The Empror's Trap

Liam's presence here was no coincidence.

For the princes and princesses present, their best candidate for heir was Liam—as the former crown prince, the current empress's brother, and the late emperor's legitimate son. In terms of legal rights and abilities, Liam was qualified to rule Camelot as emperor.

Now these people were urging Pluvia to establish an heir. Since most of the young Camelot family members were still too young, he might very well become their nominated heir.

A sister passing the throne to her brother was rare but not unprecedented.

The job wasn't technically difficult either. He just needed to play the nice guy on the sidelines without saying much. His brothers and sisters would do the talking, and they would eventually push him to the throne.

But even he was stunned when he heard his brother's words.

You could hope for the emperor to abdicate or demand an heir be established, but you couldn't deny the current emperor's legitimacy—or at least you couldn't openly confront the emperor... Nizam's question seemed innocent on the surface, but in reality, he was practically acknowledging that Pluvia's position was illegitimate.

Little brat, no matter how bold you are, you can't speak so plainly at court!

"Brother, I'm speaking the truth. Though Her Majesty successfully ascended the throne by the late emperor's decree, everyone knows the crown prince position was originally yours. It's just that later the late emperor didn't..."

"SHUT UP!" Prince Liam couldn't remain a passive observer any longer. What was his brother doing? Putting him on the hot seat?

No, he was deliberately putting him on the hot seat!

"Interesting. So according to you, I should abdicate in favor of Liam?" Pluvia glanced at Liam but didn't address him directly, instead continuing to question Nizam.

"I have no such intention. I believe Your Majesty's ascension to the throne is indeed legitimate, as decreed by the late emperor. However, I feel that if Your Majesty were absent, Liam could temporarily manage state affairs."

This amused Pluvia.

"Hahaha! Look everyone, Camelot truly has abundant talent. There are plenty of people who could take the throne—anyone could do a good job. No wonder Camelot hasn't had an incompetent ruler in a thousand years!"

"Your Majesty, please don't believe my brother's nonsense. He drank too much this morning and is talking rubbish. Please don't take it to heart," Liam quickly added.

"I'm not taking it to heart. Please continue," Pluvia said, now more curious to hear what other outrageous statements her royal relative might make.

"Your Majesty, I've long wanted to speak frankly, but Your Majesty is also my sister, so I've held back. However, the matter of establishing an heir is urgent. This is a state affair. The Camelot family has many talented members. If Your Majesty establishes an heir, it will secure Camelot's future. Even if Your Majesty doesn't need to abdicate, letting the heir handle some state affairs would lighten Your Majesty's burden."

Nizam explained his thoughts.

"Moreover, forgive my directness, but currently the military power is all in the Grand Marshal's hands. The Grand Marshal commands hundreds of thousands of troops—what a threat to our Camelot! Yes, the Grand Marshal is currently serving the court diligently, but we must remain vigilant. If there were an heir, the military power could be managed by Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal, and the heir..."

He continued speaking, but beside him, Liam had already begun slowly backing away.

Damn it, we share the same father, yet he turned out to be such a hothead. I thought he was putting me on the hot seat to get rid of me, but then he dragged the absent Grand Marshal into this in front of all the officials...

I mean, couldn't he target one person at a time? In one go, he's provoked Her Majesty, put me on the hot seat, and then attacked the Grand Marshal?

Does he have a death wish? Better distance myself quickly. This brat's not thinking straight, and staying too close might implicate me.

There are always people in this world who are foolish but unaware of their foolishness.

Hearing his remarks, Pluvia began to applaud.

"Excellent! Nizam's words are truly remarkable! You want me to establish an heir who would then join me in opposing the Grand Marshal? What a brilliant strategy!"

Yutu stood dumbfounded beside him.

He had come primarily to push for establishing an heir, not to court death. Since Nizam was his full-blooded brother, he couldn't just watch him get into trouble. He quickly gave him a warning look while discreetly tugging at his sleeve.

Liam watched this disaster-in-the-making from behind, occasionally glancing up at Pluvia.

Truthfully, becoming heir apparent at this moment would essentially guarantee his path to becoming emperor—a group of elder officials, princes, and princesses were waiting for him. If he secured this legitimate right of succession, those elder statesmen and royal relatives would act without him needing to say a word.

It was a guaranteed win.

He had come hoping to capitalize on the situation. But seeing how things were developing, he realized this hothead was too reckless—standing with him would likely get himself killed.

Besides, Pluvia was clearly angry now.

