Ling Han could have become one of the trump cards in the Third Imperial Prince’s hand, but why was he so quickly playing this card?
That was because it was now the most important period of the competition for the throne. The guests he had invited tonight were all the outstanding youths of various middle-class clans of the Imperial City. If they were to declare their loyalty towards him, that would be equivalent to getting the approval of their clans.
Don’t underestimate these clans. A few hundred middle-class clans united together could have quite a bit of influence. Most importantly, the Eight Great Clans were much too outstanding. Whichever Imperial Prince was crowned as Emperor, they were still the Eight Great Clans, neither advancing nor degrading. On the other hand, every Rain Emperor would still have to play well the role of mediator to maintain the peace between the Eight Great Clans. This was the responsibility of their reign.
As a result, it was impossible to pull any of the Eight Great Clans into his camp. Thus, the Third Imperial Prince could only place his focus on the middle-class clans. Why were there only thirty-odd people tonight? That was because the other middle-class clans have already been divided between his camp, the Eldest Imperial Prince, and the Seventh Imperial Prince. The only ones left were these clans that had still not yet decided whom to support, and were waiting for the best offer.
Lastly, whichever Imperial Prince ascended to the throne, the clans that had supported the wrong camp would definitely be pushed aside by the other clans. It wouldn’t even be impossible for them to be forced out of the Imperial City in secret.
When they heard that Ling Han actually had two Black Grade high level Grandmaster alchemists behind him, everyone could not help but reveal expressions of astonishment.
That was too awesome, wasn’t it?
However, due to the outstanding status of alchemists, they usually would not interfere in any power struggle on their own initiative. Now, looking at the very friendly relationship between Ling Han and the Third Imperial Prince, did that mean that the Third Imperial Prince had gained the support of these two ultimate Grandmaster Alchemists?
Heavens, that would be desperately serious. With the support of these two awesome bosses behind him, even if the current Rain Emperor already had a candidate in mind for the position of his heir, he would probably have to reconsider his decision so as to avoid these two ultimate Grandmaster Alchemists not cooperating and making things difficult for the Imperial Family when the new Emperor was crowned.
In the competition for the imperial throne, the Third Imperial Prince had a slightly higher chance to emerge victorious in the first place, and now, all of a sudden, two great bosses emerged to support him… he was practically guaranteed to win.
With such thoughts, these young people instantly became very passionate, and humbled themselves to the lowest extent.
At first, although they were in the position of subjects, there was still an air of pride in their bones because he was the one who wanted to pull them into his camp! But things were different now. Now that they knew the Third Imperial Prince’s “trump card”, these people took the initiative to become closer with him.
They were both Black Grade high level alchemists. If the two of them simply threw out any kind of alchemical medicine, it would be enough for them to go crazy over.
When the Third Imperial Prince saw this scene, a smile turned up the corners of his lips. This was exactly what he wanted to see. He could not wait to play this card, because the current Rain Emperor had the intention to abdicate from his throne to put all his focus on his studies of martial arts. At most within five years’ time, the Emperor wanted to have his heir inherit the throne, so the Third Imperial Prince had to make the most of his time.
“Hahahaha, let us all drink!” the Third Imperial Prince raised his wine cup and instantly, everyone else raised theirs as well. When the Third Imperial Prince drained his cup, the others would naturally not dare to leave wine in their own cups, and drained theirs as well. After the Third Imperial Prince sat, they all returned to their seats.
The Third Imperial Prince was now fully content with his achievements. This place was only the Cherishing Flower Pavilion, but in the near future, in the imperial court, there would be even more high-ranking persons paying him respect and subjecting to his rule.
The female attendants began to replenish the wine in everyone’s cups. Why was the Cherishing Flower Pavilion so expensive? That was because these female attendants were not only astonishingly beautiful, but had very elegant bearing. Some of them were even in Element Gathering Tier, and for men to have these female attendants to accompany them in drinking fulfilled men’s natural inherent desire to conquer.
Ling Han was the brightest star tonight. He had a beauty at either side accompanying him to drink, and both were in Element Gathering Tier. One had to know that both these beauties were young women in their twenties, yet they had already stepped into Element Gathering Tier. They were outstandingly talented in the first place, but at the same time, they also needed a large amount of resources to be able to reach this level.
