"Imperial Prince An, Clan Head Shouzhe, this way, please."
Elder Qi, a highly respected Gu elder, served as one of the representatives and respectfully welcomed Imperial Prince An and the others.
Elder Qi was a gu elder of a kindly disposition and open-minded views, as well as a devoted supporter of Saintess Dai. More than thirty years ago, he had gone to Longzuo Prefecture and the Wang Clan as the guardian of a "gu master work team," where he had stayed for some time.
He had also met and spoken with Wang Shouzhe, and the two broadly shared the same ideals. During the Wang Clan's expansion into the Southern Frontier, he had provided considerable assistance as well.
"Thank you, Elder Qi."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Imperial Prince An and his party were led to the center of the viewing platform and seated in the places of honor among the distinguished guests.
Imperial Prince An's personal guards spread out behind him in a protective formation, looking as though they were prepared for battle at any moment.
Though his personal guard numbered only a few dozen, none of them were ordinary. Five of them were outstanding young members of Prince Deshun's line, all Heavenly Prodigies with Celestial Realm strength, the eldest no more than a hundred and eighty years old.
These were precisely the people Prince Deshun's line needed to focus on cultivating. In the future, they could all become Imperial Prince An's right-hand men.
The rest included descendants of aristocratic families that supported Imperial Prince An—the Gongye Clan, Wang Clan, Chen Clan, Shangguan Clan, and others. "Young Heavenly Prodigies" such as Chen Muying, Wang Annan, and Shangguan Yunhong were all among them.
The remaining ones were young Heavenly Prodigies from other branches of the imperial family and military aristocratic houses.