Chapter 305: Honorary Count of the Empire!
At noon on the second day after the Council of Elders forced the emperor to abdicate, public opinion throughout the empire was still boiling.
Yang Ming, who had slipped away to rest under the pretext of recuperating from an injury, had just slept for less than eight hours when he was pulled out of bed by Catherine.
Several maids sent by the emperor had been waiting outside the door for a long time.
"yawn……"
Yang Ming's eyes were filled with tears, simply because he loved Di Xing so deeply.
Yang Ming asked: "What happened?"
"The Council of Elders has been temporarily controlled by the defense forces. The elders are preparing to enter the palace one by one to accept the emperor's questioning and bribery."
Catherine sat on the bed and sighed softly:
"With your help, His Majesty the Emperor not only won over the Council of Elders, but also won the hearts of the people. According to the survey just conducted, the people's respect for the emperor has substantially increased."
Yang Ming raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Public opinion is a double-edged sword. The reason why the emperor can attract the attention of the whole nation is that he rarely appears in front of the public. If he appears more often, the mystery and sense of distance will disappear. This may be a good thing or a bad thing."
"But you may be in a more dangerous situation now."
Catherine looked at Yang Ming worriedly, took the initiative to hold the back of Yang Ming's hand, and whispered:
"Protect yourself, don't disobey the Emperor's order, and don't think about what you can get.
"You have shown too much of yourself in front of the emperor, Hanton. Your appeal and influence on the people have exceeded the limit that an autocratic emperor can tolerate."
Yang Ming frowned and looked at Catherine.
He suddenly felt that the girlfriend in front of him seemed a little different from usual.
"Catherine, did you come up with this on your own, or did someone tell you?"
Catherine smiled and said, "The super-transformers are under house arrest. Our communicators have been confiscated except for me. Who can tell me this? I am worried about you, Hanton. Even if you are a knife in His Majesty's hand, this knife is too dazzling."
"Well, I know that," Yang Ming smiled, "It's just that a bomb blew me up, it's okay, at worst we can leave the Emperor Star together."
Catherine looked at Yang Ming and bit her lip lightly.
"What's wrong?"
Yang Ming raised his hand and stroked Catherine's cheek, saying softly:
“Don’t think too much. The emperor will not take action against me directly. He will give me a title, rewards, and some honors. He will also deliberately not give me what I want most. But at this stage, the emperor will only continue to use my influence among the people.
"Catherine, have you ever thought about what the emperor is pursuing?"
"What?"
"History," Yang Ming said, "Every emperor's desire is almost always related to his own historical position."
Catherine thought.
"Okay, take a rest first. I won't kiss you until I brush my teeth." Yang Ming pinched her cheeks. "Don't worry about the super reformers. The emperor should arrange for you to undergo a second ideological imprint."
Catherine whispered, "You can fight against thought imprints, right?"
"Hmm?" Yang Ming looked into Catherine's eyes, "What do you mean?"
"Bray once told me that he could plant a mental imprint on other super-changers. If this mental imprint is strong enough, it can counteract the mental imprint planted by the machine."
Catherine subconsciously glanced outside the door, leaned close to Yang Ming's ear, and whispered:
“I don’t want to be bound again. Plant a spiritual mark on me, Hanton, make me love you, love you madly, or make me obsessed and obsessed with some trivial things. Don’t let me become a slave of the empire again.
“I’ve had enough of this empire.
"Help me, Hamton."
At this moment, Yang Ming was as surprised as when he first saw Kigrov.
Catherine is not affected by the ideological imprint now?
He suddenly raised his hands and hugged Catherine tightly, holding her arms tightly. Catherine's breathing trembled slightly, and her tense body gradually relaxed in Yang Ming's embrace.
"I will help you," Yang Ming said gently, "Don't think too much, and don't worry. I can help you with anything."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Katherine responded gently.
Yang Ming kissed her forehead gently, but some bad thoughts arose in his heart.
She is free now.
Free super transformer.
