Chapter 113: Ying Wants to Take Qin Xuan as His Apprentice
If it could be said that Emperor Xia initially considered Qin Bei merely as a talented individual with the capability to stir up trouble, wanting him to compete for the position of crown prince, that would also have the side effect of cleaning up internal threats.
In this scenario, to put it bluntly, Emperor Xia was playing chess, and Qin Bei was just a chess piece—perhaps an important one, but still just a piece.
To jump out of the chessboard, one had to showcase themselves and seize that fleeting opportunity.
But now, it was different.
Emperor Xia no longer just wanted Qin Bei to stir the pot within the country; he wanted him to throw the entire Cangzhou continent into chaos.
To achieve this, it was necessary for Qin Bei to jump out of the chessboard—not as a mere piece, but as part of the player.
Becoming the crown prince was just the first step!
All of this stemmed from Qin Bei’s recent performance, proving he was just as fearless as the young Emperor Xia once was.
Unlike the other princes who might potentially become crown prince, each of whom was a bully in their own little corner, afraid to step outside of the rules.
This was an utterly rogue endeavor. Yet, in the entire Great Xia, aside from Qin Bei, it was likely no one else dared to act this way.
“Your Majesty, Prince Bei was fortunate this time; the Shadow Guards arrived just in time to prevent any grave mistakes. If similar incidents happen with him in the future, given his current authority, the results might not be promising, so…”
Ying didn’t finish his sentence, but Emperor Xia understood Ying had sensed his thoughts and wanted to express something.
“Do you think I would help him ascend to the crown prince’s position?”
Emperor Xia looked at Ying and asked with a smile.
Ying blinked, surprised.
“Isn’t that what your Majesty meant?”
Ying thought he might have misunderstood; Emperor Xia clearly didn’t mean to establish Qin Bei as crown prince outright.
“Let him fight for it himself; it’ll serve as training, but I only want one outcome.”
Emperor Xia said with a grin.
Now Ying understood.
It was indeed Emperor Xia’s intent to have Qin Bei take the crown prince’s position.
However, he didn’t want to pave the way with a mere edict.
Instead, he hoped Qin Bei could emerge victorious from the struggles among factions.
Looking at it this way, it’s true.
Emperor Xia could directly name Qin Bei as crown prince.
No one would dare to oppose.
But such a move wouldn’t gain the recognition of the ministers at all.
What use is becoming the crown prince if it doesn’t carry weight?
It would be better to have the authority that Prince Xiu possesses, who is well-connected with the Ministry of Revenue.
“Power is earned by oneself; there’s no reason for others to grant it.”
Emperor Xia chuckled.
“But I see Prince Bei now seems to desire spirit stones far more than power.”
“Hmph! What does that matter? I’ll make him aware of it.”
Emperor Xia smiled, then assigned a task to Ying.
After hearing the task, Ying appeared strange.
This was truly a father-son duo.
“Very well, I shall have someone handle it.”
“Mm, go on.”
Emperor Xia nodded.
Looking outside, he muttered: the father-son war has just begun!
…
After leaving the Nurturing Residence, Qin Bei didn’t head back to the Prince’s Manor right away.
Instead, he went to find Qin Xuan.
“Brother, yesterday I thrashed that Qin Ke! Even though his cultivation level is higher than mine, he was no match for me! Hahaha!”
As soon as Qin Bei arrived, Qin Xuan proudly recounted his feat to him.
He was craving for some praise from Qin Bei.
Naturally, Qin Bei wasn’t stingy with his compliments.
After all, this was his silly little brother; he needed to be coaxed.
“How long will it take Qin Ke to recover from the beating you gave him?”
“Ah?”
Upon hearing his brother’s casual question, Qin Xuan was dumbfounded.
When did battles between princes get this intense?
Do recovery periods get calculated in months now?
Why was the first rule I learned about royal etiquette that internal discord was strictly forbidden?
You can challenge, but you must hold back!
“Sigh~ Given how snarky Qin Ke was last time, and his brother acted all high and mighty, if you actually get the chance to beat him, you ought to make him lie down for two or three months!”
Qin Bei patiently “taught.”
The maid beside them held her breath, not daring to interrupt.
Is this Prince Bei really that violent?
“But… isn’t it against royal rules to hit that hard?”
Qin Xuan scratched his plump head in confusion.
“Rules are dead, people are alive! Didn’t you just master a divine-grade technique?”
“Ugh~ A person like Qin Ke, weak and superficial, that little strength of his is only a product of resources. I wouldn’t even need to use my divine technique. A basic martial move would suffice to take him down.”
Qin Xuan boasted.
I must admit, this confidence felt strikingly familiar to Qin Bei.
“Tsk~ What I mean is, during your fight, you should use the divine technique on Qin Ke so he has to lie down for a few months to heal that mouth of his. And if the clan comes to investigate, just say you’ve just learned the technique and couldn’t control the strength, right?”
“Oh~ I see, I’ll give it a try next time.”
Qin Xuan suddenly enlightened.
“Well~ A teachable child indeed.”
“Let’s go find Mother; if I don’t visit her, she’ll say I’m heartless again.”
Qin Bei muttered.
Then he and Qin Xuan headed towards Concubine Chen’s residence.
On the way…
“By the way, Brother, Lord Ying came to visit me a few days ago, saying he wants to accept me as his apprentice. Should I agree?”
Qin Xuan recalled Ying’s visit.
At the time, Qin Xuan merely said he would think about it and wanted to ask for his brother’s opinion.
“Lord Ying?”
“Yes.”
Qin Bei frowned.
If the most powerful figure in Great Xia is Emperor Xia, then the most mysterious one is Ying.
Even the members of the royal family remain unaware of Ying’s true strength, let alone the outside forces.
Because Ying has never taken action against anyone; he merely controls within Great Xia’s territory.
Moreover, he wields the mysterious strength of the Shadow Guards, allowing him to accomplish many tasks without lifting a finger.
Much like Emperor Xia, with just one command, everything below falls into place.
Rumors claim Ying has already reached the semi-saint realm, but no one has verified that.
After all, no one in Great Xia dares mess with Ying.
It can be said that Ying is the spokesperson for Emperor Xia. If anyone can provoke Ying to act, it essentially signals that Great Xia is prepared to move against that individual.
Members of the royal family are well aware of this.
Thus, whether from the generation of Emperor Xia or the current princes like Qin Bei, they all aspire to become Ying’s apprentices.
This way, not only would they have a semi-saint level master backing them up, but they would also have the Shadow Guards behind them.
In this capital, who would dare not show respect?
…
“Of course, you should agree. If you become Lord Ying’s apprentice, in the future, scrubs like Wen Hua can be dealt with; no need to even bury their bodies!”
Qin Bei waved his hand.
Qin Xuan: …
This…
“Well, if Lord Ying comes over next time, I’ll agree. But that means I might not have much free time left.”
Qin Xuan said somewhat discontentedly.
Ying mentioned that if he was willing to be his apprentice, he would receive abundant cultivation resources.
But the prerequisite was relentless training, to practice continually until he earned Ying’s approval, before being allowed time to himself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
