Chapter 563: Persuading the Elder of the Second Clan (3k)
That night, in a rather ancient-looking living room, several figures were seated casually. In the center was a chair, upon which sat a very gaunt figure, tapping their fingertips lightly.
“Elder of the Second Clan, you say Princess Hannah summoned you so late at night, what could it be about? Is it about tomorrow’s martial arts finals?”
Seated below were several clan elders who had appeared that afternoon. They looked aged, with gray temples and middle-aged faces, giving them a rather immortal-heroic aura.
“No, it’s about some suggestions from the Holy Emperor…”
Shaking his head, the Elder of the Second Clan looked towards the corridor where the cold wind was blowing. His turbid eyes were as still as dead water, as if he were pondering something.
“The Holy Emperor? That brat who became Holy Emperor through bloodline?”
The middle-aged man on the right asked with surprise. Clearly, Bai Ming’s true status was merely child’s play in the eyes of these older generations, and few would take him seriously.
“Bloodline? No, he is the destined one foretold. The talk about bloodline is just something to say outside.”
The Elder of the Second Clan glanced at him, then smiled and shook his head. Seeing the other’s confused expression, he continued, “I feel that his proposal contains many reformist ideas, so we absolutely cannot agree in front of others. This is a matter of principle and a stance we must uphold.”
“Stance…”
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, still finding the Elder of the Second Clan’s words rather vague. He asked back in confusion, “Since we must uphold our stance, shouldn’t we ignore the Holy Emperor’s suggestion? Why then should we think further?”
“You must know that the royalists’ goal has never been to simply go along with things step-by-step… The Holy Emperor’s new policies are interesting, but they are only interesting. Division and control are absolutely forbidden.”
A glint flashed in his eyes, and the Elder of the Second Clan said with a smile, but he didn’t say the rest. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the entrance.
As if waiting for the arrival of the Third Princess, he had a feeling that the matter at hand was definitely significant.
“Isn’t it about maintaining the status quo…”
The middle-aged Snow Demon looked at the thin old Snow Demon with some confusion again. He saw seriousness and sincerity in the latter’s eyes, but more importantly, the wisdom gained from years of experience.
With a “click,” suddenly, several figures poured into the entrance. Leading them were Princess Hannah and Bai Ming. Su Jiu, in a rather formal long black dress, followed behind the two, looking around the environment.
“Your Highness Princess Hannah, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Seeing Hannah approach, the Elder of the Second Clan performed a Western aristocratic bow. His gaze swept over the accompanying people, pausing slightly on Su Jiu’s face before resting directly on Hannah and Bai Ming. He smiled and asked,
“May I ask what matter requires discussion that you have summoned us four clan elders to discuss?”
Upon hearing this, Hannah turned to glance at Su Jiu, then lightly smiled and took Bai Ming’s hand. She then raised her head slightly and said, “The Holy Emperor has some new ideas regarding the new policy. I wonder if you honorable elders are willing to hear them?”
“Oh? Please do tell.” Upon hearing this, the Elder of the Second Clan’s eyes immediately showed a hint of interest, not the strong resistance that Su Jiu had imagined.
Upon hearing this, Hannah rephrased what Su Jiu had said in her own words and then told the four elders again. Soon, the room fell silent, and all four fell into contemplation to varying degrees.
Su Jiu also felt a bit anxious. This persuasion was a rather risky approach proposed by her. Instead of truly becoming the National Master and then trying to win over the neutral clan elders,
It would be better to talk to these opposing clan elders first and see their attitude towards the plan.
This was a rather compromising plan, and at this moment, it was the most friendly plan for both factions. The Elder of the Second Clan pondered for a long time, then finally his gaze fell on Bai Ming. His face showed no joy, and he looked directly into Bai Ming’s eyes and asked, “Are these truly the Holy Emperor’s own thoughts?”
Feeling the pressure from him, but who was Bai Ming? The male protagonist of the book, he immediately straightened his neck and said without blushing or heart pounding, “Indeed.”
The Elder of the Second Clan smiled, found another chair, and slowly sat down, nodding his head and saying, “Then it is indeed well said and very reasonable…”
Under the gaze of the others, Bai Ming also exchanged a glance with Su Jiu, stepped forward slightly, and said with a soft smile, “Then do you agree to implement it?”
Listening to their conversation, Su Jiu also breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she felt that preventing the war was almost achieved, the Elder of the Second Clan picked up his coffee cup, took a slow sip, shook his head, and said leisurely:
“But… to implement it, the new National Master must announce it, and this matter will have a certain impact on the people of both regions. If the spiral ascent is too slow, causing widespread unemployment or death, who will bear the karma for that?”
Bai Ming was silent. He didn’t understand these things…
“The war can be paused, but I still believe that the speed of change is too fast. We need to see the attitude of the new National Master.”
