Chapter 341: Schemes for the Throne

“Fine, if you don’t want to say it, then don’t,” Yue Mingxuan stretched lazily. “You’ve been acting strange these past few days. You must be hiding something from me.”

Shang Qinghua let out a wicked chuckle, then pulled Yue Mingxuan closer. “If you’re that worried about me, why not serve me properly for a bit?”

Yue Mingxuan sighed, resigned, and began to massage Shang Qinghua’s head.

He was practically turning into a full-time masseur and honestly, professional massages didn’t come cheap!

Although he grumbled, his hands were still careful and attentive.

Shang Qinghua had seemed under a great deal of pressure lately and since Yue Mingxuan didn’t know how else to ease it, he could only do what little he could.

“Your technique has improved quite a bit,” Shang Qinghua remarked approvingly. “Still, it’s lacking just a bit of finesse.”

What? He actually dared to question his skills? Said his massage lacked finesse?

Yue Mingxuan immediately bristled. “Oh? Then tell me, what exactly is lacking?”

Shang Qinghua didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled Yue Mingxuan into his arms and captured those defiant lips in a kiss. “What’s lacking… is this.”

At first, Yue Mingxuan struggled fiercely, but soon he stopped resisting and simply yielding to the warmth of Shang Qinghua’s embrace.

“Now, that’s just right,” Shang Qinghua said with a smile.

Yue Mingxuan’s face flushed red and he lightly punched Shang Qinghua in the chest.

Shang Qinghua only laughed and letting him vent his frustration.

“Alright, enough of that. You should be thinking about how to reclaim the Beirong throne,” Yue Mingxuan said, still tapping him lightly. “If you don’t hurry, Rong Zishen that bastard is going to snatch it away!”

Shang Qinghua only smiled, not taking the matter too seriously.

After all, he still had The Black Archon behind him and its power was not to be underestimated.

“I wonder if there’s any way to make the world believe in you instead of Rong Zishen…” Yue Mingxuan pondered for a long while, when suddenly he thought of Dongyue Hua family.

Come to think of it, that was an organization within their own country.

He had once found information about Dongyue Hua family through the intelligence network of Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall.

Dongyue Hua family controlled the flow of public opinion across the land.

Though it was based within Dongyue’s territory, it had influence over the voices of the entire world.

Perhaps… he could make use of Dongyue Hua family’s power to achieve something.

Yue Mingxuan thought it over for a moment, then spoke his idea aloud.

“Dongyue Hua family does indeed control the flow of public opinion across the world, but the dignity of the Beirong royal family cannot withstand any further damage,” Shang Qinghua said while shaking his head.

Dongyue Hua family could make the entire world believe that he was a prince, but that was not acceptable.

Even if he ascended the throne that way, he would still have to bear the infamy of his family’s disgrace.

That was not what he wanted.

“That is indeed a very serious issue. But… this is the only thing I can think of for now—”

“What if Rong Zishen were to die, and Rong Tieshan were to voluntarily give up the throne? Then the emperor would have no choice but to seek out another heir,” Shang Qinghua said.

There was a faint hint of menace in his tone.

Yue Mingxuan understood immediately and knew what needed to be done.

But no matter how unworthy Rong Zishen might be, he was still a prince.

Assassinating a prince was no easy matter.

Both of them knew this well, yet at present, there seemed to be no better solution.

Moreover, how to persuade Rong Tieshan to give up the throne was another major problem.

If Xie Lianhua were still alive, they could have asked the emperor to arrange a marriage between the two.

A political marriage… a bestowed marriage…

Yue Mingxuan suddenly said, “What do you think of Rong Tieshan?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What if Xueyin were to marry Rong Tieshan?”

Shang Qinghua raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I mean, Rong Tieshan may not be as capable as you, but he’s far better than Rong Zishen. And Princess Xueyin has already reached a suitable age for marriage. Of course… it still depends on her own wishes. If she’s unwilling, I’ll drop the idea,” Yue Mingxuan said.

He was not the kind of person to force others especially in this era.

He would not impose such a decision on Xueyin.

“I can go back and ask Xueyin what she thinks. She’s lived here for some time now and is already quite familiar with the customs,” Shang Qinghua said.

Thinking of Xueyin reminded him of the difficult decision he had made, appointing her as regent. Though it pained him, it had been unavoidable.

He was both a prince of Beirong and the emperor of Ximo.

There was only one of him, he couldn’t exactly split himself in half and manage both sides at once.

The situation in Ximo had already stabilized.

When Shang Zefeng had attempted a rebellion, Shang Qinghua had suppressed it completely and preventing the uprising from ever taking shape.

Therefore, entrusting Ximo to Xueyin was something he felt confident about.

Still, it had been a heavy burden on her.

That was why Shang Qinghua was eager to resolve matters here as soon as possible.

“Wait, if your brother’s situation with Rong Zishen were to be taken seriously, wouldn’t that mean Rong Zishen has already lost any claim to the throne?” Yue Mingxuan suddenly realized a crucial point.

“Not necessarily. With only two princes left in Beirong, there’s no guarantee the emperor won’t change his mind,” Shang Qinghua shook his head. “It’s still safer to secure the position properly.”

Yue Mingxuan could understand Shang Qinghua’s thoughts.

The position of a prince of Beirong was after all a highly coveted one and everyone had their eyes on it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep