After stunning everyone with his intimidating aura, Li Chang’an walked past several guards as if no one else was there. He went straight to Lou Qixiang, tilted his head up to look at him, and asked, "Eunuch Lou, does my word count for anything?"
Hearing his question, Lou Qixiang couldn’t help but swallow. He hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Your... Your Highness, your word... of course it counts!"
Although Li Chang’an’s status as a Prince hadn’t been officially confirmed, as the Chief Eunuch in charge of the Inner Court, Lou Qixiang had many eyes and ears in the Harem.
He knew better than anyone whether Li Chang’an’s claim to be a Prince was genuine.
Hearing this, the aura around Li Chang’an softened slightly. He said coolly, "Since my word counts, why haven’t you told this rabble of yours to get out?"
Lou Qixiang was clearly hesitant, but after feeling the terrifying aura from Li Chang’an, he finally gritted his teeth and ordered, "All of you, leave for now!"
It went without saying how astonished and horrified he was at that moment.
The turmoil in his heart was no less than an undersea volcanic eruption.
’There’s no doubt this child before me is His Majesty’s son, a Prince. But according to the intelligence I’ve received, he should have just turned one year old...’
’How can a one-year-old child emit such a terrifying aura? Based on his presence alone, he could almost rival some of the old monsters in the Grandmaster Realm who live in seclusion within the palace!’
’Could it be that this child is a Grandmaster?’
At this thought, Lou Qixiang almost laughed at his own wild idea.
’If this one-year-old child is a Grandmaster, then all the other Martial Artists in the world might as well give up, just slit their throats and be done with it.’
’But if he isn’t a Grandmaster, why does my Martial Dao intuition feel such deep dread?’
Lou Qixiang couldn’t figure it out for the life of him. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t understand.
But the reason he could thrive in the chaotic mess that was the Dayan Imperial Palace wasn’t just his passable strength as a First-class Martial Artist. The main reason was that he never got curious about things he couldn’t figure out.
So, upon realizing he was stumped, he quickly gave up thinking about it.
He looked up at Li Chang’an, then lowered his gaze deferentially. "But, Your Highness, this order came from the Empress. This servant... this servant is in a very difficult position!"
Li Chang’an thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Oh? So that’s how it is! It turns out the eunuch’s loyalty lies with the Empress, and not with my supposedly supreme Father-Emperor?"
Hearing Li Chang’an’s words, a cold sweat instantly beaded on Lou Qixiang’s brow.
While it was true that the one he truly served in the palace was Empress Li, even thinking such a thing was highly disrespectful.
If it were ever brought to light, it would be a crime punishable by beheading.
Naturally, he would never dare admit it. He immediately shook his head. "Your Highness, you wrong this servant. This servant’s loyalty is, of course, to His Majesty, but I dare not defy the Empress’s decree either!"
A smile touched Li Chang’an’s lips again. "In that case, I naturally won’t make things difficult for you, Eunuch!"
"Right now, you have two paths to choose from. The first is to obey the Empress’s decree, secretly take me to the Ancestral Temple to verify my bloodline. The Empress most likely won’t dare to kill me directly, so she can only have me banished from the palace..."
"But you should believe me when I say that sooner or later, I will fight my way back!"
Here, his voice paused, and his tone became playful. "When that time comes, who do you think will be the first to suffer?"
Hearing this, Lou Qixiang’s mind raced, calculating the likelihood of Li Chang’an’s words.
Indeed, before Li Chang’an was born, it would have been child’s play for Empress Li to secretly have him killed without causing much trouble.
After all, she was just a Palace Maid. If she died, she died.
Who could do anything to the Empress, the mother of the nation?
But after Li Chang’an was born, if Empress Li dared to make a move on him, she would have to weigh the consequences.
Besides, Li Chang’an was merely the son of a Palace Maid. Under normal circumstances, he had no chance of inheriting the throne and posed no threat to the Crown Prince.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, there was a high probability that Empress Li wouldn’t dirty her hands over an unthreatening, low-born prince.
Even if her hands were already quite dirty.
’In other words... Li Chang’an’s speculation is completely correct!’
At this realization, Lou Qixiang’s face was a mask of shock and disbelief. He looked at Li Chang’an as if he were staring at some incomprehensible monster.
In truth, one could predict the outcome of this matter simply by clearly understanding the attitudes of the key figures involved.
The problem was, even he would have found it difficult to clearly assess the attitudes of these key figures in an instant.
Yet this one-year-old child before him had laid it all out with perfect clarity, without a moment’s hesitation.
It was simply unbelievable!
Seeing that Lou Qixiang had understood the stakes, Li Chang’an continued, "As for the second path, you take me to the Ancestral Temple openly to verify my bloodline, then report the matter to my Father-Emperor. If all goes as planned, I will be invested as a Prince. And as for you... you can switch allegiances and follow me!"
Although Li Chang’an was young, he spoke with perfect clarity.
Lou Qixiang quickly understood his meaning. He was simply being forced to choose a side. If he continued to stand with Empress Li, he would become Li Chang’an’s enemy.
But if he chose to stand with Li Chang’an, he would completely offend Empress Li.
