Chapter 601: Chapter 601: Consort Bai Ming Rui’s Ambition.

The First Prince glanced at her.

Seeing that her beauty and elegance remained unchanged after all these years, he smiled.

"Mother."

Consort Bai Ming Rui dismissed her attendants with a wave of her hand.

They immediately bowed before withdrawing.

Once they were alone, she walked toward him and looked over the empty hall.

"So, what are your ’loyal ministers’ thinking? Have they had a change of heart now?"

Fen Yinzhi sighed and responded,

"The court is currently in turmoil. However, the majority of the ministers still desire stability, so they continue to offer me their support. At the very least, most of them present a united front outwardly."

Consort Bai Ming Rui responded with a sneer, but she didn’t seem particularly concerned.

After all, she knew exactly how greedy these officials were.

If she were in their shoes... she probably would have thought the same.

In the end, everyone was simply protecting their own interests.

"Loyalty?" she scoffed. "Don’t make me laugh. Those old foxes aren’t loyal to you. They’re loyal to whoever they think can keep them in power."

"..."

Fen Yinzhi remained silent.

His mother continued.

"As long as they believe you still have a chance of sitting on that throne, they will naturally stand behind you. But if another prince gains the upper hand..."

She paused, her lips curling into a cold smile.

"They will abandon you without hesitation."

"I have spent half my life watching people fight over scraps of power. So I know exactly how quickly loyalty disappears when the throne is uncertain."

She stepped closer.

"And I have no intention of spending the rest of my life watching another woman call herself Empress while my family bows to her."

There was arrogance in her voice... and greed.

Fen Yinzhi smiled wryly at his mother’s sharp tone, but he also knew she was right.

Still, no matter what happened, he would need their support when the time came.

Bai Ming Rui looked at her son carefully.

"I know you understand all of this already, but I still want you to stop worrying about whether those ministers support you."

Her gaze sharpened.

"What matters now is whether you can make them believe that you are still the one most likely to become Emperor."

Fen Yinzhi nodded.

"I understand, Mother."

Bai Ming Rui gave a small nod of approval.

At the same times, Fen Yinzhi looked at her for a moment.

He had always known that his mother was a smart and shrewd woman.

She was far more ambitious than she ever let others see, and she had spent years quietly building her influence within the palace.

He also understood her desires perfectly.

She didn’t just want her son to be Emperor; she aimed to be the mother of the dynasty.

For Bai Ming Rui, the path to achieving that goal was quite simple: her son had to sit on the Imperial Throne.

Which should already have been a done deal after she gave birth to the First Prince and even made the Emperor name him as the Crown Prince... if not for the sudden calamity, her ambition would have succeeded.

Fen Yinzhi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Mother has never been satisfied with simply being a Consort. She wants to stand at the highest place a woman can reach in this dynasty.’

And he had no intention of disappointing her.

Bai Ming Rui’s expression became serious.

"But you must not underestimate anyone now."

"Your father has thrown the entire dynasty into chaos."

"Every prince will be fighting for the throne, and every faction will be choosing sides. Even those who have remained neutral until now will eventually be forced to make a choice."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"And remember this well. The one who wins will not necessarily be the strongest."

Bai Ming Rui looked toward the empty hall.

"Strength can win a battle, but it cannot always win a war. There are princes who may not be the strongest among their brothers, but they have powerful factions behind them. Others may have talented generals, wealthy supporters, or connections with powerful sects."

Her gaze returned to her son.

"And there are some who may appear weak right now... but have been hiding their strength all along."

Fen Yinzhi nodded slowly.

"I understand-"

"No," Bai Ming Rui cutted calmly, yet with a chilling tone.

"You must do more than simply understand."

Her eyes narrowed, and a fierce intensity flickered within them.

"You are required to observe everyone. Every single prince. Every general. Every minister. Every sect that becomes involved in this game."

She stepped closer to him.

Fen Yinzhi instinctively stepped back from his own mother’s intensity.

Bai Ming Rui did not seem to notice, or perhaps she simply did not care.

"From this moment onward, you must think of anyone who stands beside you as someone who could become your greatest ally."

She paused.

"...Or your greatest enemy."

Fen Yinzhi clenched his fists.

Then he slowly relaxed them.

His unease was still there.

But he would not let it show.

"I understand, Mother."

Bai Ming Rui glanced back at him.

"Good."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Then from now on, don’t ask yourself who deserves the throne."

"Ask yourself who is capable of taking it."

Fen Yinzhi fell silent.

Those words lingered in his mind.

For the first time, the throne no longer felt like something waiting for him.

It felt like something everyone was about to fight over.

And if he wanted it...

He would have to prove that he was worthy of surviving the fight.

Then, as if remembering something important, Consort Bai Ming Rui’s expression suddenly changed.

"And there is one more matter you need to pay special attention to."

At those words, Fen Yinzhi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Her tone had become noticeably more serious.

He recognized almost immediately that this was something extremely important.

His mother was always calm and composed, but this was a tone he rarely heard from her.

"What is it, Mother?"

Bai Ming Rui was silent for a moment.

Then she looked directly at him.

"It’s about... Li Feng."

Fen Yinzhi frowned as soon as he heard the name.

Of course he recognized it.

Li Feng had caused quite a scene inside the Imperial Palace during the invasion of the Dark Wall.

More importantly, he had somehow managed to kill a Golden Core Realm expert while only being at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

That alone was enough to make his name difficult to forget.

"...Li Feng, the Envoy from the Azure Moon Sect?"

Bai Ming Rui nodded. "Yes."

She slowly walked back toward the table.

"My people have been investigating what happened during the burning of the capital. Most of the reports are incomplete, and too many witnesses are dead at that time."

She placed one hand against the table.

"But we managed to piece together something interesting."

The First Prince remained silent.

"According to the information I received through my channels, Li Feng was... the last person confirmed to have remained alive in the capital during the disaster."

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