Two pairs of long legs walked away from the Mingzhi Hall. One was covered by a blue dragon robe, while the other was covered by a white dragon robe.
The two different colors of robes meant they were from different clans, but it seemed that they were friendly with each other as if ignoring the differences.
The two of them had just left Mingzhi Hall after the Emperor had said that today's meeting was enough, and after parting ways with the Emperor and the other two men wearing blue dragon robes, the two people from the Blue and White Dragon Clans decided to walk together while passing through the beautiful palace gardens.
Their shoes tread lightly on the grass, and a gentle breeze brushes their handsome faces without hurting the porcelain-looking skin.
They were both handsome even though they were years apart. The one wearing a blue dragon robe looked younger because he was only twenty-five years old this year, while the white-robed one was the same age as the Emperor.
However, unlike the Emperor who already had a few wrinkles on his face, the man wearing the white dragon robe looked a little younger as his face was still flawless with no visible wrinkles. It seemed that the man was not aging, but that was not true because all dragons in Si Long Empire would age without exception.
"You are very serious about the preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival, Ah Hao," the white-robed man broke the silence as the two of them continued walking at what could be said to be slow steps.
Several palace maids also walked into the palace gardens, and they immediately bowed toward the two people who had high status in the Imperial Palace.
"This is the first time His Majesty has trusted me for this kind of work, and I don't want to make any mistakes," replied the young man who was called "Ah Hao" by the other man.
The young man was Prince Lan Zihao, the person who had secretly come to Tiantang House last night, and he was not alone when he witnessed the events happening in that place.
Instead, another person came with him last night, and that person was none other than the older man walking beside him, Bai Shanyuan.
The man in white was from the White Dragon Clan, and like the other dragons in his clan, he also had "Bai" as his last name. On his forehead was a dragon life crystal In the shape of a rhombus like the one on Lan Zihao's forehead, but the color of the crystal was white, not blue.
"I can see that you still want to become the next Emperor of Si Long, Ah Hao," Bai Shanyuan replied with a smile at the young man.
It wasn't that Lan Zihao wanted to start a coup, but he just wanted to make sure that the throne would fall into his hands after his father died.
The Si Long Empire had two Princes, but who would get the throne after the Emperor died remained a mystery. The reason behind that was an unwritten rule in Si Long about how the Emperor would not publicly appoint one of his sons to be the Crown Prince, but the Emperor would need to write the name of who would take the throne in a decree.
After the Emperor died, the Prime Minister would read out the decree, and a new Emperor would be appointed to replace the previous Emperor.
That was why Prince Lan Zihao still had a chance even though he was the youngest Prince in Si Long, and of course, there was a reason behind his ambition.
"But you keep making trouble with Prime Minister Lan when you should be on his side so you can get support from him, Ah Hao," the white dragon spoke again. "I'm pretty sure he will side with your brother more after seeing your attitude towards him."
Prime Minister Lan did look angry at how stubborn Lan Zihao was when the young man insisted on inviting Tiantang House for the celebrations of the Lantern Festival in the palace, and it seemed that Bai Shanyuan was worried about the young man.
"I don't need Prime Minister Lan to achieve my goals," Lan Zihao replied calmly. "After all, I have you as my biggest backer, Palace Advisor Bai."
Hearing how formally the young man addressed him, Bai Shanyuan burst out laughing. "I'm your father's best friend, and you can call me uncle like you used to do when you were little, Ah Hao."
Bai Shanyuan didn't have the prestigious title just like Prime Minister Lan, but he was actually the Emperor's best friend since they were young.
Bai Shanyuan was the closest person to the Emperor, and if the man was too greedy for a high position in the palace, he would have accepted the Emperor's offer to become the Prime Minister in the palace.
However, Bai Shanyuan didn't want to put himself in politics, and the Emperor even had to give him the title of Palace Advisor just to keep the man by his side.
"I will always be by your side, but you must also remember that you have many opponents in the palace, Ah Hao," Bai Shanyuan spoke again, but he sounded more serious now. "You want to become the next Emperor, so all you have to do is win your father's heart so that he will write your name on the decree. You don't have to think about anything else and put yourself in danger. Just remember your goal and don't spoil anything. Do you understand, Ah Hao?"