You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?-Chapter 254 - 42, Crown Prince

On the sixteenth day of the first month, the day opened the royal court.

At dawn, as the twilight gently rose in the east.

At the hour of the rabbit, accompanied by the vast ringing of the bells, over a thousand court officials and royal relatives entered from the Shenyuan Gate, lining up in civil and military order on the steps in front of Di Hong Palace, standing by rank, with some stepping inside the hall.

Of the highest status were the royal princes and princesses, naturally taking their places at the very front.

Equally of Superior Grade, various dukes, marquesses, and Commandery Princes and Princesses stood aligned behind.

By rights, according to the custom of Great Yong, those of Superior Grade need not concern themselves with mundane court affairs, focusing instead on matters of the Cultivation World, and so need not attend court unless there were pressing matters.

But today, after all, was the important day a new Prince was to take his position, and all the royal princes and dignitaries were present.

Following the Superior Grades were officials from various institutions within the court.

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Ascending the Imperial Platform steps, one would find the Divine Emperor’s Throne representing supreme authority, towering high above, overlooking the multitude of courtiers below.

However, the throne above was empty, as it had mostly been for a thousand years.

Above the Imperial Platform, near the Divine Emperor’s Throne at the place of honor, there was also a simple blue stone seat laid with only an animal hide, in stark contrast with the exquisite grandeur of the throne, exuding a strong, wild aura.

"Everyone has arrived."

A calm male voice resounded within Di Hong Palace, as a tall figure appeared on the Imperial Platform.

This was a man clad in Mysterious Robe and Crown, his head adorned with a Five-colored Crown; the slight swaying of the nine tassels could not mask his supremely handsome face as he calmly looked down at the congregation below.

"Greetings, Crown Prince."

The assembled royal relatives and court officials all bowed, their voices echoing throughout Di Hong Palace.

The Crown Prince had governed for a thousand years; the Crown Prince oversaw all matters great and small within the court. Though lacking the title "Your Majesty," he wielded the reality of it and was naturally met with bowed heads by his subjects.

"It is indeed rare for the royal family to gather in full."

The Crown Prince sat upon the beast skin-covered stone seat, looking down and said in a measured tone, "Importantly, the Twenty-four Heavenly as Father Emperor mentioned, are now aligned, and the Seventeenth Prince has finally taken his position. This is cause for celebration."

Then, the Announcement Officer in the hall proclaimed, "Announce the entrance of the Seventeenth Prince!"

Shortly after, a figure emerged in front of the Di Hong Palace, dressed in princely azure attire and a Golden Pearl crown, ascending step by step into the hall, passing between officials and royal relatives, to stand beneath the Imperial Platform.

The eyes of the congregation fell upon him, and the gazes of the royal relatives and dukes followed him, then came the stares from the princes and princesses.

"Your humble brother, I pay my respects to you, Crown Prince," Lin Yue saluted without glancing aside.

Then, he raised his head to look at the Crown Prince on the Imperial Platform.

What met his gaze were indifferent eyes that seemed calm but deep and inscrutable as the boundless ocean, concealing myriad undercurrents and tempests.

More importantly—

The almost ruthlessly indifferent look in those eyes felt as if the high and supreme heavens were gazing down at all living beings.

So this was... the Crown Prince?

In that moment, Lin Yue suddenly grasped why the Crown Prince’s status had remained unshaken throughout his thousand years of governance.

He had encountered several princes already, and though they varied in strength, none had given him the sensation he was experiencing in the presence of the Crown Prince.

This feeling was akin to standing before the high and supreme heavens!

What elevated realm was this?

If this were true, the Crown Prince could very well be... Lin Yue could not help but recall the secret of the Eighth Ring Level.

"Seventeenth brother."

The Crown Prince quietly observed Lin Yue and said, "Although Father Emperor is in seclusion within the Heavenly God Temple and cannot conveniently leave, when I visited him a few days ago, Father said you may also visit him in the Heavenly God Temple if you wish. How about it?"

"Good," Lin Yue nodded, "So long as it does not disturb Father Emperor’s seclusion, your humble brother indeed wishes to pay his respects to Father Emperor."

The Crown Prince nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the group of princes below, and announced, "After the royal assembly, the Second Prince will take the Seventeenth Prince to meet Father Emperor."

A warm male voice immediately answered from among the princes, "Good."

The Second Prince?

Lin Yue’s heart stirred, and he turned to look.

The twenty princes and princesses stood scattered, and whether their positions were arbitrary or followed some convention was uncertain, but within the prince group to his left, the voice that had just responded came from a figure sitting alone in a wheelchair.

While most of the princes and princesses were properly dressed in ceremonial robes, even the usually unkempt Fourteenth Prince held a cat but was dressed in proper princely attire.

Only two of the princes and one princess were not so meticulously attired.

One of them was this Second Prince in the wheelchair.

The Second Prince wore only a simple everyday attire of a prince, his handsome yet young face framed by long hair prematurely whitened as if weathered by storms, and his lips lacked color, giving him the appearance of a weak mortal propped up in a wheelchair, his presence as ordinary as any frail person.

But his eyes were bright and tranquil, as if having witnessed all the beauty and cruelty of the world, and his lips curled in a gentle smile.

Was this that most mysterious and non-contentious Second Prince?

Lin Yue was slightly taken aback, for he had not expected the Second Prince to appear so ordinary, lacking entirely the aura of a prince or a powerful being, even appearing sickly.

But of course, his own wife, the young miss of the Qi Family, was the same.

Perhaps... this was due to the Heart Phase Cultivation Method?

Moreover, in a way, he faintly felt the Second Prince shared a similar temperament with the Twelfth Prince. Regardless of what lay deep within their bones, both were gentle in their interactions with others.