236: Conferred the title of Imperial Tutor

"Your Majesty!"

Qi Ming raised his head, gritting his teeth, and recounted the events at the Soul-Dropping Abyss with great speed, embellishing the story as he went.

He included every detail, claiming the culprit showed no respect for the imperial family and humiliated Prince Xiangs Estate.

However, he did not mention Chen Yuan's name, referring to him only as the thief.

At this moment, many officials stepped forward to remonstrate, "Your Majesty, I believe we must immediately capture this thief to defend the dignity of the imperial court."

"We second this!"

Many ministers chimed in.

Seeing this, Qi Ming felt a surge of joy and quickly spoke,

"After investigation, the audacious thief who stole the imperial treasure, the immortal transformation grass, is none other than the teacher Your Majesty recently appointed for Princess, Chen Yuan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.

Many officials whispered to one another, their eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Those belonging to Prime Minister Li's faction, in particular, wore expressions of contemplation and schadenfreude.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Qi Ming became even more excited, his words growing increasingly sharp and unpleasant:

"Your Majesty! That Chen Yuan is merely a commoner from outside; receiving Your Majesty's grace and the honorary title of junior tutor to teach Princess is already an immense honor!"

"Who would have thought this wretch would have such wolfish ambition? Instead of showing gratitude, he coveted imperial treasure and engaged in such petty theft!"

"How is such conduct any different from that of a common thief?"

"It is simply a disgrace to our imperial family!"

"To put it nicely, he is Princess's teacher; to put it bluntly, he is just a useful dog raised in the palace by Your Majesty. Yet, he dares to turn against his master and steal from his own house!"

"I request that Your Majesty immediately issue a decree to capture this wretch, retrieve the immortal transformation grass, and punish him severely to uphold the dignity of the court and serve as a warning to others!"

However, he failed to notice Emperor Qi Beichen's expression growing darker and darker.

After learning that Chen Yuan possessed great Luck, he had already prepared to appoint Chen Yuan as the State Preceptor; had it not been for the fact that his Realm was not yet high enough, he would have already issued the decree.

"You bastard! Shut up!"

Just as Qi Ming was ranting until spit was flying, his words becoming increasingly vile, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from the front row of the civil officials!

Prince Xiang, Qi Yuan, stepped forward, his face livid, and pointed at Qi Ming, rebuking him angrily:

"You rebellious son! How dare you speak such reckless nonsense in the imperial court, right in front of Your Majesty! Mr. Chen is a fine teacher personally selected by Your Majesty for Princess; he possesses both virtue and talent and is deeply trusted by Your Majesty!"

"His title of junior tutor was personally bestowed by Your Majesty and represents the dignity of the imperial family's educational authority. How can you stand there spewing filth and slandering him at will! Hurry up and beg Your Majesty for forgiveness!"

Qi Ming was stunned by his father's sudden, harsh rebuke and looked at him in disbelief:

"Father? I... but he stole our immortal transformation grass! That is a supreme treasure that can help people achieve a Breakthrough in Undergoing Tribulation! We found it first!"

"Silence!"

Prince Xiang, Qi Yuan, cursed his son's stupidity internally. Having long served in the imperial court, he was highly skilled at reading the room.

When Qi Ming was making his accusations, he had keenly captured the change in Emperor Qi's expression on the Dragon Throne.

Prince Xiang understood in an instant that the weight Chen Yuan held in His Majesty's heart was likely far greater than they had imagined!

If he joined his son in attacking now, not only would they fail to retrieve the immortal transformation grass, but he would likely also offend His Majesty!

"The immortal transformation grass is inherently ownerless, a rare treasure of heaven and earth; it is obtained by those destined for it!"

"That Mr. Chen was able to obtain it is his Opportunity and his ability!"

"How can you falsely accuse him of theft? You led men to seize the treasure and failed, and now you stand here framing an official deeply trusted by His Majesty. This is truly incompetent and arrogant!"

"Hurry up and kowtow to His Majesty to admit your mistake!"

Prince Xiang spoke with extreme severity, wishing he could go up and kick his son.

