As Zhang Bao sent people back to fetch his elder and third brothers, Ye Feng was not idle either!
Oh?
No, that's not right!
It should be said that aside from Ye Feng, everyone else was busy outside.
After all,
Today was the only day in recent years that the Han Dynasty would witness the birth of a king with a surname other than the imperial clan!
Yes!
That's right!
After a short day of rest, Emperor Ling fulfilled his promise.
He would enfeoff a king with a surname other than the imperial clan!
However,
When discussing the title of the royal position, even Emperor Ling was somewhat vexed.
There were traditions associated with ancient royal enfeoffments.
First, there were the single-character titles!
The titles for single-character kings were primarily derived from the feudal states of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
Among them,
The titles from the four most powerful states of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were considered the most noble.
Namely... Jin, Qin, Qi, and Chu!
And among these, "King of Jin" was considered the most noble, hence it was bestowed upon the most emperors.
For instance, King of Jin Sima Yan (founder of Western Jin), King of Jin Sima Rui (founder of Eastern Jin), King of Jin Yang Guang (second emperor of Sui Dynasty), King of Jin Li Zhi (third emperor of Tang Dynasty)... and so on!
After these four titles,
Came those from the second-tier states of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
Namely Zhou, Lu, Zhao, Wei, Liang, Yan, Dai, Han, Song, Wu, Yue, and others.
These were merely single-character king titles.
There were even more two-character titles.
Such as King of Zhongshan, King of Changshan, King of Bohai, and a multitude of others.
These individuals mostly used their commanderies or kingdoms as their royal titles.
As for why?
It was simple!
Because after being enfeoffed as a king, they would receive a fiefdom, also known as a landed estate.
Two-character kings generally used their commanderies or kingdoms as their titles.
In other words,
The fiefdom of the King of Zhongshan was the entire Zhongshan, and he was the king of this region.
Even,
He could establish laws and raise an army within his own kingdom.
It could be said to be a state within a state!
Precisely because of this,
Few emperors of the Han Dynasty, or emperors in later dynasties, would enfeoff a king with an entire province.
Titles like King of You Province rarely appeared.
Because there were only thirteen provinces in the land of Huaxia!
Which unified emperor would willingly give up a province for no reason?
Oh?
Emperor Ling was willing!
When they first discussed the royal title, Emperor Ling wanted to establish the title "King of You Province."
However, it was rejected by Chen Gong!
"Your Majesty~!"
After respectfully bowing to Emperor Ling, Chen Gong said with a composed face:
"Your subject believes that Provincial Governor Ye's contributions are immense. A two-character title cannot adequately reflect his merits!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling's mouth twitched, and he spread his hands helplessly, saying,
"Although King of You Province is a two-character title, the fiefdom is not even comparable to that of a single-character king, you know?"
"Heh heh..."
Facing Emperor Ling's seemingly sincere words, Chen Gong remained unmoved.
What a joke!
A two-character king?
Even a two-character king with a fiefdom in You Province was still a two-character king!
Moreover,
His lord's influence now spanned three provinces. What did enfeoffing him as King of You Province imply?
It meant not acknowledging Ji Province and Qing Province as theirs, right?
He wished!
Therefore,
After a moment's thought, Chen Gong smiled and said,
"Your Majesty, your subject believes that the title 'King of Qin' would be quite fitting!"
"Qin, King of Qin?"
Emperor Ling's hand froze, and his expression instantly darkened.
Why is he bringing up such a sensitive topic?
He might as well have chosen King of Jin!
King of Qin?
Didn't he know that the Han Dynasty had taken the realm from the Qin Empire?
Was he trying to return it?
Absolutely not!
Absolutely not!
Even if he were to grant him the title of King of Jin, he could not let him be King of Qin!
With this thought,
Emperor Ling suppressed his displeasure and apprehension, putting on a smile, and said,
"Esteemed Minister Chen, how about this!"
"Since you believe a two-character title is beneath Provincial Governor Ye's status, let us directly use a single-character title!"
"What do you think of... King of Jin?"
"Heh heh..."
Seeing the barely concealed tension on Emperor Ling's face, Chen Gong smiled slightly.
"Your subject sees no issue with it."
"However..."
"This matter still requires Provincial Governor Ye himself to decide. Perhaps I should go consult him first?"
"Excellent, excellent..."
Facing Ye Feng's foremost sycophant, Emperor Ling could only agree. He had no other choice.
He couldn't just issue the decree directly, could he?
What if it was rejected?
That would be too embarrassing!
It was better to let this fellow go back and clarify, so he could then issue the decree in one go.
Of course!
Emperor Ling believed in his heart that this was merely a formality, and Ye Feng would not possibly disagree.
That was King of Jin!
Even in the ranking of single-character kings, King of Jin was ranked first.
What could he possibly be dissatisfied with?
Unfortunately,
Just as Emperor Ling was confidently preparing to draft the decree, Chen Gong returned with a somewhat peculiar expression.
"Your Majesty, Provincial Governor Ye asks me to thank you for your kindness, but he feels that 'King of Chu' would be quite fitting!"
"???"
The brush in Emperor Ling's hand paused, and a perfectly good imperial decree was ruined.
"Chu, King of Chu?"
"That's right!"
Chen Gong nodded honestly, a hint of pity in his gaze towards Emperor Ling.
He thought he had been shrewd by choosing King of Qin, but unexpectedly, his lord was even more ruthless.
That was King of Chu!
