Chapter 121: Chapter 119: Madness Before the Throne

Zhao Yuanli looked down at the sharp-tongued youth, feeling rather bemused. He wasn’t particularly annoyed. If he had truly wanted to punish the boy, why go to all the trouble of summoning him to the imperial court? Forget commoners; even a high noble might never get a chance to meet the emperor in their entire life.

An audience with the emperor was an immense honor!

Don’t be fooled by the high-tier Martial Artists who seem to disregard imperial authority, coming and going as they please with an air of unyielding pride. That’s only because they’ve never experienced the sweet taste of power!

Otherwise, why would there be so many Celestial Level Tributors in the imperial palace?

And this young noble from the Great Qi Kingdom before him truly made Zhao Yuanli see him in a new light. He appeared cheerful and foolish, a naive greenhorn who knew nothing of the world, but in reality, he possessed an unyielding, steely pride! Even when facing him, the sovereign of a nation, he refused to lower his proud head!

’Mm, what a fine talent!’

Moreover, deep down, Zhao Yuanli somewhat agreed with Qin Li’s words. The court assemblies of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom had always been relatively open, and the hierarchy between sovereign and subject wasn’t particularly rigid.

But after some malicious prodding from a fellow like Qin Li, who had clearly watched countless historical dramas, Zhao Yuanli actually took it to heart. However, it wouldn’t do to show it right now. So, he gave a faint smile, ignored Qin Li’s words, and said directly, "We can overlook the matter of you killing Our subjects without authorization. However, We want you to join our Cyan Dragon Kingdom. Do you agree?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I refuse!"

Qin Li’s crisp refusal left everyone below dumbfounded. Whether they belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction, the second prince’s faction, or the Neutral Faction, all of them stood there as if petrified. They stared blankly at Qin Li, thinking, ’Has this kid lost his mind? How witless must he be to give such an idiotic answer?’

The few who already disliked Qin Li were finally delighted. ’He’s really brought this on himself; his doom is sealed!’ they thought. ’To dare defy the emperor so openly! Forget being at the Earth Level; even if you were at the Celestial Level, if the emperor wanted you dead, you wouldn’t make it out of this throne room alive!’

Zhao Yuanli was also getting a little annoyed now. ’This kid really is a reckless greenhorn,’ he thought. ’I, the sovereign of a nation, speak to you with such an attitude, yet you completely disregard me!’

’This is infuriating!’ Zhao Yuanli’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Qin Li’s indignant expression as he blurted out, "I am a noble of the Great Qi Kingdom! You must be planning to make me join the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, then strip me of my noble status and turn me into a commoner, and then punish me for my crime! Hmph, I knew it! That must be it! I won’t agree, unless you kill me!"

"..."

In the entire throne room, at least half the people immediately turned their heads away, clamping their hands over their mouths. Otherwise, they would have certainly burst out laughing.

Even so, the atmosphere in the great hall suddenly relaxed.

The few who hated Qin Li stared at him in shock. The Crown Prince, Zhao Xinghe, finally couldn’t hold back. His face ashen, he muttered under his breath, "Idiot!"

Zhao Yuanli was also finally amused by Qin Li. He laughed and pointed at him, "You little brat, if We wanted to deal with you, would We need to go through so much trouble? You... you’re killing me! Hahaha!"

With the emperor leading the laughter, many could no longer hold back and chuckled aloud. The gazes of many people on Qin Li also softened considerably. ’This youth is so frank and artless, he’s quite adorable,’ they thought.

But for those who despised Qin Li, their opinion was the complete opposite. ’Country bumpkin, little ruffian, hick... an uncultured idiot...’

Regardless, everyone in the throne room could now see that His Majesty the Emperor’s fondness for this young noble from Great Qi was truly genuine!

"Qin Li, then tell me, what will it take for you to accept the citizenship of my Cyan Dragon Kingdom?" Zhao Yuanli, having had his fill of laughter, steadied himself with a hand on the dragon throne, his gaze burning as he looked at Qin Li.

Zhao Yuanli, as an emperor, truly did love talent. When dealing with people of special ability, he could often cast aside the airs of a monarch and treat worthy subordinates with courtesy. Whether it was genuine or not, for an emperor to go to such lengths was itself an incredible honor, even if it was just an act!

An ordinary person would never even get the chance to meet the emperor!

"I heard that the Cyan Dragon Kingdom has an Imperial Capital Academy. As long as you graduate from there and reach the Profound Level before the age of twenty, you can receive a title from His Majesty and become a noble?" Qin Li looked at Zhao Yuanli with a grin, thinking, ’I never expected this Great Qi citizenship to have such a wonderful use.’

Zhao Yuanli nodded and said, "That’s right. My Cyan Dragon Kingdom has always treated talent generously!"

"Then... for a sixteen-year-old Earth Level Martial Artist like me, if I were to join the Cyan Dragon Kingdom and become Your Majesty’s subject, how... does Your Majesty plan to reward me?"

HISS!

A sharp intake of breath suddenly echoed through the throne room. Everyone stared at Qin Li with horrified eyes, as if suffering from a toothache. Even the Crown Prince, Zhao Xinghe, had a new hint of apprehension in his gaze as he looked at Qin Li.

Not everyone knew that this youth actually possessed the strength of an Earth Level Martial Artist, so when Qin Li said it, everyone was stunned on the spot.

