Chapter 198: Chapter 159: The Charm of the Qilin Child! Targeted by the Eldest Princess?

In the distance.

Lu Yunwan watched the scene, a cold smile on his face as he toyed with the ring on his plump finger. He gave the two of them a disdainful look before turning his attention back to the palace dancers’ performance.

King Chu, Lu Guangyao, drank sullenly, paying no attention. He had secluded himself in his residence for a full year, seemingly filled with self-loathing. He felt guilty for failing the soldiers and brothers-in-arms who had believed in him, and he remained trapped in that shadow, unable to move on.

Meanwhile, Lu Yunhuang’s gaze was calm and unruffled. As usual, no one paid him any mind.

But no one noticed that deep within his pupils, the scrutinizing gaze of another person would occasionally surface. For a fleeting moment, the aura in his eyes was not Lu Yunhuang’s own.

Though only a few words had been exchanged, the reactions of the various Princes were all taken in by the envoys from the many Dynasties.

“I didn’t expect the Great Yan Dynasty to have so much internal strife. Has the Emperor of Great Yan still not appointed a Crown Prince?” the young man in the black dragon-crested robe asked with a faint smile.

The Old Eunuch beside him explained, “Great Yan’s founding tradition is to emulate the Ancient Human Emperors: they choose the worthy, not the eldest. To ensure a smooth succession, they use a system of secret investiture. No one knows who the heir is until the new Emperor ascends the throne after the previous one passes. Besides, with the Eldest Prince, Lu Changfeng, dead, the Eldest Legitimate Son is gone. A struggle for the position of Crown Prince is only natural under these circumstances.”

“Then I suppose I’m quite lucky. My younger brother had no right to compete with me for the throne, so I secured the title of Crown Prince long ago,” the young man said with a confident smile.

The Great Sui Dynasty’s system had always emulated the Ancient Dynasties, prioritizing the Eldest Legitimate Son for succession.

His own aptitude wasn’t lacking either. He was named Crown Prince at the age of eight and moved into the Eastern Palace. To prevent any competition from his younger brother, the Emperor of Great Sui enfeoffed him as a Prince in a distant territory.

To the west of the hundred banquet tables in Changle Palace, the white-robed Monk, Jiang Shan, stood with his palms pressed together, attending to a tall-crowned man wearing a Frost Jade Dragon Bracelet.

“National Preceptor, are these the Princes you spoke of? They don’t seem very impressive.”

The tall-crowned man sneered.

He was a Prince of the Silver Frost Country, his father the Silver Frost King. Having now consolidated power and revitalized the nation, they were about to rename it the Silver Frost Empire. In the future, he would be the Great Frost Emperor’s Son.

Master Jiang Shan shook his head and sent a telepathic message, “Your Highness, you can’t judge a book by its cover. In the Great Yan Dynasty, the competition for the Emperor’s Throne has always been brutal. Not a single one of their emperors has been mediocre; they are all True Dragon Emperors who emerged victorious from a fierce struggle among the many Princes. There’s no shortage of ruthless and ambitious men among them. If not for this method, a new Emperor would never be able to lead the entire Central Plains World and command the Destiny of a Dynasty.”

The tall-crowned man thought for a moment. “National Preceptor, are you saying that one cannot become the Emperor of Great Yan without ability?”

Master Jiang Shan, seeing things clearly, replied, “Correct. In the Great Yan Dynasty, the approval of the Three Religions is crucial. Compared to other Dynasties that save time and effort by prioritizing the Eldest Legitimate Son for succession, Great Yan is undoubtedly far more complex.”

After hearing this, the tall-crowned man roughly understood.

In One Continent Dynasties like Great Sui, Nanli, and Great Wu, there are no constraints from the Three Religions. The Emperor can appoint whomever he wishes as Crown Prince; all power rests in one man’s hands. But Great Yan is different. Here, the Court and the Three Religions govern the world together, managing everything from Cultivators to commoners in an orderly fashion. In such a situation, the succession to the throne becomes a major variable.

The tall-crowned man stroked the Frost Jade Dragon Bracelet on his wrist and said lazily, “It’s just that, from what I can see, none of these Princes’ Cultivation is very high. Barely two of them have reached the Middle Fifth Grade, and they are both Confucian Cultivators. That shouldn’t be the case.”

In the center of the great hall.

“Since Eighth Brother clearly doesn’t welcome me, I won’t impose any longer.” Lu Guangjing took a step back, his expression showing he had no intention of stooping to the other’s level. He then led his attendants back to his own seat.

Seeing this, and given the public setting, Lu Yunqing didn’t press the issue. Gaining the upper hand in Momentum was victory enough. He raised his sleeve and took a sip of wine.

