Chapter 2417 - 2107: Your Majesty, Master Lu Requests an Audience
Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, Chu Qingli felt a sudden tension in her heart.
If Prince Lu Yi is unfit to be the Emperor, then who is?
Could it be that Lu Chen thinks he himself is suitable for the throne? However, he has already expressed disinterest in the imperial position.
At that moment, Lu Chen continued, "Has Master Chu forgotten? Our Zhen Nan Prince Manor also has a member with Ji family blood."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingli immediately realized that Lu Chen intended to support Ji Yunmeng to become the Empress.
Wait, if Ji Yunmeng ascends the throne, would the crown eventually pass to Lu Chen’s son?
In that case, wouldn’t the Dazhou empire still fall into the hands of the Lu family?
Lu Chen seemed to understand Chu Qingli’s thoughts and then said, "The Ancient Ruins should appear soon, right? Any Ji family blood can become Emperor; it’s the same. But I don’t want the keyholder of the ruins to be controlled by others."
Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, Chu Qingli then realized that Lu Chen wanted to hold the key to the Ancient Ruins.
If that’s the case, then there’s no problem.
After all, once the Ancient Ruins appear, it doesn’t matter who becomes the Emperor of Dazhou.
By the time Ji Yunmeng passes the throne to Lu Huan, the inheritance from the ruins will have long been taken.
Lu Chen then continued, "Have the people at Tianxuan Palace get ready to travel to the Capital city with us."
Lu Chen initially didn’t plan to take Chu Qingli to the Capital city; she is pregnant now, and it wouldn’t be good for the child if she gets too exhausted from travel.
But he reconsidered; once the Heavenly Realm forces of Zhen Nan Prince Manor leave Guangling City, those Outer Domain Forces might act against Chu Qingli, as Qionghua Holy Land previously attacked Tianxuan Palace.
To those Outer Domain Forces, diminishing competitors for the Ancient Ruins means more chances to obtain its inheritance.
Most importantly, those Outer Domain Forces know Tianxuan Palace is collaborating with Zhen Nan Prince Manor; presently, Tianxuan Palace is the most likely Outer Domain Force to gain the Ancient Inheritance.
While Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s Heavenly Realm forces are present, they dare not act against Tianxuan Palace.
However, once Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s Heavenly Realm forces leave, their first move would certainly be to destroy Tianxuan Palace.
Currently, Tianxuan Palace has become everyone’s target.
Chu Qingli naturally understood Tianxuan Palace’s situation; upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, she immediately agreed, "Alright, I’ll have things packed."
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Lu Chen directly led the Deceit Suppression Bureau, Zhen Nan Prince Manor, and an army of fifty thousand to the Capital city.
In fact, whether they brought an army or not made no difference; this fifty thousand troops were mainly for show and wouldn’t be of much use.
Soon, news of Zhen Nan Prince Manor heading to the Capital city spread throughout Dazhou.
When people heard Zhen Nan Prince Manor was bringing fifty thousand troops to the Capital city, they instantly thought Prince Zhen Nan intended to rebel.
Initially, there were those who wanted to accuse Prince Zhen Nan of being a treacherous courtier.
But soon, news of Zhen Nan Prince Manor possessing Heavenly Realm powers spread throughout Dazhou.
This news silenced Dazhou immediately.
The princes all became incredibly compliant.
Along the way, Zhen Nan Prince Manor encountered no obstacles.
Meanwhile, upon hearing of Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s approach to the Capital city, the city turned into utter chaos; every Great Court Assembly was a cacophony of arguments in court.
There were suggestions to send troops to block them, others proposed letting Prince Zhen Nan return freely, or even offering negotiations to possibly grant Prince Zhen Nan more land to entice him to stay in Guangling City as the local sovereign.
Under the heavy night sky, a few stars dotted the expanse. Many of Pei Shuhua’s palace lamps had been extinguished, leaving only the corridor lights shining through the window, casting their glow onto the cool stone floor of the grand hall.
