7: Xia Xuan's background

"Get lost!"

Wu Zhong struck like lightning, kicking Savage Tiger in the abdomen with powerful force.

The collision of their Protective Auras created a loud explosion.

Savage Tiger took the full force of the kick, his eyeballs bulging, his luxurious brocade robes tearing into strips, and his body covered in blood marks as he was sent flying like a broken rag doll.

"Wah!"

He lay on the ground, spitting out a large mouthful of blood mixed with shattered internal organs, his gaze venomous and fearful as he looked at Wu Zhong, who stood in front of Xia Xuan.

"True... True Martial Ninth Realm?"

Savage Tiger's aura was weak, and he roared in fury inwardly, "Why? Why is it that no such expert is willing to follow me?"

"What right does Xia Xuan have? If it weren't for the Great General backing him, he's a waste who hasn't even touched the threshold of the True Martial Realm; I could crush him with a flick of my hand!"

"One day, the Great General will die, and then..." Watching Wu Zhong walk towards him step by step, Savage Tiger cut off his thoughts, gritted his teeth, swallowed blood, staggered to his feet, and retreated to the side in a sorry state.

He dared not gamble whether this madman would truly kill him.

"Wu Zhong, have you had a Breakthrough?" Xia Xuan turned his head, intentionally or unintentionally revealing the lipstick mark on his face, and asked with a smile.

"[Harvested bone-deep hatred from the Fourth Prince, tyrant points +3, +3, +3...]"

"Reporting to Your Highness, after receiving my punishment yesterday, my state of mind became clear, and it was a natural progression, a Breakthrough to a new realm."

Wu Zhong turned around, knelt, and respectfully replied.

"Mm, return to the Mansion. Afterwards, you will accompany this Prince on another trip."

"Yes."

The Prince Chu's Mansion's procession continued forward. From beginning to end, Xia Xuan did not even spare Savage Tiger a glance.

But the continuous acquisition of tyrant points made Xia Xuan feel a sense of familiarity with the Fourth Prince, this 'ATM machine.'

Emperor Wanwu currently has twenty-seven sons.

The Princes after the Ninth Prince are still young and cannot participate in the succession struggle.

Emperor Wanwu should have been in the prime of his life, but for some unknown reason, his condition was extremely poor, like a decaying old man, appearing to be on his last legs.

It was precisely because of this that the succession struggle was extremely tense.

On the surface, the Crown Prince assisted in governance, and the Empire was stable.

In reality, undercurrents surged in the Imperial Capital.

Excluding the younger Princes, at least seven Princes were involved in the succession struggle.

The two major factions that had become clear were the Crown Prince's faction and Prince Qi's faction.

The Crown Prince had the support of Xia Xuan and the Fifth Prince.

Prince Qi had the support of the Fourth Prince, the Seventh Prince, and the Ninth Prince.

As for whether a third force existed, it was still unknown.

The Sixth Prince spent most of his time in the army and rarely returned to the Imperial Capital. The Eighth Prince was very low-key, stating that he only wanted to be a carefree marquis.

After Xia Xuan's Transmigration, he also had thoughts about that position.

Therefore, all the Princes participating in the succession struggle were his enemies.

But for now, it seemed that only the Crown Prince and Prince Qi could truly be his opponents.

The other Princes were not qualified.

It wasn't that he was arrogant; even without the System, Xia Xuan dared to contend.

No other reason than his strong background.

Xia Xuan's maternal grandfather was the only non-imperial Prince in the current Great Wu Dynasty.

His title was Prince Who Guards the North, and he was also the Great General of the Wu Dynasty, ranking among the Three Dukes, commanding a million-strong army.

Under his command were countless fierce generals and three adopted sons, each of whom was a pillar of the Empire, ennobled as marquises and appointed as High Generals.

Over seventy percent of the new territories opened by the Great Wu Dynasty in recent years were conquered by him.

When the previous Martial Emperor was alive, he was a High General; when the previous Martial Emperor was alive, he was promoted to Great General.

During Emperor Wanwu's reign, he expanded the territory for the Wu Dynasty and was enfeoffed as Prince Who Guards the North, reaching a point where there was almost no higher honor to bestow.

