Chapter 1095: Chapter 75: Grand Imperial Assembly! Shouzhe, You’re Confused
At this moment, dawn was just breaking, and figures were already trickling onto the square in front of Dingqian Hall—these were the civil and military officials who were about to attend the grand court assembly.
According to the system of the Daqian Kingdom, only officials of Fourth Grade and above were qualified to attend the grand court assembly. And among those who could attain the rank of Fourth-Grade Official, the vast majority were Purple Mansion Realm experts; only a very small number of people with special gifted bloodlines could be exceptions.
Therefore, those who could come here were almost all big shots; not a single one of them was weak.
The ministers walked up the steps, and the officials who were familiar with one another naturally gathered together and couldn’t help but start chatting in low voices.
In recent days, the situation within the Upper Capital City had been constantly shifting. They had all built up a stomach full of things with no one to talk to, and now that they’d finally run into each other, their desire to talk naturally flared up.
"You have to admit this Prince Anjun is really formidable. Zhao Zhikun was, after all, the Chief Minister’s designated heir that the Zhao Family had painstakingly cultivated, yet he was dismissed just like that." An elderly minister who had already advanced in years sighed with mixed feelings. "But Zhao Zhikun really is a piece of trash. I can understand that he needed money to win people over and build momentum for Prince Kang, but smuggling and colluding with the enemy is going too far. As an official of Daqian, there are lines you simply can’t cross."
"Indeed."
The other old ministers all nodded one after another.
The Southern Qin and Daqian had been at war for many years—this sort of aiding-the-enemy behavior was something no one could tolerate.
"In previous years, there wasn’t much movement from Prince Anjun’s side, and his momentum was completely suppressed. I thought he had given up on competing for the position of Emperor’s Son, but I didn’t expect him to rise up over these last two years. This time, the Zhao Family’s prestige took a heavy hit, while Prince Anjun’s reputation surged. He now has a few more points of winning chance." An old minister who looked the eldest commented.
"Elder Qiao, in your opinion, how do their chances of victory compare right now?" the others couldn’t help asking.
"Sixty-forty, I’d say~" Elder Qiao stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Four for Prince Anjun, six for Prince Kang."
Seeing the doubt on everyone’s faces, he reminded them, "This time, Prince Kang went on campaign in the Outer Domain and rendered outstanding military service, winning considerable honor for our Daqian in front of the Immortal Dynasty. And don’t forget, Prince Kang’s side still has a heavyweight figure. With his support, Prince Kang’s approval rating among the Military Families will not be low. Several of the Old Princes will, more or less, also give that person some face."
At those words, the others suddenly understood.
Right, that person hadn’t returned for a long time—they hadn’t thought of him for the moment.
As they spoke, they had already reached the top of the dozens of steps, and not far ahead was the side hall. The people around them were gradually increasing in number. The old ministers consciously closed their mouths and said no more, then quickly merged into the flow of people.
Just as the full court of civil and military officials was heading to the audience.
Prince Dexin, Prince Yoong’an, and Prince Kang arrived together, and behind them trailed seventeen or eighteen Princes, a whole crowd of people.
Even so, the number of Princes in Prince Dexin’s line was more than this; it was just that some Princes were tied up with important duties, or were not in Gui Long City, and thus could not make it back in time for this grand court assembly.
But even so, the sheer number of "powerful voices" from Prince Dexin’s line was quite terrifying. Don’t think they were merely background props behind Prince Dexin; each Prince, once he stepped outside, was a major figure in his own right, and the power he controlled under his command was far from small.
There were even several Princes from Prince Dexin’s line who held important posts in the army, and their say in matters was not small.
This was exactly how the Wu Family’s imperial power manifested itself: one after another, outstanding Princes, Royal Princes, and descendants of the Imperial Family bloodline held many levers of authority. As long as the Great Emperor gave the word, orders would be carried out without question.
Even if you put aside those Second-Grade and Third-Grade Noble Families, the strength of the Imperial Family alone was absolutely formidable.
Emperor Longchang was not some solitary ruler, let alone a bare-pole commander. Instead, he controlled the foundations of the state firmly in a familial manner. The other Noble Families and the Imperial Family stood in a half-dependent, half-cooperative relationship: the stronger a Noble Family was, the more power and benefits of Daqian it could share in.
Thus, the grand entrance of Prince Dexin’s line immediately drew a lot of attention. Many civil and military ministers who were on good terms with them all went forward to greet and exchange pleasantries, making for quite a lively scene.
From this, it could be seen that even though the prestige of Prince Dexin’s line had been somewhat damaged recently, it did not mean they had lost people’s support completely. In fact, quite a number of Noble Families and power representatives still had relatively high expectations for Prince Kang to emerge victorious in the Struggle of the Imperial Sons.
Even though many of those Noble Families also had利益 ties with Prince Anjun.
But this kind of community of interests would not necessarily suffer just because Prince Kang took the throne. When the investments and contracts were made, it had been clearly stated that this was merely an利益 investment and did not involve taking sides in the Struggle of the Imperial Sons.
There were even quite a few Noble Families who had "placed bets on both sides" and were quietly watching how the winds would shift.
Prince Dexin also seemed to have swept away his gloom. With a dragon’s stride and a tiger’s step, his face was glowing with health as he smiled and exchanged pleasantries with various civil and military officials, as well as other Princes and Royal Princes, looking every bit the picture of someone in control of the situation.
Prince Yoong’an, however, was much more low-key, his smile reserved; in his dealings with others he was modest yet did not lose the bearing of the Imperial Family.
As for Prince Kang, he presented himself as approachable and graceful. He made his peers feel as if bathed in a spring breeze, and toward his elders he was respectful and courteous—he looked every bit the model of an excellent Quasi-crown prince.
They chatted all the way as they walked toward Dingqian Hall.
Just then, Prince Desun’s line appeared. For this grand court assembly, Desun’s line seemed to have come out in full force. Besides the much-watched Quasi-crown prince, Prince Anjun, there were nine Princes following behind him.
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