Pinning Hopes on Grace

Just as Grace left, someone from the Dowager's quarters arrived, inviting Prime Minister Zhu over.

Prime Minister Zhu went over, greeted her, sat down, and asked, "Mother, is there something you wanted to discuss?"

Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu looked rather excited. "Queenie's uncle specially refined a batch of pills for her. They'll boost her cultivation to the fourth tier for a short time!"

Queenie Zhu's uncle is a Spirit Alchemist.

"Oh? That's pretty good," Minister Zhuo replied blandly.

"What do you think are her chances of winning?"

Minister Zhuo shook his head. "The Shen family has Ethan Shen, and the Yuan family has Sam Yuan. Both have been at the fourth tier for over two years. And let's not forget the Sun family's genius—Sophie Sun—who's already reached the fifth tier. Even if Queenie's cultivation is forcibly raised to the fourth tier, her odds of winning aren't great."

Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu nodded. "Exactly. But if we can arrange a marriage alliance with the General's Mansion... it would be a huge benefit for us. So, no matter what, we have to try!"

"Yes," Minister Zhuo replied.

It was precisely because Queenie's chances were slim that he pinned his hopes on Grace.

"I've already decided to give Queenie my Cloudcutter," said Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu.

Minister Zhuo's eyes narrowed. "Cloudcutter? That's your personal sword!"

Cloudcutter is ranked among the top five spiritual swords in the Blue Moon Kingdom—sharp enough to slice through steel like butter.

Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu nodded. "I'm sure the other families will exhaust all their resources to arm their competitors, too."

"Mm, that's true."

"I've received confirmation that the Empress Dowager will allow spirit pets to compete," Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu added.

"Really? I thought Queenie's spirit pet had a mishap and is gone now?" Minister Zhuo asked.

"That's right," said Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu. "But allowing spirit beasts to compete is Queenie's only chance! If she can find a powerful spirit beast to assist, she might just pull it off!"

"But such spirit beasts must be hard to find, right? Powerful ones require strong cultivation to control."

"Exactly. We've searched everywhere for a suitable spirit pet, but it's nearly impossible to find one that Queenie can control and that has strong attack power."

"So... Mother, you called me here because?"

"Grace has a spirit pet—an Antler Serpent. You know about it, right?" Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu asked.

"I know," Minister Zhuo replied, puzzled.

"That Antler Serpent is quite something," said Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu. "Look."

She handed Minister Zhuo a broken dagger.

"Huh? Isn't this a high-grade spirit weapon? How did it end up like this?"

"The Antler Serpent bit it in half," said Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu. "And that was while I was attacking it with half my strength."

"Oh? That Antler Serpent... has such power?" Minister Zhuo was surprised.

"Exactly!" Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu nodded. "It's so strong, yet Grace can control it. If Queenie took it into battle, along with Frostblade, she might just have a shot!"

"Oh... So you want to borrow Grace's Antler Serpent for Queenie, right?"

Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu nodded. "But those two girls never get along. Last time I asked Grace, not only did she refuse, she even let the serpent bite Queenie's hand so badly it was a mess."

Minister Zhuo's lips curved into a faint smile, but he said nothing.

He knew all too well that Queenie often bullied his daughter.

Hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied...