My system is 3000 years ahead of schedule

Chapter 4 Blood Pool and the Prince’s Struggle

As the voice sounded, in Zhaixin Palace, the smile on Queen Mother Li's face diminished a bit.

Cheng Guang was keenly aware of the sudden change in the cheerful atmosphere in the hall, and quietly took a few steps back, hiding his body behind Wu.

It seems that Queen Mother Li is also very close to her own family members. Even if it is just a family dinner, her attitude towards everyone is different.

Obviously, Cheng Guang himself and Princess Wu's Yuemei had a very high status in the heart of Queen Mother Li.

"If only the two of you come over for this family banquet hosted by the emperor, I will be relieved, old lady." Queen Mother Li looked a little helpless.

"Mother, what happened?"

Princess Yue Mei noticed something, and she looked at Queen Mother Li curiously.

"What else could it be? It's just a matter of establishing a prince."

"Recently, all the officials in the imperial court have begun to urge the emperor to establish a crown prince. It was also because of me, the old woman, that the old crown prince was abolished and the martial arts merchant was established as the emperor. As a result, the system of inheritance from the eldest son existed in name only."

"Now these people below are starting to fight for the establishment of the crown prince..."

Empress Dowager Li closed the Buddhist scripture in her hand and frowned slightly: "For this family banquet, the emperor probably wants to gather everyone together to see which prince I think is suitable for the position of crown prince."

As soon as these words came out, Princess Yuebei immediately understood.

Nowadays, the emperor is over a hundred years old. According to the long life span of practitioners, he is still in his prime. But even if the emperor of Zhou Dynasty can live for a thousand years, when it is time to stand the prince on his head, he still has to stand on the throne.

During the Taizu period, the deposed Prince Missing had been the crown prince for a full 300 years. If Taizu had not died unexpectedly, the journey of Missing the Prince would have taken a while.

After being the prince for 300 years, the throne did not fall to him in the end, so he waited in vain.

Therefore, it can be seen that becoming a prince does not necessarily mean that you can become an emperor.

So why are they fighting over the prince?
Princess Yue Mei was puzzled.

Empress Dowager Li noticed Yue Mei's expression and just said slowly, "The blood pool that occurs once every 30 years is about to open. Only the current prince can enter first, and other princes and princesses will have to go to the back."

Empress Dowager Li's words made Yuemei think of it immediately, her face was slightly shocked and full of amazement.

"If it's for the blood pool, it's really worth fighting for."

The blood pool, also known as the Great Zhou Ancestor Blood Pool, is a secret treasure cultivated by the ancestors of the Great Zhou royal family. It is nourished with thousands of precious elixirs and can increase the concentration of the royal blood.

The royal bloodline is the most noble bloodline in the world.

It is said that the royal families of the major dynasties in the Four Directions came from the same bloodline in ancient times. However, due to historical reasons, they have diverged in the long history. The bloodlines of each royal family have subtle differences, but there are some. One thing is the same.

That is, only the royal bloodline can practice the spiritual path among the thousands of spiritual paths.

Monks of the same realm, spiritual monks can often crush martial monks, which also creates the royal family's transcendent status in the world.

In spiritual cultivation, in addition to looking at personal understanding, the more important thing is to pay attention to the concentration of blood.

The higher the concentration of the royal bloodline, the better the qualifications for practicing the spiritual path. The blood pool is a secret treasure that can increase the concentration of the bloodline, which shows how precious it is.

The blood pool requires a large amount of elixirs from heaven and earth to maintain. It is only opened once every 30 years, and only a few people can enter it at a time.

If this opportunity is missed, the remaining royal descendants who have never entered the blood pool can only wait another 30 years.

The 30-year gap cannot be bridged by hard work overnight.

At this time, whether it was the establishment of the prince or the blood pool, the harem was no longer as peaceful as usual.

Princess Yue Mei also understood at this time why her mother looked troubled when she heard the arrival of the queen and several noble concubines.

No matter which prince he was, she loved him dearly, but after all, there was no way to balance a bowl of water.

Who doesn’t want their child to become a prince? Who doesn’t want their child to be the first to enter the blood pool?
Anyway, every family has its own scriptures that are difficult to recite, and the same is true for the royal family, which is nothing unusual.

Cheng Guang only listened to a few words and had a rough idea.

But he doesn't want to participate in this matter at all, and he can't participate at all. He should just be a transparent person at this time, and not letting people notice his existence is the ultimate goal of his trip.

A slightly smaller goal is to find the future empress Wu Ling and see what kind of person Wu Ling is at this time. If she can complete the system's tasks, it will be completed easily.

Cheng Guang turned his attention to the palace door.

Soon, a group of people walked in in a mighty manner.

"I am here to see the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother enjoy eternal blessings and live as long as heaven."

The sound sounded and Cheng Guang looked over.

She was a woman dressed in Yonghua. Her appearance was extremely well maintained. Time had only left a trace of traces on her face. Her brows revealed full of nobility and beauty. It was not difficult to tell that she was a first-class beauty.