Looking at Qin Li again, their expressions were now very different from before. ’No wonder His Majesty was so patient,’ they thought. ’No matter how foolish or idiotic this kid acted, he was constantly indulging him. To think this down-and-out noble boy possessed such incredible martial talent.’

A person like this... forget the emperor, anyone present would let him pick his fill of money, beauties, fame, and status if Qin Li just nodded his head! A few ministers from the Crown Prince’s faction, who knew about the previous slaughter, were secretly cursing the Crown Prince, Zhao Xinghe. ’To make an enemy of such a talent, how unwise!’

The Daqing Gang, no matter how great, was not worth a single Qin Li in the eyes of these people!

A sixteen-year-old Earth Level Martial Artist—what did that mean? It meant he was a monstrous genius! The entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom probably hadn’t produced such a genius in several hundred years!

That third young master of the Qin Family from Yellow Sand City, Qin Feng, was said to be a super genius as well. He was also sixteen this year, but he was only at the ninth rank of the Profound Level. Even so, he was already considered an amazing talent in the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom!

Reaching the Earth Level at sixteen... as long as nothing went wrong, he would surely enter the Celestial Level before twenty-five!

A twenty-five-year-old Celestial Level Martial Artist... his prospects and future... just thinking about it was enough to make one’s eyes burn with envy!

Although the ministers present didn’t think much of Martial Artists, when a monstrous genius was truly standing right here, it would be a lie to say they weren’t moved.

Zhao Yuanli took in the expressions of everyone below, smiled faintly, and said, "Then, what is it that you want?"

"Promotion and riches, money and beauties—I want it all!" Qin Li’s eyes narrowed into a happy smile, just like a greedy little fox.

PFFT!

Many people were once again amused by this clown. ’This guy is so direct!’ they thought. ’What an eye-opener today has been. I’ve never seen anyone dare to speak to the emperor like this in the throne room.’

Zhao Yuanli roared with laughter, his mood extremely cheerful. ’This kind of request is what We like best!’ he thought. ’What We truly fear are those stiff, wooden types who only know how to cultivate all day. They have no desires, or they belong to some major family, making them impossible to win over!’

To the sovereign of a nation, power, titles, money, and beauties... none of these were a problem! The only fear was that you wouldn’t dare to ask. As long as you had the strength, whatever you wanted, the emperor dared to give!

"Good, good, good!" Zhao Yuanli said the word "good" three times in a row. Over in the crowd, the second prince couldn’t help but beam with delight. ’I’ve definitely forged a good connection this time!’ he thought. ’No matter what, there’s no way this person will side with my elder brother. Haha, Zhao Xinghe, oh Zhao Xinghe, a river like you is ultimately destined to flow into the Great Sea!’

Just as Zhao Yuanli was about to announce Qin Li’s enfeoffment, the Crown Prince, Zhao Xinghe, suddenly stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "Father Emperor, your son has something to say!"

Zhao Yuanli glanced at Zhao Xinghe with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile and said coolly, "Oh? What does the Crown Prince have to say?"

"Father Emperor, your son feels that directly enfeoffing Qin Li might be a bit hasty, wouldn’t you agree?" Zhao Xinghe said unhurriedly.

Qin Li shot a subtle glance at Zhao Xinghe. ’You bastard,’ he thought. ’Our fates are definitely crossed. It seems killing one of your right-hand men wasn’t enough for you. You won’t be happy until I cut off your other arm too, will you!’

"How is it hasty?" Zhao Yuanli’s face was unreadable, but those familiar with the emperor knew... His Majesty was not pleased! Even a few members of the Crown Prince’s faction couldn’t help but shoot glances at Zhao Xinghe, thinking, ’Defying His Majesty at a time like this, aren’t you just asking for trouble?’

But Zhao Xinghe acted as if he hadn’t seen their looks at all. He stubbornly bowed to his father, His Majesty Emperor Zhao Yuanli, and said in a low voice, "My Cyan Dragon Kingdom is thirsty for talent, but who’s to say someone isn’t trying to pass off a fish eye as a pearl?"

’Alas, the Crown Prince has been blinded by hatred!’ many people immediately thought. ’Whether or not Qin Li is a fraud, how could you, the Crown Prince, not know? If you don’t know, then how did Sun Liu, the famous Lightning Saber and Hall Master of the Daqing Gang’s Battle Blade Hall in the Imperial Capital, die?’

"Then what is your proposal?" Zhao Yuanli glanced at the composed Zhao Xinghe.

"In your son’s opinion, we should naturally test this Qin Li. First, we assess his level, and then we find someone to spar with him. This way, his value can be proven. At that time, when Father Emperor bestows his reward, won’t it be more justified and well-founded?"

Zhao Xinghe methodically laid out his objective. After speaking, he didn’t forget to turn and give Qin Li a strange smile. "Young Master Qin, what do you say?"

Qin Li’s heart stirred slightly, and then realization dawned on him. ’Zhao Xinghe, you son of a bitch,’ he thought. ’So this is what you were waiting for! You want to force me to reveal the Only I am Venerable battle technique? In your dreams!’

"The Crown Prince’s words are reasonable! As they say, no reward without merit. I ask Your Majesty to grant the Crown Prince’s request. I wish to prove my own worth!" Qin Li bared his teeth in a wide grin, as if he were overjoyed, but inwardly he sneered. ’Zhao Xinghe, you’d better not find someone who has the intent to kill me while ’testing’ me. If you do, you’re going to get hurt!’ (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, and support genuine reading!)