Qi Ming was completely dumbfounded by his father's words, which had completely reversed their stance and subtly curried favor with Chen Yuan.

He opened his mouth, looking at his father, then at Emperor Qi on the Dragon Throne, whose expression was now calm as water, revealing neither joy nor anger.

A chill rose from the soles of his feet, and he dared not argue a single word further, prostrating himself in dejection:

"Your nephew... your nephew was momentarily agitated and spoke without thinking, offending Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, forgive me..."

Emperor Qi Beichen sat high on the Dragon Throne, taking in the performance of Prince Xiang and his son.

He was indeed displeased, but not because the immortal transformation grass had been obtained by Chen Yuan; on the contrary, he felt that Chen Yuan had capability.

It was because of Qi Ming's remarks about being a dog raised by the imperial family; not only did it insult Chen Yuan, but it also called into question his own discernment as an Emperor and his authority.

Chen Yuan was someone he had personally recruited and entrusted with important responsibilities. In a way, Qi Ming insulting Chen Yuan was equivalent to slapping him in the face.

Prince Xiang's timely intervention to play the "good cop" made it difficult for him to lash out further.

He swept a faint glance over the trembling Qi Ming and the respectful Prince Xiang, then spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears:

"Chen Yuan is a teacher I personally invited for Princess. I have my own judgment regarding his talent and character."

"I will investigate the matter regarding the Soul-Dropping Abyss."

"As for the immortal transformation grass, since it was an ownerless Opportunity, it is whoever obtains it that has the fortune."

"Qi Ming, your conduct was inappropriate, your words were reckless, and you offended the court. You are fined three years of salary and must return to your estate to reflect on your mistakes for one month. Without my decree, you are not to leave the estate."

"As for Chen Yuan..."

Emperor Qi Beichen paused, his gaze sweeping over the civil and military officials below, who wore various expressions, and he had already made his decision.

The title of junior tutor, it seemed, was not enough to deter certain petty people; on the contrary, because it was not a position of real power, it might invite contempt.

"Pass on my decree."

Emperor Qi Beichen's voice suddenly became authoritative, "Chen Yuan is outstanding in talent and virtue, and he has my deep trust. I hereby promote him to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, bestow upon him the Imperial Tutor Sword, grant him the ceremonial honors of a Prince, exempt him from kneeling before the monarch, and allow him to enter the palace at any time to consult on confidential matters. Announce this to the world to honor his position!"

Although Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince was an honorary title, its status was incomparably exalted.

Nominally, he was the teacher of the future monarch, worthy of being called the teacher of all teachers!

He was also bestowed with the Imperial Tutor Sword, granted the ceremonial honors of a Prince, and exempted from kneeling before the monarch.

As the Imperial Tutor of the state, excluding the State Preceptor, he was below one person and above ten thousand!

The entire court was shaken!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden, bombshell decree.

Prince Xiang, Qi Yuan, lowered his head, a flash of lingering fear in his eyes; it was fortunate he had reacted quickly.

Qi Ming was even more ghastly pale, collapsing onto the floor.

Not long after the decree was issued, Chen Yuan, who had just achieved a Breakthrough in Undergoing Tribulation, had already returned to Tranquility Heart Garden.

Regarding this sudden decree appointing him as Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

He thought deeper; as the teacher of the Crown Prince, since he was teaching Princess, did that not mean Princess would be the future heir to the throne?

Residence of the Duke of Zhen,

Second Prince Qi Hong's expression was gloomy.

"What did Father mean by appointing that Chen Yuan as the teacher of the Crown Prince? Could it be that he really intended to name Princess as the Crown Prince?"

Third Prince Qi Yue and Fourth Prince Qi Yan had the same thought.

"Qi Hong, do not be impatient!" The Duke of Zhen, Xu Qing, quickly poured a cup of tea for Qi Hong, "His Majesty does not necessarily mean that."

After a pause, Xu Qing continued:

"Why don't you go to see His Majesty and ask for that Mr. Chen to be your teacher? If it works out, you will have gained an extra edge in competitiveness!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Hong suddenly calmed down!

That's right! If Chen Yuan could become his teacher, it would prove that he still had a chance.