The space pirates, enraged by the impotence of the warp portal, fired over twenty shots to vent their frustration before finally retreating in a huff.

No one noticed anything was wrong.

The spaceship that actually carried Helian Jue and his party landed silently on the capital planet.

These individuals closed the doors of their palace and refused to be interviewed by any reporters; even information about the Yunlai Manor could not be obtained from them.

The discussion on the StarNet is getting bigger and bigger!

"When did our empire become so cowardly? We don't even dare to make a move against mere space pirates?"

"What's the difference between this and someone shitting on our heads?"

"Damn it! This is so humiliating! Is His Majesty even capable?"

“My baby Youyou must have been terrified this time, waaaaaah, Auntie feels so sorry for her.”

...

"Wasn't it said that His Highness the Crown Prince had amazing combat power? He was directly beaten and ran away with his head in his hands. I'd like to see who still has the face to praise the God of War!"

"Heh! I'm not praising His Highness as a war god, I'm praising you, keyboard warrior!"

"Please be aware that this is, firstly, during the holiday celebrations; secondly, this is His Highness's private trip; and finally, the space pirates have already made peace, so why the sudden attack? Was it a hired assassination?"

The Celebration Day is a shared holiday across the entire galaxy, celebrated by the Empire, the Alliance, and even space pirates.

The fact that a private trip was ambushed by space pirates suggests that there was likely an inside job.

Back then, Helian Jue led the Imperial Army with military force as its foundation and made peace with the space pirates, so they would not arbitrarily rob Imperial ships. This is why, in recent years, only Alliance transport ships have been intercepted by space pirates.

With only two instances of hired killings occurring within the Empire's borders, many current affairs enthusiasts have begun to speculate.

Capital Star, Imperial Palace, Turan Hall.

"What? The task wasn't completed, and you still want money?" Helian Tu's face turned green with anger when he heard the report from his personal guard.

Ten billion interstellar coins not only failed to accomplish anything, but may also cause trouble. If things really go wrong, the Leiden family will not care about his life or death.

The guard reported tremblingly, "Your Highness, according to the rules of interstellar pirates, as long as weapons and personnel are deployed and actions are taken in accordance with regulations, a 60% commission must be paid even if the operation is unsuccessful."

"No way!" Helian Tu was furious. Where would he get 10 billion interstellar coins?

The guard was in a dilemma. He paused for a moment and then continued, "Your Highness, they said if you don't pay, don't blame them for being impolite."

Helian Tu is now in a difficult situation. He had asked his mother, Leidenxin, to act as an intermediary and reach an agreement with the head of the Leiden family, who was also his maternal grandfather, Leidenhong.

If he can oust Helian Jue and become the next emperor of the empire, the Leiden family will personally invest 20 billion interstellar coins in him.

Of course, these 20 billion interstellar coins weren't given away for nothing. A cunning old fox like Leidenhong wouldn't let himself suffer a loss, so he carefully divided the 20 billion interstellar coins.

The reason why Helian Tu dared to hire someone to kill someone for 10 billion interstellar coins was because Leidenhong promised to give him 10 billion interstellar coins as soon as Helian Jue lost his ability to compete for the throne.

Therefore, Helian Tu wanted to eliminate Helian Jue through the hands of space pirates.

But now the matter hasn't been resolved, and he can't come up with the money.

"Go and have a good talk with them. Tell them that I, as the Second Prince of the Empire, guarantee that the money will definitely be paid, but I am currently short of funds. See if we can get some time to spare." Helian Tu knew very well that this matter must not be exposed, or he would be finished.

Forget about the throne, he might not even be able to keep his position as the second prince.

His maternal grandfather is cold-blooded and prioritizes profit above all else; if something really happens, he won't protect him.

The guard, steeling himself, said, "Your Highness, this might not work..."

"You go talk first!" Helian Tu angrily shooed the person away.

Space pirates are a bunch of people who value money over their lives, so he didn't dare to really provoke them.

No, he has to go find his mother.

Helian Tu immediately went to Leidenxin's bedroom.