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Great Xia Dynasty.

Capital city, Sum Emperor's sleeping palace.

The Sum Emperor lay on the bed, looking as if he was on his last breath. At this moment, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan were reporting the latest movements of the major dynasties.

A little while later, the Sum Emperor suddenly began coughing violently. A maid hurried over with a yellow silk handkerchief; in the next moment, the Sum Emperor coughed up fresh blood onto the handkerchief, dyeing the yellow silk a deep red.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan both frowned slightly, their eyes darting with different thoughts, each plotting their own schemes.

After a while, the Sum Emperor spoke, "I never thought that as soon as I fall, the major dynasties would surround us like vultures."

Saying this, the Sum Emperor glanced at Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan, then asked, "Zhao, Lin, in your opinion, which prince can succeed my position?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan immediately knelt on the ground, and said in unison, "Your servants would not dare to speak carelessly!"

Some things must not be spoken lightly, especially on the matter of appointing a successor.

The Sum Emperor coughed a few more times, then said, "Do not worry; speak freely. I absolve you of any blame.

The two remained prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift their heads. Seeing that they still would not speak, the Sum Emperor snorted coldly, "The esteemed Prime Ministers, yet you dare not declare your stance on the matter of succession, what kind of Prime Ministers are you?"

After another long pause, the Sum Emperor said, "Enough, both of you stand up. If you do not dare to say, I won't force you."

After hearing this, Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan finally stood up.

At that moment, the Sum Emperor continued, "Since its establishment, the Great Xia has practiced the tradition of the eldest legitimate son inheriting the throne.

However, as the interference from the Aristocratic Families over the throne has become increasingly severe, most of the recent legitimate eldest sons have not lived past thirty years of age, and the transfer of the throne has always been accompanied by heavy bloodshed."

"Now that the Southern Aristocratic Families have been destroyed and the Ancient Families have become much more restrained, it is time to return to the tradition of the eldest legitimate son's succession."

Hearing the Sum Emperor's words, Lin Gaoyuan and Zhao Wenhan had a sudden realization. Could it be that the Sum Emperor was planning to appoint Prince Lu Yi as the Crown Prince?

After coming to his senses, Zhao Wenhan was inwardly overjoyed. Fortunately, after Prince Lu Shuyun's rebellion, he had promptly sided with Prince Lu Yi. If Prince Lu Yi could smoothly succeed, he would still be heavily utilized.

At this time, the Sum Emperor went on to say, "I plan to appoint Prince Lu Yi as the Crown Prince. What do you two think of this decision?"

Zhao Wenhan and Lin Gaoyuan said in unison, "We fully abide by your Imperial decision!"

Although Lin Gaoyuan was somewhat surprised by this outcome, he was not uncomprehending; after all, the Sum Emperor was nearing his end, and a successor had to be chosen without further delay.

If talking about capability, Prince Lu Yi could indeed be considered competent. Key is, Prince Lu Yi is the legitimate eldest son and was supposed to inherit the throne to begin with. It's just that for the past few generations, the excessive interference of the Aristocratic Families had made the legitimate eldest son's right to the throne in name only.

However, Lin Gaoyuan did not believe that Prince Lu Yi could inherit the throne so smoothly. He was quite familiar with the current political landscape of the court and knew that almost all princes were backed by several factions, and most critically, most princes had the backing of Seigniors.

Once the Sum Emperor appointed Prince Lu Yi as the Crown Prince and passed the throne to him, it was very likely that Prince Lu Yi would not be able to suppress the other princes, let alone the Seigniors of Great Xia. At that point, Prince Lu Yi could very possibly be pulled down from the throne.

Lin Gaoyuan did not have much faith in Prince Lu Yi; in his view, the North Prince remained the most suitable candidate for the throne.

He was well aware of the North Country's development, which was progressing very rapidly, and the Northern military strength had also become increasingly powerful. At present, no feudal state in Great Xia had a military might as formidable as the North Country.

Should the Seigniors across the land rise in rebellion, it would inevitably lead to a fight to the death. Once the North Country saw its opportunity, given its military capability, the North Prince would undoubtedly be able to ascend to that position smoothly.

Nonetheless, Lin Gaoyuan was currently somewhat worried about the Great Wu and Da Yue Dynasties. If Great Xia truly fell into internal strife, these two great dynasties would not just sit by idly.

But now was not the time to think about these matters; there was no solution to be found at the moment, and he could only wait and see how events unfolded.

At this time, the Sum Emperor, looking wan and sapped, said, "Zhao, Lin, you may leave. The words I have spoken to you today must not be spread carelessly."

The two responded in unison once more, "We understand."

"We shall take our leave."

Afterward, they both turned and left the Sum Emperor's sleeping palace. After they had gone, a shadow emerged from behind a pillar in the room.

At that moment, the Sum Emperor stood up from the bed, hands clasped behind his back, looking out the window. He was a completely different person from the sickly image he had portrayed moments ago; now, he looked entirely unafflicted.

Then, the Sum Emperor asked in a cold voice, "Who does Lin Gaoyuan support?"

Hearing the question, the shadow behind the pillar answered, "There is no evidence yet; he maintains a distance from every prince and appears to wish to remain neutral."

The Sum Emperor chuckled, "That old fox; he probably has seen through my feigned illness."

With most of the court officials already taking sides, Lin Gaoyuan, as the Left Prime Minister, had yet to choose a prince he favored amidst a possible change of rulers, which appeared suspicious.

