Chapter 457: Xue Ke

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Ke'er is my wife; Feihuang will never let her suffer the slightest grievance," Feihuang said straightforwardly. "Feihuang knows what Your Majesty is worried about. How about I give you one final promise: I, Nan Feihuang, will never lay a finger on the military power of a single soldier or officer of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Sigh, I really couldn't hide it from you," Great Emperor Xue Ye sighed. In truth, when he had left Xue Ke alone in the hall earlier to give his final instructions, he had been repeatedly urging her that military power must absolutely not be handed over to Nan Feihuang.

He just hadn't expected that Nan Feihuang would bring it out into the open directly in front of him and Xue Ke.

Was this man truly a magnanimous gentleman, or was he a great villain appearing loyal and a great deceiver appearing true? To tell the truth, even he could no longer see through him.

Yet his time was running out, and at this moment, he could only believe that what Nan Feihuang said was true. Although the Heaven Dou Empire guarded against Nan Feihuang, it also had no choice but to rely on his strength.

After the news of the victory in the battle between the Gu Lei Kingdom and the Offering Hall reached his ears, he became even more convinced that in this world, only Nan Feihuang could become the sole fighting force to resist the Spirit Hall in the future.

Xue Ke held Great Emperor Xue Ye's hand and said with a face full of tears, "Father Emperor, please rest assured. Brother Feihuang is the best to me; he will not lie to you. I will work hard together with Brother Feihuang to manage the Heaven Dou Empire well."

Xue Ye nodded weakly, looked at Feihuang, and said, "Child, could you come over for a moment?"

Although Feihuang did not think much of Great Emperor Xue Ye, he was still willing to show respect for the words of an old man before his death, so he walked slowly to Xue Ye's side.

Xue Ye took his hand and slowly placed Xue Ke's hand into his palm. "Two good children, I leave the Heaven Dou Empire to you both. Ke'er, you must remember, your greatest advantage in succeeding to the throne is not anything else, but the existence of Feihuang. Furthermore, I have only one sentence to leave you with: no matter what, do not surrender to the Spirit Hall. Not a single inch of the nation's territory shall be yielded!!!"

The last sentence was roared out by Xue Ye. This was a flash of clarity before death; his hatred for the Spirit Hall had ignited his final potential.

However, after saying this sentence, he lost all the strength in his entire body, his palm slipped from where the two were holding hands, and he closed his eyes forever.

"Father Emperor!!!" Feeling the passing of her father's life, Xue Ke cried out at the top of her lungs.

Although she had not been very close to Great Emperor Xue Ye in the past, Xue Ye had not treated her poorly; the treatment a Princess should have had was never lacking.

The husband he chose for her was also a desirable man with whom she herself was very satisfied.

Not to mention, since the identity of Xue Qinghe had been exposed, she no longer had an older brother, and Great Emperor Xue Ye was her only relative.

From now on, she no longer had a maternal home.

Fortunately, she still had a husband; otherwise, she would have truly become a lonely person.

Xue Ke hugged Nan Feihuang tightly; this was her only reliance at this moment.

Not long after, the news of the Emperor's passing spread throughout the palace and beyond. All the eunuchs and palace maids knelt on the ground to see him off; regardless of what kind of person Xue Ye was, he was, after all, a monarch of a generation.

The word "enlightened monarch" did not fit, and the word "dull monarch" was not quite right either; he could only be considered an unremarkable monarch, with neither merit nor fault.

After all, the rotten situation of the Heaven Dou nobility did not start with his generation; it had existed for several generations prior. That he could control it from worsening could be considered the word "maintaining."

Xue Ke also buried her father in the Heaven Dou Imperial Mausoleum with the most solemn imperial rites.

As soon as the funeral was completed, Ge Long immediately knelt on the ground. "Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess, the Emperor has passed away, and a country cannot go a day without a master. Your subject respectfully requests that the Crown Princess immediately ascend the throne to become the new Empress of our Heaven Dou Empire."

"We request Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess to ascend the throne!" The ministers immediately seconded the motion.