But Catherine's original "positioning" was to be used as a humanoid weapon to monitor and control Bligh. Her golden mask could resist mental shocks, and a chip was implanted in her brain that would self-detonate if a mental imprint was detected.
She wanted to take a chance and give it a try.
However, Yang Ming didn't dare let her take risks easily.
…
Yang Ming really didn't expect that he usually cheated others, but this time he was cheated by the old emperor!
When he arrived at the palace, the old emperor was holding a family dinner. Hundreds of direct and collateral members of the Sherman family present were all engaging in normal aristocratic social interaction in an orderly manner.
When Yang Ming was brought in from the side door by the maid, Daodao's eyes immediately fell on Yang Ming.
Yang Ming glanced over and saw the elegant prince nodded to him, the beautiful princess cast an admiring look at him, and the young and handsome princes looked at Yang Ming with eager eyes, as if they wanted to win the attention of the old emperor by establishing friendship with Yang Ming.
Yang Ming stepped forward and saluted the emperor. The emperor suddenly raised his hand and made a gesture, and dense footsteps appeared on both sides of the hall.
Is there an ambush?
Yang Ming had already begun to rehearse in his mind how to attack the emperor, pin this old man down in his hands, and then find a way to escape from the Imperial Star.
But fortunately, Yang Ming was mentally strong enough, and he neither showed a vicious look nor any aggressive tendencies.
Then, two rows of honor guards in gorgeous costumes ran to both sides of Yang Ming, drew out the metal swords at their waists, and formed a cross sword gate above Yang Ming's head.
The old emperor stood up and clapped his hands. The music stopped immediately, and the fixed loudspeaker equipment made the old emperor's voice spread throughout the banquet.
"Look everyone, this is the hero of our Sherman Empire! The true guardian of the glory of the Imperial Star! Hanton!"
Applause broke out everywhere.
The old emperor waved to Yang Ming warmly. Yang Ming walked up to him with a smile and stood in front of the old emperor.
The old emperor took the long sword brought by the maid beside him, pressed the tip of the sword on Yang Ming's left and right shoulders in turn, swept it lightly toward the outside, then threw the long sword to the maid, looking at Yang Ming with a smile.
A ceremonial officer at the side reminded: "Viscount Hanton, according to the imperial etiquette, you should half-kneel when accepting the title from His Majesty."
Yang Ming nodded with a smile, pulled his right leg back, lowered his head and knelt on one knee.
Damn!
This old emperor will definitely take this opportunity to pose for photos!
As expected, the old emperor stepped forward, leaned over and held Yang Ming's arm, and a photo ball flew over and took a series of photos.
Yang Ming was helped up.
The old emperor smiled and said, "My knight, the empire is proud of you."
"Your Majesty, what is going on?"
"Of course it's a reward for you," the emperor smiled with narrowed eyes, took the box from the etiquette officer and handed it to Yang Ming, "Open it and take a look."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Yang Ming opened the box, he saw a golden tulip badge and a small scroll underneath.
The Royal Medal of Valor is one of the top three individual medals of honor in the Sherman Empire. With this medal, one can enjoy the same treatment as a royal family member in any region of the empire. - It is only equivalent in form.
That scroll was extraordinary. Yang Ming opened it and took a look. He found that the material of the paper was very special and the content on it also made him eyes light up.
The Imperial Honorary Earl, who is personally conferred by the Emperor, can arbitrarily designate a small administrative star as his private territory for a period of one hundred years.
Private territory!
A habitable planet!
Although it is only for a hundred years and it is not a private territory that can be passed down as a family inheritance, it is also a real reward!
Not only did he own 8% to 50% of the tax revenue from this small administrative planet, he also had the power to establish a private fleet and could use this small administrative planet as the home port of his fleet!
Thank you, Great Elder.
Yang Ming expressed his gratitude to the Great Elder from the bottom of his heart.
If the Great Elder had not given him this opportunity, how could he have completed the promotion of the title in such a short time and even managed to get a small administrative planet of the Sherman Empire as a territory for a period of one hundred years!
