96 Marriage proposal (1/2)

Hartley's name rang like a bell tolling through the capital for the next several days, his name could be heard in rampant discussions across the land, people who were present at the banquet and had witnessed the fracas were saying that their eyes were blessed by the Holy Matriarch, they felt so lucky to have seen the emergence of a potential future powerhouse, it was like when someone bragged about going to watch a world class player in the bush leagues before that player became world renowned, it was a story to be passed down to their gran children in the future around a crackling camp fire.

A tall middle age man with strands of white hair sprouting in his neatly cropped black hair like weeds in a garden, sat at his luxurious desk reading the contents of a folder, ”the thick-faced shamelessness practiced abroad,”the man whispered to himself with a slight smile blooming on his handsome features.

One of his subordinates had been adamant that the boy was special but the prince who sat in hisbrightly lit office with sunshine streaming in through the high windows, had thought differently, he couldn't see any immediate benefits to be gained from the youth, but as a good-will gesture to the energetic commander Genk, he had offered his protection as a token of appreciation to the youth for removing the guard captain in the Cassia province. He had asked Sir Lingwei to find a place for the youth and left it at that, the prince had no doubt in his mind that the inexperienced kid would be gobbled up by the politics of capital and forgotten within months if not killed outright.

But after the wave of euphoria and excitement that the youth had inspired in the masses of people across the capital, the prince had decided to have a detailed look at the youth, what he saw in the folder sat on his desk shocked him, making him immediately re-evaluate the pros and the cons of drawing in the youth a little closer. Rarely has the prince ever let sentiments get in the way of logical thinking, but he was seriously considering a gamble this time.

The youth had blazed a trail of destruction across the country on his way to the capital, some reports weren't confirmed but the youth even allegedly destroyed a cell of dark practitioners which by itself was an amazing feat if true.

After his performance at the banquet, the prince was beginning to think maybe the youth could be of some benefit in the next 3 to 5 years when the king might ascend, at that point he would need all the strength he could gather, if nothing else, the youth could play the role of cannon fodder.

The prince sat at his desk with a pensive look as he played out the scenario in his mind............

Far in the east of the capital among the hectic political ramblings of the elder prince's camp, another person was campaigning for the opposite....the immediate disposal of the youth whose name was ringing bells across the capital, Song Zemin who still hadn't fully recovered from the backlash and was feeling lucky not to lose a body part in the turbulent eruption of dark energy within the spatial crack, was telling anyone who would listen that the kid was one of the biggest threats the eldest prince's camp would face, of course, he didn't inform everyone that him, an exalted 9th layer xanthian with a foot in the saint realm, had sent out squads of people to kill the youth who all failed and as a result his position was weakened drastically.

Contrary to the beliefs of Song Zemin, everyone in Prince Dong Yulan's circles thought this was the crazy ravings of a man who had isolated himself from the world for too long.

They didn't see the insignificant youth being of any threat in the immediate future, even though some were impressed by the youth's performance at the banquet, they were privy to more information than the common man, the reports coming out stated that the youth had resisted the sneak attack of an elder.

This was the biggest headline from the banquet but it was common knowledge that elder Langzu was in the lowest echelons of elders in the country of Sasko, that's why he was one babysitting the youths at these functions across the three prominent countries.