Chapter 56

The appearance of Princess Gouyu, however, made all the noisy voices at the scene disappear.

After all, her identity as the overall head of the Qianlong Examination made all the hereditary nobles present somewhat wary. If they were to anger Princess Gouyu, and she secretly gave them a hard time, it would be a loss.

The Qianlong Examination, held once every twenty years, could be said to involve the entire nation. After Princess Gouyu's appearance, two teams of Tiandu military experts quickly rushed from the main road, taking up positions on both sides to enforce a lockdown.

This indicated that the current monarch was about to appear.

Dongfang Lu was spirited, his steps steady and powerful. His tiger-like eyes exuded a stern and awe-inspiring presence.

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Dongfang Kingdom!"

The ministers around him all knelt down, welcoming the arrival of the monarch.

The 108 hereditary nobles also found their respective areas and took their seats.

Dongfang Lu stood at the center of the venue and declared with a powerful voice, "Our Dongfang Kingdom has a thousand-year tradition, always emphasizing the inheritance of martial arts. To demonstrate martial prowess and spur on the nobles, I place great importance on this Qianlong Examination held every twenty years. It is a great pleasure to see the nobles from all over the kingdom gathered here, each displaying their heroic spirit and remarkable talent."

"Today, the 108 nobles of our kingdom have gathered, a meeting of the great and the mighty. As the saying goes, 'Each generation has its outstanding talents, leading the trend for hundreds of years.' I hope that each noble can present a new image and perform at your highest level, continuing to uphold our kingdom's tradition of valuing martial arts."

Dongfang Lu did not give a long speech. After a few brief words, he handed the topic back to Princess Gouyu, who was the overall head of the Qianlong Examination.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report," said Yan Jiuzhuang, the Marquis of Yanmen, stepping forward and bowing.

"Oh? What is it, Marquis Yan?" Dongfang Lu smiled faintly.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Marquis Jianghan is seriously ill, and there are even rumors that he has passed away. The Jianghan territory, located in the southern border of our kingdom, is a strategic military stronghold. If Marquis Jianghan does not appear for a long time, it is feared that the southern bandits will take advantage of the situation and cause chaos. I humbly request that before the Qianlong Examination, we discuss the归属 of the Jianghan territory's noble seal."

Jianghan territory, noble seal.

Dongfang Lu's expression stiffened slightly. No one had confirmed the true situation of Jiang Feng. Yan Jiuzhuang was the first to speak up, clearly acting as a vanguard for Longteng Marquis.

Dongfang Lu's gaze turned to the Jianghan Marquis area.

Jiang Chen smiled and stepped forward, "Your Majesty, this Yan Jiuzhuang is disrespectful to his elders. To openly curse my father at such a grand event, how can I, as a son, stand by and do nothing? I demand that Yan Jiuzhuang apologize to me."

"Apologize? Jiang Chen, you are still a child. What virtue or ability do you have to demand an apology from me, a noble with a fief?" Yan Jiuzhuang sneered.

"Unjustly cursing others is a sign of moral deficiency. A morally deficient person is a old dog. Yan old dog, you, a noble, are willing to be a lackey, which is a great insult to dogs."

Jiang Chen's sharp tongue was not just for show.

"Jiang Chen, you openly insult a noble with a fief. I will impeach you and charge you with the serious crime of defaming and insulting a noble!"

"Yan old dog! Try to touch my son!"

Suddenly, a thunderous voice came from the Jianghan Marquis area.

This person, walking with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger, approached the front, his eyes cold and piercing, staring at Yan Jiuzhuang, "Yan old dog, where did my son go wrong? You, the Marquis of Yanmen, are a first-rank noble, yet you have degraded yourself to being a vanguard, which is nothing but a lackey."

Jiang Feng!

It was actually Jiang Feng, the Marquis of Jianghan, who had been missing for a long time.

The scene suddenly became lively, and no one expected the Marquis of Jianghan to suddenly appear, looking so vigorous and powerful.

His unhidden aura was the terrifying presence of a True Qi Master!

Jiang Feng had actually broken through and become another True Qi Master!

"Your subject, Jiang Feng, pays respects to Your Majesty!" After cursing Yan Jiuzhuang, Jiang Feng bowed respectfully to Dongfang Lu.

"Marquis Jiang, I heard you were unwell. It turns out it was a false rumor?" Dongfang Lu's heart was slightly reassured by Jiang Feng's timely appearance.

As the current monarch, he did not want the Jianghan territory to change hands at such an occasion.

Even if it were to change hands, he, Dongfang Lu, would decide who would take over. He would not allow Longteng Marquis and his followers to seize it without cause.

Jiang Feng laughed, "Some minor villains used some despicable tricks, but they are not worth mentioning."

"Ha, Marquis Jiang, your loyalty and righteousness are protected by heaven and earth. It seems I was overly concerned." Dongfang Lu was in high spirits.

Longteng Marquis, however, was extremely frustrated. Jiang Feng was not dead? And he was still so vigorous? It seemed his cultivation had even improved.

Long Zhaofeng was filled with frustration. He was increasingly dissatisfied with his subordinates' abilities. Since he had started to clash with the Jiang family, nothing had gone smoothly.

