Gate of God

by Stayrr

This is a strange and inexplicable world…Mountains, water, stones, flowers, grass, trees, wood, the Sun, moonlight, stars… All creation under the Heavens and Earths are sources of energy. In this world, there are all the classics from his previous world, but there is a new addition: The Law of Dao. Fang Zhengzhi was conflicted. I can obtain power from reading books? Should I read T

16. 490

Read Gate of God - Chapter 490 - Formidable figure online free - Light Novel Full

"It's the Yan Cloud Cavalry?!"

When Li Jingfeng and the rest of the Red Pinion Squad saw the six clouds, their expressions changed.

The Great Xia had many elite squads.

The Dragon Protection Squad, the Mountain Breaking Army, the Red Pinion Squad…

All of these were elite armies.

However, if there was one army that would rank above them, then it would undoubtedly be the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

It wasn't because the soldiers of the Yan Cloud Cavalry were more skilled or powerful. It was because of where they trained.

Western Liang!

A barren land.

They were always under assault from the wind, sand, and dust. They drank blood and feasted on meat.

The Yan Family was the leading family in Western Liang. Its history is even longer than that of the Great Xia's. They controlled Western Liang even before the Great Xia was founded.

The 13 Constabularies supported the Great Xia in its conquest of the world.

However, every Emperor left the defense of Western Liang to the Yan Family. When the six blood clouds of the Yan Family rose up in those harsh conditions, the soldiers of the 13 Constabularies would stop in the tracks.

It was impossible to fight there!

"Yan Cloud Cavalry!" Chi Hou clenched his fists. He never expected the Yan Cloud Cavalry to appear here.

Fang Zhengzhi was in the Northern Region, Huai An County, the Northern Mountain Village.

When Chi Hou got the news, he had immediately given his orders and marched for two days straight.

He didn't even stop for a break!

Where was the Yan Cloud Cavalry located?

In Western Liang!

Thousands of miles away!

Yet, they had arrived a mere four hours after the Red Pinion Squad. What kind of speed was that? Could it be…

Chi Hou looked at the Yan Cloud Cavalry soldier. He looked down at the soldier's waist and understood everything instantly.

There was a bloody, half-eaten piece of meat hanging on this soldier's waist.

Raw!

This was the most efficient way to travel! Furthermore, they could conserve their energy!

They could travel as quickly as possible, stop at any time, and fight at a moment's notice.

However, this was also the most primitive and barbaric method.

"Good, very good! The Yan Cloud Cavalry lives up to its name!" Chi Hou clenched his fists in admiration.

He also couldn't help but suppress some of his other emotions.

He didn't like to lose.

Li Jingfeng also noticed the piece of raw meat dangling from the waist of that soldier. He felt a chill down his spine.

This was true aggression.

An animalistic aggression.

"The Yan Cloud Cavalry still train this way?" Li Jingfeng knew that the Yan Cloud Cavalry didn't just think of this method. They had been doing this for a long time!

Raw meat was not good to eat!

If they did not train their bodies to digest and handle the raw meat, they would all be rolling on the ground by now.

The 2000 Red Pinion Squad soldiers could also feel that domineering aggression.

They tightened their grip around their spears.

At that moment, the soldier whose cloak had been ripped apart leapt into action. He drew a dagger and thrust it towards his throat.

"Clang!"

The dagger fell to the ground.

"I deserve to die!" The soldier's expression changed.

"It is not your fault. We are up against Chi Hou. It was only a matter of time before our identity was revealed. Just remember this incident and do better in future battles!" A voice rang out from within the ranks.

"Yes, sir!"

The thirst for blood had subsided significantly. Fang Zhengzhi walked forward and Chi Hou didn't seem to have any intention of stopping him.

Fang Zhengzhi walked over to the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

"Greetings, Young Master Fang!" The 3000 strong Yan Cloud Cavalry bowed respectfully.

Then, a figure walked out from within the ranks.

He was also wearing a black cloak and a veil. However, he took off the veil when he walked out of the ranks.

He smiled icily. Despite the punishing journey, he did not seem tired at all. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi with caring eyes.

Yan Xiu.

This was a man who had returned to Western Liang after the court examination results were released. He never stepped foot in the capital after that day.

"How have you been over the past year?"

"How have you been?"

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu greeted each other in front of both armies.

After one year…

The two of them still talked to each other the same way. It was as calm and ordinary as the water in the stream.

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu chuckled.

"I've been well."

Their voices echoed out in unison. It was almost as if they had forgotten about the two armies standing behind them.

Then…

Fang Zhengzhi began introducing the surroundings to Yan Xiu.

"Look, this is where I grew up. The Northern Mountain Village is a beautiful place. The water is clear and the air is fresh! You can even see the bottom of the river and the fish that swim inside it."

"Mm."

"Did you skip breakfast? Come and have some at my place!"

"Okay."

Then, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu walked towards the Red Pinion Squad and the Northern Mountain Village.

The Yan Cloud Cavalry didn't speak as they watched Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu walk away. However, their eyes were filled with shock.

"Is this the time to talk about meals?"

Zhang Yangping and the villagers looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know who this youth was. They didn't know the procedure here. But they knew…

If that was the Yan Cloud Cavalry…

They were probably…

Trespassing.

"Yan Xiu, the Yan Cloud Cavalry are under the command of the Yan Family. It is normal that you are leading them. However, since you are in the Northern Region, please show me the Emperor's orders that brought you here!" Chi Hou stepped forward.

As the leader of the Northern Five Constabularies.

He would not tolerate trespassing, not even if it was the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

"I don't have them." Yan Xiu shook his head.

"Junior, you bring the Yan Cloud Cavalry here without notifying me or getting orders from the Emperor. Isn't that inappropriate?" Chi Hou added.

"It is." Yan Xiu nodded.

"Since you know that it is inappropriate, I think you owe me an explanation." Chi Hou nodded. He knew why Yan Xiu was here.

In the grand scheme of things, Yan Xiu was Fang Zhengzhi's friend. By extension, Yan Xiu was not his enemy.

As such, he would not push Yan Xiu too hard. However, he still had to put on a show for the Red Pinion Squad.

"I was lost." Yan Xiu thought about it, then answered.

"Lost?!" Chi Hou had expected a myriad of other explanations. Perhaps he would claim that he was chasing a felon, or had noticed some movements from the demons.

These would have been false.

However, Chi Hou could pretend to believe him and order the Red Pinion Squad and the Yan Cloud Cavalry to check it out. Then, they would simply return having found nothing.

But being lost…

What kind of reason was that?

How could they have been lost for three days, eating raw meat and rushing over here from Western Liang? And they just happened to stumble across the Northern Mountain Village?

Who would believe that?

Even Chi Hou couldn't buy that excuse.

Li Jingfeng and the Red Pinion Squad could guess what Chi Hou's intentions were. However, Yan Xiu's reason was too casual.

"Young Master Yan, were you trying to chase an escaped felon when you got lost? Was it because you aren't familiar with the land here?" Li Jingfeng tried to clarify Yan Xiu's explanation.

"No, I was lost." Yan Xiu shook his head.

"Are you sure you are not joking with me?" Chi Hou couldn't take it any longer. He had already given Yan Xiu enough chances.

Yet, Yan Xiu continued to push this unbelievable story.

This concerned his reputation. As the head of the Divine Constabulary, he could forgive Yan Xiu for being rash, but he couldn't tolerate Yan Xiu being rude to him.

"Do you think that my grandson is someone who likes to joke?" Another voice rang out from within the ranks of the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

The voice as not loud and it was rather raspy. However, it was a powerful voice which commanded respect.

When that voice rang out.

A strange thing happened. All of the Snow Treading Dragon Stallions backed away, almost as if they were frightened.

Some of the Snow Treading Dragon Stallions even kicked off their riders.

"Ah!"

"Neigh, neigh…"

The 2000 soldiers of the Red Pinion Squad were in disarray. Even Li Jingfeng couldn't react in time.

However, Zhang Yangping and the villagers seemed unaffected.

It was a strange sight.

Li Jingfeng was about to give his orders when Chi Hou stopped him. Then, he saw Chi Hou's expression.

He had never seen Chi Hou look like that in more than 10 years of service.

Who was it?

He called Yan Xiu his grandson.

Could it be…

Li Jingfeng's expression changed. Even as the leader of the Red Pinion Squad, he felt a chill down his spine when he thought of that name.

"Yan Qianli"

He was the leader of the Yan Family. He was legendary, so much so that even the Emperor had to respect him.

He was formidable.

Everyone feared and respected this man. As long as Yan Qianli was alive, The Yan Family would control Western Liang and no one would dare to try their luck.

Yan Qianli was a domineering figure.

Everyone knew that only someone like Yan Qianli could govern a place like Western Liang well.

Of course, that was not the main point.

Yan Qianli had not stepped foot out of Western Liang in more than two decades! He didn't even take time to visit the capital.

Yet, he had appeared here.

He led 3000 of his Yan Cloud Cavalry to this small mountain village.

"I was the one who came up with that reason. My grandson is simply repeating my words. Do you think that that's an unacceptable reason?" The voice echoed through the air.

However, no one stepped out from the ranks. The voice echoed through but one couldn't pinpoint where he was.

Chi Hou's expression changed.

He stared at the 3000 Yan Cloud Cavalry and the clouds on their armor.

He clenched his fists, then released them, then clenched them again.

