How could this be the result? If Ye Luo heard their conversation, who knows what he would think!

On the surface, he appeared to enjoy boundless favor, but in reality, it was merely a matter of using Ye Luo!

Of course, Ye Luo hadn’t overheard their discussion, so at this moment, he continued to prepare for dealing with the Demon Clan according to his own plan.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has endowed you with great authority to reopen the Western Palace. You can summon all personnel from the divisions of the Western Palace. I believe His Majesty wouldn’t object to this at all!"

Xin Chengying followed closely behind Ye Luo, offering him advice.

The Western Palace is far more than just a palace in the conventional sense.

In truth, the Western Palace is fundamentally different from the Eastern Palace, which resides within fixed architectural confines. The Western Palace is less a physical palace and more an actual influential force!

Since the founding of the Great Tang Empire, the Eastern and Western Palaces have always existed.

The Western Palace is divided into five divisions: the Division of Heavenly Eyes, the Division of Heavenly Ears, the Division of Heavenly Actions, the Division of Heavenly Guards, and the Division of Heavenly Battles!

And these five divisions are composed of ten families united under a shared purpose.

When the Empire does not summon them, these ten families remain within their respective fiefdoms, recuperating and gathering strength. But once the Western Palace is activated, these individuals will immediately return to service!

It is said that these ten families were originally ten branches of a Different Race brought in by the Great Tang’s founding Emperor, controlled through special secret techniques to ensure their eternal loyalty to the Western Palace!

Leaving the rest aside, Ye Luo at least remembered the Long Family from Earth!

The Long Family, too, defined its purpose with the noble task of guarding the Divine Dragon. Their cultivation practices were inseparable from Dragon Scales, and they had an instinctive fear of Dragon Qi!

The Dragon Pavilion was much the same, serving as loyal servants to Ao Long for generations. Even after a millennium, the moment Ye Luo appeared as the Divine Dragon Heir, they were immediately loyal!

It seems likely that the Western Palace and its Five Divisions function in a similar way, though Ye Luo has yet to uncover how exactly the Western Palace holds sway over its divisions.

Upon hearing Xin Chengying’s proposal, Ye Luo nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I’ll leave this matter to you. Although the Emperor has assigned me ten thousand Feathered Forest Guards, these soldiers are ultimately just military personnel. If the Western Palace’s Five Divisions return, they’d naturally prove to be far superior!"

"Understood, Your Highness. I accept the order."

Xin Chengying never objected to Ye Luo’s commands. In fact, Xin Chengying was keenly aware that his very life had been saved by Ye Luo!

Even his entire family owed their survival to Ye Luo’s pardon; otherwise, by now, they would have been captured and executed.

Having received Ye Luo’s directive, Xin Chengying hurried his steps, evidently moving to carry out his task.

At this time, Yun Liancheng and Princess Ling Xue finally had the opportunity to speak with Ye Luo.

"Your Highness, so, how does His Majesty plan to deal with those people?"

Given Yun Liancheng’s rank, he wasn’t eligible to enter the grand hall for court discussions, so naturally, he was unaware of what transpired earlier.

Ye Luo smiled faintly, not answering Yun Liancheng directly, but instead said, "Brother Yun, there’s no one else here. Why do you still address me as Your Highness? When there’s no one around, we are friends."

"Alright, Brother Ye, do tell me—what was the Emperor’s decision?"

The two spoke casually, oblivious to the fact that, when Ye Luo mentioned the absence of outsiders, Princess Ling Xue’s cheeks faintly flushed!

Ye Luo glanced at Yun Liancheng and said, "Why? Do you also wish to investigate the Demon Clan’s movements?"

Yun Liancheng nodded firmly and said, "Hmph, they are no kin of mine; their hearts are bound to differ. These Demons dare to infiltrate Great Tang openly—surely they must be plotting something. As a seven-foot man, how could I idly stand by and do nothing?"

Ye Luo hadn’t expected Yun Liancheng to have such resolve.

But this was good. In fact, Ye Luo had considered arrangements for Nalan Ruo and the others after his departure to the Da Yue Empire. The best option, naturally, would be to bring them along.

Don’t assume taking Nalan Rou and her group to the Da Yue Empire is irresponsible.

On the contrary, this would be the best solution!

Ye Luo understood profoundly that once he left the Great Tang Empire, whether it was the border guards or the Great Tang’s Emperor, they would inevitably tighten their grip to control him further.

Using the people closest to and most important to Ye Luo as leverage, they’d view them merely as tools. Should Ye Luo ever falter, those who remained in the Great Tang Empire would likely be subjected to punishment, up to and including death. The Great Tang Empire’s system of collective punishment was still firmly in practice!

Unable to take direct action against Ye Luo, the Empire would inevitably target his family and friends who remained within the Empire, perhaps even capturing them as hostages outright!

So Ye Luo had begun planning how to bring these people along.

Of course, this remained only in Ye Luo’s heart—it could not be made public. If discovered, many restrictions would certainly follow.

While Ye Luo might appear to be in a favorable position now, he was acutely aware that the true authority within the Great Tang Empire might not rest with the Emperor!

After all, within the Martial Realm, strength dictates power, and the mightiest figures of the Great Tang Empire are stationed among the border guards. Who truly holds sway over the Empire hardly needs clarification!

There were things Ye Luo understood, but he wouldn’t reveal them. Even if he did speak out, it likely wouldn’t make a difference!

Along the way, Ye Luo thought deeply. Upon encountering the Young Master of Pearfall Palace, Ye Luo realized that the venture to infiltrate the Demon Clan might soon be underway.

However, what schemes the border guards might have planned, Ye Luo had no way of knowing!

...

Early the next morning, Ye Luo had no choice but to visit his residence.

With the reopening of the Western Palace, it couldn’t possibly be established within the Yun Family estate, so Ye Luo could only return to his own home.

Others might envy him greatly, but deep down, Ye Luo had no desire to go there, aware that the so-called "residence" would likely be filled with personnel arranged by the border guards!

Naturally, Yun Liancheng accompanied him.

With their guards, the pair soon arrived outside the under-construction Royal Mansion belonging to Ye Luo.

It must be said—the Royal Mansion indeed had an impressive grandeur!

The location wasn’t particularly advantageous, given that land in the Imperial Capital is exceedingly precious. Even if the Great Tang Emperor intended to demonstrate goodwill, it was unrealistic for him to evict other residents to make room solely for Ye Luo.

Thus, Ye Luo’s Royal Mansion was relatively remote by comparison.

Of course, this was relative, as it still fell within the Imperial Capital’s central area.

Currently, the mansion remained under construction, with over three thousand craftsmen working tirelessly.

Ye Luo’s curiosity wasn’t about how luxurious the mansion was, but rather about the methods of its construction!

Upon personally witnessing it, Ye Luo understood why Martial Realm buildings tended to be so magnificent.

For them, it seemed that constructing houses was almost too simple!