Chapter 465: Saving a Dynasty on the Brink

Thus, the Emperor still treated Xu Lei quite well.

This included the young woman. She was, in fact, a Princess, but she didn’t spend much time in the Imperial Palace, as she was a member of the Royal Family with considerable Martial Arts Talent.

Because of this, she usually followed Xu Lei’s mother, traveling the world and leading troops to quell rebellions.

As for the other two young men, they were the eldest and second sons of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Kang Dynasty.

“Little Brother Sixteen, look what Second Brother brought back for you!” The slightly younger of the two men took out a wooden puzzle box and gave it to Xu Lei.

“Second Brother, these things are frivolous distractions. How can you give them to Little Brother Sixteen?” the Crown Prince beside him said.

“As long as he’s happy, that’s what matters,” the Second Prince said. “Studying is important, but he needs to have some fun, too.”

“Besides, Little Brother Sixteen can’t practice Martial Arts anyway. What’s the use of him continuing to study? This is the age of Ancient Immortal Martial Arts. Who knows how much longer our Great Kang Royal Family can even rule!” the Princess added. “Big Brother, just let Little Brother Sixteen play. And you should stop being so tense all the time. You need to relax more!”

“As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to share the burdens of the state,” the Crown Prince said. “Although I have no Martial Arts Talent and cannot train, I’m unable to fight alongside you on the battlefield. However, I must do what I can. I must study diligently. After all, if the realm is ever pacified, it will still need to be governed! Furthermore, the Grand General entrusted Little Sixteen to my care, so I am responsible for supervising him! Little Brother Sixteen, I won’t stop you from accepting Second Brother’s gift this time. But while you may play, you must not let it become a frivolous distraction. You cannot fall behind on your studies.”

The three of them went back and forth.

Although their views differed, they all treated Xu Lei quite well.

The Emperor of Great Kang, of course, had other children, but those brothers and sisters were not as close to Xu Lei. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be; rather, many of them had been dispatched to various regions by the Emperor and were no longer in the Imperial Palace.

“Your sister has a gift for you, too,” the Princess said, also taking something out. “These are special sweets from the northern territories. Here, Little Brother Sixteen, have a taste.”

“Thank you, Big Brothers, Big Sister,” Xu Lei said with a smile. “I love all the gifts.”

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Xu Lei’s father and mother walked over.

The Princes and the Princess naturally hurried to pay their respects.

“Xiao Shiliu, you’ve grown so big!” Xu Lei’s mother came over and hugged him. “Did you miss Mother? I’m sorry, I can’t stay by your side to watch you grow up.”

“I did,” Xu Lei nodded. “It’s okay, Mother. You’re a great hero, fighting for the realm.”

Xu Lei’s mother smiled, gratified by her son’s understanding.

“Eldest, Second, Thirteenth, you’re all here,” the Emperor of Great Kang said. “Eldest, there is something I want to discuss with you first. I am thinking of revoking your position as Crown Prince and giving it to your Second Brother.”

Those words made the expressions on Xu Lei and the others change instantly.

Only Xu Lei’s mother’s expression remained unchanged. Clearly, she already knew.

The Second Prince hastily refused, saying it was against protocol.

“Imperial Father is wise.”

The Crown Prince, however, cupped his hands and said, “I agree. In this day and age, Ancient Immortal Martial Arts reign supreme. As the Crown Prince, I am utterly powerless, unable to even truss a chicken. This truly does not suit the current climate. Second Brother is indeed more suitable than I. This can also serve to inspire a greater passion for Martial Arts training within our Great Kang Royal Family.”

“I am very pleased that you understand my intentions.”

The Emperor of Great Kang sighed. “It is I who have wronged you! But my hands are tied. The times are changing, and we don’t even know if Great Kang can survive.”

「A few days later.」

As expected, the Emperor issued an imperial edict.

The Crown Prince was deposed without having committed any fault!

It was an unprecedented event in history.

However, the atmosphere of Martial Arts training within the Great Kang Royal Family was indeed invigorated because of it.

On the day the Eldest Brother’s title of Crown Prince was revoked, Xu Lei and his other siblings in the Capital City all went to visit him.

But the Eldest Brother refused to see any visitors.

「Another year passed in the blink of an eye.」

Xu Lei was now seven years old.

Martial Artists continued to emerge in endless droves across the land, and the number of Innate Powerhouses grew ever larger.

The foundations of Great Kang’s rule were becoming increasingly unstable.

Xu Lei’s mother became even busier.

However, that year, while Xu Lei’s mother was away on a campaign, the former Crown Prince launched a rebellion in the Capital City during the night.

But Xu Lei’s father, the Emperor, had long been prepared. He easily captured the former Crown Prince’s faction.

As Emperor, Xu Lei’s father was enraged. The Great Kang Royal Family was already facing a storm from the outside, yet his own son was now causing trouble from within.

He therefore gave a direct order: to have the former Crown Prince beheaded in the street.

On the day the former Crown Prince was to be beheaded,

Xu Lei went to see him, bringing him his last meal.

After all, the former Crown Prince had taken good care of him.

“Second Brother, I didn’t lose to you! I lost to this era!” the former Crown Prince cried out from the execution block. His hair was disheveled, and he looked like a madman. “AHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHA!”

His wild laughter only stopped when he saw Xu Lei.

“Little Sixteen, this era… this goddamn era… it is our tragedy!”

He looked at Xu Lei, a tearful smile on his face. “Without Martial Arts Talent, you’re less than nothing! It doesn’t matter how well you study! Do you know what Second Brother and the others call me in private? They call me ‘trash’! And you’re the same, Little Sixteen, you’re trash too! Stop studying. It’s useless. Useless. In this era, it’s useless.”

Xu Lei said nothing, merely watching in silence.

He watched until the very end, when the former Crown Prince’s head was severed.

The death of the former Crown Prince showed everyone in the Great Kang Royal Family the depths of His Majesty the Emperor’s resolve.