Then, Yang Ming winked at the emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty, cells."
"What?"
The old emperor looked at Yang Ming with a pair of eyes full of innocence and kindness.
Yang Ming coughed and whispered, "Your Majesty, you promised me the cells of the ancient god's life form."
"When will you be promoted to Duke?" The old emperor patted Yang Ming's arm gently. "Don't worry, kid. I believe you can do it... I asked you to mess up the Elders' Council, but I didn't expect you to almost tear it apart. Now there's a lot of mess waiting for me to clean up. You still have the nerve to ask for Ancient God Cells?"
Yang Ming: …
If this isn’t being cheated, what is?
The old emperor turned his head and said loudly: "The banquet continues. Move a table and chairs over here. I want to have a good chat with the Honorary Earl of Hanton."
The music started again.
Yang Ming was a little depressed. He sat down at the lower right side of the emperor and began to mutter something to the old emperor in front of the royal family members.
"Hanton, there are a few questions that I can't figure out."
The old emperor wondered:
"In the core area of the shaped charge, the energy is instantly released, comparable to the cannons of a main battleship. According to the Valkyrie's physical strength, she cannot withstand a 200-meter-class gunboat. Even if your body is stronger than the Valkyrie, you should not be able to survive.
"How did you do that?"
"Your Majesty, this is also my question."
Thoughts quickly flashed through Yang Ming's mind, but he remained calm on the surface and whispered:
“Your Majesty, this is also my question. I received an anonymous message that reminded me ten seconds before the explosion.
“I kicked the car out of the suspension lane, and I relied on the super-strong material structure area of the suspension lane to avoid being seriously injured.
“It’s a pity for those innocent people.”
"That's not important," the old emperor said casually, and then wondered, "I sent people to carefully investigate the regional communications at that time, and did not capture any relevant information."
Yang Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Your Majesty, do you suspect that I planted the bomb myself?"
"I did have this guess, but I quickly dispelled this doubt. You didn't get the channel to get the bomb," the old emperor sighed, "I found the murderer who installed the bomb, but I guess you already know the relevant information."
Yang Ming nodded in acknowledgement and did not deny the information.
The old emperor asked, "What did you do to Elder Pisen?"
“I used some tricks.”
"There is a large area of confusion in his memory, but I had his brain dissected out and digitized. It contains a large amount of criminal records about the interest groups of the Great Elders."
The old emperor tutted his words:
“And what is certain is that this fellow named Pison has not undergone any form of memory modification surgery, and there is no information in his memory of giving instructions to the murderer.
"The bomb was not placed by the Council of Elders."
"The military?" Yang Ming frowned and asked, "Or the Religious Church?"
The old emperor glanced at Yang Ming and said with a smile: "Why don't you suspect it's me?"
"Because Your Majesty does not need to do such a thing," Yang Ming said, "The military power is in Your Majesty's hands. You have a hundred ways to deal with the Council of Elders. The only difference is the intensity and the beauty of the means."
"Hmm," the old emperor shrugged slightly, "You underestimated the Council of Elders. Facing their pressure to abdicate, I had no choice but to compromise. But you caught them off guard with your tricks. Public opinion is like a knife, hurting others and yourself. This is the ancestral precept of our Sherman family. I actually made an exception this time."
Yang Ming nodded slowly.
The old emperor smiled and said, "It's not bad to be admired by all the people."
Yang Ming inexplicably felt a little wary.
This old emperor seems to have a very clear mind and is not someone who can be easily fooled.
"Hanton, don't worry about who planted the bomb for now. There are only a few possibilities that could have done this on the Imperial Star. If we rule out the possibilities one by one, I think I already know the answer."
The old emperor sighed and continued:
“We still have to consider the subsequent impact of the incident.
"You have been too prominent this time. I am afraid that the nobles are deeply dissatisfied with you. A quarter of the seats in the Legislative Council of the Council of Elders are vacant. I need time to arrange for people who are absolutely loyal to me to enter.
