Dugu Bo: Xue Beng Was Actually Pretending...

As night deepened, the clamor faded away.

With the "misunderstanding" cleared up, the "kidnapping case" that had caused such a stir in Heaven Dou City ultimately ended as a farce.

Although Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe still harbored many doubts, especially regarding Xuan Hao's identity and motives, Dugu Yan's "testimony," coupled with Xuan Hao's unyielding attitude and apparent readiness to flip the table at any moment, made it difficult for them to press the matter further. After a few polite words, they hurriedly departed.

As for Prince Xue Xing, seeing that even his greatest backers had left, he could only withdraw the Royal Knights surrounding the hotel with a belly full of resentment and unwillingness.

The hotel, which had originally been surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through, soon returned to peace and quiet.

Heaven Dou City, a secluded residence.

This was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's private estate.

"Speak."

After dismissing the servants, Dugu Bo sat in a taishi chair. "What exactly happened? Don't try to fool me with that nonsense about accepting the outcome of a wager. Old Man may be old, but I'm not senile yet."

"You're my granddaughter. Don't I know that temper of yours? You'd massage the shoulders and pound the back of some brat eight or nine years old? Even if you lost a bet, with your personality, you'd have raised holy hell long ago. How could you be this calm?"

Dugu Yan sat opposite him, holding a cup of hot tea. She remained silent for a long time.

"Grandfather, if it hadn't been Xuan Hao today—if it had been someone else—what would have happened to us?"

"What would have happened?" Dugu Bo snorted coldly. "Old Man is a mighty Titled Douluo. Who would dare do anything to me?"

"Yes, no one would dare do anything to you. But..." Dugu Yan set down her teacup. "Today, you nearly fought Xuan Hao for Xue Beng's sake. If Xuan Hao hadn't had confidence in himself, if he had been an ordinary person, wouldn't you have crippled him today?"

"And if... Xuan Hao truly had a force behind him stronger than you, what would the consequences have been if that fight had broken out?"

Dugu Bo frowned. "Since Old Man dared to make a move, naturally I wasn't afraid of the consequences."

"Then do you know why the Imperial Family mobilized the Imperial Guards with such fanfare?" Dugu Yan asked.

"Xuan Hao told me that the Imperial Family didn't do this to save me, nor did they do it to capture Xuan Hao. They were putting on a show for you! They wanted you to think the Imperial Family was loyal enough, so you'd serve them wholeheartedly!"

"And if a real fight broke out, the Imperial Family would absolutely hide behind the scenes and make you fight alone! If you won, it would be because the Imperial Family led well. If you lost... or even died, it would be because of your private grievances, and have nothing to do with the Imperial Family!"

"Bullshit!!" Dugu Bo slammed his palm on the table and roared, "That brat is trying to sow discord! The Imperial Family may act dishonorably at times, but they're not shameless enough to stoop that low!"

"Are they really not?" Dugu Yan stared straight into Dugu Bo's eyes. "Grandfather, think carefully. Xue Beng was beaten on the street. Why did Prince Xue Xing not seek others, not seek the Royal Knights, but instead travel all the way to Sunset Forest to invite you out?"

"How old is Xuan Hao? Was a Titled Douluo really needed just to bully a child?"

"This..." Dugu Bo was left speechless.

"Because they knew this matter was troublesome! They knew the other party wasn't easy to provoke!"

Dugu Yan's voice rose several degrees. "They didn't want to risk their own people, so they pushed you out! If you won, the Imperial Family would regain its honor. If you lost, it would only mean Poison Douluo was inferior in skill!"

"From beginning to end, the two of us, grandfather and granddaughter, were the fools who got sold and still helped count the money!"

"..."

Dugu Bo fell silent.

He might not understand political schemes, but he had lived for so many years. He was no fool. He had merely been too close to the matter to see clearly, and Prince Xue Xing had once shown him life-saving grace, so he had not thought too deeply about it.

Now that his granddaughter had exposed the truth, and when he recalled the subtle attitudes displayed today by the Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect...

"Grandfather, why did you insist on getting involved in that trash Xue Beng's affairs?"

Dugu Yan could not help asking, a trace of complaint in her voice. "You're a Titled Douluo, a free and unfettered powerhouse. Why make yourself so passive for the sake of an Imperial Family playboy?"

Dugu Bo sighed. "Yanyan, there are some things... you don't understand."

"I don't understand?" Dugu Yan looked at him stubbornly. "I'm not a child anymore! That Xuan Hao is several years younger than me, yet he can understand it. Why can't I? Do you think I have no brains, so you never tell me anything?"

"I used to think that with you around, no one would dare scheme against us. But today... I was truly afraid. I'm afraid that one day, you'll be sold out by someone, and I won't even know where to collect your body!"

Dugu Bo sighed. Seeing the stubborn look in his granddaughter's eyes, his heart softened.

"Fine."

Dugu Bo waved his hand. "It won't hurt to tell you. But remember this: keep it buried in your stomach. You cannot tell anyone."

"This matter... concerns the deepest secrets of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. It may even determine the empire's survival."

Dugu Yan immediately sat up straight and held her breath.

"You only know that Xue Beng is an ignorant, worthless playboy. But you don't know that this is actually a mask he had no choice but to wear in order to survive."

"Xue Beng... was actually pretending to be foolish."

"Pretending to be foolish?" Dugu Yan froze.