These two women have both undergone strict training, and they spoke very gently and moved very lightly and elegantly. What was even more remarkable was that they were very good at observing the facial expressions and movements of others. Ling Han needed only to cast a look, and they would know which dish Ling Han wanted to sample, and immediately, they would take the initiative to deliver a bite-sized portion of the said dish into Ling Han’s mouth.
Such a rapturous array was definitely enough to cause any young man to lose all composure, and easily fall into such a gentle trap. However, what kind of mental strength did Ling Han have? As the saying goes, he could pass into a field of flowers, yet not one leaf would cling to his figure. His heart would not be disturbed by any woman, no matter how beautiful she was.
He did not maintain any reservations either, and only peacefully enjoyed the service of these two women. Yet his eyes remained clear, and there was no sign of ***** on his face, causing the Third Imperial Prince, who had kept one eye on him, to look even higher upon him. The Third Imperial Prince even had the delusion that the person he was looking at was not a youth in his teens, but an ultimate warrior who had experienced multiple hardships and witnessed countless great spectacles.
Ling Han had the support of the two great bosses of alchemy behind him, so naturally he became someone who everyone wanted to gain the favor of. However, Ling Han seemed to have no intention to pay too much attention to these people. He would only occasionally speak with the Third Imperial Prince, Li Hao, and Zhu Xue Yi. The rest of the time, he would simply concentrate on enjoying his meal.
This was very normal. In his last life, he was the one and only Alchemy Emperor, so how could he have the patience and mood to deal with these little brats who thought that they were so extraordinary?
None of the others thought that there was anything strange about the proud way that Ling Han was acting, because alchemists were indeed such proud people in the first place. If Ling Han did not show such prideful behaviour, they would think that it was odd instead.
When they saw that Ling Han was not so easily approachable, they naturally turned their attention to Li Hao and Zhu Xue Yi. They all earnestly sought the company of these two, causing Li Hao and Zhu Xue Yi to feel overwhelmed.
Just now, a mere young master from a minor clan would dare to insult and humiliate them, yet now, there were so many young masters from middle-class clans all fighting to befriend them! The two of them could not help but look at Ling Han with gratitude. All of this was because of Ling Han.
The Third Imperial Prince saw that Ling Han only ate and drank, and was not like the others who took the opportunity to paw at the female attendants beside them, and asked, “Brother Ling, are you not satisfied with these two beauties?”
When they heard these words, these two beauties instantly revealed resentful expressions, their lovely appearances very moving. Even if one knew very well that they were only playing along, one could not help but feel tender towards them.
“Haha, if Brother Ling thinks they are not tender enough, then why not have Zi Yan accompany you?” the Third Imperial Prince asked suddenly.
Zi Yan’s face instantly changed, and her body shook slightly. Her eyes were filled with resentment. She was not putting on a show, but really feeling heartbroken. She had thought that she had a high place in the Third Imperial Prince’s heart, but never thought that she was still only a card that he could play.
Li Hao and Zhu Xue Yi’s hearts both sped up at this. Previously, Zi Yan had been so grand and impressive in front of them, yet now, she would still have to accompany Ling Han to drink. This gap was really too big for them to accept.
Ling Han smiled, and asked, “Are you willing, Miss Zi Yan?”
Zi Yan’s figure shook again, but she answered, “Zi Yan is willing.”
Yet Ling Han shook his head, and said, “A gentleman will not take someone else’s favorite. Miss Zi Yan belongs to the Third Imperial Prince, so it’s best if you stay by the Third Imperial Prince’s side!”
Zi Yan instantly looked grateful at this. She would naturally not dare to disobey the Third Imperial Prince’s command, but if she was able to escape from this calamity, her impression of Ling Han improved greatly. However, she also gained a new understanding of the Third Imperial Prince.
In view of the throne, anyone would only be the pawns that he could use, and if she continued to follow at his heels so blindly, what kind of ending awaited her?
She was obviously at a loss.
“Hahahaha, Third Imperial Prince, I have come late. May I enter?” it was at this moment that a clear voice was heard from outside, and this voice had a very strong air to it.
The Third Imperial Prince’s expression changed slightly, and exclaimed, “Feng Yan!”