00:00of unconsciousness. He once again accessed the memories stored within his magical sword,
00:04memories revealing that the moment the rebels had moved in to abduct him, the maid had seized
00:08the opportunity to make her escape. He was subsequently escorted to his current location.
00:12In short, that was the situation. The protagonist dropped the act. Wielding his demonic sword,
00:16he stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself. He felt the pain of disappointment. He had hoped
00:19to lure out a truly formidable opponent, but the ones who took the bait turned out to be nothing
00:23more than mere thugs. As the battle commenced, the protagonist employed a signature whipping
00:27top combat style, spinning and striking back and forth with lightning speed. No sooner had the
00:31fight ended than the reinforcements summoned by the maid arrived. She had simply been too worried
00:36about his safety to stay away. To her surprise, the protagonist had single-handedly annihilated the
00:40entire enemy force. The protagonist then instructed the group, these men were accomplices to the
00:45individuals who had attacked him earlier. Unexpectedly, a jet black dagger suddenly
00:49tumbled from the body of one of the fallen foes. The protagonist immediately shouted a warning,
00:53don't touch that, and ordered everyone to back away from the blade. The very next instant,
00:57wisps of black mist began to billow incessantly from the dagger's surface. He sensed an intense
01:01surge of malice emanating from it, a malevolence even more potent than that of his own demonic
01:05sword. It was a curse, a manifestation of the deep-seated resentment harbored by the one who had
01:10cast it. Alas, the sheer prestige and power of his own demonic sword were clearly on a different
01:14level entirely. The rebel leader had never imagined that his end would be so ignominious. News soon reached
01:20the king that the rebel leader had been struck by a sudden column of water and killed instantly.
01:24The king, seen, Qian Jishui. The male lead demands answers. The male lead confronts the
01:29official. Are you toying with me? While his majesty's decision to waive taxes during the
01:33floods is indeed an act of benevolence, the fundamental truth is that you couldn't collect
01:36them even if you tried. The official, Koud, scrambles to find another excuse. It's not that
01:41we refuse to release the funds. It's simply that we have no money left. His majesty has commissioned
01:45a new summer retreat project. Since it is a place his majesty himself will inhabit, to put it bluntly,
01:50we are required to construct an entire town, a secondary palace, which has completely drained
01:54the national treasury. The male lead cuts him off, an act that constitutes high treason, and demands.
01:59You refuse to fund flood relief efforts, yet you squander the money on building a secondary palace?
02:04Are you trying to make father appear to be a tyrant in the eyes of his own subjects? Only then
02:08does the
02:08official realize his wonder. He hurriedly and humbly attempts to explain himself. Please, do not
02:13misunderstand. In the end, the male lead gives him a simple ultimatum. Either you release the funds
02:17immediately, or I will go directly to father. This forces the official to bow his head in
02:21submission, promising to expedite the allocation as soon as possible. However, no sooner had he
02:26escorted the governor out than an imperial edict arrived, summoning him to an audience with the
02:30emperor. The emperor had already been apprised of the recent events and commended the male lead for
02:34handling the situation with remarkable competence. The male lead was surprised. How did father find out?
02:39Little did he know that the emperor possessed his own extensive intelligence network. In these times,
02:44the court was rife with lid-tongued schemers and sycophantic flatterers. For a mere six-year-old
02:48to successfully outmaneuver such seasoned political old foxes was, in itself, a truly impressive feat.
02:54Gazing at the demonic sword sheath at the male lead's waist, the emperor marveled. He had never
02:58imagined that his son would actually be capable of wielding it. After all, throughout history,
03:02that demonic blade had earned itself a truly infamous reputation. The male lead understood this
03:07sentiment well. Had he not intervened in the nick of time during the previous incident, everyone present in
03:11the palace hall might well have perished. To further hone the male lead's swordsmanship,
03:15the emperor had specially enlisted the empire's greatest swordsman to serve as his tutor.
