Engagement

"Spare us! Fourth Prince, spare us!"

"Fourth Prince, you are magnanimous. Please spare us!"

"This lowly one deserves death, this lowly one deserves death..."

Several eunuchs lay sprawled on the ground, their buttocks beaten bloody by warriors wielding wooden staves. A few had already fainted from the pain, while the rest were still begging Dai Yao for mercy, pleading for him to let them go.

When they had bullied him before, Dai Yao had wished he could kill them. But now that these eunuchs had been beaten black and blue, he felt nothing in his heart.

The one behind them was the Empress, and Dai Yao's true enemy was also the Empress. Getting rid of these claws and teeth was no real loss to her.

He only wanted to vent.

The bullying he had suffered over the years had formed a knot of resentment in his heart. Once that resentment was released, his whole body felt much lighter.

"Fourth Highness, are you satisfied now?" Eunuch Gui asked with a smile.

"These people have tasted the bitter fruit of their own actions now. Let them go, and drive them out of the palace," Dai Yao replied.

"Then we shall do as Your Highness says."

Dai Yao was no magnanimous person. Driving these eunuchs out of the palace and leaving them to fend for themselves meant they would not only lose their royal status, but also have no family, and they could no longer function as men. Their chances of survival were worrying.

And the abnormalities of their bodies would make others discriminate against them and bully them.

Then let you experience the life I once lived, Dai Yao thought silently.

After he ate something and his complexion improved slightly, Eunuch Gui said, "These people were also our subordinates. It was also because we failed to manage those under us properly that such a horrifying thing happened."

"Eunuch Gui assists His Majesty and has countless affairs to handle. Besides, there are so many people in the palace that it's inevitable some will be good and some bad. Eunuch Gui need not take it to heart," Dai Yao comforted him.

Eunuch Gui began speaking of serious matters. "Fourth Prince should know that every prince will be engaged to a woman from the Zhu Family?"

"I've heard of this family rule."

The White Tiger Spirit could perform Spirit Fusion with the Netherworld Cat Spirit, and their descendants could also inherit the White Tiger Spirit. Therefore, every generation of Star Luo princes would take women from the Zhu Family as wives.

"Right now, the Zhu Family has a girl named Zhu Zhuqing, who has awakened the Netherworld Cat Spirit. However, there are currently two princes who have yet to be married, so His Majesty's intention is for the two princes to duel. The victor will earn the right to make the engagement."

Dai Yao's eyes lit up.

Although using a single engagement contract to bind Zhu Zhuqing's entire life was hardly humane, in a society like Douluo Continent, there was no such thing as humane or inhumane.

Nobles had the rules of nobles.

Dai Yao did not possess any particularly noble sentiments, such as opposing feudal monarchy or establishing a nation where everyone was equal.

As a prince, he was a member of the nobility. A revolution would be a revolution against himself. In the eyes of nobles, it was perfectly normal for two people with no emotional foundation whatsoever to be engaged.

As nobles, an engagement itself needed to serve the interests of both families. The opinions of the people involved in the engagement were not important.

To Dai Yao, as a prince of the Star Luo Empire, once an engagement was made, the husband and wife would need to struggle together and seek a chance to survive.

In the original work, Zhu Zhuqing not only had a fiery figure, but was also utterly loyal in love. Together with Dai Mubai, through their mutual efforts and with Tang San's help, they finally broke free from the fate of Star Luo princes.

If he missed Zhu Zhuqing, he had no idea what the next marriageable woman's appearance or personality would be like. More importantly, he could not be sure whether that woman would be able to support him through difficult days and never abandon him.

Rather than wait for a woman whose background he did not know, it was better to fight with all he had and seize this engagement!

It was just that this duel would be somewhat troublesome. Dai Mubai's Soul Power had already reached rank seventeen, and he had abundant combat experience.

As for himself, his Spirit had only just awakened. Not only was he three years younger than Dai Mubai, but he had also suffered long-term malnutrition and had a thin, small frame. In a fight against him, his odds of winning were probably not high. But when he thought of his Eight Extremes Collapse, perhaps there was a chance of victory.

"Eunuch Gui, may I ask when the duel will begin?"

"It will begin after you obtain your First Spirit Ring," Eunuch Gui replied.

"Originally, today should have been an auspicious day for Fourth Highness to receive your title. However, His Majesty has instructed that all ceremonies will be held only after the result of the duel comes out."

Eunuch Gui pointed at the silk and treasures on the table and said, "These things are the rewards for your title. From now on, Your Highness's treatment will be adjusted to the level of a prince. If Your Highness is hungry, you may summon meals at any time. Do you need some Maids to attend to your daily life?"

"No."

Among these Maids, there might well be spies of the Empress. With day-and-night contact, who knew whether they would see something they should not? He had no intention of guarding against thieves for a thousand days. Moreover, the secrets on him were of great importance. Eight Extremes Collapse was his trump card for the duel and absolutely could not be exposed. More importantly, he could not expose his Twin Martial Souls. Once exposed, he would never know peace again.

Eunuch Gui swept his gaze around the Cold Palace and said, "Your Highness, if you have any needs, you may tell us. We will satisfy what we can."

"If I have any needs, I will tell Eunuch Gui."

After seeing Eunuch Gui off, only Dai Yao and Dai Hengyu were left in the room.

Dai Hengyu said with mixed feelings, "I didn't expect your talent to be so high. In that case, you can no longer follow me to the Council of Elders."

"Remember this. Once you set foot on the path of the struggle for the throne, there is no turning back. Your life is in your own hands. On this path, several princes have already walked a very long way."

"First Prince Dai Weisi is fifteen this year, the Empress's legitimate son. His Soul Power has currently reached rank thirty-one, and he has just obtained his Third Spirit Ring."

"Second Prince Dai Yaming is twelve, not born of the Empress, a rank twenty-five Battle Soul Master, and the First Prince's greatest competitor."

"Third Prince Dai Mubai is nine, a rank seventeen Soul Master. And you are six, and have yet to obtain your First Spirit Ring."

After hearing these words, Dai Yao gained a clearer understanding of his own situation.

Right now, the ones with hope of competing for the throne were the First Prince and the Second Prince. Although Dai Yaming was three years younger than Dai Weisi, his talent was higher than Dai Weisi's. As he grew older, the gap between him and Dai Weisi would only become smaller and smaller.

In the original work, the one who represented Star Luo Royal Academy in battle was Dai Weisi, which meant Dai Yaming had failed in his competition with Dai Weisi.

As for Dai Mubai and him, they looked entirely like extras filling the numbers. Both of them were too young. The youngest, Dai Yao, was a full nine years younger than Dai Weisi. Dai Weisi had already become a Soul Elder, while he had not even obtained his First Spirit Ring. A gap of more than twenty ranks of Soul Power was far too great.

But the competition for the throne was this cruel. It would not give anyone preferential treatment just because of an age gap. The world was unfair to begin with. If you were truly a genius, then prove that your talent was enough to make up for the difference in age.

In the history of the Star Luo Empire, every Star Luo emperor who had overcome those above him had been an outstanding talent in every aspect. During their reigns as emperors of the Star Luo Empire, they had all been able to suppress the Heaven Dou Empire.

In the original work, even after eating the Immortal Herb Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Dai Mubai's Soul Power only reached rank forty-four, still three ranks behind Dai Weisi.

From this, it could be seen just how difficult it was to overcome those above.