What did it mean to receive an imperial Dragon-Etched Gold Token from the King himself?
It meant that from now on, Jiang Chen could enter and leave the royal palace as he pleased.
If this kid actually managed to cure the princess's illness, he would become the King's most favored man, the kingdom's lucky star — and who in the entire kingdom wouldn't show him a healthy dose of deference?
Jiang Chen rode the momentum perfectly, shouting "Long live His Majesty" and accepting the Dragon-Etched Gold Token with both hands. In truth, in his previous life as the son of the Heavenly Emperor, he had never once knelt before a mortal king. Kneeling would have been a bruise to his pride.
Since he was now permitted to meet the king without kneeling, he had no reason to refuse.
Of course, having received a favor, he needed to show some attitude. He thumped his chest and declared: "Your Majesty, I will not make empty boasts. I have only one thing to say — should anything happen to the princess due to my inadequacy in treating her, I am willing to be buried alongside her."
There was no shortage of flowery words one could offer to pledge loyalty, but nothing was more direct than this declaration. If he failed to cure her, he would die with the princess.
This was a vow staked on his very life!
Among all the feudal lords in the realm, who possessed such audacity, such unwavering loyalty?
For a moment, even Jiang Chen himself was nearly moved by his own dazzling performance.
And a performance that moved even its actor naturally conquered a few onlookers as well.
The court officials who had come with Dongfang Lu were secretly stunned. They hadn't expected the heir of Marquis Jianghan to possess such boldness — truly, a tiger's son did not produce a whelp.
Even members of the Tianshui Marquis's faction felt that, if placed in the same position, they themselves probably wouldn't have mustered the same courage.
Jiang Chen's performance wasn't finished yet. He continued: "Your Majesty, the divine spirit has also given instructions. Everything that transpired today must be kept secret — not a single word may be leaked. First, we must not profane the gods. Second, it is also for the sake of Your Majesty's reputation."
If tonight's farce got out, it would certainly damage Dongfang Lu's standing. After all, watching feudal lords slap themselves in the face was hardly a dignified spectacle.
Most importantly, one must not profane the gods. If someone leaked the information and angered the divine spirit, bringing its wrath down upon his daughter Dongfang Zhiruo, that would be catastrophic.
Without hesitation, he issued a decree: "What happened today — once you leave this room, no one is to breathe a single word of it. Whoever does shall be declared an enemy of the Dongfang royal family!"
Fortunately, not many people were present. Apart from the few from Marquis Jianghan's side, only six or seven had come with the king.
These were all seasoned veterans who understood that His Majesty's words were no idle threat. If this matter leaked, every last one of them would likely lose their heads.
Besides, their own behavior today had been anything but dignified. Word getting out would do their reputations no favors either.
As for Jiang Chen, using the gods' name to cow the king and his court into trembling obedience — that, too, was born of his desire to keep a low profile.
He had no intention of letting this get out and being treated as a freak or an aberrant by everyone in the kingdom.
Dongfang Lu was deeply moved. He clasped Marquis Jianghan's hand and, in a rare show of genuine emotion, said: "Marquis, the loyalty of you and your son — it truly touches my heart."
Jiang Feng could only smile bitterly. His son had already volunteered for everything, had already laid it on so thickly. If he tried to stop him now, he'd only embarrass himself. All he could do was grumble inwardly:
"You brat, taking on everything yourself — sure, it feels great right now. But don't mess this up. Ah, what's done is done. Father and son through thick and thin — if you botch this and it blows up into some enormous disaster, your old man will take the heat for you."
After the whiplash of tonight's upheaval, Jiang Feng had settled into a steadier frame of mind.
As the saying went, long illness makes a physician of anyone. In his previous life, Jiang Chen had been tormented by the Extreme Yin physique for a million years — he had studied the condition extensively, naturally.
Of course, with his current resources, refining a Sun-Moon Divine Pill the way his father had in his previous life was nothing but a fool's dream, utterly impossible.
The Sun-Moon Divine Pill was a heaven-defying creation that stole the essence of heaven and earth and wrested longevity from the sun and moon themselves. Even the Heavenly Emperor had burned through divine vitality and sacrificed years of his own lifespan to refine it.
As for the materials needed to craft a Sun-Moon Divine Pill — forget whether this world even possessed a single one; even if it did, no one in this mortal realm could replicate the Heavenly Emperor's godlike craftsmanship.
No Sun-Moon Divine Pill, then. But a knockoff — even one that delivered merely a ten-thousandth of the original's power — would still be enough to extend one's lifespan by a hundred years.
After all, in his previous life, Jiang Chen had taken the Sun-Moon Divine Pill and lived for a million years without dying. Had the Heavenly Tribulation not intervened, he might well have been truly immortal.
As for Dongfang Zhiruo's condition — making her live a million years was probably beyond even the Heavenly Emperor himself, reborn or not.
But helping her live to eighty or a hundred? Jiang Chen had absolute confidence in that, and more than one way to achieve it.
Still, Jiang Chen had no intention of rushing to a quick resolution. If he solved Dongfang Zhiruo's problem in two or three strokes, who knew how long Dongfang Lu's gratitude would actually last?
The mind of a monarch was the most fickle thing in the world. Short-term gratitude would never translate into long-term harmony.
Jiang Chen needed time. Given enough time, a mere mortal king of some backwater kingdom wouldn't be worth his attention.
So he decided to take the slow and meticulous approach. As long as he could extend the princess's lifespan, everything else would fall into place.
This way, he would not only earn himself ample time — he would also be wrapping himself in an invisible shield of protection.
As the prince's personal imperial physician, anyone who wanted to move against him would have to think twice. Could they afford to weather the King's towering fury?
Jiang Chen's silver tongue had performed its magic, and in the end he agreed to enter the palace three days later for a formal consultation with the princess. That finally sent the whole crowd packing.
Fatty Xuan sidled over with a long face: "Brother Chen, you're positively cruel. If you were going to fake dying, you could've at least dropped me a hint. My illustrated edition of *The Carnal Flesh Ball* was a one-of-a-kind original, and it got burned to ash. How am I supposed to get through the long, empty nights now?"
"And that ten-thousand-tael banknote — that was genuine money…"