So far, Emperor Yong'an had a total of eight sons and four daughters, twelve children altogether.
Although he had lived for an absurdly long time, he had not sired a large brood. A mere twelve descendants was, by imperial standards, remarkably few.
On one hand, Emperor Yong'an cultivated the Art of Longevity, which required maintaining a state of calm purity, balance, and restraint.
On the other hand, most emperors desired numerous heirs for the sake of dynastic stability, so that if they died unexpectedly, Great Wei would have successors.
But for Emperor Yong'an, that consideration was meaningless.
No one doubted that Emperor Yong'an would outlive everyone. Even if the Crown Prince were to die, the Emperor would still live on, hale and unbothered.
Thus, the number of offspring was of no importance to him.
In fact, the fewer the better.
Because of that, the age gaps between his sons were astonishing.
The eldest, Crown Prince Xiao Sheng, was already one hundred and fifty years old.
While the youngest, the Eighth Prince Xiao Xian, was not yet a year old.
The Crown Prince could practically be the Eighth Prince's great-great-great-grandfather!
The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yi, was sixteen.
To Gu Fangchen, the Sixth Prince was an acquaintance, but not his acquaintance, rather the original body's.
Among the eight princes, those with the most presence were the eldest Xiao Sheng and the third Xiao Shen. The rest were, within the game, background characters on the same level as Gu Fangchen.
In Great Wei during the reign of Yong'an, the first task of being a prince was to lie flat and stay out of trouble.
Fight for the throne? Against whom?
Above you stood a Crown Prince of one hundred and fifty years, and an Emperor of one hundred seventy, two ancient monsters locked in a political duel for over a century. The twists and conspiracies in that time could make anyone break into a cold sweat.
With those two still alive, merely appearing before them was nerve-racking enough, lest one be mistaken for scheming.
However, the Third Prince had joined the Garan Temple as a monk, becoming a true disciple of the temple's abbot. Rumor had it he might be made the next Buddha Son.
That earned Emperor Yong'an's admiration; he often summoned the Third Prince to discuss Buddhist doctrine.
The Crown Prince outwardly showed no reaction, even praising his brother's enlightenment, but no one knew what he truly thought.
The sixteen-year-old Sixth Prince Xiao Yi, by contrast, was still green and naïve, without any political cunning, naturally just another background figure.
Yet his mother was the current Imperial Noble Consort, and his elder sister was none other than the Emperor's most beloved child, the War Goddess Princess Xiao Yinghao, commander of the White Dragon Army, who rivaled Gu Yuye in prestige.
So among the lesser princes, he was the brightest.
With such an illustrious background, it would not have been strange if someone tried to thrust him into the struggle for succession.
But his sister was too dazzling.
Among the princes, the eldest and the third held center stage; among the princesses, Xiao Yinghao reigned supreme.
By the later stages, the battle for succession essentially became a contest among those three.
In the standard game ending, "The Weight of the Human Heart," the player chose one heir to support in seizing the throne, gaining glory as the Dragon's Follower.
The three with the highest odds of success were these: the First Prince, the Third Prince, and Princess Xiao Yinghao. The rest were useless, doomed to die early in the political storm.
If the player supported the Sixth Prince, they would initially gain Xiao Yinghao's assistance.
But as the story progressed, Xiao Yi's lack of foresight and poor decision-making became more and more apparent. His faction's influence gradually shifted toward Xiao Yinghao.
In the end, even if Xiao Yi ascended the throne, he would be imprisoned by Xiao Yinghao within three days. The player's subordinates would defect, leaving the route unplayable.
Of course, the player could choose midway to turn against them all, establishing an independent kingdom and inheriting the Mandate of Heaven, achieving the same "Weight of the Human Heart" ending.
But that merely led to another cycle.
The finale hinted that true chaos was only beginning. The new dynasty founded by the player would collapse within ten years, plunging Great Wei into ruin and war.
The original Gu Fangchen could never have seen that far ahead.
To him, the Sixth Prince Xiao Yi was nothing more than a fool who obeyed Gu Lianqian's every word and constantly opposed him.
In Huangtian City, Gu Fangchen ran rampant, surrounded by fawning lackeys and flatterers, as well as noble youths who despised his arrogance.
Xiao Yi was the most typical of the latter.
He practiced martial arts and was quite talented, though inferior to Gu Lianqian, he had already reached the Eighth Rank, and at his pace could eventually reach the Fifth Rank, the Realm of the Sincere Heart.
Do not underestimate the Fifth Rank, among martial cultivators, the Fifth Rank marked the realm of the Grandmaster.
