"Come, come, let me introduce you to His Highness the Second Prince and His Highness Prince Yan." Governor Azure warmly pulled Zhao Chen toward the two officials.

Although Zhao Chen was extremely unwilling, the Azure Governor had already waved to him.

The Second Prince Qin Ming's gaze had already fallen on Zhao Chen.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Second Prince and Your Highness Prince Yan." Governor Azure bowed first, then pointed to Zhao Chen beside him and said, "Let me introduce this young hero to you two."

Zhao Chen! Lord of the Xiaolong Galaxy in the North Wind Star Region, he has fought two consecutive fierce battles against the Zerg fleet and has achieved numerous military exploits.

"This time, upon arriving at the Imperial Capital, I will be directly granted the title of Marquis!"

Prince Yan's eyes lit up as he looked Zhao Chen up and down: "You're not even thirty yet, are you?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Yes,” Zhao Chen said.

"To be granted the title of Marquis before the age of thirty is extremely rare in our Starry Empire."

"Your Highness is too kind."

The Second Prince Qin Ming also smiled and said, "I have also heard of Lord Zhao Chen's deeds, and I am fortunate to meet him today."

Let's talk about this privately another day.

"must."

In front of these two men at the pinnacle of the empire, Zhao Chen acted like a restrained and nervous young lord, not even daring to meet the Second Prince Qin Ming's gaze.

Since there were quite a few people present, it was impossible to talk to Zhao Chen alone.

This gave Zhao Chen a chance to escape.

Zhao Chen quietly returned to the corner, glancing at the two of them.

He wasn't familiar with Prince Yan.

But the Second Prince, he is an 'old friend'.

Perhaps the second prince himself was unaware that he had indirectly clashed with this reserved young lord several times.

Zhao Chen disrupted the slave trade.

The plan to control the Dark Reef Starfield was thwarted by Zhao Chen.

The Hurricane Consortium also has intricate connections with the Prince Party, which can naturally be attributed to Zhao Chen as well.

If the Second Prince Qin Ming knew that Zhao Chen was the one who did all these things...

It is estimated that the Second Prince Qin Ming will arrest Zhao Chen on the spot and skin him alive to vent his anger.

Finally, the banquet ended, and Zhao Chen immediately slipped away and returned to his interstellar warship.

To Zhao Chen's slight disappointment, the little princess did not attend the banquet.

Logically speaking, the newly promoted nobles attending today's banquet are all the future backbone and pillars of the Starry Empire.

Even the Second Prince Qin Ming came to meet us in person, so the little princess should have been present as well.

It seems everything will have to wait until the investiture ceremony.

...

Two days later

Imperial Capital Star

At a height of 20,000 [N O V E L I G H T] meters above the ground, there stands a magnificent palace in a classical architectural style.

The royal family owns many palaces like this one on the capital planet.

This is just one example; it was specifically used to reward lords and meritorious nobles.

Zhao Chen stepped out of the space elevator and could breathe in the very sweet air.

The environmental quality of the entire Imperial Capital Star is designed to the highest standards.

It can be described as a paradise on earth, but of course, this is backed by a huge investment of resources.

Once you step out of the space elevator, there's no need to worry about getting lost, because there's only one path to follow.

On either side of a road paved with jade, stood imperial soldiers in military uniforms, each wielding a laser gun.

So all you need to do is keep going until the very end.

Stepping into the crystal-clear hall, Zhao Chen followed the directions sent to him by the maid and walked to his designated spot.

Zhao Chen glanced around; there were about two or three hundred people present today.

The Governor of Chuhe was also present, as were the Second Prince Qin Ming and the Prince of Yan.

Although this was a ceremony for bestowing titles upon the imperial elite, the appearance of so many high-ranking officials at once was unprecedented.

Zhao Chen and the others waited in place for about ten minutes.

A beautiful melody began to resonate in the hall, and a very beautiful bird with colorful wings was released into the air, making a very pleasant sound as it flew.

It must be said that the royal investiture ceremony was quite impressive.

However, Zhao Chen looked at the empty throne in front of him, but the Star Emperor did not appear for a long time.

The music played for another five or six minutes, and the waiting crowd began to have doubts.

Just then, a woman's voice rang out.

"Emperor Xingyao is not in good health, so the Second Prince Qin Ming will be in charge of today's investiture ceremony."

Zhao Chen and the others looked at the person who had spoken.

Consort Zhen, the wife of Emperor Xingyao and the birth mother of the second prince.

At that moment, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

It's impossible for anyone who's here today to be without some kind of cunning.

The investiture ceremony, which was originally to be personally overseen by the Star Emperor, has now been canceled due to illness.

Moreover, the announcement was not made by the Empress herself, but by Consort Zhen, the birth mother of the Second Prince.

And the investiture ceremony was even conducted by the second prince.

The amount of information contained here is quite terrifying.

Many people began to ponder this.

Could it be that Emperor Xingyao has officially begun to support the Second Prince?

The second prince will become the new crown prince.

What about the little princess?

That's right!

The little princess didn't show up today.

Zhao Chen remained expressionless, but his mind was already considering all sorts of possibilities.

"Now I declare the investiture ceremony to begin." Consort Zhen looked down at the crowd below, her eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

After waiting for so many years, her day has finally come.

The Second Prince Qin Ming slowly descended the steps, followed by a row of ceremonial maids, each carrying a brocade box containing the new identities bestowed upon the recipients.

"The Lord of the Purple Perilla Starfield and the Bird of Paradise Galaxy bestows upon him the title of Marquis."

The Second Prince Qin Ming walked over to each of them one by one and personally pinned the new noble medals on them.

Finally, it was Zhao Chen's turn.

As the Second Prince Qin Ming read the inscription, he took out the Marquis Medal for Zhao Chen.

"The Lord of the North Wind Star Region and the Dragon Star System hereby bestows upon him the title of Marquis."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhao Chen placed his hand on his chest and performed a noble bow.

At this point, the nobility requirement in Zhao Chen's annual mission was also declared complete.

Next, it was the turn of the people behind Zhao Chen. Zhao Chen stood in place and waited for the awarding ceremony to end.

The awarding ceremony was taking place in this somewhat special atmosphere.

Suddenly, a small shuttle landed directly outside the main hall, and a man dressed as an officer ran out and knelt down inside the hall.

The fact that someone could drive a flying shuttle directly into this situation speaks volumes about their identity or the special nature of their duties.

"Report! His Highness the Third Prince, who is in charge of investigating the attack on the First Prince, has obtained an important clue."

But just now, His Highness the Third Prince sent a distress message. The message indicated that His Highness's interstellar fleet was attacked by the Princess's royal fleet and suffered heavy losses. He requested assistance.

According to the investigation results reported by His Highness the Third Prince... it is suspected... it is suspected." The soldier hesitated, not daring to be clear.

Did the little princess's royal fleet attack the third prince's fleet?

When this news broke, everyone present was stunned.

"Suspected what! These are all ministers of the Starry Empire, just say it!" Consort Zhen said with an air of righteous indignation.