Douluo Continent: My Days in the Tang Sect.

Chapter 341 The Darkness of the Imperial Palace

Chapter 341 The Darkness of the Imperial Palace

"Your Majesty, I believe this action is inappropriate!"

A dissenting voice rang out, and the ministers' eyes widened in surprise.

Xu Tianran had just ascended the throne and needed to establish his authority. How could there be any hotheads who dared to jump out and provoke Xu Tianran's dragon beard at this time?

Xu Tianran frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the sound.

The one who spoke up was Ma Yi, the leader of the hawks.

"Oh? Why does Minister Ma feel it's inappropriate?" Xu Tianran was somewhat surprised. Ma Yi's methods and style were very similar to his own, and he was also one of his most supportive ministers.

Ma Yi stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your Majesty, we have just suffered two attacks and heavy casualties. It is not advisable to break ties with the Shrek Academy at this time. Moreover, after two major upheavals, Shrek will definitely send someone to ensure the safety of their academy, and it will most likely be a drunken madman from Shrek!"

"That drunkard's strength is no less than that of Poison-Killing. If the Mingde Hall incident were to repeat itself, I fear the other three great nations, who are eyeing our Sun and Moon Kingdom with covetous intent, would send troops to take the opportunity to strike us! I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Ma Yi bowed deeply, his expression calm. He was indeed a hawk, but he was also loyal to the Sun Moon Empire.

Chen Qi and Xu Taihe looked at Ma Yi with complicated expressions. There was a struggle between them, but it was all based on the premise of supporting the Sun Moon Empire.

The two men exchanged a glance, stepped out of the ranks, bowed, and shouted, "Your humble servant seconds this!"

Reminded by Ma Yi, Xu Tianran also snapped out of his obsession with not being able to gain Ye Nanxiao's loyalty.

Seeing that the three faction leaders were able to stand on the same side for the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran couldn't help but feel a little touched. These were all his subjects, loyal ministers who were working to make the Sun Moon Empire stronger!

"Alright, I was too hasty. Just as Minister Ma said, as for the Shrek Academy members, restrict them to staying within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy, and double the number of people secretly monitoring them!" Xu Tianran waved his hand and made the decision.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Is there anything else you wish to report?" Xu Tianran leaned back on the dragon throne, a hint of weariness between his brows, his gaze fixed on Xu Taihe.

As Xu Tianran had expected, Xu Taihe stepped forward again and said, "This time, as an elder of the royal family, I present this memorial to Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing Xu Taihe specifically identify himself as an elder of the royal family, Ju Zi suddenly felt a bad premonition.

Xu Taihe glanced at the upright-sitting Ju Zi and said loudly, "His Majesty's ascension to the throne is a momentous event, but since His Majesty took over the Eastern Palace, there has still been no heir!"

A buzzing sound suddenly rang in Orange's mind; Xu Taihe was attacking her position!

Why? I shouldn't have any conflict with Xu Taihe!

Wait, Xu Taihe is Xu Teng's uncle!

"Having no heir to carry on the family line is a grave taboo! Your Majesty, I urge you to take this matter seriously!" Xu Taihe said.

He wasn't deliberately trying to make things difficult for Ju Zi, but there were undercurrents in the palace, and the other three great empires were eyeing them covetously. The younger generation of the royal family were all suppressed by Xu Tianran, and Xu Tianran still had no children. This not only made the country unstable, but also made it the most vulnerable point for the other three great powers to attack.

If an emperor without an heir were to die, the country would descend into chaos.

Xu Tianran glanced at Ju Zi, who lowered her eyes and listened without any expression.

"We second that!" Several members of the royal family stepped out of the queue and followed behind Xu Taihe.

Ju Zi immediately spotted Xu Teng, whose power she had previously stripped away.

Xu Teng lowered his head slightly to hide the resentment in his eyes. If it weren't for Ju Zi's decisive action, he wouldn't be a carefree person living under surveillance every day.

