CHAPTER 544: CHAPTER 544. THE NEW PRIME MINISTER

"May the king live long and prosper!!"

All the officials repeated the words. Their voices reverberated in the throne room.

After the crowd had silenced, Huang Ti walked to the throne’s side. Standing beside Zhu Yao, he uttered, "Now that the crown was passed, Zhu Yao and I will step down from our courtly duties. Now is the time for the new generation to run this court. Huang San will now announce his new ruling committee, which will comprise the people who help him rule this kingdom."

Finished speaking, Huang Ti and Zhu Yao stepped down from the platform where the throne was. They stood on the second platform with Huang Ti’s other children.

Huang San stood from the throne. He intentionally released the aura of his Peak Spirit Stage. If there were officials who still looked down on him, this aura made them rethink their opinion. He was now among the strongest cultivators below the Lord Stage.

This development stumped many, especially those who were not present when Huang San exited the trial stage. What they remembered was that Huang San was still an Intermediate Mystic Stage cultivator at the time. To have his cultivation level jump so drastically within a month was unheard of. Many rechecked their cultivation sense to ensure they didn’t sense it wrong.

The older officials were similarly puzzled. They knew that in each coronation, the new king underwent an increase in cultivation level due to a secret treasure of the Huang Clan, but never this drastic.

Their shock worked in Huang San’s favor. The shock slowly turned to awe, which led to respect. Their eyes no longer saw the new king with the previous condescension.

Satisfied with the expressions he saw among the officials, Huang San turned to his father. "Thank you, father. Thank you, Prime Minister Zhu Yao. I promise I will not betray your trust and hope. I will give all of myself for the good of our Echos Kingdom."

He returned his attention to the crowd. "Now, I will issue my first decree, which is appointing the people who will help me in my task. First and foremost, the person who will be by my side, a position whose order is second only to mine. The new prime minister of the Echos Kingdom will be..."

Amon was ready to come forward when Huang San announced, "... My sister, Princess Huang Er!"

No change was visible on Amon’s face, but he made a short glance at Huang San. Huang San was also looking at him. The two locked eyes briefly, but both quickly turned away.

Princess Huang Er came up before Huang San and knelt. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. I will not disappoint you. I will give my all for the benefit of our kingdom."

"I believe you will. Now, rise," Huang San said. Huang Er rose to her feet and stood beside him as the new prime minister.

Huang San continued to announce the names of those who fill the high-ranking positions of the kingdom. Jiang Tong remained the supreme commander of the military. He retained the rank of First-Class General. Hua Rong also retained her rank as Senior Minister. She was Huang Er’s trusted aide and would continue to fill that role.

Many other high-ranking officials retained their positions. Huang San had studied the list given by Huang Er and made decisions before this coronation. The ones who were let go were mostly hardcore supporters of Prince Huang Zi and Huang Zhan, except for those with tremendous influence like Jiang Tong. Huang San couldn’t afford to rattle the cage too much since he had just risen to power. He must do this step by step.

As for new faces, Huang San appointed Lao Zen, Ha Gild, and Zong Hua into the Senior Minister ranks. Sima Fang and Xa Jien were now ministers. Hua Ling, Xu Bao, and Amon were promoted to General. Xin Wuming, Yang Li, and Wu Di were promoted to Lieutenant General.

Amon retained control over the First Demon Legion and Fort Fresh Maw. He was given the right to expand his force from a legion into a thirty-thousand-strong army. The recruiting process of additional soldiers, however, was handed to Amon to deal with.

Amon retained ownership of the surviving battle puppets used to exterminate the rebels. Out of the thirty thousand battle puppets, twenty thousand were still in working condition. The remaining ten thousand were either too ruined or needed heavy repairs. The ones that could be repaired would become the kingdom’s property.

Huang San gave Amon the privilege of building a private army and retaining control over the battle puppets as a way to appease Amon. He could confiscate them all if he chose to.

