439 Your elder brother is not here; you should change your personality.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Last night, a large amount of dragon energy gathered at the Princess's location and then disappeared. As a result, the Princess broke through to the next level. This matter is still under investigation and has not yet been concluded."
Please wait a moment, Your Highness.
The eldest prince silently scrutinized the shadow in the darkness, as if it didn't exist.
Deep within, it is like ice in winter, sharp and cold.
He is kind, not foolish, and has been taught from a young age how to govern a country. He navigates among various people and has always had a keen intuition about the loyalty of those around him.
Now, that feeling was strongly stirred. A trace of doubt and unease, like surging waves, stirred his soul.
He wondered to himself, 'Is it because the eldest princess broke through to a higher level? Or is there something else?'
My father ruled the dynasty by force, and everyone around him obeyed him. I am deeply grateful for my father's favor. At such a young age, I am already a Martial Emperor, and becoming a Martial Saint or Martial God in the future is not a pipe dream.
It's just that the eldest princess has gone ahead, yet why do I feel so deeply uneasy?
The secret guards he had always trusted, the secret guards entrusted to him by his father, now felt as if his heart was being burned by flames; it was the pain of betrayal.
'Loyalty. To whom is the loyalty of the secret guards?' The thought stirred within him, making him restless, like a leaf rustling in the wind.
Anxiety and anger flickered within him. The disappearance of the Holy Emperor was an experience he had never felt before, and now it surged into his heart. Yet, his expression remained calm and composed, as if nothing had ever changed.
'I should start building my own bodyguards.' The thought flashed through my mind.
She nodded slightly. "That's good. Let me know as soon as there's any progress."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Then she explained softly, "Your Highness is overthinking it. The dragon's energy is fluctuating, and we are extremely anxious as well, so we have been searching everywhere these past few days. We were also afraid that Your Highness would be anxious."
The princess's breakthrough last night could also be attributed to the fact that absorbing dragon energy became easier than before.
After a gentle explanation, His Highness was indeed moved. He nodded slightly.
He then inquired more carefully, "Was it truly a real dragon that Lord He slew?"
The man in black said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, after careful confirmation, it is indeed a true dragon, thousands of feet long. It rides the clouds and mist, summons wind and rain, and along its journey, floods have been everywhere, all of which have been submerged."
Also slain were a tiger demon, a monkey demon, a wolf demon, and a hawk—all demon kings.
And the eagle was swallowed whole.
Only something as powerful as this could possibly swallow an eagle whole.
"Good, good, good." The eldest prince nodded in approval.
He asked softly, "If I were to exchange some dragon scales, dragon meat, and dragon blood, I wonder if Lord He would be willing?"
The man in black remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It's Your Highness. I'll send someone there immediately."
He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Good, you've worked so hard. If this succeeds, it will be a great achievement for you."
The man in black said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The prince's eyes gleamed with anticipation, his heart filled with joy. He thought to himself, 'The Dragon God Technique, the Dragon Scale Technique, and the Dragon Soul Sword—if I could obtain the flesh and bones of a true dragon, a breakthrough would be just around the corner.'
Cultivating with dragon energy and a dragon's body allows for rapid progress, but unfortunately, true dragons are too few and too secretive; even the Flood Dragon is still lacking.
He stroked the Flood Dragon Sword in his hand. If it had been the True Dragon Sword that day, it could have put up a fight. If he could break through, the Red King and the surrounding neighboring countries wouldn't be so arrogant.
When thinking of something happy, I unconsciously curled my lips into a smile.
'And Queyi, she should get married soon. With the Meng family's help, her own power will be even stronger. Also, forming a secret guard is something that can't be rushed; we need to assess the situation carefully.'
Dressed in loose black clothes and with her face veiled, Granny Hong followed closely behind, arriving quickly.
Eunuch Liu quickly informed the young eunuch beside him to report, and then immediately came out to greet him.
He bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Greetings, Princess. This way please. His Highness is waiting for you in the study."
Nodding slightly, she walked directly towards the study. The memories of the past now belonged to a different person.
Outside the study, everything had changed; the familiar flowers, trees, and steps in front of the door remained the same, only the people were gone.
Unless the Emperor returns, this place will remain a dead place.
The Crown Prince was already waiting at the steps. Upon seeing the newcomer, he quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Shiqi greets Aunt."
Jingzhai stood quietly, carefully examining the eldest prince before her. They had known each other for a time when they were children.
She wasn't the only aunt, but she was the one with the biggest age gap with her brother. She also currently had the highest achievements.
After much deliberation, at this moment, I don't want to think about it anymore, I don't want to consider it any further.
"Your Highness is too kind. You are now acting as regent on behalf of your elder brother, the Emperor; it must be a difficult task for you."
The eldest prince smiled steadily, with a hint of childish mischief, "Auntie is too kind. I can only be so at ease with Auntie's help; otherwise, I would be driven crazy by so many things every day."
Auntie, please come in. I've brewed your favorite jasmine tea.
Jingzhai nodded gently, and the two walked one in front of the other, just like when they were children following behind each other.
At this moment, I truly know in my heart that there is no going back.
Jingzhai sat down gently, looked at his nephew opposite him, and felt a pang of emotion, realizing that he was getting old after all.
Without dwelling on the past, he decisively said in a soft voice, "Your Highness, we have come today to discuss the changes to the Demon Slayer Bureau. Since the royal city and the aristocratic families are jointly governed, we should naturally contribute our efforts."
In some places, the yamen runners, local powerful families, and prominent clans are strong enough to resist demonic beasts and evil spirits.
The Demon Slayer Division naturally doesn't need to invest too much effort.
If a region is weak and cannot defend itself, it naturally lacks the capacity to do so, and the Demon Slayer Bureau will need to send additional personnel to assist in resolving the issue. Consequently, a portion of the local tax revenue will naturally need to be allocated to it.
The money originally came from the taxes paid by the common people to local defense forces; if that's not possible, then the tax revenue should be allocated to other areas.
The eldest prince was momentarily stunned. Although he had been prepared, he still had a glimmer of hope as things came to an end.
After calming herself down, she nodded slightly in agreement, saying, "Aunt is right, but these powerful families have been entrenched for a long time, and it may be difficult to deal with them all in a short time."
Furthermore, if the matter is handled too cleanly, other powerful families might lose heart, and then chaos would ensue.
Jingzhai nodded gently and said softly, "Your Highness is right, so I will take charge of this matter. The first step will be to start with the Demon Slayer Division, and I will leave when the time comes."
In the future, if anyone is found to be colluding with demons or evil spirits, or secretly raising vengeful ghosts, or engaging in any other form of collusion, the Demon Slayer Division will take over the case from the beginning.
The eldest prince remained calm, truly composed at this moment, and nodded gently, saying, "Yes, Aunt, please be careful."
Jingzhai nodded slightly, then rose to leave. The First Prince saw her to the door.
Even until he disappeared, Jingzhai had intended to say, 'With the Emperor gone, you should change your personality.'
Now that we meet again, the children from back then have all grown up, so there's no need for further words; saying more would only make us a laughingstock.
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