Who was King of Chu?
Going back two to three hundred years, only one person could truly bear that title.
That was the Hegemon-King of Chu, Xiang Yu!
Thinking of that formidable figure who vied for supremacy with his own ancestors, Emperor Ling swallowed with difficulty.
"Then... then, wouldn't Provincial Governor Ye consider King of Jin?"
"He won't consider it!"
Facing Emperor Ling's pleading gaze, Chen Gong's reply was decisive.
"Your Majesty, Provincial Governor Ye has decided. It is the title King of Chu!"
"Then... so be it!"
With a deep sigh, Emperor Ling picked up his brush and wrote "King of Chu" on a new imperial decree.
Thus,
Ye Feng elegantly transformed from a Provincial Governor into the King of Chu of the Han Dynasty!
The fiefdom?
Not much!
After Chen Gong's repeated insistence, it was merely You, Bing, Qing, and Ji Provinces!
...
Outside Chang'an City,
On the official road,
Under the reluctant gazes of Chen Gong and others, Ye Feng waved goodbye to them.
"Alright!"
"You all may return!"
Looking at Chen Gong's slightly reddened eyes, Ye Feng chuckled and said,
"Gongtai, you will assist His Majesty diligently. Shocheng and Wenyue will be your backup!"
"Am I right?"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Meeting Ye Feng's half-smiling gaze, Ma Teng and Han Sui and others quickly nodded in agreement.
Regardless of what they might think in the future,
At this moment,
They dared not, nor did they wish to, incur any negative opinions from Ye Feng.
Seeing this,
Ye Feng's smile deepened, but his tone became somewhat stern.
"You all, remember this!"
"Other than not preying on the villagers, harming the common people, and thoroughly eradicating the Yellow Turban rebels, I have no other restrictions on you!"
"But if you disobey..."
"Heh heh~!"
Beckoning to Yu Huatian at his side, Ye Feng said with unconcealed killing intent,
"For those who disobey, I grant you the power to execute first and report later!"
"Thump~!"
Yu Huatian knelt directly before Ye Feng, cupping his hands respectfully and saying,
"My Lord, rest assured. Those who disobey will be taught a lesson by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"Excellent!"
Ye Feng nodded with satisfaction and turned to look at Ma Teng.
"Oh, right..."
"Shocheng, isn't your eldest son getting old enough? Have him come to You Province someday!"
"Ah?"
Ma Teng was startled, and his expression became somewhat unnatural.
What did he mean?
A hostage?
Although it was common for eldest sons to be hostages in this era, his Ma family was no ordinary household.
He was asking for a hostage?
I...
If Ye Feng had said this when they first met, Ma Teng would have refused without hesitation.
But now?
Glancing at the soldiers by Ye Feng's side, and thinking of the elite troops in the nearby camp...
"Your Highness, rest assured!"
"Your subordinate will return immediately to have them pack their belongings, and they will depart for You Province this afternoon!"
"No rush~!"
Instead of his almost eager response, Ye Feng smiled and waved his hand.
"I won't be returning anytime soon, so let him spend the New Year at home!"
"However..."
"When spring arrives next year, his good days will come to an end!"
Thinking of the school he was still planning, a yearning flashed across Ye Feng's face.
If he could get Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Ma Chao, and others to enroll...
Oh?
That's right!
There were also the Da and Xiao Qiao sisters!
Thinking of the renowned sister pair of later generations, Ye Feng's thoughts began to stir.
"Yu Huatian~!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Hmm..."
Glancing at the attentive Eunuch Flower waiting before him, Ye Feng lowered his voice and said,
"Send a few trusted subordinates to Lu Jiang's Wan County to inquire about a family surnamed Qiao."
"Specific information is unknown!"
"However..."
"It is said that the Qiao family has a pair of sisters, but their exact ages are not very detailed."
"This..."
After waiting for a moment and seeing Ye Feng remain silent, Yu Huatian asked foolishly.
"My Lord, is there anything else?"
"No!"
Seeing Yu Huatian's stiff expression, Ye Feng sheepishly rubbed his nose.
"The information is indeed scarce, but I believe you will give me a pleasant surprise."
"Right?"
"Yes, yes..."
With a bitter smile plastered on his face, Yu Huatian forced himself to accept the task.
There was no other way!
Since Ye Feng had put it this way, he had no choice but to accept.
Fortunately,
Perhaps knowing that his task was somewhat outlandish, Ye Feng did not set a specific deadline.
This also made Yu Huatian somewhat relieved.
After all,
The Embroidered Uniform Guard were also ordinary people. They weren't omnipotent!
To find someone surnamed Qiao in a vast county?
Forget the late Han Dynasty!
Even in later generations with a complete household registration system, it wouldn't be that easy.
How many people in the world were surnamed Qiao?
To find them one by one?
To go to each house and ask if they had two daughters?
They would be beaten to death, alright!
It was a pity,
Ye Feng clearly couldn't empathize with Yu Huatian's feelings. He was currently filled with anticipation.
The Da and Xiao Qiao sisters couldn't be found for now.
But he still had others!
Thinking of the person Yu Huatian had brought from Luoyang, Ye Feng couldn't help but turn back and say,
"Eunuch Flower, remember to go back and ask His Majesty for one hundred thousand taels of silver. Consider it a reward from me!"
"Don't forget the mission!"
"Although I haven't set a deadline, you'd better put some effort into it!"
Yu Huatian: "???"
Emperor Ling: "???"