That night, Xiu didn’t sleep.
The dark night of XueLi Xing was always short, as if the light of the central star gradually replaced starlight.
Even though no one had ever seen what it was like when it shone upon the human race at its inception from that star, people still called it “Daylight”, as tradition has been passed down since ancient times.
Scientists say that the ancient sun was brilliant and golden, and its brilliance could not be seen directly. The sun has always been a symbol of the royal family since the establishment of the interstellar unified empire.
They possessed the most powerful genes of human beings so far, like a new sun, shining in the dark and silent universe.
Today was the Crown Prince’s birthday. Xiu quietly looked out of the window, and the symbol representing himself rose from the horizon, casting his weary pale countenance in an even more exhausted light.
This was what Alfred saw when he gently pushed open the door.
He slept in the second bedroom on the second floor, deliberately getting up early, hoping to see Xiu’s sleeping face. Unexpectedly, when he pushed the door open, their gazes met directly.
Despite what had happened last night, Alfred acted like nothing had happened, not embarrassed at all. He approached the bed comfortably, placed a tray on the nightstand and said, “Couldn’t sleep?”
Xiu didn’t answer, and Alfred wasn’t angry either. He picked up the delicate porcelain white bowl and spoon. He sat on the edge of the bed, and made a gesture as if he was going to feed him.
“I’ll do it myself.” Xiu said, turning his head away.
Alfred didn’t put down the bowl, and asked again: “Have you slept yet?”
“……No.”
Having received an answer, Alfred handed him the bowl. Without leaving, he remained seated at the bedside, watching Xiu have his breakfast.
Even in bed, he maintained an elegant and dignified manner while eating. Alfred watched with interest for a while and casually asked, “Why couldn’t you sleep? Overthinking something?”
Xiu put down the spoon, dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and said coldly, “Reflecting on what went wrong with my education.”
This answer seemed to please Alfred. He curled up his lips, saying: “I’m curious. What makes you still hold onto the identity of an elder brother when you and I are already close to a showdown? Is it because you have been the Crown Prince for too long that you have developed an inescapable sense of superiority, or…is there any other reason? “
“Other reasons?” Xiu asked rhetorically, “like what? What are you expecting me to answer?”
The Crown Prince is always calm and composed. He rarely used such consecutive questions in his speech because it sounded somewhat harsh and didn’t match his image. But after last night, his mood seemed slightly unstable.
This discovery made Alfred feel a little excited, but it didn’t cloud his judgment. He refused to disclose any of his own speculations and lightly threw the question back: “I asked you because I didn’t know, Your Highness.”
So Xiu replied, “Because before the Queen Mother passed away, he entrusted you to me.”
Alfred’s smile disappeared, and he said dangerously: “How dare you bring up the Queen Mother?”
If anyone else on this planet had witnessed the precursor to Alfred’s anger, they would have been terrified. But Xiu, instead of being intimidated, continued speaking.
“Actually, I never told you that there was another half to her last words.” Xiu lowered his gaze and said, “She hoped you would become the Emperor, not me.”
This was indeed the first time Alfred had heard about it. He was stunned for a moment and then asked: “Didn’t you wonder why?”
Xiu raised his gaze to look at him and said, “Of course, it’s for the reason that both you and I are aware of. I’ve known since I can remember, the Queen Mother never hid it from me.
As expected, the late Empress was also one of those who helped hide the secret. However, she never attempted to hide it from Xiu himself. Xiu had always known…
Alfred suppressed his anger and said, “You knew it all along, yet you comfortably sat in the Crown Prince’s position for over twenty years?”
Xiu responded: “No one stipulates that the throne must be occupied by Golden Eyes’ inheritor.”
This sentence fueled Alfred’s anger, but he was no longer the kind of person who vented his anger by shouting loudly. On the contrary, he said with a cold expression: “The High Priest is really courageous.”
This unexpected disclosure of the truth really made Xiu react. Although he didn’t panic, his gaze became more intense towards Alfred.
“What happened to Joshua?”
“Don’t worry, he is completely safe,” Alfred replied.
Xiu said in a deep voice: “It’s better to be like this. The teacher only has one child, and he won’t tolerate anyone hurting his son.”
“Yeah, I dare not offend the High Priest,” Alfred sneered. “Everyone says the High Priest has no power, but how is that possible? At least after the birth of the prince, the birth certificate should be announced by him. ——For example, your birth certificate, Crown Prince. Two years ago, after I read the test report, I found someone to check the records of your birth. It turns out that your birth identification was personally conducted by the High Priest himself. It is a great honor. To say that our High Priest is very courageous. If I hadn’t found out about this matter, I would not have realized the immense power held by the spiritual symbol of our empire.
He almost uncovered Xiu’s background, but Xiu didn’t panic, calmly asking: “Is that all you found out? My teacher’s potential power is beyond your imagination and resistance. I advise you not to do unnecessary things.”
