Chapter 300: Chapter 212: Forming the Crown Prince’s Lineage, Luo Ying’s Crisis, the Endless Pavilion Splits

Instead, he had magnanimously handed the Supreme Authority of Regency over to him.

Lu Mingyuan could guess that his father, the Emperor, was afraid of giving people reason to gossip.

’If he undermined me right after I became Crown Prince, sharp-eyed officials would surely notice and write memorials about it.’

Would this so-called father of his really let him take over the Supreme Authority of Regency so smoothly?

The permission to establish his own household gave Lu Mingyuan his answer.

’Probably not.’

Establishing his own household meant he could build up the Crown Prince’s Lineage, recruit his own staff officers and guards, and form his own small court.

It sounded wonderful.

But in reality, it would require immense energy and time.

It was not something that could be accomplished in a short period.

It had taken Prince Jin, Lu Guangjing, twenty years to build the Endless Pavilion to its current scale.

Prince Chongwen, Lu Yunqing, had many talented people foisted upon him because his teacher was Li Sheng, yet even after a year, his staff officers were still not strong enough to contend with the Prince Jin’s Mansion.

This was why Prince Chongwen had never been able to defeat Prince Jin or meet the Emperor’s expectations to become a true candidate for Crown Prince.

’And what about me?’

’Although my background is indeed formidable, there aren’t that many people who can truly help me.’

His first father-in-law, Qi Xingyan, was a newly ascended Twelfth Realm Saint and the Guardian Envoy of the Celestial Profound Continent. He was currently stationed outside the capital, fending off the Demon Country’s invasion, and was in no position to help.

Lu Mingyuan suspected that Qi Xingyan’s departure from the Imperial Capital was very likely his father’s arrangement.

His second father-in-law, the Champion Marquis, held high prestige in the military and was leading troops abroad, guarding the Border Region as a Governor.

His future father-in-law, Prince Zhenbei, was also at the Border Region, watching over the Northwest of Great Yan.

The Yuqing Ancestor Master couldn’t help him. The Celestial Master’s Mansion could only send Yun Qinghe to be his guard. On the surface, they were all subjects of Great Yan and could not be recruited for his personal use.

’My own power is certainly strong, but I don’t have enough capable people to command. I still can’t contend with my father, the Emperor.’

The entire Court, including the Three Academy Cultivators, were surely on the old man’s side.

In the eyes of the people of Great Yan, Emperor Yong’an was still the iron-blooded, horseback-riding Emperor who had founded the Era of Yong’an.

’How many people could see the thoughts behind that facade?’

After careful consideration, Lu Mingyuan had more or less guessed his father’s intentions.

’He plans to use the vacuum period while I’m busy establishing the Crown Prince’s Mansion to reorganize the Cabinet, leaving me no room to maneuver.’

’Right now, even with the regency, I’m a general without an army.’

’Whatever I try to do, as long as my father gives the order from behind the scenes, it will be fraught with difficulties.’

’So what if I have the Supreme Authority of Regency? I’m still just a Puppet.’

’I won’t be able to do anything.’

Then again...

’What do I know about governing a country?’

’I only know how to cut people down and screw them over.’

’This is fine, too. I can use this time to slowly recruit talented people, then grow bigger and stronger.’

As the imperial edict was announced, another wave of praise erupted from the crowd.

"Your son and servant accepts the edict!"

Lu Mingyuan shouted, his voice exceptionally loud and clear.

"The Crown Prince is truly a role model for us scholars of Great Yan."

"We are in awe of the Crown Prince’s actions today, truly in awe!"

"From this day forward, I am a follower of the Crown Prince."

"I am also a follower of His Highness the Crown Prince."

The scholars were incredibly excited. They were all young men. They might have once disliked Lu Mingyuan—and indeed, he had once been a wastrel.

It was normal to look down on him.

But ever since the emergence of Lu and Wang’s Heart Learning, every single thing he had done had forced them to admire and submit to him.

Faced with the flood of flattery and fawning, Lu Mingyuan appeared perfectly calm and composed.

He knew that the main reason these people were sucking up to him was that he was the Crown Prince. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

If he weren’t the Crown Prince, he couldn’t imagine what their faces would look like.

’What was that saying from my past life?’

’When you have no money and no power, you rarely meet any kind people. Even the women in a brothel will give you a dirty look as you pass by.’

’But when you’re rich and powerful, you often meet kind-hearted people. Everyone around you becomes respectful and polite.’

’At that point, you’ll discover that everyone around you is a good person.’

