The current Son of Heaven had nine daughters and seventeen sons. Aside from the youngest princes and princesses, the rest had all left Linzi, either of their own accord or by necessity.
Even when Jiang Wuqi passed away this time, they had only been allowed to pay their respects from afar; none had been summoned back to the capital.
Over the long years, the four palace masters of Changle, Huaying, Yangxin, and Changsheng had already proven their abilities, distinguishing themselves among the imperial heirs.
The Son of Heaven was willing to give his outstanding children more opportunities, but Great Qi's resources were not limitless. They could not be squandered without end in the Dragon-Contending Game. The construction of the Huaying, Yangxin, and Changsheng Palaces beyond Changle Palace had already marked the completion of the first round of selection. The next heir to the throne would come from among these four palace masters.
The other princes and princesses had all left Linzi precisely to prevent mediocre talent from consuming the nation's resources.
Whatever their feelings might be,
from a practical standpoint, Jiang Wuqi was dead. What should be done with the enormous political capital he had left behind? It was an issue the entire Qi State needed to consider.
Crown Prince Jiang Wuhua, Huaying Palace Mistress Jiang Wuyou, and Yangxin Palace Mistress Jiang Wuxie were the three who could least afford to let their guard down.
Even Fourteenth Imperial Prince Jiang Wuyong, who seemed to have no hope at all, had stayed in Linzi while all his other siblings were far from the capital. Sometimes he fell ill, sometimes something went wrong in his cultivation, and sometimes he had to care for his sick mother... He had tried every possible way to remain in Linzi. Of course, it wasn't just so