Part 3
There had been no activity for nearly a year; how could something suddenly happen again?
Zong Hao shook his head. With those things resting and recovering for a year, as long as they weren’t completely destroyed, they could stage a comeback at any time. Thus, this was also within his expectations.
This was also the reason why he had taken the initiative to leave after his accident back then—he hadn’t wanted to burden the military with wasting more resources to save him.
He had known his own condition all too well. Knowing he was beyond saving, he had simply given up on himself.
But who would have thought that the Crown Prince, despite having so many dead soldiers, had refused to dispatch them to relieve the pressure at the border.
Now that the Crown Prince was captured, the mental power of those dead soldiers had been returned to the shifters to let them recover. Because of this, he felt reassured. If needed, he would definitely still go.
It was just that… he couldn’t bear to part with Ning Yunyi and the cub.
Having spent these past few days together, he had even grown accustomed to the feeling of being with the father and son. It provided a sense of peace he hadn’t experienced in decades.
At the same time, he was also worried. If he left for months, what if he came back and Ning Yunyi really ended up getting engaged to Yus…
Seeing him staring silently, Ning Yunyi felt a headache coming on. “You’re fully recovered now, so nothing will actually happen to you. Are you worried about Lady Zong? Or are you worried His Majesty will stir up trouble?”
Zong Hao shook his head. “… Neither.”
Ning Yunyi asked, “Then what is it?”
Zong Hao wanted to ask if he planned to settle his marriage affairs during this period.
But if he said it out loud, he worried Ning Yunyi would flat-out reject him, forcing him to drop the idea entirely, or even start avoiding him like the plague.
Ultimately, Zong Hao swallowed the words back down. Not to mention, he might be leaving the Capital Star very soon. Everything could wait until he returned.
After a long pause, Zong Hao finally said, “Let’s head to the palace now.”
Ning Yunyi, who had waited forever only to hear this single sentence: “??”
The turnout for this palace banquet was indeed spectacular. Most of the attendees were from aristocratic families, nobles, and high-ranking officials who held actual power on the Capital Star. Once almost everyone had arrived, His Majesty, dressed in formal attire, walked up to the stage with a smile and raised his hand. The crowd below immediately fell silent, all looking up at him.
His Majesty seemed to be in a very good mood, his face glowing with a ruddy flush. Looking at the audience below, he said, “I’m sure everyone has heard the rumors and has their guesses regarding this palace banquet. I now officially announce that with the Crown Prince position vacant, the Second Prince will be taking over the role.”
After His Majesty finished speaking, because everyone had already guessed it beforehand, the crowd quickly broke into applause.
His Majesty’s mood improved even further. He looked at the Second Prince, who was standing to the side also dressed in formal attire. Seeing him like this, he looked more and more like His Majesty in his youth—truly worthy of being his own flesh and blood. “Now, let us have the Second Prince step forward to say a few words.”
Having said that, he yielded his spot, allowing the Second Prince to step up. As they passed each other, His Majesty even patted his shoulder. “Don’t feel any pressure. Imperial Father believes in you.”
The Second Prince merely smiled at him. Although it was clearly a smile, it was inexplicably strange. His Majesty didn’t overthink it, assuming the other was simply overjoyed at becoming the Crown Prince.
As the Second Prince appeared on the stage, most people—having rarely seen him before—were surprised by his handsome appearance. Thinking of his future status, their eyes brimmed with smiles, all wanting to leave a good impression on this new Crown Prince. Regardless of what they thought in their hearts, acting this way could never be wrong.
The Second Prince looked at the audience below and finally spoke. “Imperial Father asked me to come up and say a few words, so I shall say a few words.”
And so, the Second Prince did indeed say exactly two sentences, but he also dropped two massive bombshells simultaneously.
“The first sentence is this: I am a shifter. Are you absolutely sure you want to let a shifter inherit the position of the Empire’s Majesty? The second sentence: Imperial Father raised three sons, and all three are useless trash, which proves his genes are lacking. Therefore, I propose letting General Ning, who also carries the Late Emperor’s bloodline, become the Crown Prince. Alright, I’ve finished speaking.”
With that, he turned and walked straight off the stage.
The Second Prince spoke far too quickly, and his actions caught everyone entirely off guard. Thus, everyone present remained dumbfounded even after he finished. It took a long moment for the crowd to finally process what the Second Prince had just said: “?!”
Holy crap, is the Second Prince insane? Didn’t he see His Majesty’s face turn completely green? He really dares to say anything, doesn’t he?
His Majesty was completely stupefied. One moment he was joyfully announcing his second son as the Crown Prince, and the next moment, the boy was publicly slapping him in the face in front of everyone and trying to give the throne away?
What was he thinking? It would never happen in this lifetime! He had fought so hard to seize the throne; on what grounds should he give it up?
His Majesty stiffened his neck, his face livid as he glared at the Second Prince. For a moment, no one dared to breathe. How could this deadlock possibly be salvaged?
Right at that moment, alarm sirens suddenly blared from the wristbands of many people present. The expressions of numerous high-ranking generals changed drastically. This was an emergency SOS alarm signaling a sneak attack by an insect tide at the border, urgently requiring reinforcements.
His Majesty, who had been trembling with rage, suddenly frowned upon hearing this. An attendant rushed forward to relay the news. His Majesty’s expression morphed in shock. “What’s going on? How could it suddenly get so serious out of nowhere?”
The attendant stole a glance at Marshal Zong before whispering, “In the past, with Marshal Zong holding the fort, those insect tides were suppressed before they could even form properly, so naturally they couldn’t stir up any waves. But because of the former Crown Prince previously…”
By causing such a spectacle, Marshal Zong was heavily injured first, and then left for so long due to a mental power riot. This meant Marshal Zong had been absent from the border for over a year. For the insect tide to have fermented for so long and only riot now proved how well Marshal Zong had managed things before; it was already a miracle.
But naturally, he didn’t dare say this so bluntly to His Majesty; otherwise, it would only displease him. To become His Majesty’s attendant, he obviously knew what His Majesty wanted to hear and what he didn’t.
After listening, His Majesty’s face indeed looked a bit awkward. However, upon looking up and seeing the Second Prince, he instead breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t known how to resolve the current deadlock, but this sudden situation came at the perfect time.
His Majesty naturally wouldn’t blame his own son. He attributed everything to the fact that his second son had stayed with the Ning family for a period after being rescued. The Ning family must have said something to his second son during that time. Otherwise, why would he reject a perfectly good imperial throne and just hand it over to someone else?
That was the throne of the Empire’s Majesty. Who knew how much effort the Late Emperor had expended to protect that very seat.
And yet the Second Prince could just toss it away like that? He didn’t believe it. He absolutely refused to believe that the Second Prince truly didn’t want it and was genuinely yielding it to General Ning.
Accompanied by his attendant, His Majesty walked straight up to the stage and stood firm. Looking down at the crowd, which was also in chaos, his gaze swept over the only two silent parties—on one side, Marshal Zong and Ichi, and on the other, the Ning family.
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thank you for the chapter!