Chapter 208 - The Choice (1)

“What I mean is, do you have any objections?” Xu Yinhe quietly watched the faint excitement on his eldest son’s face. His voice remained calm and indifferent.

At those words, the carriage suddenly fell silent.

It was a rather cold-blooded question. But from where Xu Yinhe stood, cold-bloodedness was often a necessity. Everyone liked power. Anyone who insisted otherwise had simply never tasted it.

“If you do, speak your mind.”

Under his father’s steady gaze, the excitement in Xu Changge’s eyes gradually faded. He sighed. “Father, are you worried that Changtian and I might end up like the imperial princes?”

Xu Yinhe said nothing, which amounted to an admission.

The Li clan, the imperial house. The current emperor had been bedridden for years. Though a crown prince had already been named, several of the more capable princes were still fighting so fiercely over the dragon throne that they were nearly beating each other’s brains out.

Two of them had already been thrown onto Sky Island, the prison reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family.

Xu Changge took a tea set from his Sumeru Ring and began arranging it as he spoke casually. His voice was soft, but every word was sincere.

“Father, when Mother died in front of me, I made a decision. I would protect Chang’an and the other two, no matter what. But when Chang’an died, there was nothing I could do. There are many things in this world that cultivation alone cannot solve. That is why I agreed when you asked me to take over the Chancellor's Manor. I wanted to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.”

When he finished, Xu Changge poured a cup of fragrant tea and gently slid it toward Xu Yinhe. Then he raised his eyes to meet his father’s hawk-like gaze. “Changtian truly has changed since turning over a new leaf. But can he do a better job than I can? If he cannot, then putting him in this position would only destroy him.”

Xu Yinhe did not answer the question directly. “I am still observing him. But he is very good at managing his subordinates.”

“Very good...” Xu Changge murmured the words, then nodded. “In that respect, Changtian really is better than me. Your people have never been particularly willing to obey me.”

Xu Yinhe lifted his teacup and took a small sip. “That is only natural. Changge, you are too forceful in the way you handle things.”

Those old friends of his were each more stubborn than the last. When one fiery temper met another, the orders still went through, but the process was anything but smooth.

It was difficult, extremely difficult.

Worse still, Xu Yinhe had no idea how much of their cooperation came only from respect for him, the Chancellor.

Once he was gone, who could guarantee they would continue carrying out Xu Changge’s orders?

And if they would not... A trace of weariness flashed through Xu Yinhe’s eyes.

Xu Changge knew his own flaws well. He took a light sip of tea. “I know. So if you want Changtian to take over instead, I have no objections, as long as he can do a better job than me.”

Xu Yinhe said nothing more. He took the Skyfone from his Sumeru Ring and poured a vast tide of source qi into it.

Xu Changge hesitated at the sight. “Father, what are you...”

“Someone tried to contact me earlier while I was at Marquis Wucheng’s estate. At this hour, it should be Changtian. The Blackscale troops in Myriad sent word yesterday that they had finished assembling.”

Xu Changge smiled faintly. “Is this another test for him?”

“You could call it that. But according to the reports from the Blackscale Army, he has handled himself very well these past few days,” Xu Yinhe answered honestly.

Xu Changge did not press the matter. Instead, he asked, “Is Xinyao with him?”

“Mhm.”

Xu Changge’s gaze softened for a moment. “It may be a little late, but at least the family will finally be together for the New Year.”

ᯓ➤

“Changtian?”

When the Skyfone connected, Xu Yuan was in the secret chamber discussing formations with Xu Xinyao. The moment they heard that voice, both of them fell silent without a word.

After a brief pause, Xu Yuan carefully chose his words and nodded. “Father. It’s me.”

“What is it?”

“There are a few things I wanted to confirm with you.”

Xu Yinhe was not surprised. After all, he had only told Xu Yuan to negotiate. “Is this about the 40,000 Blackscale troops?”

“No,” Xu Yuan replied without hesitation.

Xu Yinhe raised an eyebrow. “If not that, then why are you contacting me?”

Silence lingered for several breaths.

Xu Yuan drew in a deep breath and went straight to the point. “Does Xu Changge know what you’re planning?”

Inside the carriage, Xu Yinhe felt a flicker of surprise. He had revealed very little to his third son, yet it seemed the boy had already worked out what he intended to do. A hint of amusement entered his eyes as he glanced at his eldest son seated across from him.

“What exactly is it that your elder brother needs to know?”

The question caught Xu Yuan off guard in the communication chamber. He did not believe that a man as shrewd as his father had failed to understand what he meant. So had his earlier deduction been wrong? Or was his father deliberately forcing him to say it aloud? But how was he supposed to drag something like that into the open? Was he meant to ask outright, Father, are you planning to make me your successor?

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yuan replied evenly, “Isn’t the whole point of this to test whether I have what it takes?”

“Yes.” Xu Yinhe’s answer was brief.

Xu Yuan’s eyes flickered. “In that case, I think this should require Xu Changge’s agreement.”

Only the steady sound of breathing came through the crystal.

After a long silence, Xu Yinhe’s voice took on a trace of gravity. “Changtian, am I to understand that you believe I intend to hand the Chancellor's Manor to you instead of your elder brother?”

Huh? The tone of his father’s question left Xu Yuan suddenly uncertain. Everything he had concluded so far was still only speculation.

Does he only want me to serve as second-in-command and assist Xu Changge? The thought had barely surfaced before Xu Yuan dismissed it.

The structure of the Chancellor's Manor allowed for only one true leader. The person handling the day-to-day work could be Lou Ji, Hua Hong, or even any member of the advisory staff, but it could never be one of the two brothers serving beneath the other.

Once Xu Yuan began managing affairs and built connections with everyone below, Xu Changge would inevitably become a figurehead. There would be no stable center of power at all. If their father truly arranged things that way, he would be planting the seeds of a future civil war. Perhaps their generation would never fight. But what about their children? Or their grandchildren?

With that thought, Xu Yuan stopped hesitating and stated his conclusion. “You can understand it that way, Father.”

Hearing the firmness in his answer, Xu Yinhe gave a rare laugh. “Heh. You guessed correctly. Are you willing?”

Xu Yuan slowly let out a long breath.

The old man was actually testing him even over something like this. “Father, what I want to know right now is whether Xu Changge knows.”

“He does.” Xu Yinhe glanced once more at his eldest son across from him.

A relieved smile rested on Xu Changge’s face.

To piece together the truth from such limited information, then stand by his judgment even under their father’s questioning... Not bad.