Chapter 456: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Thirty-Six) ​​[Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The capital city, the royal court.

A man with graying hair and beard, yet still possessing a burly physique, sat casually on a throne covered with a large tiger's hide. Below him were his ministers and sons, who were currently arguing fiercely over the same matter. He sipped fine wine, his other arm around the most alluring stable girl, his eyes, still gleaming with a sharp light, scrutinizing all the faces below him.

Su Shiyilu, who held a high position and was standing at the very front, had a livid face and clenched fists.

Other ministers and nobles were itching to roll up their sleeves or grab their swords and fight over it, making the entire royal court a chaotic mess.

"Pfft—"

After watching the spectacle to his heart's content, Wang suddenly sneered.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to draw the attention of the ministers who were focused on him, and they all apologized with trepidation.

The king said, "Why have you stopped arguing?"

No one dared to utter a sound.

Although the king above him was now in his twilight years, his once robust and powerful physique now diminished by years of indulgence in wine and women, and his temperament had gradually strayed from its original intent, his lingering influence remained. Until he completely collapsed, no one dared to challenge his authority.

He silenced everyone with a single, understated sentence.

Wang asked, "Did the argument yield any results?"

No one dared to be the first to speak up.

The king's gaze swept over his eleven sons.

They are both his grown sons.

Each has their own temperament and ambition.

As for the Queen's twelfth son, he was still traveling. According to Su Shi Yilu, he may have been tricked by the fifth and seventh sons, and even the third son was involved, resulting in his whereabouts being unknown. However, the King did not show any intention of punishing his three sons.

This is also one of the reasons why the other person's face turned ashen.

Wang Yi tilted his head back and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp: "Which brave warrior is willing to go on the expedition with me and flatten Yonggu Pass?"

The eleven sons vied to show off their talents.

I was afraid of falling behind any of my brothers.

However, Su Shiyilu, who controlled part of the military power, remained silent, clearly still harboring resentment and unwilling to exert himself.

"Which of my sons do you think is suitable, Aru?"

Su Shiyilu said, "Naturally, it is the twelfth prince."

He didn't hide his sour face at all.

Wang sighed, "But Twelve is still traveling..."

Su Shiyilu glared at him.

I have so much to say that I want to roar out.

Mingming knew that the twelfth prince's possible predicament was the work of the other princes, yet he acted as if nothing had happened. This time, the army's attack on Yonggu Pass was fully prepared. In addition, the spies they had planted at great expense and effort also sent back news that the border barrier was in its weakest state in decades, and that an attack now would surely crush it!

This is the golden opportunity that countless men have been waiting for.

If successful, it will be a tremendous achievement.

Wenwen is the next crown prince.

But what about the twelfth prince?

Su Shiyi Lu had no intention of benefiting these lowly bastards, let alone having them try to kill her...

"...Isn't it impossible for Twelve to make it back in time?"

Su Shiyilu stiffened his neck.

"Then please have Your Majesty send someone to summon him back."

The king frowned, showing no interest even in the youthful beauty in his arms. He pushed her away and questioned her with a hint of anger, "Su Shiyilu, do you still have the demeanor of a subject?" A murderous aura pressed down on her.

Su Shiyi Lu did not mobilize his energy to resist.

He merely suppressed his anger and stubbornly replied, "Of course I am Your Majesty's subject, and I consider the Ten Crows Plan my life's pursuit. But fratricide and internal strife over the succession have led to countless demises. Twelfth is your most esteemed heir!"

The king's face darkened.

To be honest, he didn't really care about the life or death of his youngest son; he didn't value the woman's bloodline anyway.

Whether a child is the son of the Queen, a stable boy, or even a dancer, singer, or prostitute… it doesn't matter to him, because what determines a child's nobility or baseness is his bloodline. He is noble, and his child is noble!

For the Queen, this was her only son, but for him, he had eleven capable sons who were already adults, and after the twelfth prince, there were about twenty young sons, and even forty or fifty daughters.

These are all those who survived.

Dozens more died prematurely for various reasons.

These children are not considered "the noblest".

He can give his position and empire to whomever he wants.

Su Shiyi Lu has repeatedly failed to understand the situation...

"Your Majesty, please recall the twelfth prince."

The king took a deep breath: "Alright."

Let's be patient for now!

The most elite troops of the Ten Crows are in the hands of Su Shiyilu. No matter how unhappy the king is, he can't completely provoke him: "But this matter must be done as soon as possible, with a deadline of seven days. If the twelfth prince has not returned by then... Hmph, if he delays the battle, he will be a sinner."

