Unbridled, I Am the Heaven Dou Emperor!

A shrill voice echoed through the great hall.

Silence filled the chamber.

He had actually been granted the title of King?

The ministers had all considered this outcome, but few had thought it possible.

Marquis White Robe Luo Li had amassed tremendous military achievements and was already showing signs of becoming too powerful for his sovereign. In the minds of most ministers, Xue Ye should have harbored at least some apprehension toward him.

They had nearly all assumed that Xue Ye would use other worldly rewards to brush off Marquis White Robe's latest military accomplishments, lest his power grow even greater.

Yet no one had expected it.

Not only had Xue Ye failed to do that, he had directly granted Luo Li the title of King!

A Prince of Different Surname—this was the sole example in the current Heaven Dou Empire!

Even Ge Long, who had once stood alone at the pinnacle of the military, had never received such treatment.

What terrifying favor this was!

Did His Majesty truly not fear that Marquis White Robe's power would grow too great and give rise to disloyal thoughts?

In the current Heaven Dou Empire, aside from the White Robe Army, which obeyed only Marquis White Robe Luo Li's commands, two other armies were also under Luo Li's command.

Their combined strength had already reached nearly a hundred thousand troops!

And one of them was the White Robe Army, Heaven Dou Empire's sole army composed entirely of soul masters.

Now that he had been granted land and made a King, if Luo Li so much as harbored the slightest disloyal thought, he could gather his forces, establish himself, and create a kingdom of his own!

Under such circumstances, people could hardly help wondering whether Xue Ye had gone senile.

"Your Majesty, this must not be done!"

"Granting land and making him a King is the beginning of disaster!"

"Marquis White Robe's achievements are already too great. Rewarding him with the Nine Bestowments could soothe his heart, but now that he is being elevated to a princely rank and granted a seal, I fear he will become too powerful to control!"

An elderly man in an Imperial Censor's robe, his temples streaked with white, stepped forward and shouted sternly.

Li Boyan, Heaven Dou Empire's famously obstinate Imperial Censor.

His objection was not because he held any grudge against Luo Li. That was simply his nature.

After all, this Imperial Censor's record included, but was not limited to:

Impeaching Crown Prince Xue Qinghe on suspicion of slaughtering his own brothers.

Impeaching Prince Xue Beng for frequenting brothels and tarnishing the royal family's dignity.

Impeaching Prince Xue Xing for acting tyrannically and allegedly shielding illegal businesses...

With Marquis White Robe Luo Li added to the list, he had offended every major powerholder in the current Heaven Dou Empire except Emperor Xue Ye himself.

He was equally unconventional at court, with scarcely any ministers close to him.

After all, with such a style, he would most likely bring disaster upon himself one day and drag others down with him.

Had Xue Ye not needed this fellow to say things he himself could not state openly, using him to discreetly warn Xue Beng and the others...

This obstinate Imperial Censor would likely have died somewhere in some unknown accident long ago.

But now, he had openly opposed the granting of land and a royal title to Marquis White Robe, who was currently at the height of his power in the empire...

Fearing that he would become too powerful to control—was that not plainly saying he did not trust Marquis White Robe?

Although they knew it was to be expected, the crowd could not help sighing at the Imperial Censor's stubbornness.

This Marquis White Robe was no gentle Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. He was a truly fearsome figure with a fierce reputation!

In recent days, those who had died at his hands were not merely enemy soldiers. Quite a few Heaven Dou Empire nobles had also perished!

Everyone turned their eyes toward Marquis White Robe Luo Li, seated in the second seat, wanting to see how he would react to Li Boyan's opposition.

Yet Luo Li merely reclined lazily against his long chair, lightly sipping the fine wine in his cup, seemingly unconcerned by Li Boyan's objection.

This reaction caught Qian Renxue, who had been waiting to see Luo Li's response, somewhat off guard.

She spoke softly, "Brother Luo, will you not respond to Imperial Censor Li's words?"

