Xue Qinghe nodded to Meng Shenji. Prince Xue Xing stared straight ahead, paying Meng Shenji no mind.
Xue Ye looked at Meng Shenji, puzzled. "Councilor Meng, has something urgent brought you to the palace?"
"Your Majesty, there is indeed a matter that requires your judgment," Meng Shenji replied respectfully.
If it needs the emperor's personal judgment, could it involve the imperial family?
Xue Qinghe kept the thought to himself.
Xue Ye told Meng Shenji to speak plainly. Meng Shenji reported, "Your Majesty, this concerns Prince Xue Beng. His Highness was... beaten at the academy."
"What! Xue Beng was beaten at the royal academy? Meng Shenji, what kind of councilor are you?"
The moment Prince Xue Xing heard that his beloved nephew had been beaten, he leaped forward and berated Meng Shenji.
Xue Ye frowned, not because he blamed Meng Shenji for failing to protect Xue Beng, but because Prince Xue Xing had overstepped.
Noticing the flicker of displeasure on Xue Ye's face, Xue Qinghe coughed softly to warn Prince Xue Xing.
Only then did Prince Xue Xing realize his mistake. Panic crossed his face, and he hurriedly cupped his hands toward Xue Ye. "Your Majesty, I didn't mean to overstep. Hearing that a prince had been beaten at our royal academy made me furious. Please forgive me!"
"Don't let it happen again." Xue Ye waved a hand, then turned back to Meng Shenji. "Councilor Meng, what trouble has Xue Beng caused at the academy this time?"
He knew his own son well. Xue Beng was a wastrel.
As a prince, Xue Beng was someone almost no one at Heaven Dou Royal Academy would dare touch.
Yet someone had beaten him. Either he had gone too far, or his attacker did not fear the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
"Your Majesty, this involves two special-admission students our academy recruited. His Highness Xue Beng was the one who started it."
"He humiliated one of them in front of numerous students and threatened to expel them both. That student finally lost his patience and struck His Highness..."
Meng Shenji reported the events exactly as they had happened, without embellishment.
The more Xue Ye heard, the deeper his frown grew.
When Prince Xue Xing learned that his beloved nephew's face had been injured, he was beside himself with rage. He wanted to scold Meng Shenji for letting two commoners hurt a prince.
But with Xue Ye yet to speak, he dared not say a word.
Xue Qinghe, meanwhile, grew interested in the special-admission students Meng Shenji had mentioned.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy admitted only nobles and descendants of powerful factions. Yet these two commoners had impressed Meng Shenji enough to win Xue Ye's approval for their admission.
To Xue Qinghe, that meant they must have exceptional qualities.
A moment later, Xue Ye looked at Meng Shenji. His eyes were dark, with anger smoldering deep within them.
Seeing Xue Ye's anger, Prince Xue Xing rejoiced.
His Majesty cares more about the prince after all!
They dared hurt my nephew Xue Beng. Once those two commoners are expelled from Heaven Dou Academy, I'll have a hundred ways to finish them off!
But instead of reprimanding Meng Shenji, Xue Ye let out a slow breath and asked in a grave voice, "How are those two children? Were they injured?"
Huh?
Prince Xue Xing froze and stared at Xue Ye in confusion.
Brother, your son was beaten. Why are you worried about the ones who hit him?
Meng Shenji replied, "They weren't injured. His Highness Xue Beng and several of his friends suffered minor injuries, but a healing Soul Master treated them. They're all fine now."
"Good. Hmph! Xue Beng is growing more outrageous by the day. It's bad enough that, as a prince, he makes no effort to better himself. Now he dares to suppress the empire's talented people!
"Pass on my decree. Starting today, the Fourth Prince Xue Beng's stipend is halved, and he is confined to his residence for three months. No one is to let him leave without my order."
Xue Ye gave a cold snort and issued the order to an attendant at his side.
Prince Xue Xing's expression changed. He hurried forward to plead for Xue Beng.
"Your Majesty, Xue Beng is your son! A commoner beat him, yet instead of punishing those two commoners, you're punishing Xue Beng. What about the imperial family's dignity?"
"Why not reduce Xue Beng's punishment to a verbal warning and have those two commoners apologize to him?"
The mention of the imperial family's dignity gave Xue Ye pause.
For all Xue Beng's faults, he was still Xue Ye's son and a prince of Tiandou.
If the people who had beaten him faced no consequences at all, it would indeed damage the imperial family's standing.
Xue Qinghe watched Xue Ye's expression. He seemed torn, weighing Prince Xue Xing's words.
Xue Qinghe then glanced at Meng Shenji, who also looked worried. Was Meng Shenji afraid Xue Ye would punish the two special-admission students to protect the imperial family's dignity?
At that, Xue Qinghe stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Xue Ye.
"Father, Xue Beng is still a prince of Tiandou. Halving his stipend and confining him for three months is rather harsh. He has already suffered for his words. Why not follow Uncle Xue Xing's suggestion and give him a verbal warning, along with half a month's confinement?"
"As for the two special-admission students who struck him, they were wronged too. Allow me to go and reassure them."
"That would show the benevolence of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. It would also let us bring them into our service early, so that when they mature, they can serve the imperial family."
Xue Qinghe's proposal covered every angle. He spared Xue Beng an overly harsh punishment, playing the devoted elder brother, while also creating an opportunity to meet the special-admission students.
After hearing him out, Xue Ye nodded slightly. Xue Qinghe had a point.
If Meng Chen proved unwilling to serve the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Xue Ye could always cite the insult to its dignity and put him in his place later.
Xue Ye said, "Very well. I'll leave this matter to you."
"Yes, Father," Xue Qinghe replied.
Prince Xue Xing was displeased that Xue Ye had brushed aside Xue Beng's beating so lightly, but there was nothing more he could say.
Watching Xue Qinghe and Meng Shenji depart, Prince Xue Xing clenched his fist.
I won't let this end here!
Xue Qinghe walked beside Meng Shenji along the corridor.
"Councilor Meng, hasn't Heaven Dou Academy always admitted only nobles? Why did it suddenly take in two commoners? Is their talent as Soul Masters so extraordinary that you made an exception?"
Xue Qinghe had begun probing for information about Meng Chen and his companion.
Meng Shenji nodded. "Your Highness, those two special-admission students are remarkably gifted. One of them, a boy named Meng Chen, is especially unprecedented. In all my years, I've never seen such astounding talent in a Soul Master."
"Oh? Please tell me more, Councilor Meng." Xue Qinghe's interest sharpened.
"The boy has Innate Full Soul Power, and his martial soul is a mutated plant of exceptional quality. Though he's six or seven years younger than Yu Tianheng, he's already a level-thirty-nine Soul Elder."
"What shocked me most was his Soul Ring configuration, which far exceeds the norm. His first two are Millennium Soul Rings, and his Third Soul Ring is ten thousand years old."
Meng Shenji could not help but marvel.
For Heaven Dou Academy to recruit such an extraordinary talent is a blessing for Tiandou!
Only two years remain until the tournament. Who knows how far Meng Chen will advance in that time?
With a monster like Meng Chen, Heaven Dou Royal Academy has an excellent chance of winning this year's All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament!
Before you continue