It's another one that people don't really want to talk about.
Several people frowned. Wang Ye, the beloved disciple of Duke Liu Yu of Duke of Song, almost the only successor to his mantle, and the last person in the sorcerer world to wield the power of the Evening Elephant, found himself in an extremely awkward situation after Liu Yu's death. This was originally one of the two star prodigies in the sorcerer world, who was on par with Fei Jun.
Without the Duke of Song as his backer, his magical techniques became highly sought after by various sorcerers. Moreover, these families had a good reason to target him, because someone had spread the rumor that Wang Ye was no longer a normal person, but had been replaced by a puppet by the Painted Skin Mister.
This is a very good reason, because no one can prove that the current Wang Ye is still the same person he used to be. To put it bluntly, you could even say he's a demon!
No one took action because no one knew the Emperor's attitude. After Liu Yu's death, the Emperor did one thing: he passed on the title of Duke of Song to Wang Ye!
This is a signal, a signal that makes everyone afraid to take action, and it's also a very strange point.
Everyone knows that it was the emperor who killed Liu Yu, but this same person treated Liu Yu 'Liu Yu disciple with such kindness. What secret lies behind this?
Is Your Majesty at ease sending Wang Ye out of the capital now?
Wang Ye possesses the Evening Elephant Technique; once he escapes control, no one in the world dares to guarantee they can stop him. Moreover, once Wang Ye leaves the capital, who can guarantee that other sorcerer families won't make a move?
Nobody knew what would happen now. And there's no time to worry about that now!
A secret message, locked by a high-ranking sorcerer, was swiftly delivered to the capital by a professionally trained falcon!
What do you think?
In the narrow imperial study in the capital, the emperor looked at the person sitting opposite him and asked with a gentle smile.
In the imperial study, sitting opposite the emperor was the crown prince, who had been kept out of the palace for a long time.
A month later, the Crown Prince was finally summoned again, which made him very excited. However, he did not expect to be asked such an important question as soon as he saw his father, the Emperor!
The crown prince felt this was a very critical question.
The mists of the West Sea have sealed off most of Jiangnan, including the cities along the West Sea coast. Although this area accounts for only one percent of the territory of the Great Jin Dynasty, it accounts for at least one-fifth of the Great Jin's tax revenue. Moreover, Jiangnan is renowned for its culture and education, and the court is currently in dire need of scholars. Most of the candidates for the imperial examinations come from Jiangnan, making that place very important!
The fog of war has lasted for over seven days, keeping hundreds of millions of citizens and hundreds of thousands of troops completely silent. Now that a method for gathering intelligence has finally been found, theoretically, Wang Ye should be dispatched immediately.
But it just so happens to be Wang Ye!
The Crown Prince was conflicted. His father must have had to kill Liu Yu because of some unavoidable event. He was quite certain that Wang Ye was likely aware of the situation. If his father could bear to kill someone like Liu Yu, how much more so would he kill Wang Ye?
The fact that they haven't taken action yet must be due to some special reason. Although he didn't know the reason, he felt that his father would definitely not be willing to send Wang Ye out.
What does it mean to pose this question to yourself at this point?
Want to take the blame?
That shouldn't be the case.
The crown prince was lost in thought and couldn't make up his mind.
Upon seeing this, the emperor shook his head. "Still so timid and hesitant."
"Father!" Upon hearing this, a dark glint flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes. He said, " Jiangnan is a crucial tax-collecting region, extremely important to our Great Jin. We cannot easily abandon it. Moreover, the Duke of Qin has publicly requested aid from so many people, putting you in a difficult position. If we do not send Wang Ye, this mistake of abandoning territory will surely be recorded in history, greatly damaging Father's reputation!"
"So?" the emperor asked impatiently.
"Therefore," the Crown Prince said resolutely, "I believe that given the circumstances, we should still send Wang Ye. If Your Majesty is worried that Wang Ye might take the opportunity to escape, you can send a skilled warrior to accompany him."
"How can he follow him?" The Emperor chuckled. "Didn't you read the Duke of Qin's letter carefully? The Jiangnan is shrouded in mist; entry is permitted, but exit is forbidden. Wang Ye is very likely the only one in the Great Jin who can freely enter and exit. Who do you expect me to send to follow him? Can they even keep up?"
The crown prince's face paled, and he forced a dry laugh, saying, "Father is right, it was my rashness."
"You're not being rash, you're being stupid!" The emperor sighed and shook his head. "You don't need to test me here. I'll tell you straight: before Liu Yu died, he made a pact with me that Wang Ye must not have any accidents. If anything happens to him, the pact will activate, so I must protect him!"
The crown prince suddenly realized why. His father had ordered Liu Yu's death but had given the title of Duke of Song to Wang Ye, thus deterring all the sorcerer families from making any rash moves.
"Of course, Father's health is more important!" the Crown Prince said without hesitation. "Your subject will find a way to refuse the Duke of Qin's request."
