Chapter 44: The Regent and His Ministers

“Chief Minister, go ahead,” Xiang Ning said helplessly.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Ben replied in a clear voice. “The Great Prince has recently returned from training at the Lihuo Sect, and his cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul stage.”

The Great Prince?

Xiang Ning was stunned for a few seconds, unable to recall who he was at first, perhaps because the memory was buried too deep. The courtiers began whispering among themselves, discussing quietly.

“Ah? It's him!?”

It took Xiang Ning considerable effort to remember, and her face darkened instantly. The so-called Great Prince was her elder brother, born of the same mother but a different father.

In Great Chu, customs were liberal, and it was commonplace for women to divorce and remarry. However, Xiang Ning’s mother, the current Empress Dowager Li, was the first woman in Chu to remarry after a divorce.

Li came from humble origins, but because of her extraordinary talent, she was taken in as a disciple by a powerful cultivator in her youth. By the time she completed her apprenticeship, she had become a renowned female cultivator, famed throughout Chu.

Many had pursued Li in those days, but she eventually married a member of the royal family’s collateral line, thus becoming a relative of the royal house. Due to her distinguished tutelage, her humble origins were overlooked, and she was considered a suitable match for the royal family.

No one could have predicted that shortly after the marriage, she would divorce her husband. Not long after that, she was chosen by the late emperor and brought into the palace as a favored concubine.

At the time, there was a public secret: Li was already pregnant when she entered the palace. The late emperor waited until she had given birth and recovered before bestowing his favor upon her. Despite this, he doted on her nearly to the point of exclusivity.

Xiang Ning was the late emperor’s own child, but she was Li’s second. Her older brother was named Xiang Chong.

Not long after Xiang Chong was born, his biological father died in battle at the frontier. Initially, Xiang Chong was raised in the palace. To show his affection for Li, the late emperor gave Xiang Chong the status of a prince, granting him the honorary title of “Eldest Prince.” After the late emperor’s death, the “Eldest Prince” naturally became the “Great Prince.”

Due to his awkward status in childhood, it was Li herself who suggested sending him to the Lihuo Sect to cultivate.

The Lihuo Sect was a powerful and highly regarded sect, but, more importantly, it had close, intricate ties with the supreme cultivation sanctuary, the Pure Land of Brahma Sound. Rumor had it that the current head of the Lihuo Sect was actually the secret husband of a great master from the Pure Land of Brahma Sound. This mysterious master was none other than the Empress Dowager Li’s own teacher.

“Chief Minister, what do you mean by this?” Xiang Ning asked, her face growing dark.

—

To mention her half-brother on the imperial court—Xiang Ning, as the sovereign of Chu, was far from pleased.

Li Ben replied, “Great Chu is in dire need of capable people. The Great Prince’s cultivation is profound, his vision far-reaching. If he were to enter the court and assist Your Majesty, the fortunes of Chu would surely rise, perhaps even to the point of unifying the realm!”

His booming voice echoed through the great hall, his face alight with fervor, as if to emphasize his words.

Xiang Ning, however, was trembling with anger. What nonsense was this?

“Xiang Chong is only at the Nascent Soul stage. Even if he’s stronger than I am, how could he possibly bring about the unification of Chu?”

“Li Ben is usually so reserved, yet today he dares to make such outrageous claims in court. He’s clearly following orders…”

The more Xiang Ning thought about it, the more her heart pounded with dread. As a member of the Empress Dowager’s clan, the only one who could command Li Ben was the Empress Dowager herself—her own mother.

“Why would my mother make such decisions without consulting me? Am I not her own flesh and blood?”

“After all, Xiang Chong is my elder brother. If she wanted to find him a position at court, she could have discussed it with me privately. Would I ever have refused?”

Lost in her gloomy thoughts, Xiang Ning forgot to respond.

“Your Majesty, do you approve the Chief Minister’s memorial?”

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager’s voice came from behind the beaded curtain. Her tone was gentle yet carried a weight that brooked no argument.

Xiang Ning’s heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively replied, “This is a matter of great importance. Please allow me time to consider, Mother…”

“Consider?”

“What the Chief Minister proposes is truly a policy for the benefit of the state and the people. If even such a simple matter is beyond Your Majesty, it only proves you are not yet mature enough. In my view, your elder brother must enter the court and assist in governance. This must be enacted immediately!”

After the Empress Dowager finished, a tense silence filled the main hall. Not a single official dared to speak; Xiang Ning’s face had turned deathly pale.

She finally understood—she was nothing more than a tool for her mother’s exercise of power. Even if the throne was not overshadowed by the power of the ministers, it still could not escape the oppression of the Empress Dowager's clan.

“Your Majesty, issue the decree,” came the Empress Dowager’s quiet command.

However domineering the Empress Dowager might be, she still could not bypass the emperor and rule by her own decree.

“Yes…”

Though Xiang Ning’s heart was filled with a thousand grievances, she finally gave in.

She said nothing, only nodded silently to Chamberlain Chen.

Xiang Ning knew the old eunuch must have prepared the proclamation long in advance. Yet even she did not know what position her mother had arranged for Xiang Chong.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor of Great Chu decrees!”

“Elder brother Xiang Chong, of noble character and unmatched talent, is worthy of great responsibility!”

—

“By special edict, Xiang Chong is hereby appointed as Regent Minister, to oversee all military and state affairs of Great Chu, ranking above the Three Excellencies!”

“Furthermore, he is granted the right to ride within the imperial city, to enter court without haste, to receive obeisance without being named, and to wear sword and boots in the hall!”

Chamberlain Chen finished reading in a single breath, and disbelief was plain on Xiang Ning’s face.

By what right?

Xiang Chong had spent years cultivating at the Lihuo Sect and had not rendered a single service to Great Chu. The moment he returned, he was granted a princely title.

And Regent Minister?

Regency?

Xiang Ning was about to turn twenty. She was no child-emperor—why would she need a regent, an arrangement that was nothing short of humiliating?

“Mother, what is the meaning of this?” She struggled to contain the anger and humiliation in her heart as she questioned her mother, hidden behind the beaded curtain.

The Empress Dowager did not answer her daughter. She said only, “You have already issued the decree. The word of the Son of Heaven is law—it cannot be rescinded.”

“This…”

Xiang Ning wished to protest further, but at that moment, a tall, imposing figure strode into the hall from outside.

The newcomer wore golden battle armor and carried a massive sword, exuding the aura of a battlefield overlord.

Someone could not help but exclaim, “That is the Tyrant’s Battle Armor! The founder Xiang Yu once wore it to conquer the world!”

Another added, “The Sword of King Huai? The sword of the first emperor after Qin’s fall? The Emperor’s Sword!”

Xiang Ning finally saw clearly—it was Xiang Chong.

She clenched her fists, struggling to control the fury in her heart.

What enraged her most was the equipment Xiang Chong wore.

The Sword of King Huai, the Tyrant’s Battle Armor—both treasures kept in the royal treasury of Chu.

Mother must have opened the treasury and given the treasures to her brother.

These were the greatest treasures of Great Chu, second only to the Tyrant’s Spear. How could her mother do this?

Xiang Chong strode forward with head held high, passing through the ranks of officials, ascending the steps of the throne, until he stood directly before Xiang Ning.

Just as Xiang Ning was about to speak, Xiang Chong leaned in and whispered in her ear:

“Ning’er, you’re not angry with your elder brother over such a little thing, are you?”