"My Crown Prince Cousin"

"Your Highness, I wouldn't dare." Xu Tianran's subordinate hurriedly dropped to one knee. "This is indeed true, and from the looks of Kong Bo, Elder Kong agrees with it too."

"Elder Kong actually just let Kong Bo carry on like this?" Xu Tianran was astonished. "No, Elder Kong must have a deeper reason for doing this. But whatever he's planning, I have to ask Father about it!"

Then Xu Tianran called Ju Zi over and had her push his wheelchair to the palace to see Xu Cong, the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. Once Ju Zi had wheeled Xu Tianran to the Imperial Study, he asked her to rest in another room for a while. He had something to discuss with his father, Xu Cong.

"Ran'er, what brings you to see Father today?" Xu Cong set down the memorial he was reading and asked Xu Tianran.

"It's neither a major matter nor a trivial one." Xu Tianran sighed. "After seeing what happened, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, so I wanted to ask for your advice. It concerns the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. You remember Elder Kong's great-grandson, Kong Bo, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, I know him," Xu Cong replied. "When the child underwent Martial Soul Awakening, you represented our royal family at the Kong Mansion, didn't you? What's happened to him? How is his study going? How does he compare with Elder Kong when he was young?"

"This child is even more talented than Elder Kong. At nine, he was already a level-25 Soul Grandmaster. And what's most remarkable is that his Soul Engineer certification exams have kept pace with his Soul Master rank. Only Elder Kong has ever managed that." As Xu Tianran spoke, he noticed the look on Xu Cong's face—a look of sheer delight.

Just then, Xu Tianran changed tack. "I came to see you today, Father, because who could have guessed that this child would... would take two girls as his little wives!"

"?" Xu Cong raised his head at Xu Tianran's words. "What? Is that true? Well, you wouldn't have come to see me otherwise. What did Elder Kong have to say? Did you ask him?"

"Father, that's exactly what I don't understand," Xu Tianran said. "According to Dean Hongchen, Kong Bo openly brought the two girls to the principal's office and took care of their enrollment. Kong Bo is in a lower grade, so he isn't in the same year as them, but the four of them ate together at lunch. The fourth was Gu Long'er, the niece of His Excellency the Evil Emperor."

"Ran'er, are you saying that this child, Kong Bo, has a weakness for pretty girls?" Xu Cong asked.

"Yes, but what I don't understand most is why Elder Kong isn't doing anything about it. Father, I find this very abnormal," Xu Tianran said. "What is Elder Kong thinking? Could it be that the girls have powerful Martial Souls, and Elder Kong wants to win over Soul Masters?"

"Ran'er, you mustn't suspect a retainer of the royal Offering Hall like that!" Xu Cong said. "Elder Kong is loyal to our royal family. I suggest you have a proper talk with Kong Bo. By seniority, he has to call you Cousin. Kong Bo is still a child, and children can't keep things bottled up. Why not invite him to your Crown Prince's Mansion and ask him? He's still a child—what secrets could a child possibly keep?"

"Yes, Father. I understand," Xu Tianran replied. "Then I'll go ask Kong Bo. I take my leave."

At noon that day, Kong Bo left school and first returned to the Kong Mansion. After that, he planned to go to the Evil Emperor's house and have the Evil Emperor take him to the Underground Soul Fighting Arena for a Soul Fighting match. But when he got home that day, he found several people inside the Kong Mansion. They were guards from the Crown Prince's Mansion, but they weren't carrying weapons. They looked as though they had come to deliver something to the Kong Family.

"Bo'er, the Crown Prince wants to see you," Kong Deming said. "They're here to escort you."

"His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see me?" Kong Bo was surprised. "All right, big brothers. I'll go with you."

Just like that, Kong Bo arrived at the Crown Prince's Mansion. The guards told him, "Young Master Kong, please wait a moment. His Highness will be here shortly."

Kong Bo picked up a copy of the Sun Moon Times from the bookshelf and began reading. As he looked over the news, he heard Xu Tianran's voice. "Kong Bo, you're here?"

Hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived, Kong Bo quickly got down from his chair. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"No need to be so formal," Xu Tianran said. "This is my Crown Prince's Mansion, and you're no outsider. By seniority, I'm your cousin, and His Majesty is your great-uncle! My father even told me that, from now on, you shouldn't be so formal when you see him or me."

Xu Tianran had a refined, gentle air about him, and now he smiled warmly at Kong Bo. If Kong Bo had been a child who knew nothing, he would truly have thought Xu Tianran was a considerate older brother and seen him as his own brother.

But Kong Bo was a transmigrator, so he knew just how wicked Xu Tianran was. He didn't let it show, though. Instead, he pretended not to know and beamed at Xu Tianran. "Crown Prince Cousin, can I call you that from now on?"

"Of course you can," Xu Tianran replied.

Just then, Ju Zi, who was pushing the wheelchair, spoke up. "Kong Bo, your Crown Prince Cousin thinks about you all the time. He treats you like his own little brother. He was so happy to hear you were doing well at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."

I'd better not, Kong Bo grumbled inwardly. You think I don't know how your younger brothers died?

"Really, Crown Prince Cousin?" Kong Bo looked at Xu Tianran with an eager expression. "Cousin-in-law Ju Zi, did my cousin really say that?"

"Of course," Xu Tianran said. "Kong Bo, you're the only child in your family. Young people always have a generation gap with their elders. If there's anything you don't feel comfortable telling your father or great-grandfather, come to the Crown Prince's Mansion and talk to your cousin. Then Xu Tianran handed Kong Bo the token of the Crown Prince's Mansion. "Take this. You can come see your Crown Prince Cousin whenever you like."

"Cousin, I can't accept this!" Kong Bo said. "If my parents find out you gave me something this valuable, they'll think I asked you for it, and then they'll scold me. Cousin, if you're willing, you could give me some snacks or toys instead."

Hearing this, Xu Tianran was sure that Kong Bo really was just a child. Other people would beg for a token to the Crown Prince's Mansion, but Kong Bo didn't even want one, worried his parents would scold him. That put Xu Tianran's mind at ease.

"All right, all right. I can't have your parents scolding you, Cousin. How about this? I'll tell the guards that whenever you come, they should let you straight in. Your Crown Prince Cousin is always at the Crown Prince's Mansion."