"I second that the Prime Minister should be granted the title of King!"

Xu Shouli stepped forward.

Luo Mingyi stepped forward and said, "In my opinion, the Prime Minister should not only be a king, but should also wear a crown with ten tassels, ride in a golden chariot drawn by six horses, and use the imperial regalia when going out!"

Zhao Huan smiled and said to Yuan Wushang, "Your Majesty, my family has always been loyal ministers and has received the emperor's favor for generations. Although I have made some contributions, it is all due to the late emperor's prestige. I dare not accept the title."

Upon seeing this, everyone noticed that Zhao Huan's aura had completely changed.

Zhao Cheng smiled inwardly.

After hiding it for so long, the old man finally stopped pretending.

Zhao Zhan, on the other hand, was filled with excitement, his eyes brimming with undisguised pride.

Yuan Wushang's gaze slowly swept over the assembled officials, and he said, "My esteemed ministers, do you have anything to report?"

The officials looked at each other.

At this moment, He Yin stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the Prime Minister upholds the Way of Heaven and righteousness, and has always taken it upon himself to assist the Great Jing. He is loyal and virtuous, and maintains a humble and modest demeanor. If we were to grant the Prime Minister the title of King now, he would be above all other officials and be placed beside the Emperor, which would surely invite criticism from the people. The Prime Minister has made great contributions, and we should not push him into a position of inhumanity and injustice.”

"Your Majesty, I implore you to heed the Prime Minister's loyal advice and not promote him to king!"

Liu Ying walked to He Yin's side and said sternly, "The Prime Minister has reached the pinnacle of his position, and although his achievements are outstanding, there is nothing more to reward him with. The Emperor's grace is boundless; he could certainly bestow titles and rewards upon the Prime Minister's sons! I also urge Your Majesty not to promote the Prime Minister to the rank of King!"

“You!” Zhao Zhan pointed at He Yin and Liu Ying.

Xu Shouli interrupted Zhao Zhan, saying, "Minister He, you are mistaken! Although half of the country has been stabilized, the traitor Wen Tai still occupies four and a half counties of Dajing. The Southern Zhou is outwardly peaceful, but in reality, his treacherous intentions have not died. The court should demonstrate its royal authority in order to eliminate the rebel."

Xu Shouli faced Yuan Wushang and said, "If the Prime Minister is promoted to the rank of King, it will be in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people. Your Majesty must not be bound by custom and old ways, thus hindering the hopes of the people!"

"I……"

Yuan Wushang swallowed hard and said, "I also intend to promote the Prime Minister, but unfortunately the Prime Minister himself is unwilling..."

Xu Shouli interrupted, saying, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's ascension to the throne is a matter of Heaven's will. How can we let it end just because the Prime Minister declined?"

Before Yuan Wushang could speak, most of the officials stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, please grant the Prime Minister the title of King!"

"Your Majesty, please bestow upon the Prime Minister the title of King!!"

"Your Majesty, please grant the Prime Minister the title of King!!!"

Those who hadn't stepped forward to kneel also knelt down in agreement, leaving only He Yin and Zeng Peng standing in the hall.

Zhao Huan remained expressionless, staring intently at He Yin.

He Yin looked at the officials with disappointment and said in a trembling voice, "You officials, mediocre ministers, who eat the emperor's food and are expected to receive the country's favor, have become a bunch of withered trees and dead grass. The Great Jing Dynasty is doomed!"

"Minister He, you flatter me!"

A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out.

The officials looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of senior ministers, led by Qi Nian and Mu Shanyue, striding in.

Upon seeing this, all the officials were astonished.

"Elder Qi, Elder Qi has actually come!"

"Elder Mu has arrived too!"

"Wasn't Master Wu supposed to be traveling in Hou Cangyun? He's actually here too!"

The old minister walked up to the officials and bowed to Yuan Wushang, Zhao Huan, and others.

Zhao Huan also stood up from his chair to return the greeting.

Even now, although Zhao Huan is the head of all officials, every one of these veteran ministers who came is older and more experienced than him.

