There are countless versions of the story surrounding the banquet that night that involved three generations of the Xia royal family.
However, in the future, only two points were generally accepted.
It was from that night that the new emperor and the retired emperor completed the final transfer of power, and the Great Xia Dynasty officially entered the Xia Yuncheng era.
Secondly, the biggest beneficiary of the banquet was not the new emperor Xia Yuncheng, but Chen Ke.
The Empress Dowager's edict was announced the following day, causing a huge uproar.
Chen Ke, a fourth-class viscount, made valuable contributions to the country by offering his strategies. He was specially promoted to a third-class earl and bestowed the title "Chengyi" (meaning "Sincerity").
This imperial edict conferring titles upon Chen Ke was the first imperial edict issued by the Empress Dowager in the forty years since she retired from public life!
Clearly, Chen Ke's strategy of winning over the upper echelons was successful; he first won over the retired emperor, and then the great empress dowager.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, which highly valued filial piety, as long as the Empress Dowager did not interfere in state affairs, who would dare to disobey her orders?
Therefore, Chen Ke transformed from a nobody into the "Earl of Chengyi" of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Having the title of Earl meant that Chen Ke would not only have his own fiefdom and estate, but also the power to establish his own government in the capital.
In other words, because of this earldom, the Chen family truly became a powerful and wealthy family.
The news has been made public, immediately causing shock, suspicion, jealousy, and hidden hatred among countless people.
People can only speculate that the new emperor and the retired emperor probably reached some kind of compromise during the power transition.
The bestowal of honors upon Chen Ke actually sends an important message to the outside world: that after the new emperor has fully consolidated his power, he will not launch a major purge against the old guard.
The fact that the Empress Dowager issued this decree also prevented the new emperor and the retired emperor from some unnecessary questions.
What broke the hearts of countless young students and powerful figures was that the Empress Dowager's decree also definitively confirmed the marriage between the Chen family and the Qin princess.
In their eyes, Chen Ke was nothing but a toad, a disreputable businessman's son who wasn't even qualified to carry the shoes of the Qin princess.
The Empress Dowager bestowed the title of "Earl of Chengyi" upon Chen Ke so that his status and position would not be so disparate from those of the Qin princess.
For a time, the mournful songs of young scholars and nobles echoed everywhere in the Great Xia Academy, the Imperial College, and the restaurants and teahouses of all sizes throughout the city.
"The new terrace is lush, the river flows wide. The desire for beauty and tranquility is strong, but the wild herbs are not fresh."
"The new terrace is adorned with wine, the river flows gently, and the desire for beauty and tranquility is fulfilled, though the pursuit of love and affection is not extinguished."
"When a fishing net is set, the wild goose will escape. When a woman seeks a beautiful woman, she will be met with this kind of kindness."
In the end, the citizens understood the meaning of the song "Xintai" (Heart Platform) and joined in the mournful singing.
It's over, it's over! Wan Yan of our Great Xia Dynasty is going to be devoured by Chen Ke, that swan.
Oh no, oh no! The most beautiful and tender cabbage of our Great Xia Dynasty is going to be eaten by that pig Chen Ke.
As night fell, at Xianxia Pass, the Qin princess sat behind layers of curtains, staring blankly at the secret report in her hand.
She wasn't exactly annoyed, but she wasn't happy either; she was probably mostly disappointed.
She did not expect that the Empress Dowager would tacitly approve of her marriage to Chen Ke after only meeting him once.
Is this considered rash, or a sign of keen insight?
Of course, in the past few days, both she and the palace have gathered enough information about Chen Ke and have also learned some unknown secrets.
The Chen Ke described in these documents is completely different from the Chen Ke of popular rumors.
Therefore, Chen Ke being granted the title of "Earl of Chengyi" was probably neither a rash decision nor a sign of keen insight.
The one who truly had the discerning eye to recognize talent was actually the retired emperor.
"Is the whole city chanting 'The New Terrace' to protest my injustice?"