"That's right." A sharp glint flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes. "Do you remember how, a few years ago, the Second Prince and Third Prince died one after another in unexpected accidents?"

Dugu Yan nodded.

"Those were no accidents." Dugu Bo sneered. "How could there be so many accidents within the Imperial Palace? And the ones who died were all princes who were both intelligent and talented."

"Many people suspect that the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, was behind it."

"Xue Qinghe?" Dugu Yan's eyes widened. "That gentle and refined Crown Prince, who treats others with kindness?"

"You can know a person's face but not their heart." Dugu Bo shook his head. "Beneath that benevolent mask may lie a heart more venomous than snakes and scorpions. For the throne, he could even harm his own brothers, and do it without leaving a trace. Someone like that... is too terrifying."

"Prince Xue Xing saw through this, which was why he had Xue Beng deliberately pretend to be a wastrel, causing trouble all day long. It was to make Xue Qinghe believe he was trash, that he posed no threat, so he could preserve his life."

"And Prince Xue Xing's determination to protect Xue Beng was also His Majesty's intention."

"His Majesty's intention?" Dugu Yan was even more bewildered.

"The Imperial Art of Governance..." Dugu Bo sighed. "The Second Prince and Third Prince were already dead. If something happened to Xue Beng as well, then Xue Qinghe would be the only remaining heir to the throne. At that point, the sole obstacle preventing Xue Qinghe from ascending the throne... would be His Majesty himself."

"For a man who could kill all his brothers for the throne, who could guarantee that he would not... murder his father to take the throne sooner?"

Dugu Yan felt a chill run through her entire body.

She had never imagined that beneath the magnificent splendor of the Imperial Palace lay such terrifying plots and bloodshed.

"Therefore, Xue Beng cannot die, nor can he be crippled."

Dugu Bo continued, "Once anything happens to Xue Beng, whether it is His Majesty, the Imperial Clan, or even the court officials, all will develop enormous fear and distrust toward Xue Qinghe."

"A ruler who could slaughter all his brothers before even ascending the throne—who would dare serve him? Who would dare entrust the empire's future to him?"

"When that time comes, no matter how outstanding Xue Qinghe may be, for the stability of the empire, His Majesty would certainly depose him!"

"Otherwise, those people of the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Clan, as well as the imperial princes below who hold fiefs and command armies, would never agree. They might even join forces and rebel under the banner of Qing Jun Ce, because they would not dare gamble on whether Xue Qinghe would turn his blade on them after ascending the throne. By then, the Heaven Dou Empire would inevitably fall into turmoil, perhaps even split apart."

Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan and spoke earnestly:

"This is why I had to step forward. It was not merely to repay Prince Xue Xing's favor, but also for the peace of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"If the Heaven Dou Empire descended into civil strife over the succession and suffered grievous losses, the Star Luo Empire, which had been eyeing it covetously all this time, would certainly seize the chance to attack. Then war would rage across the land, and countless lives would suffer."

"Though Grandfather has always been solitary and dislikes getting involved in these political struggles, I still cannot stand by and watch the world descend into chaos."

Dugu Yan pursed her lips. Though she understood her grandfather's greater cause, she still felt stifled inside.

"But Grandfather, even for the greater good, we shouldn't be used as weapons so passively. This time, Xuan Hao bore no ill intent. But what if something like this happens again, and the other party truly wants to fight you to the death?"

"You are a Titled Douluo, not the Imperial Family's watchdog."

A trace of gratification flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes. He patted Dugu Yan's head. "Don't worry. Grandfather knows what he's doing. This time, Grandfather was careless and got a little carried away by Xue Xing's persuasion. Having learned this lesson, it won't be so easy for them to use me as a weapon again."

"However..."

Dugu Bo's expression turned stern as he gave an extremely serious warning:

"Everything Grandfather told you tonight—about Xue Beng pretending to be foolish, and the suspicions concerning Xue Qinghe—you must keep it buried in your stomach! You cannot let a single word slip, not even in your dreams!"

"Once this leaks out and Xue Qinghe learns that Xue Beng has been pretending, he may choose to take desperate measures and directly eliminate Xue Beng!"

"At that point, His Majesty and the Imperial Clan, in order to uphold the legitimacy and bottom line of imperial authority, would never tolerate a Crown Prince who was so ruthless that he dared make a move right beneath their eyes!"

"That would be when the world truly turned upside down!"

Dugu Yan nodded solemnly. "I understand, Grandfather. I absolutely won't say anything."

"Mm." Dugu Bo sighed. "In truth, His Majesty's thoughts are conflicted as well. By making Ning Fengzhi Xue Qinghe's teacher, he may also have intended to use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to keep the Crown Prince in check."

"After all, both sides of the hand are made of flesh. While His Majesty favors the more capable Xue Qinghe, believing he is better able to preserve the realm than Xue Beng, harming one's own brothers is ultimately a grave taboo for a ruler. It chills people's hearts."

"So, the current situation is very delicate."

"Xue Beng must live, and he must remain trash. If he were to reveal astonishing talent as well, causing His Majesty to waver over the heir... then the Heaven Dou Empire might truly become a river of blood."

Dugu Yan listened with her heart pounding, silently lowering her head and saying no more.

She suddenly felt that compared with the Imperial Family, which was filled with bloodshed and schemes, those noble disciples at the academy who fought over jealousy and romantic rivalry were simply innocent and adorable.