Seeing this, Bai Fengmei felt reassured; the prince must already have a plan.

After seeing him off, Sun Rui came to report, "Your Highness, there is already a trace of Mount Tai."

"Okay, stick close to him."

Sun Rui added, "Luo Wei is with him; they came to Shengjing together."

Xiao Zhixing was not surprised. It seemed that it was indeed Taishan, the Emperor System, who rescued Luo Wei.

She sneered. Sure enough, that thing was persistent; not a single word it said could be trusted.

"Stay close to them."

That night, the newly evolved [Dao Zhan] swept through the capital city and successfully captured the subsystem on Mount Tai in the northwest corner.

Format and reorganize.

171 said calmly, "Main System, what are your orders?"

Xiao Zhixing said, "No, just tell Taishan to be careful."

"good."

Xiao Zhixing stepped out, a cold smile playing on her lips. Very well, since they're tired of living, she'll grant their wish.

The night passed quickly, and the next day, the emperor summoned everyone in the Gentlemen's Court to attend the grand court assembly.

Those with keen senses have already noticed the anomaly.

I have a feeling that the emperor is planning something big.

As a result, on that day, none of the ministers who were qualified to attend the grand court assembly asked for leave or were late.

As the gates of the King's Palace of Zhenwang opened, Xiao Zhixing, dressed in royal robes, rode Blood Night and led his men toward the palace.

It's truly the focus of everyone's attention.

In the autumn of the twenty-fourth year of Yunping, not far from Xiao Zhixing's twentieth birthday.

The grand assembly was convened.

The main hall of Gansheng was packed with all the officials, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Aside from eye contact, no one spoke; they all waited.

Occasionally, his gaze would sweep over the members of the Genji-in who were already standing in the middle; only the protagonist was missing.

[Yellow comment: Ahhh, I'm so nervous, so nervous. Hope nothing goes wrong, right?]

[Red comment: Shut up, don't jinx it.]

Only they know how important this court meeting is.

"Prince Yuansheng has arrived!"

Suddenly, the eunuch's voice rang out, and all the ministers turned to look back.

In the soft morning light, a tall, slender figure walked in unhurriedly.

Every step she took was steady and graceful, carrying with it her unique power and elegance.

It's so bad it's hard to look at.

The officials on both sides bowed in unison, their hands clasped in unison, and said, "Long live Prince Yuansheng!"

Xiao Zhixing nodded slightly, his eyes holding a faint smile, his expression dignified.

She walked through the middle of the procession to the front, stood with her hands in her sleeves, as still and unassuming as a deep pool or a courtyard.

He looked up at the empty throne.

The scene fell into a kind of oppressive silence again. Those with poor self-control felt uneasy and wished they could leave to catch their breath.

Finally, Fu Lu announced, "His Majesty has arrived..."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The officials bowed and respectfully welcomed the emperor to court.

After Zhao Yunqi sat down, he waved his sleeve and said, "All of you, rise."

He seemed to be in a good mood, and was the first to smile at Xiao Zhixing, saying, "Yuansheng, you must be tired from your journey. I should have let you rest for two days, but I have no choice. My business is urgent, so I have to send you to the palace without stopping."

Xiao Zhixing cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "This humble subject is not troubled. It is my duty as a subject to share Your Majesty's burdens."

Li Jun and the others followed suit, bowing with their hands clasped.

Zhao Yunqi smiled broadly, seemingly even happier, "Good, Yuansheng is indeed the pillar of our Great Sheng."

The ministers listened to their conversation in silence.

After Zhao Yunqi finished speaking, he glanced at everyone in the Gentleman's Courtyard and said loudly, "I have carefully read the reports you submitted after inspecting the thirteen prefectures, and I have also had them reviewed by all my ministers. After discussion, Yuansheng is the best."

Lin Rushu and the others nodded, not finding it surprising, since Xiao Zhixing always came in first place in every assessment.

Zhao Yunqi continued with a smile, "I said that day that after inspecting the thirteen provinces, you would personally elect the final champion..."

Everyone perked up their ears.

"Now, let Yang Du preside over the election ceremony."

Yang Du stepped forward and said in a serious tone, "Please look around. When you enter, please put a checkmark next to the name of the person you are nominating. You are not allowed to abstain. You must choose one person to vote for, and you only have one vote. The person with the most votes will be the champion."

It's fair and just; no one knows who you voted for, so it won't cause any resentment. Of course, you can also vote for yourself.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and to the left of the throne, a wooden screen had appeared out of nowhere.

Inside, there was a table with a pen and a large red list with their names written on it.

The eunuch closed the four-panel screen, creating a separate space where one could vote undisturbed.

This novel approach left the court officials astonished.

Why not just raise your hand and push? Why make it so mysterious and complicated?

But the emperor's words are imperial edicts.

Yang Du began calling out names, "First one, Li Wenxiu, please proceed to vote."

Li Wenxiu cupped her hands in greeting to everyone and walked in briskly. The screen closed, and only a glimpse could be seen of her quickly hooking her hand without hesitation.

She quickly came out, and tried to get closer to look around, but the eunuch blocked her view.

"Second place, Zhang Lin."

No one showed the slightest surprise at Zhao Lin becoming Zhang Lin; who would dare say that the emperor had been cuckolded?

Zhang Lin was the only one who participated in Junziyuan from beginning to end.

One by one, they were called in by Yang Du and came out quickly. Now they have also been trained.

They don't show their emotions on their faces, and others can't tell anything unusual about their expressions.

"The last one is Xiao Zhixing."

Xiao Zhixing smiled and walked in leisurely.

I immediately noticed that there were more than twenty votes after my name.

The rest are Li Jun, Feng Zhen'er, Zhao Xianyin, and Liu Zizai.

Anyway, Li Jun hooked up with himself, so he has two votes, and the other one should be Li Zheng.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!