If he married into the Linnan Su Clan, he could gain their support, but it would never compare to what Ian Song was offering—an annual supply of luxury glassware worth 1.2 million taels of silver.
On top of that, Ian Song himself was terrifyingly powerful—far stronger than a late-stage Grandmaster. If someone like that became his son-in-law, it would be a tremendous advantage.
So, after weighing all the options, Prince Adrian Cao no longer hesitated and directly agreed to Ian Song’s marriage proposal.
Ian Song added, "By the way, Your Highness, I already have a wife at home. When Senior Sister marries in, her status will be equal—no distinction between first and second wife!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Adrian Cao’s face darkened. "Ziyu, Chloe is a proper princess of Yan. If she marries into your Song family as a lesser wife, what face will the Prince of Yan Residence have left?"
"I’ll add ten more pieces of glassware per year!" Ian Song said. Since Prince Adrian Cao clearly had rebellious ambitions, he absolutely wouldn’t let go of Ian so easily. This was just a way to squeeze more benefits.
"Why not just divorce your wife, Ziyu?" Prince Adrian Cao pressed.
Ian Song didn’t get angry. He simply smiled and said, "A wife from humble beginnings should never be cast aside. Besides, my parents were killed by bandits back then, and if my father-in-law hadn’t supported me, I would’ve starved to death. How about this: I’ll add twenty more pieces of glassware, for a total of 150 a year. If Your Highness won’t agree, I’ll just elope with Senior Sister!"
Faced with Ian Song’s threat, Prince Adrian Cao was left with no choice. He reluctantly agreed, "Fine. For the sake of your deep feelings for Chloe, I’ll allow this marriage. But Ziyu, if Chloe suffers even the slightest grievance in your Song family, don’t blame me for turning hostile!"
Ian Song continued, "Your Highness, I still need to study at the Imperial Academy in the capital. Let’s settle the engagement now, and after I pass the jinshi exam, I’ll come back to formally marry Senior Sister. How does that sound?"
At this,
Prince Adrian Cao naturally had no objections.
Afterward, Ian Song took his leave. The next day, he delivered that batch of glassware to the Prince of Yan Residence.
The reason Ian Song encouraged Prince Adrian Cao to rebel was simply to see how much Qi Luck could be gained from a successful coup. If the reward was substantial, he’d support neighboring countries to stage more coups, harvesting even greater Qi Luck that way.
He stayed in Panyang for two days, sightseeing with Chloe Cao, before setting off for the capital.
With his Golden Core Daoist speed, he traveled at full force and reached the capital in just over half a day.
The Valeguard Kingdom’s capital was still quite bustling—rumor had it the population had surpassed five million.
First, he found an inn to stay at. The next day, he went to the Imperial Academy to enroll. With Zachary Cai’s letter of recommendation, plus his title as Provincial Champion and Zachary Cai’s disciple, admission was a breeze.
Once he finished the paperwork, Ian Song officially became an Imperial Academy student.
The Academy provided dorms, with two students sharing each room.
The Academy also had a canteen.
However, these services required separate payment, though the fees were low—just one tael of silver a year.
The head of the Imperial Academy was called the Dean, and held an official post of third rank.
Let’s talk about the official rank system of the Valeguard Kingdom, which ranges from first to ninth rank.
For example, the magistrate of Huangshan County was a ninth-rank official because Huangshan was a lower county. A mid-level county’s magistrate would be eighth rank, while a top-level county’s magistrate would be seventh rank.
Magistrates of lower and mid-level counties could be appointed from juren graduates, but top-level county magistrates had to be jinshi.
But passing the jinshi exam didn’t automatically mean you could become an official.
Usually only first-class and second-class jinshi would be directly assigned official posts by the court.
First-class means the top three: Zhuangyuan (Champion), Bangyan (Second Place), and Tanhua (Third Place).
These three usually started out in the Hanlin Academy, where the highest official rank was sixth, and ordinary Hanlin scholars were seventh rank.
But no one ever looked down on a Hanlin scholar, since today’s Valeguard Kingdom cabinet elders all started out in the Hanlin Academy. That’s why the Hanlin Academy is also called the Chancellor’s Nursery.
Second-class jinshi would be assigned to posts in the Six Ministries, and could eventually rise to Minister of one of the ministries.
But that was still a step below the cabinet elders.
To reach the pinnacle as a minister, you had to enter the cabinet.
Third-class jinshi could seek county magistrate posts, or take a minor office in the capital. But capital postings were tough, since promotions came quickly there.
As for external postings, those weren’t easy to get. Every three years, so many jinshi were selected, but there were only so many posts. So only those with connections or money could smoothly get assigned as a county magistrate.
Back to the main topic.
After successfully enrolling at the Imperial Academy, Ian Song checked out of the inn and moved into the Academy.
The jinshi exam was still three months away, so he would have to study at the Imperial Academy for another three months.
"Hello, I’m Gavin Yan. How should I address you, brother?"