Zhang Tie sat in the reception hall, staring at Fang Qingming, who had bowed deeply to the ground. His face was expressionless, but inwardly, he could not help but feel a trace of admiration. Worthy indeed of being Crown Prince Changying's chief strategist—his skill at persuading others was truly formidable.
Fang Qingming knew exactly what he wanted from this visit to Xuanyuan Hill, so his very first words upon meeting Zhang Tie had gone straight to the point, almost perfectly voicing what Zhang Tie himself had been thinking.
"Please rise, Mister Fang!" Zhang Tie said, walking over to the chair at the head of the room and taking his seat. "Did Empress Shaoyi and Lady Xiao send you here? Does Mister Fang think that my having Xuanyuan Zhu accompany me today means I intend to make him emperor?"
Empress Shaoyi was Crown Prince Changying's birth mother. Zhang Tie had never met her, but he had heard that she was also a formidable figure within the imperial palace. And from the few simple words they had exchanged today, he could tell that Lady Xiao, too, was no ordinary woman.
Now, all of Xuanyuan Hill was abuzz with rumors that he intended to replace the imperial family. The entire imperial family was in a state of panic. This much could be seen from the three princes who had come to receive him today. Such treatment could be called exceptionally grand. To the imperial family, it was both unusual—and behind that unusualness lay, most likely, their fear of him and their concern over his ambitions. Yet there was no solution to this for the Great Xia Imperial Family, because more than half of Great Xia now stood on his side. Especially the military and the many powerful local clans and great families—there was