Chapter 38: One-Third of the Burden
Judging from the current situation, Su Xiao felt that the power struggle would soon come to an end. The old king would not allow it to drag on any longer, nor could it be delayed under the present circumstances.
Under normal circumstances, helping a prince or princess ascend to power in a short time would have been clearly impossible.
The most advantageous contenders now, the eldest prince and the third prince, had withdrawn for the sake of the kingdom, leaving twenty-nine remaining competitors.
Among these twenty-nine, the seventh prince, the second princess, and the sixth princess had the highest chances of winning. The other twenty-six were either just going through the motions or ambitious but lacking in ability.
The seventh prince had no military power and only average financial resources, but he could rally a large number of holy warriors—meaning he possessed a massive pool of high-end combat strength.
If he wanted to, such a person would have a better chance of inheriting the throne than the eldest prince. Unfortunately, this guy was too laid-back and somewhat lazy.
Su Xiao seriously doubted whether this guy even truly wanted to become the new king. That was also why he hadn’t directly chosen the seventh prince earlier.
If the seventh prince were truly ambitious, Su Xiao was seventy percent confident he could make him the new king. As for the other princes or princesses, if they were willing to give up, they’d live; if not, they’d all be killed.
Although Su Xiao was the Iron Hand and couldn’t openly support anyone, the situation had clearly changed.
The assassination plot by the undead clan, coupled with the hidden dangers in the kingdom’s finances, meant that Saint Sordin Kingdom urgently needed a new king, not a prolonged power struggle.
The old king must have understood this, but he couldn’t directly appoint a new king, as that would destabilize the power structure even further.
If Su Xiao’s guess was correct, the old king wouldn’t ignore the current situation. He would definitely have a countermeasure.
Cutting through the knot with a swift blade and finding a new king from among his many offspring was the best way to resolve the current crisis.
Just as Su Xiao was pondering his next move, a palace guard entered the council chamber, approached him, and whispered something.
Initially, Su Xiao looked somewhat surprised, but then he nodded.
“This old lion is fiercer than I imagined.”
Su Xiao muttered, a smile spreading across his face. Compared to him, the old king was more eager to end the power struggle quickly. With a great enemy at the gates, continuing the infighting would be idiotic.
Su Xiao’s gaze shifted to the sixth princess. The second princess beside him closed her eyes and said, “It shouldn’t be too late for me to withdraw now, should it?”
“You don’t need to give up for now.”
Su Xiao spoke. The old king had just asked him to do something to speed up the selection of a new king.
The old king and the officials weren’t blind. It was already obvious which princes and princesses were qualified to inherit the throne.
The so-called power struggle wasn’t about letting all princes or princesses rely on luck to see who would become king. On the contrary, only those recognized by the majority of officials could inherit the throne. The power struggle wasn’t a gamble; it was a contest of ability.
The abilities of the eldest prince, the third prince, the seventh prince, and the second princess were all evident. They each met certain requirements for inheriting the throne in different aspects. As for the second-tier candidates who weren’t of royal blood, Rowan Harvey had just committed treason. Who the hell would dare let these people become the new king? Better safe than sorry. If an undead clan member became the new king, Saint Sordin Kingdom wouldn’t be far from destruction.
The kingdom’s internal finances were a tangled mess, hiding a time bomb. The undead clan outside the God Wall was restless. Under these circumstances, it was no longer a twenty-nine-to-one choice but a four-to-one.
Su Xiao stepped forward to the sixth princess. Mad Dog Sixth Princess narrowed her eyes.
“Iron Hand, are you going to kill me?”
The sixth princess wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, she had already seen through the current situation.
“You have one chance to give up.”
Su Xiao pulled out the Golden Lion Pendant. The old king hadn’t taken it back earlier because Su Xiao would need it for what he was about to do.
The sixth princess glanced at the Golden Lion Pendant, pursed her lips, and curled them upward.
“I… won’t… choose.”
The sixth princess stared at Su Xiao, speaking word by word. There was nothing in her eyes but killing intent. In fact, anyone with sharp eyes could see that this sixth princess wasn’t mentally stable. If she were in the Reincarnation Paradise, she might have become a ruthless figure.
Crack!
In the blink of an eye, Su Xiao’s hand had already gripped the sixth princess’s neck and snapped it.
