Heavenly Opposers

Chapter 210-The Palace Working.

"Tell me everything that the Emperor told you to do."

Azrail spoke in a commanding voice, it being fully registered within Meng Yao's mind as she spoke.

"Yes master, the Emperor had asked me to keep an eye on you and your group, to see if you are as talented and powerful as they say. Also, he asked me to note specific qualities of the woman around me. He also asked me to see if there are any weak points in your group, to settle you all nicely in this room, to give you a sense of utmost comfort."

Azrail raised his hand as Meng Yao shut her mouth, his eyes moving towards his mother who first spoke.

"I still can't get used to a power like this."

Azrail could see the tint of fear in her eyes in his mothers eyes as she spoke, not towards him but towards the power itself. Yet, she didn't let that keep her down as Yun soon continued.

"It's the basic stuff we expected. They seemed to have made their moves towards this place, perhaps already have bought off the Emperor, who might be sweating to his balls to find any weakness for them to use."

Flinching a bit at his mother's language, Azrail just focused back on Meng Yao as he commanded.

"Continue with the main points."

"The Emperor was specifically more focused on what weakness he could gather about you, and he was more interested in seeing if your body can be broken down into a cauldron and used, you and your sister."

While the words truly angered everyone in the room, they had already anticipated something like this. The wives of Liam just want Valencia and Raena gone, what happens to him isn't much of a matter to them. Sure, he might be talented, but he is still related to Valencia. Letting him live would only bite them in the ass later, so 'they' might have already made contact with people giving the guise of doing whatever they wanted to Azrail when it's all finished.

"The Emperor knows that we are not fully powerful?"

Azrail asked, to this, Meng Yao shook her head.

"I don't know."

Seeing so, Azrail changed the question.

"Were there any high-level movements within the palace, something pointing towards the fact that something huge has happened, anything that happened within this one-week range?"

The question of Azrail led to Meng Yao's face frowning a bit in thought, her answer soon flowing out.

"Indeed, two days ago, the whole palace seemed to have gone into some kind of lock, as the Emperor asked no one to make a move."

The rest, hearing the words, looked at Azrail who smirked a bit, his eyes meeting towards his mother as he spoke.

"Guess, they have made their move into the Rexion Empire."

"When do you think they will make their move?"

Valencia asked before Yun could.

"They might try something during the ball, but it's not sure, though knowing the Emperor he might have something smart planned around."

Yun spoke, her face still relaxed, while Raena seemed to have found the wine cabinet and had already poured herself a drink. The only one fully silent is being Xuanyin, still sticking to Azrail but reading through what's going through his sister's head all Azrail could feel was she might perhaps be the most dangerous in the room as a whole.

Xuanyin's whole thought process has moved towards torture and killing of the Emperor ever since the words of the Emperor's desire to have him and Xuanyin as cauldrons. She was more enraged for him than her own.

'Guess seeing a lot of things aren't all that good.'

Azrail musing at the useless thought focused back on Ming Yao.

"Tell me about the situation around the palace, how is it? The current dynamics?"

The palace is a web of intrigue and subtle power plays. As Azrail probed Meng Yao's thoughts, the dynamics of the palace revealed themselves.

The Empress shrouded in an air of regal authority secluded herself within the inner chambers, a sign that she held considerable influence. The concubines, a delicate yet competitive network, were on edge, sensing the ripples of impending change. The power struggle among them was evident, each vying for the Emperor's favor and the coveted position of bearing the next heir.

Yun, with her perceptive gaze, noted the unspoken hierarchy among the concubines. "There's a subtle power shift. The Empress retains control, but some concubines are aligning with factions, maneuvering for advantage. Watch for Lady Xia, she's been garnering support."

Azrail absorbed this information, recognizing the underlying political currents. The palace was not merely a place of decadence, it was a battlefield where women fought for their children's future and their own status. The Emperor's elusive favor was both a prize and a peril.

Valencia, attuned to the subtleties of courtly politics, added her insights. "The children are key players too. The leading child, the one marked to inherit the throne, carries the hopes of their faction. Pay attention to the dynamics between Lady Xia's child and the other contenders."

Raena, her crimson eyes narrowing in thought, interjected, "But the real power might not lie with the Empress or the concubines. Look for the shadowy figures behind the scenes—the eunuchs, the advisors. They often hold the strings, steering the palace politics." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The Imperial Guards, stationed like silent sentinels, were another force to be reckoned with. Elite cultivators from influential clans formed an imposing wall around the palace, a clear message that the Emperor was securing his position.

Azrail considered the intricate web before him, his eyes peering towards Meng Yao as he asked.

"What about the prince, the other one that is now a laughingstock of the world, how is he doing?"

This question prompted some attention from the rest, but Azrail played it cool as Meng Yao spoke.

"He is falling into depression more and more, he is antsier, gets around destroying things, screaming at everyone, his talents are trash, the Emperor has taken away the support towards the concubine Diwei, the mother of the prince Ruibo."

'Guess the story is still flowing.'

Azrail thought, he already had light plans for this talented one that would rise from the bottom to the top, just like the rest having different women, among which only a few have Azrail's attention, good ones that will be of use to him, the rest don't matter much to Azrail.

"Mother, you can ask all you want now."

Azrail spoke, he leaned onto the chair and gave the reins to his mother, while Valencia stuck close to him, her head being placed on his shoulder, while her breath kept hitting his cheeks, the smell from her body being tempting as always.

"You seem to have some plans for the Ruibo."

She muttered in a whisper to his ears, to which Azrail replied.

"Well, I just want to see a clown show that's all."

Azrail replied back as Xuanyin started to pull at his hand, her head also being placed on his shoulder in jealousy.

'This isn't all that bad.'

As he mused himself, his mother finished off the questioning within the next 15 minutes, all her questions being towards the inner workings of the palace, its movement, and even above that she started to learn about the inner cash flow here, the business, and everything.

These all being high enough information that can be known and even be dealt with by the handmaids, these all being sensitive information that can damage the cash flow of the Empire, not to mention the true politics of the palace isn't to flow outside of the palace itself.

"You look very satisfied mother."

Azrail spoke with a smile.

"Of course, I am going to make a lot of money after all."

Yun replied with a smirk, no doubt on selling some small information for a lot of money. Seeing so Azrail focused on the very respectful headmaid as he spoke.

"You have to meet the Emperor, right?"

Meng Yao nodded her head at that, seeing so he spoke.

"Good, then be as direct as you can, no need to hide anything, tell your true thoughts and of course, stay clear, you are my ever loyal slave, right?"

The last of the words was the punch as Ming Yao nodded her head, even without Azril speaking he had already implanted the ideas that she should speak of, hence seeing that the time was getting shorter Azrail spoke.

"One final thing, this prince Ruibo, will he be at this ball today?"

"Yes."

Ming Yao replied.

"Good, then you're dismissed."

Azrail spoke, to which Ming Yao left the room, the array of maids still outside ready to run up at a single call.

"Guess, I will be needing a bit of your help, Valencia...."

Azrail muttered to Valencia, who just nodded her head.