Chapter 584: The Emperor Officially Conferred the Title of King of Different Surnames upon Li Wu!

The crown prince had clearly ascended the throne smoothly. If he hadn't saved the tyrant, the dynasty would have been peaceful and prosperous.

Only then will the Great Chu have a chance to rise from the dead!

He actually managed to save the tyrant.

Is it because they feel that this tyrant has not done enough harm to the Great Chu?

Is he only satisfied if the entire country is destroyed?

Li Wu is clearly up to no good!

What utter nonsense about saving the entire Great Chu! They're clearly just trying to ruin it further!

Some people looked at Li Wu as if he were carrying knives.

Duan Rongshi felt like he was being pricked by thorns, and he could feel that everyone was looking at him with the most hostile gaze.

But he had already gotten used to being a villain when he was in Daliang, so he still stood there with his hands in his pockets, completely unmoved, eyes downcast and mind at ease.

How others perceive him has never bothered him.

The Emperor of Chu glanced at his ministers, his eyes turning cold.

"My dear ministers, do you not want me to return alive?"

"Why is no one thanking General Li Wu for his great achievement?"

The ministers then realized what had happened and immediately turned to Duan Rongshi, bowing respectfully in gratitude: "Thank you, General Li Wu, for risking your life to save the Emperor! Thank you, General Li Wu, for saving the Great Chu empire!"

Duan Rongshi gave a slight, indifferent nod to the crowd.

"You are too kind, my lords. I was merely doing my duty as a subject."

Knowing that no one was sincere, he simply gave a perfunctory reply.

The Chu Emperor closed his eyes and thought to himself: Never mind.

What he wanted was to pave the way for Rong Shi.

Whether these people are sincere or not is no longer important.

The important thing is to let the whole of Great Chu know that Rong Shi is a military genius!

They are the true heroes who will save the land of Great Chu in the future!

"General Li Wu has made such great achievements, so I will naturally reward him handsomely to show my gratitude to him."

"My esteemed ministers, what do you think I should do to reward General Li Wu?"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Wu saved the emperor, which is indeed a meritorious act.

But is it a bit of a stretch to say that we should reward those who have made great achievements?

Is the tyrant about to completely elevate his confidants to the forefront?

However, few people envied Li Wu.

After all, who doesn't know what kind of person a tyrant is?

Today the tyrant favors him, but tomorrow, if he is displeased, he may personally behead him.

This kind of thing has happened before.

Who would still envy this tyrant's favorite minister?

Then someone flattered him, saying, "Your Majesty, how about rewarding him with a thousand taels of gold?"

"Your Majesty, I believe it would be better to promote General Li Wu by one rank?"

"I've heard that Lord Li only has one wife. Given that Lord Li is so handsome and skilled in martial arts, perhaps it would be a good thing to bestow some beautiful concubines upon him?"

Li Wu was merely a son-in-law who had married into a merchant's family.

He was just an ordinary commoner with no family background. Becoming a general in the Imperial Guard was already a stroke of good luck for his ancestors. If he were to be promoted one more rank, his whole family would be honored.

Surely that should satisfy you?

Unexpectedly, the Chu Emperor's expression grew increasingly gloomy as he listened.

Although he restrained himself from flying into a rage on the spot, the ministers, who had already read his expression, grew quieter and quieter, no longer daring to offer their opinions casually.

The Chu Emperor turned to look at the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, what do you think?"

The prince's spirit is elsewhere.

Having only been emperor for a day, he still feels a thorn stuck in his heart.

So he didn't care at all what the Chu Emperor had just said.

Hearing his father call his name suddenly startled him.

Not daring to ask what the Chu Emperor had just asked, he could only reply, "Your Majesty, I believe... all the officials are right."

The Chu Emperor could no longer contain himself; his face darkened, and he roared in fury, "Yes, yes, yes, what's right?!"

"Bullshit!"

"If I only want to promote him by one rank, do I need to ask you?"

"A thousand taels of gold? Does his family even care about gold?"

"His wife is now the richest woman in the city, running the best restaurants in Nan'an, making a fortune every day. Why would she bother with this mere thousand taels of filth!"

"Beautiful women, my foot! Do you think he's like you, indulging in lust and debauchery?!"

"His wife is so fierce. If you anger her, you are all to deal with her. Don't come looking for trouble with me!"

"group……"

The Chu Emperor bit his tongue so hard that he almost bleeds before he managed to utter the words "idiot" and "useless."

Amidst the horrified gazes of the court officials, he swallowed the harsh words with difficulty, then slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne with a dark expression, no longer bothering to pretend.

"I have made my decision. I will personally bestow upon Li Wu the title of King of Yue!"

"Enjoy the same status and treatment as princes, with the same salary and even honors."

"I will reward him with ten thousand acres of fertile land."

"Ten thousand taels of gold."

"Cloth, gold and silver jewelry, weapons..."

"I also want to appoint him as the leader of the Imperial Guard!"

"And He Xi Garden was bestowed upon him."

