The old woman's eyes widened, but Pei Su continued speaking.
"It is not that I am arrogant, but I, Pei Jiumu, will one day inherit the position of the Pei Family's patriarch. If my Pei Clan overthrows the Li Clan's dynasty and becomes the world's sovereign, then the Heir's Consort will become the Crown Princess, and then the Empress. The children she bears will be crown princes, destined to one day ascend the throne."
Pei Su did not state it plainly, but his meaning was clear in every word.
He was all but directly saying that if Jiang Suining became his Heir's Consort, half the blood in the future emperor would be from the Jiang Clan. In a way, would that not be another form of restoring their kingdom?
The old woman would never have dared to imagine that this Heir of the Northern Marquis before her would speak so boldly, that he would try to pull their former Jiang Clan onto the Pei Family's warship.
She was well aware that while the Pei Family was not the primary cause of the Xia Dynasty's fall, they were certainly one of the forces pushing from the shadows. Was he not afraid of the Jiang Clan backstabbing them?
Was this truly youthful arrogance, or was the Pei Clan truly that confident?!
To overthrow the Li Clan and become the world's sovereign… from the mouth of this Heir, it sounded as simple as child's play.
The ancient and noble clans of the Imperial Capital were already at their wit's end with the Pei Sect colluding with the Empress to render the Emperor a figurehead. Would they simply stand by and watch the Pei Clan ascend the throne?
And then there was King Chen in the Northland, watching covetously. If the Pei Clan dared to usurp the throne, King Chen would be the first to march his troops south.
There were also the sects of the Martial World. Though they usually did not meddle in court politics, if the Pei Clan dared to violate the natural order of dynastic succession and forcibly seize the throne, they would surely raise the banner of righteous opposition.
Even the demons of the Monster Realm would emerge to stir up trouble and muddle the waters whenever a dynasty was on the verge of changing.
Most importantly, there was the Imperial Family, the Li Clan. Though they had lost the Emperor, their foundations remained. At their core, the Supreme Imperial Aura was still flourishing, a sign that the nation's fortune was far from over, showing no signs of collapse.
With such immense resistance, even with the Pei Clan's thousand-year foundation, a single misstep could lead to their utter destruction. What was the point?
Was being the head of the world's great clans such a grievance?
But she had to admit, if they succeeded, then their Jiang Clan would truly have reclaimed their rule over the lands, albeit in a different fashion…
For a moment, the old woman's expression flickered as she looked at the young man, who was not yet twenty.
"The Pei Family… to think they would let someone as young as you participate in a scheme that could change the fate of the world. Truly, heroes emerge from the young…"
Pei Su remained noncommittal. The meaning of that letter was that he was already involved in the family's most central circle of planning.
His grandfather, Pei Zhao, presided over the Imperial Court, observing the world's changes. His father, Pei Jun, guarded the border, holding command over hundreds of thousands of troops. Countless eyes across the land were fixed on them both, meaning neither could move about freely.
As for himself, though his name was known throughout the world, he was, after all, just a junior. The disdain those old men had for him was the perfect opportunity, giving him enough freedom to do much more…
Winning over the Jiang Clan was, for now, nothing more than an empty promise to dispel their hostility. All that mattered was keeping the one with the Tianyun Liuli Heart by his side.
"Since Her Highness is willing to stay by the Heir of the Northern Marquis's side, let us leave it at that for now. As for the future, we can discuss it later. I imagine there will be no shortage of opportunities."
Pei Su frowned, pretending to consider it for a moment before nodding in agreement.
With that, the Jiang Clan had temporarily compromised, which would also spare Pei Su from their constant enmity. Although the Jiang Clan's power had waned, they were still the former Imperial Family. They were by no means as simple as they appeared in Die Meng Valley and surely possessed their own hidden resources. This story is hosted at novelping . com.
"But I must still give the Heir a word of caution," the old woman's expression suddenly turned grave. "Her Highness's Liuli Heart has not yet awakened. To harvest it now would bring more harm than good."
She had directly brought up Jiang Suining's Tianyun Liuli Heart and was even warning Pei Su not to be impatient.