At this time, the younger generation from the various nations began coming over to offer toasts. Their aim wasn’t to pick a side, but to get acquainted with the Princes and nobles of Great Yan for future connections. The first group, naturally, approached the Princes of Great Yan.

The most popular among them was Lu Yunqing.

After all, the Lu Yunqing of today had undergone a complete Rebirth. His gaze and aura had transformed, making him seem like a dragon among men, completely incomparable to the other Princes.

The second most popular, however, was Lu Mingyuan.

“Cao Zongxi, the Crown Prince of Great Sui.”

“Wuxun, Prince of the Silver Frost Country.”

Lu Mingyuan looked at the two men offering him a toast, completely surprised. He hadn’t expected them to approach him.

Just as he had suspected, the man in the black dragon-crested robe was indeed the Crown Prince of Great Sui.

The other, the one with the Frost Jade Dragon Bracelet, a high-bridged nose, and the appearance of a mixed-race man, was Wuxun, Prince of the Silver Frost Country.

The status of these two was far higher than that of envoys from ordinary smaller nations.

The Great Frost Dynasty was located in the Feisha Continent of the Western Regions. Its exports included Fire Luo Wine, Alpaca Wool Carpets, Silver Frost Horses, and Great Frost Pattern Steel, among other things.

In the Middle Ages, the Feisha Continent was also a Land of the Immortal Spirit’s Favor. Many Ascension Cultivators would choose this place for their Ascension. To this day, the Great Frost Dynasty Capital City still preserves a large Ascension Platform. Though now just a field of ruins, it still stands as a testament to a glorious history.

Great Sui was far from Great Yan, so he knew relatively little about it. He only knew that it was a remote place, that the Dynasty’s totem was the Cyan Dragon, and that it was a nation quite similar to Great Yan. Great Sui also had numerous Academies that were run very well, having earned the recognition of the Confucian Temple. They actively recruited talented scholars, making it the second most popular choice for intellectuals outside the Central Plains.

“You both have an extraordinary bearing, truly befitting the imperial scions of a Dynasty.”

Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly, raised his wine cup, and offered a compliment.

The Crown Prince of Great Sui, Cao Zongxi, smiled humbly. “Prince Huai’an, you flatter me.”

For some reason, Lu Mingyuan didn’t seem particularly outstanding in his eyes—his Cultivation and conversation were both unremarkable—yet he possessed a strange, inexplicable attraction. He had originally only intended to observe him from a closer distance, but found himself drawn over.

The Prince of Silver Frost clearly felt the same way.

The two of them offered their toast and moved on to the next Prince.

As more and more people started coming over to his table, Lu Mingyuan began to feel troubled.

’This can’t be the effect of the ’Qilin Child’ ability, can it?’

He was becoming universally liked. Before, his charm had only seemed to work on women, but now it seemed everyone, regardless of who they were, took a liking to him upon meeting him.

Soon, a familiar face arrived before him.

Princess Jinwu, Luo Qiufu.

She was supposed to have returned to her country by now, but with the new year approaching, she had stayed until the present.

She wore a floor-length, gilt-embroidered gown, her hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her aura was as elegant and noble as ever, her eyes like autumn pools, her smile sweet. With skin as fair as ice and jade and a graceful bearing, she resembled a gentle, understanding older sister.

As Luo Qiufu offered her toast, she studied Lu Mingyuan’s features. An irrepressible feeling of admiration blossomed in her heart, and she smiled sweetly.

“Prince Huai’an, your eyes and your face… you strongly resemble an old acquaintance of mine.”

The last time this had happened was when she met a man named Yang Jian. Unfortunately, her younger sister had snatched him away, leaving her heartbroken for quite some time.

Now, seeing Lu Mingyuan, that same familiar feeling washed over her.

“Eldest Princess, you must have me mistaken for someone else,” Lu Mingyuan said with a forced smile, feigning confusion. He found the situation baffling.

’That Yang Erlang really does look a lot like me.’

“This is the first time I have met you, Eldest Princess. A man and a woman should not be so familiar. Please do not stand so close.”

He saw that Luo Qiufu’s beautiful eyes were completely serious as she leaned closer and closer, her swan-like neck craning forward. Below her chest, a generous, snow-white view was revealed.

Lu Mingyuan’s lips twitched as he stopped her from leaning in any further.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been rude.”

Luo Qiufu knew she had been a bit forward and apologized, but she still sighed with emotion.

“It’s just that the resemblance is truly uncanny, Your Highness.”

She had specifically looked Lu Mingyuan over. She didn’t see a Jade Pendant, and his Realm wasn’t as high as Yang Erlang’s. Other than their appearance, it was indeed difficult to connect the two men.

Nevertheless, this Lu Mingyuan was just as attractive to her. It was the exact same feeling.

A woman’s sixth sense was always sharp.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep