Prince Jin’s eyes flashed with a hint of darkness.
His attendant returned from General Hu’s quarters and reported in a low voice, "The witness has disappeared."
Prince Rui, King Qi, and Lu Qi also heard the attendant’s report.
Lu Qi’s expression remained unchanged.
Prince Rui and King Qi’s faces turned noticeable grim.
King Qi gritted his teeth and said, "How could they vanish so suddenly? How did Hu Lie manage this ss?"
Prince Rui also seed puzzled, "General Hu has always been reliable in his duties. Why would sothing like this happen?"
The attendant replied, "I don’t know either."
Prince Rui’s gaze fell on Lu Yuan, who was awaiting his confernt. "That boy truly has so uncanny luck. We laid out an impenetrable trap, thinking he wouldn’t survive without paying a heavy price, yet he managed to arrive at the ceremony unscathed."
King Qi scoffed, "It’s just luck, nothing more."
Being the most impatient among the brothers, King Qi spoke louder than he intended, and his words were overheard by Lu Zhaoyan and the Minister of Agriculture.
Lu Zhaoyan, the ever-graceful and refined, said, "Fourth Brother, luck isn’t sothing possessed by everyone."
The Minister of Agriculture added, "The Crown Prince speaks wisely. Only those in harmony with destiny enjoy the protection of heaven, shining with auspicious stars and blessed fortune."
ng, the Cabinet Minister, stroked his beard and said, "Indeed. The Imperial Grandson carries the mandate of fate, which signifies that he is destined to uphold the divine power of Great Liang."
Behind Lu Zhaoyan stood Mr. Zi Wu, who appeared sleepy but slightly opened his eyes when he heard the comnt about carrying the mandate of fate.
That boy’s life has been strewn with hardship. The suffering he endured early on would have broken anyone else.
Even now, it’s hard to claim he’s overly fortunate.
The Qilin identity brings him not only glory but endless trouble.
Surviving wave after wave of sches was hardly due to luck; it’s because he never yielded to fate.
His fortune? He earned it himself.
If you ask , is there really such a thing as soone casually stumbling upon gold wherever they go?
"Eh? What’s this?"
ng Qianqian bent down and picked up a gold ingot. "Mr. Zi Wu, is this yours?"
Mr. Zi Wu: "..."
Officials from the Ministry of Rites presented the Qilin Ceremony Robe, customized for the Imperial Grandson.
The Priest, responsible for presiding over sacrificial ceremonies, personally dressed Lu Yuan in the Qilin Robe and placed the Qilin Head Crown upon him.
The dust of his exhausting journey instantly fell away, and Lu Yuan radiated an intense aura of power and grace.
The civil and military officials were awestruck.
They had seen the Imperial Grandson in the Jinluan Palace presenting poetry and prose with the elegance of a top scholar, and they had seen his gallant presence during the riding and archery competition, a spirit soaring to compete with heaven itself.
They thought they had seen all that could impress, yet the Imperial Grandson standing before them now revealed yet another side.
asured and dignified, with an innate bearing of noble lineage and divine heritage.
Even his steps up the altar exuded imperial majesty.
Step by step, he ascended the altar, walking toward Emperor Liang whose face bore solemn authority.
Emperor Liang stared at him unyieldingly, like a seasoned Dragon King gazing upon his own young dragon.
Lu Yuan stood before Emperor Liang and respectfully bowed, "Royal Grandfather."
Emperor Liang nodded.
Turning, he led Lu Yuan to bow before heaven and the ancestral tablets.
Kneeling on the prayer mat, Emperor Liang declared solemnly, "Under the Yellow Heaven, before our ancestors and forebears, I now confer upon the 37th descendant of the Lu Family, Lu Linyuan, the title of Guardian Qilin, to protect Great Liang, usher prosperity and peace, and ensure enduring legacy!"
Lu Yuan reverently knelt and bowed.
His ceremonial movents were flawless, and if no one ntioned his civilian origin, anyone would assu he had been raised in the Prince Qin Mansion as the grood heir.
The Priest said, "Your Majesty, please light the incense."
Emperor Liang rose and took the incense handed to him by an official from the Ministry of Rites, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner in front of the ancestral tablets.
The Priest then turned to Lu Yuan. "Please light the incense, Imperial Grandson."
Lu Yuan received several sticks of incense.
But at this mont, an unexpected event occurred.
The incense he lit extinguished the mont it was placed into the burner.
Everyone was stunned.
"The incense... extinguished?" Duke Jiang rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Maybe it wasn’t lit properly!"
Emperor Liang’s expression remained stoic as he looked at the Priest.
The Priest calmly said, "Imperial Grandson, please light the incense."
Lu Yuan lit it again.
But, unsurprisingly, this ti too, the incense burned fine in his hand but extinguished imdiately upon entering the burner.
Prince Jin’s lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer.
Prince Rui and King Qi exchanged knowing glances with their elder brother before averting their eyes with tacit understanding.
Prince Rui said impassively, "Well done, elder brother. That move was exceptional."
King Qi gloated, "Who could deny it? His incense being rejected by the ancestors—it ans the forebears refuse to acknowledge him!"
"The extinguished incense... It’s an on from the late emperor and the ancestral spirits of the Imperial Family."
"I told you, the Commandery Prince is the true Guardian Qilin. The Imperial Grandson lacks the qualifications!"
Tan’er, incensed, turned to glare at the citizens gossiping bitterly. "The Imperial Grandson aced both the literary and martial exams! He’s a scholar of exceptional talent, unmatched in martial arts, courageous, intelligent, and, most importantly, generous! He doesn’t qualify, yet that pale-faced weakling does?"
"Hey—who are you calling a pale-faced weakling? That’s Prince Jian!"
"Indeed, what’s the use of excelling in both intellect and might? If the ancestors don’t approve, he cannot claim that seat!"
"Get off the altar quickly! Angering the ancestors might bring disaster!"
"Our southwest has enjoyed favorable weather year after year, but now there’s a drought—is it possible there’s a calamity-bringer in our midst?"
The crowd erupted at those words.
A calamity-bringer causing droughts? It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility!
"Calamity! Calamity!"
The gathered citizens began hurling insults at Lu Yuan.
King Qi strained to suppress his grin but couldn’t disguise the gleam of joy in his eyes. "Well said. It’s because of this disaster-bringer that Great Liang’s people suffer from droughts and hunger."
Lu Linyuan, let’s see what move you make now.
Lu Qi said calmly, "Father, so this is your trump card."
Prince Jin cast a aningful glance at his son. "Soday you’ll understand that having a powerful father is worth ten, no, a hundred tis more than one who rely comforts you. So? Do you like this gift, Qi’er?"
Lu Qi replied, "Father’s actions are overly risky. Royal Grandfather is not so easily deceived."
Prince Jin laughed confidently, "I haven’t deceived your Royal Grandfather."
Emperor Liang cast an icy gaze at the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! This humble servant wouldn’t dare tamper with the incense. Please grant your discernnt!"
Emperor Liang grabbed a handful of incense, lit several sticks himself, and handed the rest to Lu Yuan.
His incense burned steadily, yet again, Lu Yuan’s extinguished instantly upon entering the burner.
At this point, claiming the incense was faulty would no longer be believable—even to Emperor Liang.
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