Chapter 621: The Grand Conferral Ceremony

The news that Baifeng was going to carry out large-scale conferral of surnames and nobility had already begun to spread throughout Huaxia; some people even listed names with a serious air, but the true protagonists kept their mouths very tight, not leaking a shred of information, leaving the outside world to guess.

Finally, amidst a tense atmosphere, the time arrived for the day of the Grand Conferral Ceremony. After the day Baifeng announced the list, no one had been so lacking in tact as to submit their own merits for Baifeng to reward them as well; they still had a sense of propriety.

All the designated individuals put on their most magnificent clothing, then, following the instructions of the Ministry of Rites, stood in their appropriate positions; in reality, this was the level of nobility they would be able to obtain, which was reflected in this aspect.

Baifeng and Sui sat high upon the Imperial Altar, with the Heaven and Earth shrine behind them. All the people of Huaxia, including those from Lema City, had arrived here early, gathering around to wait and watch this grand ceremony.

Even those from the Xuanyuan Tribe were attracted by this unusual ceremony and crowded around to watch; someone like Zhishou, relying on his status, even obtained a position near the front.

Amidst the time-keeping calls of the Ministry of Rites, the ceremony began on time. Baifeng first led the hundred officials in offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, then sat steadily. Zhigui, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the soon-to-be Minister of Rites, represented Baifeng and read out to everyone:

"Today is the Grand Conferral Ceremony of Huaxia, a ceremony to reward the meritorious officials who have made huge contributions to the construction and development of Huaxia. Today, these meritorious officials will be granted surnames and nobility; this includes those who already have titles and surnames, for whom this will also be retroactively processed.

Now, announcing the list of conferrals..."

After the entire list was read, the voices below were already like a surging tide, chattering incessantly, but they could not be stopped; discussion among clansmen was the most normal thing, and for Huaxia, this was also an incredibly significant matter.

However, among so many people, two individuals had strange states. One was the Great Shaman; his expression was not as excited as the others, but rather somewhat annoyed, forcing a smile. The other was Changxu.

The Great Shaman had likely misunderstood his meaning and was somewhat fearful, but Changxu's expression now was somewhat pained, and he kept coughing, "cough, cough, cough." He remembered that the last time he went to the pigeon coop, he seemed to be coughing, but he hadn't paid attention to it. Now that Changxu was still coughing, Baifeng had to pay some attention to it.

The doctor, who was also in the ranks of those being enfeoffed, also noticed the constantly coughing Changxu, but he only glanced a few times and did not do anything, because this was the sacrificial ceremony, and ritual was the top priority. Treating illnesses was his duty, but the current situation in Huaxia was that if you were sick, you went to the Hospital first; doctors wouldn't run to your home to treat you, after all, not everyone could be like the Royal Family.

Everyone did not pay attention to the abnormality of the two, just minding their own joy. The Great Shaman's family was also watching nearby; after all, this was also a very glorious moment, although these surnames were somewhat heavy for them.

Baifeng personally engraved the Jiyin for these recipients of nobility; for example, the Great Shaman's was the Changping Marquis Seal. This would be a symbol of their status in the future, and the nobility Baifeng gave could be inherited. However, there would be no actual power, so Baifeng did not need to worry too much about noble families completely controlling the state power; nobility was still something where honorary benefits outweighed actual benefits.

Only upon reaching the rank of Marquis could one truly have actual benefits, because they would receive large areas of land as rewards. That was their private land, which they could develop at will in the future. As for Barons, Viscounts, and the like, they would be enfeoffed with land, but the land area would be so small it would be about the same as an ordinary Landlord, or even inferior to them; at least a Landlord's land was good land that could be farmed, not barren mountains and wild forests.

After the list was read, the actual conferral began. Zhigui's hands trembled slightly: "Minister of War, Xiong, granted the surname Xiong, enfeoffed as Marquis of Dingguo, hereditary and perpetual, rewarded with ten thousand mu of land in the northwest."

Then Xiong walked forward slowly as rehearsed, then knelt before Baifeng. Baifeng handed him the Jiyin representing his nobility, and Sui handed a land deed to Xiong.

This land deed did not explicitly state where his land should be, only specifying the size, and it bore the great seal of Huaxia and Baifeng's Private Seal; its legal effect was undeniable. When the time came, Xiong only needed to take a fancy to a certain place, find a landmark point, and then divide the ten thousand mu of land around it.

Xiong's mindset was calm, and he received these items expressionlessly; mainly because he already knew, so there wasn't much excitement. As for the rest, he could still control himself.

As for why Xiong was also granted the surname Xiong, there was no need to explain at all; taking one's name as a surname was nothing strange. Furthermore, Xiong's family was established by Xiong himself, so the people from the Ministry of Rites did not offer further explanation.

After Xiong went down holding the seal, Zhigui announced the next one: "Former Minister of Revenue, current Minister of Rites, the Great Shaman, granted the surname Wu, enfeoffed as Changping Marquis, rewarded with ten thousand mu of land in the northwest!

'Wu' is a person with a wide-open mouth. The Great Shaman was originally the Great Shaman of Huaxia's sacrifices, and now is the Minister of Rites, so he is granted the surname Wu. Also, because he made Huaxia prosperous and wealthy, he is enfeoffed as Changping Marquis."

After Zhigui finished the announcement, the enthusiasm of the onlookers was ignited once again, and they began to cheer and applaud; some even started whistling. The Great Shaman's face flushed red. Although the explanation of the character 'Wu' had been simplified a lot, he knew it clearly in his heart, and his family knew it clearly too, but now they could only accept the conferral calmly.

Baifeng repeated the behavior from just before. After the Great Shaman received everything, he returned with a hunched back and stood in the first row.

After them, others were gradually enfeoffed. As long as they were at the Minister level, they were all enfeoffed as Marquis, while Vice Ministers were enfeoffed as Counts, and others who had great merits but were one-off contributions were enfeoffed as Viscounts.

Now, the nobility of Huaxia already had three tiers. In the future, it would be almost impossible to enfeoff Marquises on such a large scale again; the rank of Marquis would become increasingly valuable. But because the supreme ruler of Huaxia was the King, there would be no more Princes of the Blood; Changle would be a Duke in the future.

Although Miaoyin was not enfeoffed, whoever saw her would call her Princess, even though no one understood what this term meant, just as they didn't know why they had to call Yulong Crown Prince; if they called him Prince, they would have been able to understand it. However, they just called them whatever Baifeng told them to.