"I'm afraid this Duke of the State of mine is the most hastily bestowed and least substantial dukedom in Great Zhou's history, isn't it?"
Inside the main hall of the North Sea Prefecture Duke's Mansion, Ye Zhen toyed with the Duke of the State's great seal that Grand Supervisor of the Inner Palace Tong Dehai had just presented, his face full of amusement.
Grand Supervisor of the Inner Palace Tong Dehai, who had only just sat down with barely half his backside on the chair, hurriedly rose to his feet, his face full of ingratiating smiles.
"Duke Ye, you jest. Great Zhou's dukes have always been held in the highest honor. Your title of Duke of the State was decided in open court."
"Was it?"
Ye Zhen smiled, then casually tossed the Duke of the State's seal in his hand to Tong Dehai. Tong Dehai was so startled that he hurriedly caught it, looking thoroughly awkward.
"Duke, y-you... what do you mean by this?"
"It means nothing. It is an empty title. Better not to have it than be burdened by it."
Tong Dehai immediately understood Ye Zhen's meaning. This was also one of the reasons he had been sent here to deliver the decree.
This time, Luoyi's reward contained only the title of Duke of the State, without any corresponding fief, official post, or anything else.
The reasons were complicated, but the chief reason was still related to Ye Zhen's strength.
With merely the territory of three commanderies, Ye Zhen had first crushed three million Devil Race troops, then defeated ten million of the Water Clan. Though the circumstances involved were unusual, what if he were given another three commanderies?
In these troubled times, Ye Zhen's relationship with the new ruler Ji Long was also exceedingly complicated. Some people