Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 413: Chapter 413. A Royal Meeting

Two weeks later, important officials gathered inside the throne room of Golden Stone City’s Palace. All the hotshots of the kingdom were there. Standing beside the throne was the prime minister, an old man with a long white beard. His name was Zhu Yao. Outside the royal family, he was the man with the most power in this kingdom.

The princes and princesses were in attendance. Throughout his long life, King Huang Ti of the Echos Kingdom had sired sixteen children, nine males and seven females. Out of these sixteen, six were absent. One was late. As for the other five, their absence was not due to choice. It was because they no longer lived. Some died out of illness. Some were due to misfortune when venturing out. Whether the misfortune was intentional or not was up for debate, especially in the case of the death of the first and third Princes.

The throne was situated at an elevated platform at the end of the hall. So, anyone who wished to talk to the king had to look up. Below the throne platform was a second elevated platform. This was where the princes and princesses were standing on.

As for the rest of the officials, they stood below. These officials were divided between the civil and military courts. They stood on two opposite sides.

Amon was among the civil officials. He stood there beside Xa Jien. Senior Minister Pu Zhang was there as well. He stared in bewilderment when Amon entered the throne room. Amon acted like he didn’t notice, which irritated Pu Zhang.

”Your excellency,” Pu Zhang addressed Prime Minister Zhu Yao.

Zhu Yao turned to him and asked, ”What is it?”

”I understand this meeting is for kingdom personnel. Why is a civilian allowed here?” Pu Zhang asked.

”A civilian?” Zhu Yao asked in return. He didn’t understand who Pu Zhang was referring to. There were hundreds of people gathering in this hall. He knew many, but not all.

Pu Zhang pointed his finger at Amon. ”That man is not a kingdom-elected official. His name is Lin Mo, but he called himself Amon now. He used to be a Royal Academy student. But to my understanding, he never applied for a position.”

Zhu Yao looked at Amon before turning back to Pu Zhang. ”You seem to know a lot about this young man. Do you have a history with him?”

”I encountered him when I visited Qishurg City years ago,” Pu Zhang answered. ”He has..., how should I say it, questionable personality. Additionally, he came from the Lin Clan, who was found guilty of having a connection with the rebels.”

”Hm...,” Zhu Yao turned his attention to Amon. He didn’t believe a civilian entered this hall by mistake. There were checkpoints and guards all over this palace. Everyone who roamed the palace could not avoid getting inspected at every turn. If it was someone unknown and without permission, he would get kicked out very quickly or worse, sent to jail. It was even more so for this throne room. Soldiers were guarding every entrance. There must be a reason Amon was allowed into this place.

”Amon, is it? Can you tell me who brought you into this hall?” Zhu Yao asked.

”He came with me,” a voice from the second platform attracted everyone’s attention. The person who spoke was the thirteenth Prince, Huang San. ”He is a good friend of mine, and I value his input. I brought him here so he can experience our court processing.”

”Your Highness, with all due respect. This is an official meeting with His Majesty,” Pu Zhang uttered. ”We can’t let unscrupulous people just waltz in like this. What if he meant harm for His Majesty?”

”Are you implying I’m trying to harm my father?” Huang San asked back.

”I don’t dare, Your Highness. You know that was not what I meant.”

”No, I don’t,” Huang San said curtly. ”I bring him here. That means I vouch for him. If you say he has malicious intent, that is the same as saying that you don’t trust my judgment. Is that what you are trying to convey?”

Pu Zhang had difficulty responding to that. He didn’t expect the thirteenth prince to be so outspoken. From what he knew, Huang San had been squandering his time in meaningless recreational activities these past few years. He never displayed any care for kingdom matters since coming back from Qishurg City.

”Hahaha, I never thought you could be so antagonistic, little brother. You always seemed so carefree and friendly to everyone.”

Huang San turned to the one who spoke. It was a man who stood at the same elevation as he. Compared to everyone, this man’s position was the closest to the throne. This man was the fourth prince, also the current crown prince of Echos, Huang Zi.

Huang San smiled at his brother. He said, ”The master came out to save his lapdog. Well, for you, big brother, I will let his statement slide.”

”Hehe. Don’t think you can change the subject. This is not about Pu Zhang slandering you. This is about you bringing a civilian into this place. Even if you vouch for him, this is not the place nor time to bring your friend for sightseeing.”

”I’m afraid I have to agree with the crown prince, Prince Huang San,” Zhu Yao said. ”You can ask your friend to wait in the guest hall until our meeting here is finished.”

Huang San chuckled. ”You people keep addressing him as a civilian. He is not. He is an official member of this kingdom. He is a Counselor.”

”Counselor? Who appointed him?” Pu Zhang asked.

”I did,” Huang San declared. ”First, you doubted my judgment. Now, you are saying I also can’t appoint someone as a counselor? Are you intentionally trying to pick a fight with me?”

”I... I don’t dare,” Pu Zhang replied. ”However, an official recruitment requires a thorough vetting process. He couldn’t have...”

”He already went through the process. Go ahead and check the official registry. But if you do, that is the same as calling me a liar. I won’t let that slide even if my dear big brother speaks for you.”

Pu Zhang wanted to say that the recruitment process took a long time. If Amon went through the process officially, it would take months. He would know about it before Amon reached the final approval stage. The reason he didn’t was because Amon spent only two days on the process. He had such an accelerated process because Huang San accompanied the process step by step. The officers who worked on the application were forced to rush the process.

”Little brother, if what you claim is true, then you are in the wrong,” Huang Zi said.

”Why did you say that, big brother?” Huang San asked.

”If my understanding is correct, you have not only appointed him but helped him through the process, did you not?”

”What if I am?” Huang San asked.

”If that is true, then you have done a disservice to the applicants who wish to serve this kingdom. Every year, many talented people come from all over the country to apply for a position. We only accept the best. The vetting process is not only to make sure those who join have trustworthy backgrounds but also to ensure that they can benefit the kingdom. Only capable people have enough merits to be a kingdom official. By lending a hand to speed him through the process, it is unfair to everyone who must go through the proper way. We don’t know if he has the competence befitting his position. He might end up causing irreparable harm before we find out.”

”I disagree with your words, brother.”

Another voice interjected the conversation. The one who just spoke was Princess Huang Er, who stood beside Huang Zi. Huang Zi turned to her. His expression wasn’t friendly, and so was hers. The two were known as the fiercest rivals of the throne, so no one was surprised by the hostility.

”Amon here already showed his competence when he was still a Royal Academy student,” Princess Huang Er uttered. She turned to Zhu Yao and said, ”Prime Minister Zhu Yao, do you remember when I gave you the report regarding Oredolia’s dignitary visit many years ago?”

Zhu Yao frowned after hearing Huang Er. He soon made an expression of remembering something. ”Ah...! No wonder I felt his name was familiar when Pu Zhang mentioned it. He was the Royal Academy student from then?”

”He was,” Princess Huang Er confirmed. ”It was thanks to him we managed to avoid a conflict with the dignitaries. His achievement was the starting point that we used to maintain a positive relationship with Oredolia until now.”

”If that is true, then he is indeed worthy to join this kingdom,” Zhu Yao said.

Huang Zi stared at Pu Zhang. His expression was not cheerful. Pu Zhang bowed his head from the stare. Huang Zi was not happy because he was unaware of this fact. Pu Zhang did know about this matter after hearing from his colleagues, but he chose not to share the news because doing so would put Amon on a pedestal.

Loud drumming sounds cut their discussion. This was followed by an announcement, ”His Majesty has arrived!!!”