Mu Shanyue looked at Yuan Wushang and said, "Your Majesty, as early as when the Prime Minister achieved the great victory in Yunjing, there were voices in the court and among the people calling for the Prime Minister to be granted the title of King, but the Prime Minister refused time and time again. The Prime Minister's loyalty to the emperor and his adherence to integrity are his noble spirit, but neither the Prime Minister nor Your Majesty can go against the will of Heaven."

Master Wu looked at Zhao Huan and said sternly, "Zhao Huan, those who do not accept Heaven's favor will surely suffer the consequences. You must not go against Heaven's will to protect your own reputation!"

Qi Nian stepped forward, bowed deeply to Yuan Wushang, and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has devoted himself to the Great Jing for many years and made great contributions. The Zhao family is also a family of loyal martyrs! Without the Prime Minister and his sons, the Jing region would probably have been ravaged by the internal traitor Wen Tai and the external traitor Yang Qingzhi long ago."

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should not only elevate the Prime Minister to the rank of King, but also the General to the rank of Duke. The entire Zhao family will be rewarded!"

Upon hearing this, He Yin trembled with anger and rebuked, "Elder Qi, Elder Mu, I, He Yin, have always respected you, but your words today are utterly shameful!"

Liu Ying pointed at the assembled senior officials and roared, "You are all lackeys of the Zhao family!"

"Outrageous!" Qi Nianchao glared at Zeng Peng and shouted, "How dare you, a mere brat, spew filth and desecrate the sacred temple in the imperial court?!"

Qi Nian looked at Zhao Huan and said, "Prime Minister, after we old ministers retired, has the atmosphere of the court become like this?"

Zhao Huan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It was I who was negligent."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Zhan.

Zhao Zhan immediately stepped forward and said, "Men, drag Liu Ying away and throw her into jail!"

As Liu Ying was being led away, He Yin suddenly burst into laughter.

"What arrogance you have! Even the youngest son of the Zhao family dares to be so presumptuous before the Emperor. It seems your Zhao family has already taken the court for your own. Why don't you throw me into prison too, or just kill me to establish your authority?"

Mu Shanyue said, "He Yin, say less! You are a talented person, but you need to be able to distinguish right from wrong!"

"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect; I guess I misjudged He Yin."

Yuan Wushang glanced at Zhao Huan, then at the old ministers, rose, and raised his hand to He Yin, saying, "Minister He, please stop talking..."

He Yin shook her head, glanced at Yuan Wushang with disappointment, and then walked step by step towards the outside of the hall, saying as she went, "The Great Jing Dynasty is doomed!"

"They are doomed!"

Zhao Zhan said, "Your Majesty, He Yin has cursed the court; his crime is unforgivable!"

"Enough," Zhao Huan said in a deep voice, then bowed to Yuan Wushang and said, "Your Majesty, I am unwell. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave of court."

"Prime Minister, wait a moment!"

Yuan Wushang immediately called out to Zhao Huan. The play had already gone this far, so how could Yuan Wushang not understand what it meant?

He glanced at the officials and said, "Li Shu, please draft an imperial edict immediately to announce to the world that I hereby promote Chancellor Zhao Huan to the title of King of Han, grant him a crown with ten tassels, a golden chariot drawn by six horses, and that he shall use the imperial regalia for all his travels."

"General Zhao Cheng is hereby conferred the title of Duke of Yanchuan!"

"Zhao Yang shall be the Marquis of Jiangyang!"

"Zhao Yan shall be made Marquis of Yunjing!"

"Zhao Zhan is hereby appointed Marquis of Changsui!"

Li Shu said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

The officials shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and benevolent!!!"

Zhao Huan stood up slowly, walked down the steps, bowed slightly to Yuan Wushang, and said, "Your subject kowtows to thank Heaven for its grace."

All the officials knelt down before Zhao Huan and shouted in unison, "Congratulations, King of Han!"

Seeing this scene before him, Yuan Wushang sat down on the dragon throne in a daze.

He realized that the future he had dreamed of was about to be shattered.