You were driven out of the capital at the start, and you ask me why I rebelled?

Chapter 288 Conferring Titles, Marquis of Champion

Daqin, Xianyang.

After dealing with the affairs of Emperor Huangfu's court, Huo Qubing returned here.

Inside the imperial study, Huo Qubing reported the events to Ying Chen.

After hearing the report from Go Back, a glint of light flashed in Ying Chen's eyes.

A peak Mahayana powerhouse who has never appeared in intelligence reports?

"Lu Bing!"

Ying Chen called out softly.

Lu Bing then appeared in the Imperial Study.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

As soon as Lu Bing appeared, he bowed to Ying Chen.

"You have absolutely no information about that peak Mahayana stage expert from the Huangfu Dynasty?"

Ying Chen frowned slightly, feeling that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had failed in its duties.

As one of the first forces infiltrated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Huangfu Dichao had yet to fully investigate their background.

"this......"

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Lu Bing's forehead.

"Your Majesty, this suddenly appearing powerful figure has been in seclusion and has never shown himself before, so..."

Lu Bing explained.

"No need to explain to me. That's not what I want. I've given your Embroidered Uniform Guard plenty of support—money and manpower—and now you can't even figure out the details of a single faction. I'm starting to doubt your abilities..."

Ying Chen, however, showed no interest in what Lu Bing was saying and said coldly.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has failed in its duties; please punish them, Your Majesty!"

Lu Bing knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had indeed made a mistake this time, so he quickly knelt down and confessed.

Ying Chen looked at Lu Bing kneeling on the ground, his brows relaxing slightly. He said, "Get up! Don't let it happen again..."

"If this situation were to repeat itself, I will not let it go lightly..."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing Ying Chen's words, Lu Bing's face lit up with excitement, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Go down!"

Ying Chen waved his hand and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave!"

Lu Bing bowed and disappeared into the Imperial Study.

After he left, Ying Chen looked at Huo Qubing.

"Qubing, you have rendered another great service! What reward do you desire this time? I will certainly grant your wish..."

Ying Chen looked at Huo Qubing with a kind smile on his face and said.

"Your Majesty, this humble general did nothing wrong this time and is unworthy of Your Majesty's reward..."

"Your Majesty, please reward the other colleagues. Compared to them, we were the ones who truly contributed..."

Huo Qubing said modestly.

Indeed, as he said, he did not do anything; he simply visited the Huangfu Dynasty and the Huangfu Dynasty surrendered.

"Hey! One thing at a time. Those who have rendered meritorious service should be rewarded, but I won't forget the contributions of others either. I will reward them all when they return..."

Ying Chen waved his hand and said.

"this......"

Huo Qubing knew he couldn't refuse, so he could only say, "It's all up to Your Majesty to decide!"

Upon hearing his words, Ying Chen stroked his chin and began to ponder.

"Hmm~~"

"Alright then, your merit this time, combined with your previous achievements, is enough to earn you a title of nobility..."

"How about I bestow upon you the title of Marquis of Great Qin, with the honorary title of Champion?"

Ying Chen looked at Huo Qubing, awaiting his answer.

"champion?"

Huo Qubing paused, a flash of reminiscence crossing his eyes.

"I leave the decision to the Emperor!"

Huo Qubing knelt on one knee and said respectfully.

"Good! Cao Zhengchun, draft the imperial edict..."

Ying Chen said loudly.

Cao Zhengchun, who was standing to the side, immediately took out a blank imperial edict and waited for Ying Chen's instructions.

"Huo Qubing, commander of the elite Imperial Guards, has repeatedly rendered outstanding service, expanding the territory of our Great Qin. Effective immediately, he is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Great Qin, with the honorary title of Champion. This shall be proclaimed to the world..."

Ying Chen said in a deep voice.

Cao Zhengchun immediately recorded Ying Chen's words. Finally, Ying Chen took out the jade seal and slowly pressed it down, and the power of the Qin Dynasty's destiny flowed into it.

Thus, an imperial edict was formed.

Cao Zhengchun watched this scene with a hint of envy in his eyes.

Marquis!

Marquises might be commonplace in other dynasties, and not unusual.

However, in the Qin Dynasty, the rank of marquis was extremely rare.

They are mostly members of the royal family, passed down from generation to generation.

After Ying Chen ascended the throne, he never bestowed any noble titles.

Huo Qubing can be said to have set a precedent.

Cao Zhengchun, holding the written imperial edict in both hands, approached Huo Qubing and said with a smile, "Marquis of Champion, receive the edict!"

Huo Qubing immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully accepted the imperial edict, his eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity.

"This humble general, Huo Qubing, kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's boundless grace. I will certainly live up to the name of champion, continuing to expand the territory of my Great Qin, and spreading the fame of my Great Qin throughout the entire continent..."

Huo Qubing said in a deep voice.

"Get up!"

Ying Chen watched this scene with a smile on his face.

Conferring the title of Marquis of Champion upon Huo Qubing was something he had long considered.

Not only Huo Qubing, but also all the generals of the Qin Dynasty after him were granted titles of nobility.

At their level, ordinary resources are no longer of any use; only the title of marquis is still somewhat acceptable.

Fortunately, they were all summoned by the system and were absolutely loyal to Ying Chen.

Otherwise, when there's nothing left to bestow titles upon later on, he'll have to consider whether to discard them after they've served their purpose.

Fortunately, he didn't have that concern.

"Marquis of Champion, in three days you will accompany the army to the Huangfu Dynasty to take over the territory and bring the Huangfu family back to Xianyang..."

Subsequently, Ying Chen issued another order.

"Here!"

He went back and said respectfully.

Before long, the news of Huo Qubing being granted the title of Marquis of Champion spread throughout the entire Qin Dynasty, and even the Huangfu Emperor's court heard about it.

This news caused a huge stir, as the Qin Dynasty had not seen a new marquis for a very long time.

Moreover, Huo Qubing's marquisate was not one of those marquises who inherited their titles through the legacy of their ancestors; it was merely a title without any real power.

Huo Qubing's marquisate was a title with real power!

Putting aside everything else, the 300,000 elite Imperial Guards under his command alone constitute an extremely powerful force.

In general, the people of Qin had mixed feelings about Huo Qubing being granted a marquisate.

The common people and soldiers strongly agreed with this, believing that Huo Qubing deserved the title.

However, some members of the royal family were extremely angry.

Historically, most of those who received noble titles were members of the royal family, but since Ying Chen ascended the throne, he has not bestowed any titles upon any member of the royal family.

Those members of the royal family had also approached Ying Chen, hoping that he would bestow a title upon their descendants, but Ying Chen refused them all.

Ying Chen's original words were, "If you want a title, you can exchange it for military merits."

This was unbearable for the royal family members. They were all of noble birth, born extraordinary, so how could they be expected to fight like those peasants on the battlefield?

This is an insult to them.

However, they did not dare to force Ying Chen. The current Qin Dynasty was not the same as the previous one. The power of the royal family could not affect the Qin Dynasty, and could even be said to be dispensable.

Once they fall out with Ying Chen, they will definitely suffer the consequences.

However, what comforted them was that although Ying Chen did not grant titles to members of the royal family, he did not grant titles to others either, which gave them some solace.

I don't plan to cause any more trouble.

But now, Ying Chen has actually bestowed the title of Marquis upon Huo Qubing, which has rekindled the restless thoughts of those members of the imperial clan.