Yi Chenxuan was secretly pleased; the disaster relief project seemed to be his for the taking.

Just then, in an inconspicuous corner, a minister echoed his sentiments.

"The eldest prince is exceptionally intelligent and has been highly valued by the emperor in recent years. He possesses both the courage and ability to match the emperor's former glory. If the eldest prince is not up to the task, I cannot think of any other suitable candidate."

"The Crown Prince is wise and brave, and blessed with exceptional talent. He already enjoys a certain prestige and respect among the people. His ability to lead the disaster relief efforts is a choice made by Heaven and reflects the will of the people!"

"..."

Under the barrage of flattery, Yi Chenxuan became somewhat smug.

But he didn't see the Emperor's increasingly grim expression.

The emperor was inherently suspicious, and although his ministers kept urging him to establish a crown prince, he refused to admit his age and always felt he was still in his prime, repeatedly postponing the matter of establishing a crown prince.

Royal rivalries, even between brothers or fathers and sons, are highly taboo.

When the emperor heard the will of the people, he was extremely dissatisfied.

If a prince is popular with the people, where does that leave the emperor?

Emperor Tiansheng thought to himself that he had indeed been too biased towards the eldest prince lately. The prince was riding high on his power, and it was time to put him down.

After all, emperors are best at the art of weighing options.

Emperor Tiansheng made a direct conclusion: "Xuan'er is indeed a suitable candidate, but I have recently assigned him other tasks. If we entrust him with the disaster relief work, it will be too much of a burden for him to bear alone. I cannot bear to continue to put pressure on him, so let's find someone else instead."

Yi Chenxuan clearly hadn't expected this outcome.

He immediately pleaded, "It is my honor to serve Father Emperor and Tiansheng Kingdom with all my might. Father Emperor need not worry about my health. I am still young, and even if there are more things to do, I can still accomplish them."

Young? It seemed to have touched a nerve with Emperor Tiansheng.

Lan Jingtang was good at observing people's hearts. He knew that Yi Chenxuan was definitely not the choice for disaster relief in the near future.

As expected, Emperor Tiansheng waved his hand and said directly, "My mind is made up. There's no need for further discussion. Let's choose someone else. I don't believe that among all my sons, only the First Prince and the Fifth Prince are usable? Are the other princes just for show?"

The other princes, having lived in the shadow of the eldest and fifth princes for many years, rarely had such an opportunity.

Now that they heard the opportunity was coming, they all seemed quite excited.

Lan Jingtang felt that something was wrong.

His gaze lingered on the official who had just been praising the eldest prince. This official looked quite unfamiliar. Although he seemed to be praising the eldest prince, Lan Jingtang knew in his heart that excessive praise was often more damaging than denial.

If you lift someone up too high, they'll be smashed to pieces when they fall.

Lan Jingtang was now certain that this adult was definitely not one of Yi Chenxuan's men.

But whose side are they on? Such a brilliant plan! With just a few words, they stole the Crown Prince's opportunity.

Lan Jingtang's gaze swept over the restless princes, and with just one glance, he spotted Yi Chenli.

He was inconspicuous, sitting in a wheelchair in a corner, but a strong intuition told Lan Jingtang that the real opponent was probably about to bare his fangs.

Yi Chenli seemed to sense Lan Jingtang's gaze. He glanced at him indifferently and then quickly looked away.

Lan Jingtang cursed inwardly, "What are you pretending for?"

Others may not know Yi Chenli, but Lan Jingtang treated his leg and the two had clashed before. His strength is immeasurable.