The Second Prince and Third Prince's showdown, an unpredictable element within the imperial palace!

Given Li Xian's exalted standing in the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect, it was hardly surprising that he had a pavilion of his own.

He had far too many accolades to his name: Second Prince of the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty, Heaven-Topping High Person's final and foremost disciple, the youngest Heaven-Viewing Realm expert in the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect, champion of the Nine Abyss Sacred Domain's Seventh Swordsmanship Tournament, and recipient of the "Most Outstanding Senior Brother Award."

It could be said that Li Xian's reputation in this region had already reached lofty heights.

Clearly, Li Xian was not satisfied. He had only one goal: the throne.

Inside his private pavilion, a subordinate with a powerful aura stood beside Li Xian, delivering a report.

He was Li Xian's trusted confidant, a Heavenly Abyss Realm expert once hailed as the fastest sword in the Imperial Capital-Feng Wuhen.

His movements were like the wind, his swordsmanship fierce and traceless. The mere mention of him struck terror into people's hearts.

During a duel with an enemy, he had fallen victim to a treacherous attack. Li Xian had saved him, and he had pledged himself to Li Xian afterward.

Feng Wuhen was not a member of the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect, but he could enter and leave freely with the sect master's tacit approval.

It was precisely because he had such loyal experts at his side that Li Xian could quickly obtain information from every corner of the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty.

Of course, this was not because Feng Wuhen ran fast. It was because he controlled Li Xian's intelligence network.

He had brought responses from the major factions in the Imperial Capital.

Li Xian glanced at the reports, delight spreading across his face.

Feng Huai's defection to his side and the Empress Dowager's ambiguous stance had both been within his expectations.

As for Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan and Grand General Guo Poyun, he had not even contacted them.

Li Xian's ascension would deal a heavy blow to both of them. They would never help him and might even leak information to Li Chen.

This time, Li Xian had learned his lesson. He had begun laying his plans gradually rather than acting as rashly as before.

The reason he was so excited was that Feng Wuhen had brought him some good news.

Li Chen had actually made Master Yu kneel?

Master Yu was a Great Confucian Sage, a teacher to students throughout the world.

In Li Xian's view, setting praise and criticism aside, there had been nothing wrong with Li Chen's actions. He had reclaimed the imperial family's dignity.

The problem was that he felt Li Chen had failed to consider the consequences.

You've only been on the throne a few days, and you already dare to run wild like this. You've offended everyone you could possibly offend. Do you really expect to sit securely on that throne?

To Li Xian, this was an opportunity delivered by heaven itself!

He said to Feng Wuhen, "Have someone prepare a visiting card for Master Yu. I'll speak to my master, then return to the Imperial Capital immediately."

Feng Wuhen nodded and left the room.

He knew that his master intended to pay a secret visit to Master Yu, that Confucian scholar in the Saint Realm.

Having followed Li Xian for many years, Feng Wuhen could guess something of how he operated.

Li Xian no longer wanted to remain here for even a moment. He had concluded that if he did not hurry, another prince would beat him to Master Yu.

He did not need Master Yu to take action himself. All he needed was for Master Yu to mobilize his disciples to sing his praises and disparage Li Chen.

These scholars were not to be underestimated. They spread news more aggressively than any other group. The so-called "countless wagging tongues" mostly referred to them.

Then, on the day Li Xian formally took the throne from Li Chen, he would be the one ordained by heaven, the one to whom the people's hearts turned!

As for why Master Yu would help him?

The Second Prince felt that Li Chen had handed him this opportunity.

If Li Chen had not been so overbearing, would this mighty Saint Realm expert have suffered such humiliation?

Would it not be only natural for Master Yu to help him? Add in a personal visit to demonstrate his sincerity, and he could not imagine what reason Master Yu would have to refuse him.

Once Li Xian took the throne, the shadow of Li Chen's suppression hanging over Master Yu would be swept away, and the Cloud Deer Academy would return to the pinnacle of the empire.

If Master Yu truly could help, Li Xian was willing to take him as his master and have him serve as a counterweight to Heaven-Topping High Person.

Honestly, Li Xian could not see how he could lose this game.

Li Xian had already begun to "disregard" Li Chen and plan how he would practice an emperor's art of balancing power after ascending the throne.

His greatest headache was the Third Prince.

