448: Chapter 448 The Crown Prince is acting strangely.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

During these long years, the day people had been eagerly anticipating finally arrived—the day the royal succession would be established.

On this day, the sun shone brightly and the sky was clear, as if the heavens had specifically prepared for this momentous occasion.

Dressed in a set of magnificent formal court robes, the Twelfth Prince rose early and, surrounded by Di Pingjian and others, left his residence to head toward Chaotian Hall.

However, for someone of humble birth like Di Pingjian, she was not qualified to accompany the Twelfth Prince to Chaotian Hall.

Despite her deep concern regarding the outcome of the succession, she could only stay behind at the Twelfth Prince's residence, helplessly waiting for the final news in silence.

Nevertheless, Di Pingjian was not overly worried.

She knew full well that she and the Twelfth Prince had successfully gained control over most of the people holding real power, with the exception of those directly surrounding the King.

This undoubtedly increased their chances of victory in this struggle for power.

Chaotian Hall, a magnificent structure located in the center of Chaotian City, was undoubtedly the core of the city.

Its golden splendor was dazzling, surrounded by towering pavilions and ornate palaces that showcased endless power and wealth.

In sharp contrast to this was the Slum District of Chaotian City.

There, the houses were dilapidated, the streets narrow and filthy, and the people lived in extreme poverty and hardship.

This gap between the rich and the poor was like Heaven and Hell, making one lament the injustice of the world.

Chaotian Hall was a place people yearned for; everyone dreamed of one day being able to step into the grounds of this hall.

Even if it meant exhausting a lifetime of savings, they would not hesitate.

However, for those living in the Slum District, Chaotian Hall was an unreachable existence; they could only struggle bitterly in misery, trying every possible way to flatter the nobles and the wealthy in hopes of leaving that living Hell.

Today, however, Chaotian Hall appeared exceptionally lively.

On ordinary days, only the ministers and generals holding real power and the primary personnel handling government affairs would arrive on time for the morning court.

But today, not only were all these people present, but even the royal princes who only needed to pay their respects periodically had appeared one after another, not to mention a large crowd of representatives for the wealthy.

However, those so-called representatives of the wealthy were actually just there for show.

Although they could enter Chaotian Hall, they were stripped of the right to vote and only possessed the right to speak.

Furthermore, even this limited right to speak was strictly regulated, far from the freedom others had to speak their minds as they pleased.

In the very center of Chaotian Hall, a black-gold throne sat high above, and seated upon it was the King of Chaotian City.

Wearing a crown and draped in magnificent royal attire, he seemed like a Son of Heaven perched high upon the clouds, radiating unparalleled dominance and majesty.

Under the King's awe-inspiring celestial pressure, everyone in the hall trembled in fear, not daring to lift their heads to look directly at their King.

Even the few princes whom the King usually favored most behaved like ordinary subjects at this moment, not daring to show the slightest disrespect, let alone look directly at the King's chilling royal majesty.

Below the throne, on the left side of the front row, stood twenty princes.

Today, the Crown Prince would be born from among them.

In this group of princes, the ones standing at the very front were the First Prince and the Sixteenth Prince.

This was no accident, but because their strength was the greatest and their influence the most vast.

In comparison, the position where the Twelfth Prince stood was at the very back, even behind all the other princes.

Clearly, on the surface, his strength was the weakest among all the princes; in the eyes of most, the Twelfth Prince, an idle waste, was simply not qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as them.

Thus, the Twelfth Prince was undoubtedly the one with the lowest status and the least attention.

However, if anyone had bothered to notice the Twelfth Prince, they would have found that he was vastly different today than usual.

He radiated a sense of confidence and composure, as if everything were under his control.

The strength and status of the twenty princes of Chaotian City were not determined by age, but through the law of the jungle, allowing them to engage in fierce competition with one another.

In this cruel competition, as long as it did not result in the death of an opponent, all legitimate means permitted by the royal family could be used.

However, among these many princes, the First Prince was undoubtedly the most special existence.

The reason he was so special was that he was the King's first offspring.

This special status made the King particularly fond of him, and this partiality had, to some extent, resulted in the First Prince's strength always being a notch above the other princes.

