Chapter 500 501: Preliminary Control Over the Dao Court
Chapter 501: Initial Control of the Dao Court
In the Dao Court's Tianwu Hall.
Accompanied by Lü Yang, Crown Prince Longxing entered the hall and immediately laid eyes on the golden dragon throne at its head—the very seat he had longed for day and night.
The Crown Prince stared at it for a long while before reluctantly tearing his gaze away.
Yet the next moment, Lü Yang's voice drifted over softly: "Your Highness, please take your seat."
"Is this... appropriate?"
The Crown Prince swallowed hard and quickly waved his hands. "Father has only temporarily departed. How could I commit such an act of treason? It's best not to..."
Lü Yang lowered his voice further and chuckled lightly. "Your Highness... To be frank, this throne will be yours sooner or later. With His Majesty temporarily absent, this is the perfect opportunity for Your Highness to demonstrate your capabilities. If you perform well, how could this seat ever escape you? Consider this a chance to familiarize yourself with it in advance."
The Crown Prince's heart raced.
That's right—I am the Crown Prince of the Dao Court. This dragon throne will be mine one day. Since Father isn't here to see it, what harm is there in sitting on it for a moment?
With this thought, he glanced at Lü Yang again:
"You... Don't let this happen again!"
Having said that, he cautiously ascended the steps, turned, and settled firmly onto the dragon throne. A chill instantly shot through his mind:
"Ah!"
Though there was no true divine power imbued in the throne, Crown Prince Longxing still felt an unprecedented exhilaration wash over him.
After all, this was undeniably an act of usurpation. If others found out, even the Crown Prince would surely face impeachment. It was only because Lü Yang had suggested it and the Crown Prince himself had been itching to try that he had gone along with it—otherwise, he would never have dared.
But just then—
"My lords, Your Highness." Xiao Shan hurried in and bowed. "Young Protector Li Taian is outside Tianwu Hall, requesting an audience with Your Highness."
"What?"
Those words alone snapped Crown Prince Longxing back to reality. He instinctively moved to stand, only for Lü Yang to press him firmly back into the seat.
"Go and relay that His Highness has just taken residence in Tianwu Hall and is fatigued. He will not receive visitors."
The Crown Prince found these words deeply satisfying.
He was enjoying himself—why should Li Taian come in and ruin the moment? No, absolutely not. There would be plenty of opportunities later; meeting tomorrow would make no difference.
What pleased him even more was that although Lü Yang had issued the command directly, Xiao Shan did not act immediately. Instead, he looked respectfully at the Crown Prince... Clearly, the officials of the Imperial City Bureau still held loyalty to him. They knew he was the one who made decisions and dared not act recklessly.
With this in mind, Crown Prince Longxing gave a slight nod:
"Very well. Go and relay the order."
Only then did Xiao Shan stomp his foot and swiftly exit. Yet before long, the Young Protector's voice rang out from outside: "How dare you block me?"
Boom!
Accompanied by a thunderous crash, Crown Prince Longxing's expression changed. He hastily rose from the throne, descended the steps, and straightened his robes.
The next moment, Li Taian strode into the hall.
By now, Li Taian had realized the situation—Tianwu Hall was entirely under the control of the Imperial City Bureau. For the Crown Prince to take residence there was akin to a lamb entering a tiger's den.
Under these circumstances, Xiao Shan's attempt to prevent him from seeing Crown Prince Longxing immediately triggered his suspicions. He was convinced Lü Yang was forging orders to isolate the Crown Prince—otherwise, how could the Crown Prince refuse to see him, the Young Protector? Without hesitation, he had forced his way in.
"Your Highness... Thank goodness!"
Upon entering Tianwu Hall and confirming the Crown Prince was unharmed, Li Taian let out a sigh of relief. He bowed deeply, then cast a wary glance at Lü Yang.
This treacherous dragon had sinister ambitions!
Yet before he could voice his accusations, Crown Prince Longxing's furious voice rang out:
"Outrageous!"
The Crown Prince was incensed. Li Taian's forceful intrusion stood in stark contrast to Lü Yang and the Imperial City Bureau's deference.
If you dare barge in today, you'll dare rebel tomorrow!
Coupled with Li Taian's position as Young Protector—one of the Three Dukes—the Crown Prince's anger only grew:
"I already made it clear that I was fatigued and did not wish to receive visitors. Yet you forced your way in—do you have no respect for me? Get out!"
Li Taan was stunned.
He instinctively looked at Lü Yang, only to find the latter gazing back at him with equal innocence. Only then did he realize—this wasn't a forged order. The Crown Prince truly hadn't wanted to see him?
How could this be?
He couldn't comprehend the logic and even began suspecting whether the Crown Prince before him was an imposter planted by Lü Yang.
But soon, as the suppression of Dao Court official rank descended upon him, Li Taian groaned and understood—this was indeed Crown Prince Longxing. His face instantly paled, for if this was all the Crown Prince's will, then his actions just now had been a grave act of disrespect!
