The Witch Princess

"Her Majesty the Empress has awakened!"

The palace maid attending nearby saw Meng Hongchen wake up and immediately went to summon the imperial physician. After all, Meng Hongchen had fainted the moment she saw Xu Feng whipping the child with a horsewhip. No matter what, that child was her son. Seeing her beloved and her son come to this point, how could she possibly not be heartbroken?

The atmosphere in court had become oppressive to the extreme. After all, no matter what, this was a matter between the future crown prince and the emperor. As ministers, they should not interfere.

Listening to his son's furious roar, Xu Feng understood what had happened in the future. In the end, it was the disaster sown by the Xuanwumen Incident.

Chengye had no leg injury, and if nothing unexpected happened, he had been diligent and conscientious throughout his years as crown prince. The reason he had been forced into this state all stemmed from Xu Feng's indulgence toward his children and the pressure between brothers.

After all, Xu Feng himself was a failed example. No matter how terrible Xu Tianran had been, Xu Feng had killed him and set a precedent for murdering one's elder brother.

His children probably all wanted to imitate him. In their minds, as long as their eldest brother, the crown prince, was gone, they could become crown prince.

Chengye could avoid becoming the Xu Feng of the past, but he absolutely could not become the Xu Tianran of the past. Thus, the only thing he could do was crush such thoughts among his brothers. Of all possible methods, he chose the most extreme one: rebellion.

And Xu Feng within the Skyscreen had clearly understood this as well. He summoned all his children before him.

"You lot! Raise your heads! Look at your eldest brother!"

The princes shuddered all over, yet they still kept their heads lowered, as though that could help them escape their father's wrath.

However, Xu Feng's words were an imperial decree. In the end, they slowly raised their pale faces, their trembling gazes falling upon their eldest brother in the distance.

The bright yellow brocade robe on the crown prince had been whipped into tatters, revealing bleeding wounds beneath. Several bloody gashes streaked across his face as well, a horrifying sight.

"Tell me, what do you see!"

Every step Xu Feng took seemed to land upon the hearts of his sons.

"Do you see your elder brother? Your enemy? Or the military achievements you dream of obtaining!"

With every word, the children shook even harder.

The second prince's legs had gone so weak he could barely remain standing. The third prince's lips trembled, but he could not utter a word. The fourth prince's eyes were red, tears swirling in them.

Watching them like this, Xu Feng felt his temples throb with pain. He asked himself whether he had ever mistreated any of his children. He had divided his paternal love equally among them all, yet whether in studies or cultivation, his eldest son had always been the most outstanding.

That was precisely why he had been so enraged and heartbroken when he learned that his eldest son had raised an army in rebellion.

And now, he finally understood the truth behind his eldest son's rebellion.

So these useless wretches had been plotting every day to get rid of their eldest brother so they could take the position of heir themselves.

Now, seeing that they did not even dare face him directly, Xu Feng's fury surged again. At least his eldest son dared stand here, crane his neck, and shout back at him. But what about these people? They did not even have the courage to raise their heads and look him in the eye!

"Do you think that as long as Eldest is gone, you can naturally take his place!"

Xu Feng slammed his palm onto the table. The table instantly shattered across the floor, and all the tea atop it spilled onto the ground.

"Tell me, what gives you the right to take that position! Are you worthy of being crown prince!"

"He has held the position of crown prince for eighteen years! Eighteen years! Have you ever seen him covet anything? Have you ever seen him make a mistake? For the affairs of this court, he used all the time he could have spent cultivating to help me review memorials! While you played and frolicked in the gardens, he reviewed memorials. While you sweated in the training grounds, he was still reviewing memorials!"

Xu Feng's gaze suddenly shifted to the second prince, looking at the boy who had hidden ambition deep in his heart.

"Second, do you think it is remarkable that you caught up to your eldest brother at your age? Do you think you are a genius? Let me tell you, the last time your eldest brother cultivated willingly was five years ago! He spent all his time on state affairs. Otherwise, with his talent, even if all of you were tied together, you would not be able to touch the hem of his robe!"

The great hall fell silent. Only the crackling of candle flames could be heard, illuminating the princes' pale faces. They finally understood that their little schemes were nothing more than a laughable farce in their father's eyes.

