His Majesty the King’s face fell. He turned to the source of the voice, his eagle-sharp gaze fixed on the speaker. "Wulan Xiong, what have you to say?"

Wulan Xiong’s heart skipped a beat. ’How many years has it been since I saw that look in His Majesty’s eyes?’ A chill ran down his spine. But he could never resign himself to letting the Ling Family’s power grow so much. He had no choice but to brace himself and say, "Your Majesty is wise, but Young Master Ling is still young and has not yet come of age. For Your Majesty to grant such a grand reward... I fear... I fear it is somewhat inappropriate. This... this is against protocol!"

"Against protocol?" The old King snorted through his nose, giving Wulan Xiong a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He said calmly, "Wulan Xiong, have all your years of learning gone to the dogs? Which imperial law dictates an age limit for granting titles and fiefs?"

"Th-this..." Wulan Xiong shot a desperate, pleading look toward the Crown Prince. The nobles below didn’t dare to breathe. They finally saw it now—this wasn’t a banquet at all. It was a gathering staged entirely to build up this young man’s prestige!

The Crown Prince’s expression was dark. He kept his head slightly lowered, refusing to even glance at Wulan Xiong. He cursed him internally, ’What an idiot. Daring to oppose the King in front of all these nobles just for his family’s sake. Does he have a death wish?’

Still, as much as he wanted to throttle the man, he couldn’t completely abandon Wulan Xiong. The Wulan Clan was powerful, after all. When he inherited the throne, he would need the backing of families like them. If he turned his back on the Wulan Family today, it wouldn’t just be their hearts that would grow cold.

"Royal Father, I have something to say."

The Crown Prince took a step forward, his attitude deferential.

"Hmph." His Majesty the King grunted, his displeasure obvious.

The Crown Prince glanced at Ling Xiao before speaking calmly. "Royal Father, Cameron Town has always been under the jurisdiction of my second brother. It’s stable, with a prosperous economy. It’s one of the Empire’s highest tax-revenue towns and a key strategic location—a military stronghold. It is not suitable to be granted to a noble as a fief."

Many of the nobles couldn’t help but nod in silent agreement at the Crown Prince’s words. For years, rumors had circulated that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were at odds. There was even talk that the Second Prince, the Southern King, was showing signs of rebellion—talk that had grown more intense in recent years. But seeing the Crown Prince defend his younger brother’s interests today, those rumors seemed to collapse on their own.

Besides, the Crown Prince had a point. Cameron Town, as a military stronghold, was indeed unsuitable to be awarded as a fief. But really, the most important factor was that almost every noble present was jealous of Ling Xiao’s luck. To be granted a fief like Cameron Town!

After all, even the Wulan Clan’s fief, the entire Western Province, didn’t generate as much annual tax revenue as Cameron! For years, Cameron had been a veritable cash cow, a glittering pearl set in the southern territories of the Empire, brilliant and dazzling.

The Crown Prince’s proposal, therefore, immediately won the unanimous approval of nearly every noble present. These people represented the backbone of the Empire; even His Majesty the King couldn’t completely ignore their opinions.

But for the old King, who had made the announcement with such high spirits only to be shot down by nearly everyone, anger began to show on his face. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the lavishly dressed nobles below. These members of the upper crust, who enjoyed every privilege the Empire had to offer, did not dare to meet his eyes. One by one, they lowered their heads as his gaze passed over them.

Ling Xiao, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less whether he received a fief or not. A bustling place like Cameron Town wasn’t to his liking anyway. He had only been unable to refuse because the old King had stated to his face that he wanted the Ling Family to act as a counterbalance to the Second Prince. Seeing everyone object now, Ling Xiao actually felt a flicker of joy.

"Then tell me," the old King’s expression smoothed over as he watched the Crown Prince, his voice deceptively calm, "where should we grant a fief to a great hero from the Ling Family?"

The Crown Prince smiled faintly and said in a calm, measured tone, "This son of the Ling Family certainly deserves a reward, and a grand one at that! To do otherwise would be to disappoint our heroes. If something similar were to happen in the future, who would dare to step forward?"

