Wait a minute, where is my master?

Great Xia Imperial City, Taiji Palace.

Inside the main hall, Xia Xuanmin, with half-white hair, sat stern-faced behind the Dragon Bookcase.

Kneeling and bowing before him was none other than the Seventh Princess of Great Xia, Xia Yunzhao.

"Rise, we are family, there's no need for so many formalities."

A commanding voice called Xia Yunzhao to her feet.

"Yes, Grandpa Emperor."

Xia Yunzhao obediently stood up, her head bowed, standing quietly in the center of the grand hall.

The Seventh Princess revered and feared the family member before her.

From childhood, she had grown up listening to the legendary tales of her Grandpa Emperor, how he had revitalized the once-insignificant Xia Dynasty to its powerful ascent.

He'd ultimately defeated the Shang and Jin Dynasties, becoming the most glorious empire within the Nine Provinces Realm.

There were also stories of celestial battles where he suppressed two protectors of the Demon Sect, turning the tide of war by his own might, and so on.

Compared to her Grandpa Emperor, Xia Yunzhao felt he was more of a genius.

The title of the youngest Nascent Soul in the millennium-old Xia Dynasty began to seem laughable to her.

Thus, her admiration was born.

The reverence, however, came from the scarcity of their interactions.

When she was born, her father had already assumed the throne of Great Xia.

By then, Xia Xuanmin had begun a life of prolonged seclusion, seldom intervening in the matters of the Xia Imperial court.

Even aware that among his descendants was a rare genius born once in a millennium, he had met with Xia Yunzhao only a few times over these twenty-five years.

The Emperor of Great Xia was even glad for this; with one less Supreme Emperor to manage him, he felt more comfortable.

Not until the recent chaos stirred by the Demon Sect and the troubles that befell Great Xia did Xia Yunzhao's father recall he had a father of his own, and he realized the ease with which he sat on his throne.

It was all due to his father's formidable strength.

Now, as Xia Xuanmin began to show signs of decline, factions both openly and secretly started to emerge.

Logically, the household of Xia Xuanmin, who had just risen to power, should not resemble those ancient royal families that had passed down the throne for generations, known for their cold indifference.

Moreover, with only three sons, the relationship between father and sons should be even closer.

Yet, in reality, the opposite was true; their relationship was not close and there were underlying disagreements.

The reason Xia Xuanmin transferred the throne to Xia Yunzhao's father was precisely because this second son's character was not so domineering and was relatively mediocre.

To put it bluntly, he was incompetent at everything but maintained enough to preserve the status quo.

The disagreements between Xia Xuanmin and his third son primarily stemmed from the national policy he set when he established the empire.

Cultivators and commoners within the Great Xia were required to strictly abide by the laws of Great Xia, all equal before the law, living together in peace.

His eldest and third sons couldn't understand this at all; they had worked hard in cultivation, contending with heaven for their fate, only to end up receiving the same treatment as commoners—why?

Adhering strictly to the laws of Great Xia was known to affirm the dignity of the empire, but what was this nonsense about equality and peaceful coexistence?

How could cultivators and commoners ever be equal!

The second son's understanding of this policy was that his elder and younger brothers were right.

His main stance was simply one of blind conformity.

During Xia Xuanmin's reign, his strength was formidable, his methods strict. Various celestial sects also gave him face, so at that time, the Xia Dynasty really was a paradise for common people.

Even citizens from remote small countries would brave mountains and rivers, risking their lives just to reside within the territory of Great Xia.

However, after his abdication, this situation began to fade, particularly over the past two hundred years.

But it was still far better than the outside world.

Now, Xia Xuanmin was about to die, the kind without a cure for his illness.

He didn't want to cause the situation as it stood today and had tried hard to prevent it, had been ruthless, even using citizens from his four cities as bait.

But in the end, man could not conquer heaven; he seemed no longer the proud son of heaven who'd led Great Xia's rise and soared thousands of miles like in the days two thousand three hundred years ago!

Beauty fades, heroes eventually near their twilight.

Perhaps after his death, Great Xia would still exist.

But the empire where everyone is equal and lives in peace might vanish with him.

Thus, today he would make one of his final efforts. Not for anything else, but to fulfill that initial promise.

Inside the main hall of the Taiji Palace, since Xia Yunzhao had risen from the ground, the atmosphere had descended into silence.

Xia Xuanmin was reminiscing about the past, planning what else he could do before he died.

As for the Seventh Princess, she didn't know why her estranged grandfather suddenly summoned her, nor what he wanted.

"Yunzhao, how old are you this year?"

This old emperor of Great Xia halted his train of thought and began to ask.

"Replying to Grandpa, Yunzhao is twenty-five years old this year."

"Hmm."

"You've reached the Nascent Soul Realm, haven't you?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

The room fell silent once more.

Xia Xuanmin had not conversed with family like this in such a long time that it seemed somewhat awkward.

"Grandpa, you..."

"Yunzhao, I..."

Two voices spoke at the same time.

The kind of overlap that typically occurs among strangers happened between this grandfather and granddaughter.

Thankfully, the Seventh Princess, who had been hanging around Yu Yaoer and Little White the day before, had grown a thicker skin.

She took the initiative to break the awkwardness.

"Grandpa, your matters are more important, please go first."

"..."

Xia Xuanmin pondered for a moment, thinking how laughable it was that after a lifetime spent in battle, conversing with his own granddaughter should be so difficult.

So he decided to speak his mind directly.

"Zhao'er, what do you think about becoming the emperor of Great Xia?"

The Seventh Princess looked down at the tips of her toes, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Did Grandpa just say, "What do you think about becoming the emperor of Great Xia?" or "What do you think about becoming the emperor of Great Xia?"

Alright!

That phrase just couldn't be a figment of imagination!!!

So she hadn't misheard.

"Grandpa, please don't make fun of Yunzhao.

Not to mention that my father is currently on the throne, even if my father were to abdicate,

there's still my eldest uncle and my third uncle, right? Besides, I have so many older brothers and sisters; it should never come to Yunzhao's turn."

The Seventh Princess kept her head down, trying to reason and state facts to Xia Xuanmin.

But the other party wasn't picking up on her words; he continued on his own.

"Yunzhao, Grandpa is going to leave."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yunzhao suddenly looked up, straight at the gray-haired, aged man behind the Dragon Bookcase.

That was her grandfather.

The grandfather about whom she had heard more stories than the number of times she had seen him.

"Grandpa, you... are you leaving Shangjing City?"

The Seventh Princess attempted to smile, her voice shaking slightly as she asked.

She had heard the rumors, but never believed them.

Seeing his granddaughter's reaction, Xia Xuanmin couldn't help but laugh and repeated what he just said.

"Zhao'er, Grandpa is going to die.

So, would you be willing to take your father's place and manage Great Xia Dynasty for Grandpa?"

Xia Yunzhao's face still held a forced smile, but her mind had already lost the ability to think temporarily.

None of that mattered - the guardian god of Great Xia for two thousand three hundred years, the white jade pillars holding up the heavens in the Capital, the purple-gold beams spanning the sea.

All she knew was that the gray-haired old man in front of her was going to die.

And that man was her grandfather.

To be continued...