"What do you think you can do next?"
Yang Ming: "Recruit yourself, take a vacation, and get a rare vacation."
The old emperor turned his head and glared at him.
Yang Ming: …
"Of course, your Majesty has the final say."
"Now that public opinion is boiling, I want to launch a campaign to rectify the nobility throughout the territory," the emperor said with a smile, "You will serve as my special envoy and patrol the empire. The noble courts, local defense forces, and a fleet of capital ships will obey your orders."
Yang Ming smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what do you want me to check?"
"Go purge the nobles of the Great Elder's lineage," the emperor said calmly, "The war has put a strain on the treasury, and the empire needs to squeeze out its reservoir."
"I understand. Your Majesty, do you have anything else to say?"
The emperor smiled and said, "You have to be well-reasoned and convincing to the people. If you find someone flirting with foreign forces such as the New Federation during the investigation, you can punish them severely, draw the public's attention to you, and divert the class contradictions."
Yang Ming nodded slowly.
Then, he looked up at the emperor, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a personal request."
"Just tell me."
"Super Reformer Group, is Your Majesty going to promote the second ideological imprint?"
The emperor cleared his throat and whispered:
"Look to the left, in the far corner, there is that sloppy old man with gray hair, the one wearing glasses. That's my uncle, my grandfather's youngest child. He is now the head of the Imperial Dimensional Ascension Laboratory.
"He doesn't look down on this kind of banquet. Normally, he asks me for money or talents, but this time, he came.
“Do you know why?
"Hahaha, because he heard that the Super Reformers were causing trouble, and more than a hundred Super Reformers were found to have their ideological marks branded with loyalty to the Council of Elders."
The emperor's eyes flashed with a bit of viciousness:
"The dimensional upgrade experiment requires materials. The Super Modifiers were created for this experiment. These one hundred people have been sent to the dimensional upgrade laboratory. They will be brainwashed and their minds will be imprinted immediately. Perhaps through their dedication, the Empire can obtain some key data of the four-dimensional universe."
Yang Ming whispered, "Your Majesty, I want to talk about my girlfriend."
"Captain Catherine? She is a good person," said the emperor. "She led a group of super reformers to resist the orders of the Elders Council and tried to prevent the situation from escalating."
"She has a chip in her brain that prevents her from receiving a second thought imprint." Yang Ming deliberately confused the thought imprint with the spiritual imprint. "You can verify this through the Super Reformer Organization. What I want to know is whether I can keep her with me."
The emperor groaned softly a few times and leaned back in his chair, thinking.
“Hanton, I will let the Super Modifiers Organization review and discuss this matter. All the Super Modifiers on the Imperial Star will return to the training base on the Imperial Star Circle.
"But my personal suggestion is that you try to keep some distance between yourself and the Super Reformers."
The emperor said in a gentle voice:
"I don't want to see a group of warriors with super powers huddled together. Don't worry, I will ask them to take care of Catherine and won't let her suffer any injustice.
“But she must return to the Super Kaizen base to see if there is any way to remove the chip in her brain.
"Super reformers must be loyal to the Empire."
Yang Ming wanted to say something, but the emperor sighed:
"Do you know, Hanton, what would happen if a super-changer harbored hatred for the Empire, but with a one in a billion chance, survived the dimensional upgrade experiment and became a higher-dimensional life?"
The emperor looked far away, staring ahead:
“The Imperial Star will be destroyed in an instant.
“Ants from the higher-dimensional world may be able to launch a dimensionality-reduction attack on us.
“That’s the crux of the matter.”
"Okay," Yang Ming spread his hands, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"As long as you work for the empire with peace of mind, Catherine will definitely not have any problems. I promise you, I promise you in the name of the emperor." The old emperor patted Yang Ming on the shoulder and blinked again. "Besides, I have prepared a gift for you. It will be inconvenient for Catherine to follow you."
Yang Ming: …
woman?
He guessed right, but not completely.
