“Yes, yes, we will immediately send the report. A little guy whose head had been knocked around hurriedly whispered the information, and then lit the sound transmitting talisman in his hands…
Meanwhile, the followers of the Tenth Prince also burnt their sound transmitting talisman. The man who led them looked at the four Crown Prince’s men in the bamboo grove, an evil smile curving on his face.
“What a bunch of idiots. They are still making a futile effort to struggle. Time is on our side, his Highness will inevitably win. What kind of trash can the Crown Prince put out? For this Lin Ming, his Highness has already especially prepared a set of human-step scriptures and a top-quality treasure!”
…
At this time, the Crown Prince Yang Lin was in the Eastern Palace. He was playing chess with his mentor, Mister Muyi.
“Haha, what was your highness thinking? That chess move was wrong.” Muyi smiled as he moved a piece and took another one. Yang Lin’s bottom left side of the board had already become a lost cause.
Yang Lin smiled as he shook his head. “Teacher, I have never won playing against you. Whether I lose early or I lose late, the difference is not big.”
“Haha, even if you say that your strength is inferior, you cannot lose your backbone or fighting spirit. Chess is like a battlefield, even if your technique is inferior; someone who dies on the battlefield remains a hero as he was before. But if he surrenders and is captured and then killed, it is only a shame.”
“Teacher’s lesson is wise.”
To Muyi, Yang Lin had no superiority as Crown Prince. In the Sky Fortune Kingdom, a middle Houtian stage master was someone that even the emperor had to give three points of respect to. More so because the current government and court were turbulent, Muyi was the most important person that Yang Lin relied on.
“Tell me, what’s on your mind?” Muyi asked as he put a pawn down on the board.
Yang Lin said, “I visited my father, the emperor today. His body seems to be worse than before…”
“Mmm…” Muyi thought silently. He knew that if Yang Lin was worried about anything, it was the throne change due to the old emperor’s deteriorating condition. He did not have too many forces on his side, and now he had to consider the power and strength of the other princes. The Tenth Prince, the Cloud Prince, was ambitious; he probably would not be willing to stay just a prince. But if comparing the influence in the court, their supporters, and even individual strength, Yang Lin was far from the Cloud Prince. Once a struggle began, he might not come out as the victor.
In the struggles of the throne, once one was defeated, their fate could be imagined. Yang Lin was already the Crown Prince; even if he didn’t want to struggle, he had no choice but to do so. Otherwise, he would lose his life! So these days, Yang Lin has been heavy-hearted, and had not dared to show his hand.
Muyi said, “Your highness. I had just said that chess is like a battlefield. You cannot lose your backbone or your fighting spirit. Your highness, if you lack confidence, then the subordinates under your control will also be anxious. These subordinates of yours have already resolved to follow your highness, and have handed over their lives and their families’ lives. If your highness loses, then the Cloud Prince will surely show no mercy, and will thoroughly cleanse the government. When that time comes…”
Muyi did not say it, but in all the ancient changes of the throne, they were often accompanied by massacres and the thick smells of blood and death. At those times, things like affection and friendship would all be nothing but a joke.