Deep into the night.
Xu Tianran once again sat in the Eastern Palace garden. This was his favorite place to be when he was troubled.
But today, the once beautiful flowerbeds had vanished. The entire garden, swept by his powerful destructive soul power, had instantly turned to dust.
Ever since Yuwen Tuo's return, his recent days had been the most vexing period since his legs were crippled.
Shadow Douluo Xue Chen, whom he had entrusted with heavy responsibilities, had died just like that at Yuwen Tuo's hands.
Not only that, when his imperial father and Xu Tianyuan finished examining his body and left the Eastern Palace, their ashen faces filled him with both grief and dread. His most closely guarded secret had been revealed to the people who least should have known it.
Everything was because of that Yuwen Tuo.
"Your Highness." Ju Zi appeared behind Xu Tianran. She had rushed back specially. At this time, only she could comfort the enraged Crown Prince.
"Ju Zi, Xue Chen is dead, but Yuwen Tuo is alive and well. He even exposed my inability to procreate in front of the Imperial Father," Xu Tianran's voice was chillingly cold, oozing with a palpable, bone-chilling killing intent.
Ju Zi was no exception; she felt goosebumps all over as soon as she approached Xu Tianran at this moment.
It was her first time seeing Xu Tianran with such heavy killing intent. Even when facing the person who had crippled him years ago, he calmly flayed and broke the bones of his enemy!
"Ju Zi, I no longer have anyone suitable to assassinate Yuwen Tuo. Therefore, I'm prepared to use their power..."
Before Xu Tianran could finish, Ju Zi immediately interjected, "Your Highness, you mustn't! The power of those people cannot be lightly used. Cooperating with them is like playing with fire. It didn't matter before, because you were an irreplaceable heir to the throne.
Even if you used their power, His Majesty would turn a blind eye. But after today's events, His Majesty already has a different mindset towards you. Your biggest secret has been exposed, and His Majesty probably already has thoughts of supporting someone else to replace you.
However, since you have managed the imperial court for many years, for the stability of the court, he will certainly not move against you without cause. Nor will he reveal your situation to the public, as that involves the dignity of the imperial family.
But if you overstep him and presume to invite those fellows, wouldn't you be giving His Majesty a handle?"
"After all, not many people know about our Sun Moon Empire's cooperation with those guys. On the surface, they are public enemies of the entire continent!"
"But what do you want me to do? This Yuwen Tuo is growing faster and faster. Although his actions are arrogant, they are only directed at me, and he never crosses Imperial Father's bottom line.
As long as he acts obediently in front of Imperial Father a few more times, my position as Crown Prince will surely be shaken. Now, even the Mingde Hall seems to have sided with him!" Xu Tianran roared.
Besides his anger, Ju Zi had never seen the Crown Prince so out of control. It seemed Yuwen Tuo had truly pushed him to the brink.
She gently crouched down, level with Xu Tianran. "Your Highness, please don't worry. Ju Zi will not let such a thing happen. Ju Zi will surely help you ascend to the great throne and unify the continent!"
At this time, Ju Zi was quite loyal to Xu Tianran. Not only was he kind to her, but she also wanted to use his power to exact her great revenge.
"Ju Zi, I'm counting on you!" Xu Tianran nodded. At this moment, Ju Zi was the only person he could confide in.
The next day.
It was the Sun Moon Empire's imperial court. This was the second time Yuwen Tuo had officially attended court since coming to this country.
The last time, he had directly cursed Xu Tianran as a cripple and an eunuch in front of the Emperor and all the civil and military officials. But because he displayed his twin martial souls and innate twenty-level talent, the Emperor had tolerated him.
Today, he used the same trick. The first thing he did upon entering the court was not to bow, but to directly toss Shadow Douluo's head forward.
The Sun Moon Emperor looked bewildered. What on earth was this son up to now?
Wasn't he here to ask for forgiveness? What did throwing a head mean?
Was this "asking for forgiveness"? Or was he being arrogant and provocative?
"How dare you, Prince Yan! This is the dignified imperial court of the Empire! How can you hold a bloody head and so disrespectfully throw it before His Majesty?" An official angrily reprimanded.
Yuwen Tuo didn't know if he was one of the Crown Prince's people. After all, at a time like this, not only enemies, but even upright officials not involved in factional disputes, would be justified in criticizing him.
Therefore, Yuwen Tuo didn't bother to pay him any mind and directly addressed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the day before yesterday, I, Yuwen Tuo, returned from outside. Unexpectedly, on my way back to the city, I was ambushed and assassinated by Shadow Douluo Xue Chen.
To save my life, I had no choice but to fight back, and I accidentally used too much force and killed him, causing the nation to lose a Titled Douluo talent. I have specially come to ask for forgiveness and to request an imperial decree from Your Majesty to complete some tasks, hoping to atone for my sins with meritorious service."
"Shadow... Shadow Douluo? This head, is the head of a Titled Douluo!" The official who had just been reprimanding Yuwen Tuo unconsciously took a few steps back.
He had originally thought Yuwen Tuo was being rude and disrespectful, but if he had taken the head of a Titled Douluo, then he truly had the qualifications to bring it to court.
Titled Douluo were treasures in any country, national treasure-level figures. Their death was absolutely a major event and worthy of court discussion.
But the problem was, what did this Prince Yan just say?
He "accidentally used too much force" and killed a Titled Douluo? Did he think he was killing a chicken?
Moreover, looking at Yuwen Tuo's healthy appearance, did he manage to solo-kill him without any injuries?
"Prince Yan, you were truly too impulsive. Although Shadow Douluo is not part of our Sun Moon imperial court, he is still a person of our Sun Moon Empire. If you could defeat him, you could have brought him back; there might have been a chance to bring him over to our side.
The death of a Titled Douluo and a Rank 9 Soul Engineer is a huge loss even for our Sun Moon Empire," the Emperor said. "However, he did assassinate you first, and I know that you are not to blame."
The Emperor gave Yuwen Tuo an out.
Just as Xu Tianran had thought before, even if the outcome today had been Yuwen Tuo's death, the Emperor wouldn't have done anything to his Crown Prince for the sake of a dead man.
Now that the situation was reversed, Shadow Douluo was indeed a Titled Douluo, but he was neither a direct imperial relative nor part of the Sun Moon imperial court; he belonged privately to Xu Tianran.
His death was indeed a pity, but he was already dead. Would the Emperor punish his own biological son, whose talent was so astounding, for a dead man who didn't even belong to him? The Emperor wasn't that senseless.
Furthermore, yesterday, he had already sent people to investigate Xu Tianran's situation. Damn it, his son really was an eunuch.
If Xu Tianran hadn't already been deeply entrenched in the imperial court, he might have been deposed today.
Now, the Emperor's idea was to first see if Xu Tianran could be cured. At the same time, he would begin to support other princes. No matter what, there had to be an alternative.
And Yuwen Tuo was one of the people he chose. If Yuwen Tuo wasn't still unwilling to take the surname Xu, he could even immediately elevate him to a prince, allowing him to directly challenge Xu Tianran.
Therefore, the Emperor's current intention was to play the emotional card with Yuwen Tuo as much as possible, hoping that he would soon pledge his loyalty.
Yuwen Tuo cupped his hands, "Thank you for Your Majesty's leniency. However, I have, after all, killed a Titled Douluo of the nation. I couldn't sleep last night. If I cannot atone for my sins with meritorious service,
I truly am unworthy of the title 'Prince Yan' bestowed by Your Majesty. Today, I humbly request an imperial decree from Your Majesty; please grant me a certain authority, and I will surely establish great merits for the nation!"
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).