Chapter 704

And every commoner dreamed of becoming a noble.

Thus, these nobles' words actually won slight approval from some commoners.

But approval was approval—they would never openly support the nobles. The Flame Empire had given them ten mu of land and divine beans; they had no intention of opposing the Flame Empire and seeking trouble.

Look, this is the foundation of faith.

The original gods of the Purple Gold Empire had almost no faith left among the commoners, so they could only turn to the nobles!

"The effect is good."

In the crowd, a noble in green robes said to the noble who had devised this strategy.

The noble in green robes nodded.

"I heard the Flame Empire's empress is two women. Can women make good emperors? Let's see how she handles this."

The noble in green robes sneered.

At this moment, a powerful magical fluctuation came from the sky; everyone felt immense pressure.

"So they're preparing to crush us with force? Interesting. If you dare do this, it plays right into our hands."

The noble in green robes said.

But that magical fluctuation vanished instantly, and then, on the high platform in the center of the square, appeared a dozen figures.

In the very center stood a woman wearing a green veil, her figure slender and graceful—it was the girl Mengying.

One of the Flame Empire's empresses!

"Your Majesty, what crime did Duke Boning commit that he was executed without trial? This violates the law and tradition!"

After Mengying descended, an old duke with white hair immediately stepped forward and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Even if Duke Charles committed the gravest crimes, he should have been publicly tried, with all Hou Jues and Bo Jues voting on whether he deserved execution. This is the tradition of every nation. Nobles are the foundation of the state. We have no intention of opposing the Empire, nor did we participate in the rebellion—but we demand an explanation!"

Another old duke stepped forward.

After the two dukes spoke, other nobles also began voicing their opinions.

"One at a time."

At this moment, a female official shouted loudly.

Seeing that Mengying seemed willing to listen, the nobles lined up orderly, each speaking their demands, all insisting on an explanation.

Some nobles even hoped the Flame Empire would enact laws to guarantee noble rights.

Mengying stood there, listening quietly.

After two full hours, Mengying gently pressed her hand down.

Instantly, all the nobles fell silent.

"The rights of the nobles must indeed be guaranteed."

Mengying spoke.

"Huh? She's conceding? But that proves the Flame Empire is afraid. Wait—once they concede, these insatiable nobles will immediately demand even more."

Among the nobles, the noble in green robes whispered.

All the nobles raised their heads and looked at Mengying.

Mengying finally spoke again: "Therefore, I have drafted a bill. Officer, read it to them."

"Yes!"

A female official took a sheet of paper from Mengying's hand.

All the nobles stared eagerly at her.

Then, the female official began:

"Nobles are the foundation of the state; the greater their number, the more prosperous the realm. Hence, to increase the number of nobles, this decree is hereby issued: Noble titles shall remain hereditary, but noble lands and titles shall be equally divided among all offspring—whether eldest son, second son, or third son, all have the right to inherit land…"

Before the female official finished speaking half her sentence, the faces of every noble present changed.

For what she read was none other than Lin Yan's famous decree from before his transmigration—the Edict of Extended Grace.

The Edict of Extended Grace was the bane of all feudal lords.

Here, it was the bane of all nobles!

Nobles had maintained their generational strength precisely because of the primogeniture system, concentrating wealth and land into a single heir without any division.

But the Edict of Extended Grace granted inheritance rights to every descendant of a noble.

Worse still, Mengying went further—she split noble titles themselves.

For example, a duke's title would be divided into multiple Hou Jue titles; a Hou Jue title would be divided into multiple Bo Jue titles.

Once wealth and titles were split, a great noble's family would quickly fracture into several mid-tier nobles after his death, and those mid-tier nobles would further split into countless petty nobles.

Thus, within just a few years, a noble family would disintegrate.

"Your Majesty, this bill must not be enacted!"

Before the female official finished reading, all the nobles below panicked, forgetting their demands entirely, and knelt down begging Mengying to rescind the decree.

Mengying remained unmoved, signaling the female official to continue.

Only when all the nobles were drenched in sweat did Mengying speak lightly:

"It is merely a backup bill. If any further evil incidents occur in the Purple Gold Empire, this bill will become law. Now tell me—who first suggested you come here to cause trouble?"

Upon hearing Mengying's words, all the nobles below sighed in relief.

"Him."

At that moment, a noble pointed to the viscount beside the noble in green robes.

The noble in green robes subtly stepped aside, putting more distance between himself and the viscount.

"I—I didn't! I just…"

The viscount turned red in the face, frantic.

His words had only been half-spoken when he found himself in midair, and then… a ball of flame enveloped him.

The viscount didn't even have time to scream before he turned to ash and fell from the sky.

"They probably didn't notice me."

The blue-robed noble hid behind another noble.

At that moment, he suddenly felt an invisible force sweep over him, and the next instant, he and over twenty others were floating up into the sky together.

The blue-robed noble's heart was seized with terror.

He instinctively looked toward Mengying, only to see Mengying sweep her gaze over him with an indifferent look, and then he saw Mengying wave her hand.

Just like swatting away a few flies.

Flames burst forth from within his body.

In less than a second, the blue-robed noble and the other twenty-some nobles who hadn't been dragged out were completely reduced to ash.

In the final moment of his life, the blue-robed noble finally understood what kind of terrifying existence he had been opposing.

If he were given one more chance, he would definitely not have been bewitched by the original god of the Purple Gold Empire.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in this world.

Although they had hidden themselves well, whispering within the domain of a Saint-realm expert—no matter how softly—no matter how softly—couldn't possibly escape Mengying's notice.

"That's that. From today on, if any evil incident occurs in the Purple Gold Empire, this decree will be implemented on the second day after the incident. Consider it done at your own discretion."

Once Mengying finished speaking, she flew away from the plaza.

After Mengying left, the several thousand nobles in the plaza exchanged uneasy glances.

They were still trembling with lingering fear.

It was simply that the contents of the Grace-Bestowing Decree were too terrifying to them.

And if the Flame Empire insisted on pushing through the Grace-Bestowing Decree, they had no good way to stop it.

In fact, within their own families, aside from the eldest legitimate son, everyone else would welcome the Grace-Bestowing Decree with open arms.

On the Continent of Gods, there is a saying: only the eldest son of a noble is truly a son.

Second sons, third sons, daughters… let alone titles, they wouldn't receive any property at all.

But the Grace-Bestowing Decree would turn second sons, third sons, daughters… all into loyal supporters of the Flame Empire.

"I propose that we arm warriors to patrol. If anyone is still bewitched by the old gods, don't blame me for being rude."

A duke said coldly.

"Agreed. I'll arm a thousand warriors to handle security in the cities around my territory."

Another noble said.

"I'll also arm a thousand…"

Under the deterrence of the Grace-Bestowing Decree, these nobles spontaneously armed warriors to maintain order for the Flame Empire, and even reported some nobles who might have been bewitched by the original god of the Purple Gold Empire.