Dai Weisi and Long Yue's conversation ended on a sour note, but his younger brother, Dai Mubai, stayed behind.
Dai Mubai smiled bitterly. "Brother Long, you're right. The imperial family's fierce competition does carry that risk. My eldest brother just doesn't want to hear it."
His use of "Brother Long" proved that Dai Mubai definitely knew something about Long Yue and the Divine Realm Empire's diplomatic mission.
He was playing to Long Yue's tastes.
In an imperial family, even a ten-year-old could no longer be treated as a child.
Long Yue threw an arm around Dai Mubai and cheerfully handed him a glass of juice. "It isn't a question of whether he wants to listen. Since ancient times, the relationship between emperors and their imperial clans has always been delicate."
A ruler suppressed the imperial clan to prevent its members from usurping the throne. Take Jin after Quwo's Usurpation of Yi during the Spring and Autumn period: the Duke of Jin would rather institute the six ministers system than share power with the junior branches.
But once the imperial clan lacked the ability to usurp the throne, it also lacked the ability to protect the main branch, leaving powerful ministers free to seize power. An example was the Partition of Jin by Zhao, Wei, and Han, which ushered in the Warring States era.
Unfortunately, the people of the Douluo Continent lacked that historical background and would not understand those examples.
"Then what should I do? Am I destined to be the loser?"
Dai Mubai looked lost. The future Evil-Eyed White Tiger was still just a child who could not find a way out.
He did not want to become a sacrifice to the imperial family's elimination-based succession system, nor did he have the courage to defy his elder brother, Dai