The next morning, Xiao Yunxiu sent someone to knock on the door again. Pei Xuan threw the invisibility cloak to Xu Tianqiong and told her to stay by his side without saying a word.
At today's meeting, it was Xue Chengji's turn to make a statement in front of Xiao Yunxiu and the officials of Silla. Thinking that he had already dealt with Xiao Yunxiu through Pei Xuan, he confidently went up to the stage and brought out the theory of "the country relies on the eldest prince."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yunxiu questioned him harshly. He first asked him why he was unwilling to assist in government affairs as the king's uncle and return power to the emperor after the prince came of age. Then he asked him if he became king, would he pass the throne to his nephew or his own son in the future.
If Xue Chengji had prepared earlier, he might have been able to argue a little, but he was too arrogant and never expected to be questioned by Xiao Yunxiu. Angry and nervous, he could not think of any words to say. Xiao Yunxiu made him look so embarrassed that he almost rolled off the stage.
As Pei Xuan expected, as soon as the meeting ended and he returned to the residence of the Daliang delegation, the person sent by Xue Chengji to invite him arrived.
"Don't go." Although Xiao Yunxiu pushed Pei Xuan out to attract hatred, she also intended to protect him. "Xue Chengji will never swallow this anger. If you go, I'm afraid it will be very dangerous. You are an envoy from Daliang and the open illegitimate child of the Pei family. Although he doesn't dare to kill you, it's not impossible for him to chop off a few of your fingers to vent his anger. Just stay by my side, no one will dare to touch you."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but I still want to go."
Pei Xuan shook his head. "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I have my own way to deal with him."
Pei Xuan said goodbye to Xiao Yunxiu and took the invisible Xu Tianqiong to meet Xue Chengji.
This time he was not invited to a high-end club, but was taken to a small alley not far from the palace, facing Xue Chengji who was full of anger.
"Master Pei!" Xue Chengji almost gritted his teeth. "Tell me, what happened just now?"
Pei Xuan smiled and said, "Nothing serious. Her Royal Highness Princess Guantao was just doing her job impartially."
"Bullshit!" Xue Chengji cursed angrily, "Didn't you say you'd speak well of me? And what happened? Not only did that bitch princess not help me, but she actually ripped me apart! You took in four of my women, and this is how you do things?"
"Watch your mouth! Do you think you can insult Princess Guantao? That's disrespectful!" Pei Xuan deliberately provoked the other party with his words. "I'm giving you face by accepting your woman. It's an honor for you. You should be grateful to me. How can you threaten me to do things for you?"
After hearing Pei Xuan's nonsense and distorted truth, Xue Chengji was furious: "If I don't skin you alive today, I will be ashamed of the Xue family!"
"It's time!" Pei Xuan said in his heart, raising his hand as if to attack, while signaling Xu Tianqiong to take action.
Following Pei Xuan's prior arrangement, Xu Tianqiong quietly used all his strength to mobilize his true energy and cut a gash on Xue Chengji's right calf with a dagger.
"Congratulations to the host for forming a blood pact with a ninth-order cultivator. 900 points are awarded."
Xue Chengji originally wanted to talk a few words before taking action, but Pei Xuan started to attack right away, and he didn't know what kind of evil skills he used. There was clearly no trace of true energy, but his right leg was bleeding as if it had been cut.
"You little brat... aren't you a first-rank cultivator?" Xue Chengji's right leg softened and he knelt on one knee. "This is the capital of Silla. A powerful dragon can't defeat a local snake. How dare you hurt me?"
Xue Chengji was not without experts under his command, but when he found out that Pei Xuan was only a first-rank cultivator, he naturally did not send them out. Instead, he wanted to personally beat Pei Xuan up to vent his anger.
Unexpectedly, Pei Xuan injured his leg easily. He didn't even know how Pei Xuan did it. This made Xue Chengji panic and he dared not act rashly again.
"All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people in the world are his subjects."
Pei Xuan said coldly, "Her Royal Highness Princess Guantao is an imperial envoy, just like the emperor himself. How can you question what she says? You must remember, thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from heaven!" After that, he waved his palm in the air, and used his mind to control Xue Chengji's body to fly out and hit the wall.
This made Pei Xuan's martial arts skills have an unpredictable impression in Xue Chengji's mind. He still gritted his teeth, but did not dare to say anything harsh.
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Pei Xuan left triumphantly with Xu Tianqiong.
In this way, both Zheng Jiao and Xue Chengji had finished their statements, and the next day it was time for Xiao Yunxiu to make the final decision on behalf of the Daliang Empire.
Early in the morning, all the leaders of Silla's political arena gathered. Unlike the previous two days, today's meeting was held in the main hall of the royal palace.
On the high gilded throne, Xiao Yunxiu, dressed in luxurious court robes, sat upright.
The two small chairs on her left and right were occupied by Queen Zheng Jiao and Crown Prince Xue Jiarong respectively. The royal family and ministers headed by Xue Chengji stood in a crowd under the throne.
"In compliance with the decrees of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, this princess, as a special envoy, has listened to various opinions over the past two days." The elegant and graceful Xiao Yunxiu sat effortlessly on the throne, like a true queen. Her deep, majestic voice echoed throughout the hall. "This princess believes the Queen's opinion is reasonable. The throne should indeed be inherited by the bloodline of the previous king. At the same time, Marquis Yuanping's view also has merit. The country relies on its eldest son, and Silla should be governed by a benevolent and intelligent adult." After a pause, Xiao Yunxiu stood up, stepped aside, and clapped her delicate hands on the armrests of the throne. Then, under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, she solemnly announced, "Therefore, the throne of Silla will be inherited by Princess Xue Jiayi!"
As soon as Xiao Yunxiu finished speaking, the hall was first extremely quiet, and then there was an uproar. The ministers whispered to each other, and most of them showed reluctant expressions.
But since the leaders of various forces in the court have not expressed their views, they dare not step forward.
In the Silla court, the smallest group was the neutral fence-sitters, led by Prime Minister Lin Chengdong.
This person strictly adheres to neutrality and has never made any move in the recent disputes. He has no expression on his face at this moment. As the leader of Wang Shu's faction, Xue Chengji is in a good mood at the moment, and is even a little secretly happy.
After yesterday, he thought that the Crown Prince's succession to the throne and the Queen's administration were a foregone conclusion, but Xiao Yunxiu's choice was completely beyond his expectations.
In this way, he certainly could not ascend to the throne, but Queen Zheng Jiao, who was in rivalry with him, was also unable to ascend to the throne, because the eldest princess Xue Jiayi was already fifteen years old and could rule the country herself, and Zheng Jiao had no reason to rule the country from behind the curtain.
Therefore, this decision is not the worst outcome for Xue Chengji and is barely acceptable.