An Zhen looked down at the lively and cheerful girl.
Xu Tianzhen has a completely different personality from her sister, Jiu Jiu, who is also a princess in the royal family. Their upbringings are vastly different. Xu Tianzhen is more like a childlike girl in the prime of her adolescence, or perhaps this is simply who she is, if not for her royal status. It's difficult to reconcile her with the common image of a royal princess. However, princesses are human too, and there's no rule that says princesses must be dignified and elegant.
However, after the other party becomes emperor...
We'll talk about it later.
An Zhen felt he was quite lenient with girls who weren't inherently bad, as long as they behaved obediently. He believed that as long as they cooperated, everyone would benefit.
"Let's go."
An Zhen walked leisurely down from the stands and headed straight for the fighting arena below. To be precise, his target was the girl who was resting. Kong Deming was a step behind An Zhen.
On the battle arena, as the two Spirit Masters lit up their fifth spirit rings and unleashed their strongest attacks, the battle came to an end.
"Not bad." Seeing his class achieve final victory, Xu Tianzhen smiled smugly, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue in his small, fair hand. "It wasn't for nothing that I directly traded two of their players."
" Tianzhen ".
A voice rang out.
"Hmm?" Xu Tianzhen turned her head, and when she saw the person who came, a look of surprise appeared on her pretty face, which turned into joy. The girl jumped up from the chair in an instant and ran to Kong Deming. She grabbed the old man's arm and said, "Great-grandfather, great-grandfather, what brings you here?"
Kong Deming, who has a one-quarter Sun Moon Royal Family bloodline and has lived for over a hundred years, is of a very high generation.
"Did you bring me something good?" Xu Tianzhen's expectant voice rang out, like a child coaxing an elder, her big, expressive eyes blinking.
The students and teachers not far away saw what was happening. Those who recognized Kong Deming showed excitement on their faces, while those who didn't recognize him, upon hearing the title "Xu Tianzhen " and knowing her status as a royal princess, realized that the old man might be a powerful figure in the royal family, and they all consciously kept a certain distance.
"There is indeed a good thing." An Zhen nodded slightly, a mysterious smile on his face, "and it's something many people want."
"What?" Upon hearing An Zhen's words, Xu Tianzhen's expectant expression turned into one of excitement.
The girl looked at An Zhen curiously, and seeing An Zhen whom she had no recollection of, she asked in a puzzled voice, "And who are you?"
" True Hongchen, the grandson of Master Mingde Hall," An Zhen said.
"Oh?" Xu Tianzhen scratched his head, his face showing even more confusion. " Meng Hongchen's younger brother? I've never heard of you before."
"I was adopted by my grandfather when I was six years old. I was frail and sickly from a young age and rarely went out." An Zhen lied without blushing, half-truths and half-lies.
"I see." Since he appeared with his great-grandfather, Xu Tianzhen still believed it.
With a smile appearing in his bright, watery eyes as if he had thought of something amusing, Xu Tianzhen took a few steps to stand in front of An Zhen, put his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest proudly, showing off his potential for improvement. "You're here to study too? How about becoming my little brother? I'll protect you."
Hehe, Meng Hongchen's younger brother.
Xu Tianzhen recalled the figures of Smile Meng and his sister. "Hmph, Empire's number one genius, what's there to be proud of?"
An Zhen gently shook his head. "I don't come here to study, but nominally everyone in the Sun Moon Empire is indeed your underling."
"?"
Xu Tianzhen was somewhat bewildered.
What does this mean?
" Tianzhen." Kong Deming looked at the lively girl in Tianzhen, his eyes flashing with countless complex emotions. From this day forward, things would never be the same as before, but he was powerless to do anything about what was to come. He sighed softly, and his tone became more serious. "Let's go."
"Where to?" Xu Tianzhen asked.
"Go get the gift, a gift that your brothers have been dreaming of." An Zhen said with a smile, but her words carried an indescribable eeriness.
"Wh...what?" Xu Tianzhen sensed something was wrong.
Although she can be a little eccentric at times, she's not a simpleton.
" The throne of the Sun Moon Empire," An Zhen said softly.
Now that things have progressed to this point and everything is ready, An Zhen has no interest in playing a game of winning the princess's heart and then leading her to overthrow the emperor's rule.
The instant An Zhen finished speaking, a sudden change occurred. The pressure belonging to Titled Douluo erupted from Kong Deming, and an astonishing aura instantly filled the entire fighting arena. A portion of the power firmly locked onto Xu Tianzhen in front of him.
"!"
The astonishing turn of events left everyone in the arena completely bewildered. Although Kong Deming had no intention of harming anyone, his imposing aura was still enough to overwhelm the group of Spirit Kings. The Spirit Ancestor could resist, and the boys and girls struggled to mobilize the spirit power within their bodies. The teachers were in slightly better condition, but they were still staring blankly at Kong Deming and did not make a move.
"Great-grandfather?!" Xu Tianzhen felt it was difficult to move his body freely. Although there was no pressure, he felt as if he was fixed in place by an invisible force. "What are you doing?"
Xu Tianzhen was completely bewildered.
Let her seize the throne?
But isn't Father still alive? And he also has several elder brothers.
