Chapter 301: Chapter 213: The Crown Prince’s Regency, Rebuking the Court Officials, Civil and Martial Resignations, a Political Earthquake

In the Imperial Palace, on the way to the Holy Bright Palace.

Yu Da Dao of the Maoshan sect from the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy looked at Lu Mingyuan and smiled. "Crown Prince, you’re about to establish your own residence and leave the Cold Palace. How are you feeling?"

"Not bad, I suppose. My father, the Emperor, must have taken a liking to my handsome and dashing looks. He must have long believed in my noble character, and that I truly had nothing to do with the Demoness affair. Perhaps even back then, my father intended to make me Crown Prince. The Cold Palace was merely his test for me."

Lu Mingyuan put on a confident expression, as if he had expected this all along.

’This Yu Da Dao seems to be my escort, but he’s actually a spy for my father.’

’I have to keep up appearances.’

’The information from the divination told me as much.’

’My pronouncements for the nation, which solidified my aura as the Crown Prince, have already drawn my father’s attention and suspicion.’

’If my father knew that his son was not only ambitious and capable, but also wanted to oppose him—that I don’t respect him as my father...’

’That this unfilial son actually wants to kill him and become Emperor himself... it would all be over.’

’So, as the Crown Prince, with my current strength insufficient to challenge my father, I must play the part of a filial son on the surface.’

’Obeying my father’s every command, becoming his pawn—that’s what he wants to see.’

’If, right after leaving the Cold Palace and making my pronouncements, I started hiding my abilities and biding my time, my father would surely become guarded, worried that his son was secretly plotting a coup.’

’It’s fine to be smart, and it’s fine to be capable, but I can’t openly defy my father. I can’t pose a threat to him, or I’ll invite sanctions from the Holy Emperor.’

’If I want to truly establish myself in Great Yan, I have to strike decisively and stir these muddy waters into chaos, not just sit back and do nothing.’

’My background is certainly strong, but a single word from Emperor Yong’an can change everything.’

’A general of an army, a minister of the court, a Mountain Master of an academy—he can dismiss them from their posts as he pleases, without any reason at all.’

’But that is the authority of the Emperor. Or rather, it is the terrifying prestige my father has built by ushering in a golden age for Great Yan over the last sixty years!’

’I have to play dumb, pretending not to know what my father is doing behind the scenes. That’s the only way to fool him.’

That was why, upon gaining the title of Crown Prince, Lu Mingyuan felt perfectly calm deep down. He was a Prince to begin with, and now that he had outlasted all the other Princes—who had either died violent deaths or lost their eligibility to compete for the throne—everything was simply falling into place.

His pronouncements for the nation were merely a way to prove his innocence and capability to the world.

With a brisk pace, the group soon arrived at the Holy Bright Palace.

The Holy Bright Palace was the main palace of the Great Yan Dynasty, its political center and national symbol. Located in the center of the Imperial Palace and facing south, it was known as the Palace of Ten Thousand Palaces in the Central Plains World.

Countless imperial edicts and decrees were issued from this place on a daily basis; a single military order could annihilate a small nation.

Majestic black eaves and crimson walls, towering Coiling Dragon Stone Steps, and several thousand Qilin Imperial Guard Personal Guards standing watch at the four palace gates, holding their spears at attention. All of this gave the Holy Bright Palace an air of incomparable solemnity. Before the hall, nine Dragon Pattern Bronze Tripods stood outside the gates, declaring where the Celestial Mandate now resided.

Lu Mingyuan stepped onto the stone steps before the Holy Bright Palace, a dazed look on his face. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Memories surged in his mind. The last time he was here was on the day he let the Demoness of the Demon Kingdom escape. He had been bound tightly and forced to kneel in the Holy Bright Palace for interrogation, before finally being thrown into prison.

He never imagined that 576 days later...

He would be back here again.

But this time, it was to act as regent.

It just goes to show how unpredictable life is.

Looking back, he saw the towering Great Flame Dragon Wall, the boundless Imperial Palace Plaza, the perfectly symmetrical stone statues... everything proclaimed the grandeur and solemnity of the Great Yan Imperial Palace.

’To become the Emperor of this Dynasty, to become the Venerable Emperor... it would truly be an extraordinary thing.’

With this thought in mind, Lu Mingyuan, dressed in a golden Crown Prince’s Python Robe, straightened his posture, lifted his head, and stepped into the Holy Bright Palace, left foot first.

Zi Yun, Hong Wan, and Bai He waited outside the hall.

After entering the hall, Lu Mingyuan saw the ranks of civil and military officials. In his eyes, this place overflowed with scholarly fortune, and the Martial Fortune was considerable. A torrent of Destiny, like a violent storm, rushed toward him.

If an ordinary person were to step into the Holy Bright Palace, they would be so frightened by this immense pressure that they would wet their pants in an instant.

This was also why many rustic folk and foreigners who had never been to the Imperial Court felt a sense of dread the moment they set foot in Great Yan.

The Destiny of the entire Great Yan court was not something an ordinary person could withstand. These high-ranking officials and decorated military officers, clad in crimson and purple, were all figures of noble status in the various States and Counties of Great Yan. Some might even leave a significant mark in the future annals of history. But here in the Imperial Court, they each occupied just one position among many.

But in Lu Mingyuan’s eyes, this wave of Destiny was insignificant.

The Destiny he carried as Crown Prince, combined with the ten-thousand-year Destiny of the Three Religions, was more than ten times greater than the sum of all of theirs combined—far more!

Completely unaffected, Lu Mingyuan walked to the center of the great hall with a calm expression.

As he looked around, he saw no one who was weak in power.

The Great Yan Dynasty had stood for 368 years and was at the peak of its National Fortune. The officials, who depended on the Dynasty for their existence, were naturally not weak.

Lu Mingyuan noticed a change. Compared to a year ago, when he was captured and knelt in the center of the hall, these same ministers had looked on with cold indifference, schadenfreude, ridicule, and scorn.

Now, their expressions were filled with surprise, astonishment, shock, and admiration.

Lu Mingyuan’s expression remained serene as he slowly activated Observing the Heart.

A multitude of voices—their inner thoughts—flooded into Lu Mingyuan’s ears.

’So this is the new Crown Prince, Lu Mingyuan? He’s quite a fine-looking man. More handsome than the gigolos at the brothels.’