The Fourth Son of the Royal Family

Ji Xuanyuan continued, "So this time, not only am I recommending you for the Nine Provinces Martial Tournament to bring glory to Great Liang, but Crown Prince Brother will support you as well!"

"That is all the better. Your Highness has the state at heart and shares His Majesty's burdens—loyalty and filial devotion fulfilled in one stroke. I naturally cannot shirk my responsibility and will give my full support!" Xiao Fan said, overwhelmed by the favor.

Ji Xuanyuan laughed heartily and went on, "Someone came from the palace this morning to say Father Emperor wishes to summon me! He even told me to bring you along!"

"Your Highness means... His Majesty wishes to personally meet the warriors recommended by the princes?" Xiao Fan was somewhat taken aback.

Ji Xuanyuan mysteriously wagged a finger. "Not all of them. Today, only Fourth Brother, Crown Prince Brother, and I have been summoned!"

"Each of us princes may recommend only one person, but I heard Second Brother and Third Brother have yet to settle on their candidates."

Xiao Fan pondered briefly. "It seems His Majesty truly places great importance on this Nine Provinces Martial Tournament... Perhaps he intends to use it to display the nation's might and intimidate certain neighboring states eyeing Great Liang like tigers eyeing their prey..."

"That's right, Your Highness—why are you the only one here? Where are the other princes?" Xiao Fan asked.

Ji Xuanyuan gave a sheepish laugh and scratched the back of his head. "It's my first time sharing Father Emperor's burdens... I was inevitably a little nervous, so I came early. I got bored by myself, so I called you over first."

So after all that, you were just the one who arrived too early?!

Xiao Fan did not even want to speak. I haven't even eaten breakfast yet!

"Oh, right, right... So, um... how's it going?" Ji Xuanyuan glanced around, made sure no one else was nearby, then quietly leaned closer.

Xiao Fan understood that he was referring to the Sovereign True Dragon Heart Seal, but this was the imperial palace—a place where such matters should not be discussed!

"Not here. We'll talk when we return..." Xiao Fan remained cautious. There might not be anyone nearby, but this was the imperial palace, where experts gathered like clouds.

Just then, a handsome man in a prince's dragon-patterned robe ascended from below the steps. He possessed a rather delicate, almost feminine air.

Behind the handsome man followed a woman in green robes, wearing a bamboo hat and radiating a powerful presence...

"Fourth Brother!"

Ji Xuanyuan waved at the handsome man on the stairs.

This elegant, feminine-looking beauty was none other than the fourth son of Great Liang's imperial family, Ji Xuanyin!

The Fourth Prince climbed the long steps with an impeccably courteous smile. "Oh? Fifth Brother, you came so early? That doesn't seem like you."

"Hahaha... I was too nervous to sleep, so I simply came early." Ji Xuanyuan spoke with carefree openness.

The Fourth Prince kept smiling, but a glint of coldness flashed through his narrow eyes. Clearly, he had other thoughts regarding Ji Xuanyuan's unusual enthusiasm this time.

"And this is?" One hand rested on Ji Xuanyuan's shoulder as his gaze shifted toward the young man behind the young master.

Ji Xuanyuan put a hand on his waist and hurriedly introduced him. "This is my bro—one of the outstanding warriors I recruited, Xiao Fan!"

"Greetings, Fourth Prince." Xiao Fan cupped his hands in salute.

The Fourth Prince nodded lightly. "For Fifth Brother to favor you, Young Master Xiao must surely possess extraordinary qualities. May I ask where you trained and what school of martial arts you follow?"

Both the martial path and the arcane path were divided into many schools. Take the martial path, for instance: some excelled at fists and kicks, others at blades and spears. The sects and disciplines came in countless varieties.

Xiao Fan answered, "I trained under my father and practice my family's cultivation arts. I belong to no sect."

"Oh? Your surname is Xiao. Let me guess... could your honored father be Xiao Wu, the gold-ranked instructor of the Armament Hall?" The Fourth Prince's expression sharpened.

Damn? He guessed that too? Or had he... already investigated my background? Xiao Fan was startled. The Fourth Prince truly was as scheming as the rumors claimed.

Before Xiao Fan could speak, Ji Xuanyuan let out a startled cry. "Ah! Fourth Brother! That's incredible! There are so many people surnamed Xiao in the world—how did you guess he was Instructor Xiao's son?"

To the guileless young master, that guess had been far too accurate. He certainly would never have figured it out himself!

The Fourth Prince wore a smile that did not reach his eyes, though suspicion had already begun to stir within him. He seemed unable to see through Ji Xuanyuan. He knew the man was foolish, but was he truly foolish, or merely pretending to be? For a moment, he could not tell.