After all, this matter had not just been proposed; it had been months. At this time, naturally, no one in the Heaven Dou Empire dared to have any objections. "Very well, Uncle Ge Long. I, Xue Ke, am now the only bloodline of our Imperial Family. Although I know it is difficult to shoulder such a great responsibility, I also understand the duty I must bear." Xue Ke was no longer as panicked as she had been a few months ago; Xue Ye had truly taught her a lot over these past few months, and she had rehearsed this scene in her heart for a long time. "But Uncle Ge Long, Ke'er is young and inexperienced after all, and I am a woman. For many important matters in the future, I will still need much guidance from you, Uncle Ge Long."

"Your Highness, please rest assured. For the sake of the Heaven Dou Empire, your subject will surely exhaust my efforts until my heart stops beating!" Ge Long promised solemnly.

"Wait!" Just at this moment, a discordant voice rang out. "Just as Her Highness the Princess said herself, she is young and inexperienced, and she is a woman. When has the Heaven Dou Empire ever had a woman serve as Emperor?"

The crowd looked at the source of the voice in surprise. When they saw clearly who was speaking, they suddenly realized: so it was them.

There would be no one left in the Heaven Dou Empire to object, but that did not mean the same was true abroad.

The bloodline of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was not only preserved within the country; there was another place where some was also preserved, and that was the Balak Kingdom.

The Balak Kingdom had once had a marriage alliance with the Heaven Dou Empire. At that time, an aunt of Great Emperor Xue Ye had married far away into Ba La Ke and given birth to the current King of the Balak Kingdom, Kundela.

In other words, Kundela was actually a distant younger brother of Xue Ye.

And the person who spoke was none other than Kundela's youngest son, Kun Mo. He also possessed the Xue family bloodline and was a man. Now that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had no male heirs, he thought that perhaps he might have a chance.

So he immediately stepped forward and said, "Marshal Ge Long, esteemed ministers, my father sent me here this time not only to mourn the Emperor but also for the future of the Heaven Dou Empire. Princess Xue Ke is a woman after all, and she has already married far away into the Gu Lei Kingdom. One day she will have to return to the Gu Lei Kingdom; how can she inherit the throne? I ask the Marshal and everyone to consider this carefully."

His words actually touched the hearts of many people. What they were most worried about was exactly this: Xue Ke was, after all, going to marry Nan Feihuang.

At the time, it was said to be a marriage, not a matrilocal one. In this situation, saying Xue Ke was a person of the Gu Lei Kingdom was not wrong.

Since Xue Ke was a person of the Gu Lei Kingdom yet could inherit the throne, why couldn't someone in the Balak Kingdom who possessed the Xue family imperial bloodline do the same? Seeing that the ministers seemed to be moved, Kun Mo struck while the iron was hot. "Everyone, my father has granted me one request. As long as you are willing to support me, I am willing to change my surname to Xue and henceforth rename myself Xue Mo. The Heaven Dou Empire will forever be our Xue family's."

Once these words were spoken, many who had originally been firm in their resolve began to waver.

Xue Ke was even more nervous. She had not expected that at such a time, a cousin would actually emerge to compete with her for the throne.

"Ke'er, don't be nervous. Don't forget what the Emperor said to you before he passed away. What is your greatest advantage in succeeding to the throne?" Nan Feihuang held Xue Ke's hand and said softly.

His gentle words ignited Xue Ke's courage.

Xue Ke stepped forward and said, "Cousin Kun Mo, what you said makes a lot of sense. Our situations are similar, and you are a man, possessing our Xue family bloodline, and can continue the orthodox line of the Xue family. However, I have one point that you cannot compare to."

"Oh? Cousin Ke'er, please speak freely. In what way am I inferior to you?" Kun Mo said confidently.

How could he possibly be inferior to Xue Ke?

At most, it would be the purity of the bloodline, but Xue Ke was a girl after all; wouldn't the children she gave birth to in the future also belong to someone else's family? The pot calling the kettle black, it was all the same.

As for other things, whether it be talent in governing the country or cultivation of soul power, in what way could Xue Ke compare to him?

Xue Ke looked at the man beside her with love and said with a smile, "My husband, Nan Feihuang!"

(End of chapter)