Douluo: Dragon King's Star Devouring Wings

Chapter 659 The Virtuous Sea God, Merits and Demerits of Lingbing

The meaning of "Eternal Phoenix Feather" is actually quite simple: it's not that we won't give them the rewards and fiefdoms they want, but rather that we will give them in a planned, dialectical, and scientific way, giving first to encourage others to follow.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "In order to demonstrate equality and oppose privilege, in the Douluo Empire, the title of noble is merely an honorary title."

"It does not include any additional benefits or material rewards; in short, the title is just a name."

"There was neither a fiefdom nor any other offerings."

"Of course, if you want fiefdoms, I will give them to you in another way, such as arranging for you to become governors of a certain province or something."

Qian Gu Huang Yu would never betray his own people, and judging from the people sitting in this room now, it's likely that even ten thousand years from now, it will still be the same few people.

Since that's the case, Qian Gu Huang Yu naturally won't treat them unfairly. So, although the outcome is the same, they must put more effort into the procedures to avoid future conflicts.

Qian Gu Dongfeng thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Yu, since that's the case, how should the titles be arranged?"

"If you don't want to create a privileged class directly, then perhaps the titles can no longer be hereditary?"

It's important to understand that one of the biggest differences between feudalism and modernity is whether power can be directly inherited.

Although modern tycoons have various methods to pass on power, they ultimately rely on their own ingenuity rather than a direct, ironclad rule that children can directly inherit their parents' power.

In fact, what truly piqued their interest was the title of nobility.

After all, given their current status, they have no shortage of money and resources, so they can only use titles to console themselves.

Qian Gu Huang Yu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Originally, it shouldn't be hereditary, but as one of the first beneficiaries of the founding of the nation, I think it's still necessary to break some rules."

"However, there can't be too many hereditary positions. I plan to give one to each family, and the remaining ones will be filled with non-hereditary titles. But these are only given to individuals and cannot be inherited."

Leng Yaozhu said, "This is a pretty good result."

"Anyway, there will be more people receiving rewards later, but if we don't create some special privileges, how can we show our status?" Leng Yulai said with a smile.

"One per family?" Qian Renxue murmured.

Qian Renxue had no objection to this, after all, no one in the entire Angel Family was more qualified to take on this position than her.

In other words, the hereditary title of the Angel Family must belong to Qian Renxue. However, as someone who lived 20,000 years ago, her thinking is somewhat traditional, and she didn't immediately change her mindset.

The same applies to Chen Hanyu and Yue Hongchen. Since no one in the family can compete with them, it's the same result whether the prize is given to the family or to them personally.

There were no problems with Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai either, because no matter who became the duke in the end, the other would still be the duchess.

To Qian Gu Huang Yu's surprise, Qian Gu Dong Feng and Qian Gu Qing Feng did not encounter any problems, and Qian Gu Qing Feng even withdrew directly.

"No, what do you mean? I had already figured out how to prove that I am better than you and that my contributions are much greater than yours!" Qian Gu Dong Feng was very dissatisfied with Qian Gu Qing Feng's decision to retire gracefully.

Although Qian Gu Dong Feng has never acknowledged Qian Gu Qing Feng, he actually recognizes Qian Gu Qing Feng's abilities.

After all, if the gap is too large, we will simply ignore it instead of comparing them. You should know that there are a total of eight children in the Qian Gu family this generation, including Qian Gu Huang Yu.

However, apart from his younger sister, the only person Qian Gu Dongfeng ever mentioned was Qian Gu Qingfeng; he didn't even bother to mention anyone else.

Qian Gu Qingfeng said calmly, "There's no need to argue. You are more suitable for this position than I am. If the circumstances hadn't prevented it, I would have stopped getting involved in these matters long ago."

"You are accepting this position on behalf of the Qian Gu family. There will be many things that require your attention and concern in the future, so keep busy."

"You!" Qian Gu Dongfeng felt as if he had punched cotton, and he was furious.

Upon hearing this, Qian Gu Huang Yu laughed. After all these years, she naturally understood that her elder brother, Qian Gu Qing Feng, was actually just a simpleton.

No matter what power or status you have, nothing is more important than living a good life with your wife.

"Junior sister, what about the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire? They have a lot of hereditary titles there," Yue Hongchen said.

Since we are determined to reform, we must treat everyone equally. We cannot allow the loyal ministers who have fought all the way through the wars on the Douluo Continent to not have hereditary titles.

The fact that the war criminals of the two great empires were all hereditary nobles was truly disheartening.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "The two great empires should each have one hereditary seat. They have just been annexed, so we can't make the relationship too strained right away."

