「Li Mansion.」

Li Baiyang was utterly shocked upon receiving the news. He had not expected that in less than two days, the Cai Family would be completely destroyed by the Profound Yellow Sect. Terrifying! What kind of divine army does the Seventh Prince possess?

Of course, what truly made him wary were the words Xu Nian had told him the night before last. This time, Xu Nian's target was not just the Cai Family. The Ten Great Clans are all under scrutiny! And the Cai Family is just the first. Which Aristocratic Family will be destroyed next? Could it be my Longxi Li Family? The Ten Great Clans, wielding great power, indeed engage in deceiving the common people and harming the state. Otherwise, why would I, Li Baiyang, have resigned from my official position to retire? Now, the Seventh Prince's cleansing of the Ten Great Clans is a tremendous boon for the common people, but not so for a member of the Ten Great Clans like me! Whether I can survive this purge is a choice Xu Nian gave me. If I help decipher the Historical Text, then my Capital City Li Mansion will not be implicated. But if I choose not to help, I fear both I and my granddaughter Li Rou'er might die. The ferocity of a tiger, the ambition of a wolf! We all underestimated this daring Seventh Prince.

"Grandpa, why did you stop writing?" Li Rou'er asked curiously, approaching with Zhao Yuwei. She had seen Li Baiyang holding his brush, frozen in place.

Regaining his composure, Li Baiyang silently looked at his granddaughter, his expression indescribably grim. Li Rou'er's parents died early, and now she only has me, her grandfather. I must ensure that Li Rou'er survives. Whether in the Jianghu or the Temple Hall, it seems I have to get past the Seventh Prince to keep Li Rou'er alive. If so, then I will fight for Li Rou'er's future.

"Yuwei, your uncle has run into some trouble," Li Baiyang said calmly, putting down his brush. "The Cai Family is finished. It was the Seventh Prince's doing. I'm afraid your uncle is in trouble today too."

The Cai Family is finished? How could that be? Did my aunt guess wrong? Does the Seventh Prince truly possess the capability to wipe out the Aristocratic Families? Thinking this, Zhao Yuwei's face turned pale. The Seventh Prince…

"Grandpa, what's going on? The Cai Family is comparable to our Li Family; how could they be in trouble?" Li Rou'er asked, puzzled.

"The Seventh Prince made his move. Now, not just the Cai Family, but all Ten Great Clans are to vanish from this world," Li Baiyang said solemnly. "Behind this is also the involvement of Little Sage Manor. Kong Qingquan still harbors resentment towards our Aristocratic Families; he would have been the top scholar that year if not for us. Unfortunately, because of our actions, we inadvertently created a Confucian Sub-Sage. And now, this Sub-Sage is fighting for a future for all the underprivileged scholars. Rou'er, rest assured, as long as I still breathe, I won't let anything happen to you!"

How the Li Family fares doesn't concern me. Right now, I just need to ensure Li Rou'er can survive safely. The Crown Prince is watching several individuals in the palace, but this one outside has been underestimated. Now that this drama is unfolding, everyone must be panicking. Reporting the Seventh Prince to the court at this moment might only hasten the demise of their Aristocratic Families. In that case, I, a grandmaster, will decipher that Historical Text. The lives and deaths of others don't concern me. As long as Li Rou'er is safe, I'll be content.

"Grandpa Li, please save my aunt and uncle!" Zhao Yuwei suddenly knelt, kowtowing. "My Zhao Family is already gone. If the Cai Family also disappears, then I..."

Upon hearing this, Li Baiyang sighed. Save Cai Keji? Who in the Capital City doesn't know the foolish things Cai Keji has done? If Cai Keji hadn't provoked the Seventh Prince, why would the Aristocratic Families be targeted? Now the Cai Family is gone, and the Ninth Prince—it's as if he's lost an arm—probably wants Cai Keji dead. With the Seventh Prince pressing relentlessly, who would dare save Cai Keji? The ministers? Those other princes? Ridiculous!

"Yuwei, you should stay here with me for the time being," Li Baiyang sighed. "No one dares to save Cai Keji now. This time, he has offended both the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince. Whoever tries to save him will die!"

His meaning was perfectly clear. No one dared to save Cai Keji now. Forget saving him; even those who once had good relations with Cai Keji were likely keeping their distance. It's human nature: when you are glorious, people flock to share your glory. But once you fall into hardship, the best choice for many is to stay far away. Everyone wants to survive; there's no need to risk one's own life for another's misfortune.

Hearing this, Zhao Yuwei's face went white, and she collapsed to the ground. The Cai Family is gone. And no one even dares to try to save them. Is this the deterrent power of a prince?

Just then, a servant hurried in. "Master, the Crown Prince has sent a message," he said, handing over a letter.

Li Baiyang took it, somewhat surprised and with a hint of suspicion. The Crown Prince sending me a letter at this time? Isn't this like putting me directly over the fire? If people find out I'm still in contact with the Crown Prince, my doorstep will probably be trampled. The Crown Prince wouldn't do something so foolish... unless something significant has happened in the palace.

