Dragon's Origin

The imperial court's reaction was far quicker than Wang Sheng had anticipated, or rather, the Emperor's level of panic regarding this matter exceeded Wang Sheng's expectations.

The very next morning, as soon as the court session adjourned, a major announcement was made. Over two months prior, the Seventh Prince and four high-ranking officials had conspired to rebel, attempting to kidnap and force the Emperor to abdicate. They were nearly successful, but a righteous hero discovered their plot and rescued the gravely injured Emperor.

Consequently, the Seventh Prince and the four high-ranking officials were executed along with their entire families, and all their household servants were reduced to slavery and gifted to the hero who saved the Emperor.

As for the righteous hero who rescued the Emperor, the Emperor, deeply moved by his loyalty in saving him, made an exception and bestowed upon him a peerage, granting him the title of Marquis Changsheng (Ever Victorious). He was also awarded a Marquis estate and countless treasures. The confiscated assets of the Seventh Prince and the four high-ranking officials were all transferred to the Marquis Changsheng's estate. Furthermore, the Emperor even designated the Perilous Land as his fiefdom, bestowing it upon the newly appointed Marquis Changsheng.

The aforementioned rewards initially led people to believe that the hero who saved the Emperor had stumbled upon an incredibly fortunate opportunity, unexpectedly encountering such a rebellious plot. However, upon learning that the fiefdom was the Perilous Land, their envy vanished instantly.

A Marquis title, along with a fiefdom, you say? Unfortunately, the fiefdom is the Perilous Land, accessible only to a select few. What difference does it make whether it's given or not?

Everyone assumed that the hero who saved the Emperor had been deceived by the Emperor and the court, fobbed off with a completely inaccessible fiefdom, essentially using a pile of wealth to appease the people. In essence, it was just a means of buying hearts with material possessions.

However, when the court announced the name of Marquis Changsheng, everyone was dumbfounded. Marquis Changsheng was actually Wang Sheng?

Considering the entire world, if there was only one person capable of entering the Perilous Land, it would undoubtedly be Wang Sheng, and no one else. From Wang Sheng's perspective, this was a huge windfall.

Who wasn't aware of the immense treasures within the Perilous Land? It was just that, due to various reasons, no family had been able to enter it before. The various feudal lords were in the same situation now, at best relying on the camp established by Wang Sheng and Yu Baozhai near the core of the Perilous Land for cultivation.

Now that the Emperor had officially and openly bestowed the Perilous Land upon Wang Sheng, the various feudal lords were likely to go crazy. In the future, would the various feudal lords need Wang Sheng's permission to send people into the Perilous Land? There would be quite a spectacle to watch.

The spies of the various feudal lords in the capital quickly relayed the news back to their respective domains. This was a public proclamation by the Emperor, with no confidentiality. Upon receiving the news, the various feudal lords simply smiled dismissively.

So what if Wang Sheng was granted the Perilous Land? The various factions could still enter as they pleased. Wang Sheng merely held the title; could he truly monopolize the Perilous Land all by himself? Wang Sheng was just a figurehead, even with his Marquis title. Even the Emperor who conferred the title upon him was only holding onto a nominal authority. Could his imperial edicts truly extend beyond the capital?

The powerful feudal lords saw that Wang Sheng had coincidentally saved the Emperor but only received the reputation of a Marquis, some material rewards and housing, and the title of Marquis of the Perilous Land, nothing more.

However, those independent cultivators who did not belong to any major families or factions saw that Wang Sheng, an assassin from Worry-Free City, had been promoted and enriched by saving the Emperor, gaining not only a Marquis title but also a fiefdom and countless gold coins. If such an opportunity arose again, they might also try to pledge allegiance to the Emperor in order to secure a title for their wives and provide for their descendants.

But that's a story for later. As soon as the Emperor made the announcement, the unsolved case in the capital from two months ago was immediately explained. The reason why the Seventh Prince and the four high-ranking officials were stripped of their families and clans was also revealed, as was the reason why the Emperor had been reclusive for the past two months: he had been seriously injured during the rebellion and needed two months to recover.

The various feudal lords found it truly difficult to obtain information from within the imperial palace. The imperial family had been operating in the capital for hundreds of years, and the imperial city was as impenetrable as an iron bucket, making it impossible to send out any information easily. Now, they finally understood the whole story.

Knowing the answer, the various factions could finally rest assured. The imperial family wasn't playing any tricks, but rather experiencing internal strife. Good! Internal strife was good! It would be best if a few more princes were restless and tormented the Emperor to the point of near death; that would best serve the interests of all parties.

As soon as the news was released, the atmosphere in the entire capital changed immediately. It turned out that when the Emperor was angry, he would really chop off hundreds of heads, not even sparing his own son's head. Those with dissenting opinions in the court also became cautious and dormant, not daring to show any signs of rebellion, lest they run into the Emperor's blade.

Wang Sheng hadn't expected the Emperor to be so impatient, announcing it to the world the day after they had discussed the matter. This was also good, as it rounded out the reason for him receiving the Marquis title and rewards. If the feudal lords were to find out that the idea of the Emperor conferring titles on the feudal lords came from him, they would probably be particularly wary of him. This was better, with the excuse of saving the Emperor being the most appropriate.

It is particularly worth mentioning that Wang Sheng slept in his Marquis estate's bedroom last night. Of course, it's not to say that Mei'er and Wang Sheng slept together, but rather that in the two months that Wang Sheng was away, Mei'er had someone clean up another bedroom for herself and returned Wang Sheng's room to him, nothing more, and nothing special happened.

Early in the morning, Wang Sheng also invited Uncle Liu and the others to have breakfast together. During the meal, everyone talked about Baoqing Yu Tang, and they were all elated.

During the two months that Wang Sheng was cultivating in Lao Jun Guan, Baoqing Yu Tang had been through hell. All the feudal states, following the example of the Song State, had nationalized the sugar and salt businesses, completely stripping Baoqing Yu Tang of these two trades.

The Song State, being near the sea, had a well-developed salt industry, seizing control of both raw materials and refining, yielding substantial profits. Although the other feudal lords couldn't control the production of crude salt, they could buy it from the Song State and refine it themselves, also generating huge profits.

However, relatively speaking, the Tang State gained the most advantages. The Tang State was not only near the sea but also relatively south, making it an important sugarcane-producing area, also controlling the raw materials for both the sugar and salt businesses, earning a fortune.

Even the imperial family made a large profit. In just two months, they had already profited hundreds of thousands. Keep in mind that this was only in the capital.

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As for Baoqing Yu Tang, describing their situation as severely damaged would not be enough to describe their misery. It would probably be more accurate to say that they were crippled to some extent.