Lu Mingyuan’s scrutinizing gaze soon caught the attention of the two Imperial Experts.
The man clad in Golden Battle Armor was the first to salute, saying:
"Imperial Guard, Blood Qilin Chi Ming Red, greets the Crown Prince."
The handso Confucian Scholar also replied.
"Imperial Guard, Thousand chanism Rakshasa Zhong Yuli, greets the Crown Prince."
Both were very polite, not arrogant in the least, but rather courteous and respectful.
In fact, this was the standard attitude of Imperial Experts toward the Royal Family.
Lu Mingyuan, however, didn’t take it at face value. ’This is just basic etiquette.’
’If Father Emperor wanted to move against , they would take down without a mont’s hesitation. These aren’t my Imperial Experts; they are the Emperor’s Personal Guards.’
"You are both ritorious officials of our Great Yan. There is no need for such ceremony."
Lu Mingyuan smiled and helped the two n to their feet.
’Their Cultivation must be above the Eleventh Realm,’ he couldn’t help but guess. ’Their strength is certainly not to be underestimated.’
"The grand banquet has been prepared according to Your Highness’s instructions. Does Your Highness have any other orders?" Zhong Yuli asked with a gentle, refined smile.
Lu Mingyuan shook his head. "Not at the mont."
Suddenly recalling sothing, he quickly asked, "Will Father Emperor be attending the ancestral worship ceremony?"
The tall and imposing Chi Ming Red denied this. "His Majesty’s health has improved slightly, but he still needs to take a lot of dicine every day and has difficulty moving. The Crown Prince will have to preside over the flowing banquet himself."
"As long as he’s getting better."
Lu Mingyuan nodded earnestly. "Please tell Father Emperor for that he can rest assured. He can leave all matters of the Imperial Court to his son."
Zhong Yuli smiled. "Your Highness is truly a filial son. This humble servant will relay your ssage."
Lu Mingyuan watched their backs recede into the distance and let out a sigh of relief.
The two Imperial Experts might not have had any ill intentions toward him, but the aura of a master constantly emphasized their power.
This was also why the Imperial Palace remained stable, no matter how many spies infiltrated it or how much information was leaked.
With top-tier Imperial Experts standing guard, no one in the entire Imperial Palace could harm the current Emperor.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
The Stream-Floating Poetry Gathering was about to begin.
The officials of the Imperial Court arrived one after another, and the remaining Princes also gradually made their appearance.
Seventh Prince Lu Yunwan and Ninth Prince Lu Yunhuang had both co, but Lu Mingyuan saw no sign of Lu Yunqing.
After asking around, he learned that Lu Yunqing had declined to attend the Stream-Floating Poetry Gathering, citing ill health as the reason.
This made Lu Mingyuan ponder for a mont.
’Did he not co, or did he not want to co?’
Lu Mingyuan wasn’t sure what Lu Yunqing’s exact attitude was, nor did he know his current situation.
The once-good brothers had now drifted apart.
Lu Yunwan, on the other hand, approached amicably to offer a toast, raising his wine cup with a broad smile. "To celebrate Imperial Brother’s ascension to the Eastern Palace, your younger brother will offer the first toast."
Lu Yunwan knew he no longer had any claim to the position of Crown Prince, so ever since the incident with the Yunwan Comrce Association, he had beco much more low-key.
He understood that if he wanted a good life in the future, he had to curry favor with his Imperial Brother. Otherwise, things would not end well for him.
As the saying goes, a wise man submits to the circumstances.
Right now, he only hoped his life of wealth and comfort wouldn’t diminish. It was already a struggle just to maintain his prosperity.
Just the other day, Lu Mingyuan had stepped forward to dissolve the Cabinet and dismiss a group of officials. Although he was rely borrowing the tiger’s might—relying on his Father Emperor’s authority—his Montum was at its peak, and he was not soone to be crossed.
"Congratulations, Imperial Brother."
Prince Langya, the Ninth Prince Lu Yunhuang, followed his example and toasted Lu Mingyuan with a gentle smile and a very polite tone.
He appeared to be perfectly respectful.
But for so reason, Lu Mingyuan found it a little strange.
’This Lu Yunhuang...’
’He’s very strange.’
He was clearly the youngest of the nine sons, only eighteen this year.
But the maturity in his eyes surpassed even that of Prince Jin, which was highly unusual.
It was as if he were a different person.
He hadn’t t Lu Yunhuang many tis before and couldn’t rember what he used to be like at all.
’Could it be that he was just naturally precocious?’
"Your Ladyship, look! His Highness is over there! It’s not a hallucination, it’s really not a hallucination!"
At that mont, a Consort dressed in a magnificent, long-robed gown arrived at the periphery of the banquet in Holy Bright Palace and spotted Lu Mingyuan standing there at a glance.
"Yuan’er..."
Noble Consort Yaoguang walked up to Lu Mingyuan, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She hugged him tightly, a thousand words welling up in her heart that she didn’t know how to begin saying. In the end, they all lted into a single phrase: "Good... this is good. My son has finally beco a dragon."
Lu Mingyuan could feel the world of difference contained in those words.
Just a few days ago, he was still facing the risk of being married off into the Demon Country.
Now, he had finally secured the position of Crown Prince.
’Throughout this whole process, the person who was most on edge, the one who worried about the most, must have been my mother.’
And that was indeed the case.
Wang Zhaoyan felt as if she were in a dream. It all seed so unreal. She clung desperately to Lu Mingyuan, afraid that he would disappear in the next mont.
This position of Crown Prince had been won with great difficulty.
"It’s all in the past now. Your son is the Crown Prince. What grievances could Mother possibly have left to suffer?"
Lu Mingyuan soothed her, his tone as light as he could make it.
He didn’t plan on telling his mother about his Father Emperor’s situation for now. It would only add to her worries and anxieties.
If the him of over a year ago, having just been imprisoned, still needed his mother’s protection, then now, it was his turn to protect her.
The freedom after leaving the Cold Palace, the hangover, the way everyone around him had benefited in so way because of him—Lu Mingyuan felt incredibly happy. He just hoped things could stay this way forever, that he would never again have to bother with the world’s conflicts and the Royal Family’s power struggles.
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