"With the princess's world-toppling beauty, that makes things a bit difficult for me…"
The old woman's eyes flew wide, her face instantly flushing red with fury.
"Haha! It was just a joke. Surely you can trust my character, can you not?"
Pei Su laughed as he started walking back.
Before he reached the ruined temple, he saw that Zhao Lan, who had been paralyzed on the ground, had woken up at some point. He was sitting there, dazed, his eyes vacant.
Inside the temple, Old Wu and Banxia were still setting up the array.
Outside, the old woman had pulled Jiang Suining aside again, whispering something to her. Every so often, they would both glance over at Pei Su.
Pei Su walked straight into the ruined temple. Banxia came up to him and said in a low voice:
"After Zhao Lan woke up just now, he saw that Miss Jiang was the only one around and did indeed cry and beg her to let him go."
"Oh? And then?"
"Then Miss Jiang just frowned and wouldn't look at him, like this…"
As she spoke, Banxia even tried to imitate the gesture, twisting her body and looking away coyly.
Seeing that Pei Su didn't respond, Banxia giggled.
"Your Highness, stop trying to test Miss Jiang. I can see that she has a pure and kind heart, but she is not someone who disregards allegiances or acts without considering the consequences. Although she has some reservations about your methods, she would never be foolish enough to oppose you and make you angry."
"Oh? Why are you speaking so highly of her?" Pei Su said with a teasing smile. "Isn't she here to compete with you for the position of Heir's Consort?"
At these words, Banxia immediately turned away and lowered her head, her voice so nervous it became choppy.
"Your Highness… please don't joke with me. I… I am just a handmaiden. How could I be qualified…"
Pei Su stopped teasing her and walked to the center of the temple, where the array had now taken shape.
Old Wu said nothing, but walked out of the temple and dragged in the trembling, terrified Zhao Lan.
"Pei Su, what in the world are you trying to do?!"
Zhao Lan saw the black-robed elder's lifeless pupils and a chill shot through him.
"I want to ask you a few things, but I figured you wouldn't tell the truth, so I'm resorting to a little trick. Don't mind it."
Pei Su said placatingly.
Old Wu had no such patience. He snorted coldly, his gaze indifferent.
"Begin!"
The array on the ground began to flicker with a black, mystical light. Zhao Lan struggled for a moment before fainting completely.
******
"Spirit Granny, it's alright. I… I can stay by the Heir of the Northern Marquis's side. I can feel that he still respects me…"
"Your Highness!"
The old woman gripped Jiang Suining's hand, her face full of guilt as she asked tentatively, "If, and I'm just saying if, Pei Su wanted you to be his Heir's Consort…"
Jiang Suining froze.
"Could you accept it?"
"If… if it could protect Spirit Granny and the entire Jiang Clan, I…"
Jiang Suining's voice choked slightly.
"Let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this…"
The old woman quickly waved her hands.
Jiang Suining also hid her emotions well, quickly wiping her face and forcing a smile as she glanced toward the darkness within the ruined temple.
"Spirit Granny, what are they doing in the temple?"
Jiang Suining could sense that Pei Su and the others seemed to be deliberately keeping her from knowing.
A Soul Search Array!
The old woman was worldly enough to recognize it. Logically, such an evil formation seemed completely at odds with terms like "prodigy of the mortal world" and "the righteous path of the Imperial Court."
But she was not surprised. She had long known that the world was not simply black and white; allegiance would always matter more than right or wrong.
And how could the Pei Clan, an ancient family with a legacy spanning a thousand years, be composed of truly benevolent people?
"Your Highness, this Pei Su, though young, is deeply cunning. He has the bearing of a conqueror, yet he is not a wicked man. By staying with him, you can learn the ways of the world, which is precisely… what you lack."
Jiang Suining had lived in Die Meng Valley since birth and had little contact with the outside world. Her heart was pure, but in this world, it was people like Pei Su who lived the most freely and comfortably.
If she could, she would rather Jiang Suining be more shrewd than be so ignorant of the ways of the world…