Old Master Ye wore a faint smile throughout. The King's troubled expression did not escape the old man's notice.
"Your Majesty, I'm merely offering a suggestion. How to proceed is for you, as the sovereign of this kingdom, to decide."
The King felt a touch of embarrassment. He knew the old master would never meddle in state affairs, but a figure of Old Master Ye's stature—even a passing suggestion—demanded serious consideration.
"Old Master, Yang Zhao has indeed been running rampant. It just so happens that he has a sister who has attached herself to Elder Tie of the Treasure Tree Sect. I am well aware that leaving Yang Zhao in place is a persistent threat. But if I move against him, his brother-in-law from the Treasure Tree Sect will surely not let the matter rest."
At the end of the day, the Tiangui Kingdom existed under the protection of the Treasure Tree Sect. Even the royal family could be swapped out if the Sect displeased them.
Thus, when it came to one of the Sect's elders, the King could not afford to be anything but cautious.
Old Master Ye Chonglou smiled faintly. "The Treasure Tree Sect is one thing; Yang Zhao is another. The Sect has many high-ranking figures. Elder Tie is merely one among many."
With that, Old Master Ye chuckled, rose to his feet, and turned to Consort Dan. "Xiao Dan, it's getting late. Let's not keep His Majesty from his rest. Shall we go?"
Seeing the old master about to leave, the King was momentarily taken aback.
"Old Master, this—"
"Your Majesty, the Tiangui Kingdom is in your hands. How to judge, how to decide—that is all yours. I've merely offered a personal opinion."
With a sweep of his great sleeves, Old Master Ye departed the palace, Consort Dan in tow.
The King's brow furrowed deeply. He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
The old master had applied no pressure whatsoever, remaining cordial throughout. But who was Old Master Ye, really? At his level, even a casual suggestion was surely loaded with deeper meaning.
The old master clearly favored eliminating Yang Zhao—cutting out this cancer festering in the capital.
Yet behind Yang Zhao stood a Treasure Tree Sect elder. An elder was only one of many high-ranking figures in the Sect, true enough, but the King would still rather not offend a Sect elder if he could help it.
After all, these elders might not necessarily help him, but if he angered them, they had plenty of ways and means to put the royal family in its place.
"On one side, Protector Spirit King Ye; on the other, an elder of the Treasure Tree Sect…" The King was truly in a bind.
He knew that in terms of both strength and seniority, Old Master Ye stood on equal or higher ground than any Sect elder.
But an elder was nominally just one person, while behind him stood the entire Treasure Tree Sect.
Old Master Ye was powerful, yes, but his relationship with the Sect had always been ambiguous—somewhat close, yet somewhat distant. The King had never been able to read the exact nature of that relationship.
"Hold on. The old master has barely involved himself in politics for years. Why would he suddenly come see me personally? When something is abnormal, there must be something fishy about it. Could there be another reason behind this?"
The King was a king after all, with a wide-ranging mind.
Having hit upon this thought, he retraced the entire chain of events in his mind.
"Yang Zhao is a close friend of Ye Dai. He's an enemy of Crown Prince Ye Rong. This all comes back to the Crown Prince in the end. The old master has always thought more highly of Ye Rong. Could it be that the old master is paving the way for the Crown Prince? Or is there some other reason?"
Deep down, the King did not want any more upheaval surrounding the Crown Prince. He was satisfied with Ye Rong.
He also knew that Yang Zhao's existence posed a latent threat to the Crown Prince.
"Ye Rong's rise has been sudden and swift. His greatest asset is Jiang Chen. This current crisis was also triggered by Jiang Chen… It seems that this young man's shadow has been present throughout the entire affair? No—that can't be right. I've heard the old master thinks very highly of Jiang Chen, and even considered taking him as a personal disciple. Could it be that the old master came to see me personally because of Jiang Chen!?"
The King could no longer sit still.
He realized he had been neglecting this Jiang Chen all along. This young man from the Eastern Kingdom had, in just half a year, generated an astonishing degree of influence in the Tiangui Kingdom.
Now even Old Master Ye Chonglou had come forward to speak on his behalf.
"Could the old master be saying that Jiang Chen's importance outweighs Yang Zhao's? That he matters more than a Treasure Tree Sect elder?"
While the King was lost in thought, a palace attendant came to report: "Your Majesty, Crown Prince Ye Rong requests an audience outside."
"The Crown Prince? Send him in." The King's mind was already teeming with questions.
Crown Prince Ye Rong entered and bowed respectfully.
"Rong'er, these past few days you've been stirring up quite a commotion." The King rubbed his forehead, a weary look on his face.
Ye Rong quickly replied, "Imperial Father, I have been diligent and dutiful all along, staying well within my bounds. But circumstances left me no choice—certain people simply would not let me be. This time, they even colluded with assassins from the Chasing Fate Shadow Gate to wreak havoc in the capital. If he could strike at Jiang Chen today, tomorrow he might not hesitate to target me. My actions were purely out of self-preservation—for the sake of peace and stability in our Tiangui Kingdom."
The King knew this matter could not be blamed on Ye Rong.
"Rong'er, how do you intend to resolve this?"