Her tone remained calm, but as her brother, Liam had often cared for his sister (despite having different mothers). When she became angry, she might appear unruffled, but her eyes essentially said she wanted to chop you to pieces.

He decided against stepping in—there was no point in trying to rescue a dead man, and it would only risk bringing trouble upon himself.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, while Prince Nizam's words may be extreme, they contain some truth. Consider this: since Your Majesty's ascension, though Grand Marshal has accomplished much for the empire, we feel uneasy about the significant military power under his command. As Camelot's ruler, Your Majesty must control the military, or at least prevent the Grand Marshal from commanding so many troops."

"Therefore, establishing an heir would indeed help address this situation. Of course, I cannot agree with Nizam's other statements. Your Majesty's throne was determined by the late emperor. Succession should follow the late emperor's edict. Your Majesty's position is entirely legitimate!"

The speaker was Jinzhe, the Military Supply Minister of Camelot.

Unlike Nizam, he didn't make every statement a direct provocation. He spoke more politely while pretending to refute some of Nizam's points.

"So it seems I must establish an heir immediately?" Pluvia asked coldly.

"Given the current situation, we hope Your Majesty will establish an heir soon."

"Do you have candidates in mind? Whom do you intend to nominate as heir?" She didn't want to establish an heir, but she was curious about how they planned to handle the issue.

"I would like to recommend someone suitable for the position," Yutu hurriedly stepped forward, drawing Pluvia's attention away from his brother.

"Let's hear it."

"I nominate Prince Wuze as heir. First, despite his youth, he possesses ambition and concern for the empire and its people. Second, he treats worthy individuals with respect and participated in disaster relief efforts in Hexi with impressive results. Third, although he is the youngest among our brothers and sisters, he acts prudently, thinking carefully before taking action."

Pluvia naturally knew who Wuze was.

He was the late emperor's youngest child, only eleven years old. Among the late emperor's children, Wuze was indeed brilliantly talented. Last year, at age ten, he had accompanied the Minister of Agriculture to Hexi County to assess conditions and provide disaster relief.

At ten years old, he had personally visited households to understand the situation, assessed disaster conditions across Hexi County, and estimated the amount of relief grain needed in various districts. He had made significant contributions to the relief effort. If not for his young age, this achievement alone, combined with his previous performance, would have easily earned him a marquis title.

Rationally speaking, Wuze was indeed a suitable candidate for heir. Pluvia had an excellent impression of her young brother.

However... She couldn't do this.

An heir wasn't something to be established carelessly—many at court didn't understand this point. Pluvia understood their ignorance; after all, selecting heirs within Camelot followed thousand-year-old unchanging rules. Wuze was too young, his mind not yet mature...

Even if she wanted him as heir, it wasn't possible now—at least not until he turned fourteen.

Moreover... Wuze had almost no political faction at court.

As an official, having no faction was ideal—Pluvia appreciated officials who could accomplish tasks without forming cliques. But for an heir, starting without a political foundation would be disastrous. She wouldn't recklessly place him in such a position.

She understood their scheme perfectly. Wuze had no influence, no faction, no control over the military, not even private guards. If he became heir to "share her burden of governance"... it wouldn't be sharing governance at all, but openly dividing her power before these princes and officials.

"I also think Wuze is excellent. However, he is still young. Perhaps in four years, when he comes of age, I will consider establishing him as heir," she stated.

She could consider it in the future, but not now.

"Your Majesty, what about the Grand Marshal issue?" Yutu asked.

"Grand Marshal?" Pluvia was momentarily taken aback. "Weren't we discussing the establishment of an heir?"

"Establishing an heir is indeed important, but since we've brought up the Grand Marshal today, we might as well speak plainly with Your Majesty. The Grand Marshal's current power is excessive. We've previously reported this to Your Majesty. If you won't establish an heir soon, for the sake of Camelot's future, we hope Your Majesty will lighten the Grand Marshal's burden."

Pluvia scanned the assembled officials.

She suddenly noticed that very few of Kenji's associates were present. She didn't believe they would willingly miss this session.

There was only one possibility—these people hadn't let them attend, or most officials didn't know this meeting was taking place.

So that was it... Pressuring her to establish an heir, and if that failed, attacking Kenji as well?

How laughable. In the current situation, attacking Kenji was essentially no different from attacking her. Ultimately, they were still trying to undermine her, hoping to kill two birds with one stone.

"Ah, speaking of the Grand Marshal, I just remembered—" since they were being direct with her, she decided to drop the pretense and confront them openly. "When I returned, General Balinos was directing troops outside, and several military camps have appeared around Luminara. Can someone explain what's happening?"