To the right of all the princes stood the royal ministers and generals holding real power.

These people held significant positions within the Dynasty, and those standing at the very front naturally possessed more prominent statuses and official ranks.

Standing in the same row as the First Prince and the Sixteenth Prince were Prime Minister Liu Luoguo and Great General Sima Yan.

The power of these two was second only to the King in the entire Dynasty; it could be said they held sway over the court, with no one able to match them.

However, these two belonged to completely different camps.

Liu Luoguo belonged to the First Prince's camp, while Great General Sima Yan was a loyal supporter of the Sixteenth Prince.

However, they had now both been secretly won over by the Twelfth Prince and Di Pingjian, effectively becoming members of the Twelfth Prince's camp, though they were unaware of each other's situation.

Di Pingjian and the Twelfth Prince had planned meticulously, intending today only for Great General Sima Yan to step forward and publicly support the Twelfth Prince.

Coupled with some who originally supported other princes defecting to the Twelfth Prince at the last moment, the Twelfth Prince would then have enough power to defeat the First Prince and successfully win the position of Crown Prince today.

Standing at the back of the crowd was a group of representatives for the wealthy, numbering over a hundred.

However, for today's struggle for the crown, these representatives were not the key factor.

The ones who could truly influence the outcome were the court ministers, the generals, and the King himself. In particular, the opinions of Prime Minister Liu Luoguo and Great General Sima Yan were of vital importance.

Even with the final say, the King would not dare to completely ignore the suggestions of these two and act arbitrarily.

Di Pingjian stood in the main hall of the Twelfth Prince's residence, her brow furrowed tightly and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, revealing her inner anxiety.

Waiting along with her were several other confidants of the Twelfth Prince; they too looked solemn, and the atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

In particular, the other three confidants had an unease that was plain to see.

Although they understood part of the Twelfth Prince's plan, they were not actually very clear on how much certainty the Twelfth Prince had of succeeding.

They were only responsible for the portion of affairs they managed; only Di Pingjian and the Twelfth Prince knew the full picture of the entire scheme.

Nevertheless, the reason these three confidants were willing to follow the Twelfth Prince back onto the path of vying for the succession was indeed because they had made a huge resolution.

After all, once the Twelfth Prince successfully seized the royal succession, the three of them would surely rise to greatness along with him.

At that time, the Twelfth Prince would eventually ascend the throne to become the King of Chaotian City, and as his capable assistants, their power would naturally soar as they enjoyed endless wealth and glory.

However, if the Twelfth Prince failed to seize the succession today, their future days would likely become exceptionally difficult.

After all, the Twelfth Prince had always presented himself as a playboy in the past, but now he had suddenly emerged in the fierce competition for the succession; this would undoubtedly make him a thorn in the side of the other princes.

As the Twelfth Prince's confidants, they would inevitably become the primary targets of the other princes, especially the First Prince and the Sixteenth Prince.

No matter which of those two eventually seized the succession, they would show no mercy in suppressing an opponent like the Twelfth Prince, who knew how to bide his time.

Throughout this long day, Di Pingjian and the Twelfth Prince's three confidants were all on pins and needles, anxiously waiting for the results to be revealed.

Time passed minute by minute, the sun gradually sank in the west, and night was about to fall. Just as they were about to lose their patience, the Twelfth Prince finally returned.

When Di Pingjian saw the Twelfth Prince's face full of joy and his high spirits, the heavy stone in her heart finally dropped.

From the Twelfth Prince's expression, it could be seen that things must have succeeded.

As expected, when the Twelfth Prince stepped into the residence's main hall and slowly took his seat, he looked around at everyone present with a solemn expression, then took a deep breath and formally announced: "Everyone, This Heir has officially become the Crown Prince of the Chaotian Dynasty today!"

Before his voice had even faded, the entire hall erupted into an uproar.

Everyone looked at the Twelfth Prince in shock, seemingly unable to believe this fact.

However, before they could even recover from their shock, the Twelfth Prince continued: "In court today, the struggle for the position of Crown Prince was exceptionally fierce, but in the end, This Heir succeeded in defeating the other competitors with absolute strength and ascended to this supreme position..."

