Willing to Be Used by the Empress

No.

Qin Anlan had no intention whatsoever of driving a wedge between them.

The First Prince's power had already taken shape; he had become a force to be reckoned with.

That was an indisputable fact.

Upon hearing this, the Empress showed no reaction on the surface. Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

"You, you've known how to make me happy since you were little."

"No matter what, you and the First Prince are cousins. There's no harm in paying a visit to his estate."

Though that was what she said.

There was not the slightest trace of joy in the Empress's eyes.

Instead, an unprecedented gleam flashed within them.

That gleam vanished in an instant, yet Qin Anlan keenly caught it.

Clearly.

The Empress had developed killing intent toward the First Prince.

As the former Saintess of the Star Sect and the Empress of the Heavenly Flame Empire.

She knew very well just how weighty Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate was.

The Qin Clan was one of the ancient divine clans.

Its strength and foundations were even more terrifying than those of the Star Sect.

Even the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan only dared to win over the Qin Clan, never daring to make any moves against them.

From this, one could see just how terrifying Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate was.

Over the years, the Empress had continually sought to win over the Grand Princess and forge a close relationship with Qin Anlan.

What was it all for?

Was it not to draw Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate into her camp?

To have Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate fully support her son and help the Second Prince ascend the throne.

Yet the First Prince dared to lavish attention on Qin Anlan at such a time, currying favor with him.

What was he trying to do?

Nothing more than digging into the Empress's foundations.

This had touched the Empress's reverse scale, making it unbearable for her.

Seeing the Empress's displeased expression and the faint killing intent flickering in her eyes.

Qin Anlan nodded in satisfaction.

The Empress had deep foundations, controlled a vast number of forces, and had the entire Star Sect behind her.

If she made a move, she would certainly make the First Prince suffer, leaving him scrambling in a panic.

Of course, Qin Anlan understood even better.

At most, such methods could only create trouble for the First Prince and make him uncomfortable.

Wanting to use them to bring down the First Prince was utterly impossible.

Besides his own status and the great forces behind him.

The First Prince had his greatest supporter.

The Left Prime Minister, who controlled the court and led the civil and military officials.

The Left Prime Minister had assisted Emperor Xuanyuan in governing the court for hundreds of years.

His disciples and former officials were spread throughout the land.

His foundations ran so deep that they could not be shaken in a short time.

Fortunately, Qin Anlan had never intended to drive the First Prince from power immediately.

He merely wanted to cause the other side trouble, allowing Qin Anlan to calmly lay out his plans and deal with Ye Qingyun, one of the seven Children of Destiny.

As the chief disciple of Heavenly Firmament Academy, Ye Qingyun possessed exceptional talent, and his future achievements were beyond measure.

He was deeply trusted by both the First Prince and the Left Prime Minister.

He even had a beautiful and powerful master known as the number one female powerhouse of Heavenly Firmament Academy.

He also had some foundation within Heavenly Firmament Academy.

If Qin Anlan directly moved against Ye Qingyun.

It would send a signal to outsiders.

That Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate intended to use this as a pretext to attack the First Prince and the Left Prime Minister.

If Ye Qingyun and that Child of Destiny started jumping about everywhere, they might even join forces with the First Prince.

If these two Children of Destiny joined hands, they would become no small trouble.

That was not something Qin Anlan wished to see.

Before Qin Anlan could say anything, the Empress suddenly seemed to recall something and looked at him as she asked.

"I heard that some days ago, you went and destroyed the Liu Family. What exactly happened?"

"It was like this..."

Qin Anlan did not hide anything. He recounted how Liu Ruyan had come to break off the engagement, slapped Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate in the face, and how he had extracted Liu Ruyan's bloodline and bone structure before wiping out the entire Liu Family.

He even briefly mentioned how Chou Yin had tried to stop him.

"The Left Prime Minister as well—he is busy with court affairs and with matters concerning Heavenly Firmament Academy, so he has neglected discipline."

"That is why people from Heavenly Firmament Academy dare to use his name to run amok."

"Now they even dare to obstruct you, the Young Lord of Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate. It is simply outrageous."

The Empress spoke without revealing any emotion.

She did not directly point out that Chou Yin's actions had been ordered by the Left Prime Minister and the First Prince, deliberately meant to cause trouble for Qin Anlan.

Qin Anlan was no fool either.

If the Empress made it too obvious, it would instead seem forced, as though she were deliberately stirring up hatred.

Yet these words were just right.

Without making a sound, she sowed discord between Qin Anlan and the First Prince and Left Prime Minister.

Pretending not to know the truth, Qin Anlan followed the Empress's words and agreed. "It must be that people from Heavenly Firmament Academy are relying on the names of the Left Prime Minister and the First Prince to run amok. This definitely was not the intention of the Left Prime Minister and the First Prince."

As he spoke, Qin Anlan continued, "Though the Liu Family has been destroyed, Liu Ruyan's elder sister, Liu Ruxue, is still at Heavenly Firmament Academy."

"I plan to visit the Left Prime Minister and have him send Liu Ruxue to serve as this Young Lord's bedwarming maid."

"I had long heard about Liu Ruyan and the Liu Family." The Empress nodded calmly. As though recalling something, she spoke again. "The Left Prime Minister handles countless affairs each day and still has many matters of state to deal with."

"There is no need to trouble the Left Prime Minister over a mere Liu Ruxue."

"Your Majesty the Empress, what do you mean?"

"I shall issue an Imperial Decree at once, granting Liu Ruxue to you as a maid. What do you think?"

"In that case, sorry for the trouble, Your Majesty the Empress."

Qin Anlan smiled calmly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Was this not precisely what he wanted?

Did the Empress truly seem so foolish that she was willing to let Qin Anlan use her as a spear?

As the empress of a nation, the Empress's thoughts were exceedingly meticulous.

She was not afraid in the slightest of offending the Left Prime Minister and the First Prince.

Even if she openly offended them, so what?

She could use this opportunity to declare war on the First Prince and suppress his arrogant momentum.

She could also tell the First Prince and the others that she had already formed an alliance with Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.

It would serve as an immense deterrent to the First Prince and the Left Prime Minister.

The two were merely taking what they needed and using each other.

Naturally, Qin Anlan was happy to see it happen and was willing to be used by the Empress once.