I really became a king.

Chapter 321: The Ministers Have Objections to the Promotion to Prince
After giving a vague reminder, Ning Donglai saw that Jiang Yi seemed to have something else in his words and seemed confident, so he didn't say anything more.

The two walked forward side by side for a while, and Ning Donglai suddenly quickened his pace. In the blink of an eye, he had left Jiang Yi several steps behind. As his pace continued to quicken, the distance between them became larger and larger.

Jiang Yi knew why, but didn't say anything. He just continued walking forward at his own pace.

On both sides of the road, from time to time a figure would bow to him, with a solemn expression but also a hint of inexplicable pleading.

These people were all wearing old long gowns and square scarves on their heads, and they exuded a scholarly air. They were the scholars of this world.

Jiang Yi knew why they bowed to him. Ning Donglai, who avoided him from a distance, also knew it. I don’t know if they knew it, but most of the hundreds of thousands of people present today knew it.

"Oh, these craftsmen are so pitiful." After seeing this scene, someone couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, but they are useless. Prince Yi himself may be in trouble, so how can he help them?" someone said.

"The abolition of the academy is inevitable today. Prince Yi alone cannot change anything..."

"..."

Seeing that the craftsmen present saluted Jiang Yi silently from time to time, everyone was talking in low voices. There were hundreds of thousands of people at the scene, and the "buzzing" discussion became a little noisy for a while.

There is sympathy, disdain, and of course inexplicable gloating...

But soon, the buzzing noise became quieter and quieter, and finally disappeared completely. The entire outer square, where no less than 300,000 people gathered, became silent.

Everyone's eyes were watching this scene silently, and they seemed to be moved by this scene.

Originally, there were only a few scattered scholars and craftsmen who saluted Jiang Yi, but as Jiang Yi got closer and closer to the palace, more and more people saluted him silently.

At the last distance, there were already groups of people, all bowing to Jiang Yi. And they were all conscious and willing. At a glance, a sea of ​​people bowed their heads silently, and this scene was really shocking.

It was not until this time that everyone realized that there were so many book craftsmen gathered in the outer square today.

Especially in the area close to the palace gate tower, it was almost entirely occupied by book craftsmen.

Many people who had arrived early in the morning to reserve seats also suddenly realized what was going on.

"I was wondering why some people came earlier than me. Turns out they are all book craftsmen..." a person who was sitting a little closer to the front murmured in a low voice.

When he arrived, it was just dawn and the entire Dali Imperial Capital was in silence. Most people were still asleep. He once thought that he was the first one to arrive.

But when he arrived at the square outside the palace, he found that many people had already arrived, and there were quite a lot of them, almost occupying the entire area near the palace.

At that time, he did not think much about it and simply thought that there were people who loved to join in the fun more than he did, but now it seems that these people are all book craftsmen.

Everyone was wearing a simple but neat long gown and a square scarf on their head, and many of them looked tired after a long journey.

"Alas, no wonder they are like this. Today is the day that will determine their future fate..."

"From the looks of it, the cancellation of the academy is most likely true."

"Are we really going to cancel the academy? Where will my children go to school and learn to read in the future?" a rough man suddenly asked.

His question immediately caused the people around him to fall into a strange silence.

Many people secretly grumbled in their hearts: Yes, without the free academy, where will their children learn to read in the future? Of course, some people also thought that after the academy was cancelled, where would their children go to eat and drink?
The Imperial Academy is a reading system established at the beginning of the Dali Dynasty. Any child under the age of twelve who wants to learn to read can go to the Imperial Academy and study for free.

The most important thing is that they will provide a meal at noon. It is for this reason that poor families send their children to the academy.

But they were not allowed to go after they were eight or nine years old, because in this world, at that age they were old enough to be apprentices or cowherds, and the value they created was far greater than a lunch.

Therefore, the academies under the entire Dali Dynasty were basically filled with children under the age of eight, and there were even babies who were just learning to walk, and almost all of them were from poor families.

As for those who had a little more wealth, they either did not learn to read or spent some money to hire a bookmaker to teach them at home.

The current academy is more like a kindergarten for children, which has long deviated from its original purpose. However, it has supported a large number of book craftsmen, most of whom rely on the meager salary from the academy to support their families.

But now, the academy is going to be cancelled, and the ones who will be most affected are the book craftsmen who make a living from it.

