While Xue Qinghe had recovered her original appearance and lay in bed, cursing Su Changge a thousand times over,
Su Changge was likewise lying in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
This time, he had truly struck it rich overnight.
No wonder the ancients often said, "Murder and arson make a golden belt."
This time, besides the right leg Soul Bone he had obtained from the First Prince, Su Changge had also found several million Gold Soul Coins and dozens of rare treasures in the First Prince's treasury.
With all this money, the military strength of the earldom could reach an entirely new level.
Turning the twenty-thousand-year right leg Soul Bone over in his hands, Su Changge thought briefly before putting it away.
Soul Bones came with a binding effect.
You either died, or possessed an exceptionally powerful self-healing Soul Skill. Otherwise, you could forget about taking one off.
Implanting this Soul Bone might increase his Soul Power and combat strength in the short term.
But in the long run, this Soul Bone would definitely become one of his greatest weaknesses!
"Qian Renxue... You're mine to woo, no matter what."
Just as he had expected,
after the First Prince's death, the struggle for the throne spiraled completely out of control.
The First Prince's remnants and the many princes and princesses who coveted the throne set the kingdom ablaze with chaos, beginning in the Royal Capital and spreading across the realm.
In less than half a month, five princes and princesses had met violent deaths.
Whether or not they openly took part in the succession struggle, those ambitious princes and princesses viewed them as rivals.
On Su Changge's advice, Thirteenth Princess Rose spent an extended period serving the old king in the palace, temporarily avoiding the maelstrom.
As for the nobles, families, and senior kingdom officials standing behind those princes and princesses, they were too numerous to count.
After all, whenever a prince or princess fell, the nobles, families, and senior kingdom officials backing them became spoils for the victor to divide up, their power and interests sacrificed to the winner.
Another half a month passed, and several more princes and princesses died.
After more than a month of chaos, the Royal Capital fell into a strange standoff.
One side was the Third Prince Ente's faction, supported by the Spirit Hall Branch and some old-guard nobles!
Another was the Seventh Princess Alice's faction, backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Seven Great Sects, along with several smaller sects under its wing!
A third was the Fifth Prince Zoki's faction, supported by the First Prince's remnants and most of the kingdom's conservative forces!
And finally, there was the Thirteenth Princess Rose's faction. She cared for the old king with meticulous devotion, never minding the dirt, exhaustion, or hardship. Kind-hearted by nature and renowned for her filial piety, she had won the support of some core members of the royal family, several senior kingdom officials, and the remnants of some of the princes and princesses who had died!
These four were among the few survivors of the old king's more than a dozen adult children. They were also the last candidates in the Royal Capital who might ascend that throne forged in blood and iron.
And Su Changge, the figurehead Xue Qinghe had pushed into the spotlight, had become the most powerful minister under the Thirteenth Princess.
Thirteenth Princess Mansion.
The estate was still the same size as before, without the slightest expansion.
But the stream of visitors was a hundred times busier than it had been before Su Changge first arrived.
The many forces, senior officials, and nobles under the Thirteenth Princess,
as well as all manner of factions and Soul Masters from across the kingdom, drawn by her growing reputation...
Nearly everything, great or small, had to pass through Su Changge's hands.
Being the ultimate workhorse was exhausting, but the rewards were just as staggering.
Especially since the Thirteenth Princess bore the title but took no part in managing the actual affairs. It was no exaggeration to say that Su Changge was the true uncrowned king of her faction.
With an ocean of resources flowing back into it, the Murong Earldom developed at breakneck speed.
Several neighboring viscounties and baronies either pledged their allegiance or vanished without a trace.
The territory actually controlled by the Murong Earldom more than doubled.
The Musket Cavalry! The Spirit Master Battalion! The Artillery Regiment!... Their numbers multiplied several times over.
What was this?
Leverage!
Spending other people's money, wielding other people's power, and doing your own thing—that was the way to win.
"Lord Changge, the latest intelligence from our covert agents says that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has sent two Soul Douluos and ten Spirit Saints to serve under the Seventh Princess!"
"Latest intelligence from the eastern border: the Fifth Prince's faction has assembled fifty thousand troops in the kingdom's eastern frontier, supposedly to suppress a Soul Beast tide!!!"
"Fresh intelligence has arrived from the Spirit Hall Branch in the Royal Capital. Apparently, Spirit City has sent a twelve-winged cardinal to the kingdom..."
Before long, several of the Thirteenth Princess's core ministers also learned of the reports and rushed over at once.
"Lord Changge, the Third Prince, Fifth Prince, and Seventh Princess are all sharpening their blades. What should we do? We need to settle on a plan as soon as possible."
Inside the room, several ministers looked at Su Changge, who remained perfectly composed, their anxiety plain to see.
Though their faction was now counted alongside those of the Third Prince, Fifth Prince, and Seventh Princess as one of the four leading candidates,
as core members of the Thirteenth Princess's faction, they knew their own situation best.
Compared with those three princes and princesses, the Thirteenth Princess had too shallow a foundation and too little strength in reserve.
Even their conventional military strength fell far short.
If any of the other three royal heirs made a move, each could easily muster more than thirty thousand elite infantry and cavalry!
And the Thirteenth Princess?
They could scrape together eight thousand at most. (They had no idea how strong the Murong Earldom's military really was!)
As for Soul Masters, the unconventional force to be reckoned with,
each of the Third Prince's, Fifth Prince's, and Seventh Princess's factions had at least two Soul Douluos and more than a dozen Spirit Saints backing them.
Once the decisive battle for the throne began, their faction would certainly be the first to be wiped out.
"Lord Changge, perhaps... we could promise certain benefits to win over some of the other Seven Great Sects?"
"Without enough strength in our hands, we really have no confidence."
"If all else fails, we could throw in our lot with the empire and cede some of our rights..."
The ministers before him were panicked, but they still had their heads on straight. At least none of them had suggested courting the Star Luo Empire and betraying their kingdom.
"Everyone, stay calm!"
Su Changge looked at them and tapped his fingers against the table.
His voice was quiet, yet it seemed to have the magic to soothe people's hearts, and the ministers' agitation subsided.
"I and Her Highness Rose have already considered the things you're worried about."
"It's not that we don't have cards to play. The time just isn't right yet..."
As he spoke, Su Changge snapped his fingers, and a violent surge of Soul Power swept through the entire room like a storm.
Crack...
Except for the area where Su Changge stood, the tables, chairs, and stools throughout the rest of the room shattered under the pressure, exploding into a rain of dust and splinters.
The ministers dropped like dumplings into a pot, thumping to their knees before Su Changge.
"This aura... It far surpasses a Soul Douluo!"
"This is the aura of a Titled Douluo!!!"
They struggled to hold their trembling bodies in check, but in their eyes... an unmistakable, feverish red gleam shone through!
So they, too, had such a powerful backer behind them!!!