<h4>Chapter 645: In Court</h4>
The third prince''s aura was as sharp as a sword. He gave off a domineering aura of sharpness, of des at every corner. Even his eyes seemed to carry a fraction of that ideal.
The ninth prince knew that the Wang n was the third prince''s sponsor, and the n had taught the third prince a specialized sword technique that only the core disciples of the n had ess to.
This sword technique, the ''path of kings'', had dominance baked into its very name, and only the royal members of the Wang n were permitted to study it.
Nevertheless, despite satisfying these harsh conditions, the third prince was still overshadowed by the crown and second princes, though he was certainly stronger than the average hunter.
The Wang n head had once mentioned that the power of the technique would only grow with the third prince''s position; if the third prince were able to take the throne, his mastery of his technique, as well as its strength, would instantly soar to unparalleled heights.
At that point, the third prince''s strength would eclipse the crown prince''s, and it would even approach that of the king of the realm himself.nIf he were allowed to continue cultivating that technique while serving as king, his strength would only increase by leaps and bounds.
"You''ll certainly have a chance to meet my savior, third brother," the ninth prince replied.
Based on how cordial the conversation seemed to be, a stranger might suspect that the four princes had a good rtionship with each other.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
An old man walked stiffly into court from the front, supported by attendants on either side of him. His robe was lined and embroidered with silver, with a draconic lifeform that didn''t look quite like a dragon stitched where his chest was. He held his head erect, supporting a heavy crown. Despite the obvious signs of his age, his aura of authority nketed them all.
The ninth prince found that his father seemed to have grown far older in his absence. His hair had turned snowy-white, his eyes were drooping, and his skin seemed to be hanging in folds. He looked as though he might tip over and copse at any moment.
"We greet the emperor!" the princes chorused, bowing down.
"We greet the emperor!" The officials followed suit, after the princes.
"Rise!" With a whispered word from the realm of the king, the court convened. "State your affairs."
The officials each began to report on the various issues they were having from all over thend, as well as the steps they had taken to resolve those issues.
Whenever there was a question, the king of the realm would solicit the crown prince''s advice.
Once the crown prince had spoken up, the second prince would immediately present his own opinion, often much at odds with the crown prince''s, and the third prince would follow suit.
The three opposing factions tended to argue for hours and hours on end, with the king of the realm breaking any stalemates.
A simple question could mire the court for an entire hour, even two. The ninth prince shook his head, thinking about how inefficient the court had be.
An urgent disaster that had been reported required immediate attention, but it frequently took an hour of bickering before the three princes were all satisfied.
But even then, the princes didn''t settle on a course of action. Over the course of the argument, more questions, problems, and conundrums would undoubtedly emerge, spawning even more arguments in the process.
The ninth prince didn''t participate in the heated battle of words.
Perhaps many years ago, this court had responded promptly and efficiently to the many affairs brought up by the court officials, but as the king of the realm grew older and older, the court began to stagnate. All its actions were slow and unwieldy, as though it had likewise grown old with the king.
The king of the realm, in his old age, hadrgely lost control of his ability to manage the realm, but he didn''t want to abdicate the throne immediately. As a result, he gave the three princes a permanent invitation to court under the pretext of learning from his judgment, but fundamentally for the sake of preserving the delicate equilibrium where the three opposing factions met.
Many years ago, the king of the realm might have been a wise ruler, but in his old age, he was using what he had learned over his long tenure to maintain his rule at the cost of his realm.
Everyone knew that fact, but no one dared to say it out loud—whoever exposed this scheme would surely be sentenced to death.
It took an interminable amount of time before the arguments finally quieted down.
Everyone was hungry andcked the motivation to argue further; a recess was called so that everyone could go home and have a meal before returning to court for a second round of quarrels.
Before everyone was dismissed, the king of the realm turned to the ninth prince. "What are your feelings on the development of the south?"
The ninth prince strode forward, bowed, and reported, "The south is growing and expanding ording to n. Even in the poorest regions, all the citizens have adequate food and lodgings—all thanks to your wise governance."
The king of the realm nodded. "I heard you encountered some troubles along the way. Were your guards all ughtered?"
The ninth prince''s tone slowly turned weighty and despondent. "I encountered a group of assassins while returning home, your majesty, and... I almost failed to return."
The second prince frowned. "Ninth brother, didn''t you say that you encountered a group of third-level beasts?"
"They were spurred by the assassins, yes."
The king of the realm''s voice grew in his anger. "Who dares assassinate a prince of the realm?! Jing Heng, step out!"
The crown prince strode forward. "I''m here, your majesty."
"Were you aware of the assassination attempt on your brother?"
"I''ve just learned of it, your majesty."
"Take care of your brothers. I''ll leave the investigation of this affair to you—find the assassin within seven weeks."
The ninth prince frowned. The fact that the king of the realm hadn''t pressed him for details and was handing the whole affair to the crown prince meant that he wasn''t invested in this case.
This wasn''t an oue the ninth prince desired.
"Your majesty, the assassins have all been killed."
"Indeed? By whom?"
"By a man I''ve since taken as my master, your majesty."
The third prince snorted. "A ridiculous im. What could a country bumpkin teach a prince?"
The ninth prince ignored the third prince''s words. Before the third prince could change the topic of conversation, the ninth prince continued, "This sword was under the possession of the assassins."
The ninth prince retrieved Wang Jian''s sword from within his robes.
Even before the sword was unsheathed, everyone present could sense the thickyer of killing intent emanating from it, so strong that the closest officials were turning pale.
The crown prince''s brows furrowed. "Such dense killing intent could only have been produced by the des of the Wang n."
The third prince snorted. "Nonsense! Who can confirm the provenance of this sword?"
Despite his words, the moment the sword was revealed, his forehead had begun beading with sweat.
The crown prince turned to the king. "Your majesty, to identify whether this sword indeed belongs to the Wang n, I motion to summon the Wang n head."
The king of the realm nodded andmanded, "Summon the Wang n head!"
The Wang n head quickly made his way over to the court, where he confirmed the de''s origins. "This is indeed a Wang de, though I''m confused as to how it ended up in the ninth prince''s hands."
The ninth prince''s eyes narrowed. "Because the assassin is from the Wang n!"
The Wang n head replied, "You mean to im that the assassin was the dewielder of the Wangs, Wang Jian?"
"Who else?"
The ninth prince sensed that something was wrong; the Wang n head was far too leisurely about this usation.
The Wang n head shook his head and replied sorrowfully, "You must be mistaken, ninth prince. Wang Jian perished in his sleep a few days ago."