The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife-Chapter 456: The True Emperor Will Emerge in Accordance with the Will of Heaven

Chapter 456: The True Emperor Will Emerge in Accordance with the Will of Heaven

Ye Siheng nodded slightly. "That’s for the best."

He then called for Nanli, and together they left the palace.

Ye Chengyan stared intently at the departing pair, his gaze unyielding.

Nanli felt the sharp eyes piercing her back and remarked, "His eyes are filled with a growing malice, which is not a good sign."

"Someone will keep an eye on him, so there’s no need to worry too much," Ye Siheng assured her.

Nanli hummed in agreement.

It was impossible for Ye Chengyan to have no reaction at all, but if he had the ability to stir up trouble, he wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place.

Upon returning to Prince Yu Mansion, Ye Siheng instructed Qingyang to bring in a few more royal family members.

Initially, Nanli was curious to see which one of them might have the destiny to bond with Emperor Muwu as a father and son, possibly changing their fate and rising to power.

However, after evaluating five or six of them, Nanli’s face showed no trace of a smile, only a hint of gloom.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Siheng asked.

"Nothing." Nanli looked at him. "None of them share much of a father-son bond with the emperor. One of them does have a faint aura of royal destiny, making him a good candidate for Crown Prince, but all of them, without exception, have darkened foreheads, indicating they’re surrounded by a murderous aura and likely to meet an untimely end."

Ye Siheng’s usually deep and dark eyes grew even more somber. "How could this be? Is it because they lack sufficient fortune and can’t suppress the ominous fate?"

Nanli solemnly replied, "I can’t fully comprehend the mysteries at play, but I can be certain of one thing: this kingdom is on the brink of chaos."

Ye Siheng furrowed his brows. It wasn’t that he doubted Nanli’s words, but Mu Nation and Qi Nation were currently locked in a stalemate. Even with the Crown Prince of Mu Nation deposed, Ye Siheng was still in the Capital. How could chaos erupt?

Nanli thought for a moment and decided to use her tortoiseshell and copper coins to cast a divination.

When the copper coins fell, three of the five stood upright, an unprecedented sight for Ye Siheng. "What does this mean?"

Nanli forced a smile. "It means the Heavenly Dao doesn’t want me to see."

She collected the coins and said, "But no matter, when soldiers come, we’ll fight them off, and when water rises, we’ll dam it."

Ye Siheng grunted in agreement. "So, it seems we won’t be able to determine the Crown Prince candidate for now."

"Let them go. None of them are fit to be the Crown Prince; they’ll die if they take on the role," Nanli remarked, noting the deathly aura surrounding them.

Ye Siheng’s face darkened, and his tea-making became somewhat absent-minded.

Nanli asked, "Why do you look so downcast?"

"Without a Crown Prince, Prime Minister Lu and the others won’t let me off easily," Ye Siheng grumbled, setting down the teapot and pushing a steaming cup toward her. "I don’t want to be forced into this, and I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck in the palace as the Empress either. You’d better start taking this seriously!"

The urgent and intense look in his eyes clearly urged Nanli to quickly find a suitable Crown Prince.

Nanli pursed her lips and shrank back slightly.

Although she didn’t like being confined within the palace walls, she cautiously suggested, "Finding a suitable Crown Prince isn’t that easy. How about you work in the palace during the day and come out to see me every night?"

After all, she really didn’t want to be trapped in the palace.

Ye Siheng’s mouth twitched, and he gave her a pained look. "Are you trying to abandon me to enjoy yourself alone?"

Nanli couldn’t withstand his pitiful gaze and reluctantly waved her hand. "Alright, alright, I’ll do my best."

After all, there must be someone out there who carries the aura of a true emperor, who can suppress the dragon energy and ascend to the throne.

"Then I’ll have Qingyang bring a few more candidates to the Capital?" Ye Siheng immediately suggested.

"No need, the true emperor will emerge in accordance with the will of Heaven," Nanli said earnestly. "Simply put, if something is meant to be his, he will naturally get it. No one else will be able to take it from him."

Hearing this, Ye Siheng immediately felt relieved and murmured, "As long as it’s not me, anything is fine."

But Nanli fixed him with a steady gaze and suddenly chuckled. "Your fate is rather peculiar. Even after your destiny was altered, you managed to turn things around and rise to a high position. It shows that you are a variable in this world. If you want to seize the throne, you can change the fates of many people. That throne could easily be yours."

"That’s absolutely unnecessary!" Ye Siheng’s face darkened. "I won’t fight for it!"

He planned to burn some incense and pray for the next king to emerge soon, just to shut up Prime Minister Lu and the others.

----

Qi Nation.

Snow had been falling continuously in the capital city, making it exceptionally cold.

Qi Hong had long issued a decree for Qi Xuan to report to the capital, but Qi Xuan delayed, only arriving at the capital city at the end of November.

Entering the palace required a body search.

Qi Xuan handed over his weapons and allowed the palace attendants to thoroughly search him before he was finally allowed to enter the hall to meet the new emperor of Qi Nation.

The hall was warm and cozy, and Qi Hong wore only a thin red and black robe embroidered with gold threads.

He hadn’t tied up his hair, letting it fall loosely, adding a touch of sinister charm to his appearance.

Qi Hong was engrossed in examining a red jade pendant, not even sparing a glance at Qi Xuan as he knelt in greeting.

Qi Xuan had been kneeling for quite a while, his face growing cold as he spoke again, "Your servant Qi Xuan greets Your Majesty!"

Only then did Qi Hong turn his head, put away the red jade, and lean back in his chair with an air of arrogant malice.

"Prince of Liangguang, you’ve kept me waiting."

"There were many matters in Jianggu that needed my attention. Only after handling them could I come to the capital city with peace of mind," Qi Xuan replied.

Whether it was true or not, Qi Hong didn’t care.

What mattered was that Qi Xuan was here.

Qi Hong still didn’t let him stand, instead saying, "I know you’ve worked hard, so I intend to relieve you of your military command. That way, you can take it easy from now on. What do you think, Prince of Liangguang?"

Such a direct approach made Qi Xuan’s heart sink even further.

In the past, he would have had no choice but to let Qi Hong slowly wear him down.

But times had changed!

He had Ye Siheng’s peachwood dagger and had meticulously laid out his plans. How could he allow himself to be a fish on the chopping block again?

"I don’t think so!" Qi Xuan suddenly stood up.

His sudden movement prompted the palace attendants closest to Qi Hong to react instantly!

Several of them attacked simultaneously, targeting Qi Hong’s vital points!

Yet Qi Hong remained unfazed. With just a slight lift of his eyes and a flick of his fingers, an endless stream of black mist shot out from his fingertips.

The black mist surged forth, wrapping around the bodies of the attacking attendants.

Not only that, but the mist also invaded their bodies, turning the whites of their eyes black.

Qi Xuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He had heard rumors of Qi Hong practicing some kind of dark art, but this was beyond his comprehension. His body froze, and he found himself unable to move.

Qi Hong, expressionless, commanded, "How presumptuous. Kill him."

At his command, the attendants, now corrupted by the black mist, lunged at Qi Xuan.

The attendants, like living corpses, felt no pain even as Qi Xuan broke their limbs. They continued to attack from all directions.

Qi Xuan was quickly overwhelmed, his limbs bound, and he was forced to the ground.

Qi Hong rose and slowly approached him. "I was wondering what excuse I could use to kill you, but here you are, delivering yourself to me. Prince of Liangguang, wouldn’t it have been better to live a few more years?"