If he did not take a stand now, when the struggle for the throne finished, the Lin Family would no longer enjoy their current prosperity, and it's uncertain whether Lin Gaoyuan could continue as Prime Minister.

The Sum Emperor did not believe Lin Gaoyuan was neutral. In his opinion, Lin Gaoyuan must have discovered something.

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However, even if Lin Gaoyuan had discovered something, the Sum Emperor didn't care; his plan had been very successful. All the Seigniors across the Great Xia had entered the game, and now it was just a matter of whether the one in the North would take the bait.

If the one in the North also took the bait, then he could solve the problem once and for all.

Just then, a Shadow Guard appeared at the doorway, "Your Majesty, there is a disturbance in the North Country!"

Hearing this, the Sum Emperor paused for a moment before taking the report from the Shadow Guard's hands and carefully reading it.

Seeing that the North Country had stationed thirty thousand Heavy Cavalry in Yongan County, the Sum Emperor slightly furrowed his brow.

He didn't quite understand what the North Country was up to; if the North really planned to head south, they would likely attack the Qi Country directly. To pass through the Qi Country would be the logical strategy—what use would it be to station thirty thousand Heavy Cavalry in the northwest at Yongan County?

Moreover, the North Country had only a total of fifty thousand Heavy Cavalry—thirty thousand constituted a significant military force. Placing such a force on the border with the Great Wu Dynasty could potentially provoke the Great Wu.

The Sum Emperor thought for a moment but still found the actions of the North Country perplexing and then told the Shadow Guard, "Go summon the State Preceptor to see Us!"

The Shadow Guard before the Sum Emperor immediately replied, "As you command, Your Majesty."

Before long, Situ Ce appeared in the Sum Emperor's bedchamber, and the Sum Emperor handed the report he was holding directly to Situ Ce, then asked, "The North Country is not sending troops southward but has instead moved the Heavy Cavalry to Yongan County, what does the State Preceptor make of this?"

Caught off guard by the question, Situ Ce took the report from the Sum Emperor's hand and scrutinized it carefully. After a while, Situ Ce finally answered, "Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that the North Prince is trying to deter the Great Wu and prevent them from launching an attack on the Great Xia during its internal strife."

Upon hearing this, the Sum Emperor's face darkened, and he said somewhat displeased, "He has moved such an important military force to Yongan County. Are you implying that he has no designs on the Capital at all?"

If the North Prince truly had his sights set on the throne, like the other Seigniors, he would either be expanding his forces or mustering troops, waiting for the right moment.

But the North Country had directly relocated its most capable Heavy Cavalry to ward off the Great Wu Dynasty. This indicated that the North Prince had no intentions of heading south; otherwise, he would never deploy such an important force to guard against the Great Wu.

At that point, Situ Ce said, "Your Majesty, the North Prince is absolutely loyal to the court. In your humble servant's opinion, the North Prince will not revolt unless there comes a day when the Capital cannot hold and Your Majesty orders the North Prince to move south; that might be when the North Prince would lead his troops southward."

The Sum Emperor snorted coldly upon hearing Situ Ce's words, then retorted, "Since when has the State Preceptor also started taking Chen's side?"

Situ Ce replied, neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your servant merely speaks the truth."

The Sum Emperor spoke lightly, "We do not believe that the North Country will stay out of the game."

All of his scheming was for the North Country. If the North Country didn't fall for it, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain? He had to compel the North Country to advance southward.

At that moment, the Sum Emperor said to Situ Ce, "We are tired, State Preceptor. You may attend to your own affairs."

Knowing the Sum Emperor had wholly disregarded his counsel, Situ Ce realized the Sum Emperor was determined to persist in his course, insistent on removing the North Country.

Situ Ce did not say anything further; he simply bowed and said, "Your servant will take his leave."

Situ Ce believed that with Zhuge Zhongguang in the North, the Sum Emperor's schemes would come to naught.

Even if the North Prince did not understand politics or cunning strategies and could not see through the Sum Emperor's scheming, as long as the North Prince was adept at heeding Zhuge Zhongguang's advice, the Sum Emperor's schemes would ultimately fail.

…

In the North Country.

In the North Prince Mansion, the study.

Today, Lu Chen and Wang Qingci created even more wonderful memories together. Wang Qingci was so utterly spent by these delightful moments that she had gone limp; if Lu Chen hadn't been hugging her, she would have probably fallen to the ground unable to get up.

Lu Chen then picked Wang Qingci up and proceeded towards the secret chamber of the study. Seeing that Lu Chen was actually carrying her into the secret chamber, Wang Qingci suddenly remembered all the things Lu Chen had done to her in there last time. She quickly mustered her remaining strength to plead, "Prince, please have mercy on your servant..."

Lu Chen smiled and then said, "We shall spend the night here."

At the mention of spending the night, Wang Qingci's face turned deathly pale.

But after Lu Chen placed Wang Qingci on the bed of the study's secret chamber, he just lay down on the bed, letting Wang Qingci rest in his embrace and didn't continue to do anything else to her.

Seeing that Lu Chen made no further move, Wang Qingci paused. She had thought Lu Chen would continue to 'torture' her, but it turned out he just wanted to sleep.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

Just as Wang Qingci breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Chen's lips slightly curved in a barely perceptible smirk.

At this moment, Lu Chen looked up at the system interface, feeling incredibly contented.

[Congratulations, Host, for making Wang Qingci pregnant. You have received the reward of the steamship blueprints.]

[The pregnancy reward is an encouragement. Please ensure the child is born safely, and upon the child's safe birth, you will receive a richer reward.]

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