03:19To everyone's surprise, the moment the swordsman arrived, he immediately requested a sparring match
03:24with the male lead, assuring the emperor not to worry. This thought was merely to assess the boy's
03:28aptitude. The emperor was easily persuaded. Left with no choice, the male lead drew his sword. Yet,
03:33as the demonic blade vibrated in his grasp, the male lead executed a lightning-fast strike. For in that
03:37very instant, he had received a sudden infusion of swordsmanship techniques inherited from the
03:42blade's countless previous masters. With just two or three swift movements, he sent the swordsman's
03:46weapon flying through the air. The swordsman, stunned, bowed respectfully and declared that he
03:50had nothing left to teach the boy. Although the male lead's physical speed and strength were still
03:54those of a child, the fact that he could disarm a master swordsman using pure technique alone proved
03:59that his swordsmanship had already reached a truly transcendent level. Seizing upon this opportune
04:03moment, the emperor bestowed a great honor upon his son. He appointed him the chief examiner
04:07for this year's knight selection trials. The so-called knight selection is, in essence,
04:11a martial civil service examination. The sole avenue for those dedicated to the martial arts
04:16to rise above the masses through sheer personal strength. The most powerful warriors, selected from
04:20every corner of the realm, converge upon the imperial capital to engage in a life-and-death struggle.
04:25The ultimate victor is bestowed the title of knight, thereby achieving a monumental leap in
04:29social status. A knight's very first assignment is to serve as a subordinate to the examiners
04:33themselves. By that time, the protagonist's own abilities are expected to have grown
04:37even more formidable. However, the protagonist wishes to make a specific request that the
04:41regional preliminary rounds be abolished and that the entire selection process be conducted
04:45exclusively within the imperial capital, ensuring that no exceptional talent remains undiscovered or
04:50buried in the dust. He confided this plan to his personal wish, yet he detected a note of
04:54helplessness in her response. As it turned out, people from his own home village also aspired to
04:59participate. However, due to the village's impoverished state, the costs of travel and lodging posed an
05:04insurmountable hurdle. Prices in the imperial capital were exorbitant. Even if the entire village
05:08hold all its resources, they could barely scrape together enough funds to cover the expenses for
05:13a single individual. Consequently, the chosen candidate would be forced to shoulder the hopes
05:17and dreams of the entire village. With a decisive wave of his hand, the protagonist surmised that this
05:22must have been the work of the protagonist's demonic sword. By using the resentment embedded within the
05:26dagger as a beacon, the demonic sword had been able to execute a precision strike from a great distance.
05:31Stripped of their ringleader, the rebel forces were swiftly crushed under the weight of the
05:35empire's military machine. Within moments, virtually every individual implicated in the
05:39attempted insurrection had been apprehended. Enraged by the incident, the emperor, his dragon
05:43countenance contorted with fury, decreed that the ringleader's entire clans be subjected to the
05:48horrific punishment of dismemberment by five horses. Yet, the protagonist boldly stepped forward to
05:52object, declaring that such a punishment was impermissible. He argued that all penalties must be
05:57executed strictly in accordance with imperial law. Since the punishment of dismemberment by five
06:01horses did not exist within the imperial legal code, the emperor, were he to be the first to
06:05violate the law, risk becoming the very source of chaos and unrest throughout the realm, the entire
06:10assembly fell into a stunned silence. However, the emperor did not punish the protagonist for his
06:15audacity. On the contrary, he commended him for his courage and daring to point out his sovereign's
06:19error. Nevertheless, the emperor felt that a lenient sentence would be insufficient to satisfy his need
06:24for retribution. Consequently, he issued a final decree. While the punishment must indeed remain
06:28within the bounds of the law, the offenders were to be subjected to the maximum penalty permissible
06:33under imperial statutes. From that day forward, the protagonist was officially bestowed with the
06:37title of the 13th wise king. This humble servant is concerned. The emperor remarked publicly that had
06:42the protagonist spoken up just a moment sooner, the outcome of this matter might have been entirely
06:46different. Yet, the emperor remained unperturbed. What mattered most to him was the protagonist's
06:50courage and daring to offer him counsel. To be able to take an enemy general's life from a
06:54thousand miles away, such a feat is truly unprecedented. It appears that the demonic
06:58sword does indeed possess terrifying power. According to legend, the truce seal upon the
07:02demonic sword cannot be broken. Yet, the emperor believes that if anyone could accomplish it,
07:06it might just be the protagonist. Reincarnated as the 13th prince, the protagonist possesses a unique
07:11and special ability. The stronger the forces under her command, the stronger her own powers become.
