Chapter 675: Gong Yuan's Ambition

The Regent's words were plain, yet beneath that plainness lurked a murderous, heart-piercing intent, for the shock was so great that even the Eldest Princess's long-cultivated composure was torn to shreds; her face went pale, and her body swayed unsteadily as if about to collapse.

The impact of the Regent's words on her was simply too great.

It had directly shattered her mental defenses.

Although she understood the Regent's vicious intent, for some reason reason told her that his remarks were likely not baseless slander, because the bizarre things that had happened to Gong Gong Jingyao had already appeared clearly before her eyes.

No one could change a person's gender in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, as Gong Gong Jingyao's elder sister, she had often taken care of him in the past, so sometimes she had noticed some rather peculiar things about him with puzzlement—for instance, his body always tended toward being thin and frail, his skin was very fair, his temperament always seemed delicate, and especially his features had grown even more feminine over the past year.

And this change... upon careful thought, it really did seem to have begun after she had invited Li Luo to purge the poison from Gong Gong Jingyao.

Linking this to the Regent's words, the Eldest Princess's heart could not help but sink deeply.

Could it be that Gong Gong Jingyao's gender had truly been concealed at birth by her father through some special means, all to deceive the detection of the National Guardian Formation? But why had her father not told her such an important secret? All these years she had wandered far and wide seeking skilled physicians to cure Gong Gong Jingyao's strange poison—had she instead harmed him and ruined her father's painstaking plans?

At this moment, a thick shade of dejection appeared in the Eldest Princess's usually bright and confident phoenix eyes.

Nothing is more dispiriting than exhausting every effort to do something, only to discover in the end that the whole thing had been a mistake from the very beginning.

So at this moment, the Eldest Princess began to appear somewhat at a loss.

And while the Eldest Princess was falling into self-doubt, on the tiered viewing platforms, the leaders of the various factions likewise noticed the change in Gong Gong Jingyao, and without exception, every single one of them wore an expression of shock and disbelief.

Wails!

The uproar erupted directly like a tidal wave.

"This..."

Even Li Luo widened his eyes, his emotions surging violently, his expression shifting dramatically. If others were merely shocked and at a loss over the young king's transformation, then deep within him a sudden sense of dawning realization welled up.

No wonder lately when he had been neutralizing the Black Lotus poison for the young king, he had always felt that his bearing and features had become somewhat feminine. So, so he wasn't a man at all, but a girl?!

At this moment, the figure of the young king on the Sacrificial Heaven Platform was entirely that of a well-developed young girl. Although she was clearly only ten years old, perhaps because of the Yin-Yang Green Lotus, her figure had undergone some kind of catalysis and was practically indistinguishable from an adult's.

But perhaps precisely because of this, everyone could see her transformation even more clearly.

"Was it the Regent's doing?" Jiang Qing asked with her willow brows tightly furrowed.

"That doesn't seem very likely, does it?" Li Luo gave a bitter laugh. To change a nation's ruler from male to female in front of so many people—if the Regent possessed such unfathomably ghostly means, would he still need to fight for power?

"There may indeed be such methods in this world, but they are absolutely beyond what a titled Marquis-level powerhouse can accomplish; even an ordinary King-level powerhouse cannot do it," Instructor Xici said slowly.

"Could it be an illusion? Something to deceive the eye?" Li Luo asked, unwilling to give up. He truly found it somewhat impossible to accept the bizarre fact that the little boy he had been treating for poison for nearly a year had suddenly become a young girl.

"With so many titled Marquis-level powerhouses present, what illusion could deceive even us? Li Luo, you must learn to accept reality," Instructor Xici countered.

Li Luo gave a bitter laugh, then sighed and said, "This makes the situation really troublesome."

The young king suddenly becoming a girl was clearly the main factor that caused the inheritance of the National Guardian Formation to fail, and a king who could not control the National Guardian Formation was undoubtedly unqualified.

Today's coronation ceremony was indeed not as smooth and simple as imagined.

