An Off-Board Move

The Confucian School upheld the proper order of succession. Though the crown prince was dead, without a Formal Imperial Edict deposing him, the throne should pass to the Imperial Grandson. Once Su Ziji was acknowledged as the crown prince's son, he would have a rightful claim to the throne, and many would support him on principle alone.

He might not succeed, but he would certainly pose a grave threat.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Could he throw everything into killing Su Ziji outright? He had considered it, but his imperial father watched him closely. Every time he had tried to reach into the army, his efforts had been uprooted and he had been warned off.

Without an army, could he rely on martial artists to kill Su Ziji?

That was laughable. A band of armored soldiers could slaughter those so-called martial artists to the last man.

Was he supposed to rely on monsters instead?

At the thought of monsters, Prince Qi froze and stopped pacing. His eyes slowly darkened. "The board belongs to Father. I'm only a piece on it, unable to move as I please."

"To escape this predicament, I'm afraid there's no way within the rules of the board, not with Father's brilliance. I could try ten thousand times and still be knocked back to square one."

"What I need now is a move from outside the board, and that move is Heaven's Mandate."

"The Heavenly Secret Monster is cunning and impossible to read, but he was right. The realm belongs to Father. If I'm to contend with him and ultimately ascend the throne, I can hardly rely on any open path. I must win Heaven's Will's favor."

"Wen Xunpeng ruined my plans last time and isn't entirely reliable. He knows nothing of the Heavenly