Chương 253: Expansion of the Prince's Mansion

The steward stepped forward with a tray and began distributing the items.

Each recipient of the reward had to accept the decree (the document conferring the title of nobility), the gold seal (the seal of a marquis), and the ribbon (a ribbon of the corresponding color), and then perform a grand ceremony before Liu Ce.

The ceremony was solemn, but the atmosphere was festive.

The people accepted the gifts and knelt down to express their gratitude:

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Thank you for your patronage, Your Highness!"

His voice was loud and clear, filled with excitement.

Liu Ce helped them up and laughed, "This is what you deserve. Without your bloody battles, how could Youzhou be at peace today? How could I, Liu Ce, be the King of Yan today?"

The council chamber instantly became lively.

The generals congratulated each other, and the civil officials clasped their hands in celebration, creating an atmosphere as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.

Especially those generals from humble backgrounds, such as Dian Wei and Huang Zhong, had their eyes turn red with envy.

They never dreamed that one day they would be granted the title of marquis!

Although it's only the title of Marquis of Ting, it's still a marquisate! It's a great honor for our ancestors!

The main hall became lively.

Congratulations, General Xu!

Congratulations, General Xue!

Congratulations, General Guan!

......

Everyone congratulated each other, beaming with joy.

Dian Wei asked innocently, "Brother, is this Marquis of Ting... higher than a Colonel?"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "A bit bigger. From now on you can call yourself 'This Marquis'."

Dian Wei laughed, "This lord... this lord... hehe, sounds good."

Xu Chu also held the golden seal, reluctant to put it down.

The strategists remained relatively calm, but the joy in their eyes was unmistakable.

Guo Jia laughed and said, "Marquis of Guannei... that's fine too. Anyway, I'll have a fief, so I won't have to worry about money for drinking in the future."

Zhang Fei touched the newly acquired gold seal of the Marquis of Ting and grinned, "Hehe, I, Old Zhang, am a marquis now! I'll have to have the blacksmith make a plaque to hang at the entrance!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Third brother, keep a low profile."

"What's with the low profile!" Zhang Fei glared and said, "This is an honor! Everyone in Zhuo County should know!"

Guo Jia leaned closer and said with a smile, "Yide, now that you're a Marquis, won't you have to treat us to drinks from now on?"

"Please! You absolutely must!" Zhang Fei patted his chest and declared, "This noon, at the restaurant, it's my treat! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"Good!!!" A group of people cheered.

Looking at this scene, Liu Ce smiled. This was his team—flesh and blood, full of love and loyalty.

With these rewards, the loyalty of the people will be more solidified, and their enthusiasm will be higher.

After a while, Liu Ce raised his hand and pressed down, and everyone quieted down.

"Gentlemen," he began, "I won't set up special official positions under the Prince of Yan. Anyway, I don't have a fiefdom, so I don't have the administrative power of a vassal state! If any of you want to take on a concurrent position, just tell me, and I'll report it to the court for approval."

That's the absolute truth.

Liu Ce, as the King of Yan, was a figurehead king without a fiefdom, and therefore did not need a royal court or official system. The official positions in Youzhou remained the same as those in the former governor's office.

But this is good, as it saves us from having to set up another team and increase our burden.

The crowd nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then he started complaining:

"Your Majesty, your reign as the King of Yan is truly frustrating! You don't even have a fiefdom!"

"Exactly! Based on your merits, you should be granted a fiefdom spanning a thousand miles!"

"Your Majesty, it's truly a mistake that you haven't granted fiefdoms!"

"It's all those powerful families' fault, they're always making things difficult for us!"

"If we really grant them a fiefdom, we can legitimately establish a royal court with officials under our command..."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Alright, whether we have a fiefdom or not is not important. What's important is that we actually control Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou. Whether we have that title or not doesn't affect what we do."

Everyone thought about it and agreed.

It's all just empty fame; as long as there are tangible benefits in hand, that's enough.

After chatting for a while, Fang Xuanling spoke up: "Your Majesty, there is something I need to ask you."

"explain."

"Now that you are the Prince of Yan, shouldn't this palace be expanded? Its current size is not worthy of your status."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce paused for a moment.

He looked at the Prince of Yan's mansion, which had been converted from the governor's mansion—it was indeed not very big, with three courtyards, a main hall, a side hall, a study, a bedroom, and a back garden, totaling only a few dozen rooms.

It would be considered grand in Zhuoxian County, but it would be considered shabby for a prince.

"Expand..." Liu Ce thought for a moment and said, "Alright, expand it a little on this basis. Don't be too extravagant, focus on practicality."

He instructed, "Buy the houses next door and connect them. Just expand it to two courtyards, mainly by adding more functional rooms—for example, the council hall needs to be bigger, there should be more study rooms, and a library. Also, the backyard needs to be expanded so that Yan'er and the others have more space to live in."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling noted it down.

"I will take care of it immediately."

Liu Ce added, "Remember, don't disturb the residents. Pay the full amount due, and don't force anyone to buy or sell."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."

The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed.

Liu Ce sat alone in the main hall, looking out the window.

He's been made a king, he's back, he's getting married, and all his subordinates have been rewarded...

Everything is getting better.

But Liu Ce knew that this was just the beginning.

The world is about to descend into chaos, and Youzhou still has much to prepare.

Training troops, stockpiling grain, recruiting talent, building fortifications, developing science and technology...

"Take it one step at a time," he told himself.

At least for now, the foundation is solid, and the people's hearts are with us.

...

Back at the Liu residence that evening, Liu Ce soaked in the bathtub. The hot water made him drowsy, but his mind was still racing.

He's now thinking about another big thing: getting married.

According to the outdated rules of the Eastern Han Dynasty, men had to follow a specific order when marrying a wife and taking a concubine—first, they had to go through the proper betrothal ceremony to marry their principal wife, and only after a period of time could they take a concubine.

If you dared to marry them all at once, those old scholars would tear you apart, saying you were "not in accordance with etiquette" and "violated moral principles."

He understands this process.

But here's the problem: he's not just surrounded by one or two girls, he's surrounded by ten!

Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, the five Zhen sisters, Zou Yu, Du Xiuniang—a total of ten people.

If we follow the old rules and marry Cai Yan first, then the other nine girls will have to wait. How long? A month? Three months? Half a year? Isn't that just torture?

"Who made this rule?" Liu Ce muttered.

"It's not only troublesome, but it also wastes time."

"No way, no way! I won't do something so stupid!" He shook his head.

"Time is money, efficiency is life. I'm not changing it! I'm going to marry them all at once! Yan'er will be my principal wife, and the others will be concubines. The titles are set, and let whoever wants to gossip talk all they want!"

Besides, he liked all these girls equally—although Cai Yan was his legal wife, the others also held considerable weight in his heart.

"It's settled then!" Liu Ce slapped the water, splashing everywhere.

"We'll marry them all! Yan'er will be the principal wife, and the others will be concubines. That's it!"