This is the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Queen Wang.

She is the daughter of the chief minister of the current cabinet. Queen Wang has a gentle temperament. Next to her is a man wearing a golden python robe. She looks small and has a sense of calmness between her eyebrows.

This is Wu Ming, the eldest son of Queen Wang and the eldest son of the current emperor.

Wu Ming is nearly thirty years old, but his long-term practice has made him look extremely young, but as he is in his early twenties, he looks slightly older than Cheng Guang.

Even if this Wu Ming is not a candidate to be established as the prince in the future, there is no doubt that he will be a man at the top of the power of the Zhou Dynasty.

In addition to following Wu Ming, Queen Wang also had a little head popping up behind her. This was the No. 14 prince Wu Ji. He was only seven or eight years old. After all, it was a family dinner. The main purpose of coming here was to bring him to join in the fun and establish the crown prince. It was obviously not his fault.

At this time, Queen Wang said hello, and several other noble concubines also came forward to say hello.

Cheng Guang did not know these concubines, but they were all top beauties, and they were followed by a group of princes and princesses.

Cheng Guang glanced around, and his eyes suddenly passed over the princes and princesses, and fell on a slightly lonely figure.

Different from other princes and princesses.

There was no royal concubine around the man. He was wearing a rather old bright yellow skirt and followed behind everyone with his head lowered.

Cheng Guang's mind immediately realized that this was probably the future Empress Wu Ling of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Who could have imagined that the future Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty would look like such a doormat now.

Although she followed everyone silently, it could be seen that all the princes and princesses had distanced themselves from her, as if they were rejecting her.

Cheng Guang can also understand the mood of these princes and princesses. Except for Wu Ling, everyone grew up in the palace. Only Wu Ling did not grow up in the palace. He was picked up by the emperor from an unknown ravine outside a year ago. Titled Princess.

Perhaps it was xenophobia, perhaps dislike, or perhaps simply ignorance, for various reasons, Wu Ling was left alone.

Cheng Guang watched this scene silently.

Cheng Guang didn't notice that while he was looking at Wu Ling, some princes and princesses were also looking at Cheng Guang quietly, with a trace of curiosity flashing in their eyes.

It seemed that Cheng Guang today was a little different from Cheng Guang in the past, but he couldn't tell what was different.

"Meet the queen's sister-in-law."

Princess Yue Mei's voice rang out and she smiled at Queen Wang.

"Sister Yuemei, it turns out you have arrived. Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?"

Hearing Yuemei's voice, Queen Wang immediately smiled. She had a good relationship with Yuemei, after all, she was the emperor's sister.

"Guang'er, come here, this is your Queen's aunt, here to say hello."

After Princess Yuebei exchanged a few words with Queen Wang, she pulled Cheng Guang who was hiding in the corner.

Cheng Guang's heart tightened slightly, and he spoke with a calm smile on his face.

"Guang'er has met the Queen's aunt." After Cheng Guang finished speaking, he paused slightly, remembering Queen Mother Li's reaction just now, and then shamelessly said nice things again.

"Aunt Queen, have you looked so good recently?"

Perhaps the prince used to give people the impression of being a cold and boring gourd, so now his casual compliments surprised the queen and others, and they did not have time to carefully examine the difference between Cheng Guang at this time and the past.

And this is exactly Cheng Guang's purpose.

Sure enough, what women love to hear most is compliments on their appearance, especially compliments from an honest junior like Cheng Guang.

As soon as these words came out, Queen Wang's face suddenly filled with a smile from the bottom of her heart.

She had indeed spent more time on her beauty recently in order to get more emperors to stay with her, but except for the palace maids around her who would sincerely praise her, other people's praises were very perfunctory.

Queen Wang didn't expect that Cheng Guang would be the first to praise her at this time, and her words were so interesting that she felt elated for a moment.

"Oh, Guang'er."

"I haven't seen you for a few days, but your little mouth has become a lot sweeter. In the spring, please quickly take out the Wanhua Beauty Cake made by me and give it to your mother and Guang'er to try."

Empress Wang was filled with joy, walked straight to Cheng Guang, and pinched Cheng Guang's face lovingly.

This move shocked him again, and he did not dare to act rashly, as if he was afraid that Queen Wang would discover something.

But Cheng Guang also soon discovered that Queen Wang had no other intentions, just to express her love for him.

First of all, Cheng Guang's appearance is of the handsome type.

Secondly, Queen Mother Li was extremely fond of Cheng Guang.

Thirdly, Cheng Guang's family background was extraordinary, and today he was extraordinarily trying to please her.

Based on these points, Queen Wang would naturally have this reaction.

The maid took out the cakes and placed them on the table respectfully.

Queen Mother Li had no interest in this, but looking at Cheng Guang, she couldn't help but smile, picked up a piece, and handed it to Cheng Guang.

From this, it can be seen that even in front of all the princes and princesses, Queen Mother Li did not hesitate to express her love for Cheng Guang.

