I've announced that I'm destined to have many children, and my father has bestowed upon me

As night deepened, the lights of the general's mansion could not dispel the lingering stench of blood in the air.

Without delay, Li Qingcang personally carried the half-dead assassin out of the mansion and strode straight towards the palace.

His murderous aura lingered, and his steps were powerful and imposing. The pressure of his Dao Palace Realm cultivation caused pedestrians along the way to give way.

However, just as he turned into a quiet, long street leading to the palace, his steps suddenly stopped.

An invisible pressure was squeezing in from all directions, causing his bones to groan in unbearable agony.

The spiritual energy within his body suddenly became extremely stagnant!

"who!"

Li Qingcang roared, shielding the assassin behind him, his muscles bulging as he warily surveyed his surroundings.

The streets were deserted, with only the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the eaves.

But the pressure grew heavier and heavier, like three invisible mountains pressing down on his shoulders.

puff.

Li Qingcang's knees buckled, and he was forced to kneel on one knee by this overwhelming pressure!

He, the mighty God of War of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a powerful expert in the Dao Palace Realm, was suppressed and unable to move before he even saw the other party's shadow!

What a terrifying gap in strength!

The Four Extreme Realms!

And there's more than one!

Three blurry figures appeared in front of him without warning, as if they had always been standing there.

They were all different in appearance, but their auras were equally unfathomable, faintly connected to the four directions of heaven and earth, and could draw upon the power of heaven and earth with every move they made.

This is a powerhouse at the peak of the Four Extremes Realm!

Li Qingcang's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

The leader glanced at the assassin he was holding, and without uttering a word, simply raised a finger.

A barely perceptible burst of energy vanished in a flash.

puff.

Li Qingcang felt his hand lighten, and the assassin he had been holding tightly had a bloody hole between his eyebrows, his life instantly extinguished.

People were killed right in front of him.

He didn't even have time to react.

After the three figures finished doing all this, they became blurry again, as if they were about to blend into the night.

"You... are from the Jixia Academy!"

Li Qingcang gritted his teeth and squeezed out those words.

The leading figure paused, seemingly surprised that the man recognized him.

But they didn't stay, and together with the other two, they disappeared completely at the end of the long street.

The pressure, like three towering mountains, vanished without a trace.

Li Qingcang collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his body already soaked in cold sweat.

He looked down at the still-warm corpse on the ground, and an unprecedented sense of humiliation and rage surged to his head.

……

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Zhao Daoting remained standing with his hands behind his back, as if admiring the night view outside the window.

When Li Qingcang walked into the imperial study in a daze, he didn't even turn his head back.

"His Majesty……"

Li Qingcang knelt on one knee, his head buried deep in his chest, his words filled with dejection.

Zhao Daoting turned around, a faint smile on his face.

"What happened? Did something go wrong?"

"That survivor was silenced?"

Li Qingcang suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief.

"Your Majesty...you are indeed well-informed."

Zhao Daoting shook his head, walked up to him, and personally helped him up.

"I haven't received any information; I'm just guessing."

Li Qingcang was completely dumbfounded.

Guess? How could anyone possibly guess that!

"Those people, if nothing unexpected happens, should be from the Jixia Academy."

Zhao Daoting slowly brushed away non-existent dust from the dragon robe.

"And those assassins who tried to kill Chen An during the day were indeed elite assassins trained by the Zongfu but later eliminated."

Jixia Academy?

Imperial guards?

Li Qingcang felt his brain was completely overwhelmed. How could these two completely unrelated groups of people be connected?

Zhao Daoting pursed his lips and sat back on the dragon throne.

"It's very simple. Some people want me to die soon so they can install a compliant puppet to take the throne."

"At that time, the fate of our Great Zhou, the state of the nation, and the decisions of the court will all become tools for those self-righteous academics to dictate the fate of the nation."

boom!

A thunderbolt seemed to explode in Li Qingcang's mind, instantly connecting all the clues.

He suddenly realized!

"So, it was the people from Jixia Academy who stepped in to eliminate any future troubles for the Third Prince Zhao Chenyu! The assassination attempt during the day was orchestrated by the Third Prince!"

Zhao Daoting listened to his unrestrained roar and rubbed his temples helplessly.

"With your blunt thinking, how can you say such hurtful things so loudly?"

Li Qingcang blushed and realized he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly shut his mouth.

"Alright, you don't need to concern yourself with this anymore."

Zhao Daoting picked up a thread-bound ancient book from the dragon's desk and tossed it over.

"Go back and revise that cultivation technique. Come see me again after you emerge from seclusion."

Zhao Daoting waved his hand.

"At that time, I want you to accompany me to do something important."

Li Qingcang was deeply shaken. He gripped the manual tightly and kowtowed heavily.

"My lord, I obey your order!"

Without asking any further questions, he bowed and took his leave, hurriedly departing from the Imperial Study.

Upon returning to the general's mansion, Li Qingcang did not see anyone and directly gave orders to the steward.

"Pass down the order: I, the general, am going into seclusion immediately, and no one is to disturb me!"

After saying that, he plunged into the deepest secret chamber in the mansion.

……

Meanwhile, at the residence of the Sixteenth Prince.

Inside the main hall, the lights were on.

Zhao Chen'an leisurely sipped his tea, with Li Qingluan and Wulanxue sitting on either side of him.

Ulanxue's face was full of worry, while Li Qingluan's brows were slightly furrowed, clearly still preoccupied with what had happened during the day.

"My lord, will Father... be alright if he goes to the palace?"

Li Qingluan finally couldn't help but speak up.

Zhao Chen'an put down his teacup and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, what could possibly happen?"

"Haven't you noticed? Since the incident, Father hasn't sent a single eunuch to inquire. What does that mean?"

He glanced at the two women, looking confident and assured.

"This shows that everything is under Father's control. This little storm is nothing to him."

Li Qingluan and Wulanxue nodded as if they understood, but the worry between their brows did not completely disappear.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the mansion.

"Your Highness! Someone from the palace has arrived! It's Eunuch Wei!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the slender Eunuch Wei, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, entered the main hall surrounded by a group of imperial guards.

His sharp eyes swept across the entire room, finally settling on Zhao Chen'an.

Zhao Chen'an immediately stood up and led Li Qingluan and Wulanxue forward to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Eunuch Wei."

Eunuch Wei remained expressionless, simply smiling and nodding.

Then he unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and began to read it aloud in his distinctive high-pitched voice.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"The sixteenth prince, Zhao Chen'an, is of pure character and exceptionally intelligent, which greatly pleases me. His composure in the face of assassination attempt demonstrates the demeanor of a true king..."

The barrage of praise made Zhao Chen'an a little embarrassed.

I didn't do anything, I just watched the whole thing, so how come I remained calm and composed under pressure and had the demeanor of a king?

Li Qingluan and Wulanxue beside him also looked bewildered.

Eunuch Wei paused, raised his voice, and read out the most crucial sentence.

"...Therefore, a promotion is hereby granted!"

"The sixteenth prince, Zhao Chen'an, is hereby appointed as the Prince of Wei!"

Eunuch Wei's voice echoed in the empty main hall, every word crystal clear.

"So be it!"