Chapter 302: Chapter 211: Imperial Intrigue
Kai Long couldn’t help but laugh. The sudden chaos that occurred recently had kept him restless. He had just zoned out.
"Boy, your decision to return to the Dragon Knight Academy is the right one. Currently, chaos has engulfed places all over the Imperial City, and several cities bordering the Imperial City have been affected. At this point, no matter which city the second prince goes to, he will trigger a war. The only place where large-scale wars wouldn’t break out is the Dragon Knight Academy, thanks to its elevated status. However, I must remind you. The Dragon Knight Academy is not necessarily a safe place. Battles that take place in the daylight do not decide everything. Maybe a sharp knife in the darkness is the key to victory."
"Don’t worry, I have a knack for dealing with assassination attempts," said Long Yi.
"Yeah, me too," giggled Little Zi as she popped out from Long Yi’s body.
"Hahaha, yeah, with this adorable little maid here, I have been overthinking it," the general, Kai Long, laughed.
Old people have a fondness for children. It’s in their nature. Little Zi was cute and generous, and General Kai Long never saw her as a female demon. With Kai Long calling her a little maid instead of a little demon, the affection in the title warmed her cold heart.
"Ah, besides, there’s something else I’d like to ask," Long Yi said.
"What is it?"
"The Three Legions, the Five Dragon Knight Orders, are they as peaceful as they seem on the surface?"
Upon hearing Long Yi’s question, General Kai Long laughed sincerely.
"Boy, had you not asked that question, I might have had my doubts about you. But now that you have, it makes me believe that you have begun to grasp the basics of power struggle."
Seeing General Kai Long’s ’you are worth teaching’ expression, Long Yi felt bewildered. He was merely instinctively distrusting of others, there was no need to make it so complicated, right?
"Come here. Let me tell you about the situation here."
General Kai Long started speaking patiently.
It turned out that although the Three Legions and the Five Dragon Knight Orders have always maintained a peaceful facade, it’s only among the top brass. Behind closed doors, some low-ranking officers have begun to make moves, with some openly declaring their support for the third prince, while others adamantly believe in the second prince. Whether out of corruption or personal charisma, in the military, factions are readily apparent, and both sides have their disputes.
Concerning this, the high-ranking officers turn a deaf ear.
The emperor needed to use his abilities to subdue his subjects, and the army is the emperor’s staff of power. If an emperor cannot control his army, how can he have the decency to call himself an emperor?
Therefore, in this struggle, the high-ranking military officers do not openly declare their stance but instead let factions emerge among their subordinates.
These factions will naturally choose to follow the emperor they adore. In the end, the victor will either annihilate his opponents or use reason and persuasion to make them realize their mistakes. Either way, this becomes the emperor’s concern.
But in any case, with this approach, the army eliminates a significant portion of the emperor’s opposition, simultaneously further solidifying the emperor’s position within the military.
Indeed, this is how the White Dragon Empire operates. The emperor’s authority is significant yet minimal. Many privileges must be won. Precisely because power is not easily attained, they cherish their power, work diligently, and strive continuously for the empire’s prosperity, thus gaining more backing.
As General Kai Long slowly elaborated, Long Yi selectively absorbed the parts he could understand. By the time General Kai Long finished, Long Yi started to feel overwhelmed.
"Old Master, after all that you’ve said, it means that the military will not intervene, and the subordinates can do as they please. Whoever is elected will not finish until someone is dead. Is that it?"
"Yes, that’s precisely it," Kai Long responded with a laugh.
"Maybe it’s because I hang out with you clever folks too much lately, or something, but I can’t shake off the feeling that there’s a conspiracy behind all this," Long Yi said while scratching his head. "Did you know, Old Master? The emperor’s body was not found."
Kai Long was taken aback: "The emperor’s body was not found? Who told you that?"
"I just came from the Imperial Palace. That idiot, Third Prince Tilian, is looking for the emperor’s body in the ruins."
"Looking for the body in the ruins? The news from the Imperial Palace at the time was that the emperor passed away, and Tilian left the study with the emperor’s body. Then Tilian, driven mad by grief, ordered his dragon knights to destroy the emperor’s study."
"That story seems a bit inconsistent. That’s not the version I heard."
Long Yi then promptly relayed what he had heard.
"So that’s what happened. I was wondering why the emperor’s study suddenly exploded. It turns out that the emperor was behind it," said Kai Long.
"What we can confirm now is that the emperor was poisoned and that it has taken effect. He was also stabbed by Third Prince Tilian. However, the emperor himself is nowhere to be found," said Long Yi.