The Qin princess glanced down at the secret report and couldn't help but smile bitterly. She said quietly, "I am not Xuan Jiang, and he is not Duke Xuan of Wei, so what new platform is this?"
Suddenly remembering something, the Qin princess asked, "Ding Bo, have we got information about Chen Ke's whereabouts last night?"
Ding Bo looked troubled and slipped another secret report into the curtain.
Princess Qin opened the secret report and exclaimed in disbelief, "What? Chen Ke never left the manor outside the capital?!"
Uncle Ding was also completely baffled and could only manage a wry smile.
If Chen Ke didn't leave Capital City, then who was the person who rescued Yun Xiaolong the night before?
Or perhaps Chen Ke didn't act personally, but rather had a powerful figure behind him who orchestrated everything?
The Qin princess handed the note to Ding Bo, a hint of annoyance flashing in her dazed eyes.
She disliked this feeling; it was like looking through a fog, as if everything was out of her control.
Furthermore, Chen Ke's greeting to her was bland and almost perfunctory; was it a sarcastic remark?
In her mind's eye, she seemed to see Chen Ke grinning, winking at her, and chuckling.
The princess's thousand words were stuck in her throat, finally condensing into two words: "You bastard!"
The next morning, before the people of Daxia City had recovered from the shock of the previous day, the imperial court issued a second decree, causing another uproar.
Chen Ke, the third-class earl of Chengyi, was granted the title of Colonial Agriculture Commander and was responsible for colonizing land in the northern part of the city.
The official position of "Tuntian Ling" only exists in historical records. The Great Xia Dynasty, which existed for more than 600 years, never established this position.
So the question is, what rank was the Commissioner of Agricultural Settlements, and was he under the jurisdiction of the Grand Minister of Agriculture?
Furthermore, the fertile land in the north of the city has been a royal estate for hundreds of years, belonging to the imperial family.
Did Chen Ke become the military agricultural colony administrator to cultivate gold?
If the imperial court had only issued this one appointment, that would have been fine. But unfortunately, Chen Ke received a second appointment!
"Liquor Division", what the heck is that?
What qualifications does a newly established department have to be on the same level as the Salt and Iron Bureau?
What on earth is this "Messenger of Strong Liquor"?
The officials were in a state of shock, and the general public was also buzzing with discussion. Both the appointment of the "Tuntian Commander" and the "Liquor Envoy" sparked endless speculation among them.
"Yarn!"
Chen Ke sat in the courtyard, looking at his three wide-eyed followers, and said with a bitter face, "The land reclamation order is nothing, it just makes me grow chili peppers for the palace!"
"Messenger of strong liquor? I can only laugh," Chen Ke said, almost spitting blood with anger. "His Majesty has ordered me to hand over the technology for purifying alcohol free of charge!"
Chen Ke was filled with regret; he had originally planned to extort a large sum of money.
Whether it's growing chili peppers or producing high-proof liquor, there are many trivial matters that Chen Ke originally planned to delegate to his subordinates. He simply didn't have the time to manage everything.
Now, things have taken a turn for the better. The imperial court has issued an edict granting him an official position, so he can't even slack off anymore.
The only consolation was that the Chen family obtained the first license to produce and sell high-proof liquor, and began operations immediately as a pilot project.
After receiving the plan he had written, his wealthy father immediately began to acquire wineries and plan factory construction. In the name of the imperial court, he also purchased a large number of modules and tools at low prices from the Engineering College of the Great Xia Academy.
Those spiritual energy modules are actually the key; the other tools and equipment are just a smokescreen.
Needless to say, the work of modifying and debugging the equipment was all handed over to Chen Ke.
Three busy days passed, and late at night, Chen Ke finally had some free time.
He filled the ring space with a lot of strong liquor, as well as braised duck necks and other delicacies. After making all the preparations, he flew from the Western Hills into the night sky, heading towards the distant Pearl City.
We can't delay any longer. Even if we can't buy spirit stones right away, it's good to go and explore the way.
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