This was clearly aimed at him!
Leaving aside the thoughts and feelings of those outside, Yang Hao was being entertained by Emperor Xue Ye in the imperial palace.
The set of hidden weapon blueprints and crafting methods Yang Hao had contributed last time had already caught Emperor Xue Ye's attention, earning the young man the title of count.
And now, this young man had written such a peerless work and published it in the name of their empire. As the emperor of the empire, he naturally had to meet him.
Yang Hao sat beside Xue Qinghe, burying his head in his food.
"Restrain yourself a little."
Qian Renxue's brows twitched. She was almost too embarrassed to sit at the same table as him.
"Oh!"
Yang Hao answered and slowed down his eating.
Emperor Xue Ye watched with a smile, unbothered.
He had read the young man's dossier. At the academy, he was a cultivation fanatic—either reading and studying or training in silence, rarely communicating with others.
But only such a person could write a peerless masterpiece like this.
"Present it."
When the banquet neared its end, Emperor Xue Ye spoke.
A guard immediately carried a tray over to Yang Hao, knelt on one knee, and presented it to him.
On it lay a token, with the character for "duke" engraved on its front.
Many people present changed expression upon seeing that token.
It represented the rank of duke. In other words, His Majesty intended to grant that young man a dukedom.
A seventeen-year-old duke—there had never been one in all of history. This was setting a precedent.
Yet no one objected. They all understood the worth of those two peerless works. Granting him a dukedom was not excessive.
"Wang Xiao, from today onward, you are a Grand Duke of our