"This humble servant begs forgiveness!"
With that thought, Li Taian dared not argue. He prostrated himself on the ground, only for the Crown Prince to snap impatiently: "I said get out!"
Not daring to hesitate, Li Taian bowed and retreated from the hall.
"Your Highness, please do not be angry."
Only then did Lü Yang speak softly. "The Young Protector acted out of concern for the Dao Court. Though he overstepped, I believe his intentions were pure."
"Concern for the Dao Court?"
Crown Prince Longxing narrowed his eyes coldly. "He lacks the loyalty and reliability of Du Huan. Nor have I heard Father praise him for his devotion to the nation."
"Your Highness misunderstands." Lü Yang shook his head. "This servant and the Young Protector are different."
"Oh? How so?"
"The Young Protector is loyal to the Dao Court, which is commendable... But this servant has received immense grace from His Majesty. If we speak of loyalty, mine is not to the Dao Court—it is solely to Tianwu."
These words resonated deeply with the Crown Prince. Exactly! What does loyalty to the Dao Court mean if it comes at the expense of the Tianwu royal family's interests? What I need are not ministers loyal to the Dao Court, but those loyal to the royal family—that is true loyalty!
Seizing the moment, Lü Yang pressed further:
"There is one more matter Your Highness must not overlook... The assassins have secretly colluded with the Jiangbei Demon Sect. They dared to attack His Majesty—Your Highness may also be in danger!"
At this, Crown Prince Longxing tensed once more.
He was no True Lord. If an assassination attempt of the same level were directed at him, he would undoubtedly perish—even the [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] couldn't protect him.
Thus, without needing Lü Yang's reminder, he spoke urgently:
"Investigate! We must investigate thoroughly!"
"Minister Du, I order you to scrutinize every official. The assassins from the Dutian Bureau are from the Dutian Bureau, correct? Disband the Dutian Bureau and merge it entirely into the Imperial City Bureau!"
Taking a deep breath, he added, "Furthermore, I shall not leave Tianwu Hall for the time being. At least here, the protective formations offer some safety... I must trouble you to ensure the Imperial City Bureau remains vigilant day and night. No one is to enter without my permission!"
"This servant understands."
Lü Yang immediately stomped his foot and bowed. "Your Highness may rest assured—so long as this servant commands the Imperial City Bureau, no harm shall befall you. Loyalty! Devotion!"
Once outside Tianwu Hall, Lü Yang finally allowed himself a smile.
'Prince Wu Tai'an's memories didn't deceive me. This Crown Prince Longxing truly lacks ambition—far easier to manipulate than Emperor Jiayou.'
With the Crown Prince's golden endorsement, Lü Yang's future actions in the Dao Court would carry legitimacy. Having both name and authority would make many things simpler.
With this in mind, Lü Yang glanced up at the sky, pondering: 'The seclusion of fruit positions makes no difference to me—after all, no one upholds [Heavenly Fire Above] to begin with. Yet fruit positions in seclusion are also harder to achieve. At present, [Heavenly Fire Above] has yet to favor me...'
The reason was simple: he hadn't met the conditions to draw [Heavenly Fire Above]'s attention.
True, he now controlled the Dao Court's situation.
But his influence was limited to Tianwu City—not the entirety of Jiangdong. Moreover, officials led by the Junior Preceptor, Junior Protector, and Junior Tutor fiercely opposed him.
'There's still a long way to go before truly controlling the Dao Court and ruling Jiangdong...'
Lü Yang shook his head, then extended his hand, palm upturned. A golden light floated above it—none other than the golden nature of Hong Yun!
'[Ang Xiao] indeed...'
He had anticipated [Ang Xiao] might strike underhandedly and prepared accordingly. Likewise, [Ang Xiao] had guessed Lü Yang would do the same and fled swiftly.
'After the assassination, he used [Knowledge-Perception Obstruction] to escape amidst the chaos.'
Fortunately, Lü Yang had been clever. When negotiating the exchange and releasing Hong Yun's golden nature, he had left behind a puppet controlled by [Puppet on Strings].
The moment [Ang Xiao] struck, Lü Yang had the puppet retrieve Hong Yun's golden nature.
Not only that—he had set a trap where the golden nature had been placed. Had [Ang Xiao] truly gone for it, he would have fallen victim immediately.
Alas, [Ang Xiao] never appeared.
'In the end, neither [Ang Xiao] nor I ever intended to honor this deal... These veteran True Lords of the Saint Sect are truly difficult to handle.'
That said, [Ang Xiao] now existed only as a wisp of divine sense within a fragment of his dongtian, with extremely limited ability to interfere in reality.
Compared to him, Lü Yang was more concerned with his own gains:
'Attendants!'
Lü Yang waved his hand, summoning a young eunuch. "Lead the way. I wish to visit the rear palace."