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

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all was deathly silent.

When Eunuch Wei finished reading the imperial edict aloud, the three words "Liu Ruoshuang" seemed like three invisible mountains, crashing down on Lin Haitao, the Minister of Personnel.

He froze, his kneeling body trembling slightly.

The chill that shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Stealing someone's house?

No, this is no longer a home invasion.

The emperor dug up the foundation of his hometown right in front of him!

It wasn't until Zhao Daoting announced the end of the court session and the officials left one after another that Lin Haitao was helped to his feet, still dazed.

He walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a daze, ignoring even the meaningful glance from Prime Minister Yunmao behind him.

Back at the Ministry of Personnel, Lin Haitao pushed aside all his subordinates and locked himself in his office.

"Someone come here!"

He roared at the door.

A trusted aide rushed in, pushing open the door: "My lord?"

"Use the highest-level hawk to contact the academy immediately! I need to know the dean's attitude towards this matter right away!" Lin Haitao's voice trembled slightly.

"yes!"

The staff member dared not ask any more questions and turned to leave in a hurry.

One hour, two hours...

Time slipped away in agony.

Lin Haitao paced back and forth in the public housing, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

He still harbored a last glimmer of hope.

Perhaps the Dean will be furious and will unite with academic factions from other dynasties to put pressure on the Great Zhou, forcing the Emperor to retract this absurd decree.

After all, the Holy Maiden of Jixia Academy has an extremely noble status!

Those are not ordinary students, but the future face of the academy, and may even be the next generation's successors!

Should she be married off to a notorious, useless prince as a concubine?

This is a disgrace to the entire Jixia Academy!

However, when the aide, pale-faced, pushed open the door again with a reply, Lin Haitao's last glimmer of hope was shattered.

"My lord... what about the academy..." the advisor hesitated, then stopped.

"Say it!" Lin Haitao grabbed his collar.

"The academy was in an uproar. Countless disciples staged a sit-in protest outside the Holy Maiden's 'Frost Blossom Palace,' demanding that she refuse the marriage. Some professors even stepped forward to ask the dean to reject the imperial decree..."

Lin Haitao's heart sank: "Where is the dean? What is the dean's attitude?"

The aide swallowed hard. "The Dean... the Dean... he's been staying indoors, and hasn't uttered a single word since."

He did not utter a single word.

These four words were like a heavy hammer, striking Lin Haitao's heart hard.

Silence means consent!

Lin Haitao slumped down in the armchair, as if all his strength had been drained away.

It’s over.

It's all over.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning, connecting all the fragmented clues together.

The Third Prince Zhao Chenyu was furious that Li Qingluan had been betrothed to Zhao Chen'an.

Subsequently, Zhao Chen'an was assassinated on his way to the general's mansion, and the assassin was captured.

The panicked third prince found him and begged for help in getting rid of the survivor so as not to implicate him.

As for himself, it was all for the sake of doing the Third Prince a favor.

He then used his connections at the Jixia Academy to hire a guest elder at the Fourth Extreme Realm to infiltrate the Heavenly Prison and silence the witness...

This resulted in the academy being embroiled in a royal dispute!

That's it!

Lin Haitao's body began to tremble violently, not from anger, but from boundless fear.

He finally figured it out.

It's yourself!

He himself had pushed the Jixia Academy into this abyss of no return!

The involvement of academies in the struggle for the throne among princes is a major taboo that has been strictly prohibited in all dynasties!

The fact that he asked a powerful figure from the academy to silence him is irrefutable proof!

Emperor Zhao Daoting had no need to investigate who sent the assassin.

He only needs to seize the point that "the Jixia Academy is interfering in the internal struggles of the royal family" to gain all the moral high ground!

Therefore, this imperial decree of marriage was not a discussion, but an ultimatum!

Agreed. From then on, Jixia Academy was bound to the war chariot of the Great Zhou. With the Holy Maiden as a hostage, the academy had no choice but to obey.

disagree?

That's even better! The emperor now has a perfect excuse to mobilize a large army and raze the academy to the ground under the pretext of "foreign forces interfering in state affairs"!

What a brilliant strategy!

What a cunning and calculating Zhao Daoting is!

Lin Haitao felt a sudden dizziness. He clutched his chest, a mouthful of blood rising to his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

He didn't lose to the emperor; he lost to himself.

……

In stark contrast to Lin Haitao's dejected state, Prime Minister Yun Mao was leisurely sitting in his carriage on his way back to his residence, holding a cup of fresh tea, looking completely at ease.

Outside the car window, there was a bustling street market.

Inside the carriage, however, was a completely different world.

Yunmao gently blew away the foam, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Your Majesty's move was truly a stroke of genius.

Everyone thought that His Majesty was trying to make amends for the sixteenth prince's enfeoffment as a prince, and to quell the criticism in the court.

But who could have imagined that this was all a setup from beginning to end?

A shocking scheme targeting the Jixia Academy!

First, he bestowed a marriage upon Li Qingluan, precisely seizing upon the weakness of the Third Prince Zhao Chenyu, forcing him into a state of panic and taking desperate measures.

Then, by using the assassins sent by Zhao Chenyu, they could naturally drag Lin Haitao and the Jixia Academy into the mess.

The moment the academy's powerful members struck to silence them, the fish had already taken the bait.

As for the third prince?

Yunmao shook his head. That child, from beginning to end, was merely a pawn used by His Majesty to manipulate Lin Haitao.

Poor?

maybe.

But who isn't pitiful when they're born into royalty?

On this chessboard of power, everyone is a piece; the only difference is whether one moves a piece or is discarded.

Yunmao put down his teacup, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and looked in the direction of the Prince of Wei's residence.

Now, it remains to be seen whether this newly appointed Prince of Wei can accept His Majesty's overwhelming favor.

……

The Prince of Wei's residence.

Zhao Chen'an held the second imperial edict, which had just been personally delivered by Eunuch Wei, his face full of strange expressions.

"Father... he really is decisive and efficient."

He looked at the three words "Liu Ruoshuang" on the imperial edict and couldn't help but click his tongue.

The controversy surrounding the investiture of a king hadn't even died down when a third wife was already being arranged for him?

Moreover, she is the Holy Maiden of Jixia Academy!

Zhao Chen'an didn't think deeply about the intricacies of court politics.

All he knew was that his father was backing him up, and doing so without any reason.

As for the Emperor's deeper purpose?

who cares!

Anyway, all the benefits are for myself!

The Holy Maiden of Jixia Academy!

That title is reserved for the most outstanding women in every ten cohorts, who possess the best aptitude, appearance, temperament, and abilities.

It can be said that every saintess is the most outstanding of all the chosen ones.

Their future is bright; they will either stay at the academy as high-ranking officials or marry into one of the major dynasties or empires, becoming key figures in their respective factions.

Is she about to become her own Princess Consort of Wei?