Chapter 186 Discussion about Ninth Prince!
186 Discussion about Ninth Prince!
The second prince also apologized: "I, too, apologize for my behavior. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me"
Saying that he turned to leave before hearing Nanxi call out to him: "Wait! Your Highness!"
She walked up to him and held his hand between hers: "Forgive me for my rude behavior towards you. I just couldn't stop myself, seeing the princess being treated that way."
He shook his head and smiled: "Don't worry about it. I appreciate you standing up for her."
She let go of his hand, letting him take his leave.
She, instead, waited for the screen, hoping that he might be the destined person, however, her hopes were crushed as the screen didn't appear no matter how much time passed.
On the other hand, the princess came up and grabbed a hold of her hand: "Nanxi, I-I apologize for how I've treated you. I didn't know you cared for me that much." She smiled warmly at her: "And thank you for standing up for me."
"There is no need for this, Your Highness." She quickly acted humble, trying to deny her gratitude: "I was just doing what was right!"
The princess understood her intention and nodded with a smile: "Alright, let's go and greet the other guests."
However, Nanxi wasn't a little bit interested in that.
She just wanted to find the person who could save her life.
If it isn't the first or second prince, then who can it be?
They were the most probable suspects to be that person.
It isn't the third princess or fifth prince either.
That only leaves the younger princes but they don't have the power to save me from my clan.
No Wait!... It was at this moment that she remembered. Her eyes widened in realization:
There is the main prince left. The prince who has become the main talk of this event.
I've been leaving him out of the list since he was a nobody before this event, however, now the situation has changed.
Then it is decided. My next target is the Ninth Prince Ashen!
She decided in her mind as she followed the third princess to greet the guests.
Even while they greeted prominent figures of the empire, Nanxi was lost in her own thoughts:
But how will I get to touch him?
I was lucky that the first and second princes gathered in one place with the third princess but the ninth prince would not do that.
He is surrounded by King realm experts. How will I even approach him?
She glanced towards the ninth prince's gallery. Multiple sect leaders and different powers' heads were entering and coming out of the gallery.
It was clear that they were either there to join his faction or to inquire about him and his future plans.
By interacting with the ninth prince themselves, they could assess his demeanor and make their choice more easily.
She didn't know how she could get to touch the ninth prince herself. She needed a reason, a reason that would allow her to approach him.
Meanwhile, in the eighth princess's gallery,
"Now I understand why the Shang Clan was ready to execute me for him. So this was the reason he could bear my pressure in the Shang Clan."
Ni Shim said to Princess Lianhua: "My princess, were you aware of this?"
"Of course not!" Lianhua shook her head in response.
"Then how did you make him take his complaint back? I don't think your training would've worked on him if he was already a core-formation realm expert" Ni Shim muttered with a puzzled expression.
"Y-You don't need to worry about that. Just make sure not to offend him in the future. He has been hiding too many things from us." The princess spoke with a grim expression.
Her understanding of her little brother had turned upside down.
Was he just acting all that time? All of that was fake?
If that is true, then he is too good of an actor.
I didn't suspect him even a little.
Even now it is difficult to believe that all those sad emotions he emitted on his face were fake.
I cannot understand what was real and what was acting.
She couldn't help but doubt the reality she knew of.
On the other hand, in the Sixth Princess's gallery,
The fourth and seventh princes sat across the sixth princess with a serious expression.
"So? What do you think?" The fourth prince inquired.
"It's indeed a bit difficult now. Who should we side with? We have to take a gamble on someone sooner or later, right?" The seventh prince muttered.
"Indeed, No one expected the ninth brother to become a choice in this succession fight." The Sixth princess nodded in agreement.
They were having a discussion to decide on who to side with.
The empire had a history that whenever an emperor ascended, the first thing he did was slaughter the other heirs who had a claim to the throne.
This was done so that even if the emperor died afterward, only his children would ascend the throne after him.
However, there was a way to escape this slaughter.
It was by winning the favor of the emperor before he became an emperor.
To ascend to the throne, you needed the support of more than half of the empire.
To escape the slaughter, they needed to decide on one candidate who would become the emperor.
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If a younger sibling of a prince supported him from the start, it was seen that they were not killed and sent to a remote location to spend the rest of their lives.
This was the best outcome for a prince who didn't participate in the succession fight.
However, there was a catch. It was that they couldn't produce any heirs in the remote location.
If they had an heir, they would immediately be executed.
To escape the slaughter, they needed to decide on one candidate who would become the emperor.
Previously, the first prince had the most chance of success, however, now, with the appearance of the ninth prince, the chances had shifted.
If the Ninth prince managed to remain alive and reach his potential, he would be the prince with the most chance to ascend the throne.
However, if he was assassinated, then it would return to the same situation it was before he announced his participation.
"I think the best option is to wait for more years before making our decision. It isn't clear who will win in this succession competition" The fourth prince suggested.
"Indeed. We cannot be hasty with this. Our lives and future are at stake!" The fourth prince added.
The sixth princess nodded in agreement: "Then we shall wait a bit more before making our decision."
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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)