Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 387 Adulthood
At the morning court several years later, Li Qiang's appearance had not changed at all, just like when he was a teenager, but his majesty made people ignore his youth.

"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Li Heng is now eighteen years old. He has reached the age to choose a Crown Princess. Should the Ministry of Rites begin selecting a princess?" The Minister of Rites asked, bowing.

In fact, not just the Ministry of Rites, many people were eyeing Li Heng’s marriage.

The future emperor of Daqian will control the largest dynasty from ancient times to now. He has been the focus of attention from all parties since he was born.

"Okay!" Li Qiang said in a deep voice.

This is inevitable, Li Heng is not the Li Qiang of the past.

Li Qiang was able to marry freely back then because he was not a member of the royal family at that time, but an orphan without a father or mother, and even without a family.

Only then could he get engaged to his former junior sister Lin Daiyu. Even if he became the emperor, he was powerful enough and he was the only candidate for the emperor at that time, so the emperor emeritus would follow him.

Li Heng now has no ability to resist Li Qiang.

All Li Qiang could do was to let Li Heng choose what he liked, which was already a huge concession.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has come of age, and he should be in charge of the Crown Prince's Guards!" a minister stepped forward and said.

This proposal was recognized by many ministers, and they all agreed.

Li Qiang looked at these ministers and knew what they were thinking. They just wanted the prince to remember their support.

However, it was customary for the crown prince to be in charge of the crown prince's personal guards when he came of age, and he also had thousands of new crown prince guards back then.

"The First Guard of the Beijing Camp will be the Prince's Personal Guard, and the Prince will be in charge of it himself!" Li Qiang decided in a deep voice.

There was silence in the court; no one expected Li Qiang to be so generous.

They were the first guards of the Beijing camp, with 5,000 battle-hardened warriors, equipped with the most advanced weapons of Daqian.

It can be said that the First Guard of the Beijing Camp is the strongest army of Daqian, and one army can defeat all other armies of Daqian.

Although there are only 5,000 people, all of them are brave generals, and they have a shocking reputation for sweeping across West Asia and Europe.

Even today, many people in the West cannot help but feel fear when they mention the First Guard of the Beijing Camp.

"Your Majesty, isn't it too early to give the First Guard of the Capital Camp to the Crown Prince?" Lin Ruhai stepped forward and said.

"The world will belong to him in the future. Now he is just a guard!" Li Qiang said indifferently.

People in the court, including Lin Ruhai, did not know Li Qiang's true strength. If they knew, they would not say so.

Besides, with the development of some advanced weapons, the combat power of the First Guard of the Beijing Camp is not so invincible.

For example, the introduction of the Maxim heavy machine gun and the second-generation Gatling machine gun has eliminated the single-person force of the Titan from dominating the battlefield.

Even a tough general could not withstand the rain-like torrent of bullets from the Maxim heavy machine gun and Gatling machine gun.

The emergence of the first generation of propeller aircraft forced the Tianlong airship to officially withdraw from the battlefield for transportation purposes.

No matter how powerful the Titan is, it cannot do anything to the propeller fighter, and the heavy machine guns on the fighter also make the Titan a target.

Of course, the invention of the airplane does not focus on fighter jets; larger passenger and cargo aircraft are Daqian’s key support projects.

There is no way. Who said that there is only one country, Daqian, and Daqian has no enemies at all.

Even if rebellions occur in some areas, a single team of warriors can handle them without using artillery and heavy machine guns, let alone fighter planes.

The army was equipped with Maxim heavy machine guns, Gatling machine guns, propeller fighters, etc., but because there were no wars, the power of these equipment could not be tested. Therefore, even the important officials in the Daqian Dynasty still looked at the military power of the Daqian army with an old perspective.

Jin Dong wrote the imperial edict and used the seal, and the First Guard of the Beijing Camp was handed over to the hands of Crown Prince Li Heng.

After Li Qiang left the court, he called Li Heng over.

"Father, your Majesty, I am here to express my gratitude!" Li Heng received the imperial edict and came to Li Qiang to express his gratitude first.

"Okay, today is your eighteenth birthday, and I will formally teach you to practice the Daqian royal body-building technique 'Daqian Unparalleled Tyrant Body'." Li Qiang waved his hand and said.

"Really?" Li Heng said in disbelief.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time. He could imagine being caught by his mother's hand and manipulated at will because of his mischief. Even any concubine had the ability to easily catch him with one hand.

Even though he was over 1.8 meters tall at the age of sixteen, he was still powerless in front of his mother and concubines.

This has become a shadow in his mind since he was a child, and as far as he knows, the reason why his mother and concubines are so powerful is that they received personal teachings from his father.