Cheng Guang took the pastry respectfully and took a bite. He felt that the taste was surprisingly good, so he finished it in one go.

Queen Mother Li saw that Cheng Guang was eating quickly and thought he was hungry, so she handed the whole box to Cheng Guang.

"Come on, dear grandson, you can eat this if you like. When you're done, ask your aunt the Queen to give it to you."

This scene attracted the attention of many noble concubines, princes and princesses in the palace.

Cheng Guang complained secretly. He just wanted to keep a low profile at this time. It was really uncomfortable to be praised by Empress Dowager Li like this.

Cheng Guang laughed and decided not to participate in the conversation of these big shots. He quietly took a few steps back and started eating while holding the cake box.

Only Princess Yuemei secretly pulled Cheng Guang's sleeve, "Guang'er, eat less so that there will be more delicious food for the family dinner later. Eating too much of this food will make you gain weight."

Cheng Guang said hurriedly.

Before coming here, I said I had lost weight, but now I am afraid that I will gain weight. My parents are really thinking strangely.

Everyone didn't pay much attention to Cheng Guang's actions. They just thought he was hungry and chatted for a few words before getting down to the main topic.

"Everyone came here today, in the name of a family banquet, just to establish the crown prince."

Queen Mother Li spoke directly, straight to the point, without any secrets.

As soon as she said this, Queen Wang was not embarrassed. She smiled gently and nodded.

"Mother, the matter of the prince is very important, and it also determines who can enter the blood pool this year. My family is not young anymore. Other princes can afford to wait, but he can't afford to wait."

"Besides, my Ming'er is the eldest son, so becoming a prince is justifiable according to the ancient system."

Queen Wang spoke up, perhaps because she had mentioned it several times before, but this time it was straightforward.

After saying this, Queen Mother Li frowned slightly.

Princess Yue Mei knew that Empress Dowager Li frowned not because she had any objection to Empress Wang's words, but because she did not want to be tainted with the disputes in the court.

When she abandoned the crown prince and established the martial arts merchant as the emperor, all the officials in the court were dissatisfied with her. Although Queen Mother Li did not care about the opinions of the officials, she did not want to get involved in the establishment of the crown prince after all.

The emperor's martial arts merchant respected Empress Dowager Li very much, and it was normal to want to ask Empress Dowager Li's opinion on this matter. However, Empress Dowager Li was obviously not willing to interfere in this matter. She would still have to kick the ball back to the emperor in the future.

Princess Yuemei knew that Queen Mother Li would most likely analyze the court situation and the pros and cons of all parties, level a bowl of water, and hand it over to the emperor for later processing.

There are children here, and there are things that involve the court, so I can't say anything too openly.

Therefore, Princess Yuebei looked at Cheng Guang and said, "Guang'er, you and your brothers and sisters can go out to play for a while. You can wander around casually. I'll call you back when it's time to eat."

Queen Wang and several other noble concubines also spoke in the same way.

Cheng Guang put down the cake in his hand, said "Oh", saluted the elders present one by one, then turned and left.

All the princes and princesses also followed Cheng Guang's footsteps and walked out of the hall.

At the same time, several eunuchs in the palace also came out quickly and followed everyone to look after them carefully.

Whether it is Cheng Guang or these princes and princesses, each of them is noble and extraordinary in the eyes of the slaves. If something happens to one of them, the nine clans of their family may not be able to survive.

Cheng Guang walked out of the hall.

Several princes and princesses came over and greeted Cheng Guang.

Cheng Guang didn't know any of these princes and princesses, so he chatted for a few words and then found a pavilion to sit down and rest.

These princes and princesses did not bother him, and soon went to have fun on their own.

Obviously, those princes and princesses were not very familiar with Cheng Guang. In their eyes, Cheng Guang still looked like the aloof prince he always was.

This is also what Cheng Guang wants.

The more he talked, the greater the possibility of exposure, so he had to be careful.

The other princes and princesses quickly walked away, leaving only a helpless Wu Ling in the open space.

To Wu Ling, this family dinner was completely like a gathering of strangers, and it felt like it had little to do with her.

Everywhere is full of awkwardness and rawness.

Cheng Guang can also understand Wu Ling's feelings. After all, he is also an outsider, only existing here as a substitute for the crown prince, and is in a very similar situation to Wu Ling.

"Hello." Cheng Guang sat in the pavilion and waved to Wu Ling.

When Wu Ling heard the voice, she was stunned for a moment. She didn't seem to think that someone was calling her, but she just misheard. She kept walking with her head lowered, walked to the lake and squatted down, looking at the golden carp in the lake, and was momentarily distracted.

Seeing that Wu Ling had no intention of paying any attention to him, Cheng Guang rubbed his nose in embarrassment and spoke again.

"Wu Ling."

Now Wu Ling heard someone calling her name, looked in the direction of the sound, and saw the handsome Cheng Guang wearing a brocade coat in the pavilion. When he waved to her, he felt even more at a loss.

Not knowing how to respond, he froze on the spot.

…………

(End of this chapter)