On one side was the immensely powerful Empress; on the other, a mere suckling Prince. Logically, the choice of who to side with should have been a no-brainer.
But after witnessing Li Chang’an’s shocking and extraordinary demeanor, Lou Qixiang found himself... momentarily lost in indecision and confusion!?
Seeing the hesitation on his face, another eunuch beside him paled and couldn’t help but raise his voice. "Eunuch Lou, what is there to hesitate about? Seize this little bastard! We’re waiting to report back to Empress Li!"
Empress Li was no fool. She naturally wouldn’t entrust such an important matter to Lou Qixiang alone.
The eunuch beside him was Empress Li’s true, ironclad confidant.
His Martial Arts Realm was only slightly weaker than Lou Qixiang’s, possessing the strength of a quasi-First-class master. Moreover, before being castrated, he had been a Death Warrior for the Empress’s family.
His purpose in coming along was to act as a spy, and certainly also to keep an eye on Lou Qixiang.
Realizing this, Lou Qixiang, who had just snapped back to his senses, had a bad feeling.
His slight hesitation might have meant nothing on a normal day, but at a critical moment like this, it clearly showed he was having second thoughts. He was practically courting death!
The cold sweat on Lou Qixiang’s forehead began to pour down again.
But just as he was about to say something, the smiling expression on Li Chang’an’s face, who had been standing before him, suddenly turned icy. Filled with killing intent, he said, "Didn’t I tell you? Don’t move!"
His words had barely faded.
SHING!
The sound of a long blade being unsheathed cut through the air.
The quasi-First-class Master, who had followed Empress Li for many years, didn’t even have time to react before he fell stiffly to the ground.
Until the moment he died, he had no idea how it happened. He couldn’t believe his killer was a mere toddler who didn’t even reach his knees.
Li Chang’an flicked the blood off the long blade before sheathing it back at Lou Qixiang’s waist. He said coolly, "My apologies. It seems you have no choice after all."
His casual demeanor, as if he had just slaughtered a pig or a dog instead of a First-class Master, showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.
This scene left not only the many Palace Maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Harmony stunned.
Even Lou Qixiang himself was staring in utter disbelief.
He hadn’t even seen when Li Chang’an had struck, let alone when Li Chang’an had drawn the long blade from his own waist.
All he saw was a blur, and then Empress Li’s direct lineage confidant had fallen.
’If that blade had been aimed at me...’
At this thought, the belated realization hit Lou Qixiang, and he couldn’t help but shudder violently.
Except for the day he was castrated upon entering the palace, he had never felt such a tangible, bone-chilling cold permeate his entire body as he did today.
’To kill a quasi-First-class Master in a single strike, without even giving him a chance to react...’
’Such a feat... I’m afraid only a Grandmaster could accomplish that!’
’So this child, who just turned one... is he truly a Grandmaster?’
At this thought, Lou Qixiang’s mind began to spin again. Even the worldview he had cultivated since childhood showed signs of collapsing.
A one-year-old Grandmaster... no matter how he heard it, it sounded utterly unbelievable.
He was silent for a long time, struggling to calm the storm raging within him.
Lou Qixiang looked down at Li Chang’an, then at the sword at his waist, which was still dripping blood. He swallowed hard and said, "Your... Your Highness, this servant will take you to the Ancestral Temple to verify your bloodline right away. Then... then I will report the news of your existence to His Majesty!"
Clearly, just as Li Chang’an had said, from the moment hesitation had shown on his face, he no longer had a way out.
After all, loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty.
Once Empress Li found out, she would never allow him to continue holding power.
Not to mention, Li Chang’an had now cut down her trusted eunuch with a single strike. Whether he was an active participant or a passive one, he was completely out of options.
Hearing this, Li Chang’an nodded in satisfaction. "Good. A wise man adapts to the circumstances. I believe you will one day be grateful for the decision you’ve made today."
Lou Qixiang’s expression was rather bitter, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he said, "So, can Your Highness proceed to the Ancestral Temple now? The commotion here was not small..."
Li Chang’an knew what he meant and nodded immediately. "Let’s go."
With that, he turned back to look at Ye Xuan and the many Palace Maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Harmony. "Mother, please have someone clean up the scene. I’m going to the Ancestral Temple. I’ll be back soon!"
Hearing his instructions, Ye Xuan and the others awoke as if from a dream and nodded subconsciously.
Their minds had been completely blanked out by the shock of what had just happened. Although they were slightly more lucid now, they were still dazed and disoriented.
Seeing this, Li Chang’an didn’t linger. He followed Lou Qixiang out of the Hall of Harmony and headed toward the Ancestral Temple.
This was the first time since his birth that Li Chang’an had stepped out of the Hall of Harmony’s courtyard. Looking up at the incredibly vast and magnificent Imperial Palace, Li Chang’an felt a touch of emotion.
Things he had struggled for his entire previous life on the Celestial Yang Continent, yet could never obtain, were now easily within his grasp right from birth in this life.
It was true what they say: some people are born in Rome, while others are born to be beasts of burden.
Birth decides everything!
...