Therefore, after hearing the news, numerous book craftsmen from all over the country gathered in the imperial capital of Dali, and some even sold all their wealth.

But when they got there, they realized that they could do nothing but wait for the final result.

When Jiang Yi appeared in the outer square of the imperial palace, many book craftsmen suddenly remembered that the only person who could speak for them was Prince Yi.

This Prince Yi was the first and only nobleman from ancient times to the present who was willing to follow their example.

The word "Sir" came from the mouth of Prince Yi, and it was the first time that these book craftsmen felt the respect from others' hearts.

So, almost subconsciously, when Jiang Yi's figure walked before them, all the book craftsmen bowed silently.

Especially in the area near the imperial palace, there were more than tens of thousands of book craftsmen who came from all over the imperial capital of Dali, and they all bowed and saluted.

Some calligraphers wanted to ask Prince Yi to give them some advice, but when they thought about the situation he was facing, they all kept their mouths shut.

They were already content to be addressed as "Sir". How could they let Prince Yi, who was already in a difficult situation himself, speak for them? It would only bring more trouble to the other party.

Because they all knew that in this situation, remaining silent and tolerant and keeping silent was the best way for Prince Yi to protect himself.

Just like that, Jiang Yi walked along the way under the gaze of the crowd, without any pause in his steps, nor any expression or words. As for Ning Donglai, after entering the palace gatehouse, he stopped, as if waiting for Jiang Yi to enter the palace together.

He nodded secretly at Jiang Yi's behavior of moving forward silently and ignoring what was happening outside. Keeping a low profile was the best way to survive at this time.

Seeing that Jiang Yi had already walked to the bottom of the city wall, Ning Donglai held his long beard with one hand and wanted to raise the other hand, as if he wanted to pat Jiang Yi on the shoulder when he came closer and then walk into the palace together.

But just as he was about to raise his hand, his expression paused and his brows furrowed deeply.

Because Jiang Yi suddenly stopped and stood still in front of the gate. Behind him, there was a group of book craftsmen who bowed and saluted. "What is he going to do?" Ning Donglai wanted to shout, it's time now, be patient, be patient! Don't try to show off again.

But in the end he said nothing and just watched silently, because he knew that he was not the only one who was watching Jiang Yi's every move.

At this time in the palace, many pairs of eyes were closely watching every move in the square outside the palace through some kind of formation.

As for Jiang Yi, he was standing motionless in front of the palace gate, feeling a little hesitant.

He knew that his best choice at this moment was to ignore it all and walk into the palace without looking around. But there was always an inexplicable emotion surging in his heart, especially after the conversation with Mr. Wen, who was full of books and ink and could understand the heart of the reader, in Yinshan Realm, he felt even more agitated.

Compared with Mr. Wen's self-sacrifice and willingness to serve the people, he is really too insignificant.

With a long sigh, Jiang Yi slowly turned around.

His action immediately made the hearts of many people who were secretly watching jump. Could it be that he finally couldn't help it...

But after Jiang Yi turned around, he said nothing. He just looked silently at the crowd of book craftsmen in front of him, and those book craftsmen were also looking at him motionlessly.

This is a bell sound coming from the imperial palace, which is a bell reminding that the grand court meeting is about to begin.

Hearing the sound of the bell, Jiang Yi looked up to the sky and sighed, then bowed and saluted silently. Although there were no words, everyone understood that this salute was for all the book craftsmen.

After that, Jiang Yi did not stop at all. He turned around and followed Ning Donglai into the gate of the imperial palace. He walked like a dragon and a tiger, with a sense of desolation emanating from his body.

Behind him, tens of thousands of calligraphers bowed in unison in return. Although Jiang Yi did not see it, he sensed it, and the desolate feeling on his body became even stronger.

As for the other people in the outer square, they were all watching this scene silently, feeling inexplicably touched in their hearts.

There were rumors before that Prince Yi performed the teacher-student ceremony with the book craftsman, but it was just a rumor after all, and no one saw it with their own eyes. But now, the hundreds of thousands of people present witnessed it with their own eyes.

Jiang Yi also became the first nobleman to bow to the bookmaker, and he was also a famous prince. Seeing Prince Yi walking like a dragon and a tiger, the more than 200,000 people present looked at the bookmaker with a slightly different look.

This was Jiang Yi's first time to attend a court meeting, and it was a grand court meeting attended by all the high-ranking officials.

