34: Chapter 34 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (Part 11)

Four Seasons Holy Land, Star Observation Terrace.

A middle-aged man in white robes stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry sky. Several young disciples stood behind him.

"Holy Lord, the Tianhuang Princes Mansion has appointed a new heir. Do we need to make some sort of gesture?" a disciple asked respectfully.

The man in white chuckled lightly: "The changing of the guard at the Princes Mansion, what does it have to do with our Holy Land?"

"The annual tribute from the Tianhuang Princes Mansion should remain as usual. As for who becomes the prince... as long as it does not affect the Holy Land's recruitment of disciples or reduce the tribute, let them do as they please."

"But this disciple has heard that the Third Prince, Heir Xiao Heng, seems to have a distant relationship with the capital. If he succeeds to the throne, will it affect our layout in the Huangyan Prefecture?"

"Layout?" The Holy Lord turned around, his eyes appearing to cycle through the changing seasons.

"Remember, the reason the Holy Land is transcendent is because we look upon the entire Tianwu Dynasty, and even the greater trend of the entire human race."

"It is because we possess the continent's top-tier Martial King ancestors holding the fort."

"The changing of a mere prefectural Princes Mansion is nothing but fleeting smoke. As long as the ancestors are still here, as long as the Border Great Wall still stands, and as long as the demon race continues to threaten the human race."

"The three great dynasties and the various prefectural Princes Mansions will all need the warriors cultivated by the Holy Land to guard the Great Wall."

"As for who sits in that position..." He looked toward the direction of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, meaningful, "It makes no difference who it is."

Heir Xiao Heng stood in front of the Heirs Courtyard gate, feeling somewhat dazed.

Three days ago, he was still living in a remote little courtyard on the west side of the Princes Mansion, with only Wang Shi, a few old servants, and some low-level guards by his side.

But now, before him stood a majestic compound with five courtyards, vermillion gates, high walls, and flying eaves with dougong brackets.

Inside the courtyard, rockeries, flowing water, pavilions, and towers were all complete, with over a hundred servants and maids.

"Your Highness, it is time to go in," Wang Shi said softly from behind him.

Heir Xiao Heng took a deep breath and stepped inside.

A banquet had already been set in the main hall, where over twenty people had been waiting for a long time.

These were the officials and generals who had declared their support for Heir Xiao Heng today. Although most were not of high status, they already constituted Heir Xiao Heng's entire base of support.

"Welcome, Your Highness the Heir!"

Everyone bowed in unison.

Heir Xiao Heng sat in the main seat, looking at the table full of delicacies and the faces below—some sincere, some sycophantic—and an unprecedented sense of ambition surged in his heart.

Is this the taste of power?

"Everyone, please rise," he said, raising his wine cup. "The fact that Heir Xiao Heng can sit here today is entirely due to your support. This cup is for you all!"

"To Your Highness!"

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

A bearded general slurred his words as he said, "Your Highness, now that you are the heir, is it not time to... reward those who have contributed?"

"The brothers who follow you, are they not just waiting for this day?"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Heir Xiao Heng was also a bit tipsy and laughed, "It should be rewarded! General Liu, what do you want? Speak your mind!"

Just as the bearded general was about to speak, Wang Shi suddenly stood up: "Your Highness, the wine has gone cold; I will go warm it up."

As he walked to Heir Xiao Heng's side, he took the opportunity to pour wine and whispered: "Your Highness, you are currently only the heir, and there are still three months until the official succession."

"The First Prince and the Second Prince are watching like tigers eyeing their prey, constantly thinking about how to turn the tables."

"If you confer rewards now, I fear it will give others leverage against you."

Heir Xiao Heng shuddered, and his drunkenness faded by more than half.

He looked at the people below, those expectant faces suddenly becoming somewhat stinging to his eyes.

That is right, do these people really support him?

Or are they just unable to reach his eldest brother or second brother, and want to gamble on a merit of assisting a dragon?

He put down his wine cup and said slowly, "General Liu is right; it should be rewarded."

"But..."

He changed his tone: "My father has not yet officially passed the title, so if I were to bestow rewards on a large scale, it would look like I am overstepping my authority."