Even the Crown Prince, after one hundred and fifty years and immense resources, had failed to cross that boundary. The Fifth Rank was the true divide between mortal and transcendent.
Without reaching Grandmaster, one remained forever mortal.
If Xiao Yi had ambitions for the throne, he should have used his talent to join the White Dragon Army, earn merit in battle, and build a power base.
But Xiao Yi lacked such ambitions. Trained under "Swift Sword" Yan Hui, he idolized the life of a wandering hero, righteous and free, indifferent to court politics.
And in Huangtian City, there happened to be a perfect target for such heroics,
the Northern Garrison Prince's heir, Gu Fangchen.
Whenever Gu Fangchen bullied men or harassed women, Xiao Yi's sense-of-justice radar would instantly go off, and he would rush in.
By status, Xiao Yi as a prince held the advantage, but Gu Fangchen feared no one, when he lost his temper, even a prince got punched.
He might have lacked cultivation, but his mother had given him powerful defensive artifacts.
He couldn't hurt his opponent, but his opponent couldn't break his defenses either. Their fights often devolved into undignified street brawls.
The two were well-matched, a true pair of trouble magnets.
So the moment Xiao Yi heard that his father was summoning Gu Fangchen, he rushed to intercept him.
"Gu bastard!"
Xiao Yi stormed forward, glaring furiously at Gu Fangchen and jabbing a finger at his nose.
"I always knew you were shameless and vile, but I didn't expect you'd even collude with the Demonic Sect just to steal another's place!"
"The Prince and Princess treated you kindly, yet you repay them with betrayal. Calling you a beast would be an insult to beasts!"
Gu Fangchen leisurely raised his hand and picked his ear with his pinky, grinning broadly.
"Xiao Dumbass, I'd advise you to be careful with your words. Don't jump to conclusions without proof, some words, once spoken, come with consequences."
It wasn't that he wanted to call a prince a dumbass inside the palace.
He was simply staying true to how the original body used to behave, arrogant to the bone.
Even if Gu Fangchen behaved outrageously, Emperor Yong'an would at most scold him lightly and order him to meditate on his mistakes. Over the years, this indulgence had completely stripped him of the habit of thinking before speaking or acting.
He perfectly embodied the phrase "lawless and unrestrained."
Xiao Yi froze at his words, then burst into fury.
"Father summoned you to determine your guilt, of course!"
"You're nothing but a criminal awaiting punishment, how dare you call me a dumbass! Do you still think you're the heir of the Northern Garrison Prince? You really don't know life from death!"
The entire Huangtian City was already abuzz with the rumor: Gu Fangchen was not the biological son of the Northern Garrison Prince and Princess, but the bastard child of a stablehand switched at birth by the Demonic Sect.
What's more, Gu Fangchen had long known about the switch and even helped conceal the deception afterward.
It was his collusion with the Demonic Sect that caused the true heir to be lost for nineteen years.
Fortunately, the true heir proved to be exceptionally gifted, he not only became the Imperial Top Scholar but was also taken in as a personal disciple by the Sage himself.
Such an inspiring story had become the idol of countless scholars.
By contrast, Gu Fangchen, who had squandered the full resources of the Prince's household yet refused to improve himself, was all the more despised.
Xiao Yi had always been at odds with him, and now that Gu Fangchen's false identity was exposed, his unrepentant arrogance only fueled Xiao Yi's rage.
With a sharp "shing," Xiao Yi drew the sword at his waist.
"Let me teach you a lesson today. Without the Princess to shield you, let's see how you'll fight me now!"
Xiao Yi's greatest dream had always been to become a wandering hero like his master, to live freely, upholding justice across the land.
But thanks to Gu Fangchen's enchanted defenses, his very first heroic act had ended in humiliation, flat on his back before the girl he liked.
That fall had shattered his dream of a life in the martial world.
And since then, every fight between them had ended the same way, rolling in the dirt, covered in dust, his dignity nowhere to be found.
In short, Gu Fangchen had destroyed his dearest aspiration, no less than a mortal enemy.
This time, Xiao Yi had come to take revenge before Gu Fangchen's punishment was sealed.
If Gu Fangchen were convicted of colluding with the Demonic Sect and usurping the heir's identity, Emperor Yong'an would undoubtedly sentence him to death. There would be no chance for revenge then.
It was precisely because Gu Fangchen's crimes were so grave that Xiao Yi dared to strike.
After all, he was merely venting his anger. His father's temper was mild, always indulgent toward him, calling him honest and pure of heart.
This time, striking down a villain like Gu Fangchen could even be praised as an act of righteous justice. At worst, the Emperor would chide him a little.
