Chapter 335: Fourth Rank

The emperor's sharp eyes swept over the aristocratic officials below, whose faces were ashen as earth, and a feeling of unprecedented exhilaration rose in his heart.

"Cui Aiqing!"

The emperor looked at the Minister of Personnel, Cui Hong, who stood at the head of the civil officials, his tone laced with unabashed sarcasm,

"Half a month ago, you all urged me, saying Gu Ziyuan lacked experience and sent him to Jiu You County. Now, three days into his appointment, he has removed a thousand-year-old malignant tumor for me and for the Great Yin Divine Court! How should the Ministry of Personnel evaluate such a merit?"

Cui Hong's complexion turned extremely sullen, as if he had swallowed a dead horsefly.

He could not fathom how that penniless, destitute scholar, who possessed not a hint of official aura, managed to kill the Black Mountain Old Demon.

That was a terrifying being even he, a second‑rank senior official, dared not confront directly!

But the facts lay before them; the heavenly Dao and qi cannot be falsified.

"Your Majesty..."

Cui Hong forced himself to step forward, bowed, and said,

"The County Magistrate Gu achieving such extraordinary feats is indeed a blessing for our Great Yin. Yet the matter is suspicious; the Black Mountain Old Demon's power reaches the heavens, and a seventh‑rank county magistrate alone could not possibly slay it. I believe there must be hidden circumstances, perhaps the old demon's lifespan had ended and he merely seized an opportunity. For caution, I earnestly request Your Majesty to send an imperial envoy to Yuzhou to verify, before granting any reward."

"Absurd!"

The emperor flared with anger,

"Heaven sends auspicious signs, and qi returns the favor! Could such radiant heavenly might also be a matter of picking up a bargain? Cui Hong, do you perhaps cannot bear to see our Great Yin produce such saintly talent?!"

"I dare not!" Cui Hong, frightened, quickly knelt to the ground, while the aristocratic officials behind him stepped forward in agreement.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger! Lord Cui's words are entirely correct; the Jiu You County incident is too bizarre, and granting lavish rewards without uncovering the truth will be hard to convince the masses!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, Gu Ziyuan's experience is still shallow; a sudden promotion may breed arrogance, which will be detrimental to his future official career!"

The emperor gazed at the kneeling aristocratic officials below, a cold murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

These powerful families, at this moment, still tried to suppress Gu Yuan!

"You want an investigation? Fine! I will let you investigate thoroughly!"

The emperor sneered, directly drew a blank imperial edict from the dragon‑script desk, picked up a cinnabar brush, and his strokes flowed like dragons and snakes.

"Convey my decree!"

"Qingzhou scholar, Jiu You County Magistrate Gu Ziyuan, possesses both talent and virtue, and has performed world‑shaking feats of quelling chaos and slaying demons! My heart is greatly pleased! Effective immediately, promote Gu Ziyuan to Regular Fourth Rank Yuzhou Provincial Governor! Grant him a Purple Gold Fish Bag, to patrol on behalf of Heaven, and to command all military and civil affairs of Yuzhou!"

The moment those words were spoken, the Hall of Supreme Harmony erupted into chaos.

"Your Majesty! This cannot be!"

"A six‑grade leap! From Regular Seventh Rank straight to Regular Fourth Rank as a frontier official! This violates the ancestral regulations!"

"Yuzhou is a key frontier stronghold; how could it be entrusted to a mere youngster?!"

Cui Hong and the others grew so anxious their eyes reddened. A Regular Fourth Rank Yuzhou Provincial Governor!

That is a truly powerful official, able not only to mobilize massive official qi but also, with rightful authority, intervene in Yuzhou's aristocratic interests.

If Gu Yuan were to sit securely in that position, the heavens of Yuzhou's noble families would collapse!

"Ancestral regulations? I am the ancestral regulation!"

The emperor rose abruptly, and the Purple Star Dragon Qi belonging to the divine dynasty's ruler erupted thunderously, pressing the entire court of civil and military officials to the point of breathlessness,

"Whoever dares to obstruct this reward is opposing me, opposing the qi of the Great Yin Divine Court! Attendants, draft the edict and send it to Yuzhou at once!"

The emperor's stance was extremely hardline; he had grown weary of the aristocratic families' constraints.

Gu Yuan's knife is not only sharp but also sturdy.

He intends to use Gu Yuan to carve out a hefty piece of the aristocratic families of Yuzhou and even the whole realm!

Seeing the emperor's genuine fury, Cui Hong and the others realized that forcibly blocking it was now impossible.

Cui Hong's eyes flickered, and he suddenly fell to the ground, shouting,

"Your Majesty's wisdom! Governor Gu's extraordinary feats certainly merit great reward! Yet Yuzhou is remote, its people fierce; Lord Gu, newly elevated, may find it hard to command the masses. I earnestly request Your Majesty to select a virtuous, highly esteemed, noble prince as imperial envoy, to carry the edict to Yuzhou to pacify it. First, to display the emperor's boundless grace; second, to assist Lord Gu in stabilizing Yuzhou's situation."

Cui Hong's words sounded lofty and grand, yet in reality this was the aristocratic families' final counterattack.

Sending a prince as imperial envoy, under the guise of pacification, is truly surveillance and restraint.

If Gu Yuan is wise and joins the prince's command, the aristocratic families will naturally be able to control Gu Yuan by controlling the prince.

If Gu Yuan is not wise, the prince becomes a mountain pressing on his head, ready to charge him with the crime of "self‑glorifying, despising imperial authority."

The emperor squinted, giving Cui Hong a deep look.

He knew what scheme Cui Hong was playing. Yet having just forcibly promoted Gu Yuan, he had already cornered the aristocratic families; refusing even this proposal might spark severe turmoil in the court.

Moreover, sending a prince to win over Gu Yuan is also his own method of balancing power as emperor.

Although he values Gu Yuan, he does not wish Gu Yuan to slip out of imperial control.

"Very well."

The emperor pondered for a moment, then slowly returned to his dragon throne,

"Since Minister Cui proposed it, I shall approve it."

The emperor's gaze swept over several adult princes below.

The Crown Prince was backed by the Cui family and other top aristocratic houses, so he could not be sent.

The Third Prince is hot‑tempered and prone to causing trouble…

Finally, the emperor's eyes settled on the second prince, who had been quietly bowing his head in the corner.

Second Prince Yin Zhen, whose birth mother was of humble origin, has always kept a low profile at court and is renowned as a virtuous king; he enjoys befriending modest scholars, treats others with gentle courtesy, and never engages in factional strife.

"Second," the emperor called.

"Your son is present," Second Prince Yin Zhen hurried forward, bowing respectfully.

"I command you to become the imperial envoy, bearing the edict and the Imperial Sword, and set out immediately for Yuzhou. Treat Gu with great courtesy on my behalf, and ensure he feels the emperor's boundless grace. For all Yuzhou affairs, you must heed his counsel."

"Your son receives the decree! I shall not disappoint my father's great trust!"

The second prince bowed deeply, his jade‑smooth face pressed against the cold golden slab.

No one saw it, and in the moment he lowered his head, a flash of extremely strange, deep dark-red light flickered in the depths of his eyes.