The Crown Prince spoke with such righteous passion that many were left stunned. He was the one who objected, yet he was also the one demanding a grand reward. ’What on earth is the Crown Prince trying to do?’ they wondered.

The old King’s eyes narrowed. His face was a mask, but the muscles seemed a bit stiff. "Then what is your meaning?" he asked faintly.

"I propose that we grant Ling Xiao a fief in the south, the prosperous town of... Penzes!"

The moment the Crown Prince spoke, the older, more experienced nobles in the hall froze. A moment later, they all turned to look at Ling Xiao with pity in their eyes. ’So that’s it,’ they thought. ’No wonder he said all that. It was all just to set this up!’

A flash of astonishment flickered in the old King’s eyes before vanishing. Penzes City. It was a city on a peninsula, ten times the size of Cameron!

And the Crown Prince was right; it had always been a wealthy region. Being on the coast, it had a deep-water port with sea routes leading west to the Zichuan Empire and southeast to two other empires, Fez and Mendira.

To the northeast, Penzes City bordered the Penzes Swamp, a place teeming with Magical Beasts. A considerably powerful population of the Beast Race also made its home there.

Penzes City, the Empire’s southernmost city, had once been a fine place. Its commercial and military importance was only slightly less than that of Cameron Town. But because of the war in the south between humans and the Beast Race, the city’s perceived value had plummeted.

Now, apart from its original inhabitants, the city was nearly deserted. Who would willingly go to a place like that at a time like this? The Beast Race had already broken into Cameron Town. For Penzes City, which was even closer to the Penzes Swamp, could the day it was sacked be far behind?

The Crown Prince’s malicious intent was plain for all to see. ’But Ling Xiao, aren’t you the hero who fought off the Beastmen? If you can repel their invasion once, what’s doing it a second time?’

Making Penzes City Ling Xiao’s fief was also tantamount to driving a nail into Li Wutong’s territory.

Just as Li Wutong understood the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince knew his brother’s personality perfectly. Proud and obstinate. As the saying goes: how can you let another man snore in your own bed?

To say nothing of the fact that the Southern King’s hundred-thousand-strong army was permanently stationed near the Penzes Swamp, and Penzes City had always borne the critical responsibility of supplying it. To Li Wutong, it was arguably even more important than Cameron Town!

With this move, the Crown Prince had essentially twisted a knife in Li Wutong’s heart.

The old King’s eyes seemed to grow murkier. He glanced at the Crown Prince, inwardly stunned. ’It seems... I’ve underestimated this eldest son of mine. He’s won the hearts of the court, provoked the Southern King, and managed not to offend the Ling Family in the process.’

’The place itself is good. If you have the skill, you can still make a fortune there!’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Penzes City... Ohoho, what a fine place!" The old King patted his mouth. "Then it’s settled! Ling Xiao is hereby granted the title of Hereditary Viscount, with the fief of... Penzes City! Now, the rest of the evening is for your revelry!" With that, the old King, his back slightly stooped, departed for the traveling palace, surrounded by his retinue.

The Crown Prince approached Ling Xiao, a warm smile on his face. "Viscount Lingxiao, my congratulations."

Just then, Wulan Xiong approached, unable to hide the delight on his face. He wore a "sincere" smile. "Viscount Lingxiao, impressive, truly impressive! Haha, the Ling Family’s son is a real tiger! To become a landed noble before even coming of age! My congratulations!"

"Old fox, you can drop the act," Ling Xiao said quietly to Wulan Xiong, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Wulan Xiong’s expression flickered, but he quickly recovered, laughing coldly. "You reckless little fool. Just you wait for your fief to be overrun by the Beast Race!"

"That’s my business. I wouldn’t want an old man like you to trouble himself over it. With that free time, you’d be better off finding more doctors for your son. Wouldn’t want you to end up without an heir, haha." With a brilliant smile, Ling Xiao turned his back on the ashen-faced Wulan Xiong. He walked over to Chunlan and Qiuyue and said gently, "Come on. We’re going home."