“The Third Prince deeply understands righteousness. To protect our Great Yan People, he willingly went to the Great Xuan Dynasty as a hostage. How can we just sit by and do nothing?”
“His Highness, the Third Prince, is now trapped in the Great Xuan Dynasty, suffering immensely, yet those in the Imperial Capital are celebrating and singing all day long. It’s truly disheartening!”
“Incompetent! Absolutely incompetent! The Third Prince is the most outstanding Genius of our Great Yan Dynasty. Given time, he will surely become a powerful figure, capable of protecting our Great Yan for tens of thousands of years. How can we let him be a hostage?!”
“We have received great kindness from the Third Prince, which is why we have the life we do today. Now that the Third Prince is in trouble, even if we are weak, we must do something for him!!”
“Right! Although we are weak, we can still do what we should do!!”
…In a courtyard on a remote street on the outskirts of the Great Yan Imperial Capital, hundreds of people gathered.
They all had indignant expressions and agitated tones.
This place, named Taiping Street, was a slum in the Great Yan Imperial Capital, where many people who struggled to make ends meet gathered.
Half a year ago, Shangguan Chen had visited this place. The sight he witnessed left him deeply emotional. The people here were poorly clothed, emaciated, and their eyes were lifeless, having completely lost hope in life.
The entire street was also dirty, chaotic, and filled with garbage and filth. Even the air was permeated with a mixture of various foul odors.
The smell made Shangguan Chen’s head feel somewhat dizzy.
If an ordinary person came, they would probably faint immediately.
He found it hard to imagine that such a place existed in the Imperial Capital.
Later, he learned that almost all the people here were descendants of convicted officials. They had been stripped of everything and could only live by begging every day.
Although this was caused by the previous dynasty and had nothing to do with him.
However, as the Third Prince of Great Yan, especially as the Evil Qi within him deepened, he felt that he should still do something.
As the Third Prince of Great Yan, his financial resources should have been abundant, but because he was not favored, his expenses for food, clothing, and daily necessities were always the lowest among the princes and princesses.
The Great Yan People only knew that he was the talented Third Prince, but they did not know his predicament.
Despite this, he still sent money and some clothes to these people every month, helping them overcome their difficulties.
Such actions naturally led to accusations from those with ulterior motives in the imperial court.
Although they were convicted officials from the previous dynasty, the Emperor of Da Yan was still displeased, and his income was cut again.
Even so, he reduced his own expenses and continued to send them money, encouraging them to be self-reliant, look towards the future, and believe that as long as they were alive, there was always hope.
Under these circumstances, within just half a year, Taiping Street underwent tremendous changes.
The street was completely refreshed, no longer having any unpleasant odors, and the residents of the street regained their spirits, rekindling their hope for life.
However, before they could repay the Third Prince, they learned the news that the Third Prince had been sent to the Great Xuan Dynasty as a hostage.
What angered them even more was that there was no one in the Great Yan Dynasty who felt sad or grieved for him; instead, the atmosphere was filled with celebration everywhere.
Everyone was excited to be free from war.
No one cared what kind of treatment the Third Prince would receive in the Great Xuan Dynasty!
The indifference of people's hearts and the attitude of 'it's none of my business' infuriated them. They decided not to sit by and do nothing anymore... Thus, a large number of unfriendly remarks began to spread throughout the Imperial Capital.
“What a joke!! The Great Yan Imperial Family is weak and incompetent, not only losing in the great war but also sending their most outstanding Prince to the Great Xuan Dynasty. It’s a complete disgrace to the Great Yan Imperial Family!”
“The Imperial Family is incompetent and has to rely on a Prince to save the country!”
“The Third Prince, for the safety of the Great Yan People, went alone to another country, while the officials in the Imperial Capital are singing and dancing. Great Yan is finished!!”
“With the talent of the Third Prince, if he were to grow, he could protect Great Yan for tens of thousands of years. It’s a pity that the Great Yan Imperial Family is short-sighted…”
...As these kinds of remarks spread widely, many common people who were also dissatisfied with Great Yan's decision and Cultivators who had previously dared not speak out, joined in.
Gradually, it evolved into: “Save the Third Prince, let’s fight them!”
This became their slogan, and they began to stage large-scale demonstrations throughout the Imperial Capital… In a grand hall within the Great Yan Imperial Palace, Emperor Su Wu sat at the head of the table, resting with his eyes closed, his expression relaxed.
For several years, the continuous battles with the Great Xuan Dynasty had exhausted him, and he hadn't had a good rest for a single day.
The great victory of the Great Xuan Xuanjia Army a while ago had plunged his heart to rock bottom. Although he had agreed to some of their conditions, they were all harmless.
The thirteen states that were ceded were originally taken from other countries.
The hostage sent out was also his least favored and most disliked son.
As a member of the Great Yan Imperial Family, he could accept his wives and concubines being low-status palace maids, commoners, and so on, but he could not accept them having their own children.
This was an ancestral instruction passed down by the Su Family, to ensure the nobility of the Bloodline and the future of their descendants.
Therefore, from the moment Su Chen was born, he disliked him.
It was also his own fault; he had been drunk and acted promiscuously, and upon waking, he couldn't immediately recall what had happened.
By the time he remembered, the palace maid had already given birth to the child.