He finally regained his composure after some time, the glow disappearing from his eyes.

"Master Yan, since you are lost, how about I personally guide you to the route back to Western Liang? What do you think?" Chi Hou asked calmly.

"Hahaha… I wanted to stay in Western Liang and wait for my death, but my grandson wanted to make a trip to the capital. My time is limited and I don't have much time to look around. I thought of accompanying my grandson to the capital and visit the Emperor. However, because of my age, I forgot the way to get there and got lost."

"You are going to the capital?" Chi Hou's eyes glittered.

"Yes, is that convenient for you?"

"Yes, I'm heading there as well!"

"That's a happy coincidence! If you don't find it too much of a hassle, we would appreciate it if you could guide us there. If we get lost again it would result in too many delays."

"It would be my honor if Master Yan would come to the capital with me. When would you like to leave?"

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Chapter 491: Empire

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"I'm not planning to micromanage everything on this trip. I just want to take in the sights. I'll leave the details to my grandson."

"I understand." Chi Hou nodded.

As the leader of the Northern Region, he could read between the lines. The fact that someone as respected as him was letting someone else take care of the details…

That said a lot.

As to why Yan Qianli had decided to go to the capital…

It was to assert dominance.

He wanted to help cement the position of the next leader of Western Liang.

He couldn't do so if he was in Western Liang. He had to do it in the capital. Chi Hou was certain that the heir to that position would be confirmed after this trip.

However…

Only Yan Qianli had the answer to why he would follow Yan Xiu all the way to the Northern Mountain Village before going to the capital.

Chi Hou didn't bother with any more guesses. However, he was certain that Yan Qianli's trip to the capital was not as simple as merely taking in the sights.

Could it be that they were going to participate in the battle for the throne?

Or was there something deeper?

Regardless, he had to warn King Duan in advance. If they could have Yan Qianli's support in the fight for the throne, it would give them a huge boost.

Over the next three days, Yan Xiu stayed in the Fang Residence and Fang Zhengzhi brought Yan Xiu around.

Yan Qianli never showed himself.

Chi Hou wanted to use these three days to interact with Yan Qianli and understand his thoughts. However, Yan Qianli remained inside the Yan Cloud Cavalry camp.

Yan Qianli didn't even seem to want to meet Fang Zhengzhi.

Three days later, Fang Zhengzhi said his goodbyes and joined Yan Xiu on their journey to the capital. The Red Pinion Squad and Yan Cloud Cavalry followed behind.

Zhang Yangping, Fang Houde, Qin Xuelian, and the other villagers all watched in awe as the convoy left the village.

However…

As ordinary villagers, they couldn't possibly stop them.

"Village elder, do you think Zhengzhi will…"

"No! Chi Hou said that he was here to help Fang Zhengzhi! He will definitely help Fang Zhengzhi get his acquittal!"

"My son…"

"Mother of my son, let's go back. Zhengzhi may be back soon!"

"Nothing will happen to him right?"

"Of course not, definitely not!"

Spring was usually a joyous and vibrant time, but the atmosphere in the capital seemed suppressed and down.

Inside the Crown Prince's residence.

Dozens of officials stood outside his study, each one of them visibly anxious.

Inside the study, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong sat behind a desk. He was dressed in a silver robe and he looked at the officials solemnly.

There was a stack of shredded papers on the table. That was an emergency letter that he just received.

"Bloody Divine Constabulary… how dare you go against me so openly?! What do you think I should do?!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's hand swept across the table and his teacup shattered on the floor.

The officials shook their heads when they saw this.

"Your Highness, Chi Hou has always been King Duan's right-hand man. It is no surprise that he would bring Fang Zhengzhi to the capital." One of the officials spoke up.

"Yes, the problem now isn't the Divine Constabulary, it's the Yan Family of Western Liang…" Another official spoke up, his eyes glittering.

"We never expected that the Yan King… Yan Qianli would leave Western Liang for this. This makes an ambush along the way quite impossible."

"Yes, fighting 2000 soldiers of the Red Pinion Squad is difficult enough. If we want to go against that and an additional 3000 Yan Cloud Cavalry, we will need to tap on the army! However, King Duan still controls most of the army! It will be difficult to do anything without revealing ourselves!"

"The Emperor may even welcome Yan Qianli at the gates of the palace. If he does so, it'll make things even more difficult for us."

"Do you think that Fang Zhengzhi would dare to tell his side of the story when he meets the Emperor?"

"With his character, I wouldn't put it past him to say anything. If anything he says gets out, it could be detrimental to your cause."

"We must not let him enter the city!"

"Everyone, you are all thinking too much!" A voice rang out and the Minister of Law, Wan Chong, stood up. "Actually, we have already passed judgment on Fang Zhengzhi's case. We have also issued a warrant for his arrest. The Emperor cannot simply pardon him just because the Divine Constabulary asked for it. Unless new evidence comes to light, the case will remain solid. The Crown Prince need not worry!"

"Official Wan is correct, we should remain calm and not act rashly!"

"Indeed, indeed!"

All of the officials expressed their agreement.

At that very moment, a middle-aged man in Ministry of Rites robes stood up. He straightened his robe and bowed to the Crown Prince.

"There is one other thing that I need to report. I have news that the Queen of the Southern Region is making a trip to the capital. I was wondering… if this had anything to do with Fang Zhengzhi?"

Silence. The officials looked at each other and stopped their discussions. There were too many things happening at once.

Starting with Fang Zhengzhi showing himself at Huai An County.

Then, everything had happened so quickly from that moment on that they had no time to catch their breath.

Was it a coincidence? Or had it been planned beforehand? No one could say for sure, but they all felt that everything was just a tad too coincidental.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping rapped his fingers against the armrest as he looked at the officials and a kneeling soldier.

"Did our intel say what Yan Qianli did in the Northern Mountain Village?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping queried.

"Prime Minister, he did not show himself in the Northern Mountain Village." The soldier reported.

"He didn't show himself? Then how do you know that Yan Qianli is coming to the capital with Fang Zhengzhi?" Yu Yiping frowned.

"Even though he didn't show himself, he did speak with Chi Hou. Afterward, he never left his tent, so our scouts didn't see him."

"You're telling me that Yan Qianli went to the village but never entered it. He also cooped himself up in his tent and didn't meet with Chi Hou or Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Yes, sir!"

"He stayed in his tent, he stayed in his tent… I see, I see!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes glittered.

When the other officials heard what he said, they looked at each other in confusion.

"Prime Minister, could you please enlighten us?" One of the officials asked when he saw Lin Tianrong look at him, approving his question.

"Yan Qianli has been the lord of Western Liang. However, he is now an old man. He will not play his trump card unless he absolutely has to." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smiled confidently.

"What do you mean?" The officials couldn't understand.

"Yan Qianli might not help Fang Zhengzhi." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping asserted.

"But Yan Qianli left Western Liang and went to the Northern Mountain Village. Why do that if he doesn't plan to help Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Because of Yan Xiu!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied.

"Prime Minister, you are saying that Yan Qianli is coming to the capital because of Yan Xiu and not Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Yes!"

"We still don't understand it fully. Please enlighten us." The officials still seemed lost.

"Yan Qianli is aging, so he needs to plan for the future of Western Liang. I think he is going to hand the reins over to Yan Xiu." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping explained.

"Hand over Western Liang to Yan Xiu? Prime Minister, I'm afraid that's not something that he can decide. The reason why they lead the region is because of Yan Qianli. Without him, the Yan Family will still be considered foreigners. Even if the Emperor wants the Yan Family to continue governing, I'm sure he will send one of the constabularies over to keep tabs on them."

The officials began to voice their opinions.

"Exactly! That is where the problem is!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded.

"Prime Minister, you mean…"

"Yan Qianli has managed to govern Western Liang without any interference for many decades. Do you think he will allow any of the 13 Constabularies to set up camp there?" Yu Yiping asked.

"No." The officials replied without hesitation.

"Exactly. Yan Qianli would never let this happen. As such, anyone who can help him achieve his goals will get his support in the contest for the throne!"

"I get it now. Yan Qianli might have gone to the Northern Mountain Village, but by not showing himself, he is telling the world that he has yet to make a choice. He is trying to see who can help him achieve his goals!" The officials were enlightened.

"Prime Minister, you have great foresight!" The other officials nodded in amazement.

"Even though Yan Qianli has yet to make his choice, he is still accompanying Fang Zhengzhi into the capital. How do we deal with that?" Another official asked.

"We can still turn things around as long as Yan Qianli hasn't made his choice!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping asserted.

"We would love to hear your plan!" The officials stood up and bowed to Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

"Tomorrow morning, you can propose during the morning sitting for the Emperor to hold a banquet to honor our seniors at the Ten Mile Lake!" Yu Yiping proposed.

"A banquet? Why would we have it at the Ten Mile Lake and not the palace?" The officials were confused.

"The Yan Family suffered the greatest casualties in their history at the battle of the Ten Mile Lake. If not for their valiant defense, the capital would not be what we know it to be. Most importantly, all five of Yan Qianli's brothers died in that battle. Their bodies were never recovered. He would never reject an invitation to the Ten Mile Lake!"

The Left Prime Minister asserted.

The other officials nodded in agreement.

"The Left Prime Minister is wise. Crown Prince, if the banquet was held at the Ten Mile Lake, Yan Qianli would definitely attend and we would be at an advantage. Furthermore, outsiders would not be invited to attend."

