Chapter 333: The Third Prince Faces the Emperor
At this very moment, the Third Prince was gleefully staring at the hot topics on his communication device.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Tianlang Wei, several articles attacking Huo Ningxue had surged to the top spots on the trending list.
As he watched the increasing views and comments from the crowd, the Third Prince couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Just a bunch of petty tricks that won’t amount to anything in the grand scheme.”
“Can such small tactics truly sway the throne? Ultimately, it’s all about the strength of both sides.”
“Now, I have the support of the Tianlang Wei, while Huo Ningxue only has useless eunuchs.”
“The throne is as good as mine.”
He was still enjoying the comments on the articles, especially when he saw many people starting to curse Huo Ningxue, his sense of accomplishment hit the roof.
Seems everyone is under the spell of my brilliance! Hahaha.
Yes, keep cursing, unleash your fury!
Curse that woman so fiercely she won’t dare step out of the palace ever again!
Curse even harder!
…Hmm?
Suddenly, the Third Prince noticed his article had vanished.
He rubbed his eyes and reopened his account, only to find it had been banned.
The hot topics concerning those two articles had disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.
The Third Prince was stunned for quite a while, desperately trying to search for his account but only getting “article not found” as a response no matter how hard he tried.
“…What kind of joke is this?!”
Fuming, the Third Prince burst out of his tent, grabbed a Tianlang Wei soldier, snatched his communication device, and logged in with that account instead.
Only to discover that the hot topics were flooded with insults directed at him.
Accusations of hiring internet trolls, manipulating comments, buying hot search rankings to suppress the opponent— all aimed at blackening Huo Ningxue’s name.
In that instant, the Third Prince felt his breath catch in his throat.
You… you’re the real villains here!
He immediately used the soldier’s account to post a complaint about the opponent, but less than two seconds later, it was deleted again.
At that moment, the Third Prince experienced a pain that words couldn’t express.
It was as if he was in the middle of a heated argument, and suddenly someone covered his mouth, forcing him to watch his enemy berate him while he couldn’t retort.
This level of frustration felt like his lungs would explode.
“Damn it! A bunch of despicable bastards!” In a fit of rage, he smashed the communication device to the ground.
The nearby Tianlang Wei soldier watched in wide-eyed amazement.
It was only now that the Third Prince finally realized he had misunderstood not only the communication device but the entire era of communication devices.
From the very beginning, it was never just a tool for the public’s convenience.
When communication devices began to proliferate and dominate the continent, the lives of all citizens were already woven into this vast web.
He had never had the right to resist, just like a gamer couldn’t compete with the privileged administrator.
And yet he had foolishly bought so many communication devices… wasn’t that just giving money to the opponent?
“Damn it… all these petty tricks.” The Third Prince grumbled.
However, after the anger subsided, he began to calm down and reflect.
His understanding of this emerging phenomenon had indeed been too shallow; he was on a completely different level from the opponent.
And he had no need to compete with them in a field they excelled at.
“Hey, you.”
The soldier, whose communication device was broken, looked uneasily at the Third Prince, whose expression had turned sinister.
“Send the order.”
“From this day forth, shut down all communication devices in the city.”
——
——
When the news flusteredly reached the palace.
Young Master Sang was still leisurely tutoring the young prince on homework.
Hearing the eunuch’s report, Young Master Sang chuckled, “Finally woke up, huh?”
“I really thought the Huo family’s bloodline had some intelligence defects.”
“Once again, my brother is not dumb at all!” Huo Ningxue pouted stubbornly beside him. “What does the National Master plan to do next?”
“Since the opponent has started enforcing a city-wide shutdown of communication devices, it will inevitably incite the resentment of the citizens and officials alike,” Young Master Sang said softly. “And that is our best chance to overturn the situation.”
“Let’s go.”
Huo Ningxue looked at Young Master Sang curiously as he stood up.
“Where to?”
“Outside the palace.”
Young Master Sang stretched lazily, turned, and smiled, “Hasn’t His Majesty gotten tired of being cooped up in the palace for so long?”
“But there are Tianlang Wei outside, and even General Xu—”
“What’s there to be afraid of?”
Young Master Sang ruffled Huo Ningxue’s hair gently, “General Xu is in the Great Ascension Realm; am I not in the Great Ascension Realm too?”
Huo Ningxue, staring blankly, let him mess with her hair.
However, listening to his words made her feel oddly reassured, and she nodded obediently.
Following Young Master Sang, they walked to the palace entrance, and when Huo Ningxue looked up, she saw Grand Eunuch Qin sitting cross-legged above the royal city.
The delicate, soft eyebrows of the old eunuch twitched slightly, and in the next moment, he flashed to Young Master Sang’s side, bowing respectfully to Huo Ningxue, “Your Majesty.”
“And… National Master Sang.”
“Grand Eunuch Qin still dares to call me National Master,” Young Master Sang grinned.
“We are but mere servants, not daring to interfere in court matters,” Grand Eunuch Qin slowly shook his head. “However, National Master Sang, I must forewarn you.”
“Our family has received ancestral teachings from past monarchs, which dictate we must not hand the Holy Kingdom to outsiders.”
“If you intend to do something to His Majesty, to control Her or the Holy Kingdom… then you can’t blame us for being unsympathetic.”
“Of course. I have no interest in the Holy Kingdom,” Young Master Sang nodded appreciatively, “I merely plan to help a friend. Once that’s done, I’ll be on my way.”
Huo Ningxue sneaked a glance at him.
Grand Eunuch Qin didn’t say much more, but instead asked, “Your Majesty is leaving the palace. Have you thought about how to deal with the current situation?”
“Indeed.”
Huo Ningxue recalled what Young Master Sang had said along the way, restoring her authoritative and calm demeanor as an emperor, becoming coldly casual:
“The Tianlang Wei’s chaos has already affected the court for over a month. If this continues, the people will suffer and the court will slacken—this is not what I or my ancestors desire to see.”
“Relay my imperial decree,” her voice was icy, her light golden eyes glittering like gilded paper.
“Summon all civil and military officials… to meet me.”
Grand Eunuch Qin paused, glancing at the encircling Tianlang Wei outside the palace, seemingly not understanding Huo Ningxue’s intentions.
“Uh, Your Majesty, how can we summon the officials—”
“I said, all civil and military officials, lords and ministers, must appear before me.”
Huo Ningxue gazed into the distance: “Of course… that includes my royal brother as well.”
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