He had initially wanted to simply crush him to death, but then hesitated, wondering what if he turned out to be a Genius.
Thus, Su Chen was kept, and his status as a Prince was acknowledged.
But later, Su Chen's talent was not outstanding, even very poor.
Disappointed, he secretly dealt with the palace maid, and Su Chen ended up under the care of Consort Yang.
He then lamented, indeed, children born to those of humble Bloodline were simply not good.
Afterward, Su Chen was effectively cast into the cold palace by him, and he no longer regarded him as his own son.
He even became a thorn in his heart; he considered him a blemish.
Yet, Su Chen always acted with discretion, giving him no handle to grasp, and he couldn't openly kill him, otherwise, he would likely gain a bad reputation.
Until that day… Prime Minister Zhu proposed that plan… Now, thinking about it carefully, this idea was truly brilliant. Not only did it protect his truly talented son, the Second Prince, from being coveted by others, but it also sent away his most disliked son.
It would be even better if he could die in the Great Xuan Dynasty.
Born into the Imperial Family, there was no such thing as family affection. He had many sons, and losing a few would not affect him at all.
Especially a Prince he disliked.
“Father Emperor, your son greets you.”
The voice from outside the hall interrupted Su Wu's thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes, recognized the voice of his favorite second son, and smiled slightly: “Come in.”
Entering was a young man dressed in luxurious robes. The young man was different from Su Chen; the two did not resemble each other. In fact, Su Chen and Su Wu also did not resemble each other.
He resembled his mother more.
“Jian'er, what level has your Cultivation reached now?” Su Wu asked with a smile.
Su Jian bowed slightly and respectfully said: “Reporting to Father Emperor, your son’s Cultivation has reached Qi Condensation Realm eighth level.”
“Good!” Su Wu praised, liking his son more and more as he looked at him: “At the same age of seventeen, you have already Cultivated to Qi Condensation Realm eighth level, while that boy Su Chen has not a trace of spiritual power. The difference is like heaven and earth.”
“Judging by your current speed, it is highly likely that you will Breakthrough to the Na Ling Realm before the age of twenty. By then, you will be considered a powerful figure in our Great Yan.”
Su Jian nodded slightly, his face full of arrogance.
The martial arts realms are Qi Refining, Qi Condensation, Spirit Gathering, Spirit Opening, Thousand Mile Journey, Dharma Manifestation, Dao Palace, etc.
It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to Cultivate.
Generally, at the age of five, one can test their affinity with spiritual power.
The higher the affinity, the faster the Cultivation speed, and the more outstanding the talent.
When Su Jian was five, his spiritual power affinity was tested at sixty, which was already considered a rare Genius.
One must know that among a thousand people, there might not even be one with a spiritual power affinity exceeding twenty.
At least in this region, very few can become Cultivators.
A spiritual power affinity of twenty is also the minimum standard for becoming a Cultivator.
Those below this number, becoming a Cultivator is just a waste of time; they probably won't be able to Breakthrough above Qi Refining Realm fifth level for decades.
Aside from being a bit stronger, there is no other difference.
Su Chen's spiritual power affinity was nineteen, just one point short, yet because of this, he was considered to have had his path to Cultivation cut off.
Of course, only members of the Imperial Family knew about these things.
“Father Emperor, I wonder how Third Brother is doing in Great Xuan now?” Su Jian asked softly. If one didn't see the gloating expression on his face, one might actually mistake it for concern.
“Whether he is well or not is irrelevant. I did not send anyone to stay with him there. His life or death depends on his own fortune.” As soon as Su Chen was mentioned, Su Wu frowned.
Upon hearing this, Su Jian knew that his Third Brother had been completely abandoned.
To be fair, he was also extremely dissatisfied with Su Chen.
The other party had repeatedly opposed him and ruined his good deeds several times. If it weren't for keeping him to be a hostage, how could Su Jian have given in time and time again?
He was too happy that Su Chen was gone.
“Report!!!! Your Majesty, something bad has happened! Something is wrong!”
Su Jian was about to say something else when an urgent voice came from outside the hall.
Su Wu frowned and said in a deep voice: “Come in and tell me, what happened?”
Su Jian, who was beside him, was also full of doubts.
Soon, a middle-aged man walked quickly into the hall. He looked flustered, hastily bowed, and then spoke urgently: “Your Majesty, outside, I don’t know when, a lot of demonstrators suddenly appeared. They… they…”
“What about them?” Su Wu asked coldly, his expression grim.
Su Jian was also stunned, as if he hadn't expected this to happen.
“They said… they said that Your Majesty is incompetent and sent the most talented Third Prince to the Great Xuan Dynasty as a hostage. This is cutting off one's own future… digging one's own grave…”
At this point, he glanced at the Second Prince next to him and said tremblingly: “They also said… if someone must be sent, send the Second Prince. The Second Prince is arrogant and has a long list of misdeeds; he is the one who should be sent away the most.”
“Outrageous!!!!”
Su Wu slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair, making a muffled sound.
The man's words made both Su Wu and Su Jian's faces darken.
Su Jian was even more furious. Send himself away? He was arrogant? A long list of misdeeds?
He had only done what all Princes would do, so what was wrong with that?
As a Prince, what was wrong with playing with a few women?
It was their good fortune to be favored by him!
These people dared… dared to be so disrespectful!