"So I guessed correctly? There may be many people surnamed Xiao beneath heaven, but among the ranked warriors in the capital, the pool is much smaller. And among those capable of training their sons into ranked warriors, there are fewer still."

Xiao Fan immediately put on a show of great astonishment. "Fourth Prince, you truly are as brilliant and perceptive as the rumors say!"

Though he said so aloud, Xiao Fan had already begun to regard him as a formidable enemy.

The Fourth Prince's words just now sounded reasonable enough at first, but upon closer thought, something was wrong.

On the surface, he was saying there were few ranked warriors surnamed Xiao in the capital, making it easy to narrow down and guess. Yet the implication beneath his words was... that he knew the ranked warriors throughout the entire capital extremely well!

Whether their surname was Xiao, Zhang, or Li... there was not a single ranked warrior in the capital he could not "guess"!

He was deliberately testing Ji Xuanyuan's reaction!

And yet...

"Ah! So that's how it is! Fourth Brother, you're so clever—I've learned something, I've learned something!"

Ji Xuanyuan laughed, then imitated the Fourth Prince by turning toward the woman in green behind him. "Let me take a guess too. May I ask this lady's name?"

"Yao Yuxiang. Greetings, Fifth Prince." The woman in green curtsied to Ji Xuanyuan, her voice as elegant and serene as her appearance.

Ji Xuanyuan paced back and forth, muttering to himself. "Miss Yao... and since you came with Fourth Brother, you must be the warrior he recommended... There shouldn't be many ranked warriors surnamed Yao in the capital... so... so..."

He got stuck. He realized he could not guess at all, and grew anxious.

Xiao Fan sighed softly and stepped forward to remind him in a low voice, "Your Highness... Just because she is surnamed Yao does not mean she trained under her family. She may have apprenticed herself to another sect. You can't guess that way."

"Ah! Right! I forgot to ask Miss Yao where she trained!" Ji Xuanyuan slapped his forehead and hurriedly asked.

Yao Yuxiang remained standing there without the slightest change in expression. She replied coolly, "My master is Fu Song, Sect Master of the Heavenreach Sect on Great Azure Mountain."

"Closed-door disciple," the Fourth Prince added from the side.

The moment those words left his mouth, Xiao Fan was stunned. Fu Song was the martial arts grandmaster with the highest standing in the martial world throughout Great Liang, and also the only demigod warrior outside the imperial court to reach the third rank!

This woman was actually Sect Leader Fu Song's closed-door disciple? Damn, damn... Xiao Fan silently marveled to himself.

"Huh? Who could've guessed that?!" Ji Xuanyuan declared that his Fourth Brother's brilliance was truly beyond his ability to learn.

The Fourth Prince let out a long breath and lightly patted Ji Xuanyuan on the shoulder. "Just as expected of you..."

"Fifth Brother, I'm rather curious. You've never liked involving yourself in court affairs, always preferring leisure and freedom. Why are you so proactive this time?"

The Fourth Prince's question could not have been more blunt. He was just short of directly asking whether the Crown Prince had egged him on to do this...

"Fourth Brother... all this time, I've truly envied you all, for being able to earn Father Emperor's appreciation and praise... I heard Father Emperor places particular importance on this Nine Provinces Martial Tournament, so last night I went to see Crown Prince Brother and ask for his opinion. And guess what happened?"

What a case of history repeating itself...

The Fourth Prince was exceedingly clever. Before Ji Xuanyuan had even finished speaking, he had already guessed most of it. Besides, the palace was full of his informants; he basically knew exactly who the Crown Prince met and at what time each day.

The Fourth Prince feigned deep thought. "Though it's difficult to guess, I'd still like to try... Hmm... The Crown Prince would probably support you, and then advance by retreating... In other words, he'll encourage you to take part in recommending candidates for the Nine Provinces Martial Tournament, but he himself won't participate."

The moment he said that, Ji Xuanyuan was completely dumbfounded. "Fourth Brother... are you saying Crown Prince Brother won't take part in the recommendations? How is that possible? Father Emperor places such importance on this Nine Provinces Martial Tournament..."

"Originally, there was no way for him to decline it. But you gave him the opportunity, my dear brother." The Fourth Prince draped an arm over Ji Xuanyuan's shoulder and smiled.

How could Ji Xuanyuan understand this kind of riddle...? Scratching his head, he asked, "What do you mean by that, Fourth Brother?"

"Don't mind it. I was merely saying it for fun, and besides, my guess might not be right." The Fourth Prince laughed heartily and skipped over the subject.

Those few brief exchanges made Xiao Fan, who had been listening in, feel his scalp go numb. This Fourth Prince has thought a step further than I imagined. No wonder he's the 'hot stove' capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Crown Prince.