Chengtian Hall.
At the banquet.
Xie Xun's voice continued to ring out as he read.
"Jiang Ning, Prince of Luoshui, shall enter court without bowing, ascend the hall with sword and shoes, be granted a seat at court, and need not be addressed by name when meeting the ruler."
"He may establish the Luoshui Prince Mansion in the Royal Capital. The ceremonial guard and subordinate officials within the mansion shall all be assigned according to the highest regulations."
"He is granted one hundred thousand taels of gold, one hundred pairs of jade bi-discs, one thousand bolts of Immortal Silk, and one residence."
"The former Lishui Imperial Palace shall, from this day forth, be renamed the Luoshui Prince Mansion and granted to the Prince of Luoshui."
"Furthermore, the Prince of Luoshui may establish his own private army, with no limit on its size. Within ten thousand men, all grain, pay, and equipment shall be allocated by the Imperial Court."
Reading to this point, Xie Xun lowered the Imperial Edict, his voice trembling slightly.
It was not that he had never seen conferments before, but in the decades he had lived, this was the first time he had seen one of such scale.
This was tantamount to raising Jiang Ning's status to a level nearly equal to that of the Current Emperor.
Even the One-Worded Shoulder-to-Shoulder King Ji Xuan paled half a shade in comparison with Jiang Ning.
Especially the clause "establish his own private army, with no limit on its size"—it was equivalent to granting Jiang Ning absolute power within his territory!
After Jiang Ning finished listening to the entire conferment, his expression remained calm.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and saluted. "This subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace."
His voice was steady, without the slightest excitement or