White-Robed Chief

Chu Li smiled and nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. As long as you support Xu An, Xu An will have a higher chance than King Jing."

"The throne isn't passed on like that, there's no such rule." King Ping frowned.

Chu Li grinned. "The key is Xu An's identity. Being a Buddhist, he's naturally supported by Titanium Temple. Once he inherits the throne, he'll be able to break the situation of being suppressed by Tempest Temple for years and they'll have no choice but to comply. As such, Ji Dynasty will be able to go all out against other forces. Even if it can't defeat the other three countries, it'll still gain the upper hand, changing its rank among the five countries… I believe the Emperor won't decline the temptation as Ji Dynasty has been inferior for far too long needs to rise up."

"Xu An…" King Ping sighed and shook his head.

Chu Li continued, "Your Highness, I know that you won't be resigned to this, but this is how it is with worldly matters. They don't change according to people's desires. As for sending soldiers to fight Zheng Dynasty, I believe that Xu An will agree to it."

King Ping exhaled. "One shouldn't look to someone else for revenge. If Fu Dynasty gets involved, is Xu An going to provoke them too?"

He wondered, 'If I become the emperor, I won't have to worry about the pressure from Fu Dynasty. I'll force an attack on Zheng Dynasty, eliminate the Mysterious Pavilion, and take revenge on the consort's death.'

Chu Li was concerned. "Your Highness, you're saying that...?"

King Ping pondered silently.

He was well aware of how slim his chances were at claiming the throne. It would be the same even if King Jing was out of the picture or if an accident actually took place. If King An was still around, the throne might be King An's instead. Besides, there was also King Cheng. While it seemed like King Ping was closest to the throne, he was actually the furthest from it and it would never be his to claim.

Chu Li sighed. "Forget it. I'll get rid of the Mysterious Pavilion, take revenge on the consort's death. You'll help Xu An after. What do you think, Your Highness?"

"You have a way to destroy the Mysterious Pavilion?" King Ping asked.

Chu Li answered, "Where there's a will, there's a way. I'll try."

"Alright, if you can destroy the Mysterious Pavilion, I'll support Xu An!" King Ping agreed.

Chu Li put on a bright smile. "That's a deal then!"

King Ping assured, "Don't worry, I won't break the promise!"

Chu Li added, "If Xu An inherits the throne, he won't withdraw your military power."

King Ping replied, "It doesn't matter, I'm not interested in war!"

"That's great!" Chu Li clapped his hands together, then expressed, "Now, there's only one thing in our way, the Mysterious Pavilion. I have to eliminate it!"

"The Mysterious Pavilion is similar to the Secret Guardians Hall, destroying it will be difficult." King Ping continued, "You won't succeed if you simply rely on martial art skills. After all, it's situated in Zheng Dynasty's capital and is also guarded by Enlightened Masters."

Chu Li understood. "I'll find a way. Your Highness, wait for my good news!"

"Alright, I'll wait and see!" King Ping assured.

…

At noon, Chu Li was practicing sword techniques in his courtyard when he received news that the Emperor had announced the appointment of King Jing as the crown prince.

The royal court was calm and tranquil as if things had all turned out the way it should. Apart from the Ministry of War, none of the courtiers objected hence the appointment was passed.

Since the crown prince candidate was announced, the Crowning Ceremony would be held the next day to announce the crown prince to the public.

Being the head chief of King An's Imperial Residence, Chu Li was invited to the Crowning Ceremony.

Early in the morning, everyone in the imperial residence began preparing themselves for the ceremony. The three consorts, Xiao Qi, Leng Qing, and Leng Qiu, together with Chu Li were then escorted by six protectors out of Fairy Capital's east gate.

The east gate was extremely lively as all chancellors of Rank-Three and above were invited to the Crowning Ceremony.

As soon as they left the east gate, a group of people could be seen traveling slowly in front of them. Through the Omniscient Mirror, Chu Li discovered that they were people from King Jing's Imperial Residence.