"Diverting his attention! Great plan, great plan!"

"How do we move forward after that?"

The officials turned to look at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping once again.

"Kill!" Yu Yiping replied.

"Kill? The Ten Mile Lake is just half a day away from the capital. Furthermore, Chi Hou would be protecting Fang Zhengzhi. How would we get to him?" The officials were shocked.

"Official Wan had said this before. Fang Zhengzhi's case has been closed. We don't have to ask the Emperor for his opinion anymore." The Prime Minister looked at Wan Chong.

"You want me to capture him before he reaches the city?" Law Minister Wan Chong asked.

"No, you must catch him at the gates with witnesses around!"

"At the city gates? With witnesses?"

"Yes, that is the only way that Chi Hou can't stop you. You are just following the law. He can't go against the law even though he is a lord. Furthermore, by capturing Fang Zhengzhi in front of witnesses, he would be sure that you won't dare to do anything to Fang Zhengzhi!"

"It makes sense. This is the best way to ensure that Fang Zhengzhi is captured. But what do we do after?" Minister Wan Chong nodded.

"Don't you have your methods once he is in your ministry?"

"But… if we arrested him in front of witnesses, then…"

"You are afraid you would be blamed?"

"I…"

"Official Wan, do not worry. As long as Fang Zhengzhi is dead, Yan Qianli would not bother about Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi's friendship. Yan Qianli would also back the Crown Prince. By doing so, you have done the Crown Prince a great favor and you will be rewarded in the future."

"I understand. Since that is the case, I will go and make the arrangements now." Minister Wan Chong grit his teeth and took his leave.

The other officials smiled respectfully at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and Crown Prince Lin Tianrong.

"I'm sure Fang Zhengzhi would never expect that we would arrest him at the gates."

"Even I wasn't expecting that."

"He is too naive! If he thinks that he can waltz in here in broad daylight just because he has the Divine Constabulary and the Yan Family protecting him, he is terribly mistaken!"

"Only the Left Prime Minister could have thought of such a great plan!"

"Exactly, and to think he formulated this plan based on the information that Yan Qianli didn't leave his tent! We still have a lot to learn!"

The officials expressed their admiration.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smiled when he heard this. He knew what the Crown Prince was thinking.

The Crown Prince would not be at ease so long as Fang Zhengzhi was alive.

This was a mental problem, and Fang Zhengzhi had to be eliminated.

He was more than willing to sacrifice the Law Minister in exchange for Fang Zhengzhi's life. In fact, the Crown Prince would have willingly sacrificed all six ministers if that's what it took.

Once this was done, the world was his oyster!

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Chapter 492: No turning back

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Winner takes all.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had placed all his bets on the Crown Prince. As such, he would never let someone who could harm the Crown Prince live.

"I must calm the Crown Prince's heart. Wan Chong… please don't blame me for being vicious!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes glowed icily as he looked at the closed doors.

As the leader of the officials…

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping knew what the Crown Prince and the Emperor thought. As such, he needed someone to take the rap.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong didn't speak. He didn't care much for a Minister. As long as he could remain in power, he wouldn't mind replacing the Minister repeatedly.

There was only one person who could threaten his hold on the throne. That was Fang Zhengzhi.

No!

Fang Zhengzhi had to die!

He had taken too many risks and hid in the shadows for way too long. He had worked so hard to get to his current position and he was not going to let it fall apart.

Early morning the next day.

The morning court session…

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong proposed that the Emperor hold a banquet for the elders at the Ten Mile Lake.

The officials concurred.

Emperor Lin Mubai praised the Crown Prince for coming up with such a brilliant proposal and put him in charge of forming the attendance list.

King Duan was silent.

After the session, the officials congratulated Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and offered up names to be included in the attendance list.

King Duan remained silent.

Nightfall…

King Duan's residence was still lit up.

However, it was much less festive and boisterous as compared to the Crown Prince's residence. A lot had changed over the past year.

King Duan sat behind the desk. He wore baggy pajamas and held a letter in his hand. However, this letter was intact. There were few creases on the paper.

There were two other people in this spacious study.

One was an aged man in a black and white robe whilst the other was Mr. Hua sporting the academic robes.

"Your Highness, did you call us over because of the Crown Prince's proposal?" Mr. Hua asked when after King Duan put down the letter.

"Mm, but we have also received news from the Northern Region." King Duan nodded as he lit the sandalwood.

"Chi Hou wrote to us?" Mr. Hua took a whiff, then looked at the letter on the table.

"Yes, Chi Hou told us that Yan Qianli has left Western Liang and is heading to the capital with them. Fang Zhengzhi is also with them. Chi Hou wanted to meet with Yan Qianli but didn't have the chance." King Duan summarized the letter.

"They didn't meet? That can only mean that Yan Qianli feels that the time isn't right." Mr. Hua guessed.

"You are right, but we must get Yan Qianli on our side. Chi Hou wants me to welcome Yan Qianli outside the city, well before the Crown Prince can get to him. However, I never expected that the Crown Prince would come up with such a great plan. He will now have the first crack at Yan Qianli."

"Your Highness, your analysis is correct. Even if you receive Yan Qianli, the Emperor will still give overall control of this to the Crown Prince. After all, Yan Qianli is the VIP here. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to get close to him at this banquet."

"Mr. Hua is correct. That is why I have disturbed you two this late at night. I hope that I can pick your brains."

"We have already lost the initiative here. It is virtually impossible to go against the Crown Prince in the courts now. All we can do is back off."

"Back off?! I have already backed off for the past year! I can't back off anymore! All six ministers are loyal to the Crown Prince! More than half of the courts are loyal to him! And then there's the army! They used to be loyal to me, but now at least 30% are loyal to him! How much more can I pull back?"

"You have no other choice right now." Mr. Hua shook his head.

"The fight for the throne is a matter of life or death. Once I stepped forward, there is no way I can pull out. Please… help me!"

"Your Highness… why are you in such a hurry? We still have a chance to make a comeback!" Mr. Hua added.

"Please enlighten me!"

"Old Wen, what do you think?" Mr. Hua sighed when he saw King Duan's expression and turned to Mr.Wen.

"Take a step back and all will be clear." Was the reply.

"What do you mean by take a step back?" Mr. Hua was surprised that Mr. Wen would agree with him.

"Somethings become clearer when we take a step back."

King Duan's eyes glittered when he heard this. He knew that there was more to this statement, so we waited patiently.

"Please elaborate." Mr. Hua added.

"The banquet is just a cover. The Crown Prince does have some intelligent advisors. However, if you think about it, the Left Prime Minister is smarter than that. Why would he do something that is so time consuming but will yield such little results?"

"What do you mean?" King Duan queried.

"It is very important to have Yan Qianli align himself with us. However, Yan Qianli is a smart man. He spent the past two decades guarding Western Liang in order to avoid being embroiled in this fight. He will not choose until the last moment! It is virtually impossible to get him on your side in one try."

"What you're saying is I should do nothing?"

"That's not what I meant."

"That's not what you meant?"

"Yes, if you really took a step back, you would see something else."

"See something else?" King Duan was confused, but Old Wen didn't elaborate. He simply turned to look at Mr. Hua.

Mr. Hua closed his eyes.

He had to calm himself down.

The study room was silent. The only sound came from the breeze coming through the open windows. The flames flickered.

King Duan's eyes glittered after a long pause.

"You're talking about Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Yes, finally!" Old Wen stood up and bowed to King Duan.

"It is my mistake. I never thought very highly of this man, so I tend to ignore his existence… aish, Old Wen, please enlighten me!" King Duan's expression had traces of embarrassment.

"Mm, I can understand how you feel. However, getting Fang Zhengzhi on our side is more important than getting Yan Qianli right now." Old Wen advised.

"Do I really have to beg him?"

"Yes."

"Is there any other way? Maybe…"

"There is no other way. Fang Zhengzhi is a thorn in the Crown Prince's side! He is your key to reclaiming your position!"

"So… what should I do? Fang Zhengzhi is a felon on the run! Even if the Emperor doesn't kill him, I can't possibly welcome him!" King Duan added.

"If my guess is correct, Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to enter the city so easily this time!" Old Wen added.

"What do you mean?"

"The Crown Prince's banquet is just to lure Yan Qianli away!"

"Lure Yan Qianli away? From Fang Zhengzhi's side? But the Ten Mile Lake is only half a day away from the capital. It would be difficult for him to set an ambush. Furthermore, Chi Hou is by Fang Zhengzhi's side." King Duan was confused.

"Mm, that's what I thought too. What do you think, Mr. Hua?" Old Wen nodded and turned to look at Mr. Hua.

"Haha…" Mr. Hua opened his eyes slowly, smirked, then shook his head.

The capital was becoming more vibrant as the flowers bloomed.

News of the banquet had spread through the empire and many of the elders of noble families set out from their homes.

Countless carriages headed straight for the capital.

Apart from this, the Imperial Examinations were beginning and the flyers were pasted all over the city.

Countless candidates were on their way to participate in the examinations after celebrating their achievements back home.

The road to the capital was bustling with activity.

"Grandfather, I heard that King Yan is the VIP for this banquet. It is to be held at the Ten Mile Lake. Were you in that battle? Do you know how King Yan looks like? Have you met him before?" Some young voices rang out from inside the carriages.

"Haha… it's been decades since I last saw King Yan. I was just a low ranking officer at that time. I never got to meet him." An aged voice replied.

