207: Chapter 207 Li Junze Returns; The Crown Prince's Escape Was Quite Skilled

"Thank you for your favor, Your Majesty." Lin Ran said happily.

Although he had indeed looked down on Li Wuqing's rewards earlier, if the reward was a divine source stone, he would have to adopt a "one thing at a time" strategy.

"Also, I mentioned before that when Minister Lin returned in triumph, I would hold a grand banquet for you."

"I wonder when you think would be the best time for me to hold this banquet, Minister Lin?" Li Wuqing smiled.

"There is no rush for the banquet. The opening of the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury is imminent. It would not be too late to hold the banquet after I return from the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury." Lin Ran said.

"Very well." Li Wuqing nodded slightly.

"Everything that needed to be conferred has been conferred, and everything that needed to be rewarded has been rewarded. Is there any other Minister who has something to report?"

"If there is nothing urgent, then court is dismissed."

The court was silent.

Seeing this, Attendant Hua was about to speak when a reckless figure stumbled into the hall from outside.

This person was covered in wounds, his aura was weak and withered, and he looked disheveled and miserable.

It was none other than the Crown Prince, Li Junze!

"Imperial Father, that Devil's Den... uh..." Li Junze was dumbfounded.

When he saw the members of the Shi family, Lin Ran, Li Huayin, and the others all turn to look at him in unison, it was as if bolts of lightning had struck him, making him numb from head to toe.

This... what the hell is going on?! Why are Lin Ran and the others still alive?!

Logically speaking, he should have been the only one to leave the Devil's Den unscathed. So what was the deal with this dense crowd of people?! Why on earth was this happening?!

"Oh, so it is Your Highness the Crown Prince. I looked for you in the Devil's Den earlier but could not find you. I thought you had already met with misfortune; I did not expect that you had already escaped."

"That is truly joyous and worth celebrating." Lin Ran said with a fake smile.

The translation of these words was: Your Highness the Crown Prince really has a knack for running away.

The gazes of the ministers looking at Li Junze became more or less strange.

The Princes and Princesses had died, and only Li Huayin and Li Zhenwu, who were by Lin Ran's side, had survived.

They had previously heard that there seemed to be some kind of enmity between Li Junze and Lin Ran, so during this trip to the Devil's Den, Li Junze certainly would not have followed Lin Ran. Then, how did Li Junze survive?

Coupled with Lin Ran's words, many ministers concluded that Li Junze had run away first. Or perhaps Li Junze had fled after entering the Devil's Den. Or even worse, there was an even more terrifying possibility!

However, this conjecture was too terrifying; if one were to say it out loud, they would surely lose their head!

Li Junze knew that Lin Ran's words were a veiled insinuation that he had been cowardly and fled the Devil's Den before the battle. He had no choice but to force a smile and say: "Dragon Commander is joking. A powerful surge of Devilish Qi suddenly erupted in the Devil's Den and swept me out."

"If I, This Crown Prince, did not possess a trump card for survival, I would have died when the Devilish Qi surged."

These words were flawless and matched the scene of the demon breaking out of its coffin and the Devilish Qi surging through the entire Devil's Den. The ministers nodded secretly.

They had originally thought that Li Junze had been cowardly and fled the Devil's Den before the battle. Now it seemed that the surging Devilish Qi had washed him out of the Devil's Den, which was understandable. After all, if the Crown Prince of an Imperial Dynasty showed fear and panic toward the Devil's Den before the battle, it would have a significant impact.

"Now that the Crown Prince has returned safe and sound, I can rest easy."

"The Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury is about to open. The Crown Prince and Minister Lin should go back and prepare well, striving to obtain the Opportunity you desire within the Secret Treasury."

"Dismiss the court." Li Wuqing smiled.

He flicked his sleeves and left, leaving behind only a drifting sentence: "Minister Lin, I will wait for you in the Dragon Garden."

"Court dismissed—" Attendant Hua shouted.

Lin Ran gave some instructions to Meng Qing and Li Huayin, and after ordering the Dragon Suppressing Army to return to guard Shoushen Mountain, he headed to the Dragon Garden alone.

Inside the Dragon Garden. Li Wuqing sat in a pavilion, having brewed a pot of tea.

"Minister Lin, sit." Seeing Lin Ran arrive, Li Wuqing smiled and pointed to the seat opposite him.

Lin Ran sat down, poured himself some tea, and said: "Why did Your Majesty send so many people from the Shi family to the Devil's Den to die?"

"If it weren't for me, the Shi family's high-level combat power would have been almost completely wiped out. At that point, it wouldn't have been as simple as just the death of one Old Ancestor Shi."

"Although I know Your Majesty had your own intentions in doing this, I want to understand them even more."

Li Wuqing rolled his eyes at Lin Ran and snatched the teapot from his hand: "Drink slowly. This tea is a divine tea I have treasured for many years; there is not much of it left in the world!"

He took a sip of the divine tea calmly and said: "Shi Gandang was already nearing the end of his lifespan and was not far from death. When he was young, he served as an official in the imperial court, and after he grew old, he also served as an official for a time during my reign."

"His nature was too unyielding, and his way of conducting himself was too straightforward; he offended many Noble Families."

"My Jue Jian Imperial Dynasty has twelve Noble Families. He alone offended almost half of them. Among them, there were even Noble Families that wanted to devour and annex the Shi family."

"If Old Ancestor Shi were to die, even I would not be able to stop the annexation momentum of these Noble Families."

"Therefore, I had no choice but to come up with this inferior strategy."

Lin Ran nodded, suddenly realizing: "Your Majesty sent so many people from the Shi family to the Devil's Den, which looked like investigating the situation in the Devil's Den, but was actually sending them to their deaths."

"In this way, the Shi family could earn the title of a 'Noble Family for the Common People.' Thus, if other Noble Families wanted to make a move against the Shi family again, they would have to consider their reputation."

Li Wuqing nodded appreciatively: "Minister Lin, you truly understand things quickly! I originally intended for all of these people to die, but I did not expect your appearance to result in only Shi Gandang's death."

"Fortunately, the outcome remained the same, and the losses of the Shi family were greatly reduced. This result can be said to have greatly exceeded my expectations."

"More importantly, I did not expect you to be able to annihilate that demon. You are truly a hero among youths!"

Lin Ran waved his hand: "It was nothing but luck."

"This kind of matter cannot be summed up by the word 'luck' alone." Li Wuqing looked deeply at Lin Ran.

"Alright, the matter of the Shi family and the Devil's Den are in the past. Let us not talk about the past for now; let us talk about the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury next."

"When I was young, I also entered the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury once and know quite a bit about it."

Lin Ran pricked up his ears and listened carefully. After all, when the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury opened shortly, he would also be entering it. If he could learn some secrets about the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury from Li Wuqing, who had been there before, that would undoubtedly be for the best.

"In the Heavenly Sword Secret Treasury, there is a final Opportunity that no one has yet been able to take away, and that is the source heaven dao sword!"