Chapter 290: Chapter 209: My Name Is Lu Mingyuan, Crown Prince of Great Yan; Today I Assume My Rightful Position to Speak for the Nation

Inside Qingzhu Hall, it was utterly silent.

After his grandfather finished recording the deposition from his time in prison, he left, leaving Lu Mingyuan to sit alone in the courtyard and think.

’Speak for the nation?’

’How am I supposed to do that?’

’Could it be that the method my grandfather thought up for me will end in failure?’

’But why?’

’I’ve only met the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom once. How could the Great Nether Empress see through the body double so easily?’

Thinking back to how the Demoness had been escorted to prison, only to leave the Capital City without a hitch...

Lu Mingyuan felt there was something strange about it all.

’Perhaps there’s another secret I don’t know.’

Lu Mingyuan stood in the courtyard of the Cold Palace, gazing north, unable to find an answer.

However, at this very moment,

the Cabinet’s preliminary decision on the royal marriage was spreading rapidly throughout the Imperial Capital, instantly sparking immense controversy.

"A royal marriage?"

"A royal marriage my ass."

"Why the hell should our Great Yan enter a royal marriage with their Demon Country?"

As news from the Imperial Court spread, the people of the Capital were instantly in an uproar.

To the common people, a royal marriage was an extremely bad thing. After all, sending someone from Great Yan beyond the border fortresses to a desolate, savage, and uninhabited land was not a good thing.

They didn’t know that the Cabinet was planning a bait and switch.

This matter was top secret.

The official word that had been leaked was that the court had indeed agreed to the Great Nether Empress’s request.

At the same time, it was also a way for the Cabinet to test the public’s reaction.

The people of the Capital were different from those in other places. Although there were poor people in the Capital, they at least had enough food and clothing. Moreover, living right under the Emperor’s nose, every household had some connections, and their idle chatter often revolved around court politics.

To a certain extent, their views could represent those of many people in Great Yan.

But no matter how loud the curses, everyone knew one thing: the Court had already made its decision.

The Demon Country’s Empress had already offered reparations and an apology, fulfilling all the necessary etiquette. The Ministry of Rites was now negotiating with the Demon Country’s envoy. If there were no major issues, the royal marriage was basically a sure thing.

Was Prince Huai’an, Lu Mingyuan, really going to marry into the Great Nether Empress’s family?

Once news of the royal marriage spread, some were happy, and others were worried.

Naturally, it reached the ears of the various academies.

"No matter what, Prince Huai’an is a candidate for Crown Prince. How can he just marry into her family like that?"

"Exactly! What is the Court thinking? How could they agree to something like this!"

A portion of the scholars, due to Lu and Wang’s Heart Learning, still held a favorable impression of Lu Mingyuan.

Upon hearing this news, they were all dissatisfied.

Of course, there was no shortage of people celebrating the news.

For example, Prince Chongwen’s Mansion.

The Eighth Prince, Lu Yunqing, had also just received the news. His staff officers were all exceptionally delighted, overjoyed about Lu Mingyuan’s impending marriage.

"Excellent! Once the Sixth Prince marries into the Great Netherworld, Your Highness will be the only candidate for Crown Prince!" a young Confucian Scholar said with a cheerful laugh.

"That Lu Mingyuan doesn’t know what’s good for him. He tried to imitate the ancient sage-kings and emperors with his whole ’three refusals and three withdrawals’ act. Now he’s not only failed to secure the Crown Prince position, but he’s also saddled with the trouble of a royal marriage. He’s really played himself this time."

"In my opinion, the position of Crown Prince is now well within Your Highness’s grasp."

When Lu Yunqing heard this, it didn’t sit well with him.

"That’s enough. Say no more."

Only after he spoke did his men notice that His Highness was not in a good mood.

However, this was all within their expectations.

They believed that Lu Yunqing had the bearing of an Emperor and would be a good King. His only weakness was that he was a bit soft-hearted, especially towards his brothers.

Looking back through the dynasties, were there not countless examples of royal brothers turning on each other?

If His Highness had been a little more ruthless back then and eliminated Lu Mingyuan, the position of Crown Prince would have been his long ago.

Lu Yunqing’s face was filled with guilt as he asked himself,

’If it were the old me, I might have submitted a memorial to the Cabinet or the Court, requesting they rescind the royal marriage decree. I might even have used my connections to stop this from happening.’

’But now, I find myself wavering. I don’t even want to do it.’

’Because if Sixth Brother doesn’t go through with the marriage, the position of Crown Prince will no longer be mine.’

’I want the position of Crown Prince.’

’So Sixth Brother must leave Great Yan.’

’I want that Dragon Throne of Great Yan.’

’It’s unavoidable.’

Seeing Lu Yunqing’s grave expression, a strategist at his side advised, "Your Highness, don’t think of the Sixth Prince as too innocent or feel so guilty. Does Your Highness truly believe the Sixth Prince has been doing nothing in the Cold Palace?"

"If that were the case, if the Sixth Prince were just some ordinary, unremarkable profligate son, why would the Champion Marquis and Qi Shengxian marry their daughters to him?"

"Perhaps the ordinary front he puts on is just for you, Your Highness. Just like Prince Jin. Before Prince Jin’s Mansion fell, how could the common people have known how many dirty deeds he had committed?"

The strategist’s words earned the agreement of a sword-wielding Qi Cultivator:

"Mr. Lu is right. In the Nine Dragons Struggle for the Throne, no one is a simple character. After Prince Jin’s death, the Endless Pavilion, which is rumored to be part of the Jianghu, is still operating underground. This shows that Prince Jin’s death didn’t dismantle this force. He wasn’t the mastermind; at best, he was just an important figure. It’s possible Lu Mingyuan is connected to it."

Lu Yunqing, having heard enough slander against Lu Mingyuan, said with a cold expression, "It is best to say less of such baseless speculation."

"Yes!"

The people around him broke out in a light sweat on their temples and quickly cupped their hands in a salute.

...

「A day after the news spread.」

There were still many people who had no doubts, believing that the Court had indeed agreed and that the matter was set in stone.