"I heard that he is very arrogant and that even the Emperor respects him."

"Mm, that is true. The Yan Family was the key factor in our victory there! 30,000 Yan Cloud Cavalry reached the capital in less than seven days! If they didn't manage to do that, the capital would have fallen! There would be no Great Xia without the Yan Family!"

"From Western Liang to the Capital? Seven days?! That's… that's… ridiculously fast! Normally, that trip would take at least half a month! Even if they marched through the night, it would take between 15 and 20 days! Seven days… is that an exaggeration?" The youth was in disbelief.

"Yes, no one expected that the Yan Cloud Cavalry could arrive in seven days. Neither the Emperor nor the Demons predicted that. However, it was a bloody battle. 30,000 of them held off 150,000 demons for three days and three nights. They were virtually annihilated and the current King Yan was the only survivor in the family. However, the Demon's advance was halted and their morale took a hit. Less than 50,000 made it back."

"Grandfather, how long do you plan to stay in the capital for?"

"Haha… if you can make it to the honor rolls for this examination, I will return only after you've completed your examination."

"Really? Rest assured, I will definitely pass the examination! I also want to do our family and you proud in the court examinations!

"Good. You have matured! You will make us proud!"

There was one particular convoy that caught the eyes of everyone. Countless officials came out to welcome this convoy.

The armor of the soldiers glittered under the sun.

3000 Yan Cloud Cavalry and 2000 soldiers from the Red Pinion Squad. It was a grand sight, much grander than an army of tens of thousands.

These were elites, the creme de la creme.

Countless candidates and citizens lined the roads for a glimpse of the legendary Yan Cloud Cavalry.

However, they were all disappointed.

For some reason, this squad of elites traveled extremely slowly.

They would stop at every point along the way.

Then, they would even rest for an entire day before lumbering towards the capital. It felt as though they were on a tour.

The citizens didn't really understand what was happening at first, but they seemed to understand with time.

All of them saw one person. Someone who rode in the middle of the squad. They would chuckle every time they saw him.

"I bet he just wants to prolong his life."

"Exactly, if I were him, I would be in no rush to get to the capital either."

"He should have thought twice before doing what he did! He must have known that this would happen the moment he showed himself in Huai An County!"

"Forget it, he was a key factor in our victory in the Southern Region. Aish… it's a pity that his lust and courage got the better of him. How dare he violate the Princess of the Southern Region?! Then he killed their Crown Prince and injured ours! The nerve of some people!"

"Shhh, speak softer! Things may get ugly if they hear you!"

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Chapter 493: Pushing you into a trap

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Spring was a calming and comfortable time.

Fang Zhengzhi wasn't rushing to the examinations. He was in no hurry. In fact, there was nothing pressing that he had to attend to currently.

Fang Zhengzhi hummed a little tune as he rode along.

In his previous world, spring was enjoyed by everyone! The weather was one reason. People also enjoyed the flowers, greenery, and burst of life.

"How long more to the capital?"

"Young Master Fang, we are still about 100 miles out. If we push the pace, we can arrive tomorrow. If we…" One of the members of the Yan Cloud Cavalry replied.

"Mm, then we will find a place to rest for a few days up ahead."

"明白!"

"I understand!"

In a quiet valley at night, there was a huge army camp. The Red Pinion Squad and Yan Cloud Cavalry stood guard around the perimeter in their shining armor.

In one of the tents, there was a light on the table.

Fang Zhengzhi leaned back in his seat and looked at the figure who had entered the tent.

"My Lord, what is it?"

"Mm, I received news from the capital that the Emperor is holding a banquet at the Ten Mile Lake. Yan Qianli is the VIP and he has accepted the invitation. King Duan asked us to be careful when entering the city. I was thinking if we should enter the city after the banquet is over. We could wait till Yan Qianli rejoins us." Chi Hou replied.

"Which option are you leaning towards?"

"I think that the timing on this is too much of a coincidence. If we want to play it safe, then we should wait until the banquet is over."

"If you wanted to play it safe, then you wouldn't have come to find me." Fang Zhengzhi smirked.

Chi Hou was a bloodthirsty general…

Safety and insurance…

They were not his favorite options.

"Ahem… what I meant was that… according to the rules, the Red Pinion Squad and the Yan Cloud Cavalry can only set up camp outside the city." Chi Hou was slightly embarrassed.

Fang Zhengzhi had read him like a book. He had no intention of waiting outside the city. In fact, his initial plan had not accounted for Yan Qianli.

Why should he back off now?

"And so?" Fang Zhengzhi added.

"I am afraid that if it's just me, you, and Yan Xiu, something bad will happen. After all, you are a criminal. Even though I am bringing you in under the pretext that I have arrested you, certain precautions must be taken."

"So I should spend some time in a cell?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"Ahem, I would not let that happen if we can avoid it. However, rest assured that King Duan and I will make the necessary arrangements. After I have met with the Emperor, I will have King Duan trial you. The Emperor would not reject that proposal." Chi Hou cleared his throat.

"You came here just to tell me this?"

"Mm, the current situation still favors the Crown Prince. I think that we should still play it safe. If we went according to my plan…" Chi Hou added sincerely.

"I don't recall promising that I would follow the orders of yourself and King Duan." Fang Zhengzhi interrupted.

"You did not agree to it. However, I need to ensure your safety as we enter the city. I am sure you won't make things difficult for me, right?"

"My Lord, rest assured that I will not make things difficult for you." Fang Zhengzhi nodded. He knew what Chi Hou was thinking.

Chi Hou was basically leading him into a trap.

He came here on the pretext that he was helping Fang Zhengzhi. If Fang Zhengzhi played along, he would realize along the way that…

He was past the point of no return!

"So you're saying that… you agree?" Chi Hou's excitement was palpable.

"No, but I will keep a lower profile." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

"Keep a low profile?"

"Yes."

"How low?"

"Very very very low!"

"Erm… okay then. I do not have to worry then."

During the evening three days later, a group of more than 10 men walked towards the capital. There were two rows of spectators by the side of the road.

"Fang Zhengzhi is entering the city!"

"He is doing so without bothering to disguise himself?!"

"He must have been forced by the Divine Constabulary! Else, why would he do such a thing? He is a wanted criminal!"

"Forced by the Divine Constabulary? Does he look like he is being forced? More importantly, I heard that he showed himself in Huai An County on his own accord…"

"I have no idea what he's thinking. Is he courting death?"

The citizens watched Fang Zhengzhi from the side of the road. None of them could believe their eyes.

They had never seen a wanted criminal enter the capital in such fashion before.

Chi Hou turned to look at the citizens calmly. He had a feeling that something was about to happen.

Fang Zhengzhi entering the capital…

This was bound to create a buzz.

Chi Hou had prepared for this. However, he never expected that there would be two rows of people standing by waiting for them at the city gates.

What was happening?

Chi Hou knew that something was amiss. He had already tried to avoid the peak hours!

However, there were clearly more people here than there were entering the city at dawn.

As for Fang Zhengzhi…

Chi Hou didn't want to say anything more. He remembered telling Fang Zhengzhi his concerns three days ago. Fang Zhengzhi agreed to keep a low profile.

Yet today, he was wearing his trademark blue long-sleeved shirt!

He didn't even bother to change his dressing!

At the very least, he could have worn a coat. Even though everyone knew his identity, he could have at least tried to hide it.

Chi Hou was speechless.

However, neither Fang Zhengzhi nor Yan Xiu seemed bothered by it. Yan Xiu walked beside Fang Zhengzhi silently.

They were approaching the city gates.

Chi Hou turned to look at the black cloaked figures behind them and shot a look at Li Jingfeng.

Li Jingfeng understood it immediately. He reined in his horse and slowed down to blend into the cloaked figures.

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu didn't seem to notice this. They continued to walk forward amidst the chatter around them.

Then, they passed through the gates. The guard at the gate looked at them, then let them through!

"Hahaha, my lord, you have arrived! The journey must have been punishing!"

At that moment, a figure appeared in front of Chi Hou and Fang Zhengzhi. He wore black official robes and smiled widely.

There were more than a hundred guards standing behind him. Their armor was uniform and they had a huge word emblazoned on their chest plate.

"Arrest!"

They were from the Ministry of Law.

They were the people in charge of arrests!

The person standing at the front was Wan Chong, the Minister of Law.

Chi Hou looked at Wan Chong, who was in his way. He squinted. He knew who Wan Chong was.

He had expected Wan Chong to show up.

However…

He didn't expect Wan Chong to show up so quickly. He didn't think that Wan Chong would wait for him at the gates. He expected Wan Chong to wait for him at the ministry!

"Official Wan, were you waiting here for me?" Chi Hou's eyes glowed icily and he exuded a powerful aura.

"Haha… why not?" Wan Chong shuddered. He was uncomfortable, but he maintained his smile.

"It seems like the Ministry of Law is quite free huh?" Chi Hou said flatly as he looked at the crowd.

The citizens looked at each other when they heard this. When they looked back at Wan Chong, their gazes were conflicted.

In all the years Wan Chong had spent in the courts…

He had seen his fair share of backstabbing and plotting. However, the courts valued peace, at least on the surface. As such, most of the dirty work was done behind the scenes.

People rarely confronted each other so openly.

At that moment, Wan Chong's expression changed. However, he recovered quickly and waved to the guards behind him.

"Arrest that man!"

"Yes!"

