Song Xing: I am cultivating immortals in Qingcheng Mountain

Chapter 456: Banquet, Ye Ruoyi's Exploration

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and Tianqi was still prosperous and peaceful, as if nothing had changed because of the arrival of Xiao Se and his party. The night came as expected.

As the lights came on, Xiao Se brought Tang Lian, Sikong Qianluo, Lei Wujie, Ye Ruoyi, and Hua Jin onto the carriage that had been prepared for them.

"The Emperor wants to see us?"

"Big Brother, didn't Xiao Se say that the Emperor wanted to thank us for our support along the way, so he hosted a banquet for us."

Lei Wujie is still heartless and doesn't care at all.

Sikong Qianluo was a little nervous, feeling like an ugly bride meeting her parents-in-law. She was the daughter of the spear fairy Sikong Changfeng. This identity was well-known in the martial arts world, but to the royal family, it was not worth mentioning at all, and even a bit degrading.

The marriages of princes are generally not decided by themselves, and are mostly the result of political marriages. Sikong Qianluo knew this a long time ago.

“It’s not that simple.”

Ye Ruoyi suddenly spoke. She was very sensitive about this matter and sensed something wrong. If it was just a simple thank you, Emperor Mingde would not have to go to so much trouble. A few imperial decrees would have been enough.

Instead of announcing this matter at this time, during the night banquet, in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, as well as the other two princes.

Given the current situation in Tianqi City, Emperor Mingde's move is tantamount to pushing Xiao Se to the forefront.

Under normal circumstances, the consequences of doing so might not be so serious, after all, the emperor himself would back him up. But as it is now, Emperor Mingde can no longer control Tianqi City, and if Xiao Se is pushed out, things will be unpredictable.

No one is sure how the White King and the Red King will react. Perhaps they will feel pressured and cooperate. At that time, Xiao Se will inevitably face a pincer attack from the two.

As for these people in the court, which one is simple? What choice will they make in the face of the current situation? No one can guarantee whether power will be reshuffled.

"Sister Ye, are you exaggerating too much?"

Sikong Qianluo had little exposure to the intrigues within the imperial court and was not familiar with the court, so he did not notice other intentions at first.

"Qianluo, you haven't been to the imperial court very often. The open and covert struggles involved here are sometimes hard for even us to understand, let alone you."

Ye Ruoyi felt a surge of emotion in her heart. She couldn't guarantee that she could see through this matter.

"Tianqi City was not stable before we came back. The White King and the Red King were constantly fighting overtly and covertly. This was due to their own intentions, as well as the intentions of those who were behind them."

"The emperor established the Six Gates one after another, absorbing those who have entered the realm of the Divine Wandering in the martial arts world, intending to use his own spear to attack the shield of the enemy. Unfortunately, it did not go as he wished in the end. I don't know what conditions the two princes put forward to divide up the several major Divine Wanderings in the Six Gates."

"Afterwards, the emperor was completely helpless about the matter. From then on, the imperial court's control over the martial arts world, or the entire Beili, began to get out of control. If it weren't for the fact that an old ancestor who had reached the half-step return to the true state appeared in the royal family, Tianqi would definitely have been in chaos at that time."

"Faced with this situation, the emperor doesn't seem to have any better solution. He can only carefully maintain the balance of the three forces."

Tang Lian nodded. He understood what Ye Ruoyi said.

"So, although the Apocalypse seems to be peaceful and calm, it is actually full of uncertainty. Undercurrents are surging, and a war is about to break out. All that is missing is a suitable opportunity."

Xiao Se leaned on a low table in the carriage, his eyes calm. He had thought of this news when he came back from the palace. "So, our arrival has affected the entire situation of Tianqi?"

Hua Jin sat on the side, with his short legs dangling in the air, kicking around nonchalantly.

Ye Ruoyi nodded.

"This is natural, but not all of the three forces in the court like us. It is even possible that all of them do not like us. We need to face this fact."

"But judging from the current situation, the emperor doesn't seem to dislike us. Our presence is the key to breaking the impasse for the emperor, because the people around us are strong enough, especially Mr. Jun Yu brought by His Highness Xiao Lingchen, and Master Mianbi who has been following us. They all have the power of the Half-Step Return to the True Realm. For now, this realm is already the top."

"Your Majesty wants to use us to completely muddy the waters of Tianqi?"

Sikong Qianluo pinched his chin and expressed his guess.

"That's right. We come from different forces. I can represent my father to some extent. My father is the Grand Marshal of the Beili Central Army and commands the most elite cavalry of the court. Senior Brother Tang Lian represents the Tang Sect, Lei Wujie represents the Lei Sect, and Qian Luo represents Xueyue City."

"And Miss Hua Jin represents Medicine King Valley."

"If we take out one of our own, it won't attract attention. But if we gather together, we can involve nearly half of the forces in the martial arts world. In this case, the emperor will naturally not pretend not to see it, so it is very likely that he will use us to intimidate the White King and the Red King, as well as the Shenyou Xuanjing behind them."

"The emperor is not afraid of making things worse. After all, everyone wants that position."

Seeing that no one was making any movement, Hua Jin continued with a question.

“That’s why there’s the term ‘thank you banquet’. The people invited are all young people, as well as people from the imperial court. There’s not a single person among those masters who have reached the Mysterious Realm.”

Ye Ruoyi couldn't help but shook her head when she said this.

"Perhaps it's because Xiao Chuhe has the same personality as the Langya King back then, so the emperor acted this way. If it weren't for Tianqi's incident, I guess we would have returned to the martial arts world and lived a carefree life."

"Of course, this night banquet may backfire. For now, the emperor is not too hostile to us, and he won't want to deal with us. The White King and the Red King are in appearance but not in spirit. If they are provoked by us and choose to form alliances, we will face great problems."

"As for the high-ranking officials in the imperial court, it's even harder to say. For example, people in high positions such as the Grand Master and the Imperial Master, it seems that there is still no clear choice. Of course, this is also related to the fact that the emperor is still strong."

Sikong Qianluo scratched his hair.

"Oh~~ It's over, there are too many twists and turns here!! I'd better not think about it anymore. If I keep thinking about it, my head will explode."

"That's why I said this banquet is not that simple. We'll just have to follow Xiao Se's instructions later!!"

Many people came to the night banquet held in the palace, including the prime minister, the state preceptor, the ministers of various ministries, and of course, the protagonist of this night banquet.

"Prince Yong'an——Xiao Chuhe has arrived!!"

(End of this chapter)