"My esteemed ministers, what is your opinion?"

Before the ministers could recover from their astonishment, he waved his hand again and said, "However, those who have objections can keep them to themselves. If you're so capable, then come and save me from danger time and time again."

"Court adjourned—"

The Emperor of Chu was still the Emperor of Chu after all.

Although he initially pretended to be a reformed and benevolent ruler, he quickly revealed his true nature.

Even though they have indeed toned it down considerably compared to before.

But he actually wanted to bestow the title of king upon a commoner, who was not a great general who had fought for the country and made great contributions on the battlefield. Why was he given the title of king?

Isn't this just the same old reckless behavior?

Almost no one was convinced of this.

Even the Crown Prince's gaze towards Duan Rong was filled with hostility and suspicion.

Duan Rongshi did not kowtow to express his gratitude for the emperor's favor.

Because he had no desire to remain in the Great Chu and become the King of Yue!

Therefore, the Chu emperor's unauthorized granting of the title of king greatly angered him.

But he did not go to see the Chu Emperor again.

Presumably, he would also avoid him today, so Duan Rongshi calmly turned around and strode away amidst the unpleasant stares of the crowd.

Yang Qilang and Zhang Tingjiu exchanged a glance.

The two quietly left the main hall, and once no one was watching, they quickly chased after him.

"Brother Li—"

"Brother Li—"

"etc!!"

"Congratulations! His Majesty has actually appointed you as a king of a different surname! You are so young, your future is limitless!"

"That's right. His Majesty has shown you such favor and hasn't punished us. You're really capable. We both want to kneel down and become your disciples."

"Tell me quickly, how exactly did you do that?"

"Exactly, did you cast a spell on him?"

Duan Rongshi looked at Yang Qilang, who was spouting nonsense: "Watch your words."

Zhang Tingjiu slapped Yang Qilang across the face.

"You want to kill him?"

"We owe Brother Li a great debt of gratitude this time, which is why His Majesty didn't blame us for the death penalty we imposed on him at the imperial mausoleum that day. From now on, Brother Li and I are in the same boat, so you must be more careful in your words and actions in the future!"

"Be careful, or we'll all suffer the same fate!"

Duan Rongshi agreed with Zhang Tingjiu's words.

He nodded to Yang Qilang as well: "Let's listen to him."

"However, please do not publicize the matter of being granted the title of king for the time being."

"I don't want to be a King of Yue."

"When the time is right, I may leave the Great Chu."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qilang and Zhang Tingjiu froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

"What did you say"

The two of them wished they could cling to Duan Rongshi and beg him for mercy.

"If you leave, how will the two of us survive? You can't leave!"

"That's right, now that tyrannical... oh no, now that His Majesty is so kind to you, you are enjoying the height of His Majesty's favor, where else would you go?"

"Why would you rather be a king than a merchant's son-in-law?"

"Stop joking around. Wouldn't your sister-in-law be happy as a princess? She won't have to work so hard in business anymore."

"Don't make a mistake."

"That's right, that's right! Stop it right now, and don't say such nonsense again!"

The Chu Emperor acted swiftly.

Before Duan Rongshi even arrived home, all of his rewards had already reached the Nangong residence.

Eunuch Ji first read out the imperial edict, then smiled broadly and kept fawning over Duan Rongshi: "Li... oh no, Your Highness the Prince of Yue."

"Congratulations! From now on, you will be a very important person in Nan'an City."

"If I have offended you in the past, I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

He then said a lot of nice things, and after the palace servants had piled up mountains of gifts in several courtyards, he led his men back to the palace to report.

Duan Rongshi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He looked at Zhuiyu, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Where is Madam?"

Zhuiyu replied, "He didn't come back last night. He said he was dealing with things at the shop."

Duan Rongshi was somewhat surprised: "They haven't returned yet?"

Looking at Zhuiyu, whose temperament had changed drastically and who had become as composed as Leng Dian and the others, Duan Rongshi asked, "Would you like to come with me to the street?"

Zhuiyu didn't dare to hesitate and nodded quickly.

"Sir, Madam and the others are at Wangzhen Tower."

Wangzhenlou was the second gold and silver shop that Li Qingluo reopened after Duan Rongshi left.

It has now become the most sought-after gold and silver jewelry shop in the entire Nan'an.

The styles, textures, and even materials inside are now the best-looking, most exquisite, and most authentic in the capital.

There are inexpensive items available.

However, there are also extremely valuable hairpins, hair ornaments, and other jewelry that cannot be bought in any other shop in Nan'an.

Most importantly, almost every item is unique and a rare treasure that no other company can ever replicate.

Who wouldn't like it?

Therefore, Li Qingluo is indeed getting richer and richer.

That Zongzheng Wuheng really went to great lengths to lure her back this time.

Although Li Qingluo appeared to be fine, Zheng Mama was actually quite flustered when she returned.

That scoundrel Zongzheng Wuheng was willing to sacrifice the lives of two of his trusted confidants to burn down Li Qingluo's gold and silver shop.