In a quiet, elegant courtyard of the Fourth Prince Residence.
Ian Song sat across from Fourth Prince Victor Li.
A finely crafted tea stove sat on the table, its water already boiling and releasing waves of enticing, delicate fragrance.
Victor Li looked at Ian Song in amazement. After a moment, he said, "I didn't expect that after just one night apart, Brother Song's cultivation would break through to late Out-of-Body. Truly impressive!"
"You're too kind, Fourth Prince." Ian Song replied modestly with a smile, picked up the tea stove, and poured them each a cup.
"If Brother Song doesn't mind, just call me Brother Li from now on!"
Victor Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a bright smile, his eyes faintly expectant.
"Alright."
Ian Song raised his cup. "Tea instead of wine—cheers, Brother Li."
"Ha, Brother Song, please!" Victor Li laughed and raised his cup as well.
For a moment, the two seemed to grow a bit closer.
After a while, Victor Li couldn't hold back and asked, "Brother Song, you've come to my residence for another reason, haven't you?"
"That's right."
Ian Song nodded. "I've come to Brother Li's residence for one purpose—to help you defeat the Sixth Prince Lucas Li and make sure he completely loses any chance at the throne!"
"Brother Song, are you really that confident?" Victor Li looked at him.
"Everything depends on human effort," Ian Song said with a faint smile, his calm demeanor radiating confidence.
Seeing Ian's composed expression, Victor Li became even more convinced that Ian was a true disciple from Phoenix Heaven Church.
"Brother Song, what's your plan?"
"As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win every battle. Brother Li, I need all the information you have on the Sixth Prince."
"Alright, I'll have someone prepare it right away!"
Victor Li slapped the table, jumped up, and rushed off. Ian Song was left a bit stunned—this Fourth Prince really was... way too impulsive.
That very afternoon, Victor Li ordered Sam Li to deliver all the relevant information on the Sixth Prince Lucas Li.
Ian Song spent over an hour reading the dossier, then closed his eyes to analyze it carefully. The file recorded not only all of Lucas Li's public information, but also details about his key advisers and confidants.
Lucas Li is one hundred and ninety-six years old, at late Nascent Divinity.
Reaching late Nascent Divinity before two hundred is an absolute cultivation prodigy.
He cultivates the Royal Dao True Canon, one of the Tang Dynasty's three supreme manuals. The other two are the War King True Canon and the True Dragon Codex.
Worth noting: Second Prince Nathan Li practices the True Dragon Codex, while Fourth Prince Victor Li trains in the War King True Canon. All three were created by the Tang Dynasty's founding emperor and are optimized for Li bloodline cultivators.
Back to the point—besides his own talent, Lucas Li is also highly skilled at managing subordinates and winning hearts.
For example, his top strategist Shen Xuanji and foremost martial expert Qing Ying were both personally recruited by him.
Shen Xuanji's origins are mysterious. His cultivation is only early Out-of-Body, but his other abilities are extraordinary. Most of Lucas Li's rise over the past few decades is thanks to Shen Xuanji's planning.
Qing Ying is a woman—her exact age unknown—rumored to have inherited the ancient Xuan Maiden Sect's legacy. Although only at early Fusion realm, she can fight mid-Fusion opponents.
But she's extremely low-profile. She's served in the Sixth Prince Residence for thirty years, but has only acted once—and that one time made her famous. A mid-Fusion expert tried to assassinate Lucas Li, but Qing Ying drove him off.
With Shen Xuanji and Qing Ying—one civil, one martial—Lucas Li's position has grown ever more secure.
At the same time, Lucas Li has also built two major organizations.
The first is Hero Palace. No matter who you are, as long as you pass Hero Palace's assessment, you can join and become one of its heroes, gaining the Sixth Prince's protection.
As a result, in just over twenty years, Hero Palace has recruited more than three thousand cultivators with special or unique abilities from all walks of life for Lucas Li.
It's said the weakest in Hero Palace is at Golden Core, while the strongest is just at early Nascent Divinity.
But the talent pool is huge: experts in theft, alchemy, formations, artifact forging, Spirit Medicine cultivation, and more.
The second organization is Heaven's Gift Pavilion. Entry requires at least Nascent Divinity, and anyone admitted receives plenty of resources.
After several decades, Heaven's Gift Pavilion has grown huge—just the Nascent Divinity experts number over two hundred.
Worth noting: Shen Xuanji serves as Palace Master of Hero Palace, while Qing Ying is Pavilion Master of Heaven's Gift Pavilion.
Now, let's talk about the imperial court.
The Tang Dynasty's government follows a six-ministry system: Ministry of Works, Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Revenue.
Each ministry's Shangshu is a first-rank official with great authority.
Currently, the Ministers of Personnel and Rites openly support the Sixth Prince. The Minister of War's stance is unclear, mainly because he's about to retire. The most likely successor is Duke Jiang Kui, the Duke of Qi, who currently serves as Left Vice Minister of War.
If Jiang Kui takes over as Minister of War, the Sixth Prince will have the support of three ministries.
That's why the Second and Fourth Princes both dislike Jiang Kui so much.
Of the other three ministries, the Ministers of Works and Revenue support the Second Prince, while the Minister of Justice supports the Fourth Prince.
Because the Tang Dynasty's founding ancestor decreed that each emperor may only reign for one thousand years, there's no tradition of killing one's father for the throne. But every succession triggers fierce competition among the court officials.
The royal clan tacitly allows this.
Whenever a new emperor ascends, he usually replaces officials with his own people. That's why the six ministers openly support different princes.
If the Sixth Prince already has the best shot, why do three ministers still back the Second and Fourth Princes?
It's simple: the Second Prince's two main consorts are daughters of the Ministers of Works and Revenue, while the Fourth Prince married the granddaughter of the Minister of Justice. So, those ministers have no choice but to support their own family.
The Sixth Prince, on the other hand, hasn't married yet. Previously, the two supporting ministers wanted their daughters to be his main wife—everyone wanted that spot and competed fiercely. But none expected Master Mingtan of the Prime One Church to suddenly step in and propose marrying the Saintess to the Sixth Prince.
So, both families can only step back and wait for Lucas Li to marry Lila Li before sending their daughters in as secondary consorts.
Therefore, to make sure Lucas Li loses his shot at the throne, the best way is to cut off support from those three ministries, then remove Shen Xuanji and Qing Ying from his side.
If you can also shatter Hero Palace and Heaven's Gift Pavilion, Lucas Li will be left all alone. No matter how talented he is, he won't be able to compete with the Second and Fourth Princes for the throne.
Sounds easy, but it's not!