One day later.
In the most majestic and luxurious main hall of the Sun and Moon Palace, Xu Tianran was sitting in a wheelchair in the center, with Tangerine in palace clothes standing next to him.
On the other side is a mysterious man shrouded in black.
The hem of the white robe perfectly covered Xu Tianran's empty lower body. Although he had to sit in a wheelchair due to his disability, ministers and officials looked up to him every day and every moon.
"My dear friends, please retreat from the court." Xu Tianran said calmly.
Not far away, a pro-guard showed his sonorous voice: "Retreat from the court——"
Then the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty retreated outside the palace one after another.
Xu Tianran was sitting in a wheelchair, looking down at the ministers who were slowly leaving the palace. His calm eyes contained indescribable ambition and satisfaction.
This is what he's wanted all along.
The old emperor's illness has become more and more serious. A few years ago, he could force himself to walk in the ground. Now, if it is not necessary, he will stay in bed and rest quietly.
As the prince, Xu Tianran was named regent and handled the government affairs on his behalf.
Scanning the luxurious palace, Xu Tianran's eyes were even more ambitious.
It's just a substitute now. Soon, not long after, these will truly belong to him, and he will ascend the throne and become the new emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire.
Under his leadership, the Sun and Moon Empire will annex the other three countries in one fell swoop, unify the world, and let the light of the sun and moon shine on the entire Douluo Continent.
His eyes fell on a few figures walking out of the hall, and Xu Tianran's eyes suddenly became a little sinister.
With the power he currently controls, there are still some small obstacles to successfully ascending the throne, mainly from three parts.
One is the third prince and the fifth prince. The other princes and princes' sons who theoretically have the right to inherit have wisely withdrawn from the battle for the prince early on. Only these two princes have never given up.
The second is the civil and military ministers in the court. Many of them may not dare to say anything because they are afraid of themselves, but they are quite dissatisfied in their hearts.
The third is some princes and nobles, who have considerable status in the royal family.
These three groups of people who opposed themselves came together by chance.
Xu Tianran had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were full of coldness.
The third prince and the fifth prince have been holding back recently, not willing to accept their fate, but looking for the last chance to overthrow themselves.
It's a pity that although Xu Tianran is ruthless, he is a suitable prince. He handles the government affairs in the court in an orderly manner and can't talk about it.
It would not be easy for them to directly launch a mutiny. Xu Tianran not only held more military power than them, but also had several titled Douluo and ninth-level soul masters around him.
In addition, Xu Tianran himself is a genuine titled Douluo.
At this time, the mysterious man in black on the other side of Xu Tianran spoke. This man was the leader of the Holy Spirit Sect, Zhong Liwu.
He seemed to have read Xu Tianran's thoughts and said with a smile: "Your Highness, why do you bother so much? If there is any dirty work that you don't want to do, just leave it to me."
Xu Tianran said: "Don't bother the Imperial Master. I can naturally handle such a small matter by myself."
"What you have to do is help me retain the people from the three mainland countries who will participate in the next competition."
"After I officially succeed to the throne, I will declare the Holy Spirit Cult as the state religion of the Sun and Moon Empire, and the leader will be hereditary as the national teacher. And after I unify the continent, I will announce to the world that I will ban the name of evil soul masters and declare that you are the soul masters." The teacher is orthodox.”
Zhong Liwu saluted and said with a smile: "Then I would like to thank His Highness the Crown Prince first. Your Highness the Crown Prince, there are still things to deal with in this religion, so I'll take my leave first."
After saying that, Zhong Liwu also left the palace.
Xu Tianran's eyes flashed with coldness and enthusiasm.
He and the Holy Spirit Sect have a relationship of mutual use.
He needs the evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult as a high-end combat force to help him unify the continent, and the Holy Spirit Cult can also walk under the sun with his acquiescence.
"Orange, let's go back to the palace." When there was no one else in the palace except the maids and guards, Xu Tianran gave a calm order to the girl next to him.
Orange, who had been silent all this time, spoke softly: "Yes, Your Highness."
…
After retiring from the court, the third prince Xu Tianci did not return to his palace, but went all the way to the old emperor's palace.
"Please tell your father that God has come to pay his respects."
The guards waiting in front of the palace were not surprised by his arrival. They bowed as usual, but did not let him go. Instead, they said respectfully: "Your Highness, Third Prince, Your Majesty has rested. Please come back."