"However, they are a defeated nation, so forget about the dukedom. Let's just give each nation a marquisate instead."

"I will not recognize any of the remaining hereditary titles. They were not bestowed by me personally. Go find whoever bestowed them."

"As for their fiefdoms being completely nationalized, it's already a good thing that they weren't confiscated, since they were clearly a defeated nation. If they have any objections, let them go and find their ancestors."

After some further discussion, the final list of those to be awarded was determined.

The hereditary dukedom was divided among nine major families: the Qian Gu Family, the Gu Yue Family, the Angel Family, the Leng Family, the Sea God Family, and the Hong Chen Family.

Besides these six, in order to commemorate the near annihilation of the Shi-Tang allied forces on the battlefield between the two empires, I also want to dedicate myself to your cause.

The Tang Sect Master and the Shrek Academy Sea God Pavilion Master also enjoy a Duke position, but this is not a family inheritance, but is held by the leaders of the two organizations.

At this point, Qian Gu Huang Yu, thinking that since she already had eight, might as well add one more to make it a round number, directly included the Ning family of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, which was also her mother's family.

Although the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School went into hiding during the One Year War, it made great contributions in the campaigns against the two great empires.

In addition, the supplies that Ning Qinglan gave to Qian Gu Huang Yu played a key role when she first established the Yi Xin Hui and recruited companions.

Moreover, Qian Gu Huang Yu himself is the sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. If his own merits are also included, then the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School truly deserves the position of a hereditary duke.

Among them, the position of Duke of the Qian Gu family was held by Qian Gu Dongfeng, the position of Duke of the Gu Yue family was given to Gu Yue Na, and the position of Duke of the Angel family was naturally held by Qian Ren Xue.

The Leng family's position was given to Leng Yulai by Leng Yaozhu, because Leng Yaozhu had previously served as the deputy tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, and this time she refused to accept it.

The position in the Hongchen family naturally went to Yue Hongchen, the position in the Haishen family went to Chen Hanyu, and the positions in the Tangmen and Shrek Academy were naturally filled by the leaders of the two organizations, Cao Dezhi and Yun Ming, respectively.

However, a small incident occurred at the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School. The Thousand Ancient Phoenix Feather was originally intended to be given directly to his mother, Ning Qingyu.

However, when she contacted Ning Qingyu via soul communication, Ning Qingyu refused and requested that the position of Duke be given to Ning Qinglan.

Although Qian Gu Huang Yu is now the sect leader of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, only a few people know this news. On the surface, Ning Qinglan still represents the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Only in this way can the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School shed its Tang Sect influence. Considering how much Ning Qinglan had helped him back in the Star Luo Empire, Qian Gu Huang Yu readily agreed.

As for Qian Gu Qingfeng and Leng Yaozhu, who did not inherit their family's hereditary titles, Qian Gu Huangyu directly granted them personal titles. However, unlike family hereditary titles, personal titles cannot be inherited. But given their relationship, if any of their children later wanted them...

Finding someone with the ancient phoenix feathers to reassign them to a new title is no big deal.

After that, the hereditary marquisate will be the only one to hold these two positions, which were once held only by the royal families of the two great empires.

Former White Tiger Empress Dai Lingxun was granted the title of White Tiger Marquis, while Douling Emperor Xue Chaoyang was granted the title of Swan Marquis.

After these eleven families, there were no more hereditary titles; all that remained were non-hereditary personal titles conferred according to individual merits.

From highest to lowest rank, the ranks are divided into Marquis, Earl, Baron, and the lowest rank, Knight Marquis.

As for the highest-ranking dukes, there are only nine families.

After the rewards and punishments were decided, the next step was to make arrangements for the domestic situation.

...

After the re-assignment, Yue Hongchen promptly brought up a very interesting topic: "Junior Sister, although the title of Emperor has existed in Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years..."

"But for someone who has made unparalleled contributions, whose virtue is comparable to the Sea God, and whose merits and demerits are comparable to Lingbing, it is still somewhat insufficient."

Qian Gu Huang Yu was quite pleased with the new topic Yue Hong Chen had started, but still pretended to decline, saying, "This has been the case since ancient times, but isn't this inappropriate?"

Qian Renxue chimed in, "You are the first person in history to conquer all known human civilizations, so don't be modest about it!"

Ultimately, because of the great historical achievements of Qian Gu Huang Yu Kaka—no, now we should call him Your Majesty, the virtuous and powerful Sea God, whose merits and demerits surpassed Ling Bing—he adopted the title of Abandoned Heaven Emperor as his unique title upon the collective petition of all the ministers.

...