Moreover, with such a perfect opportunity, how could the Zhengwangyi Sect let it slip by so easily? This was practically a target handed to them on a silver platter for accusation.

This made Li Luo's heart grow heavy as well. After all, their House Luolan Mansion had already boarded the Eldest Princess's ship, and between him and the Regent Gong Yuan, not to mention blood feuds, they were absolutely each other's thorn in the eye. If the Regent gained power today, then the situation for House Luolan Mansion going forward might not necessarily be any better than before, unless his parents could return soon.

And just as Li Luo was thinking these thoughts in his heart, on the viewing platform, some elderly ministers with aged appearances had already risen trembling to their feet. Their faces were filled with suspicion and anger, and their gazes turned toward the Eldest Princess's position: "Eldest Princess, what is going on here?! You owe us an explanation!"

These old ministers belonged to the faction that supported Gong Gong Jingyao, because they believed in his legitimate status. But now Gong Gong Jingyao's sudden change of gender had left them completely dumbfounded, and for a moment their hearts were filled with extreme indignation.

These old ministers were very senior and carried considerable weight within the Baohuang Sect. Now that they had raised their doubts, it caused the other members of the Baohuang Sect to exchange glances, a sense of worry welling up in their hearts. The Regent hadn't even made his move yet—were they about to start fighting amongst themselves?

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And faced with the old ministers' angry questioning, what could the Eldest Princess say? That she was also completely unaware? That would not only be useless, but would instead make people feel that she, as Eldest Princess, had truly been incompetent in her handling of affairs, not even knowing such an important secret—what future could such a person possibly have?

"It seems today's inheritance of the National Guardian Formation has failed," the Regent finally rose to his feet and said unhurriedly.

"Does Uncle Wang mean to sabotage the coronation ceremony?!" the Eldest Princess said coldly.

The Regent said calmly, "According to the royal house's rules, anyone who cannot successfully inherit the National Guardian Formation does not count as the true king of Great Xia. I do not wish to sabotage the coronation ceremony. If Gong Jingyao can control the National Guardian Formation right now, then I will immediately lay down all my power, retire from here on, and have nothing more to do with the affairs of Wang Ting!"

"But I only wish to say that the National Guardian Formation is the strongest force the royal house has to protect Great Xia. If this power is lost because of the king's inadequacy, then I believe not only I, but everyone in Great Xia, will not agree."

"The people of Great Xia do not wish to live on in such constant fear and unease!"

His voice was not concealed in the slightest, but spread directly across the viewing platform, which caused much commotion. The leaders of the various factions all changed color slightly, for the Regent's words spoken so openly had already completely revealed his ambition.

"Gong Yuan, you want to rebel?!" The Eldest Princess's beautiful face turned livid, the peaks on her chest heaving with magnificent waves, showing she was already furious beyond measure, and her words held not the slightest trace of respect for the Regent.

"I am doing this for the good of Great Xia!" the Regent replied sternly.

Then he looked directly at those old ministers of the Baohuang Sect and said in a deep voice, "Today Gong Jingyao's inheritance of the National Guardian Formation has already failed. If you remain stubbornly obstinate, then when Great Xia encounters a great calamity in the future, where will the power to resist come from?"

"This coronation ceremony has already failed; it has become a joke!"

"But there is still a possibility of remedy!"

"According to the royal house's rules, any legitimate male of pure royal bloodline has the qualification to receive the recognition of the National Guardian Formation!"

"If Gong Gong Jingyao cannot do it, then let me!"

With that final sentence, the Regent's voice rang out like thunder. At the same time he took a step forward, and a vast, formidable pressure surged skyward. His tiger-like eyes held majesty, and the many years of cultivating his bearing made him at this moment deeply majestic, possessing something of an emperor's domineering aura.

And on the viewing platform, the leaders of all the top factions and the powerhouses all had expressions turn utterly solemn.

The unexpected turn of events at this coronation ceremony had, as expected, finally appeared.

With these words from Gong Yuan, a great upheaval was unavoidable!