The third prince did not insist: "Excuse me, Tianci will come back to see my father tomorrow."
After he left, the guard shook his head with a sigh: "His Royal Highness the Third Prince comes to pay his respects every day. He is really filial."
The third prince then returned to his palace and sat in the study. The gentle smile on Toshiro's face was no longer there, replaced by an irritability that could break out at any time.
The simple and elegant decoration of the study couldn't calm him down, and the ethereal incense smelled pungent.
He grabbed a book and threw it against the wall.
At this moment, a maid walked into the study cautiously and said softly: "His Royal Highness the Third Prince, Your Highness the Fifth Prince will pay my respects."
The third prince then put away his emotions and said calmly: "Let the fifth brother come in."
"yes."
The maid withdrew, and after a while, the tall and resolute fifth prince Xu Tianyi walked in.
"Third brother." The fifth prince could not hide his worry, "Father's illness... is getting worse. It may not take long..."
"When the time comes, I'm afraid I will really have to let my eldest brother take over."
The third prince said solemnly: "Do you think I don't want to bring him down? But what capital do we have now?"
The fifth prince asked: "How is the military power distributed between the DPRK and China now? How much military power do we have?"
The third prince gritted his teeth and said: "Now Xu Tianran has 30-40% of the military power, and another 30-40% of the military power is in the hands of the father. The total military power in our two hands is less than 20%. There is still 10% left. The remaining military power lies in the hands of the border generals."
"Not only the military power, but also the number of strong men around us cannot compare to him."
"With such a gap, what can we do to bring him down?"
The third prince's face was full of unwillingness.
The fifth prince asked again: "My father is seriously ill now and has no time to manage the military power. Is there any way to take over the military power in his hands and give it to us?"
The third prince shook his head: "The generals under him are not loyal to any one of them. They are only loyal to the royal family and not to any prince."
The fifth prince was silent for a while, and then said hesitantly: "Third brother, how about... we withdraw from the fight for the crown prince?"
The third prince frowned and looked up at his half-brother. The latter looked tall and majestic, but his eyes showed shrinkage and fear.
He cursed angrily: "Are you a fool? We've reached this point now, do you still think you can quit?"
"Are you willing to watch Xu Tianran ascend the throne, stay in Mingdu, and go to court to pay his respects to him every day? Or are you willing to leave Mingdu and live in your own fief like the seventh brother?"
The fifth prince asked: "However, the eldest brother's succession to the throne is now a foregone conclusion, and almost all ministers are turning towards him."
"Why not give up now and become a prince?"
The third prince cursed angrily: "Do you think you are worthy of being a prince? Don't you still know Xu Tianran's character?"
"Since he began to take control of the government, how many dissidents has he eliminated? How many ministers have he killed? He doesn't even miss the ministers who once served him well. He doesn't even have the chance to ignore them and delegate them. He kills them whenever he wants."
"Now, tell me, we brothers who once competed with him for the throne can still be idle princes. Do you believe it?"
"Have you forgotten what happened to my second brother?"
The fifth prince fell silent. He opened his mouth but could not say anything.
Xu Tianran is a cruel, cold-blooded tyrant.
He still remembered the scene in his mind when the second prince made his legs disabled and then he bloodbathed the palace not long after.
The fate of these two brothers who competed with Xu Tianran for the position of crown prince may not be much better.
From the moment of the fight for the throne, escaping unharmed has become a dream.
The third prince hated his brother so much that after scolding him, he sat on the chair with a dark face, not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Third brother, what chance do we have?" the fifth prince asked.
The third prince calmed down his emotions and analyzed carefully: "We still have a chance."
"All officials obeyed Xu Tianran because they were afraid of him, but many ministers were dissatisfied with him."
"The emperor's uncle and others also support us. The Sun and Moon Royal Family is not his, Xu Tianran's."
"To bring him down completely, ordinary mistakes are not enough, you need a legitimate big mistake."
The fifth prince asked: "Brother, he is always cautious in doing things, how could he make a big mistake?"
After the third prince pondered for a moment, he slowly said: "The next continent-wide soul master competition will be held in Mingdu. Xu Tianran will be fully responsible for this competition."
"At that time, the participating teams from the three mainland countries will gather in Mingdu. The competition is grand and concerns the face of our Sun and Moon Empire."