The sixth princess’s body slumped softly against the chair. The pupils of the other four in the council chamber contracted sharply.
“Iron Hand, have you lost your mind?”
The third prince’s voice was very low. No matter how mad the sixth princess was, she was still royalty.
“This should be Father’s intention.”
The eldest prince was clearly much calmer.
“Father…”
The third prince thought about the current situation and fell silent. It was obvious that the infighting couldn’t continue.
Su Xiao turned and walked toward the exit of the council chamber. There were other princesses or princes waiting for him to deal with.
When he reached the door, Su Xiao stopped.
“Congratulations to the four of you for advancing.”
Su Xiao pushed open the door and left the council chamber.
“Huh?”
The second princess’s mouth twitched. Although she understood what was going on, she hadn’t expected the old king to actually do this.
By now, all the princes and princesses had arrived in the royal capital. They weren’t living in the palace but scattered throughout the city.
The task the old king had given Su Xiao was simple. Except for the eldest prince, the third prince, the seventh prince, and the second princess, the other princes or princesses had performed poorly in this power struggle. Most of them were just going through the motions, making small moves, or even engaging in secret rendezvous.
As for a certain prince and princess’s incestuous rendezvous, the old king was truly furious. He had even considered having Su Xiao eliminate them both to prevent the scandal from spreading.
Unfortunately, that brother-obsessed princess was quite fierce. She was a holy warrior of no small strength, so the old king could only turn a blind eye to avoid making a big scene.
…
In front of a luxurious three-story residence, Su Xiao knocked on the door. About two minutes later, a woman wrapped in a blanket opened it. Aside from the blanket, her upper body was completely bare, and the muscles on her abdomen were clearly visible.
“Iron Hand?”
The woman looked Su Xiao up and down, her gaze somewhat puzzled.
“Give up this power struggle.”
Su Xiao got straight to the point. There were still many princes or princesses waiting for his “visit.”
“Father’s intention?”
This tomboy princess was quite fierce, but she was a princess.
“You can think of it that way.”
The tomboy princess pursed her lips. “What’s in it for me?”
From a combat perspective, she wasn’t afraid of the Iron Hand—at least, that’s what she thought.
“What happened between you and your brother will never be pursued from now on.”
The bait Su Xiao threw out was substantial. Hearing this, the tomboy princess reached out and grabbed Su Xiao’s shoulder. “Really?”
The blanket slipped down a bit, revealing some skin. This move almost made Su Xiao draw his blade and cut off her head.
“Literally.”
“Alright, I agree.”
The tomboy princess was very sincere—so sincere that she exposed her chest.
Things went more smoothly than expected. Su Xiao turned and left. The tomboy princess pulled the blanket back over her shoulder and watched his retreating figure.
After a moment, the tomboy princess suddenly shouted, “Has it gotten that bad? Tell Father that if he needs me on the battlefield, I won’t refuse.”
Su Xiao stopped. The tomboy princess raised her chin at him. These princes and princesses were different from those in palace intrigue dramas. They all understood one thing: compared to power, the continuation of the kingdom was more important. Without the kingdom, they would all be hunted to the ends of the earth by the undead clan.
Su Xiao began “visiting” the other princes or princesses involved in the power struggle one by one. Most of them had surprisingly consistent attitudes: they could give up, but they couldn’t be deprived of the territories under their rule.
These territories were the “consolation prizes” for giving up the power struggle. The old king had already promised this. As for the new king’s offspring’s territories, that couldn’t be considered now. Surviving the current crisis was the key.
About two hours later, Su Xiao had “visited” twenty-six princes or princesses. Two of them had extreme ambition, and someone was already handling their aftermath.
Su Xiao left the last princess’s residence, a smile on his face. From the current situation, he had a chance to complete the main mission first. Although his stay time would be greatly reduced, the tasks in the primordial world were numerous, which would significantly extend his stay time.
If he completed the main mission, the burden on Su Xiao’s shoulders would be reduced by one-third. After that, he would have no constraints in the royal capital. Even if he directly clashed with the royal family, it wouldn’t matter. The worst outcome would be fighting his way out.
An unshackled Iron Hand would make even the old king wary. If the old king knew Su Xiao’s true identity, his expression would be one of shock—or perhaps horror?