand taels of silver was real?" Jiang Chen looked at the unscrupulous fatty with a smile.

The fatty chuckled and scratched his head, "I wasn't finished. It was a genuine product from the Jiutang Hall, and it cost me five taels of silver."

Jiutang Hall is an old shop in the capital that specializes in printing ghost money.

When the fatty mentioned the five taels of silver, his face twitched in pain.

Fatties are usually very stingy, and making them take money out of their pockets is as painful as drawing blood.

"Brother Chen, I won't mention the ten thousand taels of silver. But that 'Rouputuan' is really a rare edition..."

"Don't mention it! Fatso, you didn't mention it, I almost forgot. When are you going to return the ten thousand taels you borrowed from me last time?" Jiang Chen laughed.

"Ah? What did you say, Brother Chen? You pretended to be dead so convincingly. I was so sad, I cried so hard that my eardrums burst. My ears aren't working well now. I need to find a doctor. Brother Chen, take care of yourself, I'll come back to see you later..."

By the time he finished his last sentence, the fatty had already shot out the door.

The three close friends who came earlier, besides Xuan Fatty, were Hugui Yue and Yang Zong, both descendants of noble families who had a long-standing friendship with Jiang Chen.

Seeing Xuan Fatty leave, Hugui Yue comforted Jiang Chen a few words and then took his leave.

Yang Zong wanted to explain something but was patted on the shoulder by Jiang Chen and ultimately didn't say anything, following the others out.

After everyone left, only the father and son of the Jiang family remained.

Without a word, Jiang Feng drew his sword, flicked his wrist, and a cold light flashed. The large sandalwood coffin in the hall was instantly reduced to wood chips.

"Someone, clean this up, take it out and burn it, to dispel the bad luck!" The Jianghan Marquis was in a very good mood after his son was found alive.

Jiang Chen smiled at his father, "Father, don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

"Ha ha ha." Jiang Feng laughed heartily, patted Jiang Chen's shoulder, "You're my son, no matter what you do, I'll back you up!"

Jiang Chen was speechless for a moment. This father was really unprincipled.

To be honest, the previous Jiang Chen, though not the worst of the spoiled rich kids, was not far from it. If he had really died, his epitaph could be summed up in one sentence: This man did everything in his life except for the right things.

He caused small troubles every three days and big troubles every five days.

For this, the Jianghan Marquis had almost lost count of how many times he had to clean up after him.

Of course, this young man did have some good qualities. At least he was loyal and had a bit of responsibility. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a group of spoiled rich kids gathered around him, with him as the leader.

In short, finding good qualities in the previous Jiang Chen was like finding a needle in a haystack. Finding his flaws, however, was like picking up a basket of them.

For noble children, some small flaws and shortcomings were not a big deal. But this young man's biggest flaw was his laziness in cultivation!

"Ah, what a man who doesn't know how to cherish things." After merging with the previous Jiang Chen's memories, Jiang Chen had to admit that this Jiang Chen was indeed a bit hopeless.

With such a good father and decent talent, and being born with a golden spoon in the Eastern Kingdom,

But in the competition among peers, he had already fallen to the bottom.

Originally, as nobles, they were not allowed to reside in the capital. They should live in their respective territories.

The reason why the nobles gathered in the capital was to participate in the once-every-twenty-years Qianlong Examination.

The Eastern Kingdom has 108 nobles, but these nobles are not permanent. The once-every-twenty-years Qianlong Examination is an assessment of the successors of the nobles.

Only those who pass the Qianlong Examination can inherit the noble seal and continue to control their territories.

If they fail the assessment, they must hand over the noble seal, lose their territories, and be stripped of their titles, becoming idle families.

Once they become idle families, it is very likely that they will face the result of a tree falling and the monkeys scattering. Their power will be divided, and talents will leave, which are inevitable.

After all, losing the noble seal means losing rewards and various sources of income. Relying on past achievements, no idle family can support a large number of strong people.

Moreover, the kingdom does not allow idle families to grow larger than the nobles.

The Qianlong Examination lasts for a long time, three years.

After three years, if the assessment is successfully passed, a succession ceremony will be held in the capital. This means that for the next twenty years, they can continue to retain the noble seal and control their territories.

After twenty years, they must send the younger generation to participate in the next Qianlong Examination.

The purpose of the Qianlong Examination is to ensure that the nobles can continue to produce talented people and not become stagnant.

If you are not capable, you must give up the noble seal.

This is the survival rule of this world.

Simple, direct, brutal, and violent!