BXBX NOVEL Chapter 301: Royal Worries
“Fourth Brother, even if he didn’t mean it, he has still offended me. We can’t just let this go,” Yang Yanyu said.
Yang Pojun scratched his head, chuckling, “So what do you propose we do?”
Yang Yanyu glowered at Fang Lin, “He looks like bad news. I want to tie him up and throw him into the city moat.”
Both Yang Pojun and Fang Lin were left speechless. She really had the gall to suggest throwing Fang Lin into the city moat, knowing well who he was. Wasn’t she just putting the Purple Mist Sect in an awkward position?
Fang Lin retorted, “For a princess, you certainly don’t act like one. Always talking about cutting off hands or throwing people into the river, anyone would mistake you for a hooligan.”
Yang Pojun squirmed uncomfortably in agreement. Indeed, his sister was starting to seem no less than a ruffian.
Angrily, Yang Yanyu reiterated her intent to throw Fang Lin into the city moat.
“Yang Pojun, didn’t you promise to introduce me to a princess from the imperial family that I could take as my wife when we were in the Endless Dungeon? Please, don’t introduce me to someone like her. She’s quite fierce. I fear she will remain unmarried her whole life,” remarked Fang Lin, sighing.
With a start, Yang Yanyu went berserk. She shouted threats to kill Fang Lin. Yang Pojun had to intervene to prevent her from attacking Fang Lin, knowing she’d be defeated in just a couple of rounds.
“You lewd beast, this isn’t over!” Yang Yanyu said fiercely after being barely pacified by Yang Pojun.
However, Fang Lin didn’t seem the least bit concerned. Adding another contester like Yang Yanyu to his list made no difference to him.
After Yang Pojun got rid of Yang Yanyu, he returned to Fang Lin and resumed their conversation.
Fang Lin had always wondered why Yang Pojun didn’t participate in the contest for the substitute position. It seemed like a good time to ask him.
Yang Pojun explained that he had initially wanted to compete for the substitute position, but for some reason, Yang Jianye did not approve.
Baffled, Yang Pojun had made several requests, hoping to gain an approval for his participation.
Regrettably, not only did he fail to receive an approval, he was also scolded for his persistence. This left him unhappy.
“Why didn’t your father allow you to join?” Fang Lin asked, frowning.
Yang Pojun sighed heavily, “I didn’t understand his rationale back then. It was my mother who enlightened me. It wasn’t just me; the seventh, third, and the eighth princes were also denied participation. Only Prince Yang Wanshan, the sixth prince, and the ninth prince were allowed to participate. Despite their participation, their skills are quite average. Even if they compete, they won’t stand a chance against you or the Li Family’s contenders. This made me realize my father didn’t want any prince to get the substitute position.”
“What? why?” asked Fang Lin, still puzzled.
Yang Pojun looked at him and replied with a bitter smile, “Father doesn’t want the princes to pose a threat to the eldest imperial son. The position of Crown Prince is yet to be decided, but I already know that our father intends to place Zhao Shenji as the Crown Prince, who will eventually become the future ruler.”
On hearing this, Fang Lin finally understood. Turns out, this was Qian Emperor, Yang Jianye’s way of clearing the path for Zhao Shenji.
If the substitute position is secured by another prince, it could pose a threat to Zhao Shenji – which was not ideal.
Yang Jianye decided on Zhao Shenji as the Crown Prince. Zhao Shenji was also one of the three competitors in the grand tournament of the three countries. If another prince became the substitute, it would certainly affect Zhao Shenji’s status and prestige.
Therefore, Yang Jianye denied the participation of skilled princes like Yang Pojun, only permitting the relatively unskilled princes like Yang Wanshan to participate, so that no prince could secure the substitute position.
Upon realizing this, Fang Lin felt a twinge of sympathy. Although being born into royalty comes with privileges and a carefree existence, it also brings along unavoidable troubles such as the struggle for the position of Crown Prince, Heir, and Emperor. These hurdles are faced by all princes, and regardless of their intentions, others might not view them the same way. Being a part of the royal family sometimes forces one to endure the helpless circumstances.
From Fang Lin’s point of view, Yang Pojun might be a soldier, but he’s also ambitious and aspires to compete for the Crown Prince position to eventually succeed as the Emperor.
However, now it was apparent that Yang Pojun or any of the other princes hardly stand a chance. The most important thing was who Yang Jianye would choose; otherwise, it was all in vain regardless of their performances.
Fang Lin patted Yang Pojun’s shoulder, trying to comfort him, saying, “Nothing’s definite. Among all the princes, you’re quite outstanding. If you work hard and surpass your older brother, surely the position of Crown Prince would mostly be yours.”
With a grim smile, Yang Pojun replied, “I would like that, but you haven’t met my oldest brother. To surpass him is too difficult, almost impossible. With him rising to the top, it’s almost impossible for any of us princes to shine.”
Fang Lin was curious, and asked, “Is your oldest brother that formidable?”
Yang Pojun replied, “More than formidable. My oldest brother, Yang Xuanfeng, is twenty-eight and is already at the peak of Earth Element – only one step away from entering the Heavenly Origin realm. Across the Qian Country, aside from Li Guanxin of the Li Family, it’s hard to find a second person to compete with him. And in my opinion, even Li Guanxin may fall slightly short compared to my oldest brother.”
The astonished expression on Fang Lin’s face said it all. Yang Pojun was quite competitive, but the tone of his voice reflected his reverence for Yang Xuanfeng, which showcased how formidable Yang Xuanfeng was.
However, Fang Lin was still not completely convinced. He said, “We’ll see about that. My master’s second daughter, Han Xiaoxing, is also at the peak of Earth Element. I doubt she would lose to your older brother.”
Yang Pojun looked at him and laughed, “Indeed, Han Xiaoxing is marvelous. However, she is blind, which is her most significant disadvantage. If they were to spar, my brother could defeat her. Besides, they had a bout two years ago.”
Anxiously, Fang Lin asked, “What was the result?”
“My older brother won by a move. However, it was later revealed that he had held back due to Han Xiaoxing’s blindness. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have won just by one move,” Yang Pojun answered.
Returns to silence, Fang Lin thought to himself – ‘Indeed, Yang Xuanfeng is remarkable, but isn’t Han Xiaoxing admirable too.’
As per Fang Lin, the visually-impaired Han Xiaoxing deserved more respect than Yang Xuanfeng or Li Guanxin. She was unable to see from her childhood and yet had come this far in life. If her vision was restored, she would undoubtedly give Yang Xuanfeng a run for his money.
“Fang Lin, Fourth Brother, what are you guys up to?” Suddenly, a group of people walked over from the distance. Leading the group was Prince Yang Wanshan, who had lost to Fang Lin earlier in the day.