Thinking of his adviser's words, Xiao Yi straightened his back and grew even more confident.
The sword in his hand was a masterpiece from the Sword Pavilion's Thousand-Forged Furnace, sharp enough to slice through iron like mud. Using it against a powerless wretch like Gu Fangchen was complete overkill.
In the past, Gu Fangchen's defensive artifacts had always saved him.
But now, let's see how he would survive!
Brimming with pride, Xiao Yi twirled his sword and thrust it swiftly toward Gu Fangchen's eye.
Inwardly, he thought with satisfaction:
"This strike will teach you what happens to those who can't see true worth!"
The Princess was a kind woman, even Xiao Yi had once envied Gu Fangchen for having such a mother. Yet Gu Fangchen had cast her aside, usurped another's place, and caused the true mother and son to be separated for nineteen years, deprived of familial love.
Unforgivable!
Xiao Yi's martial cultivation had reached the Eighth Rank, the Realm of the Unified Flesh, where skin, muscle, sinew, bone, and will worked in perfect harmony.
Skin responded to muscle, muscle to sinew, sinew to bone, bone to intent.
Sword merged with hand, hand with eye, eye with heart, heart with spirit.
Where intention went, the spirit followed, that was the Eighth Rank of martial mastery.
This strike of Xiao Yi's, though somewhat flashy, contained the full force of an Eighth-Rank peak expert.
The thrust could pierce metal and shatter stone.
But this pampered Sixth Prince had never truly fought anyone. His usual opponents, Sixth or Seventh Rank martial artists, always held back to accommodate him.
Even his past fights with Gu Fangchen had left neither truly injured, only frustrated.
Thus, he had no real understanding of his own strength.
He thought this thrust would merely blind Gu Fangchen in one eye.
In reality, if Gu Fangchen truly had no cultivation, this blow would have exploded his skull on the spot.
Eunuch Xiao Qiu, who stood respectfully nearby, saw the motion and his eyes flashed sharply. He was just about to intervene when he suddenly froze, his perpetually squinted eyes widening in shock.
"Snap!"
A crisp sound.
Gu Fangchen had raised his hand and caught the sword's edge, between two fingers.
Xiao Yi stared in disbelief.
Impossible!
Gu Fangchen blew softly. A strand of hair that had landed on the sword edge snapped cleanly in half and drifted away from the gleaming blade.
He looked up, smiling lazily at the Sixth Prince.
"I told you not to jump to conclusions. You see? You rushed in here without knowing a thing, and now you're just getting slapped in the face."
Xiao Yi stared fixedly at his sword, feeling as if he were dreaming.
He absolutely refused to believe Gu Fangchen had gained cultivation, frantically searching for traces of an activated artifact.
But there was none.
Not a single trace.
He looked Gu Fangchen up and down, searching for any sign of magical tools, but found nothing.
Yet Gu Fangchen's fingers were firmly pinching his sword in place.
Xiao Yi's face flushed red as he strained to push forward.
But Gu Fangchen's fingers didn't move an inch. The force resisting him was immense, comparable to that of a Seventh Rank expert!
Seventh Rank?!
Realization struck Xiao Yi, leaving him dizzy.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
He shouted, "Demonic arts! You must have learned some heretical magic! Eunuch Xiao, seize him!"
Gu Fangchen sighed.
This idiot was still as simple-minded as ever, but his instincts were frighteningly sharp.
He exhaled lightly. "You really are a dumbass. If I were colluding with the Demonic Sect, would His Majesty have allowed me to walk in here so casually?"
The Sixth Prince clenched his jaw. "Then tell me, why did Father summon you?!"
"Because my unparalleled martial talent was finally recognized by the Martial Sage. He's taken me as his disciple."
Xiao Yi was silent for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Even at death's door, you're still telling jokes?"
Gu Fangchen smiled, his fingers still holding firm.
Xiao Yi's laughter slowly died, his face twisting into disbelief.
"Eunuch Xiao... is this true?"
Eunuch Xiao Qiu nodded.
Xiao Yi's face contorted. He tried once more to channel his spiritual power, forcing the broken sword forward.
Gu Fangchen's fingers flexed slightly.
With a sharp crack, the blade snapped and clattered to the ground.
Xiao Yi stared blankly.
Eunuch Xiao's mouth fell open.
Gu Fangchen patted Xiao Yi's shoulder as he walked past him.
"I told you, I'm a genius. You just didn't believe me."
...
Gu Yuye stepped into the courtyard, thoughts heavy.
The agents planted beside the Sixth Prince should have already made their move by now...