After the court appointment, everyone was ushered to the banquet hall, where a grand feast had been prepared. Outside, in the palace courtyard and the main plaza, feasts were also organized for lower-level officials and commoners.

Huang San mingled with his vassals during this feast to get to know them better and expand his influence. At one point, he approached Amon, who stood silently among the crowd.

"Are you mad?" Huang San asked Amon.

"I am," Amon replied. His face remained neutral, though. "You went back on your word. You promised I would be your number two. A general is not the number two for this kingdom. It’s not even a number three. I still have to take commands from Jiang Tong."

"I haven’t gone back on my word. I simply don’t think it is time yet," Huang San said. "You will become my number two, but I can’t just immediately appoint you as one. My sister is more experienced in the matter of the court. She knew most officials. They trusted and respected her. With her by my side, I can gain their cooperation much more easily. As for Jiang Tong, give it time. You make sure you continue to contribute to the kingdom, and I will find a way for you to replace him. After that, we will work it out for you to become the prime minister. It will happen. You just have to trust me."

Amon stared at Huang San in silence, which somehow made Huang San feel uncomfortable. Amon’s unnatural black eyes were too disconcerting.

Before the discomfort became too unbearable, Amon looked away and said, "Very well, then, Your Majesty. I will hold you to that."

Huang San felt relieved hearing Amon say that. He clapped Amon’s shoulder and said, "I won’t disappoint you, friend."

Amon nodded in response. Huang San couldn’t read his expression. His cold face remained the same from start to finish.

After Huang San left, Amon gestured for Yang Li, who stood nearby, to approach. "Proceed with that plan we talked about," Amon said.

"Do I have to...?" Yang Li asked. She didn’t sound enthusiastic.

"Do this, and you are no longer indebted to me," Amon said. "After carrying this out, you can do whatever you want. You can continue to follow me, or you can leave. You will be free."

Yang Li no longer said anything, but her frown remained. She was obviously undergoing a mental struggle. Whatever Amon asked of her seemed to weigh on her much more than when Amon ordered her to kill Huang Zhan.

Amon didn’t say more to persuade her. He left her to decide for herself.

The grand feast continued. It was meant to last for the whole day and the entire night. A sudden commotion drew everyone’s attention. A soldier rushed into the banquet hall. His appearance was a mess. His uniform was dirty and full of abrasions. He was sweaty, and his hair was disheveled. He seemed like someone who had run a great deal. Everyone was wondering why the guards outside let this man enter.

The mayor of Golden Stone City, Wang Ze, who was among the guests, recognized the soldier as one of his men. He called, "You! Why do you intrude on this feast?"

"Reporting, Mayor Wang!" The soldier seemed glad he found someone he recognized. He then noticed the young man beside the mayor was wearing a crown. It dawned on him that he was before the new king.

"Yo–Your Majesty!" He stammered as he knelt before Huang San.

"Spill it! Why do you come?" Wang Ze demanded.

"Reporting! The city hall just received transmissions from message talismans from several cities. Gyleth Marx and Khode had invaded our kingdom!"

"What? Are you sure...?" Wang Ze asked.

"Soldier, tell us everything!" Lao Zen said. He, Ha Gild, and nearby officials approached after hearing what the soldier said.

"Information is still in pieces, but it has been confirmed that two of our settlements have been occupied," the soldier reported. "Cinder Ash Town has been occupied by Farghous, and Bright Rock City by Khode."

"How can this be?" Lao Zen said. "Though our relationship with other countries is not exactly sunshine, it is not so terrible to warrant an invasion."

"Not to mention, Khode has always shut itself off from other countries. Why does it come out now to pick a fight with us?" Ha Gild added.

"I think the most worrisome matter is why they get a jump on us without us realizing until we lost two of our settlements," Huang San uttered. He turned to Jiang Tong and ordered, "General, find out what happened to our army securing the border! Everyone else, I declare this feast is ended. Your primary task now is to gather as much information about our invaders and their movements!"

Throughout the commotion, Amon stood by the side. This invasion also came as a surprise to him, but he smiled at this turn of events.