Chapter 0674: Esteemed Guests Arrive
With Li Luo's rise to the Fiend Palace Tier, the treatment for the Little Emperor also took less of a toll on him. In the short span of 30 minutes, it was complete. At the same time, yet another petal of the black lotus imprint on his back had turned a pristine white.
At the moment, half of the black lotus had been cleansed.
After the treatment, the Little Emperor felt a little fatigued, so he put on his robes with the help of a servant and fell soundly asleep with Li Luo's approval.
Li Luo then exited the inner chamber and found Jiang Qing'e and the First Princess engaged in conversation.
The First Princess also noticed Li Luo's arrival, her voice trilling like a happy lark. "Li Luo, congratulations! You're now the true House Lord of House Luolan!"
"I have to thank you, Your Highness, for your a.s.sistance. Your grace will be forever remembered by House Luolan." Li Luo grinned.
The First Princess' bright eyes fluidly glanced past him. "House Luolan's favor will become very valuable in the future. It looks like my investment was a great success."
This was the truth. So long as the two elder House Lords returned safely, House Luolan would very likely turn into a super power in the Xia Kingdom, far surpa.s.sing the other four Great Houses. At that point, even the royal court would pay close attention to them.
Li Luo smiled. "Did you already know that the one coveting House Luolan's divine matter from the shadows was the Regent?"
"There were some clues. Additionally, I had received some news from my own sources, but I could never really be certain until now. It looks like my uncle has always l.u.s.ted for House Luolan's divine matter. I still have no idea what his aims are. He is only at the fifth-grade of the Duke Stage, quite a far cry from even being qualified to break into the King Stage," the First Princess commented as a self-deprecating smile formed on her face. "Honestly speaking, if he could enter the King Stage, everything would be simple. I would naturally let my brother renounce the throne and let the Xia Kingdom be ruled by him."
She then turned to face the two. "House Luolan has overcome its perilous tribulation, and I will undergo my own baptism of fire in two days. I wonder if I will have the same good luck you had?"
"Your Highness, are you referring to the coronation ceremony? Do you suspect that the Regent will kick up a fuss?" Li Luo questioned.
This was met with an aloof reply. "The Regent has a wild and ambitious heart. He has controlled the Xia Kingdom for so many years that I feel it would be unlikely he will relinquish everything so easily. Thus, I believe he has a plan."
Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e glanced at each other. House Luolan and the Regent were now on irreconcilable terms. Even calling them “mortal enemies” would not be an exaggeration. Thus, they would naturally not idly sit by as the coronation ceremony was usurped by the Regent. If that happened, House Luolan would also be in a difficult position as they would constantly have to fend off the Regent's tricks.
"How is the situation on Your Highness' side? Do you have a lot of supporters?" Jiang Qing'e asked.
"The Little Emperor is the legitimate heir, so countless elder officials of the Xia Kingdom support him. When their might is aggregated, even my royal uncle would not take them lightly. Thus, from a bigger point of view, we still have some degree of confidence." The First Princess sighed deeply.
"House Luolan will support you, Your Highness. However, we only have a few small fry, including us, that can a.s.sist. I'm afraid we won't be of much help." Li Luo clearly expressed his position and willingness to a.s.sist. The Regent's actions had already pushed them to this side after all.
"That is a little unfortunate. If the two old House Lords could descend once again, I believe my royal uncle would not dare to hold any ulterior motives." The First Princess covered her mouth as she laughed lightly.
Jiang Qing'e's eyes flashed. "I know that the college's Princ.i.p.al Pang had expressed his support for the previous Emperor. He had also determined the Regent to be too power hungry. I think that if he were to show himself, it would suppress any thoughts of unrest."
Li Luo had a similar train of thought. Princ.i.p.al Pang had been tied down in the Umbra Cave's depths, unable to extricate his main body. Li Luo had obtained the Dragon Bone Holy Grail and even provided some of his blood essence to the Princ.i.p.al. Although he did not know what the Princ.i.p.al was plotting, it should all be part of the plan.
"Princ.i.p.al Pang's appearance is not confirmed. Suppressing the Umbra Cave is of utmost importance, and he will be unable to influence the outside world before being able to resolve that predicament, even if it's the coronation ceremony." The First Princess sighed lightly.
"The Dragon Bone Holy Grail should have already landed in his hands. I think the situation will be resolved soon," Jiang Qing'e consoled her.
"That would be for the best." If Princ.i.p.al Pang could turn up in person for the coronation ceremony, then that would be undoubtedly wonderful news. With the Princ.i.p.al's support, the Little Emperor would safely ascend the throne and take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation.
That was the most crucial point. With the Kingdom Protecting Formation in hand, the Regent could only sit by idly.
"The coronation ceremony will start in two days. I will send you an invite so make sure you aren't missing." The First Princess grinned at Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.
The two nodded. The coronation ceremony's outcome far surpa.s.sed the implications of House Luolan's Housemeet. It would determine the balance of power within the Xia Kingdom, and as one of its factions, House Luolan would not be insulated from its aftereffects. Even the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank would pay close attention to the result.
The two then bade farewell to the First Princess and left the royal palace, returning back to House Luolan.
"There seems to be a stream of climatic events. Can't we get a breather? Now we have a coronation ceremony coming up, and I have a feeling that the entire Xia Kingdom will be upended by this." Li Luo frowned as he ma.s.saged his temples, ranting towards Jiang Qing'e.
Jiang Qing'e was left in deep thought. The Regent was extremely powerful, and everyone in the Xia Kingdom knew it. If he wanted to rebel during the coronation ceremony, it would inevitably cause a disastrously terrifying event that would tear apart the fabric of society.
The entire Xia Kingdom would be in turmoil.
Jiang Qing'e stretched out her beautiful hand and tightly grasped Li Luo's. "No matter what, even if House Luolan is destroyed with the Xia Kingdom, I don't care about any of that. So long as you, Master, and Mistress are all fine, that is all that matters."
A warm feeling arose within Li Luo's heart as his five fingers gripped Jiang Qing'e's jade-like hand in response. But before he was about to speak, the carriage suddenly halted and the windows were lifted by a gust of wind. Li Luo saw a slender figure standing right outside House Luolan's headquarters.
Scrutinizing the figure closer, Li Luo felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He hurriedly got off, excitedly shouting, "Mentor Chi Chan!" The individual who was outside was surprisingly Chi Chan.
At this point, she seemed to have heard Li Luo's voice and turned to face him. A light puff of wind gently blew past the thin veil shrouding her head. Her eyes were in a crescent moon shape, seemingly smiling.
"Li Luo, I have no place to go right now. Is House Luolan accepting new members?"