Chapter 006: Where Is Loyalty?

As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, silence fell over the surroundings.
Although throughout history, each prince had fought fiercely for the throne, the empire’s laws did indeed stipulate that the eldest son should inherit it. Though this rule had been ignored, either intentionally or not, the Crown Prince’s mention of it now gave it a semblance of logic—after all, he was the eldest, and it made sense for him to take the throne.
His words were even clearer: since theGreene family prided itself on loyalty through generations, they naturally had to be loyal to him now…
In other words, he was simply trying to trick DukeGreene into saying something.
Prince Fischer immediately understood the Crown Prince’s intentions. With a cold laugh from the platform, he said, “Brother, aren’t you being a bit too shameless? Do you really need me to explain what you’ve done? After all that, how dare you say such things!?”
The Crown Prince seemed not to hear him. He continued to stare at DukeGreene and said calmly, “So, DukeGreene, what should you do now? Side with Fischer and become a rebel, or stay on my side and remain loyal? DukeGreene, I can assure you… if you stand with me, I will elevate your family to the royal rank. You will no longer be just DukeGreene, but PrinceGreene. How about that? As for that temporary treaty, we can even remove the word ‘temporary’!”
At these words, everyone from all factions paled.
You see, since the founding of the Gavin Empire, people outside the royal family could not be made princes. But now… the Crown Prince was offering such a title… And if the temporary clause in the treaty was removed, theGreene family’s territory would account for nearly one-third of the empire… With the title of prince, they could maintain their own army… Given theGreene family’s capabilities, raising hundreds of thousands of soldiers would not be a problem!
By then, with power and a strong army, theGreene family would truly be the most powerful force in the Gavin Empire!
To put it bluntly, if DukeGreene chose not to be a prince but instead aimed to become emperor, there would likely be no one in the entire Gavin Empire who could stop him.

No one could have imagined that the Crown Prince would offer such favorable terms just to win over theGreene family. The others also vaguely guessed that his motive was simply to draw Du Fan into his own camp! Although he hadn’t said a word to persuade Du Fan, once he won over DukeGreene, Du Fan would naturally follow! With a master like Du Fan added to the strong support of theGreene family, the Crown Prince’s position on the throne would be almost secure. Not only did the high nobles and those loyal to PrinceFischer change expressions, but even those on the Crown Prince’s side looked uneasy. DukeBellinger couldn’t help but say, “Your Highness, this isn’t what we agreed upon…” The Crown Prince snorted and said, “Stop talking nonsense. My decision is final. None of you should try to persuade me!” After that, he glanced at DukeGreene again and said, “Well then, Duke… Do you still need me to tell you how to choose now?” It was DukeGreene whose expression was the most strange. The rapid change in circumstances was beyond her expectations. If theGreene family could be granted a prince title, they wouldn’t have to fear theBellinger family. And to say such things in such a situation meant either daring to face complete isolation or the Crown Prince would never go back on his word… Thinking of this, DukeGreene couldn’t help but glance at Du Fan… Her hesitation grew even stronger… Her own son had a good relationship with PrinceFischer. If PrinceFischer ascended the throne, theGreene family would surely not be neglected… But compared to the Crown Prince’s terms, that “neglect” seemed insignificant… Even someone like DukeGreene couldn’t help but hesitate now. On one hand, there was the camp she had already decided to support; switching sides at the last moment would be an extremely shameful thing for a noble. On the other hand, there was the principle of lifelong loyalty—failing to side with them would also seem highly disgraceful… Good heavens, what kind of situation was this… DukeGreene couldn’t help but sigh… The atmosphere froze for a moment, and Du Fan also couldn’t help but turn to look at his father… Tension rose once again.

At that moment, Prince Fischer, standing on the high platform, heard these words and couldn’t help but clap his hands. He said calmly, “Elder brother, you truly have great ambitions and bold plans… But have you forgotten one thing? Your rewards can only be granted after you ascend to the throne!”
The elder prince glanced at his younger brother and smiled slightly. “Fischer… Do you really think I’m not qualified to inherit the throne?”
Prince Fischer replied indifferently, “Of course. Since you want to talk about imperial laws… then let me talk about laws as well… Elder brother, let me ask you: If someone dares to plot to assassinate the current emperor, what crime is that?”
The elder prince’s eyes flickered, but he did not answer.
Prince Fischer sneered coldly, “Since you can’t answer, let me help you… Those who attempt to murder the emperor shall have their entire family exterminated… If it’s a member of the royal family who does this, the punishment is even worse!!!”
With that, Prince Fischer pointed at the elder prince and declared loudly, “Elder brother, you ordered the medical officials to poison our father. You’ve already committed this crime. As a prince of the current dynasty, yet still doing such things, your punishment is even greater. Moreover, you’ve formed factions to seize the throne, which is an additional crime. According to the law, you should be tied to a fire pillar and burned for seven days and seven nights. How could you still have the right to inherit the throne? How could the Green family support you after such an act of betraying the empire!”
Hearing these words, the elder prince couldn’t help but shout angrily, “Nonsense! Fischer! You’re insulting me!”
Prince Fischer sneered repeatedly, “I’m insulting you? Elder brother, if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it! Do you really think I don’t know what you’ve done?”
The elder prince snorted, “You need evidence to back up your claims. Otherwise, just for slander alone, I can petition our father to punish you for spreading nonsense!”
“Evidence? Do you want evidence?” Prince Fischer smiled. “Then I’ll give it to you… I just hope, elder brother, that you won’t regret it!”
After saying that, Prince Fischer gently clapped twice and said softly, “Bring him here!”
As soon as he spoke, two people dressed as court magicians emerged from the darkness, carrying a bloodied man. Though his face was gaunt, several nobles present gasped upon seeing him. “Isn’t that Lord Rul?”
This Lord Rul was the chief medical officer of the palace, responsible for all medical affairs of the royal family.

The nobles around saw him being lifted up and already guessed something. The crown prince, upon seeing him, immediately wore a furious expression. He couldn’t help but grab a guard beside him and shout in a low voice, “Weren’t we told he’d been dealt with? How is he still alive?” The guard was startled and said, “Your Highness… we… we…” The crown prince snorted and said, “Useless!” Then he shook off the guard and stared gloomily in the direction of the platform. Dax, having witnessed this, stepped up to the crown prince and whispered, “Your Highness, make a decision soon. If he reveals everything… it will be too late…” The crown prince snorted coldly and said, “I know. Give orders… have them all prepare. Since things have come to this, we must take the final step!” Over there, Prince Fischer clapped his hands and said calmly, “Lord Rul… tell us how my elder brother used your family to threaten you and force you to poison our father!” Hearing this, the nobles around all changed expressions… Rul glanced fearfully in the direction of the crown prince before quickly saying, “Your Highness… he…” Before he could finish, a flash of cold light appeared, blood sprayed out, and everyone saw the crown prince’s sword embedded in Rul’s chest—clearly a death sentence. No one expected the crown prince to act so swiftly, leaving them all stunned. Prince Fischer seemed to have anticipated this. He glanced coldly at Rul’s body and said, “Elder brother, is this how you silence those who speak against you?” The crown prince smiled grimly and said, “If I don’t kill him, am I to wait for him to slander me?” Without looking at Prince Fischer anymore, he turned to Duke Green and declared loudly, “Duke… I will definitely keep my promise to you just now. Aren’t these conditions enough to persuade you?” Meanwhile, Prince Fischer also smiled calmly and said, “Duke… you know my elder brother’s nature better than I do. With your wisdom, you must have figured out what Physician Rul wanted to say. So where is the loyalty of the Green family now?”