"Guards, take Xue Beng and Xue Xing, these two bastards, and throw them into the dungeon! If we cannot secure the other party's forgiveness, send them over directly!" Xue Ye waved his hand without hesitation at that moment, decisively issuing the order.
The civil officials below originally wanted to advise against it, pointing out that doing so did not conform to the rules, because even if imperial relatives had committed crimes, according to common sense they should not be locked in a major prison. However, at this critical juncture, who would dare to stand up and say a word of opposition?
Xue Beng's face was as pale as dead ashes, completely devoid of color. His heart was filled with despair and fear, because he knew very well that this time he had truly fallen into a state of eternal damnation.
In the past, he had rather enjoyed the feeling of pretending to be a prodigal son, thinking that such a life was both easy and interesting. However, he had never expected that this time the joke would turn out to be so huge that it would completely drag him in as well, leaving him unable to extricate himself.
Especially when he saw his imperial uncle lying on the ground like a pile of mud, his heart was filled with even more despair. You must know that the reason the other party had not dealt him a fatal blow earlier was entirely because of his status and position. Yet now, once his imperial father truly handed the two of them—whose status had been stripped—over to the other party, the consequences awaiting him were simply unimaginable.
There is no familial affection in the imperial family; this saying was not just idle talk.
"Now, all of you, think of a solution for me!" Xue Ye's voice finally rang in the ears of the dragged-away Xue Beng, carrying a trace of ruthlessness and resolution. "Especially you, Count Iskart!"
Hearing Xue Ye's words, Iskart's body trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible force. His face instantly turned pale, and a layer of fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"I... I remember your title is hereditary, right?" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Xue Ye's mouth. "Now, I officially issue an imperial decree stripping you of your hereditary title! If you cannot obtain the other party's forgiveness, humph!"
Before Xue Ye could finish speaking, Iskart's legs suddenly lost their support, and he collapsed weakly to his knees. His body trembled uncontrollably, seeming to have completely lost all control.
He was not some high-level soul master; his soul power cultivation could only be described as passable, and the security at his home was entirely hired help. Now that he had been stripped of his title and lost the fixed stipends given by the royal family every year, how could he possibly maintain his current comfortable life?
As for the family's businesses... stop joking. Without a title, those businesses simply could not be preserved. To a family, a title was not only a symbol of honor and status, but also a guarantee of power and wealth. Losing the title meant losing political support and protection, and those businesses that originally depended on the family would disintegrate along with it. Without the shelter of a title, other forces would ruthlessly swallow up these businesses, and the family's wealth and status would plummet.
As for the other ministers, they were not doing much better at the moment, and they all began to silently calculate the closeness of their blood relations with Iskart. Intermarriage among nobles was a very common occurrence, and this intricate network of relationships made their connections exceptionally close. However, when faced with such a grim situation, this blood relation became a thorn in their hearts. They certainly did not want to be implicated because of their relationship with Iskart, let alone have their heads chopped off.
An execution of nine familial generations was no joke; that was the real nine generations! Once judged to have a connection to Iskart, the entire family would face annihilation. The grand hall was dead silent, and an atmosphere of despair spread wildly in everyone's hearts. It was not that they had never thought of burying the other party with sheer numbers; after all, there were indeed examples in history of Titled Douluos being buried by ordinary people. However, that was merely a rumor, and its authenticity was completely unverifiable.
Soul masters on the Douluo Continent were, after all, an extremely small minority, and most people could not even cross the threshold of level ten. To ordinary people, the power of a soul master was utterly out of reach, just as they could not imagine the formidable power possessed by high-level soul masters. In front of such a huge gap in strength, the advantage of numbers became insignificant.
As for a Peerless Douluo, Xue Ye did not dare to imagine whether a single empire of his own would be enough for the other person to slaughter.
Right at that moment, Qian Renxue, who had been silent all along and disguised as Xue Qinghe, suddenly stepped forward, her voice crisp and firm: "Imperial Father, this child has a plan."
Hearing this, Xue Ye's originally dim and lusterless eyes instantly flashed with a spark of hope. He gazed at Qian Renxue, as if seeing the dawn of solving the problem in this son. After all, he still had some understanding of his eldest son. Although the latter was sometimes ruthless and showed no mercy to his younger brothers, he was indeed a person of genuine talent and learning, and as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the future emperor, Xue Ye believed he would not talk nonsense at such a critical juncture.
"Oh? What brilliant plan does Qinghe have? Speak quickly!" Xue Ye urged impatiently, as if a drowning person had grasped the last straw.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue's mouth curled up slightly, revealing an imperceptible cold smile, but his face quickly returned to that respectful expression. He said unhurriedly: "Reporting to Imperial Father, when Xue Beng and younger brother Lang Lei came into conflict, this child happened to be present. Not only that, this child even took the opportunity to befriend younger brother Lang Lei. His ability to enter Heaven Dou Academy was also specially arranged by this child."
Xue Ye's heart shook, and his body unconsciously leaned forward slightly, urgently pressing: "Is this true?" His voice revealed suppression-defying excitement.
"This child wouldn't dare deceive Imperial Father; every word of this child's is true."
"Haha, good! Continue!"
"Good, this child believes that for an existence like the other party, we must never make an enemy of them. Furthermore, the other party is knowledgeable and experienced, so ordinary gifts of apology probably won't catch their eye, therefore..." Qian Renxue did not finish his sentence, but Xue Ye roughly understood the other party's meaning.
Taking advantage of the previous interactions, "Xue Qinghe" could talk to the other party to some extent; using this relationship, they would present a priceless gift of apology to eliminate the other party's anger.
Just then, Qian Renxue spoke again.
"Of course, Your Majesty, Imperial Uncle, and Iskart must also be sent over to apologize. Forgive this child's presumption, but in a certain sense, they are the main culprits."
Xue Ye looked at Qian Renxue with profound meaning, naturally knowing that the other party was taking this opportunity to use the other person's hands to eliminate his own political rivals.
Yet Xue Ye did not mind, because Xue Qinghe was indeed his designated successor and his own biological son. As for the balance of power...
As long as he wished, he could prop up another "faction" at any time.
"Good, then let it be according to Qinghe's wish. As for what apology gift to send, Qinghe, come over with me in a moment."
"Yes!"
Before you continue