The guards replied in unison and blocked the gates. They surrounded Chi Hou and the group.

"Official Wan, are you thinking of arresting me?" Chi Hou chuckled scornfully when he saw the guards surround him.

"Haha, you must be joking! I am simply following the law and arresting the person responsible for the death of the Southern Region Crown Prince, the assault on our Crown Prince, and the one who violated the Princess of the Southern Region!" Wan Chong chuckled.

"Oh, I see… so… you plan on stealing all the credit from me?" Chi Hou's eyes had an icy glow.

"My lord, you have misunderstood. I would never dare to steal your credit. However, you must know that this is already the capital."

"So what?"

"According to the law, once a criminal has entered the city, he should be handed to the Ministry of Law. Fang Zhengzhi is my responsibility now."

"Official Wan is correct. Once I have reported to the Emperor, I will act pursuant to his wishes." Chi Hou added.

"My Lord, Fang Zhengzhi's case has already been closed. The evidence is overwhelming. There is no need to report to the Emperor!"

"How can you close the case when we haven't even captured the suspect?"

"Even if you don't believe me, you have to believe this document." Wan Chong retrieved the records for this case.

Chi Hou's expression changed.

He could see that this was the case brought against Fang Zhengzhi. At the very end…

There was the word 'closed'.

This meant that Wan Chong was right. According to the law, once a case was closed, it could only be reopened if new evidence was brought to light or new charges were pressed…

Else, the sentence would be met out accordingly.

As for new evidence…

There was none at the moment. Even if they had those on hand, they would have to hand Fang Zhengzhi over before reporting to the Emperor.

"What if I refuse? What will you do about that?" Chi Hou grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"My Lord, you entered the city because you were bringing in a convict. Now that he is in the city, I am sure you will not make things difficult for me. What do you all think? I am sure the Lord of the Northern Regions will abide by the law!"

Wan Chong chuckled and asked the crowd.

"Yes, how can the leader of the Divine Constabulary not abide by the law?" A voice echoed out.

Then, the crowd looked at each other. Heated discussions began to take place within moments.

"He should be punished for his crimes!"

"Since he committed the crime, he should accept his punishment from the Ministry of Law!"

"Even though he played a huge role in the victory, this cannot negate the fact that he killed the Southern Region Crown Prince, injured ours, and violated the Princess of the Southern Region!"

The crowd grew rowdier by the moment.

Chi Hou's expression changed.

He finally understood why there were so many people at the gates. They were all planted here on purpose.

They were here to help Wan Chong's case.

In other words…

This was a set-up. This was a carefully planned trapped that would force him to hand over Fang Zhengzhi the moment he stepped foot in the city.

But why did the Ministry of Law want to sentence Fang Zhengzhi so quickly?

Were they trying to harm Fang Zhengzhi?

However, if they arrested Fang Zhengzhi in front of so many witnesses and something were to happen to Fang Zhengzhi, they would be implicated as well.

What was Wan Chong up to?

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Chapter 494: Treating everyone as idiots

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Chi Hou didn't know what Wan Chong was planning, but he knew that he wasn't just planning to arrest Fang Zhengzhi.

"Hand over the criminal, hand over the criminal..."

"Let him be punished for his sins!"

"He has to face the music!"

The voices of the crowd reverberated through the air. Their chants grew louder by the minute, causing more and more people to stop and see what the ruckus was all about.

Chi Hou squinted and looked at the smiling Wan Chong. He was analyzing his current situation.

Should he hand Fang Zhengzhi over? Or should he stick to his guns and oppose the Ministry?

As the leader of the Divine Constabulary, this crime would not result in much of a punishment. However, if word got out that he broke the law despite knowing it...

It would be disadvantageous to him.

Chi Hou clenched his fists and nodded to Fang Zhengzhi when he thought about their mission.

The meaning was clear, Fang Zhengzhi would have to serve some time.

Chi Hou knew that he did not need much time to get to the palace and meet with the Emperor. He could regain control of the situation once the Emperor gave his approval for him to preside over this case. He could then go to the Ministry of Law and get Fang Zhengzhi.

That was what Chi Hou thought...

However, he was shocked to see that Fang Zhengzhi didn't seem nervous at all. In fact, he seemed rather detached from the situation.

Chi Hou nodded to Minister of Law Wan Chong.

Wan Chong heaved a sigh of relief. As long as Chi Hou didn't stop him from arresting Fang Zhengzhi, Fang Zhengzhi would never manage to escape.

"Arrest him!" Wan Chong bellowed.

"Woosh woosh woosh!" The guards drew their swords immediately. The blades glowed icily in the evening sun.

Yan Xiu moved.

However, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a face with a wide smile.

Then, he placed his hands back on the reins.

At the same time, four figures surrounded Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. These were four cloaked and veiled figures.

All of the citizens shouted and ran to the side when they saw this.

"Oh no, they are about to fight!"

"Fang Zhengzhi is a rebel! He does not intend to accept his punishment!"

"But this is the capital! Where can he run to? Is he going to make enemies with the entire court?"

The citizens screamed at the top of their lungs. Everyone retreated to the side in fear and horror.

Wan Chong chuckled happily.

Everything was going according to plan. Fang Zhengzhi resisting was even more beneficial to him.

If Fang Zhengzhi had simply given up, then he would be stripped of his title if anything untoward happened to Fang Zhengzhi.

However, if Fang Zhengzhi resisted...

Then he may not lose his position! If Fang Zhengzhi resisted, there would be a battle. When there was a battle, 'accidents' could happen.

Most importantly...

They didn't need to kill him on the spot!

Wan Chong had at least 100 people to pin this 'accident' on. Even if he had to take some responsibility, it would be minimal.

"Show no mercy to anyone who resists!" Wan Chong ordered.

At that moment, four of the guards attacked. They brought their shiny blades down on the four veiled and cloaked figures.

Show no mercy indeed!

However...

They never hit their mark.

The simply stopped in mid-air, almost as if they were being blocked by something.

"No!" Chi Hou's voice rang out. He remembered telling Fang Zhengzhi that they had to keep a low profile.

Yet, Fang Zhengzhi had ignored it all!

He went against the Minister of Law at the gates of the capital and resisted arrest! How much more attention did he want to attract?

He wanted to stop Fang Zhengzhi, but it was too late.

By the time his voice rang out, the four swords had fallen to the ground, together with the hands that held them.

Blood spattered everywhere.

They splattered on the ground, staining the road at the gates of the capital.

Chi Hou's expression was ugly.

He was afraid that Fang Zhengzhi would cause trouble upon entering the capital. He was even more afraid that Fang Zhengzhi would resist arrest and injure the guards.

The severity of the crime...

Was extremely great!

"Fang Zhengzhi, you killed the Crown Prince of the Southern Region, violated their Princess, and injured our Crown Prince. Now, you resist arrest and harm our guards! We will definitely prosecute you!" Wan Chong chuckled icily when he saw the hands fall to the ground.

Fang Zhengzhi attacked!

He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was an audacious person, but he never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be this audacious! Things would go even better than he expected.

"Are you talking to me?" Fang Zhengzhi's voice echoed through the air. He seemed lost.

"Nonsense, who else is named Fang Zhengzhi here?" Wan Chong was stunned but he replied icily.

"I don't know." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head. He turned to look at the crowd, "Are any of you named Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Is this guy stupid?"

"Doesn't he know his own name?"

The citizens looked at Fang Zhengzhi in confusion. They didn't understand where Fang Zhengzhi was going with this.

Wan Chong was equally confused.

As for Chi Hou...

He grit his teeth in anger. He was in no mood to hear what Fang Zhengzhi had to say. He regretted believing Fang Zhengzhi in the first place. If he knew this would happen, he would have tied Fang Zhengzhi up.

He wouldn't have let Fang Zhengzhi do what he was doing.

He was prepared to tie Fang Zhengzhi up now and prevent escalation.

His gaze was icy and he prepared to strike. At that moment, a voice echoed out beside him.

"Official Wan, I just asked the crowd for you. There is no one named Fang Zhengzhi. Oh, yes, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Fang Zhengzheng. May I know why Official Wan is blocking my way?"

"Fang Zhengzheng?!" Wan Chong was stunned. He simply couldn't react to what he had just heard.

The crowd was equally stunned.

"Fang Zhengzheng?"

"What did he just say? His name is Fang Zhengzheng?"

"Yup, that's what I heard..."

"Is this guy stupid? Has he forgotten his own name? Does he really think that... this would work?"

All of the villagers were shocked to hear this. None of them knew what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do.

Chi Hou was equally stunned.

Fang Zhengzhi had shown himself in broad daylight at Huai An County. Why would he choose to lie in front of such a big crowd in the capital?

Fang Zhengzheng?

Who would believe him?!

If he wanted to change his name, he should have changed his dressing and put on some makeup. Chi Hou could have arranged for someone to change his appearance.

Most importantly...

He should have changed his name to something more believable. By choosing the name Fang Zhengzheng, he was effectively treating everyone else as an idiot.

Chi Hou didn't understand what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

Wan Chong didn't understand it either, but he recovered quickly. He chuckled, leaning backward and on the verge of rolling on the floor.

"Hahaha... Fang Zhengzhi, are you dumb? In five years as Minister or Law, I have never come across a criminal like you. You actually went to change your name, Fang Zhengzheng, hahaha... I may have bought it if you dressed up like a girl or disguised yourself. But this... do you think I am stupid?"