Luo Li set down his wine cup. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint, composed smile as a strand of white hair fell before his eyes.

"What is there to respond to? Why should I respond?"

"Since His Majesty has made his decision, how he rules is naturally His Majesty's prerogative."

"Imperial Censor Li has overstepped his bounds."

Although Luo Li could not figure out what Xue Ye had been thinking when he granted land and a royal title to him, the Heaven Dou Empire's foremost minister, whose power was already immense...

Since Xue Ye had made such a decision, he must have already made up his mind.

Whatever others said was useless.

Thus, Luo Li had no intention of paying Li Boyan any heed.

Because he knew that the outcome had been decided from the very beginning.

A mere Imperial Censor clearly had no ability to change it.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue first froze, then laughed soundlessly.

She had failed to see it clearly.

For some matters, whether one responded or not truly held no value.

The main reason was that she had grown too accustomed to playing the role of Xue Qinghe, the gentle Crown Prince, and it had affected her deeply.

After all, as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, Qian Renxue could not simply refuse to respond to anything she deemed unnecessary, as Luo Li did.

She and Luo Li were different types of people.

Luo Li did not need to care about the ministers' opinions or public sentiment, because in the eyes of the empire's people, Marquis White Robe was the God of War, the god of warfare.

As long as he won wars for the empire, he was worthy of everyone's reverence.

Under that identity, public opinion's tolerance toward Luo Li had reached an utterly terrifying degree.

No one cared whether Luo Li had breached etiquette or acted improperly.

After all, in the eyes of the empire's people, he was the God of War. Having devoted himself to battle, was it not perfectly normal for him to be unfamiliar with certain things?

A few minor flaws would simply be overlooked.

Although all the ministers knew that Luo Li was by no means some uncouth brute ignorant of etiquette, and that his scheming was among the best in the entire court.

Still, in the public's mind, Luo Li possessed such a protective shield.

To the point that no one could nitpick at him.

Previously, a civil official had refused to believe it and accused Luo Li of violating ritual law, but Luo Li had suffered no consequences whatsoever.

Instead, that civil official's residence had been surrounded so tightly by furious citizens that not even water could pass through.

Marquis White Robe was the empire's God of War, a man who had joined the army from a young age and rendered outstanding service to the empire. Trying to cause trouble over such matters—was that not harboring disloyal intentions?

As a result, public outrage boiled over and the controversy grew.

Some wealthy young ladies, enraged and possessing considerable means, even dug up numerous crimes committed by that civil official. In the end, he was thrown into prison in shackles.

From then on, no one foolish enough to provoke Luo Li over such matters remained.

This was, in truth, also a public image Luo Li had deliberately cultivated.

He had no desire to bicker with those old men over trivialities.

Qian Renxue, who bore the identity of the Crown Prince and had to constantly watch her actions carefully to avoid leaving flaws for others to exploit, felt extremely envious of this.

Look at that. Both held high positions in the empire, yet he lived far more freely and at ease than she did.

Li Boyan was momentarily speechless.

As someone who valued ritual law above all else, being told by Luo Li that he had violated etiquette made his face burn.

Yet he still did not change his mind. He cupped his hands toward Xue Ye and said, "Your Majesty, I believe granting Marquis White Robe land and the title of King is truly inappropriate!"

Xue Ye narrowed his eyes as he looked at Li Boyan.

He had always tolerated Li Boyan because the man allowed many things Xue Ye wanted to do to be raised openly and naturally.

This fellow's obstinate nature truly left him both fond and exasperated.

Xue Ye waved a hand and said gravely, "Imperial Censor Li, say no more. I have made up my mind."

"Your Majesty!" Li Boyan cried anxiously.

"Enough! I am the Heaven Dou Emperor!" Xue Ye rebuked him angrily.

Only then did Li Boyan reluctantly give up.

Seeing this, the tightly furrowed brows of Xue Ye finally relaxed.

"Enough. Aside from this, I have one more matter to announce."

There was more?