Chapter 1699: The Setting Sun Villa Incident! (1/2)
When the First Prince saw the man who had spoken, his face froze, and all his killing intent vanished.
”Ghost King? What do you mean by that?” the First Prince suddenly asked with deep displeasure in his voice, creasing his brow.
In the Eastern Palace faction, the only one who dared to speak to the First Prince in such a way and was tolerated by him was the Ghost King.
But no matter how tolerant the First Prince was of the Ghost King, such improper words left him extremely unhappy. Moreover, at this crucial moment, the man was casually lying on a sofa and drinking tea.
”He's just a man. No matter how strong he is, he's still just a rash brute. Did Your Highness plan for so long just to deal with a single King of Foreign Lands?”
Hou Junji chuckled as he took his tea and lightly blew away the bubbles on its surface, his expression carefree and relaxed.
”You!”
The First Prince's mouth opened on instinct, but he quickly realized something, and he became powerless to speak.
It was true! He had certainly planned for so long simply over a struggle with Wang Chong. He was vying for the supreme throne of the realm, to become the greatest sovereign of the continent.
”Has Your Highness understood?”
Seeing that the First Prince had calmed down, Hou Junji smiled. Although he was leisurely drinking tea and not even looking at the First Prince, nothing in this hall could escape his eyes.
”Ghost King, just what is it that you want to say?” the First Prince asked, though his expression was no longer so fraught with concern.
”If you seek to seize the world, you cannot focus on success or failure in a single corner. That Wang Chong truly is an obstruction, but not to the point where he can stop the overarching scheme. I have already planned everything out,” Hou Junji indifferently said. He put down his tea cup and lightly rapped against the table, his body exuding a natural confidence and charisma.
Buzz!
The Eastern Palace fell silent. Zhu Tong'en, Meng Tu, and all the other advisors stared at the Ghost King in speechless shock.
Hou Junji's words carried an implied meaning. This operation had unquestionably been a failure, but the Ghost King seemed to be saying that he had already foreseen this and made arrangements while the rest of them had been unaware.
”Ghost King, you mean…”
”Heh, there's no need for Your Highness to be in a rush. Your Highness will naturally know when the time comes.”
Hou Junji smiled.
Everyone in the hall turned pensive.
Bong!
In the middle of the silence, the clear ringing of a bell came from the distance. It was an extremely strange sound, different from any other sort of bell, gong, or chime within the palace. It was like a mix between the cry of a dragon and a phoenix, tinged with the hiss of a beast.
The advisors exchanged glances. It was forbidden to intentionally cause a ruckus within the holy ground of the Imperial Palace, and offenders would normally be executed. Moreover, none of them had ever heard this bell before.
The sound of that bell seemed to be coming from Taji Palace, the residence of the Sage Emperor…
While many of the people in the Eastern Palace didn't understand what this bell signified, two people had entirely different expressions. When the bell resounded, the First Prince and Hou Junji both began to listen.
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
That lingering bell resounded three times, and then its echoes faded into nothingness.
”Hahaha…”
The First Prince appeared to hear something from the last ring. His eyes brightly shone, and he burst into laughter, frightening all the other advisors.