"Official Wan, why do you want this honest citizen to admit that he is stupid?" Fang Zhengzhi replied calmly.

"Fang Zhengzhi, you can forget about convincing me. Even if you wore a mustache and dressed as a lady, I will still be able to recognize you!" Wan Chong chuckled, his expression icy.

"So Official Wan doesn't believe me?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Wan Chong.

"Do you think I will believe you?" Wan Chong smirked.

"Since that is the case, can you prove that I am Fang Zhengzhi?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and replied calmly.

"You want evidence?" Wan Chong's smile froze. He had no evidence to prove that Fang Zhengzhi was actually Fang Zhengzhi.

In fact...

No one would have prepared such evidence!

This was supposed to be a given! Everyone knew that this man was Fang Zhengzhi! There was no evidence needed!

"Fang Zhengzhi, we had your portrait drawn up! There are posters everywhere and all the citizens here can be my witness! What evidence do I need?" Wan Chong replied.

"Portrait? Official Wan, as the Minister of Law, I am sure that you are smarter than that. How can you arrest someone based on a portrait? There are too many people who look alike in this world." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

Wan Chong's expression changed.

Fang Zhengzhi was right. He couldn't arrest him based on a portrait. He actually had to prove that this man was Fang Zhengzhi.

However, he never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would have come up with this.

Changing his name?

This was the most ridiculous thing that he had heard of?!

Was he trying to game the system?

Wan Chong chuckled icily. He had to admit that he had never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be able to find this gap in the system. No one would have expected that Fang Zhengzhi, who had announced himself in Huai An County...

Would say that his name was Fang Zhengzheng...

Upon entering the capital!

If Fang Zhengzhi had disguised himself from the start, then Wan Chong would have prepared accordingly. However, Fang Zhengzhi had kept a high profile in Huai An County! Wan Chong didn't even think that he would change his name or disguise himself.

Wan Chong was slightly flustered.

However...

He would not let Fang Zhengzhi just get away so easily. He was still the Minister of Law.

"Fang Zhengzhi, even if I can't prove your identity now, I can still arrest you under suspicion!" Wan Chong chuckled.

"Are you saying that you can't prove that I am Fang Zhengzhi?"

"So what if I can't prove it? When you are sitting in jail, I will have my ways to prove that you are Fang Zhengzhi!" Wan Chong knew he was still in control.

He didn't need any evidence to arrest a suspect.

"But... what if I can prove that I am Fang Zhengzheng?" Fang Zhengzhi was calm as well.

"You can prove that you are Fang Zhengzheng?" Wan Chong was stunned.

"Of course." Fang Zhengzhi nodded and took out a document. He opened it up.

The words "Fang Zhengzheng" were clear for all to see.

More importantly...

There was a red stamp at the bottom. The words "Huai An County Stamp" were clear for all to see.

"Birth certificate?!" Wan Chong was in disbelief.

Never before had a suspected criminal have a valid birth certificate proving that he was someone else.

Wan Chong couldn't believe it.

In fact, everyone else, from Chi Hou to the citizens, couldn't believe their eyes.

Fake!

This must be a fake! That was the thought in everyone's minds.

"Official Wan, this is my evidence." Fang Zhengzhi presented the birth certificate confidently.

The crowd was stunned when they saw Fang Zhengzhi's actions and expressions.

How could someone be that shameless?

He could try and act dumb, but how can he treat us all as idiots? This is clearly a forgery! Who would believe him?

"Fang Zhengzhi, do you think that a fake document will convince me? Do you think that I am as stupid as you?" Wan Chong was not going to fall for it.

"Aish... it seems that Official Wan is still unconvinced. No worries, I don't just have physical evidence, I have a witness too." Fang Zhengzhi sighed, unsurprised by Wan Chong's reaction.

"Witness?!" Wan Chong was stunned.

He couldn't think of someone who would be willing to testify to something this ridiculous.

Who would be stupid enough to do such a thing?

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Chapter 495: Lying through one's teeth

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Wan Chong shook his head as he looked at the crowd around him.

Fang Zhengzhi could have bribed someone to be his witness...

Wan Chong dismissed that thought almost immediately. A witness couldn't just be anyone.

A witness needed to be trustworthy.

That was one of the conditions of a witness.

For example, a suspect couldn't have his wife or children be his witness. They would not be deemed trustworthy enough to be witnesses.

No one would accept that.

Similarly, if you had a few villagers to testify for you, the impact they would make would be too little. For such a high profile case, the witness needed to be someone powerful.

Villagers could be witnesses for petty crimes. However, when it came to murder and robbery, their testimony meant little.

For a case like Fang Zhengzhi, even a rich businessman or a scion from a noble family would not be sufficient.

Wan Chong looked around Fang Zhengzhi.

The four masked and veiled figures?

No!

They followed Fang Zhengzhi's orders and would not satisfy the criteria to be witnesses. The only person left was Yan Xiu.

Yan Xiu was from the Yan Family and was likely to be the heir to Yan Qianli. He may one day govern Western Liang.

As such...

He would qualify in terms of power and reputation.

However, everyone in the capital knew that he was friends with Fang Zhengzhi. There was no way he could still be a witness.

"Fang Zhengzhi, I know the relationship between you and Young Master Yan. You should know that friends and family don't qualify as witnesses!" Wan Chong chuckled, wanting to take the initiative.

"I know." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me who your witness is going to be?" Wan Chon began to doubt himself.

Not Yan Xiu?

Who else could possibly testify for him?

Wan Chong couldn't think of anybody who would be that stupid.

Chi Hou was equally confused. He frowned. When Fang Zhengzhi mentioned a witness, the first person he thought of was Yan Xiu.

However...

Fang Zhengzhi already hinted that it wasn't Yan Xiu.

Not Yan Xiu?

Could it be Princess Ping Yang?

Possible!

However, Princess Ping Yang had also interacted with Fang Zhengzhi before... furthermore...

Chi Hou looked at the crowd and into the distance. He frowned when he didn't see any sign of Ping Yang.

Who could the witness be?

Who could possibly help hold up Fang Zhengzhi's lie? Who would be stupid enough to lie through his teeth?

Chi Hou looked at Fang Zhengzhi doubtfully.

Yan Xiu was also looking at Fang Zhengzhi with a similar expression. However, Yan Xiu didn't ask. He waited for Fang Zhengzhi to speak.

As for Fang Zhengzhi...

He smiled and turned to look at Chi Hou.

Chi Hou was shocked. He didn't know why Fang Zhengzhi would look at him. Shouldn't Fang Zhengzhi be looking at his witness?

Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi raised his hand and pointed at him.

"My witness is Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!"

"My witness..."

"Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!"

This voice echoed through the air...

Everyone was stunned.

No one expected that the leader of the Divine Constabulary would be Fang Zhengzhi's witness! Why would he testify to something this ridiculous?

Fang Zhengzheng!

How is that possible?

Would the leader of the Divine Constabulary really give false testimony?

"He said... that Chi Hou is his witness?"

"Yes, Chi Hou?! Is that even possible?"

"How is that possible? The Divine Constabulary was the one to bring him here. Why would Chi Hou give false testimony on this? Why would he say that this man is Fang Zhengzheng?"

The crowd look at each other, then stared at Chi Hou. They didn't believe that Chi Hou would do such a thing.

Wan Chong didn't understand it either. Chi Hou was Fang Zhengzhi's witness? He was the one who was going to testify that this man was Fang Zhengzheng?

Erm...

What was happening?

Wan Chong realized that Chi Hou's expression darkened. He could tell that Chi Hou wasn't expecting this either.

Chi Hou was furious!

He wanted to curse and swear.

He really wanted to go through every curse word that he knew. However, after thinking about it...

He realized that it wouldn't help.

He was a nobleman, whilst Fang Zhengzhi came from a peasant family.

To be completely honest...

Chi Hou couldn't possibly bring himself to swear in front of so many people. It would be detrimental to his image.

He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was looking back at him innocently. He finally understood what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

If he still couldn't guess what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking, he wasn't fit to be the leader of the Divine Constabulary.

This was a trap! A set-up!

Three days ago, when he went to find Fang Zhengzhi in his tent, he emphasized the need to lay low when entering the city. He even hinted that King Duan would help them along.

What he wanted was for Fang Zhengzhi to follow his plan to the letter. As long as Fang Zhengzhi did so, at the end of it, Fang Zhengzhi would pledge his allegiance to King Duan.

It was a perfect plan.

Chi Hou went over this plan many times and couldn't find any problems with it.

If Fang Zhengzhi were to enter the city like he did in Huai An County, he would not be able to live if Chi Hou and King Duan didn't support him.

But now...

His plan had been completely wrecked. It was destroyed the moment Fang Zhengzhi named him as his witness.

Right now, Chi Hou had two choices.

The first was to testify for Fang Zhengzhi. The second was not to testify and remain a third party.

There was no good way out of this!

Chi Hou grit his teeth. He was about to say "not in a million years!" but he swallowed the words before he could say them.

He noticed the four cloaked and veiled figures standing around Fang Zhengzhi. He also noticed the guards and the blood.

If he didn't testify...

He could predict what was going to happen next.

Chi Hou knew that if this was anyone else, he would have been able to ameliorate the situation.

But when it came to Fang Zhengzhi...

He had to take a step back and analyze his position.

Fang Zhengzhi could definitely continue to resist arrest.