"Have you thought this through?" the emperor said with a half-smile. "I've given you the power to decide. If you refuse the Duke of Qin's request, then if the Jiangnan region falls, it will be your fault. Have you considered this?"
The crown prince's face immediately turned even paler.
He felt that his father had done this on purpose, setting a trap for him. If he didn't refuse the Duke of Qin, he would be disregarding his father's safety and being unfilial. If he did refuse, he would have to take the blame if something happened in Jiangnan!
Does Father really want to find a reason to depose me?
"What? You dare not choose?" the emperor laughed.
"Father... I..." The crown prince clenched his fists, stammering for a moment, which made the emperor's disappointment even more obvious.
"You don't need to act like that. I have no other intention than to ask you to give me your opinion on how to make a decision."
"If something happens to Wang Ye, I will indeed be affected to some extent. However, Liu Yu's magic has already been analyzed by my court sorcerers to a great extent. It will cause me some harm, but not much. It will be of great use in the Jiangnan region. Moreover, as you just said, if I refuse, my reputation will also be greatly affected. So this is a matter of choice."
What is your opinion?
The crown prince lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and finally asked, "Father, is the damage Liu Yu's magic inflicted on you reversible?"
"Irreversible!" the emperor declared directly.
The crown prince took a breath and asked, "Will it endanger Father's life?"
"Not to the point of devastation, but it will severely damage our vitality," the emperor said quietly.
"In that case," the Crown Prince rose and kowtowed, saying, "I humbly request that Father Emperor dispatch Wang Ye!!"
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the emperor's smile turned slightly enigmatic, "Are you sure?"
"It is unfilial of me to let Father Emperor take this risk, but the fate of the nation is paramount, and I can only be this unfilial son. I am willing to bear any punishment Father Emperor may impose afterward!"
"Excellent!" The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, "At least you're starting to look like a crown prince, daring to say what you want."
Upon hearing this, the crown prince lowered his head even further while kneeling.
His words were eloquent, but he knew he couldn't hide his true intentions. If Wang Ye were to get into trouble, his father would be the one to suffer; if he didn't send Wang Ye, he himself would be the one to lose. As the crown prince, he couldn't bear the blame for the loss of territory in Jiangnan. Losing the reputation of the country would lead to widespread condemnation of him as crown prince. His lower body was still recovering from an injury; if his prestige were further damaged...
On the contrary, the loss of his father was not a bad thing for him, because the shorter his father's life, the less time there was to prepare a new heir!
" Wang Ye, come out."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, the crown prince was taken aback. Just moments ago, the two had been discussing Wang Ye, and he hadn't expected Wang Ye to be present.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Ye, dressed in black, slowly stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the emperor. "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"You heard what the Crown Prince said, didn't you?"
"I heard you."
What do you think?
"Your Highness's move is a wise one!"
"A wise move." The emperor smiled immediately, "Alright, in that case, the Crown Prince, Hong Lie, and you will accompany you on this trip to Jiangnan!"
"Your subject obeys!"
"Your subject obeys!" The Crown Prince realized what was happening and, overjoyed, immediately knelt down.
"Crown Prince."
"Your subject is here!"
"Remember this," the emperor said, looking at the other man with a smile, "You made this choice yourself. Now that you are an adult, you must take responsibility for your choices. Do you understand?"
"Your subject understands!" The Crown Prince raised his head and looked directly at his father, the Emperor, for the first time tonight.
"Excellent!" The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, "Then there's no time to lose. Go out of the palace and summon Hong Lie; let's set off tonight."
"Yes!"
After the two left, a black, Ying Yi figure appeared silently at the spot where they had just left. It was exactly the same as before, the mysterious sorcerer who had been able to enter and leave the imperial study at any time.
"Is this truly His Majesty's decision?"
"This is the Crown Prince's own decision," the Emperor said coldly.
The sorcerer nodded upon hearing this. Only he knew what the Crown Prince's decision meant. The Emperor had feelings for the Empress, and by extension, he also had feelings for the Empress's last surviving child. That's why he had given the other party a chance.
If the other party chooses not to harm their father's body, is willing to bear the blame for the loss of territory, and abandons Jiangnan, then the bloodline that was sealed in Jiangnan along with them will also be abandoned.
The emperor will use every means to cure the crown prince and do everything in his power to eliminate the impact of this incident!
But now, the crown prince has chosen to let the emperor take the risk in order to protect his own reputation. Therefore, he must be prepared to face the emerging competitors.
"Your fortune-telling techniques are always accurate. Are you certain that the child in the Thousand-Faced Fox's arms is destined to be an emperor?"
"There's no mistake." The man in black nodded with absolute certainty. "This scheme was set up by Mr. Heavenly Secrets. The child in Thousand-Faced Fox's arms has the aura of an ancient emperor. I absolutely cannot be wrong; this child's destiny is comparable to that of the King of Qin!"
"Very well!" The emperor stood up, looked up at the sky, and stared directly at the terrifying heavens above. "Then I'll take this gamble!"