"Xiaoyu, you are now the emperor. Do you intend to continue serving as prime minister, or do you have other plans?" Leng Yaozhu asked.

During the final battle of the One Year War, after the return of the Phoenix Feather, he created the position of Prime Minister of the Federation, a position that can be described as a beast of power.

While simultaneously controlling the parliament and the military, he also controlled the entire civil service system, thanks to his relationship with Gu Yuena as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.

Ten thousand years ago, this position was called the Emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire.

Even the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire couldn't compare to the Thousand-Year Phoenix Feather. After all, even at the peak of the Sun Moon Empire, it couldn't make Shrek Academy and Tang Sect follow their lead.

Although none of the parties have said it explicitly, now that Qian Gu Huang Yu has become the emperor, it is somewhat inappropriate for her to continue to hold the position of prime minister.

After a moment of contemplation, Qian Gu Huang Yu solemnly said, "Now that I have been crowned Emperor, I will naturally no longer be attached to the position of Prime Minister. However, in order to adapt to the new political landscape, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet also need to make certain reforms."

"First of all, now that the imperial system has been restored, the title of Cabinet Minister should naturally be abolished and replaced with Minister!"

"... "

There was silence.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Qian Gu Huang Yu asked in confusion.

"Huang'er, is this all you could think of after all that thinking?" Gu Yuena said with a great deal of helplessness.

Although the others did not speak, they conveyed the same meaning.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said with a dark expression, "Of course not, you guys have some faith in me, okay!"

"Now that I have stepped down from the position of Prime Minister, in order to avoid a situation where the two prime ministers are in power for two consecutive days, the power of the prime minister must naturally be reduced."

"The prime minister is elected by the people, but currently only those born in Douluo Continent are allowed to run for office."

There was no disagreement on this point. Although Qian Gu Huang Yu advocated for ethnic integration and putting aside past national hatred, the people of the original Sun Moon Federation would certainly not accept being led by a person from the Star Luo Empire, as the victorious nation.

Perhaps a general election for the entire Douluo Empire can be held many years from now, but not now.

"...In short, the current prime minister's power and authority are actually close to those of the former speaker of parliament," Qian Gu Huang Yu concluded.

No one else objected to this. They were never loyal to the Prime Minister, but to Qian Gu Huang Yu. Once Qian Gu Huang Yu was no longer the Prime Minister, they would naturally not allow others to use this as an excuse to provoke them.

Rather than making everyone unhappy later, it's better to take this opportunity to directly limit the prime minister's power.

It's important to understand that the reason Qian Gu Huang Yu was able to wield unlimited power as Prime Minister was because of both the military, represented by Qian Renxue, and the sects, represented by the Spirit Pagoda and the Tang Sect.

And all the major Soul Master families submitted to her. But her successor clearly did not have such ability.

"In addition, control of the military will be separated from the Prime Minister in the future, and the infighting among politicians should not be allowed to affect the purity of the military."

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Army is only responsible to me and is appointed by me alone; he is not subject to the Prime Minister's jurisdiction."

Qian Renxue frowned slightly and said, "Sister Huangyu, if that's the case, we can't mobilize the army at all. Doesn't that make the prime minister just a figurehead?"

Although Qian Renxue herself was happy to see this happen, it was a bit too much. Without the support of the army, the prime minister would be nothing more than a figurehead.

Qian Gu Huang Yu laughed and said, "Sister Xue'er, you are not under the Prime Minister's jurisdiction, but the military can send the Minister of the Air Force, the Minister of the Army, and the Minister of the Navy into the Cabinet!"

"They can represent the military and negotiate with the Prime Minister at that time."

"Then the prime minister has become a complete puppet, hasn't he?" Yue Hongchen couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

"What does this mean?" Leng Yulai asked.

Gu Yuena explained, "Simply put, the Commander-in-Chief of the Military is appointed by Huang'er, and the Prime Minister has no right to interfere with the appointment of the Commander-in-Chief."

"But whether it's the new prime minister forming a cabinet after the election, or the cabinet members decreasing and needing to bring in more people."

"This timeframe is limited. Generally speaking, the prime minister has a maximum of four months to restore the cabinet to full strength."

"Other cabinet members are fine; the prime minister can promote them directly. However, the positions of Minister of the Army, Minister of the Navy, and Minister of the Air Force can only be filled by the military."

"In other words, if Huang'er or Xiaoxue are dissatisfied with the prime minister, they can simply withdraw one minister, leaving the cabinet incomplete."

"The Prime Minister must have the military send a new minister within four months. If the military still does not send anyone after four months, then..."

"That would be equivalent to the prime minister failing to form a government and having to step down and start a new general election."

(End of this chapter)