Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Great Xia’s New Emperor

“I-isn’t that the Seventeenth Prince?”

“Imperial Duke Fang is conducting the spirit assessment for the Seventeenth Prince? Where did he obtain the Spirit Gauging Bell from?!”

The officials who belatedly arrived at the scene were bewildered.

More maids and eunuchs were gathering in the area. Even Yan Beihan rushed over as well. When he saw Fang Chen standing in front of Xia Yuan, his eyes visibly narrowed.

“Don’t be afraid. Continue,” Fang Chen said.

The sudden appearance of a crowd left Xia Yuan feeling uncomfortable. It was only after hearing Fang Chen’s encouragement that he struck the Spirit Gauging Bell a second time.

Dong!

It was the second toll.

Xiang Zhen nervously grabbed the corner of her skirt.

Dong!

Dong!

Four tolls! Such cultivation talent was enough to catch the attention of a major sect!

The Fifth King’s face darkened. He looked at the crowd and bellowed, “Why didn’t the Seventeenth Prince undergo the spirit assessment back then? Who the hell is behind this?”

“That’s how dirty the palace can get,” Jiang Yushu scoffed.

“Those fools. They are still fighting each other even at a time like this,” the Fifth King snorted.

The crowd was perplexed. The emperor would have known that the Seventeenth Prince didn’t undergo the spirit assessment, but he didn’t say a word. This suggested that he had implicitly consented to it.

As the crowd wondered if Xia Yuan could evoke a fifth toll, Fang Chen suddenly stowed away the Spirit Gauging Bell. The crowd was perplexed, and Xia Yuan was confused.

“Imperial Duke Fang, I haven’t completed my spirit assessment yet,” Xia Yuan said.

“Four tolls are enough for now. Become a good emperor and get a passing grade from me. If so, I’ll let you complete a spirit assessment and bestow upon you a different path,” Fang Chen said.

“Ah…”

The crowd gasped, be it the officials, the concubines, the eunuchs, and the maids.

Fang Chen couldn’t have made his intention any clearer—he was planning to support the Seventeenth Prince onto the throne!

Indignation flashed across the eyes of some present, but they dared not to reveal it. They could only silently rage in their hearts.

Xiang Zhen couldn’t believe it either, and tears welled up in her reddened eyes. The eunuch beside her was so terrified that his lips turned purple. Eunuch You was overjoyed, for he had shown favor to the future emperor while he was down.

“Emperor? Me?” Xia Yuan was bewildered.

“What do the rest of you think?” Fang Chen looked at Li Guozhu and the others.

“Isn’t it a little… reckless? The Seventeenth Prince is still young…” Li Guozhu hesitantly said.

“It’s because he’s young that he can learn many things from scratch, such as how to govern a country, how to care for his people, and how to be a benevolent ruler,” Fang Chen replied. “It’s settled then. We shall find an auspicious date for Xia Yuan’s coronation ceremony.”

“The next auspicious date should be seven days away…” one of the officials murmured.

“Tomorrow is an auspicious day,” Fang Chen interjected with a chuckle. “We can just do a simple ceremony. There’s no need to be too extravagant.”

The official dared not to refute Fang Chen. Since Imperial Duke Fang says tomorrow is an auspicious day, let tomorrow be an auspicious day then…

The crowd felt like they were in a dream. It felt unreal. Who could have thought that Fang Chen would suddenly call the shots on something as important as this? This made them wonder how this would all go down.

Fang Chen had promised Xia Yuan that he would let the latter cultivate if he proved to be a good ruler. Does that mean our next Great Xia’s emperor will be a cultivator? That doesn’t sound bad either…

“O-Old Ancestor, is it appropriate to allow Imperial Duke Fang to choose Great Xia’s next emperor by himself?” One of the concubines turned to Xia Yun and his two juniors and bowed.

The crowd belatedly noticed that Xia Yun and his two juniors had arrived at the scene.

The concubine was the mother of Fourth Prince Xia Li. She was clutching onto the final sliver of hope for her son.

“Old Ancestor.” The officials of the imperial court bowed to Xia Yun too.

Xia Yun was in a dilemma.

He, Liu Suifeng, and Tantai Qingfeng were astonished to learn that Fang Chen had a Spirit Gauging Bell of his own. That was an artifact that usually symbolized the foundation of a sect! While it might not have any offensive capability, its use far surpassed that.

Fang Chen must have purchased the Spirit Gauging Bell from Elder Jinnan or the others… but how many ki stones did he have to be able to make such a purchase? This indirectly hinted at how wealthy and powerful the sect behind him was.

“I trust Daoist Fang’s judgment,” Xia Yun said.

Those words sealed the deal.

The concubine had no choice but to shut her mouth. Fourth Prince Xia Li lowered his head.

“This little fellow has extraordinary cultivation talent. None of the princes are on par with him,” Xia Yun said, “It would be Great Xia’s blessing to have such an emperor.”

No one dared to voice their opposition anymore.

The following day was Xia Yuan’s coronation ceremony.

The imperial court followed Fang Chen’s order and held a simple ceremony. Those living in the capital only learned about the coronation from the Valiant Defenders marching down the streets.

This transition of the top seat was much more peaceful than usual. There was not a single faction that stepped forward to challenge the decision. They knew that doing so at this juncture was equivalent to opposing Fang Chen and Xia Yun…

There was not a single person in the capital who had the guts to do so.

It was also on this day itself that the officials of the imperial court learned that the Great Xia’s emperor had gone traveling with his empress. This caught them off guard, but it was a relief that Fang Chen and Xia Yun were enough to hold the fort.

Xia Yuan sat on the dragon throne wearing a little dragon robe. He wouldn’t stop looking around with eyes twinkling with curiosity.

By the corner, Xiang Zhen felt nervous on his behalf. Her tense nerves were only assuaged by Fang Chen’s presence, as she knew that nothing would go wrong as long as he was around.

Eunuch You was still the chief eunuch, and he stood a step beneath the dragon throne.

“Long live Your Majesty!” The officials of the imperial court kowtowed and chanted deafeningly.

Startled, Xia Yuan hurriedly straightened his posture.

After the officials’ greeting, Li Guozhu stood up and said, “Fellow brethren, His Majesty is still young right now. We ought to choose an imperial mentor to guide him well.”

“The Fifth King and Minister Jiang will take that role,” Fang Chen said.

The crowd immediately looked at the two of them.

Jiang Yushu glanced at Fang Chen before smiling back at the crowd. “I’m getting old, and I fear I’m lacking the energy for this job. But since you’re the one asking this of me, I shall do my best in this role then.”

The Minister of Justice is going to be the emperor’s mentor? This…

The crowd was perplexed.

Traditionally, it was either the Minister of Rites, Tao Mingsheng, or the Prime Minister, Li Guozhu, who took the role of the imperial mentor, but since it was Fang Chen who made the call, there was not a person who voiced their disagreement.

“Xia Yuan,” Fang Chen suddenly called out.

The crowd was alarmed to hear Fang Chen calling the emperor directly by his name.

“Imperial Duke Fang!” Xia Yuan instinctively stood up and answered.

“Be a good emperor, or else be wary that I might take your head in your sleep,” Fang Chen said with a joking laugh before taking his leave.

Xia Yuan instinctively covered his neck out of fear. He stared at Fang Chen’s departing silhouette in a daze, but a seed had been planted in his heart.