Xu Tianzhen never even considered the possibility of rebellion. Not only her, but no one in the entire Sun Moon Empire would associate Kong Deming with the word "rebellion," after all, he was the guardian deity of the Sun Moon Empire.
"Your father and Crown Prince have done some wrong things and are no longer fit to serve as and succeed to the throne of the Sun Moon Emperor," Kong Deming said in a deep voice.
"What?" Xu Tianzhen asked, puzzled.
Even if the Emperor and Crown Prince did something wrong, I doubt either of them would want to leave their positions.
"Well, great-grandfather, why don't you go and talk to one of your other brothers?" Xu Tianzhen shook her head and suggested, as she truly had no interest in the throne.
"Pfft~" An Zhen was amused by the girl's words.
" True Hongchen, what are you laughing at?" Xu Tianzhen frowned slightly, feeling that the other person was looking at her as if she were an idiot.
"My little emperor." The black-haired boy took a few steps forward, circled behind Xu Tianzhen, placed his hands on the immobile Xu Tianzhen's shoulders, and leaned close to her ear, his playful voice ringing out, "Don't you understand? They did do something wrong, but we are now rebelling in the name of purging the court of corrupt officials."
"Or is it that," An Zhen looked up at Kong Deming, "that your prestige is so useful in the Sun Moon Empire?"
Kong Deming silently turned his head away.
"Rebellion?!" Xu Tianzhen exclaimed in surprise, not even noticing An Zhen placing his hand on her shoulder. The girl looked anxiously at Kong Deming, her face filled with disbelief. "Great-grandfather, great-grandfather! He's lying, is he lying?"
"..."
"He's telling the truth." Kong Deming turned his face back, his expression serious and cold, a look unfamiliar to Xu Tianzhen. " Tianzhen, you are a child of the Sun Moon Royal Family. You have the mission to protect the Royal Family and the Empire."
As he spoke, Kong Deming took out a gold and silver bracelet and put it on Xu Tianzhen's wrist. It was engraved with sun and moon patterns, resembling a beautiful work of art. The next moment, Xu Tianzhen felt weaker than ever before, as if he had gone from a Spirit Master to an ordinary person. He couldn't mobilize any of his spirit power, and even his blood and qi, nourished by numerous rare and precious herbs, were suppressed.
This is a request from Kong Deming.
The old man looked at An Zhen with a hint of pleading in his eyes and repeated to confirm, "You promised that as long as Tianzhen is powerless to resist, there is no need to sign a master-servant contract."
"Of course." An Zhen nodded gently.
This can be considered as leaving some dignity for the Sun and Moon royal family.
Aside from his dislike of the Evil Soul Master, his conflict with the Sun Moon Royal Family was driven by self-interest, unlike He Caitou, where the two sides were not locked in a blood feud.
"Great-grandfather…" Xu Tianzhen stared blankly at Kong Deming, whose face was pleading. This was the first time she had seen her great-grandfather, who had seemed omnipotent and like a living legend, show such a humble expression.
Xu Tianzhen didn't understand what his great-grandfather meant by the master-servant contract, but...
"It's you! It's you!!!" The lively girl glared at An Zhen, her eyes burning with the fire of the sun. "It was you who forced my great-grandfather to do such a thing."
" Tianzhen!" Kong Deming's stern rebuke rang out.
Having escaped this master-servant contract, he is nominally the empress who will soon ascend to the supreme throne, but in reality, he will have to make a living under this person's command. Although the other party seems relatively easy to talk to now, he can't figure out this person's personality, so it's better to be more compliant in this matter.
"I..."
Xu Tianzhen was frightened by her elders' stern expressions. Aside from the time she was scolded by her parents for wanting to go to Shrek Academy, this was only the second time in her life she had been severely reprimanded.
"Master Kong," An Zhen raised his hand to stop him, "Don't be so harsh."
It's okay to harbor some resentment towards him. Anyway, besides sulking alone, there's nothing Xu Tianzhen can do.
"Yes," Kong Deming said respectfully, then stepped back like a guard and stood beside An Zhen.
"Great-grandfather!" Xu Tianzhen cried out unwillingly.
Kong Deming remained silent.
" True Hongchen!" The girl glared angrily at An Zhen, her cute little tiger teeth curling her cherry lips, tears glistening in her large, watery eyes. "What did you do to my great-grandfather!"
"Your great-grandfather was under my control, you can think of it that way," An Zhen explained.
An Zhen looked up at the sky, then his gaze fell on Xu Tianzhen, and he continued, "The time has come. Let's go, Your Majesty. I will take you to deal with the bad guys in the court."
The boy's voice lacked respect and other emotions, as if he were telling an ordinary passerby what he had for breakfast.
Kong Deming released the oppressive force that had been locking onto Xu Tianzhen.
Xu Tianzhen subconsciously took a half step back. Realizing she could move again, she quickly retreated with her beautiful legs, saying, "Don't even think about it. I will never become your accomplice."
"Don't be so naive," An Zhen sighed helplessly. The boy's figure suddenly disappeared from Xu Tianzhen's sight, and the next second, An Zhen, who was standing behind Xu Tianzhen, picked up the petite girl in a princess carry.