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

In the Eastern Prince's Mansion in the Imperial City, Xia Donghai was surrounded by women on both sides.

The backyard was filled with beautiful women, making it look just like a brothel.

As his subordinates came to see him, he waved for the women to leave.

A moment later, two figures walked in.

They were already used to the various women's scents in the air.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"How is it? Is everything settled?" The Eastern King waved for them to rise, then asked.

Having said that, he picked up his wine glass with one hand and pointed to the chair in front of him with the other, gesturing for his subordinate to sit down.

"Your Highness, the matter has been completed!"

...

"Make sure there's not a single trace of us at the scene, and Niou is already rushing off to the Heavenly Punishment Division!"

...

"Hahaha..." The arrogant laughter echoed through the backyard.

"Last time in court, I was indeed caught off guard by him!"

"As a result, many ministers misunderstood me, and I accept that."

"But the feud has already been made, and I will never be able to let go of it until I avenge it!"

"This time, I'll see how he ends up!"

Of the two people opposite, the first to report was Feng Wuchen from the Demon Suppression Duke's Mansion.

This person is considered outstanding among the younger generation in the capital.

However, because he was from a collateral branch, he did not receive many resources from the clan, so he was recruited by the Eastern King to serve under him.

The other person asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, there are still some things I don't understand."

Why should we abandon those three officials this time?

Xia Donghai didn't speak, but Feng Wuchen, who was standing next to him, explained.

As the saying goes, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!"

"Besides, those three should be abandoned. They are just fifth-grade Purple Mansion Realm cultivators who dared to dream of secretly controlling an entire prefecture."

"In the end, they are just servants, dogs that guard His Highness's house."

"All land under heaven belongs to the king; how dare these guard dogs lay their hands on the state and its altars of the Great Xia!"

A cold smile and disdain appeared on Feng Wuchen's face.

"Let's take this opportunity to have that benevolent king deal with them for us."

"Your Highness doesn't need to dirty your hands, nor do you need to bear the reputation of being a 'discarding a millstone after it has served its purpose'."

"Besides, when strategizing for King Ren, how can we not use some powerful tactics!"

At this moment, Xia Donghai asked lazily.

"Has that strange creature been dealt with properly?"

"Your Highness, it's been completely dealt with. Even with the Celestial Mirror, they couldn't detect that this strange entity has been destroyed!"

The Eastern King nodded in satisfaction. "Hehe, I paid a considerable price to acquire this strange creature."

"Eighth brother, oh eighth brother, who told you to get so cocky these days!"

"The only way is for Niou to clash with you again!"

...

In the Prince Ren's residence, Xia Zhaoyan summoned Zhang Han to come and see him.

Not long after, Zhang Han arrived at the Prince's residence without making a sound.

"Your Highness, I, Zhang Han, pay my respects!"

"Zhang Han, I have summoned you here because I have something to entrust to you."

After saying that, Xia Zhaoyan recounted what had happened at the Heavenly Punishment Division.

"This matter is somewhat complicated, involving not only the bizarre but also three high-ranking officials of the imperial court and the forces behind them."

"The Heavenly Punishment Division is investigating openly; I need you to investigate covertly."

"I have a gut feeling that this whole thing is probably aimed at me!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Those people were really persistent, even though he clearly didn't have the qualifications to compete for the throne.

They still try every means to suppress me, isn't it all for the sake of the Heavenly Punishment Division!

"Your Highness, this matter has already spread throughout the capital."

"Fifty guards of the Heavenly Punishment Division have died, something that has never happened in recent years."

"Everyone is watching the actions of the Heavenly Punishment Division, and most importantly, they are watching Your Highness's speed and the results."

"It is estimated that the officials and ministers in the court are waiting to use this matter to weaken your prestige and prepare to interfere with the operation of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau."

As a general who commands the Shadow Guard, Zhang Han's political acumen far surpasses that of the summoned warriors.

"That's right, you've said exactly what I'm worried about."

"The Heavenly Punishment Division cannot be allowed to interfere, so you must investigate this matter as soon as possible."

Zhang Han stood up, solemnly accepted the order, and left.

Xia Zhaoyan muttered to himself, "Who exactly is targeting me this time..."

"Which faction is behind those three?"

It can be said that Xia Zhaoyan is now once again experiencing the disadvantage of his weak foundation in the court.

But there's nothing I can do; even if I wanted to recruit people, no one would be willing to follow me.

What future can a prince who has lost his chance to compete for the throne have?

Despite having Mu Wenhan by his side, he has been ostracized by the entire court and is barely able to maintain his current position. He has no energy to pay attention to the power structure of the court.

Under the afternoon sun, the lake water shimmered with a clear light.

Just then, a eunuch from the mansion came to report that the Prince of Wu and the Prince of Ling had come to pay their respects.

"Why are those two here again?" Xia Zhaoyan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Wanwan couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, why don't we just send them away?"

"Never mind, let's see him anyway." The eunuch obeyed and left.

A short while later, the two princes walked in side by side.

Their gazes were simultaneously drawn to Wanwan and Shi Feixuan.

A look of amazement flashed in their eyes, and they couldn't help but secretly admire their brother's good fortune.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The two greeted each other with smiles, and Xia Zhaoyan gestured for them to take their seats.

At this moment, the two women each got up and poured tea for the two men.

A hint of amazement flashed in the King of Wu's eyes again, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother, no wonder you and Twentieth Brother had a feud last time."

"Such a fairy is in no way inferior to those on the list of beauties."

Xia Zhaoyan smiled and simply said, "I was lucky!"

The two men simply couldn't believe it; how could such a woman be obtained by mere luck?

However, they didn't come here today to discuss beautiful women.

"Your Majesty, I heard that fifty guards of the Heavenly Punishment Division have died!" King Wu spoke first, revealing the core of the conversation in his very first sentence.

Xia Zhaoyan neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply nodded slightly.

"Then does Your Majesty know that many ministers are currently discussing and suggesting to Father that they prepare to intervene in the operation of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau?"

"Their reasoning is simple: fifty of the Heavenly Punishment Division's guards died at once!"

...

"That's right, Your Majesty. If things go wrong this time, your control over the Heavenly Punishment Division might be in jeopardy!"

Ling Wang then shared his judgment, but his eyes were fixed on Xia Zhaoyan.

He wanted to see if Xia Zhaoyan was nervous or anxious, but the other party's expression remained calm and unwavering.

"Now, you two must have some ulterior motive for coming here today!"

Everyone's showing off, whether they're human or ghost. I'll have to see for myself what these two short-sighted people who only care about their immediate interests are planning!

"Brother, the reason we've come is to revisit our previous proposal."

"Let's form an alliance!"

Xia Zhaoyan was stunned for a moment, but a sense of speechlessness rose in his heart!