Ning Fengzhi had been quietly watching how things unfolded, making sure his stance remained ambiguous. As the imperial adviser, he naturally carried tremendous weight in deciding who would take the throne.
In the interest of fairness, Ning Fengzhi remained neutral, standing in Emperor Xue Ye's shoes to help him reach a decision.
At present, the First Prince was the most suitable in terms of status. As the saying went, seniority had its proper order, so there seemed to be nothing wrong with letting him inherit the throne. But these were troubled times, with wind and rain gathering on the horizon. The emperor needed to be a strong man with greater ability and resolve.
Xue Luochuan was somewhat headstrong and failed to consider matters from multiple angles.
The Third Prince, Xue Haicang, excelled in both civil and military affairs and could grasp the bigger picture, making him another good candidate. Yet he did not like standing at the very top, preferring to offer support from the shadows, much like Prince Xue Xing.
Ning Fengzhi had paid little attention to the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng. There had been little news of him lately; he merely served as Xue Xing's mouthpiece in establishing relations with Shrek.
So, at present, the only remaining candidate was Xue Qinghe. He was kind and loved the people as his own children, but unfortunately lacked lofty ambitions, despite clearly possessing ample ability.
This time, Ning Fengzhi intended to find out just what Xue Qinghe was thinking.
"The tournament? Well... I think it's wonderful that Heaven Dou has so many outstanding Soul Masters. The future looks bright." Xue Qinghe deftly deflected the question, though those might also have been his genuine thoughts.
"But all these Soul Masters still need a guiding pillar-an emperor to lead them, so they can