"This matter is significant," said Kai Long. "If Tilian truly doesn’t have the emperor’s body, then there’s no evidence. Then, morally, he won’t be able to justify his actions."
"Morality? I thought having a strong fist was enough," Long Yi laughed.
"No, after the fistfight, it’s time for the great cause. Sometimes, whether the great cause is with you or not, deciding whether your fist can become bigger, harder!" Kai Long said.
"Okay, anyway, I’m not going to worry about this, I’m too lazy to worry. You smart people can do the great cause, while this dummy will continue punching people." Long Yi said.
There wasn’t much more to talk about after that, Kai Long reminded Long Yi of a few details. But until Long Yi left, he never mentioned Ai Lin. Seeing Kai Long hesitant to speak a few times, Long Yi was straightforward.
"Don’t worry, I will take good care of Ai Lin," Long Yi said.
"She might not need your care!" General Kai Long’s face beamed with pride.
"Such a hypocritical old man..."
Long Yi originally planned to rampage out of the General’s Mansion, as a few mature dragons that surrounded the mansion made him itch for a fight. But in the end, Kai Long stuffed him into the underground passage. Although Long Yi is powerful, he is not invincible. If they ganged up on you, a Dragon Knight without a dragon, no matter how strong you are, how many could you handle?
So, Long Yi began his mole-like operation.
Underneath the Imperial City, there were tunnels stretching in all directions, crossing each other. And these tunnels do not overlap. If you want to go directly to a certain place through the tunnel, you would need to pierce through some dirt and rocks. With bad luck, you might end up causing a landslide.
Although Tilian had sent people to guard all the known tunnel entrances and exits, Long Yi still managed to find a way back.
With the help of Little Zi, Long Yi found some mixed secret tunnel entrances and successfully returned to the previous secret room. Upon entering the secret room, he saw that the Second Imperial Prince, Kirei, hadn’t left.
"Dude, aren’t you too relaxed? I told you to leave but you didn’t. Are you waiting to be caught?" Long Yi joked.
"Bro, I wanted to go too, but after your punch, I’m still dizzy and can’t move," Kirei laughed.
"Alright, since you stayed, listen to what I found out while I was out. First, I have good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"
"The bad news!" Kirei became serious.
"The bad news is that your father, the Emperor, was poisoned by your third brother. As the poison took effect, your third brother stabbed the Emperor with a sword," Long Yi said.
His words immediately drew angry glares from everyone around. This could be considered a typical example of terrible language art. It’s already a tense moment, and just as the second prince was calming down, such horrific news surges again. Who could bear it?
But the second prince only turned pale, then nodded and asked, "Then, what’s the good news?"
"The good news is that due to the recent turmoil in the Imperial City, several luxury shops have started a half-price sale."
"What?" The second prince was stunned.
"Long Yi!" Ais glared furiously at Long Yi.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lei Zhen began to scold him.
"Cough cough, calm down. I was just trying to lighten the mood," Long Yi raised his hands in surrender. Then, he whispered in Kirei’s ear, "In his final moments, your father blew up the study, but Tilian didn’t find the Emperor’s body in the rubble."
With those words, Kirei who was smart enough, immediately comprehended the situation.
Kirei’s face immediately regained his color, he looked at Long Yi in amazement.
"Really?"
"Or do you prefer the previous discount sale news?"
"That’s great!"
Kirei slapped Long Yi hard on the shoulder, his excitement apparent!
Although nobody knew exactly what Long Yi had said, looking at the second prince’s expression, it must have been something to be happy about, right?
Regardless of the shocking incidents, the Imperial Research Institute didn’t get much disruption. The third prince initiated a surprise attack at the Imperial Palace, but he didn’t involve many places. He himself knew very well that he wasn’t much liked by the people. If he was too arrogant, he would not be a secure emperor. So from the very beginning, the Imperial Research Institute was an independent place, just with multiple lines of sight surrounding it. Outsiders were closely watched for every move, especially waiting for the return of the second prince, Kirei.
But what they didn’t expect was that Long Yi and Kirei would appear from underground, completely unnoticed.
Long Yi slightly regretted letting the Worm Vehicle leave too early, otherwise, the Worm Vehicle would have been the best means of transportation to get them out of here. But the Imperial Research Institute itself had complex secret passages, specifically built to prevent the loss of talent in the event of enemy attack. It led all the way to the mountains outside the Imperial City. Only the deans and vice deans of each institute knew the location of the secret passage. This was to prevent enemies from planting spies in the institute.
Dean Ma Deburg took Long Yi, the second prince, along with Ais and Lei Zhen out of the secret passage. Ais summoned her Mount Dragon and carried everyone straight towards the Dragon Knight School. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
