Protect Our Clan Leader

Chapter 785: Chapter 7: The Untold Story of Wang Anye and the Little Princess (Request for Monthly Tickets) _5

Inside the imperial household, other than a few princes who were at the Divine Power Territory, the number of Great Heavenly Prouds weren’t many, just five or six. However, not every Great Heavenly Proud was eligible to compete for the position of the Emperor’s Son.

Among them, one was too old, currently at the Peak Purple Abode and would breach the Divine Power Territory in a few decades, he was unfortunately born too early. There was also one who was too young, barely in his teens, and absolutely out of the race.

The rest were those whose bloodlines were too distant, not of the direct lineage, hence, lacked the eligibility to compete for the inheritance.

After evaluating these, only the Kang Commandery Prince and An Commandery Prince were suitable in terms of age, cultivation base, and status.

However, Wu Dianshan himself did not hold a high opinion of An Commandery Prince.

Firstly, An Commandery Prince originated from Princess Qingluo’s line, hence, his status was not so stable in name.

Princess Qingluo indeed contributed great merit to the Great Qian Land, and the late emperor also left a last decree, but after thousands of years, how many would remember their old sentimentality? Especially when even the princes had been replaced once.

If the name was not right, then the words wouldn’t follow.

Today, within the imperial clan, privately, there were some who disputed An Commandery Prince’s inheritance rights. It was only because Emperor Longchang was sentimental about his first daughter and declared the last decree left by the late emperor before his reign. Furthermore, he also announced the promise he made when he ascended the throne, so others had no say in the matter.

Therefore, the clan always held reservations about An Commandery Prince. Apart from the princes and commandery princes from Princess Qingluo’s line, there were few who openly supported him.

Unlike Kang Commandery Prince, who up to now, had already two princes openly supporting him, and there were many more commandery princes than on An Commandery Prince’s side.

Secondly, it was about marital relations.

Kang Commandery Prince was of the direct lineage, and his wedding partners were always from the current era’s top Second Class, Third-Class Aristocratic Families, who were of higher standing within the family. Hence, his connection with these prominent families was very deep.

While An Commandery Prince was significantly inferior in this aspect.

Although Princess Qingluo’s line had been producing talents for thousands of years, because it was not of the direct lineage, the choice of marital relations was inevitably inferior. Marrying into Second-Class Aristocratic Families was practically a fantasy, and most of the time, they might only be married into Third-Class Aristocratic Families.

Even if they were Third-Class Aristocratic Families, the daughters of the direct line who were sent to marry often ranked lower within the family compared to those in Kang Commandery Prince’s circle. Hence, only a Great Heavenly Proud like An Commandery Prince could marry someone like Gongsun Qingrui, who held a high position in the family and was naturally talented.

Over time, the gap between the two sides naturally widened.

An Commandery Prince’s influence in the court was always inferior to Kang Commandery Prince, and the crux of the problem was here. After all, the officials of higher standing in the court, apart from those from the imperial household, were mostly from these top class families.

Thirdly, it was about personal reputation.

An Commandery Prince was overly low-key.

Although he was a Great Heavenly Proud, the court heard too few tales about him before he became the Quasi Emperor’s Son and formally participated in the “Emperor’s Son Contest”. Everyone was nearly oblivious of his character and style of work.

In comparison, Kang Commandery Prince was much more high-profile.

Before becoming the Quasi Emperor’s Son, he had already made a considerable contribution in the court as well as the battlefield with his Great Heavenly Proud status and formidable strength.

Comparatively, Kang Commandery Prince’s momentum naturally surpassed that of An Commandery Prince.

Now, with the court officials and clan relatives increasingly taking sides, the dispute was becoming more intense. The gap between the two was growing bigger, and the situation was becoming more apparent.

That An Commandery Prince and his consort would visit him at this moment was, honestly, quite surprising.

Nevertheless, he was not very concerned.

He was detached from the political center as an idle Commandery Prince. Apart from the distant bloodline, his influence in the court was quite limited and even his value for alliance was minimal. How the competition for the Emperor’s Son would end did not concern him in the slightest.

They could execute normal interactions, and he had nothing to worry about.

Unconsciously, half a day passed.

At the afternoon, a Dragon Hawk Flying Carriage hovered down from the sky and gently landed on the small square outside the Wang Fu.

Soon, An Commandery Prince Wu Mingyuan, wearing the Commandery Prince’s attire, and his consort, Gongye Qingrui, lifted the carriage curtains and stepped down from the carriage.

Wang Fu’s old manager had been waiting for a long time and immediately led the people to welcome them through the main gate.

Accompanying him was a teenager in his teens.

He was Wu Dianshan’s great-grandson, and also the eldest son of the princely heir.

Actually, it was more appropriate for the princely heir to receive An Commandery Prince and his consort. However, the Princely Heir of Zhenzuo was currently in seclusion for impacting the realm of heaven and humankind, so his eldest son was receiving on his father’s behalf.

After ushering An Commandery Prince and his consort to the main hall, the teenager withdrew.

Inside the main hall, Zhenzuo Lord Wu Dianshan had already arrived and immediately greeted them.

“Uncle, It’s been a long time since we last met. How are you?” According to seniority, An Commandery Prince and his consort first paid their respects to Wu Dianshan and amiably started the conversation.

“Hahaha~ Mingyuan, Qingrui, You both are rare guests ~ come on, come on, sit inside, sit inside.” Wu Dianshan also courteously returned the greetings, “You came a long way here, I hope your journey was smooth?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co