"Heaven and Earth are supreme, and the Emperor decrees: 'I govern the world with literature and quell chaos with martial might. The military commanders and generals are indeed the pillars of the court and the backbone of the nation. Only those who can excel in both civil and military affairs, and who exert their utmost to serve the realm, can have their merits ignored without being honored with imperial favor? There is one named Jiang Wang, a commoner without rank, yet he harbors thoughts of serving his country. First, he aided Rizhao in relief efforts, then he achieved the feat of capturing the Chiwei battle standard. Through accumulated merit and valor, he is hereby granted the title of Baron of Green Sheep Town. Let it be so!"
In Green Sheep Town, Chongxuan Sheng finished reading the imperial edict in one breath, rolled up the scroll in his hand, and tossed it to Jiang Wang. "Don't just stand there, Baron of Green Sheep Town!"
The Yang Kingdom had fallen in a single battle, and now it was time to divide the spoils of victory.
Among others, Jiang Wang had been granted the title of Baron of Green Sheep Town.
This was a hereditary barony with actual territory, far from those empty titles without land.
Theofficialposition of the various nations under heaven might differ, but the noble ranks were largely the same. Below the rank of king, there were duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.
Generally speaking, different nations had different sympathies. Even among small nations, the city lord of You Kingdom was merely turtle feed, his status obviously far inferior to the city lord of Yang Kingdom. However, noble ranks roughly corresponded to hierarchy, so when meeting officials from other nations, they often judged status by noble rank.
This edict of investiture had been delivered to the army by the imperial envoy. The first credit naturally went to Chongxuan Chuliang, and the appropriate ceremonies had already concluded within the army. The imperial envoy had returned to court to report, leaving Chongxuan Sheng to convey the edict.
Given his background, he was naturally accustomed to such matters and didn't show much respect.
Jiang Wang held the edict, feeling a complex surge of emotions in his heart.
He thought back to his years of struggle in Zhuang Kingdom. First entering the Outer Academy, then the Inner Academy, his studies incomplete, he had left home before he could establish any merit or achievement. Unexpectedly, in the Kingdom of Qi, he had stumbled into a hereditary barony.
As for the past, there was no need to mention it. Zhu Biqiong was from an island sect in the coastal waters and felt no particular connection to the Da Qi merit system. But Zhang Hai, Dugu Xiao, and the others—the entire Green Sheep Town hall staff—all shared in his glory.
"From now on, my lord is a genuine noble!" Zhang Hai said obsequiously.
Ever since the battle where the Dragon Mask attacked Green Sheep Town, he had been subtly pushed out of the town's inner circle. As a rare cultivator in Green Sheep Town, his position had become awkward.
Unfortunately, with the entire Yang Kingdom conquered in one stroke, there probably wasn't any place more stable than Green Sheep Town. He had no grounds to leave at this point. He could onlybarelystrong continue mucking about in Green Sheep Town, and to win Jiang Wang's favor, he had not only become proactive in his work but also somewhat overdid his flattery.
Fear of death was human nature, but what you put in was what you got out. He lacked Qian's strength or Dugu Xiao's courage, so naturally, he couldn't expect equal treatment.
Jiang Wang wouldn't be petty with him just because he hadn't exerted himself in battle. He treated people as they deserved. "Using everyone to their best ability" was no easy thing, but he had to learn to do it.
A hereditary baron was indeed a noble, especially now that the entire Green Sheep Town domain was legally and practically Jiang Wang's own.
This was Chongxuan Sheng's doing.
"Let's talk inside."
He dismissed the others and led Chongxuan Sheng into a quiet room.
Now that the plague in the entire Yang Kingdom had been absorbed by the White Bone Saint, the damage caused by the rat plague had been tragic, but those who survived had to look forward.
Green Sheep Town was the first place to restore order and had taken in many refugees (most of whom were actually residents from nearby cities who had migrated, but were falsely labeled as refugees). The recorded population of the town domain had just surpassed the 40,000 mark.
Jiang Wang had now settled in Green Sheep Town, and although he personally didn't care for luxury, his living quarters had improved as necessary.
He no longer shared space with the town hall but had a separate elegant courtyard with a few servants. The household manager was handled by Little Xiao, who personally attended to Jiang Wang's affairs and was reluctant to let others take over.
For Jiang Wang, the quiet room used for cultivation was his usual residence, while the bedroom was seldom used.
This quiet room was extremely minimalist—bare walls on all sides, with only a single meditation cushion.
The cushion Chongxuan Sheng sat on was a spare one.