Su Shiyilu breathed a sigh of relief.

Now it was the other princes' turn to look grim.

The fact that the peaches he was about to get were stopped by someone shows that he was already quite magnanimous not to curse Su Shiyilu as an old scoundrel...

However, seven days is seven days.

After the court session ended, the highly respected Third Prince stepped forward and said sarcastically, "The grand plan of the Ten Crows, spanning over a hundred years, cannot be delayed because of this. However, many unexpected things happen during adult travels, and it is common for us not to be able to contact the Twelfth Brother for a while."

Su Shiyilu scoffed, not even giving him a second glance.

He said disdainfully, "Your Highness need not trouble yourself with that. Speaking of delays, nothing compares to discord among brothers. Today you wipe out one of my tribes, tomorrow I'll slaughter one of yours. Although Your Highness has many supporters, you can't afford to suffer repeated losses, can you?"

This is blatantly stating that the recent massacres of several tribes are due to infighting among several princes. Among them, the third prince suffered the most severe losses, having already lost two tribes, both of which were relatively large and had required considerable effort to recruit.

Su Shiyilu scoffed, "Instead of wasting time coveting what doesn't belong to you, you should keep a low profile, manage your meager earnings well, and secure a life of wealth and honor. When the new king ascends the throne, you can take that woman who served three generations of your family to live a life of luxury."

Most of the king's women were of low social status; a significant portion of them were captured during his conquests of other tribes, including the third prince's mother. While their status was slightly higher than that of stable girls or female slaves, they were essentially still "spoils of war."

The third prince's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he was mocked.

Su Shiyilu snorted coldly.

Feeling emboldened and fearless.

The commotion here was also noticed by the other princes. In terms of "bloodline" alone, they were all within Su Shiyilu's sphere of attack. The third prince was being mocked, and they lost face as well. One of them sneered, "Then let's hope the twelfth brother returns alive."

Su Shiyilu suddenly glared at him.

"How long can a tiger with its teeth pulled be arrogant?" The one being glared at was not afraid at all. "If anything happens to my twelfth brother, it must be because you, as his uncle, have created too much bad karma. Third brother, let's go and organize a drinking party to have some fun."

The third prince's complexion returned to normal.

"walk."

The other princes had different expressions.

Several of those present had attacked the twelfth brother, knowing his situation all too well. They had no choice; it wasn't that they were heartless, but rather that they too needed to save their lives and harbored ambitions.

Given Su Shiyilu's attitude towards them, once the twelfth brother takes the throne, none of them will survive!

Several princes held a private banquet.

One person asked, "Hasn't Twelve's body been found yet?"

"He most likely escaped using a secret method, but we have already sent people along the only route he can take. If he dares to show himself, he will die!"

φ(゜▽゜*)

I didn't make things clear in my writing yesterday.

_(:з」∠)_

I don't plan to take care of the child myself; my mother will definitely have to take care of the baby, or I'll find a nanny to help out.

The novel cannot be divided into three parts, because the contract has limitations.

Even if I were to write two books simultaneously, it wouldn't be now. Right now, I'll work on an outline and refine the plot. After I finish writing, I'll see how I feel. If my condition allows, I might consider writing two. If not, I'll stick to one book.

The new book may have to be postponed until after the new year next year.

P.S.: The two titles of the new book are actually the same book. Judging from the reviews, it seems that the title is more like "I'm Determined to Be This Emperor". Well, I actually like it quite a bit too, hehe.

The new book isn't exactly a female-dominated genre; it's more like a story with a similar setting to "The Empress" or "The Retired Emperor." After two or three generations of succession, the sisters start fighting. The female protagonist, the only daughter of the previous emperor (who was usurped by the current emperor), is unaware of her true identity. She's surrounded by a group of sycophants who, while cleverly concealing her identity, nurture her while simultaneously fueling her rise to power. (Everyone, including the emperor, knows the female protagonist's true identity, but no one can reveal it. They all have to secretly clean up her messes and cause trouble for her.)

P.S.: Actually, my initial idea for the new book was that the female protagonist, a cultivator who transmigrated to the mortal realm, would find the spiritual energy scarce, with only the Purple Star Imperial Qi and the nation's fortune able to aid her cultivation. The usual trope is that the female protagonist directly enters the palace for palace intrigue, but our female protagonist goes all out, possessing the emperor's body, saving the nation from peril, turning the tide, and transforming a country on the verge of destruction into a thriving one. _(:з」∠)_

(End of this chapter)