140: Chapter 140: The Crown Prince's Reserved Space? The Entire Server Went Wild

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the morning bell had just ceased.

The civil and military officials stood in two rows, the atmosphere heavier than usual.

Ever since Lin Zhe took the position of Prince Regent, few in the court dared to seek death by challenging him. But today was different.

Today, they were discussing the foundation of the state.

The Minister of Rites held his Jade Tablet, took a step forward, and spoke with trepidation: "Your Majesty, I have a petition."

Su Ninghua sat upright on the dragon throne, her dark imperial robes flowing down. Her voice was cold: "Speak."

The Minister of Rites had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and said: "Our Human Empire's four borders are stable, the rebellion has been suppressed, and with the Prince Regent in charge, the nation's power is flourishing. This is a great joy."

"But... the position of the imperial heir remains vacant."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell even more silent.

Many officials' hearts skipped a beat, and they even lightened their breathing.

Crown Prince.

These two words were far too sensitive.

Su Ninghua had remained unmarried and had no offspring, so the position of the heir had been left undecided. Previously, with internal and external threats, no one dared mention it. Now that the situation was stable, this issue could no longer be avoided.

The Minister of Rites continued: "A nation cannot be without a successor for a single day. Leaving the position vacant for too long will eventually lead to outside speculation and shake the people's hearts. I embolden myself to request Your Majesty to appoint a Crown Prince early to settle the world."

His voice fell.

Many veteran officials in the hall exchanged glances and bowed their heads in agreement.

"I second the motion."

"We request Your Majesty to decide on the succession early."

"The matter of the heir concerns the foundation of the state and can no longer be delayed."

Even some neutral officials who usually kept their heads down slowly knelt.

After all, this time, they weren't forcing the monarch's hand.

This was proper business.

Su Ninghua did not speak immediately.

Her gaze slowly swept across the court, finally landing on Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe remained seated in the Prince Regent's chair, his expression indifferent. He lightly tapped the gold seal with dragon patterns, looking as if he were watching a play.

But when her eyes landed on him, Su Ninghua's gaze visibly softened for a moment.

The next second.

She slowly stood up.

Her dark imperial robes spread out, and the aura of the entire court instantly grew heavy.

"Since you are all asking about the heir."

"Then I shall make things clear today."

The Minister of Rites' heart jolted, and he quickly lowered his head.

The civil and military officials also held their breath in unison.

Su Ninghua's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, echoing throughout the Golden Throne Hall.

"From this day forth, the position of Crown Prince of the Human Empire will not be filled by anyone else for now."

"This position is reserved."

The officials below were first stunned.

Reserved?

Reserved for whom?

Before they could react, Su Ninghua continued, her voice calm and firm.

"The future Crown Prince of the Empire shall be the offspring of Mr. Lin Zhe."

Boom!

These words were like a clap of thunder, instantly leaving the entire court dazed!

Countless officials jerked their heads up, their eyes wide.

The Jade Tablet in the Minister of Rites' hand almost fell to the floor.

Lin Zhe's offspring?

The position of Crown Prince is reserved for Lin Zhe's child?!

Su Ninghua's expression remained unchanged as she continued.

"My mind is made up."

"The future child will receive the empire's top elite education from a young age, learning the Art of Kingship, military strategy, law, and the way of governing."

"Upon reaching adulthood, they will directly inherit the throne."

"From today on, this matter shall be recorded in the Imperial Family's Jade Registry, and no one is permitted to question it."

The entire Golden Throne Hall fell into a silence so profound that a pin drop could be heard.

This was no longer a hint.

This was saying it outright!

What did "future child" mean?

What did "Mr. Lin Zhe's offspring" mean?

This was clearly throwing her feelings directly in the faces of all the officials!

A disguised official announcement!

A complete and utter official announcement!

The scalps of some quick-witted veteran officials tingled.

They had originally thought Su Ninghua would choose a collateral branch from the imperial clan to adopt and stabilize the succession. Who could have imagined she would directly reserve the Crown Prince position for Lin Zhe's future child!

This move effectively tied the entire direction of the Human Empire's imperial power for the next few decades to Lin Zhe!

After a brief silence below, the Minister of War was the first to kneel, his voice booming: "Your Majesty is wise! The Prince Regent's contributions are unmatched in the Empire. If the future Crown Prince inherits his bloodline, it will be a blessing for the Empire!"

Immediately after, the Ministries of Rites, Revenue, the Grand Council, and a crowd of high-ranking officials all knelt on the floor.

"We obey your command!"

"Reserving the succession—it should be so!"

"If the future Crown Prince is the Prince Regent's offspring, the world will be united in heart!"

They knelt incredibly fast.

They had no choice.

They had to be fast.

Who couldn't see the situation now?

