Chapter 188 - 145: The Academy Palace Recruits, Reactions From All Sides
Chapter 188: Chapter 145: The Academy Palace Recruits, Reactions From All Sides
The Eldest Prince’s smile froze on his face. He crushed the wine cup in his hand without even realizing it.
His face flushed from ashen to crimson.
An inferno of rage erupted in his heart.
A calculating glint flashed in the Third Prince’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible smirk. This was undoubtedly good news for him.
The Eldest Prince’s forces had been weakened, but in two days, their combined armies would be unstoppable. Celestial King Stronghold would surely be crushed.
’Once the Stronghold is annihilated, my struggle against the Eldest Prince will become much simpler.’
The anxiety on the Seventh Prince’s face was now replaced with excitement. Celestial King Stronghold had truly given him a massive surprise; he never imagined they were so strong.
’My old subordinates were nothing compared to them. The difference is night and day.’
’I’ve really been settling for scraps all this time.’
’What kind of useless subordinates have I been relying on?’
At that moment, Celestial King Stronghold’s stock skyrocketed in his eyes. This was definitely a faction worth cultivating.
Though each of the three princes harbored their own designs, they couldn’t let it show on this occasion.
After his initial fury, the Eldest Prince masked his hatred, his face becoming a blank slate.
’In just two more days, once the army is assembled, I will have my revenge. I’m in no hurry.’
The Third Prince, for his part, eagerly anticipated the next two days. ’Once we destroy Celestial King Stronghold, I can take the opportunity to wipe out the Eldest Prince’s forces at Ice Mirror Lake. Then, the title of Crown Prince will be mine.’
As for the Seventh Prince, his excitement faded, and a look of deep worry returned to his eyes.
In fact, his worry was even more profound than before. Previously, he hadn’t known the true strength of Celestial King Stronghold. Now that he had seen it firsthand, he couldn’t bear the thought of it being destroyed.
At this thought, he shot a fierce glare at the Eldest and Third Princes, anger flaring in his eyes.
’Celestial King Stronghold, you have to hold on,’
he thought, his fists clenching unconsciously.
However, his heart sank moments later. Even with the losses the Eldest Prince had suffered, he and the Third Prince could still muster a combined force of 500,000. In the entire buffer zone, they would be an absolutely unstoppable power.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was unaware of these events. He returned to Celestial King Stronghold before nightfall.
As he entered his residence, he turned to Wei Yong, who was trailing him. "How is the Academy Palace’s recruitment drive going in the lands of the Northern Barbarians?"
He strode quickly into the front hall as he spoke.
The Academy Palace was a crucial project. If he could truly convince the world’s wealthiest families to send their heirs to study among the Northern Barbarians...
...it would bring about an earth-shattering transformation for their entire court.
The wealth it would generate would be absolutely unimaginable.
Wei Yong bowed hastily. "Your Highness, Steward Cai Chong has been sending regular updates. We’ve dispatched men to spread the news about the Academy Palace’s enrollment and have contacted various merchant caravans. However, there doesn’t seem to be much of a response within the Imperial City. Many are just watching from the sidelines. Some are skeptical, believing the Prince’s Mansion is trying to swindle them."
"Oh? How interesting," Lu Yuan chuckled. "Well, let the rumors fly a while longer. I’m just afraid there won’t be any slots left for them by the time they decide."
The rule he’d established was that a small courtyard granted two admission slots to the Academy Palace, while a manor estate granted five. Once all the properties were sold...
...he suspected some people would be filled with regret.
The current conditions for the Northern Barbarians were far too poor. Compared to Dayong, their financial and material resources were on a completely different level. The Beast Riders, for example, had barely taken on any new recruits in the last two years.
This was a very dangerous trend.
Therefore, he had to reverse their fortunes. Otherwise, in two years, they would be utterly defenseless against an invasion from Dayong.
"Is there any other news from the Imperial City?" Lu Yuan asked after taking a sip of tea.
"Yes," Wei Yong replied with a wry smile. "Since winter began, disasters have struck multiple regions. I hear the Dayong court has held several assemblies on the matter, but they all came to nothing due to a lack of funds for relief. Instead, the various Vassal Towns have seized the opportunity to take in many of the displaced citizens."
’The Northern Barbarians have so many expenses.’
Lu Yuan nodded. "Once the buffer zone is stable, I will approve a sum of silver to be used for a fixed annual purchase of grain. Have the Seventh Prince find a way to make it happen. I want to buy at the lowest possible price.
Relay this to Wu Han, and have him contact the Seventh Prince when the time is right."
"Yes, Your Highness." Wei Yong acknowledged the command and retreated.
「Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace of the Northern Barbarians.」
Xiao Hua sat in her mother’s bedchambers, her voice laced with worry. "I heard the fighting between the Dayong princes in the buffer zone has gotten extremely vicious. Even Yuan’s friends at Celestial King Stronghold have pledged allegiance to the Seventh Prince... I wonder how he’s doing. Nothing will happen to him, will it?"
"Don’t worry," her mother said. "Don’t you get messages from Lu Yuan every day? His friends haven’t turned on him. Pledging to the Seventh Prince was just a practical decision. After all, they have hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed.
Without a powerful figure to back them, their situation would be extremely difficult. And given our own circumstances, we Northern Barbarians can’t offer them much support," her mother gently reassured her.
Xiao Hua nodded. "But the houses in South City... I heard they went on sale several days ago, but most people are just watching and waiting. They don’t actually believe there’s a place that teaches Cultivation Techniques.
Plenty of people are making inquiries, but no one is actually willing to spend the money to buy."
"That was only to be expected," her mother said with a helpless sigh. "The news Yuan spread is just too far-fetched. Who would dare to commit so easily? Besides, the prices he set are genuinely outrageous—five million taels for a single small courtyard."
In truth, the biggest reason was that it was the dead of winter across the lands of the Northern Barbarians. Many wealthy merchants, even those with enough silver, simply didn’t dare to take such a gamble.
That’s why they were all content to wait and see.
"It looks like he’s really going to lose a lot of money," Xiao Hua sighed, her heart aching for him.
Her mother, however, gave her a teasing smile. "What’s this? Feeling sorry for him already? You haven’t even married him yet, and you’re already worrying about his finances."