Chapter 77: Ye Lang's Weapon (3)

“Set the question yourself? I don’t have any questions right now. This whole affair was stirred up by you, so you’ll have to resolve it yourself.” The emperor returned to his throne, addressing Ye Lang.

“You want me to set the questions? Fine!” Ye Lang looked at the emperor. “Is this all for today? Nothing else?”

“That’s all. Go back and think carefully! Decide who should get what kind of question—it’s all up to you.” The emperor smiled.

“For this? You made me come here? You could’ve just told me casually!” Ye Lang muttered.

“Idiot! You’re in charge of the empire’s succession now…” Seventh Princess said, her tone annoyed. She knew Ye Lang hadn’t grasped the situation.

Having Ye Lang set the questions was, in a sense, letting him choose the crown prince. That’s why the emperor was so cautious, calling him here for a face-to-face discussion.

No doubt, once Ye Lang went back and considered which questions to assign to whom, during that period, all the princes, princesses, and many ministers present would seek his favor, hoping he’d choose the best for themselves or their factions.

This had, in effect, pushed Ye Lang to the heart of the power struggle, and he held considerable sway!

Because of this, everyone was utterly shocked when the emperor made his decision. No one could have imagined the emperor would grant Ye Lang such authority. Was he intending to pass the throne to the Seventh Princess?

Now, the Seventh Princess was Ye Lang’s fiancée, and Ye Lang wielded such power—wasn’t this clearly favoring her?

But in everyone’s eyes, Seventh Princess, whether in beauty or wisdom, wasn’t the most outstanding—not the ideal candidate. If she were to ascend, disputes would surely follow.

Yet, with the Ye family’s backing, and Ye Lang’s somewhat mysterious abilities, perhaps it wasn’t impossible.

So, at this moment, Seventh Princess and Ye Lang became rivals in everyone’s minds—suddenly emerging adversaries who previously hadn’t even been considered!

But this notion lasted only a moment before everyone dismissed it.

Because Ye Lang—

“There’s no need to go back and think. I’ll set a few questions now, and the princes and princesses can answer them, writing their answers on paper.” Ye Lang couldn’t be bothered to deliberate, preferring to resolve it here and now.

And, with little time, he couldn’t come up with anything exceedingly difficult, so he simply crafted a few questions that most people wouldn’t be able to answer.

“There’s a rule: my questions must be answered individually, as many as you can manage. You’re allowed to seek others to help, and answers can be combined, but no communication is permitted! If you understand, begin preparing. Half an hour from now, we’ll gather here!”

With these words, Ye Lang took up brush and ink, and began writing out the questions in large characters.

“Sis, how’s it look?” Ye Lang asked Ye Lanyu, who stood beside him.

“…I can’t answer a single one…” Ye Lanyu blushed slightly.

“I knew it. Of course you can’t, you’re so silly! I meant, how’s my calligraphy—is it grand and elegant enough?” Ye Lang grinned.

“Go die! How dare you talk to your sister like that? Not afraid for your life? But yes, your writing is beautiful. When did you hone this skill?” Ye Lanyu tapped Ye Lang’s head, leaning against his shoulder.

“Hehe, I’ve practiced, but rarely had a chance to write in large script.” Ye Lang laughed.

He’d trained in the Martial Treasury, dabbling in calligraphy too. In fact, calligraphy could be infused with martial arts, merging one’s martial essence into the brushwork. When one attains enlightenment in martial arts, their calligraphy takes on a masterful quality.

But Ye Lang seldom displayed his calligraphy; he had little interest and rarely had reason to write in grand script.

Thus, his large-script calligraphy became a prized collectible for future generations, valued highly!

Especially this time—these questions he wrote, preserved as masterpieces, not just for the rarity of his calligraphy, but because the questions themselves changed the fate of an empire…

“Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s look at the questions!” At Ye Lang’s command, the guards hung his freshly written questions in the main hall.

Everyone’s gaze fixed upon them, tension and confusion instantly showing on their faces. Of course, it wasn’t just because Ye Lang’s calligraphy was beautiful, but because of the questions themselves.

Soon, many present turned their eyes to Ye Lang, who was sipping tea and chatting with Ye Lanyu. Most looked at him as if he were a predator.

Because, after reading all the questions, many realized they couldn’t answer much—some not even a single one.

But seeing Seventh Princess staring blankly, unable to answer any herself, they felt a little relieved, their worries easing.

At least Ye Lang wasn’t making things easier for her, or harder for them.

“Ye Lang… why are these questions so strange? Do they even have answers?” The emperor began to doubt.

“Yeah, brat, don’t just make things up—go home and think it over!” Ye Cheng Tian said, as the Ye family’s representative, naturally present at such an occasion.

“Rest assured, all my questions have answers, but most people simply won’t be able to solve them.” Ye Lang replied with a smile.

“Are we just ordinary people, then? Why can’t we answer a single question?” Seventh Princess gave up, feeling a bit displeased. She might be slightly less gifted than the other princesses, but surely she shouldn’t be unable to answer even one.

“Am I really that dumb?” she muttered, lacking confidence.

“It’s got nothing to do with being smart or not. Even the cleverest may not solve them; these questions don’t test intelligence.” Ye Lang smiled gently.

“??” Seventh Princess was puzzled. If not intelligence, then what?

“Don’t overthink it. Have some tea.” Ye Lang motioned her to sit, and she obediently took her place, glancing at the questions, shaking her head, and beginning to chat with Ye Lang.

The two laughed softly at times; Seventh Princess occasionally tapped Ye Lang in jest; sometimes…

They paid no mind to anything else. The competition meant nothing to them; between them was only enviable affection…

――――

Apparently, some readers were puzzled by the soup question in Chapter 74, so Smile launched an informal survey to see how many people didn’t know the answer. Go ahead and reply honestly—if there are enough responses, Smile will post the answer…

It’s actually a rather old story…