Chapter 17 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas StudiosEditor: Atlas Studios

At that moment, in Tianlong’s royal palace.

Four thick black pillars stood in the four corners of the hall.Each pillar was engraved with the magnificent picture of a dragon soaring into the sky.

The entire hall was dark and more than a hundred ministers stood on both sides of the palace in their black court attires and official hats.

In the main hall, however, the golden throne, which had a dragon’s carving on it, was empty.

The path leading from the hall to the dragon throne was paved with a long red carpet. On both sides of the dragon throne stood two sorcerers in black satin robes and an old priest in white robes.

The hundred or so ministers beneath the dragon throne all slightly leaned forward, not daring to raise their heads.

Everyone’ remained silent and the entire palace hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Just then, a eunuch reported from outside the hall, “The Imperial Preceptor, Xia Guoyong, has arrived!”

The hundreds of ministers, who had been tensed up just moments earlier, suddenly relaxed, and they started whispering amongst themselves.

“The Imperial Preceptor is here. It looks like it has already been decided who will take the throne.”

“Look at the sorcerer and the old priest. Could they have been chosen for the throne?”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Be careful. Don’t let them hear you. You might be executed for that!”

“W-what? That’s impossible. The sorcerer and priest are guardians of Tianlong. It wouldn’t be strange even if they become the Emperor!”

“You’re being silly! The former Emperor had countless children, but have you seen any of them who dare to fight for the throne?”

“That’s true. However, if they don’t fight for it, won’t the throne be passed down to His Highness, the Crown Prince based on our traditions?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince? Do you think the current Crown Prince is still the same Crown Prince who had the support of more than half of the nation when the Emperor was still in power?”

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, the two of them hold most of the powers in the Imperial Court. Because of the Heavenly God, the citizens and even the officials of the city dare not disobey their orders. The remaining half of the powers are in the hands of the Imperial Preceptor. Now that the Imperial Preceptor is here, it means that the two factions will have to compete for the throne. The Imperial Preceptor swore to be filial to the Emperor before he died. Although the Imperial Preceptor was the one who suggested the death of the daughter of the Emperor, leaving the Emperor with no choice but to order the execution, the Imperial Preceptor did all of this for the sake of stabilizing the Emperor’s position and ensuring the safety of Tianlong!”

The minister continued, “Furthermore, after the death of the Emperor, the Imperial Preceptor was heartbroken. Without the Emperor’s protection, he even lost a daughter and spent an entire month doing the sacrificial rituals in his residence! This just goes to show how loyal and devoted the Imperial Preceptor is! As long as he’s around, I believe that Tianlong will not be completely ruled by the sorcerer.”

“That’s right. As long as the Imperial Preceptor is around, His Highness the Crown Prince should be able to ascend the throne more smoothly.”

“What nonsense are you talking about! His Highness the Crown Prince is ascending to the throne?! You must be dreaming! Do you know how the Third Prince, Mu Chen, died not long ago? Wasn’t it just because he spoke up for the Crown Prince? Not long after, he mysteriously died in the palace. But the rumor going around was that the Third Prince was too naughty, and had accidentally drowned while playing in the pond! This was the result of opposing the sorcerer and priest!”

He continued, “No matter how strong the Imperial Preceptor is, he still doesn’t have the protection of the Heavenly God in this Imperial Court. Do you really think he’ll be able to help the Crown Prince succeed the throne?I believe that he might be next to die if he were to mention this! If the sorcerer and priest Tianxiang hear you, your death is imminent too! You’d better shut up!”