Zhu Qinghuo taking the initiative to make a statement had caused the atmosphere to freeze up. Everyone's expressions changed. Amongst the Xia Kingdom's five Great Houses, House Jiyan was considered to be the strongest after Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's departure and Zhu Qinghuo becoming a fourth-grade Duke. This was one step higher than the rest of the other house lords.
His declaration was akin to openly standing with the Regent.
There was nothing strange about it, especially after the situation with House Luolan's Housemeet. Zhu Qinghuo and the Regent were now on the same boat.
"The three counties I govern also happen to be in the north and thus my choice does not need to be explained." At this point, Governor Zhong similarly spoke up as one of the Regent's staunch supporters.
House Jinque's Si Qing's eyes flashed briefly before he too spoke up. "House Jinque is willing to head north."
If he had not taken action against House Luolan during the Housemeet, he would have almost wanted to go south with the rest. But the Regent was strong, and he gave Si Qing a dangerous and foreboding feeling. Additionally, he was not a fan of this overt way of demonstrating one's support. Alas, he had ruined relations with House Luolan and he had to make a calculated decision on how he was to protect himself against Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's eventual retribution.
If one were to look within the entire Xia Kingdom, the only one who had the strength to resist the duo was the Regent.
More importantly, the Regent had also acted against House Luolan, and the enemy of his enemy was his friend. They would naturally work together to deal with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan.
With these thoughts in mind, Si Qing thus made his decision.
His words similarly sent a tremor through the forum. The countless representatives changed expressions as two Great Houses had demonstrated their decision to stick with the Regent. Of the remaining three, House Lanling was not present and House Luolan was just the two brats playing house. The remaining house lord that had yet to make a decision was Duze Yan.
At this point, a few important officials of the royal court and other powers who were somewhat neutral expressed their desire to stick with the Regent in the north.
In a blink, a significant amount of support was drummed up for the Regent.
This scene caused the First Princess' face to freeze over, her delicate body trembling, evidently restraining the fury building up within her.
At this point, a youth's laughter broke through the tension, echoing throughout the forum. "Hehe, during House Luolan's Housemeet, Pei Hao experienced an explosive growth in strength. We discovered from our investigations that it was due to the hidden support of Shen Jinxiao. Similarly, the Regent also stealthily acted against us. It leads me to wonder if the Regent and Shen Jinxiao have some sort of connection between them," a smiling Li Luo said.
"Shen Jinxiao and the youth with dual pupils of gold and silver are in cahoots. They were both instigators of the Umbra Cave unsealing. If the Regent and Shen Jinxiao have some sort of relationship, then we have to suspect that he is a member of the Origin Reversion Institute too."
These words caused everyone to turn silent. Even Vice Principal Su Xin shot a stern glance towards the Regent.
In the face of this pressure, the Regent remained unfazed as he indifferently stated, "House Lord Li Luo is barely mature, but he possesses such a vicious personality and speaks such harsh words. House Luolan holds a treasure that everyone covets. There's no need to blame anyone for doing so. If you wish to blame someone, then it's your parents who hold the fault of revealing it. Just because I want your treasures doesn't mean that you should frame me. If you have any proof, take it out. Words are cheap and meaningless."
Li Luo grinned slightly. "I was merely voicing out my thoughts aloud. Why so serious? Still, House Luolan will choose to head to the south with the First Princess. Now that the Regent has spoken so openly about desiring our treasures, wouldn't following you just be sending myself to the chopping block?"
This was met with the Regent's emotionless expression as though he was already expecting such a result.
House Duze's Duze Yan then slowly enunciated his decision. "House Duze will head to the south to set up a new home. All things go back to their source eventually. If we have to leave Xia City, that is our choice."
This choice was not strange. Duze Yan had chosen to block Si Qing during the Housemeet, and it also marked a strained relationship between him and the Regent.
Still, if the choices made by House Luolan and House Duze were considered to have caused a slight commotion, then the next individual's words were something that everyone was paying attention to closely.
"I am willing to accompany the First Princess to the south." These were the words of Qin Zhenjiang. His heroic posture was coupled with a body akin to a steel pagoda, crisscrossed with countless scars and giving off a bloody air.
The Regent's eyelids twitched. Qin Zhenjiang had a pivotal position in the army. If he chose to head south, it would naturally attract numerous other generals to accompany him, heavily impacting the Regent's side.
"The Astral Sage College will head to the south. There are several colleges in the smaller cities that can be remodeled to fit our needs. It will greatly simplify things," Vice Principal Su Xin calmly explained.
The Regent's expression turned ugly. The Astral Sage College might have been destroyed and a few of the Violet Vibrance mentors had been corrupted and injured, but it was still a special power. Its foundation and background were still solid, and if they were to follow the First Princess to the south, it would bolster her momentum in times to come.
However, this was Vice Principal Su Xin's choice.
