This Is What a Villain Is Like

Marrying Emperor Xia was the most critical part of his plan. He had been planning and preparing ever since returning to the Imperial Capital, so his mind was made up and would not be swayed by anyone.

’I’ll just have to find a way to make it up to this silly girl in the future.’

"Just tell your father. He’ll let you out," Li Mengning said.

Jiang Lan nodded, then shook his head. "Forget it. What if Father sees how determined I am and changes his mind?"

’Anyway, I don’t plan on meeting Emperor Xia before the ceremony. This is a good chance to consolidate my cultivation and forge the rest of my Lifebound Divine Techniques.’

’I just wonder if Fairy Miaoyin will deliver that meteorite as promised.’

"Alright..."

Li Mengning nodded gently, exchanged a few more words with him, and then departed.

After Li Mengning left, Jiang Lan closed his eyes, his consciousness perceiving the changes within his Mud Ball Palace.

Ever since Emperor Xia issued the edict naming him Feng Jun, a surging tide of Great Xia’s National Fortune had been rushing toward him.

During this process, the Mysterious Ancient Vine in his Mud Ball Palace, like parched land receiving welcome rain, trembled continuously as it absorbed as much of that destiny as possible.

It not only sprouted a few new, tender green leaves, but they were also translucent and sparkling, like green jadeite.

At the junction of a tender leaf and the main vine, a soybean-sized fruit had grown, wreathed in a mysterious, hazy substance.

In addition to the Age Dao Fruit and the Life Dao Fruit, the Mysterious Ancient Vine had now produced a third fruit: the Destiny Dao Fruit.

Meanwhile, the Life Dao Fruit had also completed its third stage of maturation, its color shifting from deep green to a deep blue.

In the depths of his boundless Sea of Consciousness, within the White Bone Daoist Palace, the Spirit Soul Minion was also affected. In addition to its control over life and longevity, it gained a new, seemingly innate instinct.

From the once silent, profound void, a vague yet vast and boundless river came into being.

The river stretched beyond sight, its source unknown. Yet it held the profound mysteries of the mortal world’s vicissitudes, the secrets of the turning of All Worlds and Universes, and the shifting destinies of all living beings. It was like a river of creation, and at the same time, a river of fate.

...

On the very day Emperor Xia issued the edict to install the Saint Monarch and proclaim it to the world, the situation throughout the Imperial Capital began to shift.

The numerous ministers and officials aligned with the Prime Minister’s Mansion were overjoyed and celebrated ceaselessly.

Meanwhile, the ministers of the Royalist Faction all wore grave expressions. They immediately began visiting one another to discuss the matter. Some even knelt outside the palace and refused to rise, begging the Emperor to retract the decree.

However, ever since issuing the edict, Emperor Xia had entered secluded cultivation deep within the Imperial Palace. She no longer concerned herself with the various affairs of the court, leaving them to be handled by the Ministry of Personnel, the Central Secretariat, and other departments.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The reaction from the Royalty and Nobility was one and the same: shock to the point of disbelief.

They speculated wildly: Was this some sort of agreement between Emperor Xia and the Prime Minister’s Mansion? Was the Emperor being threatened and forced to compromise? Or was there some other, deeper meaning?

In short, the Imperial Capital was in an uproar, buzzing with all kinds of speculation and discussion.

The honored guests from the various Immortal Sect Lineages were also utterly shocked, believing this could be the beginning of a period of turmoil for Great Xia.

After all, from this point forward, wouldn’t the Prime Minister’s Mansion be the sole dominant power in all of Great Xia, truly wielding absolute authority?

The Prime Minister’s Mansion and Emperor Xia had always been like fire and water, so why would she suddenly want to make Jiang Lan the Feng Jun? There had to be some hidden, unknown reason for it.

Many people speculated, discussed, and investigated, connecting the event to what had occurred during the Southern Hunting exercise. On that day, the Prime Minister had personally intervened to help Emperor Xia fend off the Barbarian God’s phantom.

Had the Prime Minister’s Mansion and Emperor Xia already reached an agreement before that?

"Her Majesty Emperor Xia must have been threatened..."

"We cannot let the Prime Minister wield absolute power and do as he pleases! We must purge the court of his influence!"

The various Vassal Princes and Commandery Princes reacted just as fiercely, with some even planning to raise armies to "protect the throne."

However, Prime Minister Jiang Lintian had long anticipated such a reaction.

Upon catching wind of these movements, he immediately mobilized the troops stationed at the border. Ancient Warships rumbled forth, a vast, surging tide that tore through spatial boundaries to descend upon the territories of those few Vassal Princes. They circled overhead, their presence concealing the auras of several Seventh Realm experts within.

After a few such demonstrations, the vehement reactions from the various territories gradually died down.

Within the Imperial Capital, the Prime Minister personally paid a visit to the Imperial Clan Court.

Afterwards, all the ministers noticed that the court had fallen completely silent on the matter.

That day, someone used a Secret Treasure to spy on the Imperial Clan Court. They saw an ancient ancestor of the Royal Family appear, his aura primeval, demanding answers. He was suspected to be an old monster who had entered the Eighth Realm many years ago.

Afterward, no one knew exactly what had transpired. They only saw the Prime Minister emerge, calm and unruffled, leaving the Imperial Clan Court in deathly silence. Then, over the next few days, it was noted that the Imperial Clan Court was secretly paying exorbitant prices to acquire Healing Holy Medicine from various major clans and Noble Families, leading to suspicion that someone had been gravely injured.

This series of events caused even greater shock and alarm.

A situation that many believed would erupt into massive chaos had been forcefully suppressed by the Prime Minister’s hand, leaving not the slightest ripple or disturbance in its wake.

The Royal Family voiced no further objections.

Upon learning the news, the many Immortal Sect Lineages of the Celestial Central Province were so shocked they were rendered speechless.

Regardless of whatever schemes and conspiracies were involved, the matter of the marriage was now set in stone.