"Offspring?" Xu Tianran murmured to himself.

Why wouldn't he want to leave behind his own offspring?

But the grotesque face and vicious curse of the Second Prince before his death are still vivid in my mind.

His little nephews, who used to love asking him for candy, were also poisoned to death by him.

The princes who posed a threat to him were already on their way to the underworld to meet their fathers; the remaining members of the royal family were nothing more than empty bloodlines.

But how can their bloodline compare to one's own?

Xu Tianran gently stroked his soul-guided prosthetic limb with his right hand, quickly suppressing the confusion in his eyes, and his pride reappeared.

He is now the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, and no one can stand in his way!

"I happen to have something to say about this matter," Xu Tianran said.

Orange trembled almost imperceptibly, her unease growing stronger.

"The Crown Princess has not conceived for many years, which is a great taboo in the royal family. According to the law, she should be demoted back to a commoner. However, the Crown Princess has saved the Emperor and has helped me manage the trivial affairs of the palace for many years, which can also be considered meritorious. Now, I will temporarily remove the title of Crown Princess Ju Zi and place her in the Fire Phoenix Soul Instructor Group for training. When she makes great contributions in the future, I will personally welcome her back to the position of Empress!" Xu Tianran said slowly.

So you're pressuring me to have a child? You know my difficulties, yet you still target me?

Let Ju Zi temporarily shed her title of Crown Princess and go to the Fire Phoenix Soul Instructor Group to make contributions and gain power. During this period, Ju Zi will still retain the title of Crown Princess. Xu Taihe and others will not be able to place other women in the group unless Xu Tianran truly removes Ju Zi's title of Crown Princess. Otherwise, even if Xu Taihe and others are anxious, it will be useless.

On the surface it's a demotion, but in reality it's putting Orange in power.

Upon hearing this, Ju Zi felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Xu Tianran had ultimately pushed her forward to withstand the pressure, even though she knew she was just a pawn in Xu Tianran's plan.

"Orange, as you command!" Orange stood up and bowed to Xu Tianran in a commoner's manner.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes. As his right-hand man, Ju Zi had worked hard even if she hadn't done anything particularly meritorious, not to mention that Ju Zi had also shielded him from a knife.

Suddenly, the image of the stunning "maid" who had stood behind Ju Zi earlier reappeared in his mind, and Xu Tianran instantly suppressed the slight reluctance in his heart.

Upon hearing that Xu Tianran had sent Ju Zi to the legion for training, Xu Taihe opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed it down.

He wanted Xu Tianran to undergo a seed extraction experiment at the medical institute, so that the Crown Princess could give birth to an heir first, even if it was a princess.

A hint of pleasure flashed in Xu Teng's eyes as he hid in the crowd. Without the title of Crown Princess, he had plenty of ways to deal with Ju Zi!

Xu Tianran gave a wink to one of the eunuchs, who immediately shouted, "If there's nothing else, court is adjourned!"

The officials bowed to Xu Tianran and then withdrew from the hall like a tide.

Only Xu Tianran and Ju Zi remained in the vast hall.

"Ju Zi, do you resent me?" Xu Tianran drove his wheelchair to Ju Zi.

"I have no complaints, it's all for His Majesty's great cause!" Orange said, bowing respectfully.

Xu Tianran gently took Ju Zi's hands in his and said softly, "I'm sorry to trouble you for now. Once you arrive at the Fire Phoenix Soul Instructor Group, I will have Fire Phoenix Douluo assist you. These old guys are keeping a close eye on you, and I can't send more people to you. Be careful!"

Looking at the hand holding hers, Ju Zi felt a chill run down her spine. She bowed her head and replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty! Ju Zi will definitely take control of the Fire Phoenix Soul Instructor Corps!"

Seeing that Ju Zi remained loyal, Xu Tianran nodded in relief, took a few steps in his wheelchair, and asked with his back to Ju Zi, "Ye Nanxiao, is there anything you're worried about?"

