Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 437 - 411: Zhang San is Ennobled

Chapter 437: Chapter 411: Zhang San is Ennobled

Zhang San, accompanied by the quartet from Legalism, arrived at the outer portion of Emperor Kaihuang’s palace.

Although they stood outside, the sound of Emperor Kaihuang scolding the Crown Prince was still unmistakably audible.

Regrettably, having been delayed by fetching items, Zhang San had missed most of the tirade; by now, Emperor Kaihuang had grown tired of scolding.

Hence, only a few closing reprimands were heard before Emperor Kaihuang dismissed the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was already in a foul mood from the scolding,

and the sight of Zhang San upon leaving only exacerbated his annoyance.

Zhang San greeted the Crown Prince with an insincere bow, further irritating him; the Crown Prince, without a word or a glance, stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.

Then someone reported his arrival, and soon after, Zhang San was admitted for an audience with Emperor Kaihuang.

Truth be told, Emperor Kaihuang hadn’t intended to scold the Crown Prince today; he simply wanted to discuss recent matters and have him reflect on the lessons learned.

After all, Emperor Kaihuang used to think the Crown Prince was inept, yet his nature was inherently good; it was only his abilities that were lacking.

But after speaking a few words, Emperor Kaihuang realized that recently, as the conflicts with Zhang San escalated, the Crown Prince had become much more subdued than before, no longer as brash as he once was.

His capabilities had improved, and he had also become more composed.

While it cannot all be credited to Zhang San, there was no denying that without Zhang San, the Crown Prince would not have achieved his current growth.

A parent’s love for their child entails planning for the distant future.

Emperor Kaihuang naturally wished for the Crown Prince to eventually take up his mantle.

Therefore, he conveyed through strict and serious language the vast room for improvement the Crown Prince still had.

After venting for over a quarter of an hour, Emperor Kaihuang’s mood was uplifted.

The dissatisfaction lingering from the recent past was dispelled, leading him to let the Crown Prince leave and call Zhang San in.

"Zhang San, have you arrived?"

Standing respectfully and behaving obediently, Zhang San nodded.

Having just overheard Emperor Kaihuang severely rebuke the Crown Prince, Zhang San was quite apprehensive that Emperor Kaihuang might be in a bad mood and reprimand him as well.

However, Emperor Kaihuang appeared to be in high spirits.

"Those four outside, who are they?"

Hearing Emperor Kaihuang’s inquiry, Zhang San promptly explained, "Three are my old friends from Legalism, and the fourth is Han Yanqiu from the Han Family, who has also become my friend. Although he was quite bothersome before and even tried to frame me, he is, after all, part of the Han Family, so I couldn’t just cast him aside. Besides, he’s quite intelligent. If guided onto the right path, he will surely become a pillar of our nation and be better equipped to help Your Majesty resolve worries and problems."

Emperor Kaihuang nodded with satisfaction, smiling, "I did not expect you to be so magnanimous, not holding a grudge against Han Yanqiu for past events. Good, very good. But..."

Emperor Kaihuang’s tone suddenly grew much more stern.

"You’re about to join the Northern Army, what are your thoughts on this?"

Zhang San, with a swift turn of his eye, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, to speak plainly, I am still under suspicion. Yet, despite this, I have been assigned to such a crucial place as the Northern Army. Therefore, I am unsure how to proceed upon my arrival. I am here to seek Your Majesty’s guidance."

With a glance at Zhang San, Emperor Kaihuang knew this youngster had more tricks up his sleeve than words in his speech.

What does joining the Northern Army have to do with any suspicions? Many criminals are even sent to serve in the Northern Army.

In the end, this kid just wants me to clear his name!

"I want you to distinguish yourself in the North, to achieve great merit! As long as you do so, I will bestow upon you the title of Marquis!"

Zhang San, upon hearing this, was quite agitated, but he immediately realized that this might just be a pie in the sky.

After all, the promise of ennoblement last time wasn’t fulfilled!

"Your Majesty, what kind of merits are considered great achievements?"

"If you can go to the Northern Army and cause turmoil among the Tujue, no matter how you do it, I will grant you a marquisate. Of course, based on my original promise, you were already to be given a marquisate. However, that marquisate would have been nominal. But if you secure such a great achievement, the marquisate you obtain will be substantial. And..."

At this point, Emperor Kaihuang’s gaze became much sharper.

At this moment, Zhang San even started to feel a bit nervous.

"I know about your joining the Heavenly Punishment Sect, and I’m not entirely certain whether or not you really are the Saint Heir of the Sect. But whether you are or aren’t, it doesn’t matter to me. If you can accomplish great deeds for Great Sui, even if you are from the Heavenly Punishment Sect, I will protect you! You might even bring the entire Heavenly Punishment Sect to serve me one day!"

"I am the Emperor Kaihuang of Great Sui, but I aim to be the Emperor of the entire world! Not to mention the human race, the Imperial Path. I also have the ambition to conquer the All Things Path; the Path of Ghosts and Gods is also something that can serve Great Sui; even the Path of Life and Death could potentially be incorporated into Great Sui!"

"I want to make the common people wealthy, to make the nation prosperous, and to establish an everlasting, truly unified empire!"

"If the Six Paths can be accommodated, why can’t we accommodate a mere Heavenly Punishment Sect!"

At this moment, Zhang San was incredibly shocked.

Previously, he only knew Emperor Kaihuang admired diligent officials, was frugal and thrifty, and had married only Empress Dugu.

It could be said that achieving these things already made him a rare existence among emperors throughout history.

But he had never imagined that Emperor Kaihuang’s vision could be so broad.

Emperor Kaihuang’s ambition, too, was enormous!

"What? You don’t believe what I’m saying?"

Seeing Zhang San so shocked, Emperor Kaihuang asked with a smile.

Zhang San awkwardly laughed along and said, "Of course not."

This moment, it was Emperor Kaihuang’s turn to feel awkward.

"Your Majesty, it’s not that I can praise your sagacity and martial prowess to your face and then lie to the emperor. The things you said do indeed stir my blood, but given Great Sui’s current strength, achieving what you described is indeed quite difficult. Plus, with my limited understanding of Great Sui’s real strength and my own low status, what you said is lofty and exciting, but if I truly believed it, I would be a fool. However, I do believe that you certainly have grand ambitions, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Kaihuang chuckled.

A significant reason he fancied Zhang San was that although Zhang San’s words were pleasing and made him comfortable, Zhang San was essentially a man who spoke the truth.

"If you don’t believe me, take a look at this."

As he spoke, Emperor Kaihuang drew an imperial edict from his sleeve and threw it to Zhang San.

Zhang San opened it and was completely stunned by the content.

"Is this the edict for my ennoblement? When... when was the Jade Seal affixed?"

"If you can achieve it, I can grant it! When the Jade Seal is affixed doesn’t depend on me, but on you!"

At this moment, Zhang San couldn’t deny his excitement.

Especially after Emperor Kaihuang’s words, even if his identity as the Saint Heir of the Heavenly Punishment Sect were to be exposed, what would it matter!

Since Emperor Kaihuang would accommodate him, there would be no need to worry about his identity issue.

But still...

"Your Majesty, I’m not asking for a title as dazzling as ’Marquis of Champion,’ but isn’t ’Marquis Beyond the Law’ a bit too much!?"