After speaking, the Elder of the Second Clan shifted his gaze from Bai Ming’s face to Su Jiu’s. The composed expression on his face indicated that he had already guessed whose opinion this was.
It was the Blood Clan Girl who made the Elder of the Great Clan exchange a favor for three days.
“Are you willing to listen to the new National Master?”
Meeting his gaze, Su Jiu spoke for the first time. She likely knew his attitude, so she would only act according to the [National Master]’s words. If the National Master thought it was okay, then it was okay.
“Of course, I am willing.”
The Elder of the Second Clan smiled faintly again, raising his head slightly. His gaze met Su Jiu’s Blood Eye directly. Her ideas were interesting, but what he wanted was a controllable National Master, not an opponent whose ideas could change at any time.
After some more casual conversation, Su Jiu took her leave. She needed to do some practice, practicing fighting against ranged experts, as this was something that required practice to master.
…
“You are curious why I agreed with their ideas?”
Watching Su Jiu and the others leave, the Elder of the Second Clan asked them, who were increasingly eager to ask, with a smile.
“Night Walker, we don’t actually need to change. The alchemy industry cannot be easily changed.” Under the gaze of the other two, the middle-aged Snow Demon clan elder spoke, voicing their common doubts.
Raising his head and looking at the alchemy lanterns in the corridor, the Elder of the Second Clan revealed his yellow teeth and spoke somewhat seriously, “Alchemy technology consumes too many materials, so many that most residents cannot afford it. Our changes are also concessions to the times…”
He paused again and said with a smile, “Do you remember what I said? The royalists are not rigid, but they have their own stance. We need to act from the perspective of the royal family and the country in the most stable way.”
“We have many alchemy workshops in our country. If new technologies are introduced rashly, the entire country may erupt in unprecedented turmoil.”
Reforms require bloodshed and sacrifice. He believed that finding a compromise between ideology and warfare was still too radical and could easily offend the old powerful forces.
Coughing twice, the Elder of the Second Clan looked at the Snow Demons below, who were around his age, and continued with a smile, “Elder of the Eighth Clan, how is the Second Prince being handled?”
“Reporting to the Night Walker, we gave him a large sum of money and sent him to study abroad in human kingdoms. It is estimated that it will take some time before he returns.” The old Snow Demon took out a leather notebook, glanced at it, and then looked up and said softly.
The other two clan elders looked at the Elder of the Second Clan with surprise. They had all thought the Second Prince was dead, but they didn’t expect him to have been hidden away.
But they soon understood. The Second Prince was likely being kept as a replacement for Hannah. If she became uncontrollable, the Second Prince would serve as a new puppet.
But why did the Elder of the Second Clan want him to learn human things?
“Tell him not to come back. He can get married and have children in human territories.”
The Elder of the Second Clan nodded, took another sip of the black coffee without sugar, closed his eyes slightly, and a slight smile curved his lips, as if he had achieved a rather satisfactory result.
…
In the quiet room, the gentle breeze made creaking sounds as it knocked against the window. Su Jiu sat cross-legged on the bed, with the secret manual gifted by Grand Duke Catherine and the previously obtained [Calm Heart] placed beside her.
Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, one Hundred battles will not be lost. Su Jiu’s understanding of ranged combat was only from Ms. Suzuki Yoshiko. If she could learn some of the soft spots of ranged combat from skills, that would be excellent.
After practicing in her mind for two to three hours, Su Jiu finally slowly opened her eyes. She had discovered some flaws of archers: the moment they nocked an arrow was an opening.
Although the attack range of archers was very far and their damage was outrageously high, as long as she could seize this opening, she could severely injure the enemy with “Moonlit Dream” and then use the “Three Axe” technique to deal with the Cloaked Figure.
She touched the [Calm Heart] skill again. Su Jiu felt that this thing was indeed useful. At least she could learn things faster, and it was easier to enter a state during cultivation. It was a good supplement after E Huo fell into a deep sleep.
“Miss, after you finish your term as National Master, where should we go?” Suddenly, a very gentle voice rang out.
Accompanying the gentle voice, Su Jiu felt someone embrace her from behind. The movement was very gentle, and the touch from behind was also very soft, with the sensation of being unburdened.
“Let’s go see the cross-state defensive cannons and see if we can use them. This time, we’ll take Bai Ming with us to the disaster city. Then, all preparations will be made, and we’ll just be waiting for the opportune moment…”
As if sensing the other’s meaning, Su Jiu leaned back slightly. Her sight fell upon a snow-white neck, like a lotus emerging from water. Looking further up, she saw a smiling face.
“Miss, you are truly amazing.”
Fingertips pressed on Su Jiu’s shoulder, moving gently, accompanied by that neighborly sister’s voice.
For a moment, Su Jiu was somewhat captivated…
“We will definitely win over the Singer.”
