Become a king right from the start, beginning with receiving rewards from all the heavens.

As the person who had served Emperor Xia the longest, Lu Nanyue knew Emperor Xia's personality very well.

If he truly couldn't bear it, he would have gone to personally persuade Consort Cao long ago.

But I still watched helplessly as she committed suicide!

At this moment, Emperor Xia stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the distant horizon.

"Alas, it's better that he committed suicide. His family and relatives are gone, and his son is now under house arrest in the ancestral land."

"There's no point in living like this!"

Lu Nanyue nodded in agreement; indeed, his family had been wiped out.

With his son permanently placed under house arrest, living like this is truly agonizing.

"At least her suicide was a good thing for the harem!"

"Pass the word: hold the funeral according to standard protocol!"

"Alright, I'm going to Consort Hua's Garden!"

Perhaps it's a case of loving someone because of their love for them, but Lu Nanyue could clearly sense that in recent years His Majesty had become increasingly fond of Consort Hua.

He shook his head and then personally went to arrange the funeral.

...

News of Consort Cao's suicide eventually reached the outside world.

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhaoyan paused for a moment.

Then he just sighed inwardly, "It's just that you were born into the Cao family."

He thought for a moment, then gave instructions to the women around him.

"At that time, Wanwan will personally go to pay her respects on behalf of the palace."

Although she knew the truth but didn't report it, she was still one of the Emperor's concubines.

"Your Highness, according to the rules of the Great Xia Dynasty..."

At the funeral of the Xia Emperor's consort, princes and princesses were obliged to personally attend and pay their respects!

Li Mochou said softly from the side.

The other women nodded in agreement; they now firmly remembered all the complex and ancient rules of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Anyway, I'm just idling around. Besides cultivating, I'll be spending time with His Highness. I have plenty of time.

Xia Zhaoyan chuckled lightly, "You want me to personally go and offer sacrifices? Forget it!"

"I doubt anyone would dare to use this as a basis for attacking me!"

...

At Xia Qiming's residence, the other princes arrived one after another.

"Gentlemen, does anyone know from their maternal clan why the Cao family was wiped out?"

Almost everyone shook their heads at the same time.

They exchanged a glance and instantly sensed that something was definitely not simple.

Xia Qiming sighed. "Ah!"

"It seems this matter has had a significant impact; even some of us weren't informed."

"And as you've all heard, Consort Cao committed suicide!"

Everyone nodded in agreement; the news of Consort Cao's suicide had indeed shocked the princes and princesses.

This incident reveals something: the things the Cao family committed were absolutely comparable to treason.

Otherwise, Consort Cao wouldn't have chosen to commit suicide.

In their view, Consort Cao was, after all, a Grandmaster at the late stage.

Her lifespan is 2,500 years, given her qualifications and the resources of the royal family.

I wouldn't dare say it's the Celestial Realm, but it's definitely very likely that it's the Grandmaster or even the Dharma Aspect Realm.

That would be a lifespan of ten thousand years!

"The Demon Lord has been destroyed, and the ancient rules have been completely broken by Xia Zhaoyan."

"Our maternal clan will likely face even greater difficulties in the future!"

Xia Linyuan looked worried; he had a thought of giving up.

Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your mother's clan!

After all, her maternal clan had treated her well, providing her with all kinds of help and resources from childhood to adulthood.

The elders in the clan treated him better than their direct descendants.

He absolutely did not want his maternal clan to suffer the same fate as the Cao family because of the struggle for the throne.

Xia Qiming suddenly looked at Xia Linyuan, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of urgency.

"Fifth brother, are you trying to back out?"

"You are one of the crown princes!"

...

"Heh, Crown Prince?" Xia Linyuan gave a bitter smile.

"The reputation that we princes have built up over so many years is not as good as the reputation that others have accumulated in less than a year."

"Listen to the voices of the people; they now directly call him the Crown Prince."

When addressing us, please add "Crown Prince Qiming" or "Crown Prince Linyuan" before our names...

"I now wish I were a prince, rather than the title of Crown Prince Lin Yuan!"

After saying that, he got up and slowly walked to the lakeside. Looking at his reflection in the water, he felt no longer had the fighting spirit he used to have.

"In the past, the struggles for the throne never involved the maternal clan behind them; everyone respected the ancient rules."

"But now, the King of Wu was forced to withdraw, and then the Cao family was wiped out!"

"The reason why the King of Wu was the first to be targeted was because he repeatedly provoked him."

"Now look what's happened! He's under house arrest in his ancestral lands forever, his maternal clan has been wiped out, and his mother has committed suicide!"

"I don't want my family to be implicated and follow in the footsteps of the Cao family because of my failure."

The crowd's expressions were complex, a mixture of fear and worry about the future.

If the price of failure is the annihilation of their mother clan, some of them would rather withdraw now.

At this moment, Xia Qiming's voice, filled with disappointment and frustration, rang out.

"childish!"

"Do you really think he would have spared our maternal clan even without the struggle for the throne?"

"Now everyone can see that he has always hated the aristocracy!"

"Whether we step down or not, once he comes to power, he will begin to deal with the elite class!"

Xia Qiming's words completely woke up these nobles who were trying to bury their heads in the sand.

An eerie silence fell over the scene once again!

...

The downfall of the Cao family not only kept the elite class up at night.

This also put unprecedented pressure on the major forces in the cultivation world.

"He hasn't even become the Xia Emperor yet, and he dares to destroy a duke?"

"Then, will our forces still dare to oppose the imperial court?"

An ancestor from a sect roared unwillingly in the ancestral land.

In the past, the major powers in the cultivation world did not really like the imperial court.

Because the imperial court represents rules and order, while the forces in the cultivation world dislike constraints the most.

Battles between cultivators that break out in various places are often caused by major forces vying for resources.

Although the war between cultivation forces is unfriendly to independent cultivators and ordinary people.

Every battle between cultivators causes some degree of damage to the enemy.

However, they also knew that the imperial court really wouldn't dare to do anything to them; at most, they would just punish them.

Because the overall strength of the cultivation world is also an indispensable part of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Other sects may simply be worried.

However, for the Heavenly Sword Sect, the news of the Cao family's annihilation was like a bolt from the blue, completely stunning the sect's leadership.

"How could this happen? Don't those nobles stand up and resist?"

The Heavenly Sword Sect Master muttered to himself, looking on in disbelief.

The powerful figures from various sects in the main hall exchanged glances, until finally the Grand Ancestor himself spoke.

"Resist? What are we supposed to resist with!"

"The Crown Prince has three Dragon Transformation Realm experts under his command, and one half-step Dragon Transformation Realm expert!"

Although the entire noble class includes several individuals at the Dragon Transformation Realm.

"But given the Crown Prince's current situation, everyone can see that he has already gained the support of the royal ancestral lands."

"With a crown prince like this, would Xun Gui dare to rebel?"

"Alright everyone, let's stop talking about Xun Gui. Now we should think about ourselves!"

The last sentence instantly filled everyone present with fear!