I originally thought it would be held in the Hearing Hall, but unexpectedly it was held in the square outside the Hearing Hall.

The entire Auditorium Square was also filled with people at this time, with a total of no less than 100,000 people. However, all those who could appear in this square were officials.

The vast majority of them came from various prefectures and states, because whenever a grand court meeting was held, the chief officials and other high-ranking officials of the prefectures and states had to attend.

Ning Donglai did not avoid suspicion at all along the way. Only after he climbed onto the wide platform with dozens of steps in the Hearing Hall did he separate from Jiang Yi and walk straight to the top position among the generals.

Not only were there gathered brave generals from various provincial capitals, but the other seven military leaders were also in this group.

Seeing Ning Dong coming, many brave generals from the frontier came forward to salute, and they were all his former subordinates.

As for Jiang Yi, he went straight to another area, where all the royal relatives gathered. Prince Xiang Yi Jiang Mo, Prince Rui Jiang Li, Jiang Hai and others were all here.

Seeing Jiang Yi coming, several people greeted him in a friendly manner. As for the others, they either looked at him coldly or nodded lightly, maintaining a sense of distance.

Prince Yi Jiang Mo wanted to say something, but in the end he just patted Jiang Yi's shoulder and sighed. However, Jiang Yi understood the meaning of the other party's eyes, which was nothing more than asking him to be patient.

Jiang Yi smiled and nodded, then another bell rang, and the grand court meeting officially began.

Emperor Jiang Zhenyi of Dali and Queen Ye Xinmei walked out of the hearing hall hand in hand and sat directly on two thrones placed side by side.

Then the entire inner square was filled with a roar of "Long live the emperor" and everyone knelt on the ground. The same scene was also seen in the square outside the palace.

"No thanks, everyone get up." The voice of Jiang Zhenyi, the Emperor of Dali, was not loud, but it was clearly heard inside and outside the palace.

After Jiang Yi stood up, he felt a pair of eyes staring at him, like a poisonous snake. Jiang Yi knew without looking that it was Queen Ye Xinmei of Dali.

Jiang Yi didn't even raise his head, but just lowered his head slightly, looking at his nose and his heart, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

This was also within his expectations. After all, he almost became the nemesis of the Ye family in Bailing. First it was Ye Zichen, then Ye Feng, and finally Ye Ke. Together with Ye Hui who had a broken arm, almost all the pride of the younger generation of the Ye family had been killed by him.

Especially the death of Ye Ke, which really hurt the Ye family.

As if sensing his queen's undisguised hatred, Jiang Zhenyi said directly, "It's been a long time since we held a grand court meeting. Before we start discussing matters again, do you have any petitions?"

The entire interior, including the platform on the steps, was completely silent, and no one came out to present a petition.

Jiang Zhenyi nodded and said with a smile: "Since there is nothing to report, let's start the first agenda over there." After that, he nodded to a eunuch beside him. This eunuch was none other than Pang Xuan, who had waited in front of the gate of Prince Duan's Mansion for two years in order to announce the emperor's order.

After receiving the instruction, Pang Xuan stepped forward half a body and shouted: "The first item of today's court meeting is that Prince Ci Yi, Jiang Yi, will be promoted to Prince Yi!" After he finished shouting, he bowed and knelt back.

Upon hearing this, there was a buzz of discussion below the stage.

However, many people seemed to have expected it and did not show any surprise. At that time, a series of joyful discussions were heard from the outer square outside the palace, and many of them were calligraphers.

Therefore, a group of people became the focus, led by several beautiful maids, each with their own unique qualities. In particular, the quadruplets, who already had the appearance of graceful young ladies, were particularly eye-catching. They were the people from Prince Yi's Mansion.

The others were fine. Regardless of whether they knew what it meant or not, they all looked calm. But there was one person who stretched his white neck high like a swan. It was Tuo Xiaoliu.

Her action caused the four triplets around her to look at each other, smile bitterly and lower their heads, as if they were quite helpless about having such a mother.

Then the four of them were pointed at on the forehead by Tuo Xiaoliu. Although she was trembling with fear in front of Jiang Yi, she was still very powerful in front of her four daughters.

"Do you have any objections to this?" Jiang Zhenyi's voice was heard above the entire palace.

"I have objections!"

Suddenly a voice was heard, and everyone's expression changed, because the one who raised the objection was none other than Prince Yi, Jiang Yi, who was about to be promoted to the title of prince.

(End of this chapter)