Chapter 292: Chapter 209: My Name Is Lu Mingyuan, Crown Prince of Great Yan. Today, I Take My Rightful Place and Speak for the Nation

"Why am I so weak? I still can’t break through to the Middle Fifth Grade. If I were strong enough, I could be like Huo Hongling and ask the Confucian Temple for help, or even that... that Great Nether Empress."

Qi Muxue clenched her fists, starting to blame herself.

Lu Mingyuan knew she was belittling herself again. Just as his father-in-law had said before he left, she had become trapped by her own insecurities. He could only comfort her, saying, "It’s alright. Everyone shines in their own way and has their own worth. As long as you are by my side, I am happy. That is enough."

Seeing this, Zi Yun and Hong Wan watched from a distance with envy.

Only Yun Qinghe silently rolled her eyes, clearly unhappy with their public display of affection.

...

「Two days passed.」

The marriage alliance ceremony officially began.

The envoys from the Demon Country and the officials from the Ministry of Rites completed their negotiations, setting a date for the wedding ceremony where the prince would marry into the Empress’s family.

「On this day.」

A man with a figure strikingly similar to Lu Mingyuan’s, dressed in a bamboo-colored Python Robe, came before the wedding procession.

It was unknown how the Cabinet had chosen him, but his face did indeed resemble Lu Mingyuan’s. They were the same height and had the same build.

However, his features weren’t as divinely handsome and jade-like as Lu Mingyuan’s; he could only be considered passably handsome.

The man’s expression was numb, as if he were either controlled by drugs or his mind was bound by some spell.

The long, dragon-like procession moved with great fanfare, decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, creating the illusion of an unparalleled, prosperous age.

However, few people offered their congratulations for this marriage alliance.

Most people were cursing it, but with the brocade-clad guards of the Bright Lamp Bureau maintaining order, no major disturbances could break out.

The gates of the Capital City swung open, and Great Yan’s marital procession followed the Holy Netherworld’s diplomatic corps, slowly departing the city.

The Holy Netherworld diplomatic corps was escorted by squads of black-robed figures.

No one could see their faces. People could only feel a bone-chilling cold wash over them as the figures passed by.

A few Three Academy Cultivators caught sight of the hands extending from the black robes—they were withered, skeletal hands.

Clearly, these members of the Holy Netherworld diplomatic corps were not truly among the living.

They belonged to the realm of ghosts and the Netherworld.

Today also happened to be the end of the three-day cycle.

Normally, Eunuch Yan would have arrived with an imperial edict, stepping through the gates of the Cold Palace for the fourth time to visit Lu Mingyuan.

But on this day, Lu Mingyuan sat in his courtyard, and the edict to name him Crown Prince never came.

In response, Lu Mingyuan’s expression remained calm, as if he had already reached an understanding.

That day, his mother, Wang Zhaoyan, and his maternal grandfather, Wang He’fu, both came to comfort him. Although they both wore smiles, Lu Mingyuan could use his Glazed Heart to hear the regret deep in their hearts.

The following day, sounds of schadenfreude filled the Capital City, with all sorts of rumors flying around.

Some said that the Sixth Prince had brought it all on himself, that his penchant for flashy ceremonies had cost him the position of Crown Prince.

Others claimed that Prince Huai’an was indeed unworthy of the title of Crown Prince, saying that compared to the many princes of the past, he showed no sign of being a suitable candidate.

In any case, those who looked down on Lu Mingyuan and the factions that did not side with the Sixth Prince had more or less all revealed themselves.

The situation had become perfectly clear, and there was no shortage of people mocking him with cold sarcasm.

Just when everyone thought the matter of the marriage alliance was over...

On the fourth day, a piece of news from the border jolted everyone awake.

"Prince Huai’an, Lu Mingyuan, is dead."

’Wasn’t this supposed to be a marriage alliance?’

’"Lu Mingyuan" died just like that?’

’What game is the Great Nether Empress playing?’

Just as everyone was bewildered, the Great Nether Empress issued another imperial edict from the Holy Netherworld.

It was a black edict that appeared in the skies above the Great Yan Imperial Capital, unfurling like a galaxy of black silver and covered in a profound, ancient power.

Only Cultivators of sufficient experience knew that this power came from an ancient, divine miracle of the Holy Nether Land.

Why was the Great Nether Empress able to secure her Emperor’s Throne and command the Ten Kings of the Underworld?

It was because she was backed by a powerful Divine Being.

She had begun as a High Priest, able to communicate with Divine Beings and obtain immense power.

"My Holy Netherworld acted with courtesy, agreeing to a marriage alliance and the withdrawal of troops. I never imagined the Emperor of Great Yan would dare use a counterfeit for the marriage. We will not let this rest. I give you a final three-day limit. If you do not hand over the real Crown Prince of Great Yan, my Holy Nether Army will no longer show mercy!"

The ethereal, feminine voice was filled with indifference and the supreme authority of an Emperor.

Everyone in Great Yan knew the Great Nether Empress was furious.

At the same time, they also learned the reason for her anger.

The Prince that Great Yan sent for the marriage alliance was actually a fake!

It wasn’t Prince Huai’an, Lu Mingyuan, at all!

He was a counterfeit!

’They used a counterfeit for the marriage alliance, and the Great Nether Empress found out?’

「The next day.」

The Cabinet convened an emergency meeting.

"What are we to do? The Great Nether Empress discovered that Prince Huai’an was a fake," sighed Yang Jingyu, the Minister of Revenue.

"Does this mean we have to use the real Prince Huai’an for the marriage alliance?"

All the Cabinet Ministers’ gazes turned to Wang He’fu.

After all, Lu Mingyuan was his maternal grandson.

The matter was of grave importance, and the Vice Chief Minister’s actions were crucial.

Wang He’fu felt utterly helpless. ’How did the Great Nether Empress discover that Prince Huai’an’s identity was fake? We made sure every detail was plausible. From his name and life story to his appearance, everything was selected from a massive pool of candidates. Even his temperament was similar. Someone not close to him would never have been able to tell. I don’t know what method the Great Nether Empress used.’

But he remained firm, unwilling to let his grandson marry into the Demon Country. Thus, he could only say coldly, "If worst comes to worst, we will go to war with the Holy Netherworld."