"Congratulations. You won the bet again," Jiang Wang said after sitting down.
"It's not over yet," Chongxuan Sheng replied modestly.
Although he said this, the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"The Qi court has always been generous. For this merit reward, besides the hereditary barony, you've also been granted a hundred Ten Thousand Yuan Stones and a secret art from the National Treasury."
Chongxuan Sheng said this and took out a box, handing it over. "I chose this secret art for you. See if it suits you?"
A hundred Ten Thousand Yuan Stones was a "huge sum" for Jiang Wang—it meant he could finally repay the Grade A Meridian Opening Pill he owed Jiang An'an.
Of course, compared to the Dao Yuan Stones, the priceless National Treasury Secret Arts mattered more to Jiang Wang.
Historically, the techniques and arts bestowed by the Qi court were divided into National Treasury Secret Arts and Imperial Family Secret Arts. The former were broad and comprehensive, while the latter were few but refined. This didn't mean the National Treasury versions were inferior—they were simply collected through different channels.
As the name suggested, the National Treasury Secret Arts were acquired through Qi Kingdom's conquests, while the Imperial Family Secret Arts mostly came from the royal family's own collection—akin to the difference between public treasury and private treasury.
What entered the National Treasury was never ordinary, and given Chongxuan Sheng's discerning eye, he certainly wouldn't have picked out anything worthless.
There was no rush. Jiang Wang casually took the box and set it aside. He was about to ask about Chongxuan Sheng's next plans.
The fat man then started protesting: "Hey, hey, hey—take the items out and return the storage box! I have to hand it back later!"
"Didn't you just say the Qi court was generous?"
"Generous, yes, but they don't just give things away recklessly. You've been granted Green Sheep Town, the National Treasury secret art, and a hundred Ten Thousand Yuan Stones. This storage box is worth almost as much as those hundred stones—they can't just give it away for free?"
Chongxuan Sheng rolled his eyes. But due to his small eyes, it wasn't very noticeable.
Jiang Wang wasn't embarrassed either. While transferring the Dao Yuan Stones to his own storage box, he grumbled, "Ah, I risked my life out there."
"Alright, alright," Chongxuan Sheng said smugly. "Your Baron of Green Sheep Town is just the first step. Brother here plans three moves ahead—get it?" he said mysteriously. "Next, I'll secure you the position of Pacification Commissioner of Rizhao!"
Jiang Wang frowned. "I'm only at the Tenglong Realm. That's probably not enough, is it?"
The Pacification Commissioner was a temporary office created for situations like the Yang Kingdom's. Its main duties were "pacifying" and "comforting," essentially equivalent to a peacetime commandery governor.
If one handled affairs well during their term and their strength kept up, the position of commandery governor was usually not far off.
However, Jiang Wang's cultivation was only at the Tenglong Realm.
A commandery governor in the Kingdom of Qi required at minimum a Divine Ability Inner Palace expert, with the Outer Tower Realm being the standard.
Even for Yang Kingdom's commandery governors, the baseline was the Inner Palace Realm. Purely in terms of cultivation, Jiang Wang was still far behind. His merit wasn't sufficient either.
"Hmm." Chongxuan Sheng looked around the quiet room. To be so in harmony with the environment, one must have practiced here day and night.
"With your talent and diligence, before long, you'll have the strength to face someone like Song Guang of the Inner Palace Realm alone. And your breakthrough to the Divine Ability Inner Palace is a sure thing—so what's the problem with your cultivation?"
"As for merit... lifting the threat from Rizhao Commandery, capturing the battle standard, bringing peace to one region before the war, and comforting the people after. Now in the entire Yang Kingdom, among the common folk, the two names on everyone's lips are Huang Yixing and you, Jiang Wang. How could a mere provisional Pacification Commissioner be insufficient?"
The Huang Yixing Chongxuan Sheng mentioned had entered the battlefield alone and sacrificed himself to warn against the slaughter, stopping Chongxuan Chuliang's plan to massacre the Yang region. His fame had reached unprecedented heights there, and he was regarded as a savior by the people.
Given the need to pacify the newly acquired Yang region, he was now the Pacification Commissioner of Hengyang Commandery.
If he performed well, he would become the future Hengyang Commandery Governor.
The officials of the entire Yang Kingdom had either died or surrendered—most would be demoted but retained. Only this man had advanced further than before the war.
Hengyang Commandery was the former capital of Yang Kingdom, far from comparable to Chiwei Commandery.
This was truly something to reflect upon.