Chapter 38: Stirring Discord |
It was unknown since when.
Within the Royal City, and even among the noble territories across the land,
the conflicts among the Recipients of Divine Grace had suddenly increased.
Both the frequency and intensity far exceeded the past!
On this day.
Yula once again had to meet two great nobles arguing red-faced in the council hall.
One was Duke Starshimmer,
the other was Duke Spiritwind.
And between them, one was a descendant of Ya,
Although, in terms of seniority, they were of Yula’s junior generation.
Yet as dukes holding real power, their influence was immense.
“Two Dukes.”
“Why resort to such conflict over trivial matters?”
Yula attempted to mediate.
“We are all of the bloodline of our progenitor, Apollo.”
“Harmony should be our priority.”
“Why not sit down and talk this through properly?”
“Trivial matter?!”
Duke Starshimmer snorted coldly, his anger still unspent.
“Your Majesty, do you still think this is trivial?!”
Yula was puzzled.
According to the guards’ report,
this was merely a brawl between the heirs of the two dukes over a maid.
It had only spread to some Recipients of Divine Grace from both sides.
Though there were injuries on both sides, he had already sent a number of Star Radiance Recipients of Divine Grace to treat them—there should have been no issue.
“Please elaborate, Duke.”
Duke Starshimmer glared fiercely at Duke Spiritwind.
“My eldest son had only just recovered from his injuries.”
“Today, he went out for less than half a day, and was ambushed again, severely wounded!”
“I have already questioned the attendants who followed him. They identified the attackers as people under Duke Spiritwind!”
“And they were the very ones who participated in the last brawl!”
“Spiritwind! I haven’t even settled the previous score with you, and you’ve gone even further!”
“What? Your son is precious, and mine is nothing but roadside grass?!”
Duke Spiritwind’s face turned ashen as he roared.
“I’ve already said it! I didn’t arrange this!”
“Moreover, every single one who participated in that brawl was brought before you for confrontation!”
“Those attendants also admitted it wasn’t them!”
“Starshimmer! Stop slandering me!”
Duke Starshimmer refused to yield an inch.
“Slandering you? Hmph!”
“Who knows if you’ve hidden the real culprit!”
“You say everyone was present, and that makes it true?”
“Spiritwind, if you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation, I will not let this go!”
“Then don’t let it go!”
“You think I’m afraid of you?!”
Duke Spiritwind was completely enraged as well.
For a moment, the two dukes began pushing and shouting at each other in the council hall!
The scene… became extremely unsightly.
In the end, Yula exhausted himself persuading them before barely suppressing their anger and sending them back to their respective estates.
Watching their furious departing figures,
Yula felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
He was not his grandfather, Ze,
who possessed the strength and prestige to suppress everything.
He was merely an ordinary Recipient of Divine Grace.
Faced with the tangled internal struggles of these great families, he found himself unable to cope.
Moreover, according to the 《Sun Laws》 revised by Ze,
Recipients of Divine Grace enjoyed numerous privileges!
As long as they did not commit grave crimes such as killing kin,
even as king…
he found it difficult to impose substantial punishment.
At most, he could fine them or confiscate their noble territories—yet this only fostered arrogance among some nobles.
These were rights granted to them by Ze.
And as Ze’s youngest grandson…
he could not possibly refute the laws Ze had established.
“Ah…”
Yula let out a long sigh and sat back on the throne in exhaustion.
……
After Duke Starshimmer and Duke Spiritwind left the palace,
they each snorted coldly and went their separate ways.
Outside the palace.
Shan withdrew his gaze.
At this moment, his heart was filled with emotion.
He had not expected You’s scheme to be so effective.
With just a few insignificant acts of provocation,
making use of the mutual suspicion between both sides and the recklessness of their younger heirs,
it had been enough to easily ignite conflict between two powerful dukes.
“Clan Leader, Mother, Fu…”
“Your revenge—I will surely take it!”
“The foundation of the Solar Dynasty shall begin to collapse from within!”
Shan muttered in a low voice.
A flame of vengeance burned within his eyes!
Beside him, You remained calm and composed,
as if everything before him was under control.
“This is only the beginning.”
He spoke lightly, his gaze profound.
The outcome of today…
had long been destined in the past!
Perhaps it was…
the moment when Wa died beneath that arrow.
Or perhaps it was…
the moment when Lei brought back the bow and arrows.
Or perhaps even earlier…
And these original sins had never disappeared.
They had merely been temporarily concealed beneath the radiance of Divine Grace.
And his purpose—
was to completely tear away that veil of shame!
To bring those “original sins,” buried beneath the dust of history, back into the light.
You let out a soft laugh.
In a tone almost like chanting,
he began to recite…
the opening legend of the Sun King Apollo, widely spread between two nations.
“Beneath the ancient totem pole, the great god chose the child in the middle.”
“And thus starlight shone upon that child.”
“The god bestowed Divine Grace and granted a name.”
“And thus, Apollo was born.”
You paused, ambition surging in his eyes!
“But Apollo’s story has long since ended!”
“This is a brand new era!”
“A new epic…”
“will be written by me!”
……
The night grew deep.
Duke Spiritwind remained alone in his study, deep in thought.
After the anger subsided, reason returned.
For some reason…
the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
That fellow Starshimmer,
though hot-tempered and straightforward,
was not someone who would falsely accuse others without cause.
Since he dared to bring people directly to the palace,
he must have possessed some degree of evidence…
But the problem was,
he had indeed gathered every Recipient of Divine Grace under his command who had participated in the previous brawl.
And in front of Starshimmer’s attendants, they had been confronted one by one!
Yet the result showed—
that person was not among them!
This meant that the one who severely injured Starshimmer’s eldest son was either someone impersonating his subordinates…
or—
there was a hidden force lurking in the shadows,
deliberately stirring discord!
“Who could it be?”
“What benefit would they gain from this?”
Duke Spiritwind frowned deeply, murmuring to himself.
Disrupting his relationship with Starshimmer, inciting conflict between the descendants of Wa and Ya—who would profit from this?
At that moment,
a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Enter.”
The study door was gently pushed open.
The old steward of the estate walked in respectfully.
“Duke, it is late. You should rest.”
“There are many matters to attend to tomorrow.”
Duke Spiritwind had just reached a critical point in his thoughts when he was interrupted, and irritation immediately surged.
He waved his hand impatiently.
“I know! I have my own sense of measure. When I’m tired, I’ll rest. There’s no need for you to remind me constantly.”
The old steward quickly bowed.
“Yes, this old servant has spoken out of turn.”