For convenience’s sake, Prince Baxian made an exception and had the two Meng elders lodged within the palace. Though still some distance from Xuanlong Palace, it was much closer than lodging outside the palace.

Should any urgent matter arise, it would also be easier to send word.

That night, Prince Baxian didn’t dare waste any time, and after only a simple meal with the two elders, sent them back to their quarters to rest.

However, the moment the door closed, Meng the Third turned to Meng the Second with a sinister grin.

“Second Brother, I didn’t scare you just now, did I!”

“Heh, good thing you were quick on your feet. If this matter gets botched and the old man finds out he has such a capable grandson, will we still have any standing left in the Meng clan?”

Among all the elders of the Meng clan, Meng the Second and Meng the Third were the weakest in ability — their barrier arts far inferior to their other brothers and sisters. Yet the two of them, birds of a feather, were the best at managing relationships and flattery, and had always been their father’s favorites since childhood.

Relying also on their high seniority, their standing within the Meng clan wasn’t low at all, even if their barrier arts couldn’t be called top-tier.

Hearing Meng the Second’s words, Meng the Third hurriedly poured him some tea, sat down beside him, and asked earnestly, “Second Brother, what do you think we should do about this?”

Meng the Second’s expression was grave. He raised his teacup and took a slow sip, not answering right away.

This matter had grown complicated!

There truly was a seal on Jun Beiyue’s chest — but it wasn’t an innate seal at all.

Meng clan people weren’t of some mixed Five-Element constitution either — Meng clan people, like people of any other race, each had only a single elemental constitution, varying from person to person.

As for the strange phenomena occurring in Jun Beiyue’s body, it was all because of that seal on his chest — a seal that must have been set by Meng Wanyue herself!

It was precisely because of that seal that Jun Beiyue’s constitution had been altered, and his heart pulse protected!

It was a Five-Element seal — it was what made Jun Beiyue appear to have a mixed Five-Element constitution. Without this seal’s protection, that stab to his chest years ago would have killed him long ago!

How else could he have survived until now, and even taken a second stab wound without dying!

His true constitution was a single element, and his true vital energy and strength had, all along, been sealed away within his body, protected all this time!

The vital energy he had lost from the knife wound was actually the energy he had cultivated and built up growing up, not his innate, congenital energy!

To put it simply — everyone is born with innate energy, innate strength within them.

But Jun Beiyue’s innate endowment had been sealed away, and what he had been consuming all along was entirely his acquired, post-natal energy!

And as a child, he must have relied on the strength provided by this very seal to survive!

Only, all of this had happened imperceptibly — perhaps even he himself had no idea!

Seeing Meng the Second remain silent, Meng the Third couldn’t help but speak up. “Brother, from what Prince Baxian said, it sounds like Fourth Sister did this because she was afraid this child would have no one to raise him, and would die young!”

Meng the Second nodded. Meng Wanyue had been a palace maid within the palace, and had died in difficult childbirth — this, no doubt, had been her last resort before she passed.

A child without a mother, and moreover of humble birth, in a place as cutthroat as the imperial palace — surviving wouldn’t have been easy at all!

Meng Wanyue had sealed away her child’s innate energy and strength, using a Five-Element seal to sustain him — it was the most desperate choice, and also the wisest one.

And as things now stood, this very seal had saved Jun Beiyue’s life twice, allowing him to suffer grave injury without dying.

However, what Meng the Second cared about wasn’t this. He sighed, remarking with feeling, “I never expected Fourth Sister’s barrier arts to have advanced so far after leaving the Meng clan. I never imagined that, even in such an exhausted state after childbirth, she could still lay down a seal like this. If she hadn’t died in childbirth, her ability by now might well have rivaled Father’s!”

“Second Brother, this isn’t the time to be sentimental — we need to hurry and discuss what to do!” Meng the Third said urgently.

The method of treatment they had just described was, in fact, wrong.

The current pulsing of Jun Beiyue’s heart, the recovery of his vital energy, was precisely his original innate energy and strength working to heal him — only by letting him break through the seal himself could the hidden power be fully unleashed.

If the seal were forcibly removed by outside intervention, that would be equivalent to interrupting his self-healing process halfway through — the consequences, even they themselves couldn’t predict.

Meng the Second gave Meng the Third a meaningful look. In truth, as for what to do, they didn’t have many options.

Either they let Jun Beiyue break through the seal’s power on his own and heal himself, or they forcibly broke the seal.

If they let Jun Beiyue break through the seal’s power himself, then without doubt, he would be fully conscious and would surely emerge even more formidable.

If Jun Beiyue learned that half his blood was Meng clan blood, would he really let the Meng clan’s influence go so easily? He would surely do everything in his power to investigate Meng Wanyue’s true identity — and that would be troublesome indeed!

If they forcibly destroyed the seal, halting Jun Beiyue’s self-healing process, what the consequences would be, even men of Meng the Second and Meng the Third’s ability couldn’t predict — but without doubt, the outcome wouldn’t be good; the only uncertainty was just how bad it would be.

It was a dilemma with no good option.

“Third Brother, what do you think?” Meng the Second asked earnestly.

“Oh, Second Brother, I don’t know what to do — that’s exactly why I’m asking you!” Meng the Third quickly demurred. This matter carried no small responsibility.

If they truly did something to harm Jun Beiyue, would the Great Zhou imperial family ever let them off? Yet if they didn’t do anything to Jun Beiyue at all, Jun Beiyue would surely become a threat to them!

Caught between a rock and a hard place, and having already told the lie, Prince Baxian would no doubt come pressing them tomorrow to break the seal.

Meng the Second looked at Meng the Third, his gaze gradually darkening. Meng the Second was a cunning old fox, and of course understood exactly what Meng the Third meant — only, since he wouldn’t say it outright, Meng the Second simply waited.

Sure enough, before long, Meng the Second spoke up. “Let’s stall for time — get our hands on the territorial maps first…”

At this, Meng the Second paused, but Meng the Third still said nothing, listening earnestly, waiting.

Meng the Second hesitated a moment longer, then finally voiced his true innermost thought. “As things stand now, within the next ten days to half a month, Jun Beiyue is bound to break through the seal. So let’s… add another seal on top of it!”

At this, Meng the Second immediately gave a thumbs up without even thinking. “Second Brother truly is brilliant!”

In truth, Meng the Second — no, Meng the Third — had already thought of this himself, but was more than happy to flatter his elder brother, having already foreseen that this elder brother would surely become the next Patriarch.

Flattering the current Patriarch was clever — but flattering the future Patriarch, that was the mark of a true master.

Jun Beiyue was already on the verge of self-healing, on the brink of waking — if they added yet another seal on top, heaven only knew how much longer he would have to struggle!

This method wouldn’t harm Jun Beiyue at all, and would simply buy time — time enough for the succession to the Meng clan’s Patriarchy to be settled!

This was the most cautious, and also the wisest choice!

Hidden on the rooftop, Baili Weisheng had heard every word of this, and couldn’t help but curl his lips in disbelief, thinking to himself that Jun Beiyue had quite the background after all — no simple matter indeed!

…