At this moment, Pei Shuhua sat on the soft couch, her face filled with worry, apparently deep in thought.
Suddenly, a black silhouette appeared within the grand hall.
Chen Min began, "Let’s go; Prince Zhen Nan is coming, and we can only wait for the border wilderness seal to disappear to have a chance."
Zhen Nan Prince Manor has Heavenly Realm strength, which is absolute in the border wilderness.
This time, Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s journey to the Capital city is very likely aimed at controlling the court and supporting a puppet emperor onto the throne.
If they continue to stay in the Capital city, Zhen Nan Prince Manor might possibly retaliate against Qionghua Holy Land for Tianxuan Palace.
For their own safety, it’s best to stay away from the Capital and wait for the seal to disappear.
As for the task given by the Holy Land, they can only seek an opportunity in secret.
After pondering for a moment, Pei Shuhua said, "I have probably not been exposed yet; I plan to wait a little longer."
Pei Shuhua didn’t want to give up just yet.
In Qionghua Holy Land, Pei Shuhua’s talent wasn’t outstanding; as a senior sister, her realm was lower than many junior sisters, such as Chen Min’s realm being higher.
This time, the inheritance within the Ancient Ruins is crucial to her, so even at risk, she must try.
She wants to see if she can win over Lu Chen.
Seeing Pei Shuhua’s stubbornness, Chen Min didn’t push further.
She said plainly, "Then I wish you success, senior sister. The others and I will withdraw from the Capital city first."
As her voice faded, Chen Min’s figure vanished, leaving only Pei Shuhua sitting alone on the soft couch.
The day Prince Zhen Nan returned to the Capital city, it was incredibly quiet.
Those who initially suggested blocking Prince Zhen Nan from entering the Capital didn’t speak up anymore, and almost all ministers went out of the city to welcome him, led by Pei Shuhua, the Empress Dowager.
The carriage from Zhen Nan Prince Manor slowly made its way towards the South Gate of the Capital city; at this point, Lu Chen lifted the carriage’s curtain and looked towards the city gate.
The gate was crowded with a sea of people, including Dazhou’s officials and civilians from the Capital city standing on both sides watching.
Pei Shuhua then spoke up, "Welcome Prince Zhen Nan back to the Capital."
Upon hearing this, Prince Zhen Nan sitting inside the carriage calmly replied, "Empress Dowager, I am but a dying man, not enough to merit such a commotion."
Pei Shuhua said, "Prince Zhen Nan sealed several Deceit Kings for Dazhou, keeping the people safe from deceit plague, which merits such honors."
Prince Zhen Nan didn’t intend to waste words with Pei Shuhua; he no longer planned to involve himself in Lu Chen’s affairs.
He directly said, "Now that I am no longer attending to matters, all affairs of the manor are entrusted to Lu Chen. If the Empress Dowager has any issues, directly approach Lu Chen."
Hearing this, Pei Shuhua paused in surprise.
She always believed Prince Zhen Nan was the one truly in charge of Zhen Nan Prince Manor, with Lu Chen merely presented at the forefront. However, it now seemed that Lu Chen had completely assumed control of Zhen Nan Prince Manor.
Once regaining her composure, Pei Shuhua immediately had people clear the path, allowing Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s convoy to continue forward and enter the Capital city smoothly.
At dusk.
The blood-red sunset streamed through the windows into the grand hall, where several oil lamps were now lit. In a corner of the hall stood a gilded three-legged bronze incense burner, burning calming incense from within, emitting wisps of smoke that gently rose through the carved openings in the lid, suffusing the chamber with fragrance.
However, this soothing aroma did not ease Pei Shuhua’s tension.
At this moment, she was seated on the soft couch, her demeanor utterly restless.
She couldn’t discern Zhen Nan Prince Manor’s attitude, nor fathom how best to facilitate cooperation between Zhen Nan Prince Manor and Qionghua Holy Land.
Just then, a maid hurriedly entered the hall, kneeling as she said, "Your Majesty, Master Lu requests an audience."