The Demon Lords

Chuanye,

Ji Chuanye.

This name inevitably evokes associations. I believe that after tonight, when the name of the Imperial Grandson spreads, a new trend is about to sweep through.

One must know, the Sixth Prince’s fame has already risen. Although his methods are sometimes a bit extreme, whether dealing with those above or below, there’s a certain sense of decisive ruthlessness. Yet, the entire court has actually grown accustomed to it under the sovereign power of the Yan Emperor.

If the next emperor continues in the vain of the Yan Emperor, the ministers wouldn’t outright reject it. After all, they have made it through the years.

Of course, if the Crown Prince could ascend the throne, that would be ideal because the Crown Prince aligns well with the ministers’ vision of a ’sage king,’ and it would also loosen the chains around their necks.

However, right now, the Yan Emperor’s word is law. If he desires to change the heir, no one dares to oppose it, let alone can oppose it.

And the name of the Imperial Grandson inevitably makes one feel that His Majesty is sending a hint to the world;

the Imperial Grandson is to ’inherit the legacy,’ to inherit the great cause, but what about the father of the Imperial Grandson?

When the Imperial Grandson cried for the second time, needing the wet nurse to feed him, the Yan Emperor got up and returned to the palace, with Ji Chengsu also returning.

The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince also returned to their respective residences, as they were close by, not far.

The Eldest Prince and the barbarian princess stayed a little longer.

"Ji Chuanye, Ji Chuanye, haha, after this, Sixth Brother, you are one step closer to that position." The Eldest Prince teased.

Ji Chengjue appeared calm and said:

"You and I both know what kind of person the old man is. Not to mention naming my son ’inherit the legacy,’ even if he named him ’inherit the throne,’

haha,

to the old man, what does it mean anyway?

He, ah, right now, is just roasting me over the fire;

as for me, brother, I feel like a roast duck stuck in tongs, being slowly turned by our father to evenly roast out the fat."

"There you go again, talking about your old trade." The Eldest Prince laughed.

Ji Chengjue shook his head and said, "Being our father’s son is indeed difficult. Right now, I feel a bit anxious in my heart. In the past, I was below, and Second Brother was above. Now, we have swapped positions.

Brother, you saw how haggard Second Brother has become since entering the East Palace."

The Eldest Prince almost wanted to say: Wasn’t half of it because of you?

But in the end, he didn’t speak it out aloud. Using this opportunity of the next generation’s birth, the brothers, along with the old man, gathered with much difficulty. After all, there is still some brotherly affection.

The barbarian princess beside them quietly sat without uttering a word. She understood that the brothers speaking without avoiding her was already a great respect, but she didn’t have the right to say anything.

"Take it one step at a time. I don’t believe our father would have made a definitive decision to replace me with this. If I naively thought so, I’d be not far from being roasted well.

By the way, Brother, since you last returned, we haven’t had a good talk yet. What’s the situation like down below?"

"Not very good. The door valves are gone, but the door valves cannot be completely eradicated. The big ones are dug out, and the small ones quickly grow. Besides not having the ’century-old’ signboard, what they do now is no different from those door valves back in the day."

"Naturally, no one is a fool. Everyone knows how to eat, and they also know how to get more. Such things are like the moss on the steps, you must clear them from time to time, never letting your guard down."

"So, do you mean to say, your brother is doing this moss-clearing for you?"

"This isn’t a small task. The pot is only so big, and the rice it can cook only so much. All I can do in expanding is to add a few more dishes outside, but if there isn’t enough rice, eating only dishes won’t fill you up.

If the court eats more, then the below eats less. If the below eats more, then the court is not well-fed.

If the court is not well-fed, father gets angry. Then, brother, I would... haha."

"If you need my help, just say it straight. My brain is not as good as yours, especially in financial matters, but, the Jiangnan of Qian State is just so rich. Within the same time, the restoration and accumulation of power by Qian people would be much greater than ours.

Last time, Li Fusheng and Li Bao attacked Qian from two routes, reaching under the imperial capital, initially thinking in the next year, the Qian people in the north would be starving, but this scene never came to be. With the support from Jiangnan, the Qian people not only stabilized the northern situation but even increased troops at the three borders."

"Brother, that’s not the way to calculate it. Our Yan does not indeed match Qian State in richness, population, or fertile land.

But the century-old problems of our Yan were forcibly excised through pain by father and the North and South lords. And for the Qian people?

Do they really think a few edicts from an official family and some insightful individuals from the top down can transform such a large country?

Impossible, this is wishful thinking.

For example, Qian State has ten fingers, but I, Yan, have only five, yet that Qian official family controls only three fingers. While I, Yan, possess five, father can wield four fingers.

Four against three, we still have the advantage."

Saying this, Ji Chengjue looked again at the barbarian princess and said:

"It’s like your brother’s barbarian tribe, with vast deserts and numerous tribes more than one can count. It is not the barbarians that are declining, but merely the Royal Court."

The barbarian princess listened without anger, instead nodded with a smile.