Chapter 51: The Chaotic Internal Struggle of the Wu Kingdom
When they saw the person approaching, the officials instinctively made way.
Because the person was none other than the prince of Wu Kingdom, the brother of the empress.
They couldn’t afford to offend him.
“Prince Wu.”
Although the high priestess currently held power, she still addressed him respectfully.
There was no choice; even though Prince Wu was considered useless, not a single one of his supporters was.
“My sister’s decisions have become increasingly muddled over the years. It’s hard not to wonder if she’s done something foolish again, handing herself over to trash.”
“Women should not be in power; they’re too emotional! Why doesn’t my father understand this?”
As soon as Prince Wu spoke these words, everyone fell silent.
Clearly, they were also skeptical about the high priestess’s claims of mistakes.
After all, the royal custodian, draped in crimson, had been watching over the dynasty for over a thousand years without a hitch. How could they have fumbled this time?
It was hard to believe.
“Prince Wu, please conduct yourself with respect. You must understand your current status; the righteousness or wrongness of His Majesty cannot be determined by your mere words!”
The high priestess frowned.
On the surface, she appeared angry, but inwardly, she was trying to divert everyone’s attention.
Don’t fixate on Zhu Hong.
Because she alone knew that the empress had gone to Great Xia with the saintess.
She had no idea what had happened; how could the empress rashly choose a partner?
However, she understood that this information must not reach those in front of her.
Otherwise, the Wu Kingdom would truly descend into chaos.
“Am I wrong in what I say? I cannot interfere with your secluded attempts to break through to the sage level, but transferring power to you, a girl, instead of me is a grave mistake.”
The high priestess narrowed her eyes.
Prince Wu dared to call her a girl in front of everyone!
This was disrespectful not only to her as a person in power but also to the empress.
“Prince Wu! You should be aware of whom you are speaking to!”
“Oh? Angry? Thinking of striking?”
Prince Wu looked at the high priestess without a hint of fear, deliberately provoking her.
The high priestess was a quasi-saint and was no match for him, but the strongest fighter in Wu Kingdom stood behind her.
So, he was fearless.
“Furthermore! Our saintess, Mu Zhaoxue, a talent so exceptional, and stunning enough to bring nations to their knees! And you dare to send her off to marry? Is this truly the foolish decision of a decision-maker like you?”
Prince Wu appeared hysterical, causing the surrounding officials to be dumbfounded.
Everyone knew that although Prince Wu was over a thousand years old, he had always been obsessed with beauty.
A beauty like Mu Zhaoxue had captured his attention the moment she secured her spot on the beauty list.
Adding to that, Mu Zhaoxue was from Wu Kingdom.
Thus, despite not receiving any answer during the marriage announcement, Prince Wu had already deemed her his exclusive treasure.
When the high priestess declared that Mu Zhaoxue would marry, Prince Wu was the most vocal opponent.
“I’ve already explained! This is His Majesty’s decree before his seclusion; I’m merely executing it.”
Though seething with anger, the high priestess, having successfully diverted the topic, bore the discomfort and continued conversing with Prince Wu.
“Hmph! My sister intends for Mu Zhaoxue to marry Prince Qin Chen of Great Xia. If that fails, she ought to return! But you lot? You let the saintess marry a nobody!”
As Prince Wu spoke, his fury intensified.
He had already learned that the Great Xia’s Qin Chen was merely a cultivation fanatic, with no intention of marriage. Initially, he envisioned the marriage as a disaster.
Yet, he never anticipated that Qin Bei would emerge from nowhere.
Not only had he married the saintess, but he also seemed to have his eyes on her maids!
If it weren’t for his forced pursuit of the woman he longed for, Prince Wu was certain he and Qin Bei would have become great friends.
But now, the two were destined to be eternal enemies!
“Prince Wu, do you stand by what you just said?”
The high priestess gave a faint smile laced with sarcasm.
“Before the saintess wed this Qin Bei, we truly knew nothing about him. However, subsequent events demonstrated that the marriage delegation had an excellent eye! Ranked first in combat power among cultivators—surely that is superior to marrying Prince Qin Chen!”
With this assertion, the high priestess spoke with newfound confidence.
She also envied the Great Xia royal family; truly, they had talents aplenty.
“Hmph! Just a twenty-year-old stuck in the Body Tempering stage. So what if he’s ranked first in combat power? Can he truly challenge immortals using just Body Tempering?”
Prince Wu scoffed dismissively.
“And he’s only ranked first in one realm. What’s the guarantee he can rank first in every realm? He’s not a Holy Body! Do you seriously believe someone could rival a Holy Body with a mere mortal vessel? It’s but a flash-in-the-pan success!”
Prince Wu continued, his confidence unwavering.
Moreover, it’s not just him holding this view of Qin Bei’s talent. Indeed, the entire Wu Kingdom shared this perspective.
Including the ministers gathered below.
They feared this issue deeply.
What’s the point of strong combat power?
If one’s cultivation talent is lacking, remaining mortal forever means that even great combat power only matches that of one’s realm.
The Cangzhou Continent boasts countless strong warriors, not lacking in low-level combat prowess.
Or perhaps one’s cultivation speed is subpar.
Look at Qin Bei now.
His contemporaries had already reached the Golden Core Realm, and some were even in the Nascent Soul Realm.
While the one ranked first for combat power, Qin Bei, remained merely in Body Tempering.
That was indeed a problem for him.
But alas, in his past life, he was someone with mediocre cultivation talent.
Having just crossed over, the system’s might had yet to fully reveal itself.
But in such a short span, he had already soared to the pinnacle of the Qi Training Realm, almost breaking through to Foundation Establishment—a top-tier feat in the cultivation world.
Most importantly, Qin Bei’s growth had not been reckless; rather, he had laid a foundation firmer and stronger than anyone else.
Very few in the entire cultivation world could achieve rapid advancement while maintaining their roots.
Seeing the crowd of ministers glancing her way, the high priestess realized they all agreed with Prince Wu’s sentiments.
They believed the marriage with Great Xia was overly hasty.
However, she couldn’t sidestep this issue because the truth Prince Wu spoke was undeniable.
“Conveniently, Langya Pavilion has just released news that there will be significant shake-ups in today’s Qi Training Realm Power and Genius Rankings. Let’s see if the ‘genius’ you mentioned can make it onto the Genius List!”
“If not, the error in this decision will become apparent.”
“In that case, I hope the high priestess will collaborate with the cabinet on important decisions in the future, rather than making unilateral choices!”
At this moment, Prince Wu finally displayed his fangs.
What he aimed for was to strip the high priestess of her power during Ji Zhuyue’s seclusion, even going so far as to directly bypass her authority.
And this was merely the first step.
Getting the ministers to question her judgment!
The court was nothing more than a game of wits!
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