Chu Li shook his head helplessly.

Xiao Qi turned to look at Chu Li with a faint smile.

Chu Li sighed. "What a coincidence."

He had hoped not to meet anyone from King Jing's Imperial Residence.

The ladies rode on horses and wore white veils that covered their faces apart from their eyes. They were tightly protected by the protectors around them. Nonetheless, though sharp protectors stood on both sides of the main road, they still felt insecure.

A brief moment later, a horse galloped its way over to be stopped by Zhu Tianhua and Zheng Lide, who were both riding in front.

Afterwards, Zheng Lide quickly reported, "Head Chief, the treasurer from King Jing's Imperial Residence was ordered to invite you over for a talk."

Chu Li nodded with a frown, then said to Xiao Qi and the other ladies, "Travel slowly behind them, I'll go meet King Jing."

"Go ahead," Xiao Shi said. "Be careful, he's a crown prince now!"

Chu Li nodded.

He galloped to the front, where an elder on a horse greeted him with a fist salute. "Head Chief Chu, His Highness is expecting you."

Chu Li returned the fist salute, then followed him. Along the way, the protectors paid close attention to him while opening a path for him to meet King Jing.

King Jing and Consort Jing were seen riding on horses. They glanced at him as he arrived.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Consort." Chu Li bowed with a fist salute.

"You can skip the salutations." King Jing waved his hand, then said, "I haven't seen you in a while, you still have the graceful bearing of a head chief!"

Chu Li grinned. "Your Highness, you're overpraising me."

King Jing was known to be a quiet man with a strong and majestic presence, thus it was rare to hear him speak.

"Did anything happen at the Imperial Mausoleum?" King Jing asked.

Chu Li shook his head. "Everything's normal."

King Jing nodded his head slowly in return. "Third Eldest Brother died at an early age and though it was really painful to hear, the deceased will always be lost and irrecoverable. I can only take good care of King An's Imperial Residence, so if anything happens to the residence, please come look for me!"

"Thank you, Your Highness," Chu Li said.

Consort Jing smiled. "Ask the consorts to pay our residence a visit, I'm usually unoccupied!"

"Yes, Consort," Chu Li responded.

Consort Jing added, "It's tough for Younger Sister Xiao to live in widowhood at such a young age. I understand how it must feel since I'm a woman too. Don't force yourselves to take on every problem, if anything happens, come look for me."

"Thank you, Consort," Chu Li thanked.

"Mm, you may leave," King Jing instructed.

Chu Li saluted with his fists, then left.

Of course, he was well aware that King Jing was trying to rope him in.

It was also natural for King Jing to not say anything directly; he had left some leeway so to not make things awkward.

Once Chu Li returned to the others from King An's Imperial Residence, Xiao Shi stared at him closely. Xiao Qi and the other ladies were curious too.

Chu Li chuckled. "King Jing intends to look after King An's Imperial Residence and asked that we look for him if we're in need of help. Consort Jing also wants to invite all three consorts over to King Jing's Imperial Residence."

Xiao Shi, who was extremely sharp, tilted her head at Chu Li. "Looks like King Jing values your wisdom and ability very much."

Chu Li shook his head and laughed. "I'm humbled."

"What do you plan to do?" Xiao Shi scoffed.

Chu Li said, "I don't deserve it."

Xiao Shi rolled her eyes at him.

Later, the people of King Jing's Imperial Residence sped up, which prompted Chu Li and the others to speed up too.

They continued east past the Imperial Enclosure and finally arrived before the Crowning Altar.

The altar stood tall at over ten meters in the square, whereby various symbols could be seen carved on the altar. It was extremely mysterious. The Crowning Altar was constantly guarded and unauthorized people were not allowed to approach it.

Chu Li also noticed that the green bricks on the ground were carved with strange symbols that were consistent with those on the altar, which made them look like they were one.

Chu Li checked them out through the Omniscient Mirror where all the symbols were clearly displayed to him.