Just as everyone was immersed in the Twelfth Prince's narration, a sudden flurry of urgent footsteps was heard.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw court messengers quickly entering the hall, carrying an exquisite tray in their hands, upon which were placed the unique attire and medallion of the Crown Prince, as well as a large pile of dazzling rewards.

Seeing this, the Twelfth Prince was overjoyed and hurriedly rose to greet them.

He respectfully took the tray, his eyes flashing with excitement and pride.

After the messengers left, the Twelfth Prince could not hide the joy in his heart; with a wave of his hand, he announced loudly: "Starting tonight, This Heir's residence shall celebrate for three days!"

With this command, the entire Twelfth Prince's residence immediately began to bustle.

Servants busily moved through every corner, hanging lanterns and streamers and arranging banquets; musicians played cheerful tunes, adding to the festive atmosphere; and guests who arrived under the cover of night one after another offered their congratulations to the Twelfth Prince, the sounds of celebration never-ending.

The Twelfth Prince's residence, usually somewhat quiet, had now become exceptionally lively, filled with the sounds of joy and laughter.

Smiles of joy beamed on everyone's faces, as if the entire residence were enveloped in this happy atmosphere.

According to the Twelfth Prince's description, the struggle for the succession in court today was brilliant and heart-pounding. In particular, the fierce clash between the First Prince and the Sixteenth Prince left everyone dazzled.

Just when everyone thought the position of Crown Prince would surely be born from between those two princes, the Twelfth Prince—the one who had always been ignored and seemed the most unremarkable—suddenly charged forth like a dark horse, leaving everyone greatly shocked.

The Sixteenth Prince in particular watched helplessly as his supporters and capable subordinates suddenly turned their backs on him at the critical moment to support the Twelfth Prince; this sudden turn of events left him dumbfounded, completely unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.

When the Sixteenth Prince finally came to his senses and realized he had lost his advantage, his face instantly became extremely unsightly. At this time, the people in the court also began to whisper and gossip, pointing and staring at the Sixteenth Prince.

Faced with such an embarrassing situation, the Sixteenth Prince felt utterly humiliated, with shame and anger intertwining within him, making it unbearable.

In the end, he suppressed his inner turmoil and, using physical discomfort as an excuse, hurriedly bowed to the King and then left with a flick of his sleeves, leaving behind a lonely silhouette.

The First Prince was also very surprised; the usually most unremarkable Twelfth Prince had actually become his greatest competitor for the crown, which was far beyond his expectations.

However, the First Prince's heart remained calm, as he was full of confidence in his own strength.

After all, his strength was already far superior to the Sixteenth Prince's, and now the Twelfth Prince had merely gained the Sixteenth Prince's supporters; his strength was still difficult to match against his own, so the overall situation was still favorable to him, and the advantage was his.

However, just when everyone thought the situation was settled, something unexpected happened.

This turn of events not only left the First Prince speechless but even the usually steady King showed an expression of disbelief.

As it turned out, the forces of three more princes suddenly switched to support the Twelfth Prince, which undoubtedly added wings to the Twelfth Prince's cause.

In this way, the Twelfth Prince's power instantly expanded, actually surpassing the First Prince in one fell swoop!

Faced with this sudden turn of events, the First Prince and his supporters were all shocked.

Although Prime Minister Liu Luoguo did his utmost to fight for the First Prince and tried to salvage the situation, it was ultimately beyond help; the First Prince failed to obtain the royal succession as he had wished.

And that Twelfth Prince, who was usually seen as a playboy, unexpectedly ascended to the throne of the Crown Prince with an absolute advantage!

This result was truly unexpected for everyone, completely overturning their perceptions.

Di Pingjian did not join everyone in drinking until they were drunk; she only had a few cups with the key people before returning to her room.

She now had some slight worries in her heart; today's Twelfth Prince was a bit carried away, impatiently starting the celebrations, and not only that, his attitude toward her, the strategist, seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

Just now in the hall, he hadn't even specially thanked her, merely treating her the same as the other three confidants.

One must know that the Twelfth Prince being able to seize the royal succession was entirely due to her; based on her previous understanding of the Twelfth Prince, this was not right.

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