He didn’t mock, but seemed to be calmly narrating the facts. This attitude made Alfred vaguely uneasy. Previously, he just felt that the High Priest had a special status and it was difficult to move. However, he hadn’t thought he would be so invisible. What’s more, Xiu knew that the Stone family stood behind him, and he still had confidence… He immediately changed his previous thoughts and decided to personally interrogate Joshua and mobilize all available resources as soon as possible to explore the High Priest’s background.
Although the alarm bells were ringing in his heart and he had to make several decisions in an instant, he kept his composure, sneering with disdain: “You’re putting on an act, aren’t you?”
Xiu shook his head lightly, showing no further interest in speaking. He lowered his gaze and continued sipping his hot soup.
Alfred seemed unwilling to let him finish his breakfast peacefully. After watching for a while, he added: “The doctor is already waiting outside the villa and will come over to check on you once you finish eating.”
Xiu picked up the napkin again to wipe the corners of his mouth, then put down the bowl and spoon before replying: “There is no need for a follow-up examination. Let them go back.”
“Your Highness is really forgetful. I just mentioned it last night—it’s not up to you to decide.” Alfred smirked, “They are all doctors from the best hospital in XueLi Xing. I am concerned about Your Highness’s health, so I invited them for you overnight. The press release is already prepared. If you don’t review it, how can they publish the news later?”
Seeing that Alfred had made up his mind to take the advantage of the opportunity to earn a good reputation as a “filial younger brother”, Xiu knew it didn’t make sense to argue and focused on his own breakfast.
Alfred continued to provoke with a few more words, but it seemed that Xiu had decided to ignore him. He finished the meal with an elegant gesture that no one could fault.
Soon, the tray was taken away from the serving platform, and Alfred brought in several doctors.
The doctors all bowed to Xiu, who thanked them kindly for coming early in the morning. His next statement was, “Yesterday, a doctor from a nearby hospital had already performed the reduction procedure on me, and the concussion was only very mild. I’ve recovered today, so there is no need for you to trouble yourselves for a re-examination. Please, everyone, go back.”
As soon as they arrived, they were issued an expulsion order, which left them bewildered. Alfred sat by the bedside and said with concern: “Royal Brother, how can this be? I was not here yesterday, so you should check again in my presence. Doctors, please come forward.”
The leading doctor was the best orthopedic expert in XueLi Star. He was about to bring other doctors to come forward when Xiu said again, “I’ve already told you, there is no need to check again.”
His expression was still gentle, but his tone was obviously serious. Anyone could tell that he was not in a particularly pleasant mood.
In recent days, the third prince had gained momentum, and people are talking about it everywhere. In comparison, the Crown Prince’s momentum seemed not to be as strong as before. But the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince after all, and no one wanted to offend him. The doctors froze in place with their medical instruments, hesitant to approach again.
“Everyone, please leave now.” Xiu clearly issued an order.
Except for the Emperor, the Crown Prince had the authority to give orders to anyone, including doctors in civilian hospitals.
The doctors looked hesitantly at the other prince in the room. They noticed that his previously pale yellow eyes had slowly turned into a deep golden hue.
This pair of golden pupils exerted pressure on everyone present. At the same time, they couldn’t help recalling the blurry video that had been spread all over the EtherNet and seen by almost everyone, even though it had been banned.
The burning eyes, the miraculous arrows of light, and the image of the Emperor drawing a bow behind him, as if foretelling something.
That year, the emperor accomplished the most critical battle on XueLi Star, then returned to the main star to establish the imperial city, founding the unified interstellar empire. It marked the beginning of a new era where all human beings united and actively sought genetic changes to fight against civilization survival crisis.
As time flew by, everyone was saying that the survival crisis had passed, and the next glorious new era was about to come.
Would history repeat itself? Could XueLi Star produce another Emperor who would open a new era?
Alfred stared at them quietly for a few seconds before speaking: “Please come forward and re-examine His Highness.”
The air seemed to freeze, and a few seconds later, the leading expert clenched his fists and made a decision.
“Yes, Third Highness.” He bowed and said.
The silence was broken, and he immediately stepped forward, followed by his team, who also complied with his choice.
Alfred looked at Xiu, his eyes burning, his emotions surging. Xiu also gazed back at him. His usually calm black eyes revealed some dark emotions at this moment.
The hearts of the people that originally belonged to Xiu, the radiance that originally belonged to Xiu, was being plundered by Alfred—at least, in the small room on this remote planet, the loyalty of the people was shifting from the Crown Prince to the Third Prince.
This was Alfred’s first direct confrontation with Xiu, the first time he had openly fought for glory with his elder brother, and he won. And he would continue to win until this “glory of the empire” was eclipsed, until he grasped the highest authority and became the new sun of the empire.
When that time came…
Alfred stared deeply at Xiu for a moment, then closed his eyes, concealing all his thoughts. He stood up and made space for the doctors.
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