Crown Prince! Purple Radiance King!

"Let me ask you one last time. Do you really not want to be Crown Prince?"

In the side hall, Xu Chengjing, clad in dragon robes, looked at his son Xu Tianchen standing before him and spoke.

"Forget it. Give it to Elder Brother. Handling state affairs is too bothersome. I want to focus on cultivation and ascend to the Divine Realm!"

Xu Tianchen's gaze was resolute, and his tone seemed to carry utter disdain for the throne.

"Fine. Since you've already made your decision, I won't say any more. I hope you won't regret it in the future. Imperial children have done far too many unimaginable things to secure that position."

With that, Xu Chengjing left. Watching his father gradually walk away, Xu Tianchen felt that his imperial father was right. He still needed to leave himself a backup plan.

One must never let down one's guard against others!

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the civil and military officials had already taken their proper places according to rank and status. Xu Chengjing sat upon the lofty dragon throne in the robes he had worn during his coronation ceremony, taking in every expression on the faces of the officials below.

Once everyone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony had arrived, the investiture ceremony officially began!

This investiture ceremony was not only meant to appoint a Crown Prince and secure the foundation of the state. It was also meant to reward the loyal ministers who had rendered meritorious service in supporting the new emperor, reassuring the people's hearts, and to pardon certain former officials of the previous dynasty, demonstrating the emperor's magnanimity.

"Begin!"

Xu Chengjing's voice descended from above and echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony. As his words fell, Steward Zhao—no, Chief Steward Zhao now—called out loudly from the side, even using soul power:

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The imperial eldest son, Xu Tianran, is gentle in temperament and broad in bearing, greatly pleasing to Us. He is hereby established as Crown Prince and relocated to the Eastern Palace, to secure the foundation of the state. Respect this!"

The moment these words fell, the expressions of those in the hall varied greatly. Some were shocked, while others found it only natural.

Xu Tianran was instantly overjoyed, but he immediately glanced at his younger brother Xu Tianchen from the corner of his eye. An indescribably complicated emotion filled his gaze before he quickly composed himself, stepped forward, and knelt to kowtow.

"Your son accepts the decree and gives thanks for Your Majesty's grace! From this day onward, I shall certainly share Father Emperor's burdens, fulfill my duties faithfully, and not disappoint Father Emperor's great expectations."

"Good. Rise." Xu Chengjing's voice came from above, devoid of the slightest emotion.

"Thank you, Father Emperor." With that, Xu Tianran rose and stepped back to the side, the expression on his face gradually settling.

"The imperial second son, Xu Tianchen," Chief Steward Zhao continued as the imperial decree was unfurled once more, issuing a new edict. "Possesses extraordinary talent, outstanding aptitude, and exceptional bearing. He is specially bestowed the title of Purple Radiance King, granted a Purple Radiance Prince's Manor, and awarded Mingbei as his fief, with an income from thirty thousand households. He is granted the special privilege of not kneeling upon meeting Us, as well as ten million gold soul coins for daily cultivation. May he reach the summit soon!"

Though Chief Steward Zhao's tone was exceedingly calm, the instant the title "Purple Radiance King" was announced, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

Purple Radiance King had originally only been a title bestowed by emperors upon imperial descendants possessing the Purple Radiance Annihilating Heaven Dragon martial soul. Yet this time was different. Before the current emperor ascended the throne, his own title had been Purple Radiance. Now, he had first appointed the former heir of the Purple Radiance King as Crown Prince, then immediately bestowed the title of Purple Radiance King upon the most gifted second prince. What exactly did this mean?

The vast amount of wealth granted was one thing. Mingdu, especially its royal family, which controlled taxation, was extremely wealthy. The crucial matter was the two favors of "not kneeling upon meeting Us" and "an income from thirty thousand households."

One had to know that if either of these privileges fell upon someone, it would be enough to show that person was deeply favored by the emperor. As for the first privilege, only one person in the current Sun Moon Empire was qualified to possess it: Kong Deming, the father of Rank-9 Soul Engineers. Even Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin, the two Rank-9 Soul Engineers second only to him, did not have such qualifications.

