Novel Bin Chapter 165 - Defending Himself
"Why would you do such a stupid thing?!"
The voice of Elder Yi from the Cao family reverberated through the hall. On most days it would be rare for five of the Elders of the Cao family to gather together; however, in less than an hour, all twelve had shown up at the main house\'s front door demanding to see Cao Haolong.
However, even such a terrifying display of power did not cause Cao Haolong to feel worried. Since he dared to cause the chaos, he already had a plan on how to deal with it.
After tidying up the papers on his desk, he slowly rose to his feet and calmly walked to the hall.
There was no urgency or worry in the way he acted, even his expression was faint with a gentle smile. He seemed so confident that the servants who followed him felt unreal.
One had to understand that what Cao Haolong was doing was dangerous. He had openly found Jiang Yao, which was the same as telling Jiang Luo that he was turning his back on their alliance.
Even if Jiang Yao decided to accept the Cao family\'s support, he would still have certain worries as they had turned their back on their previous partner before, so who could say if they would abandon him as well.
These elders all felt as if they had lost everything they had worked hard for, and that Cao Haolong had been too eager to change allegiance. In their opinion, even if he wished to change, he had to be more subtle, and not let the outside world know of his actions.
"Elder Yi, I have made the decision which I believe is the most suitable for the Cao family."
Cao Haolong was not feeling flustered at all as he slowly sat down on the chair belonging to the patriarch of the Cao family.
Although he did not officially inherit this position, everyone considered him the Patriarch of the Cao family, and they also knew that he was the one who truly held the power at home. However, they were agitated due to their fears, and had forgotten about his usual abilities.
"You have doomed the Cao family! How can we be so capricious as to try to change our master! Jiang Luo will never accept us back, and Jiang Yao will not trust us either! This is throwing our family to the wolves!"
The one who spoke this time was Elder Qi. He was so panicked that his beard was trembling, and he could not even sit still on his chair, but instead paced back and forth in front of the others.
Cao Haolong could not help but lean back in the chair and sigh slightly. He understood the worries of these old men, but he also knew that the reason for the Cao family\'s decline was due to them.
The Cao family had always been a hegemon within Cloudsoar City, but for the past ten years before he took over his responsibilities, the family had been slowly declining.
He understood that these elderly men had given their all to try and save their family, but most of the time they were too conservative and rigid in the way they thought.
They assumed that as long as they supported Jiang Luo, he was certain to become the next Emperor. They never sat down to consider what would happen if he failed on the way to success.
Their family was undoubtedly tied to the person they wished to support. If Jiang Luo failed, he would likely be imprisoned in a luxurious mansion for the rest of his life, but for those who had supported him, their whole family would, without a doubt, face extinction.
"Let me ask you a few questions."
Cao Haolong knew that he had to assure these elders about their safety, and at the same time let them understand the severity of their decisions.
"Which one is the strongest, Jiang Luo or Jiang Yao?"
The first question made many of the people feel confused, but someone could not help but say, "There is no comparison at all, Jiang Luo is nowhere near as talented as Jiang Yao."
Hearing the words, Cao Haolong nodded his head in approval.
"Then, let me ask you another question, who has the most military power in their hands? Jiang Yao or Jiang Luo."
The ones present began to observe one another, but they still told her what they had figured out.
"Jiang Yao might not have as many subordinates as Jiang Luo, but the quality is without a doubt much better."
This time it was Elder San who spoke, and although the answer was ugly, no one was surprised with it. The knowledge was long since known to all.
"When you put Jiang Luo and Jiang Yao side by side, which one is most likely to win the throne?"
Cao Haolong did not give up, but asked another question, making the whole hall full of elders frown.
"It is true that the Seventh Demon Prince is more likely to succeed if he fights for it, but we all know that he has no interest in the throne. This is why we decided to support the Fourth Demon Prince back then."
The others nodded their heads as Elder Si spoke. Although the words were ugly, they explained their situation thoroughly.
"If things were the same as before, then it is indeed the case. However, now Prince Jiang Yao has decided to fight back. I cannot guarantee that he wants the throne for himself, but it is absolutely certain that he will not let Jiang Luo take up the position of the Emperor.
"If we keep supporting Jiang Luo, who has no future, then you should know the outcome for our family as well. While we might not become as important in the eyes of Jiang Yao as we were to Jiang Luo, we will still be able to remain alive."