07:16In fact, it was only as the selection trials were drawing to a close that she finally encountered a
07:20female swordswoman exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance. This woman became the very first
07:25candidate to successfully breach the protagonist's defensive shield. Though, in doing so, she
07:30accidentally inflicted a stab wound to the protagonist's shoulder. The protagonist's early
07:34guards immediately subdued the swordswoman. Injuring a prince is a capital offense. Yet,
07:38the protagonist ordered her release. Not only that, but she also allowed her to pass the selection
07:42trials. A move that instantly won her a wave of admirers among the onlookers. The noble 13th prince had
07:48actually forgiven the very person who had harmed her. Truly a testament to her magnanimity. The
07:52swordswoman's name was Shirley. Seeing that Shirley was still fretting over the crime of having injured
07:57a prince, the protagonist reassured her completely, explaining that it was she herself who had issued
08:01the command for Shirley to strike her. Furthermore, she instructed Shirley to strike her with her sword
08:06once again. Shirley, a woman of action, did not hesitate for a moment. Yet, to her surprise, this time
08:11she found herself utterly unable to pierce the shield. This was because, when the protagonist truly
08:15intends to defend herself, the result is exactly as it was in this instance. Thus, it became clear
08:20that Shirley had not accidentally injured her earlier. Rather, a knight's duty is to obey orders,
08:25and the protagonist had issued that second command solely to verify whether Shirley would remain
08:29unfailingly loyal to her word. The protagonist has no need for subordinates who merely attempt to
08:34second-guess her thoughts but lack the courage to unleash their true capabilities. Consequently,
08:38she was highly satisfied with Shirley's performance. Shirley, too, seized this golden opportunity to align
08:43herself with a powerful patron. On the spot, she swore an oath of lifelong fealty to the protagonist,
08:48vowing never to betray her. Moreover, in terms of individual contribution, Shirley was, at that
08:53moment, the single person who had boosted the protagonist's abilities the most. While having
08:57her wound bandaged, the protagonist happened to learn that Shirley's village lacked a physician.
09:01Whenever the villagers fell ill or suffered injuries, they relied solely on prayer to the heavens to
09:06drive away their ailments. The physician explained that such conditions were all too common in
09:10impoverished mountain villages. The protagonist, well-versed in the art of winning hearts and
09:14minds, instructed Shirley to gather the intelligent children as well as those willing to work hard
09:19from her village, steadfast in upholding the law and speaking the truth, regardless of the
09:23circumstances. Sure enough, the protagonist did not disappoint the emperor. Consequently, the emperor
09:27publicly announced the protagonist's appointment as the Minister of Justice, making him the second prince.
09:32After the fourth prince, to hold a ministerial cabinet post. Little did they know, however,
09:36that upon receiving this news, the eldest prince and the crown prince were practically seething
09:40with rage. The protagonist could never have anticipated that. Almost immediately after his
09:44appointment as Minister of Justice, the second prince, who had languished as crown prince for
09:48thirty-five years, would finally lose his patience and attempt a palace coup. Yet, the emperor, having
09:53received advanced intelligence, dispatched agents to apprehend him before the rebellion could even begin
09:58by simultaneously saving the crown prince's life and safeguarding the emperor.
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