【On this day, Ye Yu formally informed Ye Kuiliang that he would start competing for the throne.】

【But since you want to see if silver can pave the way to the position of crown prince, it is impossible without some assistance.】

【Through Ye Yu’s persistent coaxing and hard bargaining, he managed to extract thirty thousand spirit stones from Ye Kuiliang.】

【The reason given was to support his dreams.】

【Looking at the missing storage ring in his hand, Ye Kuiliang sighed and lamented throughout the night in the Yangxin Hall.】

【How could he have been so misled by this boy?】

【However, before leaving, Ye Yu had also pledged a military order, saying that since he had received the money, he would indeed take action.】

【He would fight for the crown prince position as promised!】

【This assurance did provide Ye Kuiliang with some comfort.】

【When morning court convened, many officials and princes once again joined forces to accuse Ye Yu, insisting that the emperor must make a decision.】

【Yesterday, when faced with accusations, you said you needed to think about it.】

【Having thought about it all night, you should have made up your mind, right?】

【Faced with the outrage, Ye Kuiliang calmly said: I have already reprimanded Ye Yu last night. Let this matter be settled.】

【This statement caused everyone present to change color in shock.】

【Many princes frowned deeply, yet remained silent.】

【The prime minister, who had been fainted after being angered by Ye Yu, immediately stepped back.】

【Ye Kuiliang’s reaction was too strange.】

【A hundred accusations resulted in only a reprimand?】

【What did Ye Yu do that would make Ye Kuiliang protect him so?】

【Or is it that the sky of the Great Yong Dynasty is about to change?】

【At the same time, Ye Yu was not idle either; he proactively approached his grandfather, Zhou Baiwan.】

【The latter’s first action upon seeing him was to clench his fists to protect the storage ring on his hands.】

【It was not that Zhou Baiwan was stingy.】

【What he had given Ye Yu the day before might seem like a vast fortune to others, but to Zhou Baiwan, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.】

【This was the confidence of the head of the largest trading house in the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【However, starting from yesterday, Zhou Baiwan had already decided not to give Ye Yu any more large sums of money before he matured.】

【Zhou Baiwan was truly afraid that such money would harm Ye Yu.】

【With ten thousand spirit stones, you dared to buy the prime minister’s house. If given a hundred thousand, would you plan to buy the palace?】

【In this branch of the Zhou family, Ye Yu was the only descendant.】

【Zhou Baiwan did not want anything to happen to him.】

【Therefore, this silver and spirit stones were absolutely not going to be given again.】

【To make Ye Yu give up entirely, Zhou Baiwan decisively stated that anything else could be discussed, but money was out of the question.】

【Of course, only large amounts were refused; small amounts for pocket money were available.】

【Ye Yu scoffed.】

【He said: Grandfather, I don’t understand what large or small amounts mean. Just give me a hundred thousand spirit stones to start with.】

【Zhou Baiwan was almost driven mad.】

【Are you completely unable to understand what I’m saying?】

【You ask for a hundred thousand spirit stones directly. Do you know how many cultivators’ lives that amount could buy?】

【And you’re only fifteen; what do you need so many spirit stones for?】

【Even to raise elite guards, it’s not necessary to use so much.】

【Ye Yu slowly uttered the words.】

【I want to be the crown prince.】

【Time seemed to stand still.】

【Zhou Baiwan stood there, unmoving for a long while.】

【It wasn’t until a tear slowly rolled down his face that he came to his senses.】

【The first thing he did was go to the Zhou family ancestral hall and kneel before the ancestors.】

【He had finally understood.】

【Previously, Zhou Baiwan had heard from Lady Zhou that Ye Yu was not interested in the throne.】

【At first, Zhou Baiwan was somewhat disappointed.】

【After all, who wouldn’t want their child to sit in that position?】

【But Zhou Baiwan didn’t dwell on it too much. Soon, he had come to terms with it.】

【Since Ye Yu was the only heir, if he didn’t want to fight for the throne, so be it.】

【With the Zhou family backing him, being the richest prince in the Great Yong Dynasty wouldn’t be so bad.】

【But now, a mischievous child who had been idle for so long suddenly declared his intention to join the struggle for the crown prince.】

【Isn’t this a sign of growing up?】

【After howling in the Zhou family ancestral hall, Zhou Baiwan emerged, full of vigor.】

【Good grandson, since you want to vie for the crown prince position, grandfather will definitely support you wholeheartedly.】

【If a hundred thousand isn’t enough, take two hundred thousand first and use more if needed.】

【The Zhou family may not have much, but we have plenty of money!】

【At this moment, Ye Yu finally saw the dominance expected of the head of a trading house in Zhou Baiwan.】

【To be honest, there’s a certain inexplicable charm in men when they talk about money.】

【After obtaining the spirit stones, Ye Yu officially embarked on the path of vying for the crown prince position.】

【The first step was to win over some ministers.】

【After all, one must have influence in the court, right?】

【But these ministers had also heard of Ye Yu’s reputation for spending extravagantly.】

【At first, they were all unwilling to meet or interact with him.】

【Because the ministers also needed to choose sides.】

【Only those who earned the favor of the dragon would have a chance to soar. To continue shining brightly.】

【But Ye Yu, no matter how you looked at him, didn’t seem like someone who could become the crown prince.】

【So, when the ministers heard about Ye Yu’s visit, they all shut their doors and refused to see him.】

【This situation made Ye Yu very upset.】

【If you won’t let me squander money, then you’re my enemy!】

【That day, he called in the Zhou family’s cultivators and had them break the legs of the minister, Sun Longhai.】

【Ye Yu then went to visit him, feigning kindness.】

【He presented a generous token of his goodwill.】

【Before leaving, he even patted Sun Longhai’s shoulder warmly.】

【He told him that a broken leg was nothing compared to the real pain of losing a third leg.】

【If you close your doors again, you know the consequences.】

【Of course, you can also write a memorial to the emperor and accuse me!】

【After hearing these words, Sun Longhai’s face turned ashen.】

【He was merely a third-rank minister.】

【This prince in front of him had even made the prime minister faint with rage.】

【And nothing happened to him in the end.】

【What if his leg was broken?】

【Besides, there was no direct evidence proving that Ye Yu was behind it.】

【So how could he report it? With what evidence?】

【Sun Longhai’s mind raced.】

【Before Ye Yu was about to leave, he dragged his broken leg and loudly declared: I, Sun Longhai, am willing to serve the Sixteenth Prince and follow him with utmost loyalty.】

【Choosing to surrender for the sake of preserving one’s life wasn’t shameful.】

【Moreover, with Ye Yu’s methods, who would dare say he lacked the means to vie for the crown prince position?】