As a veteran of three dynasties and a Great General of three dynasties, his prestige in the military was at its peak, so much so that even Emperor Wanwu could not easily shake it.

The only thing that brought Emperor Wanwu comfort was that the Prince Who Guards the North was loyal to the Wu Dynasty and had no sons, thus no successor.

As soon as he died, the million-strong army in the north could quickly be divided and brought back under imperial control.

There was also one point that gave Emperor Wanwu a headache: this old man was extremely protective of his own, earning him the nickname "Protective Prince," and he held Xia Xuan, his only Bloodline, in very high regard.

This was also why Xia Xuan was arrogant and domineering, causing trouble in the Imperial Capital, becoming the number one dandy, yet still holding the title of Prince Chu. Emperor Wanwu was unwilling to interfere.

Except for those with mental issues like Savage Tiger, almost no one in the entire Wu Dynasty dared to truly offend Prince Chu.

The Crown Prince went to great lengths to win over, and even flatter, Xia Xuan, all for the power of the Prince Who Guards the North behind him.

If the Prince Who Guards the North fully supported the Crown Prince, more than half of Prince Qi's faction would defect.

For no other reason than fear!

The Crown Prince himself had a very powerful backing. Adding the Prince Who Guards the North would be like a double 'bomb,' and Prince Qi's chances of winning would plummet to rock bottom.

Xia Xuan's previous self was broad-minded, thinking that with such a maternal grandfather, why bother becoming an Emperor?

Wasn't doing as one pleased more enjoyable than being an Emperor? An Emperor was constantly surrounded by old men lecturing him about what he couldn't do and what he couldn't do.

How enjoyable was it to be a dandy, to be Prince Chu?

He enjoyed treatment no worse than an Emperor's, and could do things an Emperor couldn't.

After his Transmigration, Xia Xuan no longer saw it that way.

It was enjoyable, but it directly led to death.

If he didn't climb higher after taking over, he might die again.

With his life at stake, Xia Xuan's goal was incredibly firm.

Through the System, he would spare no expense to improve his strength and influence until he feared no challenge or crisis.

After confining Mu Wan'er, whose Soul had returned to its clear state, in the Prince's Mansion,

Xia Xuan did not bring a large escort this time, only Wu Zhong, and secretly left the Mansion to investigate clues about the poisoning case.

There were very few points to investigate.

Xianle Tower had been visited. Prince Qi was a suspect, Mu Wan'er was a suspect. As for others, some were dead, some were arrested.

Xia Xuan's destination for this trip was the black gambling den that the father of the poisoned maid who committed suicide had visited.

This man had not been arrested. A few days ago, he was beaten to death because he couldn't repay his debts, and his body was dumped in the pauper's graveyard.

Outside the black gambling den, there was a stall selling masks.

Whether new or old, everyone had to wear a mask to enter the premises.

This was also to prevent people from relying on their power to bully others, euphemistically called "improving fairness."

"Your Highness, it has been clarified that the person at the very top of this black gambling den is also Prince Qi. The participants involve several officials and military generals... The ostensible owner is the Black Water Gang, whose influence spans three prefectures of the Wu Dynasty." Wu Zhong reported in detail.

Xia Xuan nodded, observed for a moment, then approached the mask stall.

The stall owner was an old blind man, whose cultivation was not low. He knew someone had arrived by scent.

"New friends, a mask is one tael of silver each. No credit, no bargaining."

The old blind man's attitude was initially cold, but after touching the silver, he immediately changed his demeanor, his old face beaming:

"Heroes come from all walks of life, and all are guests. I wish both gentlemen good luck in gambling."

Inside the gambling house behind the old blind man, the space was vast, crowded with gamblers whose emotions were agitated and exceptionally excited.

The most common games played were dice and Pai Gow.

The stakes included gold and silver, land deeds, and even women.

Some, with bloodshot eyes, bet everything they had, along with borrowed money. After losing it all in one go, they were immediately dragged into an unknown small room.

Xia Xuan knew with his toes that there was something fishy going on inside.

Like the father of the maid who committed suicide, there were countless people who were tricked into coming in, tasted a little sweetness, and then lost everything they owned.