Lin Zhe controlled the rules, the economy, and the approval of new imperial regulations, and he had forcibly pulled the Human Empire out of internal chaos. Now that Su Ninghua had made this clear, no one could stop it.

Moreover, who dared to stop it?

Lin Zhe hadn't said a word from beginning to end, just sitting there, his fingertips lightly tapping the Dragon-Patterned Gold Seal.

But the more he acted like this, the less the officials dared to have any objections.

Just then.

Buzz—

Within the entire Human Empire, the imperial rules vibrated in sync.

A bright red system announcement popped up directly in front of all players on the server!

[Server Announcement: Queen Su Ninghua of the Human Empire officially declares that the position of Crown Prince will be permanently reserved and will be held by the offspring of Mr. Lin Zhe in the future!]

[The offspring will receive the Empire's top education from a young age and inherit the throne upon reaching adulthood!]

[The final right of interpretation for this announcement belongs to the Human Empire's Imperial Family!]

Once the announcement came out.

The whole server was silent for three seconds.

Then—

It completely exploded!

The world channel was scrolling up like crazy, messages moving so fast they were impossible to read.

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap?! This is an official announcement, right!"

"What does reserving the Crown Prince mean? Isn't this just saying the future child is Big Boss Lin Zhe's!"

"I'm stunned, the Queen is way too direct!"

"The third child! The third child is definitely coming!"

"Prince Regent, Queen, future Crown Prince... who can handle this lineup!"

"The server is lagging! I can't even send words!"

The entire "miracle" game really lagged for three seconds.

Holy Light City Square, Luofeng Village's mound, the Elf Secret Realm entrance, the Dragon Domain mines, the Abyss dungeon entrance—players were screaming everywhere.

Some people set off fireworks on the spot.

Some people spammed blessings in the world channel until their hands cramped.

Other players posted on the forums.

Crown Prince Reserved! Big Boss Lin Zhe Completely Secures the Future of the Human Empire!》

《If this isn't an official announcement, what is? The Queen is practically writing her name into Lin Zhe's family register!》

《Is the third child coming soon? I'll start the gift-giving wave first!》

The popularity instantly exploded across the server.

Meanwhile, in the court, Su Ninghua stood before the dragon steps, her gaze still calm.

But when she looked at Lin Zhe, the emotions in her eyes were almost no longer hidden.

Admiration, trust, reliance.

And a kind of tenderness that was almost public.

The cold system prompts also rang out in Lin Zhe's mind.

[Ding! Detected that the favorability of the top-tier female NPC, Human Queen Su Ninghua, has increased to 99!]

[Ding! Third Bond trigger progress increased!]

[Current progress: 95%!]

[Ding! All prerequisites for the gestation of the third child have been met!]

[The host can trigger gestation at any time!]

Lin Zhe's eyes flickered slightly.

95%.

Only the last step remained.

The Human Empire storyline had completely reached its critical point.

While the whole server was still frantically spamming the screen, new developments arrived one after another outside the palace.

"Report—The messenger from the Dragon Domain has arrived with congratulatory gifts!"

"Report—The Heavenly Realm delegation has sent congratulatory gifts to celebrate the reservation of the future Crown Prince!"

"Report—The Abyss messenger requests an audience and has brought generous gifts!"

One announcement after another.

Even the officials in the court felt their eyelids twitch as they listened.

The news had only just spread, yet various factions had already proactively sent gifts!

What did this mean?

It meant that even the Dragon Race, the Heavenly Realm, and the Abyss acknowledged the weight of this future Crown Prince!

An offspring not yet truly born had already made all parties bow their heads in advance.

This display of prestige was terrifyingly formidable.

The Minister of Rites knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping down his back.

He had originally only wanted to bring the succession issue to the table, but who could have expected Su Ninghua to turn around and give the future throne of the entire Human Empire to Lin Zhe's descendant.

This wasn't asking about an heir.

This was clearly giving a notice to the whole world.

Notifying everyone—

Lin Zhe was no longer just the Prince Regent.

He even held the future of the Empire in his hands.

Below the dragon steps, the officials knelt in submission.

Outside the hall, the whole server was spamming the screen.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhe simply stood up slowly and walked to the center of the court, his gaze sweeping over the officials below who were respectful to the extreme.

He didn't give a long speech, nor did he say a single word of nonsense.

He only lightly tapped the Dragon-Patterned Gold Seal in his hand with his fingertip.

That tap was very light.

Yet it felt like it was tapping on the very core of the empire's power.

He knew very well.

The timing for the gestation of the third child was ripe.

The last hand of the Human Empire was also about to be fully grasped in his palm.

And outside the court, the gift-bearing convoys continued to approach, and the world channel's blessings were still surging frantically. Everyone knew that today's announcement wouldn't just be a simple bit of excitement.

Even bigger movements were yet to come.