Once he had easily dealt with Li Chen, Li Xian would have to confront the Third Prince directly.

According to Li Xian's intelligence, the Third Prince had been making considerable moves as well. Not only was he recruiting experts everywhere, but he had even begun colluding with powerful neighboring nations. His intentions were obvious.

What did those powerful neighboring nations want? Territory, resources, labor, and the like, of course.

As luck would have it, Li Chen had just offended the Khan of the Northern Court. Was that not an opportunity handed straight to the Third Prince?

The Third Prince's behavior was no different from selling out his country.

But he was hardly the only person in history to have done such a thing.

For the throne, he could be said to have become blood-mad, willing to pay any price.

The Second Prince particularly despised the Third Prince's approach. If he himself took the throne, at worst, certain factions would gain privileges above imperial authority. The Heavenly Strategy Dynasty would still remain intact, and he could slowly change things through the arts of rulership.

Likewise, the Third Prince despised the Second Prince's approach. He felt that if he took the throne, he would lose only some borderlands at worst, which he could find a way to reconquer later. If the Second Prince brought those malignant tumors into the Imperial Capital, driving them out would be difficult.

Thus, to some extent, both had already disregarded Li Chen and begun planning their future confrontation.

The two princes' thinking was remarkably alike. Li Chen merely had a little strength. In this world, strength alone was not enough to ride the wind and raise the waves. One also needed influence and powerful backing.

Their next stage of confrontation, therefore, would be the outbreak of civil war.

The Vassal Kings within the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty, the generals defending its major cities, the garrisons at the passes along the routes, the commanders of its various armies, and even the elite city guard of the Imperial Capital-these were where the Second Prince and Third Prince would truly compete.

In their eyes, this struggle was bound to drag on for a long time!

Meanwhile, Li Chen was strolling around the imperial palace without the slightest sense of urgency.

Whenever he stayed beside Li Sining, she would not cultivate properly. It was already late, but not yet time for bed, so Li Chen had gone for a walk through the palace.

The eunuchs and palace maids he passed had to stop and bow upon seeing him. Only after he had left could they continue on their way.

When Li Chen reached the eastern side of the palace, he sensed a strange aura fluctuating.

It seemed someone was making a breakthrough-and cultivating an evil art at that.

The aura was filled with negative energy. No normal cultivation art would produce such a phenomenon.

Even though only the slightest wisp had leaked out before vanishing, Li Chen's powerful perception had still detected it.

There were many consorts in the imperial harem, some with extraordinary skills of their own, but surely none of them should have been practicing evil arts.

However muddleheaded the Previous Emperor might have been, he would never have allowed such a person to remain at his side.

Besides, the Previous Emperor had possessed a measure of ability himself. While alive, his aura had been powerful and robust.

At the time, every prince had thought the Previous Emperor would remain on the throne for at least another decade. None had intended to make a move.

Even when the crown prince suddenly died, the Second Prince and Third Prince had kept well away.

Who could have known that the Previous Emperor's health would deteriorate so rapidly in recent days, or that he would die so soon?

When Li Chen became emperor, he had concluded that the Previous Emperor's death might have been connected to the consorts he had favored.

This world had far too many mysterious cultivation arts. The imperial library contained records of tens of thousands, yet even those amounted to less than one ten-thousandth of all the arts in the world.

Li Chen had read manuals describing how intercourse could be used to cause undetectable problems in another person's body.

After repeated intercourse, once those problems reached a certain severity, the body would deteriorate extremely quickly.

In common terms, poison in the pussy.

Many people had examined the Previous Emperor at the time, but none had identified what the problem was.

That meant this method had never been recorded. It was even more sophisticated, and even harder to guard against.

Everything connected to the Previous Emperor's food, clothing, lodgings, and travel had been checked. There could not have been a problem there, which made the actual source obvious. That particular place was not something others could inspect, either.

Thus, until he understood the situation, Li Chen truly did not dare touch these women.

Someone like Chu Ruoyan was comparatively normal. Whether her birth or her experiences, even ten generations of her ancestors could be investigated in complete detail.

To uncover the source of that fleeting trace of evil energy, Li Chen silently vanished from where he stood.

Before long, he arrived near the place where the evil energy had appeared.

Looking at the building before him, Li Chen was puzzled. The Cold Palace? If I remember correctly, there seems to be someone rather unusual here.