Free Web NovelChapter 149: Chapter 149: Palace Audience
Leo noticed he had stopped and halted as well, looking at him in confusion. "Your Highness, why have we stopped walking?"
Ye Ming’s eyes grew cold, though his expression remained unchanged. "Oh? How would you know Shi Lan’s marriageable age? Have you been investigating her?"
Leo shook his head. "No, I was just guessing. Didn’t Miss Shi Lan graduate just a few months ago? People are usually about ready for marriage by the time they finish their studies."
Ye Ming’s expression relaxed slightly. He began walking again and said, "Then your guess was wrong. Shi Lan started her schooling early. It’ll probably be another year or two before she reaches marriageable age."
"However, I’ve noticed you’ve been working very hard these past few years. If you’re eager to get married, I can help make arrangements."
Leo’s eyes brightened. "Really? You’d do that?"
But then he shook his head. "Thank you, Your Highness, but I promised Miss Shi Lan I would wait for her. I’m not in that much of a hurry. I’ll see what she has to say in a year."
"Mm." freewёbnoνel.com
A faint, almost unnoticeable smile tugged at the corner of Ye Ming’s lips, and he dropped the subject.
Soon, the two of them returned to the palace.
He Hanshi was already inside the palace. He was a Major General in the military, after all, and he needed the Monarch to reinstate the position he previously held.
In truth, the Monarch would have reinstated him even if he hadn’t asked.
He Hanshi’s position as Major General was widely supported; the public had overwhelmingly pushed for his appointment.
When Ye Ming arrived, the conversation in the main hall faltered for a moment. He exchanged a glance with He Hanshi before quickly looking away. He then offered his father a simple bow. "Father."
Leo followed close behind him.
The Monarch smiled kindly. "My boy, have we grown distant after nearly three years apart? Why must you be so formal?"
Ye Ming smiled. "Proper etiquette must be observed. Even between father and son, it shows my respect for you."
"Yes, yes, of course."
The Monarch laughed heartily and then said, "Now that you’re back, Ming’er, your status as the Crown Prince should be restored as well."
"However..."
He paused. "Ming’er, you’ve been away from the Capital Star for three years. During that time, your younger brother has also made considerable contributions for the people. Therefore, the selection of the heir will need to be held again. The two of you will compete fairly."
The rules of interstellar succession had always favored the eldest child—eldest son or daughter, with females having priority, followed by the most capable individual.
But the chances of a female being born were incredibly low. Not a single one had been born into the royal family since the current Monarch’s reign began.
By rights, Ye Ming, as the eldest son, should have remained the heir. However, the Monarch had recently promised the public that Ye Yan would succeed the throne, which was why a new selection was now necessary.
Ye Ming had already heard about this from people like Fang Yuan and Leo, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. He was determined to take back what was rightfully his.
He nodded. "Yes, Father."
After they finished discussing the succession, the Monarch turned to He Hanshi. "Right, Admiral Lu has just reached retirement age, and the military has been short an Admiral lately. Your past contributions are more than enough to qualify you for a promotion. I will appoint you as Admiral. As for the Major General position, let’s have Bai Feng of the Bai Family take it. That young man is quite capable."
"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."
He Hanshi lowered his gaze, accepting the promotion with a completely calm expression.
In truth, this was within his expectations. Three years ago, when his spiritual power had collapsed, it was just as Admiral Lu was about to retire. It had been said back then that he would take over the Admiral’s position. As a result, Admiral Lu was fortunate not to have been present for the battle against the Insect Clan on the Capital Star, and thus avoided the Mutated Insect Clan.
And now, it was simply a three-year delay.
After the Monarch finished discussing some work-related matters with the two of them, he asked curiously, "I heard from the medical teams that your collapse values plummeted right after you all experienced spiritual power collapse? How did that happen?"
Ye Ming nodded. "Yes, Father. We don’t know why it happened either. At the time, everyone’s spiritual power was in a poor state, and we encountered someone who was deliberately provoking us, which caused all of our spiritual power to collapse."
"A provocateur? Was it that Prison Director who was replaced later on?"
Anything concerning a change of Prison Director on Black Star had to be reported to the Monarch in advance, so of course he was aware.
"Yes, Fang Yuan. Not only that, but he also planned to drug and assassinate me, but I discovered his plot ahead of time."
"How audacious! Where is that scoundrel? How dare he try to harm a Prince?"
The Monarch slammed his fist on the table in a rage.
He Hanshi reassured him, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. We have already dealt with him. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture the mastermind behind him."
"There’s a mastermind? Fine! If you discover anything, tell me at once. I will personally hunt down the person who dared to harm my son."
At his words, Ye Ming’s mouth moved as if to say something, but He Hanshi answered first. "Yes. We don’t have any leads at the moment. Once we find something, we will be sure to inform the Monarch."
"Mm."
The Monarch seemed somewhat relieved.
Ye Ming gave him a questioning look, but the silent understanding they had developed in the prison kept him from speaking.
After leaving the main hall, Ye Ming saw that no one else was around besides Leo and lowered his voice to ask He Hanshi, "Mr. He... Admiral, why did you do that?"
He Hanshi shook his head. "Right now, the fewer people who know, the better. Besides, you haven’t been back to the palace for three years. The Monarch might be favoring the Second Prince now. Since we suspect the Second Prince was the one who acted against you, it’s best to keep the Monarch out of it to avoid making things more chaotic."
A shadow of disappointment crossed Ye Ming’s face. He nodded. "You’re right."
"Mm. That’s not what’s important right now. You should focus on preparing for the selection."
"Right."
Ye Ming agreed, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
After speaking, He Hanshi let out a silent sigh. "I have to return to the Border Defense Star now. There’s a lot to take care of with the army, and I also need to reanalyze and get up to speed on the situation with the Insect Clan these past few years."
"I don’t know how long it will be until I can see Lanlan again..."
He murmured wistfully. Ye Ming knew what was on his mind, and a flicker of his own longing surfaced in his eyes as he said, "Don’t worry. It won’t be for too long."
"Mm."
After exchanging a few more words, the two parted ways. They were certainly not like Mu Tangfeng; they had too much to do.
Meanwhile, Yan Huoshui had also returned to the Imperial Capital School.
Even before he got back, news about the drop in his and the others’ spiritual power collapse values had already spread rapidly across the stars. So, naturally, the school was buzzing with discussion.
The moment Yan Huoshui appeared at the main gate of the Imperial Capital School, he was immediately surrounded by the students coming and going.
"Teacher Yan, we heard your spiritual power collapse value dropped from High Level to low-level! How did you do it?"
"Can you really lower it just by having your spiritual power collapse?"
"Gods, it’s a miracle! There’s never been a case like this in the Empire’s history."
...
Listening to the students’ endless chattering, Yan Huoshui slowly put on his glasses and smiled gently. "Students, I believe you all should be in class, shouldn’t you?"
