kvmb Chapter 181 A Testament to Strength
Chapter 181 A Testament to Strength
Chapter 181 Strength Speaks
Emperor Li Yu of Tang sat on the dragon throne, looking down at his ministers with a half-smile: "My dear ministers, you've all arrived quite early today!"
As the emperor of a nation, Li Yu naturally had spies throughout the entire capital. In fact, he had already ascertained the matters that these civil and military officials wanted to report today.
But he pretended to know nothing and asked the group of civil and military officials, "My dear ministers, if you have anything to report, please hurry up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the officials below, whether civil or military, knelt down in unison: "Your Majesty, we have something to report!"
"You're all quite united, it seems you were prepared long ago, weren't you?" Seeing this scene, Emperor Li Yu of Tang's smile widened, but no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a sneer.
"Wang You, you are the leader of the civil officials. Speak, what do you have to report?" Li Yu pointed at Prime Minister Wang You and said.
"Your Majesty," Prime Minister Wang You cleared his throat and said loudly, "Our Southern Tang has been established for thousands of years, and the succession of the throne is the foundation of the nation. Although Your Majesty is now in the prime of life, the country cannot be without a foundation for even a day. I urge Your Majesty to establish a crown prince as soon as possible to consolidate the foundation of the country and stabilize the hearts of the people."
After listening to Wang You's words, the Tang Emperor remained noncommittal. Instead, he turned to Marquis Shenwei, Su Lie, and asked, "Old Marquis, you are a rare guest in this court. Is there something important on your mind today?"
Su Lie didn't even lift his eyelids, and said without any emotional fluctuation, "Your Majesty, this old minister also agrees with what Prime Minister Wang said. The crown prince is the foundation of a country, and I urge Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible."
It's common knowledge that the military and civil officials of the Southern Tang Kingdom have never gotten along. Their unprecedented request today doesn't signify a reconciliation. On the contrary, after Marquis Shenwei Su Lie finished speaking, the tension between them seemed to intensify even further.
After listening, the Tang Emperor simply nodded slightly, and no one could tell what his true thoughts were.
"Bring up the memorials, let me see if you have any suitable candidates!" Li Yu waved his hand, and Chief Eunuch Wang, who was very perceptive, went down and collected all the memorials from the ministers.
As the Tang Emperor read through the memorials, his brows furrowed deeply. Once he had finished, he tossed them all aside and coldly said, "Is this your opinion?"
Despite sensing the Emperor's displeasure, Chancellor Wang You forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Longqian has received royal education since childhood and possesses the qualities of a monarch. We all believe that Prince Longqian is suitable to succeed as Crown Prince."
"The demeanor of a monarch?" Wang You had barely finished speaking when Su Lie sneered, "Ignorant and cowardly, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, I don't see any monarchical demeanor in you!"
After speaking, Su Lie bowed to the Tang Emperor on the dragon throne and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Li Longyuan is highly skilled in cultivation and has remarkable abilities. He is also a figure listed on the World's Heroes Ranking. This old minister believes that Prince Longyuan can ensure the continuation of our Tang Dynasty's ten thousand-year foundation."
As soon as Lord Su spoke, the military officers below immediately echoed his words.
For these military officers, even disregarding the influence of Marquis Su, Lin Fei held a far higher position in their hearts than Li Longqian.
This world is one where the strong are respected. A powerful person who is listed on the leaderboard is far more reliable than a spoiled brat who achieves his acupoint realm through elixirs.
"Lord Su, this is about choosing a crown prince, not a leader of the Southern Tang martial arts alliance. What use is high cultivation?" Prime Minister Wang You retorted. "Let's not even talk about Prince Li Longyuan, who has not yet been recognized by His Majesty. He was sent to the Jade Emperor Sect a few years ago and only knows about the affairs of the martial arts world. How would he know anything about the way of governing a country and being a ruler?"
At this point, Wang You gave a cold laugh: "Moreover, I've heard that His Highness Longyuan has a nickname in the martial arts world: 'Dao Sword Demon Blade.' What virtue or ability does someone who cultivates evil techniques have to become the ruler of my Southern Tang Kingdom? If he were to suffer a qi deviation one day, wouldn't he bring disaster to the millions of ordinary people of my Southern Tang Kingdom?"
Seeing the civil and military officials below standing in confrontation, Emperor Li Yu of Tang also felt quite troubled and waved his hand: "Alright, stop arguing!"
He pointed to the pile of memorials beside him and said, "I understand your meaning very well. Half of these memorials nominate Prince Li Longqian, and the other half nominate Li Longyuan."
Li Yu raised his eyes and swept them over the assembled officials: "Besides these two, do you have any other candidates?"
All the ministers below remained silent. Besides Li Longqian and Li Longyuan, there were no other suitable candidates. There were a few princes, but neither their power nor their abilities were sufficient to catch the ministers' eye.
"It seems there are no other candidates." Li Yu tapped his fingers on the dragon throne and said calmly, "Then let's choose a crown prince from among the two of them! What method do you think is appropriate for selecting the crown prince?"
It seems that the Tang emperor did not have a definite answer in his mind regarding the choice of the crown prince.
Indeed, as Prime Minister Wang You said, Lin Fei was sent to the Jade Emperor Sect several years ago and knows nothing about royal rules or the way of the monarch. Moreover, he has practiced the Blood Slaughter Sect's evil sword techniques, and it is hard to guarantee that he will not suffer from qi deviation in the future.
However, Li Yu knew very well what kind of person Li Longqian was; he was not a suitable candidate to take over the throne.
If it weren't for the Taoist priest Hefeng of Changqing Temple, Li Yu would probably have already reverted to Lin Fei's identity.
Just as Prime Minister Wang You was about to speak, Marquis Shenwei Su Lie preemptively said, "Your Majesty, our Southern Tang has always been founded on strength. Whoever is stronger will take over the position of Crown Prince. There's nothing more to say."
Upon hearing Su Lie's words, the assembled civil officials exchanged bewildered glances—the most powerful person here was undoubtedly Marquis Shenwei, Su Lie, and Li Longyuan was ranked twenty-third on the Power Ranking. Did Marquis Shenwei intend to use his power to intimidate others?
Prime Minister Wang You, after a moment of stunned silence, laughed and said, "What Lord Su said is right. In our Southern Tang Kingdom, the selection of the crown prince has always been based on strength. However, this strength is not the kind of trickery that is used in martial arts."
As he spoke, he respectfully knelt before Emperor Li Yu of Tang: "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you summon the divine weapon that is the national treasure of our Tang Dynasty. With the will of this divine weapon, the successor to the throne shall be decided!"
"That's perfect, exactly what I was thinking!" Su Lie snorted and bowed to Li Yu, saying, "This old minister agrees with Prime Minister Wang's opinion. Your Majesty, please summon the Imperial Guard to decide the successor to the throne!"
In an instant, all the civil and military officials knelt down, begging Li Yu to bring out the legendary divine weapon of the Southern Tang Dynasty.