"Follow me!" Li Qiang said to Li Heng.

He waved his hand and opened a door.

Inside the door was a separate, isolated space in the Taixu Realm. He led Li Heng in.

Li Heng looked at this space. Except for the soil under his feet, the rest of the surroundings and the sky were empty and nothing could be seen.

"Have you understood the content of Daqian's unparalleled domineering body?" Li Qiang asked.

"I learned the content two years ago!" Li Heng replied.

Learning the content of 'Daqian Wushuang Ba Ti' is part of the royal education.

Even if you don't plan to practice the art of body refining, you should know the detailed explanation of 'Daqian Wushuang Ba Ti' when you are young and know how to practice it.

This is a preparation to prevent the 'Unparalleled Dominant Body of Daqian' from being lost. Anyway, there is no need to worry about the 'Unparalleled Dominant Body of Daqian' being passed on to outsiders. Except for those of the royal bloodline, outsiders cannot practice it.

"Then let's start now!" Li Qiang nodded and said.

He cast 'Ghost Shield' and 'Holy Armor Technique' to enhance Li Heng's defense.

He also manipulated the rules of the illusory world of Taixu to add weight to Li Heng's body, increasing the weight to the limit that Li Heng could bear.

Under Li Qiang's instruction, Li Heng practiced the 'Da Qian Wushuang Ba Ti'.

With the help of the "healing technique", and the fact that Li Qiang had helped tens of thousands of people practice before, he was already familiar with these things.

Li Heng's physique is still very good. This is related to the fact that he has been eating spiritual rice and other spiritual objects since he was a child. He has also made two years of preparation for practicing the 'Daqian Wushuang Ba Ti'.

Li Heng's cultivation took several days. During these days, he followed Li Qiang into the special space of the Taixu Illusionary Realm every day.

On this day, a "healing spell" fell on Li Heng, and Li Heng's body and spirit were improved. He endured the pain and felt the changes in his body and spirit.

"Nine-turn Warrior!" He couldn't help but say excitedly right after finishing his training.

He had never thought that he could cultivate to become a Nine-turn Warrior. From several teachers and the royal priest who taught the 'Da Qian Wushuang Ba Ti' technique, he knew how difficult it was to cultivate to become a Warrior.

Even though we now have the Titans Academy, the average Titan is only at level three or four, and the strongest Titan that comes out of the Titans Academy is only at level six.

"Your mother and the other imperial concubines are all ninth-level warriors!" Li Qiang's voice interrupted Li Heng's excitement. Only then did Li Heng understand why he was still powerless against his mother even though he was 1.8 meters tall.

"The 500 men in the artillery army are all ninth-turn generals. As long as I am willing, I can train countless ninth-turn generals at any time. Don't think that you are great just because you are a ninth-turn general. There are too many powerful beings in this world!" Li Qiang continued.

This was a blow to Li Heng, but also a warning to Li Heng. He didn't want his son to become too proud and lose his respect for strength.

If he only relied on the strength of his generals, how could he have achieved such a great success?

"This is your birthday present!" Li Qiang took out a box and handed it to Li Heng.

Li Heng recovered from the blow and took the box.

He opened the box and saw a diamond dagger inside.

He remembered this dagger. When he was a child, he wanted to play with the diamond dagger but was taught a lesson. At that time, he knew that this diamond dagger must be a magical treasure.

Of course, given his status, even a magical treasure is not that important. The value of this gift lies in the fact that it fulfilled his childhood dream.

"Thank you, father!" Li Heng put away the diamond dagger and thanked him.

"Go back!" Li Qiang waved her hand and opened a door.

After coming out of the illusory world, Li Heng didn't know that the place he had just been in was his mother's residence.

When Li Heng returned to the East Palace, he soon discovered the horror of the diamond dagger.

When he tested the sharpness of the diamond dagger, he found that no matter what it was, it was as thin as paper in front of the diamond dagger.

He used the swords he collected to cut the diamond knife, and the sword was cut into two pieces silently.

"What a pity! If this dagger were longer, it could be used as a real combat weapon!" Li Heng said helplessly.

As he was speaking, the diamond dagger in his hand suddenly grew longer, just as he had imagined.

When Li Qiang gave the diamond dagger to Li Heng, she asked the god of fire Hephaestus to increase the bloodline function.

Hephaestus, the god of fire, has the priesthood of forging, so making some minor modifications to the artifact is not a big deal.

Nowadays, the diamond dagger can only be used by those of the Daqian royal bloodline, and it will automatically recognize its master in the hands of those of the Daqian royal bloodline.