Therefore, Lu Mingyuan remained clear-headed, not letting these words of praise go to his head.

His train of thought was very clear.

’To build my own Crown Prince’s Lineage now, I can’t rely on this riffraff. I have to recruit broadly, especially those who stood by me when I was at my lowest.’

’When one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.’

’This phrase is entirely derogatory, but no one sees the value and truth behind it.’

’But today, I, Lu Mingyuan, will make use of this derogatory term. I’ll see who my "chickens and dogs" are and cultivate them well.’

’At the very least, when a fight breaks out, I need to have some lackeys, right?’

’As the Crown Prince, how can I not have any lackeys?’

"I appreciate everyone’s kind intentions," Lu Mingyuan began, using the formal ’I’. "But I have just been installed in the Eastern Palace and am truly overwhelmed. There are many urgent matters to attend to, and the Holy Emperor has summoned me to discuss the regency. I’m afraid I cannot stay."

Lu Mingyuan bid farewell to the crowd and walked toward the Imperial Palace, leaving a dashing figure in his wake.

Three maids, each with a different appearance and temperament, followed closely behind him. Seeing this, the crowd was once again filled with envy.

「After the crowd dispersed.」

A cultivator in a black robe and a bamboo hat slipped into the shadows. The next time he appeared, he was stepping into an old mansion, heading for the main hall.

Inside the old mansion were many ferocious-looking cultivators, but right now, all of them were staring eagerly toward the main hall.

It was as if the person in there was their backbone.

The black-robed cultivator reached the main hall, where a woman sat in the seat of honor. Her figure was slender beneath her black robes, and her posture was ramrod straight, one hand resting on her blade. She was tall, wearing black and gold boots. A high, black ponytail cascaded down her back, her eyes were cold, and her features were as exquisite and defined as if carved from crystal.

She naturally saw the black-robed cultivator enter the hall. A serious expression immediately appeared on her chilly face. "How have things been handled?"

The black-robed cultivator did not dare to be slow in his response.

He cupped his fist and said, "Reporting to Lord Ying, Gongyang Hu has been dealt with. What do we do next?"

"The position of Crown Prince of Great Yan has now completely fallen to Lu Mingyuan."

"Should we go and pledge allegiance to Lu Mingyuan?"

"The Crown Prince’s Mansion has not yet been established, so he’s in dire need of people. Should we disguise ourselves and go join the Crown Prince’s Mansion? That would give us a protective umbrella."

Luo Ying shook her head. "The Crown Prince’s Mansion represents the Court. It is the righteous path. People like us are destined to live in the shadows. We are wanted criminals of the Court. The Sixth Prince... oh, no, the Crown Prince of Great Yan now—for the sake of righteousness and the Court’s reputation, how could he ever get involved with us?"

The black-robed cultivator sighed. "Who could have expected that after Prince Jin’s death, the Endless Pavilion would fall apart so quickly in just half a month? It’s even split into three major factions, with countless smaller ones beneath them."

"With just your faction, Lord Ying, it will still be somewhat difficult to unify the Endless Pavilion in the Imperial Capital, let alone the entire Infinite Faction of the Central Plains World."

Luo Ying recalled the events of the past two and a half months and said heavily, "Who could have thought that the Infinite Faction leaders from other Dynasties would also interfere? If not for them, I would have unified the Endless Pavilion in the Imperial Capital long ago."

The black-robed cultivator lamented, "That Gongyang Hu was once part of Prince Jin’s core lineage, so glorious and grand. But look at him now, what a miserable state he’s in. His life is probably over."

"If only the Great Protector were here. With his strength and strategies, the situation would surely be better than it is now. We definitely wouldn’t be hunted by other members of the Infinite Faction."

"Don’t mention him!"

Hearing the words "Great Protector," Luo Ying looked furious, her face a mask of frost. "My Great Protector hasn’t been seen for two and a half months, as if he vanished from the Mortal World. His subordinates have disappeared along with him. He must have received news of Prince Jin’s death and taken his men to join another faction!"

"I still have a score to settle with him!"

It was no wonder Luo Ying was so angry.

She had trusted Yang Erlang so much back then. She had even offered numerous rewards to snatch the Great Protector away from her sister, thinking he was a veteran who could be entrusted with great responsibility. But she never expected that just when she needed him most, Yang Erlang would pull a disappearing act.

He was simply nowhere to be found!

From that day on, Luo Ying swore that if she ever saw him again, she would tear him to pieces!

...

I’ve been organizing the outline recently, so updates have slowed down as I adjust the plot for the next volume.