As he opened the letter and read it, Li Baiyang's pupils instantly narrowed to a point. A major event! This is truly a major event!

"Grandpa, what did the Crown Prince tell you?" Li Rou'er asked, helping Zhao Yuwei up.

"The Eighth Prince is dead," Li Baiyang said gravely. "Last night, the Eighth Prince supposedly suffered a sudden fit of hysteria and attacked the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince killed him with his sword, but as the Eighth Prince was dying, he managed to bite the Fifth Prince to death."

Two princes dead in one night! And one of them was the Eighth Prince, whom our Li Family was just about to support! This is problematic! There's definitely something wrong with this incident; many people could get dragged into this. The Eighth Prince was usually inconspicuous. Why would he suddenly suffer a fit of hysteria, attack the Fifth Prince, and even bite him to death? And the Fifth Prince had the Xu Family's support. Now that he's dead, the Xu Family will probably be thrown into chaos too, won't they?

"How could that be? Two princes dead? What are the Brocade Guard doing in the palace?" Li Rou'er exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. She had thought the Seventh Prince destroying the Cai Family was horrifying enough, but she hadn't expected such a dramatic turn of events.

"That's not even the most surprising part. His Majesty is actually ignoring the matter, as if he already knew it would happen," Li Baiyang said solemnly. "The struggle for succession seems to have begun ahead of schedule. The deaths of the Eighth and Fifth Princes are just the first step; more princes will die..."

The Eighth Prince suffered a fit of hysteria? I can't believe that explanation. The Eighth Prince, who was just starting to show promise, suddenly dead? Who would believe such a thing, especially now? Cai Keji's situation might get overshadowed by this. Is someone helping Cai Keji? Or is this all the handiwork of that Ninth Prince?

「In the Palace.」

The Crown Prince and all the ministers gathered outside the Imperial Study, waiting for His Majesty to emerge and handle the situation. However, Chief Imperial Steward Cao Zhisheng slowly stepped out, his expression grim. "His Majesty is unwell and will not see anyone. All of you dignitaries, please return."

Upon hearing this, the ministers grew anxious.

"Two princes have died! If His Majesty doesn't show his face, he might lose the support of the common people!"

"This old servant begs His Majesty to appear and give an explanation to pacify the common people!"

"This official seconds the motion!"

"This son begs Father Emperor to seek justice for my Fifth Brother!"

Cao Zhisheng's gaze was chillingly calm as he watched everyone kneel before him. Then, a cough echoed from within the Imperial Study.

"COUGH, COUGH. I said I am unwell. Are you trying to pressure me to death?" His Majesty's voice carried out, cold and sharp. "Cao Zhisheng, since they want an explanation, you give them one on my behalf. Have Sun Buwei go to their residences and deliver an 'explanation' as well. Tell them that these ministers were so loyal and devoted that they chose to die to accompany the two princes. I imagine that explanation will also pacify the common people!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone outside the Imperial Study changed drastically. Although they held sway in the court, it did not mean they were qualified to challenge imperial authority, especially while this particular Emperor was still alive. People grow shrewder with age, and these officials were no exception. If they persisted, they might all literally lose their heads. Wouldn't that mean joining the Eighth and Fifth Princes in death? Damn it!

"This old servant will remonstrate to the death!" an elderly man declared, raising his head. He was an elder from the Xu Family and held some influence in the court. Now that the Fifth Prince is dead, shouldn't our Xu Family make a show of our loyalty?

"Cao Zhisheng!" A cold snort emanated from within the Imperial Study. The next moment, the Chief Imperial Steward, his expression calm, stepped forward. In front of all the ministers and princes, he reached out and gently twisted the official's neck. Instantly, one could hear a pin drop at the entrance to the Imperial Study.

The ministers hadn't expected His Majesty to actually order someone to be killed. If we continue to make a fuss, our fate might be no different from this Minister Xu's.

"This old minister takes his leave!" an elderly minister was the first to say, performing a kowtow before departing. The other ministers quickly followed suit, kneeling and choosing to leave.

The situation was becoming increasingly unclear to them. With the deaths of the Fifth and Eighth Princes, two strong contenders for the throne were gone. The ones most likely to benefit were the Crown Prince, the Seventh Prince, and the Ninth Prince; the other princes lacked the capability. This time, only the Crown Prince had come to the Imperial Study. The Seventh Prince was outside the palace, so his absence was understandable. But what about the Ninth Prince? Hadn't he been closest to the Fifth Prince recently? Now that the Fifth Prince was dead, the Ninth Prince's failure to appear was decidedly odd.

Moreover, the Seventh Prince's move against the Cai Family had effectively crippled one of the Ninth Prince's supports. The Ninth Prince would hardly let the Seventh Prince off easily now, would he? A scenario where two tigers fight would seem to benefit the Crown Prince the most. Could the Ninth Prince be planning how to deal with the Seventh Prince? If that's the case, then the victor of this succession struggle already seems decided.

At this thought, many ministers surreptitiously glanced towards the Crown Prince, each contemplating whether to side with him now...

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