"From today onward! The second prince, third prince, and fourth prince shall all be granted royal titles and immediately depart for their fiefdoms! You are never to return to the capital!"

With a single sentence, Xu Feng cast all three sons far away. What this empire needed in the future was a benevolent emperor, one who understood the people of the world, not petty men who plotted against their elder brother.

"Father Emperor! Your son knows he was wrong!"

"Father Emperor! It was all Second Brother's idea!"

"Father Emperor! Your son knew nothing!"

"Take them away!"

The guards immediately dragged all three princes away and promptly sent them toward their fiefdoms. After all, His Majesty was clearly on the verge of being angered to death.

"Chengye, I have dealt with your brothers for you. But rebellion is still rebellion. Leave Chi behind. You can no longer remain crown prince."

This was all Xu Feng could do. Chengye had made his rebellion known to everyone. Even if he was Xu Feng's son, rebellion was absolutely impermissible. If it could be forgiven, it would set a terrible precedent.

"Your son thanks Father Emperor for sparing his life."

Xu Chengye had been crown prince for eighteen years, so naturally, he knew this was the best possible outcome. Moreover, this was the goal he had been willing to rebel for. Even if he could not become emperor, he had to ensure that his son would become emperor.

Thus, Crown Prince Xu Chengye was deposed for rebellion. However, because Crown Grandson Xu Chi was too young, he remained in the palace. He was later named Imperial Crown Grandson and inherited the throne.

Looking at the information displayed on the Skyscreen, Xu Feng inexplicably felt a little uneasy. Skipping over one's son and having one's grandson inherit the throne felt strangely familiar.

But after thinking it over, he was going to develop in the Celestial Court, not die. Besides, judging by how timid his three sons were, they probably would not dare try to seize their nephew's throne. Of course, they likely did not have the ability to do so either.

Still, it was good that things had ended this way. At least he had not driven his son to death. However, he would have to thoroughly change how he educated his children afterward. The events shown on the Skyscreen absolutely could not happen again.

[The first child of Xu Feng and Gu Yuena, the little witch of the Celestial Court, the deeply beloved Eldest Princess of the Celestial Court, Xu Longji.]

If the daily lives of the four mortal sons Xu Feng had with Meng Hongchen and Jiang Nannan involved scheming against one another, then this young lady's days could only be described as carefree and unfettered.

When those four sons were born, Xu Feng had not yet become the Celestial Emperor, so his bloodline had still remained at the level of mortals.

But when this little princess was born, her bloodline had surpassed her brothers' by several streets. With the Celestial Emperor's bloodline and the Dragon God bloodline Xu Feng had specially purified for Gu Yuena, she possessed cultivation at the God King level from the moment she was born.

Douluo II Spacetime

"My heavens, a lifetime of hard work is still inferior to someone else's birth."

"Sure enough, reincarnation is a technical skill. We should hurry and pray to the King of Hell. Maybe we can be born into a good family in our next life."

"Exactly. Being born into a good family is far better than this."

As Xu Feng watched the little girl hopping and skipping across the Skyscreen, he felt that daughters were indeed far less troublesome than sons. How wonderful it was to be carefree, lively, and adorable like this. At this moment, the seed of favoring daughters over sons was planted.

"Little ancestor, little ancestor..."

Xiong Jun stared at his smooth, hairless face in the mirror, his heart filled with indescribable emotions. He was the dignified God of Wealth. Normally, he was imposing and majestic; when he stood somewhere, even mortals offering incense would kowtow a few extra times.

But now? Not a single whisker remained. He reached out and touched his face. It felt smooth and slippery, so unfamiliar that even he found it strange.

But what could he say? Could he get angry? Could he glare? He wanted to, but the moment he looked up and met those sparkling eyes, all his anger was forced back down into his stomach.

She sat in his grand chair, her two legs swinging back and forth. In her hand, she clutched a bunch of brownish-yellow whiskers, proudly holding them before her eyes as if she had obtained some incredible treasure.

That was the Eldest Princess of the Celestial Court, Princess Longji.

The little grievance in Xiong Jun's heart instantly disappeared. He knew all too well that if he made this little ancestor cry, losing his whiskers would be the least of his problems.

