Royal Capital.
The open and covert struggles among the many princes and princesses had reached a fever pitch.
Su Changge had just led his people to rent a courtyard when envoys from several princes and princesses came looking for him.
"Su Changge, eighteen years old, son-in-law of the Murong Earldom, rank: Soul Grandmaster... and the current de facto ruler of the Murong Earldom!"
At their first meeting, the middle-aged noble at the front didn't wait for Su Changge to speak before reciting all sorts of information about him.
Was he trying to seize the initiative?
Su Changge looked at the people before him, his expression unchanged.
It seemed he really had been right to come to the Royal Capital.
These princes and princesses had probably been keeping an eye on the kingdom's many nobles for a long time.
Even if he hadn't come, they would have sought out the Murong Earldom sooner or later.
"You haven't been in the kingdom long, and you've only just arrived in the Royal Capital. You're still unfamiliar with everything here."
"However, those are all minor problems."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Viscount Nairn, currently in the service of First Prince Snyder!"
"As for them, they're representatives sent by Third Prince Ente, Fifth Prince Zoki, and Seventh Princess Alice... And we may not be the only ones. After us, several other princes and princesses with ambitions for the throne may send people over..."
"But what I want to say is that their masters don't hold a candle to the First Prince!"
From Viscount Nairn, Su Changge also understood why the man was so confident.
Having joined the army at a young age, First Prince Snyder now had more than seventy percent of the kingdom's elite forces behind him. Among them were the commanders of the kingdom's two famed "Iron Walls," both Soul Douluo powerhouses, and they had all sided with him.
And that wasn't all! Two marquises, several earls, and twenty or thirty viscounts and barons throughout the kingdom had also chosen First Prince Snyder.
Under ordinary circumstances, even if one took the most pessimistic view—
Even if the old king didn't choose First Prince Snyder, the prince would still be capable of launching a coup and seizing the throne by force.
But this was... Douluo!
Above Soul Douluos stood Titled Douluos and Super Douluos.
And if things got out of hand, it was even entirely possible for an Evil God to descend.
Without the support of top powerhouses on the level of Titled Douluos, the stronger First Prince Snyder's forces became, the more likely they were to spell trouble for him.
There was only so much of the kingdom's pie to go around. If more people got involved, how were the top powers supposed to divide it?
How could anyone satisfy their enormous appetites!?
First Prince Snyder had already gathered all the essential traits of the perfect target!
It was only a matter of time before the other princes and princesses dragged him down.
"Su Changge, bring the Murong Earl's line over to our side! I can make a promise on behalf of the First Prince: once he ascends the throne, you'll become the true master of the Murong Earldom!"
"By then, the Murong Earldom won't bear the Murong name anymore. It'll be the Su Earldom."
Viscount Nairn held out both hands, his gaze steady and forceful, as if he were certain Su Changge would agree.
An ordinary person might well have dropped to their knees.
But who was Su Changge?
Setting aside the fact that joining the First Prince's faction would make him a target for everyone to gang up on, the price offered by the First Prince and Viscount Nairn was something Su Changge couldn't accept.
What did he mean, the true master of the earldom?
Wasn't he already?
Change the name, and he hadn't spent a single coin!
Did they think he was some naive fool?
"Please thank the First Prince on my behalf for his kind offer, Viscount Nairn. It's just that... I've only just arrived in the Royal Capital, and everything here is still new to me."
"Why don't you give me a couple of days to get settled? Then I can come pay my respects to the First Prince in person."
Su Changge flashed a faint smile and looked cheerfully at Viscount Nairn.
Having understood what Su Changge meant, Viscount Nairn's expression immediately darkened.
"You dare reject the First Prince!?"
"Su Changge, you... You're quite something!"
"But let me tell you this: here in the Royal Capital, no one can refuse the First Prince."
"You and the Murong Earldom behind you will pay a terrible price for this rejection."
Having been rejected, Viscount Nairn naturally had no reason to stay.
After tossing a few threats at Su Changge and shooting the other princes' and princesses' envoys a glare, he swept out of the courtyard.
After Viscount Nairn left, the other princes' and princesses' envoys visibly relaxed.
The biggest rival was gone.
Now they all had a chance.
"Honorable Lord Changge, I'm the envoy of Prince Ente."
"You may not know this, but Prince Ente is the nominal adopted son of several Cardinals in the kingdom's Spirit Hall Branches. As a Soul Master... you should understand what the name Spirit Hall means."
"If you're willing to join Third Prince Ente's side, you'll earn the friendship of every Spirit Hall Branch in the kingdom. In addition... the Third Prince is willing to have several Cardinals write you a letter of recommendation, so you can pursue further study in Spirit City."
Su Changge fixed his eyes on the Third Prince's envoy, his gaze lowered.
Great! Another freeloader.
Studying in Spirit City sounded nice enough.
But he was eighteen, not six.
Even if he did go, the priests of Spirit Hall wouldn't teach him any real skills.
Besides, as an eighteen-year-old man with a whole family in tow, he just couldn't bring himself to go to Spirit City and live a hard life of study.
"Next!"
"I'm the envoy of Seventh Princess Alice. It's no secret that one of the Seven Great Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, stands behind her..."
Su Changge had already stopped listening to what the Seventh Princess's envoy was saying.
Knowing that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan stood behind Seventh Princess Alice was enough.
Yu Xiaogang's clan. This was a high-level game, and he had to take a bite out of them no matter what.
Over the next hour, Su Changge rejected the overtures of several princes' and princesses' envoys.
Only after every envoy had left did the courtyard where Su Changge was staying finally fall quiet.
That round had helped him get a decent understanding of the foundations and resources of the many princes and princesses in the Royal Capital, saving him quite a bit of effort.
"Someone, investigate how many of the old king's children have come of age, and among them... how many haven't sent an envoy!"
"Find out what they're really like, but don't draw anyone's attention."
Su Changge beckoned, and several Musket Cavalrymen left in disguise.
For the next two days, Su Changge stayed holed up in the courtyard without setting foot outside.
This left the many princes and princesses watching him completely baffled.
What was this ruler of an earldom who had come from the southern border up to?
Was he waiting for a better offer?
Or was he biding his time, simply trying to avoid risk until the moment was right to add the finishing touch?
Or did he have some other scheme?
After waiting two days, Su Changge finally sorted out the situation.
Among the many princes and princesses, he found the most suitable "pawn"!
Thirteenth Princess Rose!
A princess whose mother had died early, with no relatives to support her, and whom the many powerful figures in the Royal Capital scorned as the weakest of them all.
"Thirteenth Princess! You really are lucky."
Su Changge gazed up at the moonlit sky, his expression growing ever more inscrutable.
What he didn't know was that just as he'd set his sights on the Thirteenth Princess, a powerful figure who had secretly hurried over from Tiandou Imperial City had also fixed their gaze on her.