"But Xu Tianran wants to take this opportunity to hold all the participants as hostages and launch an all-out war."
The fifth prince seemed to understand something and said: "Third brother, what do you mean..."
The third prince paused and said: "Xu Tianran and my father are both pro-war factions. Although we are neutral, the vast majority of officials, ministers, and the people of Mingdu are anti-war factions. They do not want to provoke a war. War, at least, don’t start a war at this stage.”
"Starting a war now is not a good choice. We, the Sun and Moon Empire, don't have to be in such a hurry to initiate a war."
"There is a saying from Sun Moon College that the overall strength of the soul masters in the Douluo Three Kingdoms has basically remained at the same level, but our soul guides are constantly improving, developing and innovating."
"We can definitely rest and recuperate for a few more decades. When soul guidance technology has made a big leap, it won't be too late to start a war."
"We can win over these anti-war ministers and generals, as well as senior soul engineers."
The fifth prince followed his intention and said, "Third brother, are you planning to destroy the eldest brother's plan?"
The third prince snorted disdainfully: "It's not that I intend to ruin his plan. His plan is simply whimsical."
"This competition is unprecedentedly grand. There are thousands of participating team members including their entourage. He wants to keep all of them in Mingdu. Is it possible?"
"Even if he really has that ability, what should we do if these mermaids are defeated and wreak havoc in the Mingdu?"
The fifth prince nodded in agreement.
The third prince said: "I dare to assert that his plan will definitely fail, and we can take the opportunity to impeach him at that time."
"Okay, third brother."
There was a hint of determination and unwillingness in the third prince's eyes.
"I'm afraid this is our last chance."
…
Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, Star Luo Royal Academy.
After sitting in a VIP room for a long time, he looked at Huo Yuhao in front of him with a complicated expression and asked softly.
"How should I call you? Yuhao, or... the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit?"
"My identity is Huo Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao snapped his fingers, and his blue hair instantly turned into black hair, and his face also changed slightly.
"This identity is called the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit."
After a long time, he spread his hands and said with a chuckle: "Okay, Yuhao, you are finally back. Although I often see you sending messages, I really miss not being able to see you in person."
"Are you coming back this time to lead Xingluo to win the championship in this soul master competition?"
Huo Yuhao returned to his original appearance and said calmly: "Sorry, Your Highness, do you want to hear my truth?"
"Let's talk." Xu Jiujiu said lazily.
Huo Yuhao said seriously: "I sincerely suggest you not to participate in this competition."
"Why?" He frowned for a long time.
The red-haired old woman next to her, Xingyun Douluo, also said in a deep voice: "The Soul Master Competition is a grand event in the entire continent. It is held every five years. We have never been absent for thousands of years. How can we withdraw so easily."
Huo Yuhao solemnly said: "Because the Sun and Moon Empire will attack all participating teams in the competition, and then take the opportunity to launch a full-scale war."
While answering, he activated his mental suggestion.
The expressions of Xu Jiujiu and Xingyun Douluo changed, and they asked in unison: "Is this true?"
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and said calmly: "You were originally going to Mingdu as the team leader, right? Mingdu will be dangerous by then, so don't go."
Xingyun Douluo asked: "Little friend Huo, this competition has introduced sect teams. Does the Sun and Moon Empire have such a big appetite to eat so many people?"
Huo Yuhao said coldly: "Of course they have the appetite, because they are cooperating with the Holy Spirit Sect."
Xu Jiujiu's face was solemn: "This Holy Spirit Sect has more than twenty powerful titled Douluo, and there is even an Extreme Douluo. They can indeed have such a big appetite."
Xingyun Douluo also sighed and said: "Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao...why did he get together with the evil soul master?"
Huo Yuhao stretched out a finger and shook it: "No, no, no, not an Ultimate Douluo."
After being stunned for a long time, before she could react, Huo Yuhao looked at her astonished gaze and added one more finger to the number of fingers she extended.
"They are two Extreme Douluo."
"What?" Unable to calm down for a long time, he slammed the table and stood up.
"How can it be?"
Huo Yuhao said: "So I suggest you not to participate this time, and just stay in Xingluo."
Long Jiujiu's eyes became more complicated, full of doubts, confusion, and absurdity.
Isn't it called supervising the country when the prince is in charge of the government? Why did the Third Young Master create a regent?
(End of chapter)