How could Jiang Feng, who was clearly poisoned to death, be so vigorous?

Not only was Jiang Feng not dead, but his cultivation had improved. This meant that their attempts to seize the Jianghan territory through intrigue would be in vain.

Yan Jiuzhuang's face was awkward, as if he had been punched in the nose. He was neither able to advance nor retreat, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Marquis Yan, I have a word of advice for you. If you want to be a vanguard, first look at Du Ruhai's fate, and then consider the fate of the Danwang Garden."

The loyalists behind Longteng Marquis, upon hearing Jiang Feng's words, also felt a sense of foreboding.

Indeed, Du Ruhai, acting as a vanguard for Longteng Marquis, was personally eliminated by Longteng Marquis, resulting in the extermination of his entire family and the confiscation of his property.

The Danwang Garden, although no one died, was defeated in the business world by the Alchemist Hall, suffering continuous setbacks. There were even rumors that they had completely sold themselves to Longteng Marquis, losing their autonomy.

Yan Jiuzhuang was extremely frustrated but spoke with arrogance, "Jiang Feng, don't be too smug."

"Why can't I be smug?" Jiang Feng laughed heartily, "You, Yan Jiuzhuang, can't beat me in a one-on-one fight; your son has been thoroughly defeated by my son twice. I can't find a reason not to be smug. What do you think?"

Yan Jiuzhuang was speechless.

Jiang Chen, hearing his father's bold retaliation, was also in high spirits. It was clear that each noble had their own way of surviving.

With Jiang Feng's appearance, this small episode naturally ended with Yan Jiuzhuang being humiliated.

Princess Gouyu's phoenix-like eyes flickered, and she cast a meaningful glance at Jiang Chen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now announce that the final competition of the new Qianlong Examination officially begins. The rules are the same as before. Start applying for the assessment tasks."

"This assessment is divided into nine levels of tasks. Each level of task represents the rank of a noble of that level."

The 108 nobles of the Dongfang Kingdom are divided into nine ranks. Each rank has twelve nobles. This continues accordingly.

The Marquis of Jianghan ranks 14th among the 108 nobles, making him a second-rank noble.

For example, the nobles ranked 1st to 12th are all first-rank nobles. Among the first-rank nobles, there are also different levels.

The first to fourth ranks are the four great nobles of the kingdom, known as the Supreme First Rank.

The fifth to eighth ranks are known as the Principal First Rank.

The ninth to twelfth ranks are known as the Subordinate First Rank.

For second-rank nobles and lower, there is no such thing as Supreme. Within their respective ranks, there are also three levels.

For example, second-rank nobles are divided into Upper Second Rank, Middle Second Rank, and Lower Second Rank.

The Marquis of Jianghan is precisely an Upper Second Rank noble!

The Qianlong Examination is a competition that determines the ranking of the next generation of nobles.

The 108 noble heirs can apply for tasks of any rank. However, each noble heir has only two application opportunities.

If they fail to complete the task twice, it is considered a failure in the assessment, and they will have to hand over their noble seal.

This allows powerful families without noble seals to continuously rise to fill the gaps.

Since the assessment has only two application opportunities, most noble heirs are very cautious and make good use of these two opportunities.

The first time, some noble heirs might challenge a higher rank. But if they fail the first time, they must be extremely cautious when using their second application opportunity. Otherwise, failing the second application task means handing over the noble seal.

The mood of each noble in the Qianlong Examination is very complex.

If they have high talent, they must consider which rank to challenge.

If they have average talent, they must consider whether it is more important to maintain their position.

High-rank nobles worry about being challenged from below.

Low-rank nobles worry about their noble seals being seized by powerful families eyeing their positions.

Mid-rank nobles must consider whether to advance or maintain their current position.

The Qianlong Examination is a decision, a difficult decision.

Often, some noble heirs, due to a momentary impulse, overestimate their talent and strength, and challenge a higher rank, resulting in two failures and the loss of their noble seal.

This is extremely regrettable.

"Brother Chen, what rank of task do you plan to challenge?" Xuan Fatso came over, clearly a bit nervous.

Jiang Chen glanced at his two close friends and asked, "What have you decided?"

"I have decided to challenge a second-rank task," Hu Qiu Yue said with determination. He now has eight-meridian True Qi, giving him the confidence to do so.

He even has the qualifications to challenge a first-rank task.

"I... I will try to maintain my position first," Xuan Fatso said weakly. The Marquis of Jinshan is an Upper Fourth Rank noble, with a mid-to-high position. If he can maintain his position, it would be quite good.

At least, the Marquis of Jinshan's highest expectation for Xuan Fatso is to maintain his current ranking.

Jiang Chen nodded, "Xiao Yue's choice of a second-rank task is correct. Rashly challenging a first-rank task would put too much pressure on you. For Fatso, maintaining his position is considered a success."

Jiang Chen was very familiar with the rules of the Qianlong Examination. If the number of applicants for the same rank exceeds the limit, the ranking will be determined based on the quality of task completion, with the lowest-ranked individuals being moved to the next rank.

For example, if fifteen people complete a third-rank task, the last three will be moved to the fourth rank.

This continues, but the 108 noble seals remain constant.

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