Chapter 1084: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

Emperor Xia smiled and waved his hand, not letting him continue: "You think I'm deliberately giving you a hard time, which is why you're dissatisfied with me. For someone who hasn't gone through the grind of officialdom, I can understand that."

Ye Liuyun heard that and relaxed. "Good that Emperor Xia didn't misunderstand me!"

But the words that followed from Emperor Xia were much more serious.

"You don't like beating around the bush, so I'll be straightforward. The Great Summer Empire is now beset by internal and external troubles. You are now both a Prince with real authority and a Prince Consort; I need your absolute loyalty. In critical moments, I need you to stand with me."

"As long as it doesn't go against my heart, I will of course stand with Emperor Xia! I don't know what Emperor Xia means by 'stand together'."

Ye Liuyun didn't close the matter. He doesn't want to be Emperor Xia's lapdog, doing some heinous deeds for him.

"I mean, on matters of great right and wrong, I won't betray the empire!" Emperor Xia said directly.

It seems that, through a conversation between the Left Prime Minister and Ye Liuyun and Ye Liuyun's temperament, he realized he doesn't like indirect hints, so everything was told to him outright.

"That's natural!" Ye Liuyun immediately affirmed.

At least for now, he has no reason to betray the empire. Moreover, as far as he knows, Emperor Xia's governance is fairly good.

Emperor Xia nodded, then gave Ye Liuyun a rough overview of the empire's situation.

Including some Alien Evil Artifacts attacking cities in the south, the Great Summer Empire is preparing to unite with the Demon Race to resist.

There are also internal issues, such as the Cheng Clan and the Feng Clan, two massive powers.

"The Feng Clan has been weak lately, holding back a lot, but the Cheng Clan has become increasingly audacious, interfering with the empire more and more."

The reason Emperor Xia told Ye Liuyun this is to prevent him from cooperating with the empire's opponents.

Ye Liuyun immediately reported his intention to cooperate with the Feng Clan, and also stated he would help the empire deal with the Cheng Clan.

Dealing with the Cheng Clan was already his goal. If he could cooperate with Emperor Xia, the success rate would be higher.

If you can cooperate with the Feng Clan to strike the Cheng Clan, that's not bad! I'll have someone give you a list of Cheng Clan assets; any that lie within your territory you may clear out.

Emperor Xia was quite supportive of Ye Liuyun's approach.

Afterwards, Emperor Xia asked Ye Liuyun about his views on several princes.

Ye Liuyun said frankly, "My view of the princes is the same; I have no particular inclination. It's just that the Fourth Prince has helped me more, so I've had more contact with him. The Crown Prince once tried to kill me in the Secret Realm, so there's a conflict."

"What about the Seventh Prince?" Emperor Xia was quite concerned about these princes, seeming to place great importance on the succession issue.

"I have an equal contract with him; we do not infringe upon each other!" Ye Liuyun said frankly.

Emperor Xia nodded, but still reminded Ye Liuyun, "Do not involve yourself in the princes' power struggles."

"Understood!" Ye Liuyun immediately agreed.

However, he recalled that the Fourth Prince had once invited him to participate in some competition to enter the Secret Realm, so he promptly informed Emperor Xia.

"That doesn't affect anything. If you wish to go, you may," Emperor Xia said, not opposing his participation as an aide.

After all, finding a helper like Ye Liuyun was indeed something the Fourth Prince secured through his own strength.

"You previously killed the son of Lord True Essence and the son of Lord He Pingnan, as well as a talented disciple of the Cheng Clan. I suspect they'll retaliate against you!"

Lord True Essence and Lord He Pingnan have been making small moves lately. They've both pledged allegiance to the Cheng Clan and now hardly obey the empire's orders!

"Got it!" Ye Liuyun replied, but thought to himself, "This Emperor Xia is also formidable; he just appointed me as Prince Consort and now wants to borrow a knife to kill, using my hands to help him weaken his opponents' strength."

He believed that if Emperor Xia wanted to help him deal with these people, there would certainly be a way.

Yet Emperor Xia directly told him that these three families needed to be dealt with, naturally meaning he wanted him to exert effort and help Emperor Xia eliminate them.

Even a major power like the Cheng Clan, Ye Liuyun could at least draw some of their attention, easing the pressure on Emperor Xia's side.

Even if Ye Liuyun didn't fully grasp the intricacies of court politics, he could still pick up on this meaning.

Emperor Xia nodded with satisfaction, "Then I'll await your good news! Go attend to your duties."

"Understood!"

Ye Liuyun gave a brief assent and left Emperor Xia's study.

"Is that it? No protective talismans or anything?"

He thought inwardly that Emperor Xia was being overly stingy.

But on second thought, Emperor Xia had already given his two daughters to him, so whatever the calculation, it's worthwhile, and he felt relieved, happily going to find Xia Tianqiong and Ling Shuang.

When he arrived, he found that Xia Tianqiong and Ling Shuang were already waiting for him, both dressed in battle armor.

"What is this for? Aren't we supposed to leave the palace?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.

Xia Tianqiong told Ye Liuyun, "Father the Emperor has ordered us to take you into a royal Secret Realm, aiming to capture a high-level ferocious beast for your protection!"

"Also giving each of us a ferocious beast, that's considered a dowry for us!" Ling Shuang added.

"And this good thing? My father-in-law is really thoughtful!" Ye Liuyun only then realized that Emperor Xia had already made all the arrangements.

"I'm really envious of you! I don't even have the right to go in!" the Fourth Prince said enviously.

"What place? You haven't been there yet?" Ye Liuyun hadn't expected that the Fourth Prince had no qualification to enter.

"That's a place specifically for princes and princesses to select ferocious beasts. Usually it's before marriage or before an important mission that royal offspring are allowed to enter," Xia Tianqiong explained to Ye Liuyun.

"Is it dangerous?" Ye Liuyun, seeing them fully armed, felt a bit curious.

"Inside, there are ferocious beasts of the Tianzun Realm, so of course it's dangerous."

Afterwards, Xia Tianqiong began to brief Ye Liuyun on the conditions inside the Secret Realm.

"Inside there are all kinds of trials; the beast you are rewarded with usually has a realm three tiers higher than the level of the trial you pass. So if you can pass the Sixth Layer trial, you can obtain a Ninth Tier beast."

"What kind of trials?" Ye Liuyun asked again.

"Random; I don't know the specifics!"

Xia Tianqiong hasn't entered herself either. She only knows that the content of the trials isn't fixed.

"Then let's go!"

Ye Liuyun bid farewell to the Fourth Prince and, under the guidance of Xia Tianqiong and Ling Shuang, hurried toward the Secret Realm.

They passed through the palace, arrived at the northeast corner of the rear courtyard, where there stood a very ordinary wooden house, guarded outside by a squad of Imperial Guard.