First Prince's residence!
Within the Desolate Heaven Empire's Imperial Family, tension was as high as ever.
Although the sudden appearance of the Emperor-who looked unexpectedly healthy-had temporarily cooled the conflict between the princes and princesses, it was only on the surface.
Beneath that calm... The storm was still raging.
Inside a grand hall, Yu Zidi sat on his throne-like seat, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.
"How did father recover?"
His voice was low, but carried clear irritation.
Before him, a masked figure knelt respectfully.
One of his most loyal subordinates.
Yu Zidi had already dispatched many of his n to investigate the Emperor's sudden recovery.
Others might not be certain about the Emperor's health but he was.
He had seen his father countless tis before.
Each ti, the Emperor looked as if he was on the verge of death.
It was precisely because of this that he and his siblings-had begun making their moves for the throne.
Yet now... The Emperor appeared as if he could live for another thirty years. It was absurd.
Yu Zidi had tried everything to uncover the reason.
And yet still found nothing concrete.
The masked figure lowered his head slightly.
"Your Highness... despite our best efforts, we were unable to discover anything"
Crack!
The teacup in Yu Zidi's hand shattered as he slamd it to the ground. Fragnts scattered across the floor.
"Damn it!"
He rose abruptly, anger flashing across his face.
"Nothing is going my way!"
Not only had the old man refused to die when he had the advantage over his siblings, he hadn't even been granted the position of Crown Prince by him.
Worse still... his siblings had begun making moves which truly began to threaten him, especially Yu Feiyan.
Her sudden rise in power was sothing he had not anticipated. She is about to reach a point where she could now rival him.
At one point, she was nothing more than an eye and in the next mont, she was contending for the throne alongside her.
It was like sothing miraculous had happened to her.
"Just why are those neutral clans supporting her? What advantage does she have?"
He roared angrily, especially since many of those forces rejected him and cited tehir neutrality only for them to join his sister.
It felt as if everything he once held firmly in his grasp was slipping away.
And then there was his greatest concern.
The Li Clan!
The Zhao Clan!
At first, he had thought them to be his greatest advantage.
A hidden alliance that, once revealed, would force all his competitors into submission.
But now... it has beco sowhat of a weakness.
Because the enemy of those two clans, The Bai Clan was even greater power.
If the Bai Clan were to discover that the Li and Zhao Clans were secretly supporting him then everything might change.
They would never allow him, who is supported by their rivals, to ascend the throne.
Instead... they would throw their full support behind another prince or princess.
And if that happened, that sibling would gain an invincible ally.
One that even the combined strength of the Li and Zhao Clans-and their entire alliance-might not be able to suppress.
Yu Zidi's expression darkened further.
This was why he had never revealed his backing.
Why he had refrained from relying on them unless absolutely necessary.
Because the mont the Bai Clan stepped in... the situation would spiral
beyond control.
"I just hope they don't interfere..."
He muttered under his breath.
That was the best outco he could hope for.
Of course, if the Bai Clan supported him instead that would be ideal.
But he knew that was unrealistic.
The Li and Zhao Clans would never allow it.
And the Bai Clan would never accept such a situation where they would
support soone that their enemies did.
That was why he had never actively tried to win their support unlike his
siblings.
Fortunately, they had all failed as well.
For now...
The Bai Clan remained uninterested but till when?
Yu Zidi's brows furrowed deeply.
He didn't like this situation. A situation where he had no control.
And the battle for the throne was clearly heading in that direction.
Now, with the rise of the Mu Clan, he knew they had to be at the top of the list.
of forces he needed to win over.
But that was easier said than done.
As previously seen, the Mu Clan stance seed to be the sa as the Bai Clan.
"Damn it..."
His fingers tightened against the armrest.
He was in deep thought as to what he should do to bring things in his favor
once again.
!!!
Then his eyes suddenly flashed as an idea struck him.
"What if..."
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"...I gain the support of the Mu Clan's enemy?"
The masked man imdiately stiffened.
He understood who the first prince was referring to almost instantly.
"You an-"
"The Vermillion Pill Empire!"
Yu Zidi's smile widened slightly.
"If I can guarantee that the Mu Clan will be suppressed then they will have
every reason to support ."
His gaze turned sharp.
With their backing... even the Mu Clan-and the Bai Clan-won't remain
untouchable.
After all, One was an empire. The other... rely clans.
No matter how powerful the Bai Clan was, could it truly contend against an
entire empire?
Not to ntion, The Vermillion Pill Empire itself was far from weak.
If they stood on his side then even the so-called "invincible" Bai Clan might not
be so invincible anymore.
And with the Li Clan and Zhao Clan backing him as well, the Bai Clan has no
chance of escaping from his grasp.
The masked man hesitated for a mont before speaking.
"Your Highness... involving another empire in our internal affairs..."
His voice lowered.
"...would undermine the Desolate Heaven Empire itself."
He continued cautiously.
"And suppressing the Mu Clan... is no different from weakening our own
empire. If the Vermillion Pill Empire gains too much
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the aning was clear.
uence..."
The Vermillion Pill Empire would definitely be happy to do so but that would be
harming their own Empire.
If people found out about such things, the First Prince would be accused of
selling the Empire for the throne.
Yu Zidi's expression darkened slightly.
But then he raised his hand, stopping him.
"Enough!"
His voice was cold. His eyes carried a trace of madness. (What if the Desolate Heaven Empire cannot compete with the Vermillion Pill
Empire in alchemy? As long as the throne falls into my hands... nothing else
matters.)
In his eyes, power ca first. Everything else could be dealt with later.
Not to ntion, he didn't believe the situation would beco that dire.
After all, even without the Mu Clan, the Desolate Heaven Empire was still stronger than the Vermillion Pill Empire.
And more importantly, If the throne fell into the hands of his siblings then
nothing the empire did would matter anyway.
A cold smile spread across his face.
"If I seize the throne and restore my Imperial Family authority..."
He let out a low laugh.
"...then that would be doing what's best for my Yu Clan!"
His laughter echoed faintly through the hall. "This... is all for the sake of the Imperial Family. Hahaha..."
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