Chapter 276 - 189: Imperial Consort

Chapter 276: Chapter 189: Imperial Consort

"Yun Tianming, what is your age? And where do you hail from?" Although Zhao Song already knew the details of Yun Tianming’s background, he asked again all the same.

Yun Tianming replied, "Your Majesty, I am thirty-four this year. I come from a remote, mountainous region and have lived with my master since I was a child."

Zhao Song continued with a broad smile, "Excellent, excellent. To have reached the Bone Refining Realm at thirty-four means your Martial Arts Root Bone and Talent are both truly exceptional. The master who raised you must be a reclusive expert."

Yun Tianming cupped his hands. "Your Majesty is too kind."

"Haha! Very well. Since you have won the tournament, you will soon be the Imperial Consort of our Zhao Royal Family!"

"There’s no time to lose. In three days, I will hold a grand wedding ceremony for you and Min’Er!"

"I wonder, will your master be able to grace us with his presence?"

Yun Tianming took a slow breath. "Of course."

"Excellent. Guards! Escort the Imperial Consort to his quarters to rest. For the next three days, you will remain within the Imperial Palace. Do not go outside," Zhao Song commanded, glancing at Fu Haoran. The more he looked at Yun Tianming, the more he liked him.

Keeping Yun Tianming in the Imperial Palace was the safest option. Outside its walls, Zhao Song suspected Fu Haoran would make a move against him.

Yun Tianming scratched his head. ’The Emperor, Zhao Song, seems a little too eager.’ Even though he wasn’t politically savvy, Yun Tianming could tell from the details that Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Fu Haoran were at odds.

This lined up perfectly with Uncle Bai’s predictions.

’Looks like the next phase of the plan will go very smoothly.’

Led by a Royal Palace guard, Yun Tianming was shown to a courtyard in a side palace where he would be staying.

By now, night had fallen, and Yun Tianming was alone in the courtyard.

The guard had just left when Bai Yimeng appeared in the hall, casually stuffing grapes into his mouth.

"So, you successfully became the Imperial Consort, I take it," Bai Yimeng said.

Yun Tianming sighed and sat down beside Bai Yimeng. "Uncle Bai, the situation is just as you predicted. Today, the Prime Minister of Zhao Country, Fu Haoran, and Emperor Zhao, Zhao Song, were openly clashing."

"That Fu Haoran’s power is overwhelming. The officials don’t even look to Emperor Zhao for direction—they only listen to Fu Haoran’s orders!"

Bai Yimeng nodded. "Good. I’ve received word that Fu Haoran will likely try to win you over. If you refuse, he’ll probably move against you."

"Hmm. I’ll have a Vanguard General pose as your master."

"If I were to show my face, Fu Haoran would likely get scared and back down immediately."

"This way, your ’master’ will appear to have some potential but not enough strength to be a real threat. Fu Haoran will then surely commit all his resources to eliminate you both."

"That will give us the perfect justification to eliminate Fu Haoran and his entire faction."

"Then, after arranging a few ’minor accidents,’ your path to the throne will be clear."

Bai Yimeng had also secretly slipped into the tournament grounds today, not only to prevent any mishaps from befalling Yun Tianming but also to witness the state of the Zhao Country’s court firsthand.

From what he observed, he gleaned even more than Yun Tianming and quickly formulated the next steps of their plan.

The Icefield Army was powerful, but it was unrealistic to think they could conquer the entire Northern Icefield Region on their own.

If the nineteen nations of the Northern Icefield Region discovered the Icefield Army were outsiders, they would likely unite to attack them.

Therefore, Bai Yimeng needed to seize control of Zhao Country quietly, without revealing that the Icefield Army came from the Holy Country. It would be best to usurp the throne in a ’legitimate’ manner, allowing them to smoothly enter this world’s arena of hegemonic conflict.

Yun Tianming listened and nodded, though he felt a twinge of guilt. ’I suppose I’ll have to wrong the Eldest Princess, Zhao Min.’

"Someone’s coming. I’m leaving," Bai Yimeng said before his figure flickered and vanished into the night.

Yun Tianming was startled for a moment. Sure enough, a knock soon came from outside.

"Is Prince Consort Yun present? I am Zhang Rang, the Chief Eunuch! I have come to request an audience!"

Yun Tianming went and opened the courtyard gate. Standing outside was, indeed, a eunuch.

This eunuch had a powerful aura; surprisingly, he was also an expert at the Bone Refining Realm.

"Prince Consort Yun is truly a man among men!" Zhang Rang gave Yun Tianming a flirtatious wink, sending a violent shiver down his spine.

"Ahem. Eunuch Zhang, what business brings you here so late at night?" Yun Tianming asked.

Zhang Rang smoothed his sleeves. "Someone wishes to see you. Come with me!"

Yun Tianming frowned slightly. "Who?"

"You’ll know when we get there," Zhang Rang said with a simper, turning to leave with an exaggerated sway of his hips.

Seeing that Yun Tianming wasn’t following, he glanced back. "It’s the Prime Minister! You’ll regret it if you don’t come, you know."

Yun Tianming recalled Bai Yimeng’s words and started to follow.

The Chief Eunuch, Zhang Rang, led Yun Tianming to another side palace.

Strangely, they didn’t encounter a single guard along the way.

This was clearly all Fu Haoran’s doing.

’Fu Haoran’s control over the Royal Palace has reached this terrifying a level. To say he has no treasonous ambitions... even a dog wouldn’t believe that.’

This was also a silent threat from Fu Haoran, a way to flex his power and intimidate the new Imperial Consort. Of course, the simple-minded Yun Tianming didn’t think that deeply about it.

Soon, Zhang Rang led Yun Tianming to an inconspicuous building.

He opened a door and gestured for Yun Tianming to enter.

Yun Tianming stepped inside and found Prime Minister Fu Haoran seated at a desk, writing something.

The room was furnished like a study.

As a subject, Fu Haoran was not supposed to be in the Royal Palace except to attend court or to have an audience with Emperor Zhao.

And yet, here he was, having quietly established his own private domain within the Royal Palace.

Yun Tianming took a deep breath.

"Greetings, Prime Minister."