Chi Hou didn't care if Fang Zhengzhi wanted to continue to make a scene. However, since he was the one who brought Fang Zhengzhi here, he would suffer some of the backlash.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had the Shadow Sect backing him.

Not many people knew this, but Chi Hou was one of those who knew. If the Shadow Sect decided to save Fang Zhengzhi...

What would happen?

The capital would be in chaos!

Of course, there was one other thing that they had to consider. If Fang Zhengzhi caused a scene here, it would be advantageous to the Crown Prince.

If the 'criminal' that he had brought in continued to stay here but couldn't do anything, then...

Could King Duan's plan still succeed?

Without Fang Zhengzhi, there would be no thorn in the Crown Prince's side. There was no way anyone could fight the Crown Prince head-on with the Crown Prince's current hold on power!

"This is too much!"

Having been in power for so many years, Chi Hou never expected that he would ever have his hands tied in this fashion!

Fang Zhengzhi was bullying him into submission.

Chi Hou had brought Fang Zhengzhi to the capital with the intention of leading Fang Zhengzhi into a trap. However, he didn't expect that Fang Zhengzhi had laid a trap of his own!

He had no choice but to walk into it.

"I... I can testify that... that this man's name is Fang Zhengzheng!" Chi Hou forced himself to say those words.

However, after saying those words, he felt as though a huge load was lifted off his shoulders.

"His name is Fang Zhengzheng!"

"Fang Zhengzheng!"

Chi Hou's voice echoed through the air.

The crowd was stunned to hear this. They couldn't bring themselves to believe that the leader of the Divine Constabulary would testify that this man's name was Fang Zhengzheng.

All of them began to doubt themselves.

Could it be...

Could this person really be Fang Zhengzheng and not Fang Zhengzhi? If not, why would the leader of the Divine Constabulary lie through his teeth?

Was this lie really worth it?

He was the leader of the Divine Constabulary, one of the 13 constabularies! He was the leader of the Northern Region! How could he possibly lie through his teeth?

Wan Chong's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

Chi Hou...

Did Chi Hou just testify?

No one knew better than him what the punishment for a false testimony was.

However, Chi Hou had done it anyways. He had given this testimony in front of a crowd of witnesses.

Who could possibly believe what was happening?

Wan Chong rubbed his eyes as his lips parted and closed repeatedly. He was at a loss for words.

Was he going to accuse Chi Hou of making a false testimony?

How was that possible? Will Chi Hou, the leader of the Divine Constabulary, give false testimony?

Wan Chong was someone who knew the law. The law required evidence, and he had no evidence to prove that Chi Hou's testimony was false.

How could he say anything?

"My Lord... do you know what you just said?" Wan Chong heard it clearly, but he was still in disbelief.

Was Chi Hou really willing to lie through his teeth in an attempt to save Fang Zhengzhi?

"Of course I do. Official Wan, are you doubting my words?" Chi Hou grit his teeth. He could feel his heart bleeding with each word.

However, he had to remain calm.

He had already said it.

There was no way to back. He had to insist that this man was Fang Zhengzheng. He had no other choice.

"My Lord, you are really willing to be this man's witness? Are you saying that he is Fang Zhengzheng and not Fang Zhengzhi?" Wan Chong stared at Chi Hou and asked again.

"Exactly!" Chi Hou nodded.

Wan Chong didn't say anything else. He knew that nothing would change even if he pressed further. Chi Hou was willing to give false testimony for Fang Zhengzhi?

He never expected that to happen.

However...

He knew that he had to resolve it no matter what. The Crown Prince wanted Fang Zhengzhi arrested so he had to get it done.

He couldn't back off now.

It was either him or Fang Zhengzhi.

"I can't believe it even if you testify on his behalf! If you don't mind, please step aside. I am arresting this man!" Wan Chong grit his teeth.

"Wan Chong, what do you think you are doing? I am a rank one general! Even if you are the Minister of Law, who are you to doubt my testimony?" Chi Hou raged.

"My lord, this is the capital, not the Northern Region!"

"So what?"

"The law overrules any rank. I am the Minister of Law and have the right to arrest suspects. If you take issue with it, you can bring it up in court tomorrow!"

"I have already testified that he is not the suspect you are looking for."

"But I believe my own eyes. If I wrongly arrested this man, I will gouge my eyes out to pay for my mistake!" Wan Chong replied angrily.

"Wan Chong, you..." Chi Hou was stunned. He never expected that Wan Chong was so determined to capture Fang Zhengzhi.

He was even willing to bet his eyes on it and go against Chi Hou in public! This was not something Chi Hou had anticipated.

"Arrest him!"

"Don't you dare!"

"You there, take my seal and go to the Law Ministry to get some reinforcements. Have the city guards assist us as well! I would like to see who dares to stand in my way!" Wan Chong's gaze was icy and a black official seal appeared in his hand.

The crowd was shocked to see this.

They had never seen a Minister go up against a rank one general so openly!

Both Chi Hou and Wan Chong were powerful people.

One was a rank one general and the other was a rank two minister! Even in the powerful capital, these were two heavy hitting powerhouses!

But now...

One was willing to make a false testimony whilst the other was using his official seal just because of Fang Zhengzhi.

Everyone could anticipate what the talk of the town would be tomorrow.

Chi Hou's expression darkened. In fact, his expression had been the same ever since he stepped foot through those gates. As the leader of the Northern Five Constabularies.

No one had ever doubted his words before!

The Minister of Law?

How dare a rank two minister challenge him?!

Chi Hou clenched his fists. If they weren't in the capital, if there weren't so many witnesses around, Wan Chong would not be standing now.

Yan Xiu's hand twitched because he could guess what was about to happen.

At that moment, he felt a hand press down on his shoulder. At the same time, an exasperated voice rang out.

"Official Wan, why do you need to do that?! Do you really want to arrest me? My Lord, please step to the side. Come on, I will stand here. If you can personally place the lock over my head, I will go with you. What do you say?"

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Chapter 496: A red spot

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Everyone quietened down.

Chi Hou, Wan Chong, the surrounding citizens, and even Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi, stunned by what they just heard.

It was initially a stalemate.

Furthermore, it was a stalemate between Wan Chong and Chi Hou. Fang Zhengzhi had effectively gotten himself out of the picture.

Chi Hou would never let Wan Chong capture Fang Zhengzhi.

This had nothing to do with the law. This concerned the Divine Constabulary's pride and reputation, and by extension, that of the 13 Constabularies.

If he backed off now...

He would be taken advantage of in the future. As such, Chi Hou could not back off.

As for the consequences...

With his contributions to the Great Xia, all he had to do was admit his mistake to the Emperor and apologize. He would not be subject to any severe punishment.

Furthermore, he had a daughter, a talented daughter who was in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. His daughter was the one destined to fulfill the Heavenly Prophecy and lead the army of the Great Xia in the future.

Chi Hou was not going to let a Minister of Law stand in his way! He was a powerful, influential figure in the Great Xia.

Chi Hou was conflicted.

Fang Zhengzhi had effectively cornered him and he had prepared to face the music for his decisions. However, the strangest thing happened.

Fang Zhengzhi...

Did he decide to back off?

And he even put the target on his back!

Should Chi Hou be thankful?

Chi Hou didn't think so. However, he didn't know what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do, neither did he know where Fang Zhengzhi was getting his confidence from.

Stand still?

Why would he try to be so arrogant? Doesn't he know that he is a crippled man? Furthermore, even if he wasn't a crippled man, he couldn't block Wan Chong by standing still.

Wan Chong was not weak.

Chi Hou didn't understand.

Wan Chong didn't really understand what Fang Zhengzhi was saying. Was Fang Zhengzhi surrendering? But would someone as shameless as Fang Zhengzhi actually surrender?

"Fang Zhengzhi, are you serious?" Wan Chong was in disbelief.

"Official Wan, you have a horrible memory. I already told you that my name is Fang Zhengzheng and Chi Hou has already testified to it!" Fang Zhengzhi waved him off.

"I don't care if your name is Fang Zhengzhi or Fang Zhengzheng. I only have one question for you. Are you really not going to resist?" Wan Chong tried to figure out what Fang Zhengzhi was planning.

"Like I said before, I will stand still over here. Naturally, I won't resist. The question now is if you have the courage to come over."

"Courage? Humph. I am the Minister of Law, why would I be afraid of a criminal like yourself?" Wan Chong replied assertively.

"Since that is the case, please go ahead!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and looked at the four cloaked and veiled figures.

The four of them bowed to Fang Zhengzhi and formed up behind him.

Wan Chong frowned and squinted so much that he could be blindfolded with a string. He wanted to figure out what Fang Zhengzhi was planning, but he couldn't.

Could it be...

Was this guy really surrendering to fate?

Wan Chong found that very hard to believe that Fang Zhengzhi would surrender now, especially not after his antics before.

The crowd couldn't believe their eyes either.

What is Fang Zhengzhi doing?"

"I have no idea."

"Is he really surrendering? Why do I think that that is impossible?"

"Yes, I think that it is impossible too! But that was what he just said."

All of the citizens couldn't bring themselves to believe it, but the facts were laid out in front of them. The people in black surrounding Fang Zhengzhi had withdrawn.

Even Chi Hou stepped aside.

There was a direct path between Wan Chong and Fang Zhengzhi. It was not wide, but it was wide enough for Wan Chong to pass unhindered.

Wan Chong didn't move immediately.