The second privilege was an income normally granted only to top-ranking imperial princes, powerful ministers, and Crown Princes throughout the ages. Yet now, both of these gifts had been bestowed upon Xu Tianchen. It was simply unimaginable how greatly favored he was.

The ministers in the hall looked at one another, especially Ye Yulin and Jing Hongchen, whose faces were filled with confusion. In their view, the one who should have been named Crown Prince ought to have been Xu Tianchen, not Xu Tianran.

Xu Tianchen wore purple-gold robes. Though still young, his extraordinary bearing had already begun to show.

"Your son accepts the decree."

When Xu Tianran heard that his father had named this younger brother, three years his junior, the Purple Radiance King, the smile in his eyes from being appointed Crown Prince gradually vanished, replaced by a deep trace of wariness.

Then, as Xu Tianchen returned to his original position, Chief Steward Zhao continued announcing the subsequent reward edicts.

Once the reward edicts for Jing Hongchen, Ye Yulin, and the others had been announced one after another, this investiture and reward ceremony finally came to an end.

As for why Kong Deming's name had not appeared among those receiving rewards?

That was because Kong Deming was already nearly beyond further reward. Not only did he hold the title of duke, but his strength was extraordinary, and he was the guardian deity of the imperial family. Thus, he was merely granted several additional privileges.

With the investiture ceremony over, the next event was the imperial banquet. This time, not only would the officials attend, but envoys from the former Douluo factions would also be present.

Night fell, and the imperial palace blazed with lights as the pleasant sounds of strings and flutes filled the air. The dancers moved gracefully through the great hall, while fine wine and delicacies were brought to the tables in an endless stream.

In Xu Tianchen's view, banquets like this were entirely unnecessary. They wasted money and time, and one could not even eat one's fill. They existed solely for those "social butterflies" to make connections.

Moreover, nothing happened at this banquet. So, after staying only a short while, he left and returned to his residence within the imperial palace. The original Purple Radiance Prince's Manor needed to be renovated, and certain places also needed to be altered according to Xu Tianchen's requirements.

When Xu Tianchen returned to his chambers, he discovered that Kong Deming had already been waiting in his room. A middle-aged man stood beside him.

"I won't ask why you don't want to be Crown Prince. You're grown now and have your own thoughts. Your great-grandfather will not force arrangements upon you. You only need to know that no matter what happens, as long as you come to me, I will do everything within my power to help you resolve it."

At first, Xu Tianchen had thought Kong Deming had come to ask why he had refused the position of Crown Prince. Yet before he could say anything, Kong Deming spoke first, saying exactly what he wanted to say.

"Don't worry. I understand."

Xu Tianchen had not expected Kong Deming to say this so directly, and he was immediately touched.

"Though you are not becoming Crown Prince, you must still hold power in your hands. You cannot become a lamb awaiting slaughter because you lack strength when the time comes to resist."

"I understand. I'll cultivate properly."

After hearing Xu Tianchen's words, Kong Deming nodded, then shook his head.

"Not only must you possess great strength yourself, you must also have a powerful force behind you. Take this."

As he spoke, Kong Deming took out a token from his soul tool storage ring. A large moon was engraved upon it, and he handed it to Xu Tianchen.

"Do you know? Every emperor throughout history has had a shadow guard directly loyal to him, responsible for his protection and gathering intelligence. They are called the Bright Dragon Guard. But the previous emperor was an exception. He believed that, since he was already emperor, he had no need for such a force, so he disbanded it on the grounds of cutting expenses."

"Hm!?"

"Shocked, aren't you? I was shocked too when I first heard this information. But I quickly came to my senses and tried to reorganize the force. Still, I was a step too late and managed to reclaim only thirty percent of its members. Your father was ahead of me and absorbed fifty percent, while the remaining twenty percent chose to return home and no longer take part in this matter."

Even Kong Deming's tone still carried a trace of regret.