The Regent was clear that Su Xin had her reservations about him. The college used to have Pang Qianyuan, a King Stage expert, so there was no need to be concerned. However, now that he was sealed away and the college had suffered immense losses, if she took the initiative to side with the Regent, there was a chance he might employ some underhanded means to suppress her… which was precisely what the Regent wanted to do.
That woman was cunning and would not give him any chance to exploit her.
The Astral Sage College heading south was not necessarily a bad thing. In a few years’ time, the Origin Reversion Institute's presence on his side would deepen. If the college was with him, they might discover them and it would lead to inevitable trouble.
Thus, there was no choice but to walk their separate ways, giving him more time to take full control of the north.
When his own strength rose and he entered the ranks of a high-grade Duke, he would have the confidence to suppress any dissent even if the Origin Reversion Institute were revealed to be working with him. All of these thoughts flashed through the Regent's mind, but his expression remained gloomy as he coldly stated, "Since this is Vice Principal Su Xin's decision, we can only respect it."
He then turned towards Yu Hongxi. "President Yu, what is the Golden Dragon Bank's decision?"
Yu Hongxi smiled as she answered, "To the Golden Dragon Bank, the north and the south are both areas for us to conduct business. Our headquarters will head south, but we will not abandon relationships with the north. We will continue to ensure that our branches remain open for business there."
Clearly, Yu Hongxi was more partial towards the First Princess. Still, they were businessmen and opted to remain neutral. If not for these extraordinary circumstances, they would not have chosen to act so rashly.
Once the two behemoths, the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank, made their decisions, the rest of the representatives voiced their views one after another. What was most curious was that quite a few opted to continue following the Regent towards the north. Perhaps this was partially due to the fact that some of them were from the northern side of the kingdom to begin with. But it was more likely that the Regent's rule had influenced them over the years. Although the other powers were not equivalent to the Five Great Houses, they were a force to be reckoned with when added together.
At this point, the forum representing the highest powers in the Xia Kingdom had separated into two factions, one in the north and one in the south.
If one were to remove the Astral Sage College and the Golden Dragon Bank from the equation, it would seem that those supporting the Regent were greater in strength and influence.
This result was something the Regent was pleased with. He did not continue to beat around the bush, haughtily looking at the First Princess. "Luanyu, since you've made your decision, I hope that you will manage the southern region well. The future of the Xia Kingdom requires it to be whole."
The First Princess coldly responded, "Gong Yuan, my father the Emperor was truly blind. He would never have expected that choosing you as the Regent would have led to the kingdom splintering."
"As I have said, he was simply too greedy. He did not abide by the rules set by the ancestors," the Regent retorted. However, he did not continue to bicker, merely turning to leave.
With his departure, those who supported him similarly took their leave.
A few moments later, a good half of the forum had emptied out.
The First Princess' beautiful face had an indeterminable expression, but her gaze was riddled with killing intent. She had almost wanted to command her men to take action, but reason and logic allowed her to calm down. The truth was that the forces siding with her might not have been able to overpower him.
Perhaps without Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi's presence, she suspected that Gong Yuan might have taken the initiative and disposed of her immediately, taking control of the royal court directly.
It might have been crude, but it would’ve been effective in such chaotic times.
The First Princess heaved a few deep breaths. Her gorgeous palatial dress could not hide her turbulently beating chest. She did her best to remain calm despite the fire burning within her. She then turned to face Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, revealing a smile full of gratitude.
"Hello, everyone. Now that you've made your decision, we can make preparations to leave. Xia City might be done for, but I hold hope for the future of the Xia Kingdom. I believe that we will return here one day."
Upon hearing her motivating words, the representatives who sided with her also hurriedly took their leave. A lot of work had to be done.
Li Luo exchanged his farewells before rushing over to catch Vice Principal Su Xin before she left.
"Vice Principal, are there places in the south to rebuild the Astral Sage College?" Li Luo lightly asked.
She glanced at Li Luo before forcing a smile. "Well, there are a few choices. Why? Do you have any suggestions?"
Li Luo grinned. "I would like to recommend Southwind Academy."
"Southwind Academy, huh? That was actually one of the choices." Vice Principal Su Xin nodded lightly. She knew that both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had graduated from there.
"I will discuss the situation with the Violet Vibrance mentors. If they were able to produce two outstanding students like yourself and Jiang Qing'e, their luck mustn't be too bad."
Li Luo smiled and nodded. As he observed Su Xin's haggard expression, he couldn't help but speak out and comfort her as well.
"Vice Principal Su Xin, you don't need to feel too disheartened. The college is destroyed, but this might be the opportunity to be reborn from the ashes. Perhaps the Astral Sage College might just produce a super expert that no other sage college is able to compare with! At the very least, it will be considered an ‘ancient college!’"
Listening to Li Luo's consoling words brought a smile to her face. Her gaze turned warm and she stretched out a hand to ruffle the youth's hair.
"If that's the case, I will have to pin my hopes onto you and Jiang Qing'e."
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