In the afternoon, after finishing his discussion with Ning Fengzhi on the finer details, he headed to the Crown Prince's residence.
At that moment, "Xue Qinghe" sat by the window in his study, resting his right hand against his head as he gazed at the scenery in the courtyard, his mood rather gloomy.
The proposal to bring Wu Qi into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy had been pushed forward by him personally.
His original intention was to keep Wu Qi closer, making communication between them more convenient.
But as Wu Qi began to reveal his talent, the Spirit Hall suddenly ordered them to withdraw from the academy.
This move was influenced by the previous assassination arranged by Bibidong, as well as the alliance between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall. If Bibidong acted again, the strong fighters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would no longer be restrained like the Spirit Hall.
But all of this had completely disrupted Xue Qinghe's plans.
His relationship with Ning Fengzhi was already awkward enough. Now that Wu Qi had joined the Seven Treasure Academy, it would be even harder to meet him in the future without constantly dealing with Ning Fengzhi.
Moreover, he originally intended to use Wu Qi's group to completely push Prince Xue Xing's influence out of the Royal Academy.
Now, he had no choice but to reconsider everything carefully.
Not long after, a voice entered his ears.
"Your Highness, Wu Qi has arrived."
Xue Qinghe snapped back to reality and looked toward the door.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he said tiredly, "He should already know Grandfather's arrangement. Let's hope he has a good solution."
As the study door was knocked, Xue Qinghe personally went to open it.
"Ah, sit down."
With a long sigh, he returned to his desk, his exhaustion evident.
"Why does Your Highness seem so troubled?" Wu Qi asked.
Xue Qinghe raised a hand slightly. In an instant, the study was completely sealed off by Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo.
"Grandfather suddenly changed his decision. It caught me completely off guard," he said.
"If you transfer midway, handling it poorly will easily lead to public criticism. I must take the blame and push you out of the academy in a way that preserves your reputation."
Wu Qi and Changkong had already been at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy for months and had received substantial cultivation resources.
To transfer out, they needed a legitimate reason.
Forcing them out seemed to be the only option.
But expelling talent would seriously damage Xue Qinghe's reputation and give court officials ammunition to attack him.
Wu Qi smiled faintly.
Xue Qinghe's focus was not on the academy, so he was unaware of recent developments.
After a brief pause, Wu Qi shared his view.
Without damaging Xue Qinghe's reputation, the matter could only be handled through Prince Xue Xing.
There was no doubt this time, the credit had to fall on Xue Xing.
He would not miss such a rare opportunity and would definitely try to expand his own power.
At that point, even if he were accused of "poor judgment in talent management," Xue Qinghe's faction would have no choice but to withdraw from the academy.
As the cradle of the empire's talent training, he was unwilling to give it up easily.
Wu Qi asked directly, "Your Highness, if you want to bring down Prince Xue Xing, you must first give him some authority, don't you think?"
"If Xue Xing is suppressed too tightly and forced to stay in his residence all day, how can he ever expose any flaws?"
"Managing the academy looks simple, but it is actually extremely complicated. As long as he is given control, he will inevitably make mistakes. When that happens, he will not only lose his position, but also lose the favor of Dugu Bo. Then he becomes someone you can easily manipulate."
Xue Qinghe had avoided pushing Xue Xing too hard for two reasons: fear of Emperor Xue Ye's scrutiny, and concern over Dugu Bo's interference.
Originally, Dugu Bo should never have owed them a favor.
But due to Bibidong's interference, everything had become constrained.
He could only adopt an indirect strategy expanding alliances first, then using influence to suppress Xue Xing and his faction.
Wu Qi's suggestion was effectively a three-birds-with-one-stone strategy.
"So i only needs to pretend not to notice what happens in the academy?" Xue Qinghe asked.
Wu Qi loosened his collar and smiled. "It's hot. Why not take a short leave, Your Highness, and relax for a while?"
If Xue Qinghe left the Heaven Dou City, Qin Ming would definitely seize the opportunity to push through his plan and completely take control of the second team's formation.
This would allow Xue Qinghe to avoid direct conflict while forcing Qin Ming to expose his own flaws.
After a brief discussion, Xue Qinghe felt much more at ease.
"I am currently busy with official duties. Father would likely not approve leave. In that case, I will go out under the pretext of hunting spirit beasts for about a month. Would that be enough?" he asked.
"More than enough," Wu Qi replied.
After refining the remaining details, Wu Qi took his leave.
Watching his departing figure, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but sigh.
"Grow faster, with someone like you in the Spirit Hall, I wouldn't be so easily cornered."
This time, he was truly fortunate to have Wu Qi's guidance, or he would have had no idea how to proceed.
Five days passed quietly.
Xue Qinghe's "spirit beast hunting expedition" with his escort team entered the Star Dou Forest in full view of the public, making it no secret in Heaven Dou City.
After absorbing the immortal herb, his cultivation had already reached Level 70.
Originally, he had no time to leave and planned to delay his spirit ring acquisition.
Now, with Wu Qi's plan, he could obtain his spirit ring while completing his strategy killing two birds with one stone.
However, the "Xue Qinghe" currently appearing in public was only his substitute, a soul master with a White Swan spirit power at Level 40.
Without thorough preparation, his identity would have been exposed long ago.
Inside the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, as Wu Qi had predicted, Qin Ming seized the opportunity tightly.
He used every method, pressure and persuasion alike to force the handover of control over the second team.
As a result, the conflict between the two sides escalated, even reaching the Education Committee.
With Xue Qinghe absent, Meng Shenji could not seek his instruction and could only make his own judgment.
"Little Wu, this matter is indeed our fault. But everything we do is for the honor of the empire. Your team is very strong, if split and placed into two royal teams, both could potentially advance to the finals."
"The empire is weak, and the Star Luo Empire frequently harasses our borders. The empire needs a morale-boosting result to stabilize public sentiment."
Meng Shenji's intention was driven by political achievement.
In his view, the second team's strength made reaching the finals almost certain.
If both teams could enter the finals and achieve a joint result, it would be a remarkable achievement.
For the three Education Committee members, the same resources producing greater results was naturally preferable.
Qin Ming echoed his stance.
"The three Education Committee members are truly farsighted, always thinking of the empire's interests. Unlike some people who act purely for personal gain and ignore the empire's future."
Wu Qi said nothing.
Qin Ming had clearly come prepared. Speaking now would only risk being labeled as disrespectful to the royal authority.
Of course, for the sake of the plan, he would not yield so easily.
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