Rage in the Imperial Study

Taiyi swiftly led Oscar into the Imperial Palace.

They arrived outside the Imperial Study. Once they reached the door, Jin Hao heard voices coming from within.

"Your Majesty, you must not send troops! Those kingdoms can now be said to have formed an alliance. Move against one, and the others will move as well."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Those four kingdoms and one Duchy are still nominally our lands, and the kingdoms are still our vassal states. But their wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see. They simply cannot gauge our empire's strength yet, and more importantly, they lack justification for war. If we strike first, we will give them precisely the excuse they need to act."

As those two voices rang out, Jin Hao heard Xue Ye's voice.

"If I do not deal with them, will they still have any regard for the Heaven Dou Empire? Any regard for me, their emperor?"

"First, three of my sons died unexpectedly, yet they dared not send anyone to offer condolences. I said nothing about that. Now, as vassal states, they even dare withhold the annual tribute they owe."

"The Balk Kingdom truly has some nerve. Kundera is truly my fine cousin!!"

"And he dares claim this year's harvest was poor? The weather has been favorable this year, and he even has Suotuo City, that granary of a city. Yet he dares tell me such things? He must be taught a lesson."

"Your Majesty, you cannot! Kundera has always harbored wolfish ambitions. Under the pretext of directly facing the Star Luo Empire, he has continuously stationed troops within the empire, and his strength has grown considerable. Even setting aside the possibility that those kingdoms and the Duchy will unite, even if they do not, taking him down would greatly drain our strength. At that point, the other kingdoms and that Duchy would become even more openly defiant."

Hearing the minister's words, Xue Ye grew even more enraged.

"Must I simply endure it?"

Recently, Xue Ye had felt that nothing was going right. First, two of his sons died. Then there was that unfilial wretch Xue Beng, who committed such an act before dying as well. Now even the vassal states dared disregard him.

Upon hearing Xue Ye's words, the ministers fell silent. Given the current situation, enduring it truly seemed to be their only option.

Just as everyone sank into silence, Jin Hao pushed open the door and entered with Oscar.

As Jin Hao and Oscar entered, everyone in the Imperial Study turned to look at them.

When Xue Ye saw Jin Hao, the only person who had brought him any joy during this period, his mood finally calmed somewhat.

Then Xue Ye asked,

"Qinghe, what brings you here?"

Jin Hao replied,

"Father Emperor, I have broken through to Level 27 Soul Power and came specifically to tell you. There is also one matter that requires your approval."

Hearing Jin Hao's words, Xue Ye remembered that Jin Hao had told him some time ago that he would soon break through to Level 27. However, Kundera had angered him so greatly during this time that he had forgotten.

Now that he remembered, Xue Ye looked at Jin Hao and smiled.

"Good. At this rate, you will become a Soul Elder in less than a year."

"By the way, Qinghe, who is this person you brought with you?"

Clearly, Xue Ye had also noticed Oscar standing beside Jin Hao.

Jin Hao said,

"Father Emperor, this is Oscar. He is a Food-System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power, and his Martial Soul is a Sausage. After awakening his Martial Soul, Xiao Ao did not choose to join Spirit Hall. Instead, he came to find me and wished to become my retainer."

Once Jin Hao finished speaking, not only did Xue Ye look at Oscar in astonishment, but the ministers did as well.

A Food-System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power—if properly nurtured, the empire would gain a Food-System Title Douluo in the future.

Xue Ye immediately laughed in delight. He could swear that this was the best news he had heard in a long time. The addition of someone like this would be immensely beneficial to the empire.

As for Oscar choosing to become Jin Hao's retainer rather than pledging himself to Xue Ye, the emperor—

If this had happened in the past, when Xue Ye still had all four sons, he would have been displeased. I am still the emperor, yet a genius with Innate Full Soul Power chooses to pledge himself to you? Does that not make me seem inferior to my own son?

But now, with only one son left, Xue Ye did not see it that way. After all, Jin Hao could only be the future emperor of the empire. Letting the empire's most gifted person grow at his side, and allowing the person most likely to become a Title Douluo in all these years to build a good relationship with the future emperor, was also a good thing for the empire.

Then Xue Ye said to Oscar,

"Oscar, is it? As a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire, after awakening your Martial Soul, your first thought was to repay the empire. Very good. I shall reward you."

The ministers also repeatedly nodded, saying that Oscar deserved a reward. They were not fools. Oscar had followed the future emperor, and the current emperor had already stated that he wished to reward him. Speaking out in opposition now would be tactless.

Upon hearing this, Jin Hao stepped forward and said,

"Father Emperor, I promised Xiao Ao that I would grant him the title of Viscount."

Xue Ye was first taken aback. Granting noble titles required either contributions to the empire or reaching a certain level of Soul Power along with some service to the empire.

Only under those two circumstances could someone possibly be granted a title.

Yet granting a Viscount title to someone who had likely just obtained his First Soul Ring did not conform to the rules.

But when Xue Ye looked at Jin Hao's face, another thought appeared in his mind. It did not conform to the rules, but the rules were set by him. Besides, given Oscar's talent and his intention to become Jin Hao's retainer, he would be granted a title sooner or later anyway. It made no difference whether it happened now or later.

Having thought it through, Xue Ye made his decision.

Just as Xue Ye was about to speak, several ministers voiced their opposition.

"Your Majesty, this cannot be done! A reward is one thing, but granting a noble title is another. The empire has its rules."

The ministers could hardly be blamed for reacting this way. They were all civil officials without noble titles. Their Soul Power had almost all failed to reach Level 40, leaving them below the standard for ennoblement.

They had yet to obtain what they had always pursued. How could they bear to watch someone who had only just obtained his First Soul Ring surpass them?

Thus, they hurriedly spoke up to interrupt.

Jin Hao and Xue Ye both understood why these men thought this way. Those with strong Martial Souls did not bother with worldly affairs. They only wished to improve themselves and pursue higher realms. Such people might hold low official posts or none at all, but their noble titles would certainly be high.

Those with ordinary talent also wished to pursue higher Soul Power, but they were reluctant to give up the fame and profit of the court. Few could perfectly combine both, yet anyone who managed to balance them would possess both a noble title and an official post, though usually only middling ones.

Only those with very poor talent came to the court to play games of power. Such people were also skilled at governing the nation, so they generally held high official posts. However, on Douluo Continent, Soul Power reigned supreme, so they would not possess noble titles. Official posts belonged only to the individual, while only noble titles could be inherited. Thus, for these people, a noble title was their ultimate pursuit.

These ministers belonged to the last category, so they did not wish to see what they pursued obtained so easily by someone else.