"How about this: I, Heir Xiao Heng, will keep everyone's sentiments today firmly in my heart."

"After three months, when I officially inherit the throne, we will then discuss rewards based on merit, how about that?"

The atmosphere in the hall stagnated.

A look of disappointment flashed across the bearded general's face, but he forced a smile and said, "Your Highness is thoughtful; it was this humble general who was abrupt."

The banquet continued, but the atmosphere was no longer as lively as before.

Half an hour later, everyone dispersed. Heir Xiao Heng sat alone in the hall, looking at the mess on the table, and suddenly felt somewhat exhausted.

"Your Highness," Wang Shi said, bringing over some sobering soup.

Heir Xiao Heng took it and smiled bitterly: "Grand Attendant Wang, was I... very stupid just now?"

"Your Highness is young, so it is perfectly normal to have such feelings."

Wang Shi said calmly, "But the fact that Your Highness could realize this in time shows the makings of a wise ruler."

"A wise ruler..." Heir Xiao Heng muttered, his smile becoming even more bitter.

"But is this position of mine really earned through being 'wise'? If it were not for my eldest and second brothers destroying their own foundations and crossing the bottom line."

"If it were not for the fact that I was lucky enough to be one step ahead of them in martial arts, and if it were not for the pressure from the Worship Hall..."

"In my father's eyes, has he ever truly seen me as his son?"

Wang Shi was silent for a moment, then suddenly lifted his robes and knelt solemnly.

"Your Highness has this servant."

"And even more, you have the forbearance that ordinary people cannot match over these fourteen years, and the step-by-step calculations over these past three years."

"The leverage against the First Prince and the Second Prince was carved out of schemes by Your Highness and this servant, one blade and one sword, one word and one sentence at a time."

"The support of the Worship Hall was also earned by Your Highness's day and night of bitter cultivation, exchanging the strength of being the first in the Princes Mansion's generation to break through to a new realm."

He raised his head, his gaze firm and burning: "What Your Highness possesses has never been a title obtained by luck."

"What Your Highness has is the unwillingness to accept being invisible for fourteen years and the determination to walk step by step back to this point."

"This path, this servant has accompanied Your Highness for three years. For the path ahead, this servant is willing to continue to serve Your Highness, even if it means spilling my brains and blood."

Heir Xiao Heng helped him up, his eyes slightly red: "Grand Attendant Wang, from now on, you are the only person I can entrust my life to."

"This servant will not refuse even death."

In the days that followed, Heir Xiao Heng officially began to take over the affairs of the Princes Mansion.

However, just as Wang Shi had expected, every step was difficult.

On the first day, he wanted to check the accounts, but the head of the Household Department excused himself, claiming that the accounting room was under renovation and the ledgers from previous years could not be retrieved.

On the second day, he summoned the border-guarding generals, but those who came were all insignificant minor generals and adjutants; the commanders all made excuses of "busy military affairs" to decline.

On the third day, he wanted to inspect the granaries, but the granary master directly reported sick.

Inside the council hall, Heir Xiao Heng slammed his teacup onto the ground, letting out an angry roar:

"This is too much! Do they still have me, this heir, in their eyes?!"

Wang Shi silently cleaned up the fragments, and only when Heir Xiao Heng's breathing calmed down slightly did he say: "Your Highness, calm your anger; everything is within expectations."

"Within expectations?" Heir Xiao Heng sneered angrily, "Then what should I do?"

"Wait idly for three months, only to fail at the last step? And then become a laughingstock, to be replaced by the First Prince or the Second Prince?"

"Naturally not."

Wang Shi's eyes were deep: "Your Highness, the current situation may seem difficult, but it actually hides opportunities."

"Opportunities?"

"The First Prince's faction is complying in public but opposing in private, and the Second Prince's faction is restless and plotting."

"It is precisely because of this that they will reveal their flaws." Wang Shi lowered his voice, his tone filled with ruthlessness:

"If Your Highness wants to break the deadlock now, what you need most is to establish authority—to kill the chicken to warn the monkey!"

"Let everyone know that the Heir is not just a figurehead."

Heir Xiao Heng calmed down: "Which chicken should I kill?"

"The Garrison General, Lin Lantian!"