They had everything they needed, and everyone was present. Kong Bo led the whole group out of the Star Dou Great Forest in a noisy procession and found Kong Deming. When Kong Deming saw so many powerful Soul Beasts, he was stunned. "You're..."
"Old man," Evil Emperor said, "you may not know them, but surely you know me. I am Evil Emperor. Kong Bo's treasures were very useful—they practically saved our lives, so we ought to repay him. From now on, we'll be responsible for protecting his safety. Come on, let's return to Ming Capital."
"Y-You're Evil Monarch?" Kong Deming stammered. "You... you want to protect Kong Bo and go to Ming Capital?"
"Mm. There are several of us. Also, give my little sister"—Evil Emperor pointed at Gu Long'er—"a student identity. Don't worry, you won't discover who she really is." Evil Emperor said.
"Certainly, Lord Evil Monarch. Leave it to me," Kong Deming said.
"Great-grandfather," Kong Bo said, "if these sisters go to Ming Capital, the whole court will be shaken. I read a phrase in the history books: '功高震主'—one's achievements are so great they threaten one's ruler. Why not have Elder Sister Evil Monarch establish a residence, with the others staying hidden there? Then Elder Sister Evil Monarch can accompany you to meet His Majesty and ask for an identity. What do you think?"
"Good point, Kong Bo. You've reminded me of something important," Kong Deming said. He knew what the current emperor, Xu Cong, and Crown Prince Xu Tianran were like. Xu Cong was all right, but Crown Prince Xu Tianran was highly ambitious and had little tolerance for others. Given Kong Deming's lofty position, he knew all too well that great achievements could threaten one's ruler. Recommending Evil Monarch alone would add only a small variable. But if Kong Deming brought several people, Xu Tianran might ask, "In the Sun Moon Empire, are you the ruler, or am I?"
"Also, let's keep this Golden Hawksbill in our family pond as a lucky beast that brings wealth," Kong Bo said.
"Kong Bo, my dear great-grandson," Kong Deming said with a sigh, "I may not be able to help you much on the road ahead. Just ask for whatever you need."
Kong Deming was deeply gratified to see how clever Kong Bo was, and how keenly he understood the affairs of court. "Our Kong Family has such a brilliant and wise heir! Ha ha ha, our family has hope." But he also realized that Kong Bo's starting point was too high. As a Super Douluo and a rank-nine Soul Engineer, he might not be able to help much as Kong Bo grew. That left him a little downcast.
Still, the feeling passed quickly. How could Great-Grandfather Kong Deming not hope his great-grandson would make something of himself? The group boarded Kong Deming's Flying Shuttle and returned to Ming Capital. Evil Emperor and the others first settled at the Kong Mansion.
That evening, Kong Deming summoned Kong Bo and his father, Kong Yi, to his study. He told Kong Yi what he and his great-grandson had encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest. Kong Yi's eyes lit up as soon as he heard. "Grandfather, these powerful Soul Beasts all listen to Bo'er. There are two Limit Douluo among them! The Spirit Hall of old was no stronger than this. I'll be bold and ask you to weigh the Nine Tripods. This Sun Moon Empire... could our Kong Family have the merit of restoring the realm?"
He wasn't wrong. A thousand years earlier, Shrek Li had organized the two Douluo nations to invade the Sun Moon Empire. It was the Kong Family's ancestors who led the Soul Engineers in staking their lives to defend Ming Capital. When the Sun Moon Empire counterattacked and the Shrek coalition could no longer hold on, the Kong Family was granted the ducal title Duke of Yue. The Kong Family now commanded great respect among the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineers, and Kong Bo had brought back several powerful Soul Beasts. Naturally, Kong Yi had grown ambitious.
Kong Yi had barely finished speaking before the expressions on Kong Deming and Kong Bo's faces made it clear they disagreed.
"Hmph, Yi'er," Kong Deming said, shaking his head. "You need to think more carefully. Come, Bo'er. Tell your father where his idea is wrong."
"Father," Kong Bo asked, "of the four Soul Engineer legions, how many are loyal to our Kong Family? If we tried to claim the throne, how many would immediately support us?"
"Th-There aren't any," Kong Yi said.
"Father, how many people have we placed in the Royal Hand Soul Engineer Legion?" Kong Bo continued.
Kong Yi shook his head again.
Then Kong Bo asked, "All right, Father, let me ask the simplest question. The court officials are civil servants. We could use force to make them submit. But would the Hongchen family and Great-Grandfather's family firmly support us if they learned that our Kong Family wanted to become emperor?"
Kong Yi still shook his head.
"Father, Shrek is watching us from outside, while the Holy Spirit Cult is stirring up trouble within. What do they think of our Kong Family?" Kong Bo continued.
"Th-This..." Kong Yi fell silent.
Kong Bo spoke up. "You're my father, so I shouldn't be the one to say this. But I will: you haven't won any of those people over, and you think you can take the throne? Keep dreaming! Yi'er, ambition is fine, but we need the strength to match it. Wait until Bo'er has grown up before we talk about it. You really are no match for your son."
"Grandfather, Yi'er was wrong." Kong Yi broke out in a cold sweat. It was fortunate that his grandfather and his sensible son had kept their heads. If they'd gotten carried away just because several powerful Soul Beasts had arrived, the whole Kong Family might have been wiped out.
"Yi'er, bury this idea in your heart and keep it to yourself. Wait until Bo'er has grown up, then we can discuss it at length," Kong Deming said. "Don't even tell Fanghua! Tomorrow, I'll go to meet His Majesty with a Limit Douluo. We'll say she saw us on the road, and after I told her about Ming Capital, she admired its prosperity and no longer wanted to cultivate in the mountains. So she came here with me. The others can stay hidden at the residence."
Though Kong Deming had never read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he knew the value of "secretly raising three thousand loyal retainers and scattering them among the people, only to gather them all at once when the time came." (@Sima Shi)
Then Kong Deming said, "As for Bo'er, in two weeks you'll start at the Royal Soul Engineer Academy. You have a gift for both Soul Master cultivation and Soul Engineering, so don't neglect either. You're a determined child, and your great-grandfather has faith in you."
"Yes, Great-Grandfather," Kong Bo said.
The next day, Kong Deming took Evil Emperor to the Sun Moon Imperial Palace. Kong Bo had taught her what to say, so she simply gushed in plain, unvarnished words: "Oh my, Ming Capital is so prosperous! Oh my, the Sun Moon Empire's palace has so many gold and silver treasures! Your Majesty, whoever you want me to beat up, I'll beat them up—no questions asked. Just get me a big house and some gold and silver treasures."
That secured Evil Emperor's persona. "Her Majesty Evil Emperor has long cultivated deep in the mountains. By chance, she ran into this old servant after coming out of seclusion. She was impressed by my fine clothes, so I told her about Ming Capital's prosperity, and she came here."
"Excellent!" Emperor Xu Cong was delighted. A Limit Douluo had joined the Sun Moon Empire—that was wonderful news. And this Limit Douluo was greedy for money. "Elder Kong, Ming Hall has a construction team. Have them build a residence for Her Majesty Evil Emperor. Let her receive the same treatment as you for now. Her Majesty Evil Emperor, if you need anything, come straight to me."
Before you continue