Ju Zi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although Ye Nanxiao has two girlfriends at Shrek Academy, his background is mysterious. He claims to be an orphan and first appeared in a small village in the Douling Empire. He was taken in by his current girlfriend Jiang Nannan's family, and then he and Jiang Nannan were admitted to Shrek Academy together."

"At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy, you shared a laboratory with him. Is there anything unusual about this person?" Xu Tianran asked.

"No, apart from laziness and gluttony, this person doesn't have a single trace of Shrek's genius." This is what Orange said with her heart.

Does that bastard fox have any redeeming qualities? No! He certainly has a ton of flaws!

Mentioning Ye Nanxiao immediately dispelled most of the sorrow in Ju Zi's heart, and her cold expression softened.

Xu Tianran, with his back to Ju Zi, naturally didn't see the subtle change in Ju Zi's expression. He tapped the handle of his wheelchair with his right hand, his eyes cold, and said, "Is there any way to invite Jiang Nannan and her family to Mingdu as guests?"

"Difficult!" Orange said truthfully.

Even if Ju Zi herself didn't tell him, Xu Tianran could naturally find out this information, and the details were even more detailed than the information Ju Zi found.

"According to the intelligence that came back, Jiang Nannan is now the closed-door disciple of the Evil-Slaying Douluo Cai Meier, and her status is different from before. Her other girlfriend is the closed-door disciple of the Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe, Ma Xiaotao!" Orange said, her teeth itching with anger. This bastard fox actually cheated on her!

"Oh? Two girlfriends, it seems Ye Nanxiao is quite the romantic!" Xu Tianran smiled. Once upon a time, he had no shortage of beauties in his backyard, but unfortunately he was too cautious and did not have any children.

"A person who can stand at the top of this world will naturally not lack women around him. Being able to leave behind his bloodline is the most important thing. I didn't expect Ye Nanxiao to have such awareness before even reaching the peak. No wonder he is a genius that even Shrek Academy couldn't keep!" Xu Tianran sighed.

"Tap, tap, tap," the sound of tapping on the wheelchair armrests rang out continuously.

"Xu Yi! Xu Er!" Xu Tianran said.

Two pairs of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in the dark corner of the hall.

"Go to Shrek Academy, and also that small village in the Douling Empire! If necessary, I will allow you to use any means necessary!" Xu Tianran said calmly.

"Yes."

The pupils of both eyes vanished instantly, and two figures flashed across the roof of the main hall.

"Get ready, Fire Phoenix will be welcoming you to the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Group this week," Xu Tianran said to Ju Zi.

"Yes." Orange accepted the order and withdrew.

As she stepped out of the palace, Orange glanced back. The magnificent palace resembled a crouching beast, its mouth agape, waiting for its prey to enter its jaws.

"The storm is coming, you damn fox," Orange muttered to herself, and hurried back to her palace.

Back in the palace, Orange saw several unfamiliar maids sweeping the main road outside the palace.

"Surveillance?" Orange glanced at the scene before entering her palace.

His three personal maids were not there, and there wasn't even a single fallen leaf in the palace.

Lying on the multi-functional recliner, Ju Zi sighed softly.

"Aww?" Phantom Fox, carrying Little Phantom Fox on its back, jumped onto Orange's lap.

Orange hugged the phantom fox and the little phantom fox to her chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft fur, muttering "bastard fox" before gradually falling asleep.

The palace complex contains numerous palaces, but at least half of them are uninhabited and have gradually fallen into disrepair.

In a deserted palace, several men in black each held a communication device.

"Hmph, I didn't expect Xu Tianran to be willing to give up his own knife to the army! Isn't he afraid it might break!"

"It's just a knife; if it's not used, it'll be thrown away. Using the army as a whetstone? That's wishful thinking!"

"Heh heh heh, then let's break this sword that His Majesty is so comfortable with!"

Thank you, dear readers, for reading this book!

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Lu Zai is shamelessly begging for recommendation votes.

Thank you so much!

(End of this chapter)