It is precisely because it has recognized its master that the artifact can automatically change its size according to the master's wishes.

Li Qiang gave this artifact to Li Heng as a self-defense treasure.

If a close combat really occurs, the Nine-Transformation Warrior plus the sharpness of the artifact diamond dagger will be enough to deal with the enemy in close combat.

A few years after Li Heng turned eighteen, Li Qiang's children grew up one by one.

When every child reaches adulthood, including the princess, Li Qiang will lead them to practice the 'Great Qian Unparalleled Tyrant Body' and become a nine-turn warrior.

It’s okay for a princess to be an adult; as long as she hasn’t gotten married, she can live in the palace.

However, adult princes must move out of the palace, and at the same time they will be granted the title of the lowest rank of Prince of a County and the highest rank of Prince, and will be given territory and a fiefdom.

This year, Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu's second son Lin Youran came of age.

Li Qiang still feels guilty towards Lin Youran.

After changing his surname to Lin, not only did Lin Youran lose the qualification to have access to the throne, but his descendants also had no chance.

The most crucial thing is that it is hard to say whether the Lin family will still be recognized by the royal family after many generations.

The sleeping palace of Daming Palace, where Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu rarely lived.

Especially as the children grew up, they had their own things to do in their daily lives. In addition, because they were in the royal family, they met less and less often with their parents, Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu.

If it weren't for her children, Lin Daiyu would have spent most of her time in a world of illusion.

Li Qiang has been controlling the Grand Illusion Realm for a long time, and his research on the Grand Illusion Realm has become more and more in-depth.

He has been able to pass on some rules to Lin Daiyu and the other concubines. Lin Daiyu and the other concubines are in the illusory world of Taixu and can fly freely, truly like immortals.

Lin Daiyu's flying shoes are rarely used and have become a collection item.

This time, I came to the palace to meet Lin Youran.

Lin Youran was wearing a moon-white robe. He walked into the bedroom and greeted Li Qiang and Lin Daiyu.

"Among all your children, Youran is the most like you!" Lin Daiyu looked at Lin Youran, then at Li Qiang, and said with a chuckle.

Indeed, Lin Youran's figure and face are very similar to Li Qiang, while Prince Li Heng inherited more of Lin Daiyu's appearance.

"You Ran, like other princes, you have now reached adulthood. Do you have any choice regarding your fiefdom?" Li Qiang asked with admiration.

"I want to stay in the capital. You can just give me a small city as my fiefdom!" Lin Youran had already thought about it, and he bowed and replied.

After he grew up, he knew the difference between the surname Lin and the surname Li, and he no longer had any idea about power.

Although the Lin family is now in its heyday and Lin Ruhai holds great power, second only to Emperor Li Qiang, the Lin family is still far inferior to the royal family.

"My father-in-law is still living in the old house. I have always wanted to change his house, but he always refuses. It would be better to let Youran live in our old house. As for the matter of the fiefdom, let's give Youran the Yangzhou Prefecture when I was the crown prince!" Li Qiang said with a smile.

How could he not know his son's temperament? He had thought it through before they met. As soon as Lin Youran stated his request, he would tell him his decision.

"Hurry up and thank your father. The old house has not been occupied for so many years, and he treasures it very much. Yangzhou is the place where the Lin family made its fortune, and it is not far from the Lin family's ancestral land!" Lin Daiyu gestured to Lin Youran.

"Thank you, father!" Lin Youran was naturally happy.

He was not happy about the enfeoffment of Yangzhou Prefecture, but for the old house.

The old house is adjacent to the Lin Mansion. When he was young, he was often taken there by his parents to play. Knowing that it was his parents' favorite place, he also had a lot of affection for it.

Now that he can live in the old house, it can also show Li Qiang's importance to him to the outside world and let others know that Lin Youran is still a member of the Li family.

"By the way, you should connect the industries in Yangzhou Prefecture with Datong Bank. Those industries can ensure the prosperity of the Lin family!" Li Qiang waved his hand and said.

"Why are you so stingy? This child is about to leave the palace, so you should at least give him a guard!" Lin Daiyu said somewhat dissatisfiedly.

The eldest son was made the crown prince, and Li Qiang rewarded him with the First Guard of the Beijing Camp and five thousand brave generals as bodyguards.

When it was the second son's turn, Lin Daiyu thought that although he could not be as good as the prince, he could not be too worse either.

"Then give the artillery army to You Ran!" Li Qiang shook his head helplessly.

The brave generals of the artillery army are all nine-turn brave generals, and were originally the strongest fighting force in Li Qiang's hands.

(End of this chapter)