Chapter 919 Ascending the Throne and Becoming Emperor

Chapter 919: 919 Ascending the Throne and Becoming Emperor

Newcomers always have their special days of favor.

For the first few days, she’d be used daily, then wait for her turn to be chosen. Occasionally, she’d be selected to serve the emperor.

However, it was always with other women.

Fortunately, Huang Yueying didn’t yet have a strong need for sex, or rather, she wasn’t addicted.

Otherwise, her lower body would probably be itching for a long time.

A month later, Lu Ming was preparing to experiment with a hot air balloon.

The improvements were almost complete, and today was a sunny day, perfect for the experiment.

Meanwhile, the court officials were busy with the coronation ceremony, leaving only Sun Ce, holed up in Chai County.

Surrounded on all sides, he wasn’t attacked, just kept trapped until he ran out of supplies.

He just wouldn’t fight, just wanted to infuriate him.

Cao Cao and Liu Biao had already been escorted to Ye City and were staying at the post station.

Lu Ming didn’t have time to see him, instead having Yuan Shao entertain them on his behalf.

Former feudal lords, now prisoners, being allowed to live serves only as a means of flaunting their past transgressions.

As for rebellion, while they might have a chance, they had absolutely no chance of success.

Surrender, receive amnesty, and then serve their new masters.

The old masters offered no security, and the new ones were just as good, so only a fool would choose to rebel.

And they would have to risk their lives and families, gambling everything.

"Look!

What’s that!

Auspicious omens from the heavens!"

"It’s flying!

What is that!"

Upon seeing this, the patrolling constables, prompted by their scouts, immediately shouted, "Long live the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin!"

The surrounding commoners, unaware of what was happening, also immediately knelt down, shouting, "Long live the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin!"

Lu Ming stood in the hot air balloon, under a clear blue sky, able to see the entire city of Ye.

The entire layout of Ye City was clearly visible; every flaw was laid bare.

The feeling of standing high above, looking down upon the masses below, was truly wondrous.

It was almost as if a god controlled everything—so magical, so astonishing.

Combined with the loud shouts from below, at this moment, Lu Ming experienced a sudden enlightenment.

He entered a state of detachment, devoid of joy or sorrow; the words "all living beings under heaven" felt incredibly heavy for the first time.

Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, and Gongsun Zan remained silent, observing the extent of Lu Ming’s fame.

They themselves couldn’t achieve this in their own territories; how much prestige did it take to gain the people’s approval?

"Lu Ming is no ordinary man. Heh, I lost, but not unjustly. Losing to him is an honor."

Cao Cao sat back down, placing his wine cup back on the table.

He chuckled nervously.

This scene is like a saint incarnate!

"Indeed, the defeat was not unjust."

Yuan Shao had already calmed down, even when Lu Ming occasionally brought Lady Liu to his room for sexual encounters.

He had endured this humiliation.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; there’s nothing to say, nothing to explain.

"I am not as good as him. The King of Qin conquered Liaodong, captured Goguryeo, expanded his territory, and avoided wasting national resources by getting bogged down in the mountains.

Such great achievements, truly a hero of his generation!"

Gongsun Zan was speechless. Sometimes heroes appreciate each other.

Although Lu Ming had raped his wife and daughter, Gongsun Zan had let go of his hatred.

As the saying goes, the winner takes all, the loser gets nothing. The moment you become a warlord, you need to be aware of this.

Immersed in the feeling of soaring high in the sky, experiencing the arrival of a king, Lu Ming suddenly received a notification.

"Ding! The heroes of the Three Kingdoms admire you greatly; they accept their defeat wholeheartedly.

Rewards are now being distributed: Hero of a Chaotic Era."

"Hero of a Chaotic Era: You ended the chaos, established the Qin Dynasty, and replaced the Han Dynasty.

Your empire will not experience rebellion, and its officials will not rebel!"

A few days later, a grand ceremony was held in Ye City.

The sky was clear that day, the streets were spotless, and officials constantly moved through the streets and alleys, announcing that today was the day of the new king’s ascension to the throne.

A reluctant Emperor Xian of Han, standing on the city gate tower, handed the Imperial Seal to Lu Ming in the eyes of the people, with several eunuchs holding a proclamation.

It stated that Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, knowing his own incompetence, had passed the throne to Lu Ming.

This symbolized the formal demise of the Han Dynasty...

And the Qin Dynasty had just been born.

The new king, naturally, adopted a new era name.

Each emperor’s reign begins with a new era name.

For example, the first year of Zhongping, the first year of Jian’an, and so on.

The new era name was Guangping.

"Restore China, peace and joy."

Next, the Empress was announced. Wang Yi, unsurprisingly, became Empress, the head of the harem.

Her mother, Dong Ya, was promoted to Empress Dowager, coincidentally surnamed Dong, hence Empress Dowager Dong!

The other women were called Imperial Concubines, noble consorts.

Her elder sister, Lu Xue, and younger sister, Lu Qing, were Princesses, enjoying free access to the palace and having their own private quarters.

Ostensibly princesses, they were in reality the emperor’s exclusive possessions.

Xu Shu was the Chancellor, the head of all officials.

He assisted the emperor in handling state affairs and also supervised all officials, holding a highly respected position.

Xu Shu was also the Minister of War and Grand General, responsible for training the nation’s troops.

Although most regions have been pacified, some places—the mountains of Jiangdong, the Parthian Empire beyond the Western Regions, and Yingzhou overseas—remain to be conquered next.

The war will not end, and military merit is key to promotion.

Bao Zheng has been promoted to Minister of Justice, responsible not only for all criminal cases in Qin but also for evaluating officials, assisting the Prime Minister in assessing local officials.

The annual assessment is crucial for promotion.

Therefore, this position must be filled by someone dedicated to public service, ensuring reliability.

Generals such as Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun have been officially appointed as generals and granted titles.

Qin noble titles entitle one to a monthly stipend of grain and cloth, but not a fiefdom, meaning one cannot become a landowner.

Furthermore, the inheritance of titles involves a downgrading of rank, with multiple sons sharing the title equally—a policy called "granting favor."

This is an important policy to prevent the emergence of powerful clans, and this is only the first step.

Future officials will also need to be continuously evaluated.

Besides the veteran generals who followed him and those who had rendered meritorious service in his rise to power,

even the surrendered feudal lords received a new status. They were allowed to publish books to pass on their knowledge and were required to teach at academies regularly.

Furthermore, their descendants were given some positions, mostly menial tasks—this was already considered extremely generous.