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

The Prince Ren's Mansion was very deserted. Five hundred guards sent by the imperial court were on duty around the mansion to protect its esteemed master.

Xia Zhaoyan was secretly envious of the other princes, because they had the support of their maternal families and had talented advisors and strategists.

However, I don't have any such talent here, and I don't know who to talk to if I want to discuss the next steps with others.

Relying on these people in front of us? Forget it.

These people are fine for killing one person, but not for anything else.

"Is Your Highness troubled by something? Could you tell us? Although we are warriors, we can still help you." Although Duan Yanqing was not the strongest, he was still of royal lineage.

Xia Zhaoyan was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but smile.

I seem to have underestimated these people and placed too much importance on their past lives.

A real person is completely different from the portrayal in a novel; perhaps not even a tenth or a twelfth of their character can be accurately depicted.

"As you all know, this is my current predicament."

"If I don't participate in the struggle for the throne, I will definitely live a carefree life."

Everyone listened quietly, silently nodding in agreement, for the title of "King of Benevolence" spoke volumes.

"I will definitely participate, but when I will officially participate is a matter of great importance."

"Currently, among all the princes, only my power is the weakest, so we cannot reveal any intention to participate in the throne in the early stages."

"However, we must also develop our own power."

"So, everyone, what's the next step?"

After listening, no one rushed to speak.

Everyone was pondering the prince's question, even the hundred guards.

While Xia Zhaoyan was contemplating the future, everything that had happened in the court that day had already spread throughout the entire imperial city.

This enormous imperial city, spanning hundreds of kilometers in each direction, resembles an ancient behemoth, situated in the heart of the Great Xia Dynasty, suppressing all corners of the world.

The passage of time could not conceal the bustling atmosphere of the imperial city. The people in the outer city simply discussed the conferment of a kingship today as a lively event.

However, the people in the inner city were discussing today's events with utmost seriousness.

At the residence of Zhang Hailin, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, his three sons were all in their father's study.

The eldest son looked puzzled. "Father, why did you offend King Ren in court today?"

"Didn't you teach us before that the worst thing for an official is to offend people indiscriminately?"

Zhang Shilang did not speak, but looked at his other two sons.

Despite his middle-aged appearance, Zhang Hailin is actually over 100 years old.

His three sons, each over a hundred years old, were all officials in the Great Xia Dynasty, making this a typical official family.

"Second brother, third brother, what are your thoughts?"

When asked about his two sons, the younger one spoke first.

"Father, compared to your behavior today, this was all intentional, wasn't it?"

"We are betting on the Eighth Prince, Qiong Wang. As everyone knows, the mothers of Ren Wang and Qiong Wang have always been at odds."

"The two have practically never interacted in the inner palace. Your actions today in suppressing Prince Ren are an attempt to definitively show Prince Qiong your stance!"

"Hmm, very good." Vice Minister Zhang nodded in satisfaction.

He was very pleased with his second son's intelligence. Of his three sons, the eldest was calm and reserved, or to put it bluntly, timid and fearful.

The second child is exceptionally intelligent and is very much to my liking.

As for the third brother, thinking of this, he looked at the third brother who had remained silent to the side.

This son may seem extremely quiet now, but he's actually quite arrogant and domineering outside.

"That's right, I want to befriend King Qiong by suppressing King Ren."

"Anyway, Prince Ren doesn't look like an emperor at all, so what's the harm in offending him?"

"Although he didn't end up in the Hanlin Academy, the Heavenly Punishment Division wasn't much better off." Vice Minister Zhang spoke very frankly, showing he wasn't afraid of offending Prince Ren.

The second son nodded, but couldn't help but voice another concern he had.

"But Father, isn't it a bit too early for things to end like this?"

"It's alright!" Vice Minister Zhang waved his hand.

"Since you've chosen to place a bet, you should place it as soon as possible."

"The maternal clan behind the King of Qiong is the Duke of Pingluan, one of the Thirty-Six Pillars of State."

"Even if he fails to win the battle later, he will have the confidence to preserve his own faction."

The second son suddenly realized that he was ultimately not as farsighted as his father.

The Thirty-Six Pillars of State—these are the thirty-six founding dukes, a top-tier noble family that has endured to this day without the slightest decline.

Any one of them, if taken out, would be enough to make the Great Xia Dynasty tremble with a stomp of its foot.

It turns out that what Father valued was the Duke's Mansion behind the King of Qiong!

On the other side of the inner city, there stands a separate, luxurious mansion, with no other buildings within a radius of several hundred meters.

This is the residence of the eighteenth prince, Prince Heng, Xia Hengkong. He is currently at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm and is recognized as one of the geniuses.

"Some people are just stupid; they can't wait to jump out now."

"The game has only just begun, and they're already betting openly. It seems this Minister Zhang is nothing special after all." Xia Hengkong put his left hand behind his back.

He held a flower in his right hand and smelled it, followed by several distinguished aides.

"Your Highness, Minister Zhang's attempt to curry favor with Prince Qiong by suppressing Prince Ren is an absolutely disastrous move."

"Although Prince Ren has no power or strength, he is, after all, a prince, one of His Majesty's sons, and one of your imperial brothers."

"To slap Prince Ni's face, to trample on Prince Ni's face, is undoubtedly to trample on the face of the royal family and many princes."

"He didn't even think about that issue; he only saw the immediate benefits."

"This time they've really put themselves in opposition to the royal family!" one of the aides said, waving his folding fan as he shared his perspective with the others.

King Heng stopped, his energy surging, and the flower in his hand instantly turned to ashes.

"That's right. I heard that Prince Zhaoyan has been sensible since he was a child because he doesn't have the support of his maternal clan."

"So even though he was a prince, he was careful, obedient and sensible in the palace."

"Although Father Emperor has never said it outright, the title of Prince Ren shows that he still cares for this powerless son."

"Now that's settled, I'd like to see how Eighth Prince will explain this to us."

"As the saying goes, if a dog bites someone, the owner should naturally apologize!"

"However, I am still not happy. To slap the royal family in the face is to slap me in the face."

"Make the arrangements. Starting today, secretly suppress the Zhang family for me."

Upon hearing this, the people behind him bowed and accepted the order.

They did not object to the order in the slightest.

They knew King Heng's personality well; he was domineering and unreasonable.

Xia Zhaoyan probably never imagined that, because of him, the eyes of many princes would now be on Prince Qiong and the Zhang family.