That notoriously daughter-obsessed Celestial Emperor would probably come personally to "have a talk" with him. Not to mention the Lord and Di Tian, both more protective than the other. They might tear down his entire God of Wealth Mansion.

"Princess Longji," Xiong Jun forced a smile onto his face, his voice carrying every bit of ingratiating flattery, "what sudden interest made you come over here to pluck Old Xiong's whiskers?"

Long Ji rubbed the bundle of whiskers between her hands and tilted her head at him.

"Of course, it was for an experiment. Aren't you the God of Wealth? I wanted to see whether someone who picked up a few of your whiskers would really become fabulously rich."

As she spoke, she jumped down from the chair and circled Xiong Jun. "I've secretly observed you for a long time. Your rank may not be the highest, but every day, you receive more incense offerings than officials with far loftier positions. I've always wondered why. Is it just because you control the money pouch?"

Hearing this, Xiong Jun could not help bursting into laughter. Out of habit, he raised a hand to stroke his whiskers, only for his fingers to grasp empty air. He could only awkwardly pat his round belly instead.

"Your Highness, that is a good question. Let Old Xiong explain it to you." He cleared his throat, his expression turning slightly more serious. "Actually, the people who obtain these hairs are both fortunate and unfortunate."

"How so?"

Xiong Jun extended a bear paw and gestured in the air. "Everyone's fortune is like an invisible river, flowing in its own direction along its own course. Take mortals buying lottery tickets. Some win, while others do not. It all depends on which bend that river takes at that moment."

"And as the God of Wealth, the most I can do is gently alter the river's direction and let it flow toward the branch that leads to 'winning.' That is what mortals call becoming fabulously rich."

"But if someone gets a few of my hairs, it is different. This is not simply changing the river's course. It is like opening a floodgate in the riverbed of fortune. The person who possesses them can even achieve a certain degree of having their wishes come true. Whatever they want will come to them."

Long Ji's eyes lit up at once. Whatever one wanted would come to them—wasn't that a good thing for mortals? "Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Xiong Jun shook his head and sighed. "Your Highness, think about it. If someone receives fortune that does not belong to them in this life, then they must repay it in their next."

"It is like withdrawing your blessings in advance. It may look infinitely glorious, but in truth, it is mortgaging the future. Those who pick up the whiskers will unknowingly use up all the fortune of their next life and the life after that in advance. Once this life ends, what awaits them will be a long road of repayment."

Long Ji's smile gradually faded. She lowered her head and looked thoughtfully at the whiskers in her hand.

Seeing the little ancestor begin to think, Xiong Jun assumed he might be able to get his whiskers back. After all, if they truly fell into the mortal world, he would be forced to work overtime arranging fortune for people.

"But please rest assured, Your Highness. Old Xiong has a way to handle the few you pulled out. As long as they do not end up in the mortal world, nothing will go wrong."

Long Ji raised her head, revealing an embarrassed expression.

"Well, while I was pulling them out, I secretly threw one into the mortal world already."

Xiong Jun's smile instantly froze on his face. It seemed that overtime was now inevitable. He immediately took out his Divine Artifact to check whose fortune in the mortal world had suddenly skyrocketed.

Yet beneath the Skyscreen, neither humans nor soul beasts cared about what Xiong Jun had just said. In their worldview, only this life was truly theirs. Their next life would belong to someone else. If their next incarnation had no Remembrance, how could that person count as them?

Thus, they desperately wanted those whiskers. As long as they could obtain even one of them, or even half of one, they could live their entire lives free of illness and disaster, perhaps even establish a great clan. And the price was merely consuming the fortune of their next life.

Furthermore, their next-life selves only shared a soul with their current selves. Their Remembrance would be wiped away anyway. No matter how unfortunate their next-life selves became, it would not affect their current selves, so they did not care in the slightest.

A few of the Ferocious Beasts were even considering whether they should send Xiong Jun to the rankings now, then pluck a few whiskers so they too could share in the God of Wealth's auspicious fortune.

Seeing the malicious expressions of his companions, Xiong Jun immediately hid behind Di Tian. He had not expected Di Tian to be the only one he could rely on at a time like this. After all, Di Tian did not lack money. Just seeing the little girl on the Skyscreen who carried the Lord's bloodline had already made him very happy.