Xu family estate.
Yang Cheng lounged lazily on a chair while Xu Qingxue fed him grapes by hand.
"Your Highness, news just came from the Hong family," Hu Po entered and said.
"What news?" Yang Cheng asked.
"Last night, the Hong family's heir, Hong Xiang, passed away from an illness," Hu Po replied.
Xu Qingxue's hand trembled, and the grape she was holding slipped to the floor. The shock hit her so hard that she couldn't control herself.
Hong Xiang was someone whose name resounded louder than hers in Canglan City. Yet such a person had now "died of illness"?
She wasn't foolish. She instantly realized something was wrong.
Hong Xiang was a Martial King, with a body incredibly strong and resilient. How could someone like that possibly die of sickness?
And only a short while ago, Hong Xiang had offended the Crown Prince because of Yang Xiu.
With that in mind, the truth behind his death was already obvious.
"Oh? The Hong family does have some backbone," Yang Cheng said faintly. "In that case, they only need to be suppressed a little, no need to wipe them out."
"Your Highness is wise," Hu Po agreed, showing she didn't take the Hong clan seriously either.
Xu Qingxue held her breath.
In that instant, she realized more clearly than ever the true weight of the Crown Prince's authority.
The Hong family was stronger than her Xu family, yet in the mouths of the Crown Prince and her aunt, they were utterly insignificant.
With just a few casual words, they could decide whether the Hong clan lived or perished.
And Yang Cheng was only speaking his true thoughts.
If the Hong family failed to act wisely, he really wouldn't hesitate to destroy them.
The title "Crown Prince" wasn't just something pleasant to hear.
It was enough to decide the rise and fall of nearly every family and sect within Great Zhou.
"Qingxue."
Yang Cheng turned his gaze toward her.
"Your Highness," Xu Qingxue answered, her delicate face filled with confusion.
"Tomorrow, I'll set out back to Fengtian," Yang Cheng said.
"Ah?" Xu Qingxue was startled.
She had always known this day would come, but now that it was here, it still felt far too soon.
"I won't be taking you with me," Yang Cheng continued.
Her heart sank sharply.
She had carried some faint hope before, but now that hope was shattered in an instant.
Bitter helplessness colored her expression. "Your Highness, Qingxue knows. With my lowly status, how could I ever be qualified to follow you back to the capital?"
Yang Cheng had no interest in tormenting or toying with a girl's feelings. At his current age, even if he conquered a woman's heart, what could he do with it? He could only look, not act.
"I'm leaving you in Canglan City because I have an important task for you," Yang Cheng said directly.
Xu Qingxue froze, her reaction completely different from her usual cold and reserved manner, making her look unexpectedly adorable.
Yang Cheng chuckled and went on, "In Chanzhou, there's Yang Xiu and the Southern Guardian Prince. I need someone here to keep watch for me. You are the best candidate."
Her emotions flipped like a roller coaster. Just moments ago, she had been filled with despair, but now it was as if the sun had broken through the clouds.
But once the joy settled, nervousness crept in.
Whether it was Yang Xiu or the Southern Guardian Prince, both were figures far beyond her reach.
"Your Highness, how could Qingxue possibly bear such a heavy responsibility?" she asked quickly.
"If I say you can, then you can," Yang Cheng replied firmly. "You don't need to be overly nervous. Just keep watch on the Southern Guardian Prince and gather as much information on Yang Xiu as possible. You don't have to take action against them yourself."
"Qingxue, do you know how many people in this world beg for the chance His Highness is giving you, but never receive it?" Hu Po said with a smile.
Hu Po's reminder made Xu Qingxue instantly realize this was truly a gift from His Highness.
She stopped refusing and said seriously, "Qingxue will give it her all. If Your Highness feels I'm not capable enough, you can replace me at any time."
"And also, find time to visit Hong Tao. If he knows what's good for him, he'll understand what to do," Yang Cheng added.
He wasn't crushing the Hong family out of boredom.
Suppressing them was to use their resources to strengthen the Xu family.
The Xu clan was still too weak.
So he needed to build them up, making them capable of doing things for him.
Xu Qingxue hadn't yet realized the weight of those ordinary-sounding words.
The next day, Yang Cheng left Canglan City.
All the major powers of the city came to send him off.
The procession stretched for three li.
After Yang Cheng departed, Xu Qingxue set aside her melancholy and relayed his words to her father, Xu Wanhe.
To her surprise, Xu Wanhe was so excited he completely lost his composure.
"Father, why are you…?" Xu Qingxue asked in confusion.
Xu Wanhe's gaze at her turned complicated.
There was comfort, pride, and even a trace of respect that had never been there before.
She didn't understand, but he did.
From now on, Xu Qingxue was essentially the Crown Prince's envoy in Chanzhou.
He wasn't emperor yet.
If he were, Xu Qingxue's position would be the same as an imperial commissioner!
He didn't bother explaining further.
Some things had to be realized on her own.
Only by personally experiencing the changes brought by power would she come to grasp its subtle essence.
"Qingxue, today you should go to the Hong family," Xu Wanhe said.
"That was exactly my thought," she replied.
When she arrived at the Hong estate, she began to understand why her father had lost his composure.
Hong Tao, who used to be an elder before whom she had to bow with respect at banquets, now personally came out to greet her.
Throughout the meeting, Hong Tao treated Xu Qingxue with deference, even tinged with fear.
Not only that, he handed over the deeds to most of the Hong clan's businesses.
"This is…?" Xu Qingxue was stunned.
"This is a gift from the Hong family to Miss Xu," Hong Tao said.
Handing over those industries was no different from cutting the flesh off the Hong clan itself.
But he had no choice.
If he didn't give them up, the Hong family would face annihilation.
That was also why he had declared Hong Xiang's "death from illness."
It wasn't just to calm the Crown Prince's wrath, but also out of fury toward Hong Xiang.
This time, Hong Xiang had truly dragged the Hong clan to the brink of destruction.
So Hong Tao dared not hesitate for even a day, making the hard cut immediately.
He feared that if he waited any longer, disaster would strike the Hong family.
"I can't possibly…"
Xu Qingxue almost blurted out that she couldn't accept such enormous wealth.
But as the words reached her lips, she remembered that she was no longer just the Xu family's daughter. She now represented the Crown Prince.
In that moment, she finally understood why her father had been so shaken.
So she calmly said, "Then I will accept Uncle Hong's goodwill."
Hong Tao let out a long sigh of relief.
From that moment, the Xu clan became the greatest family in Canglan City, practically its absolute overlord.
Seven days passed in a flash.
Fengtian City.
"Mother, I've been back for days now. Why haven't I seen Father at all?" Yang Cheng asked in surprise.
"Do you still remember Golden Gate Valley?" Yun Liyue asked.
Yang Cheng's mind stirred. "Father went to Tianyuan?"
Golden Gate Valley was the entry point connecting Tianyuan and the Wasteland Realm.
Last time, they had killed over a thousand Tianyuan experts there.