He still didn't understand what was happening. He felt like there were too many unknowns for him to take into account.

"Official, how about we go first?" One of the leaders whispered to Wan Chong.

"No need, I would like to see what he has in store for us!" Wan Chong waved him away. Fang Zhengzhi had made it clear that he had to do the arrest personally. He couldn't back down now.

"I understand. Here is the lock and chain." The leader handed Wan Chong the items.

"Mm." Wan Chong nodded and took the chain and lock in his hands. The items glistened in the evening sun.

These were the items used to arrest a suspect. There was a hook on the chain. Once the hook was attached, it was almost impossible to escape.

Chi Hou looked at the chain in Wan Chong's hand and then back at Fang Zhengzhi. He wanted to see what Fang Zhengzhi was up to.

At that moment...

Wan Chong moved.

One step, then another, and another!

Fang Zhengzhi continued to stand still, staring at Wan Chong calmly. It was almost as though Wan Chong was of no threat to him.

Wan Chong tightened his grip around the chain. He didn't walk quickly because he didn't believe that Fang Zhengzhi would stay still.

However, Fang Zhengzhi wasn't moving. He even stuck his neck out, almost as though he was waiting for Wan Chong to lock him up.

"This is ridiculous. Do you really think that I will be scared of you?" Wan Chong grit his teeth. He quickened his pace and prepared to rush at Fang Zhengzhi.

He was closing in...

He stopped when he was one meter out. Fang Zhengzhi was just an arm's length away. He smirked.

Did Fang Zhengzhi really give up?

At that moment, a voice rang out from within the crowd.

"Master, master! You have a letter!"

"Letter? What letter?" Wan Chong stopped in his tracks. He could tell from the voice that this was the manager of his residence.

"I didn't dare to open it myself. The courier said that you had to open it personally." The manager was still catching his breath.

"Can't you see that I'm working? What letter couldn't wait till I came back?" Wan Chong's gaze was icy.

"The courier said that it was a matter of life and death. I... I didn't dare to wait... so..." the manager paled.

Wan Chong was stunned. Then, he instinctively looked at Fang Zhengzhi. For some reason, he had a feeling that Fang Zhengzhi had something to do with this letter.

"Bring it over." Wan Chong nodded after a moment of hesitation. He took the letter in his hand.

It was a simple letter and there wasn't any name on the cover except for his.

He opened the envelope.

There was a thin piece of paper inside. It was not a letter, it was a picture, a sketch.

From an artistic standpoint.

This was a horrible picture. The lines were not smooth. In fact, they were shaky and roughly sketched. Furthermore, it wasn't a picture of scenery.

The only way to describe this picture was "graffiti".

However, this picture caused Wan Chong's expression to change. His hands began to tremble.

There was one simple phrase on the picture.

"Map of the Wan Residence!"

This was specially inscribed so that Wan Chong would know what this was.

Of course...

That wasn't the most important point. There was a red spot marked out with sand at the top right corner.

It was this mark that caused Wan Chong to pale. He felt a chill go right down his spine to his feet.

He knew what this red spot represented. This was the biggest secret in his residence and his life.

He had been in the Great Xia courts for many years.

The fight for power was known to everyone.

As the Minister of Law, Wan Chong had some unspeakable secrets. He had managed to get into this position after much scheming.

Money and treasure were just a part of the deal. There was something worse, a string of letters.

Wan Chong spent his entire life catching and interrogating criminals as well as collecting evidence. No one would expect him to make the mistake of keeping those letters.

However, sometimes, things were unpredictable.

Wan Chong was someone who had worked his way into the courts after a stellar showing at the Dao Examinations. He wanted to prove his worth in the courts.

However, few people knew that Wan Chong wanted to be an academic.

He had topped the theory examination, not the combat examination. This caused him to relinquish his cultivation dreams.

From the very beginning, his dream was to enter the Imperial Academy and be amongst intellectuals.

However, his dreams never became a reality.

Wan Chong was posted to the Ministry of Law.

Ministry of Law!

Over here, he had to face criminals on a daily basis. He had seen every prison in the Empire, and in the process, met with too many criminals.

This was not the life he wanted.

When faced with a choice between his dreams and reality, Wan Chong wisely chose reality.

However, he never let go of his dreams.

Wan Chong's thirst for knowledge was unparalleled. As such, he had a habit that he continued to keep despite knowing that it could backfire on him one day.

He kept all the letters.

These were the letters that caused Wan Chong to put aside his dreams and begin the grind in the Ministry of Law.

He went from being the head of a prison to assistant minister, before he finally...

He eventually became the Minister of Law!

When Wan Chong saw the official seal of the Minister in front of him, he knew that his dreams would never come true.

At that moment, he looked at the stack of letters in his study. He played with the flame in his hand but extinguished it time and again.

In the end...

He decided to bury the stack of letters. He buried it in a place that no one would know. It had been five years since that fateful day. Even he had almost forgotten about the existence of those letters.

But now, the red spot was staring him right in the face.

"Fang Zhengzhi!" Wan Chong's face turned red as he grit his teeth. There was no indication of who the author was, but it was not difficult to deduce that.

He had no idea how Fang Zhengzhi knew where he had buried those letters, but now, he knew what Fang Zhengzhi was planning.

"Official Wan, I am Fang Zhengzheng." Fang Zhengzhi smirked as he reminded Wan Chong.

"Do you think that this will stop me? You are too naive and rash. Do you think that it is this easy to search a Minister's residence?" Wan Chong's voice was only loud enough for Fang Zhengzhi to hear.

He was furious but he wasn't panicking.

Because...

He knew that there was still a way out. All he had to do was arrest Fang Zhengzhi right away and go back to burn those letters. He could still be in control.

"Is that so? It is indeed difficult to search your residence, but it is not impossible." Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

"What do you mean?" Wan Chong clenched his fists.

Fang Zhengzhi did not answer the question immediately. He simply looked into the distance and watched a servant dressed in black run towards them.

At that moment, a voice echoed through the air.

"Master, master, something bad has happened! Something bad has happened!"

"What is it this time?!" Wan Chong's body shuddered as he watched a panicking figure sprint towards him.

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Chapter 497: Slightly bigger

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"The residence, the residence..." The servant was struggling to catch his breath. He was pale from all that sprinting.

"What happened?!" Wan Chong was stunned when he heard this. He had a bad feeling about this.

Even though he knew that it was unlikely, he felt that it may be rather major.

That being said, he couldn't think of anything bad that could happen to his residence.

This was the capital...

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi's expression changed to one of shock.

"Oh? Why is there smoke billowing out from over there... wow, is it a fire?" Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed in shock.

The crowd turned to look in that direction.

"There is smoke!"

"Why is there that much smoke on such a clear day? Is it a fire?"

"Oh god, look at the flames, look at the glow!"

The crowd was initially in disbelief, but they began screaming when the saw the fiery glow from the inferno.

At that moment, the servant caught his breath and reported.

"Master, the residence... the residence... is on fire!"

"What?! My residence is on fire?" Wan Chong was stunned. Then, his expression changed.

He had a premonition that something bad was about to happen when he saw Fang Zhengzhi's face and heard the words he said.

But...

The feeling was different when he witnessed it himself.

"Yes... master, I think you should get back. The residence has been surrounded by the Royal Guards. If you don't return now..." the servant added.

"Royal Guards?! What are Royal Guards doing at my residence?" Wan Chong shuddered.

"When the fire broke out, the deputy of the Royal Guards, Bai Qi, was walking past. So he had the Royal Guards help put out the fire, then..."

"You're saying that Bai Qi had the Royal Guards come to help extinguish the fire? How many people did he get?"

"About 500."

"500?!" Wan Chong felt his legs turn to jelly as he sat on the ground. He finally understood why Fang Zhengzhi said that searching his residence was not impossible.

It was completely plausible that there would be incidents of fire at the residence.

However, none of them would be on this scale! Furthermore, it was spring, not summer, why would there be such a huge fire?

Most importantly, that was the Minister of Law's residence.

He had countless servants and helpers.

They should have been able to contain the fire.

It was clear that this was planned.

The residence couldn't have possibly gone up in flames for no reason. Someone had set fire to it. As to why Bai Qi was passing by...

That was yet another plant.

Wan Chong trembled as he held the sketch of the map of his residence in his hands. He had no idea why Bai Qi would listen to Fang Zhengzhi.

However, he was certain that Bai Qi and the 500 members of the Royal Guard had not been waiting long.

The surrounding citizens looked at Wan Chong with pity.

"Minister Wan, you need not worry too much! Since the Royal Guards are there, they will definitely be able to put out the fire!"

"Yes, the 500 Royal Guards will extinguish the fire!"

"You can still rebuild the residence after this! Your safety is of utmost importance."

All of the villagers comforted.

"Rebuild it?" Wan Chong chuckled when he looked at the expressions of the surrounding citizens.

He remembered how glorious it was to top the theory examinations. He also remembered the work he had to put in to get to where he was today. He laughed bitterly and manically.

No one could understand his pain.

If the residence had been burnt down, his life would be burnt down with it.

He could imagine how everyone would be looking at him in a few days time.

By that time...

Will hey still he telling him that he can rebuild his residence?

He looked into the distance.

He could see a squad of golden armored soldiers running in his direction. Each of them held a gleaming spear in their hand.

"Bai Qi, you move fast indeed!" Wan Chong dropped the chains he held in his hand when he saw the figure leading the charge.

It was over.

Wan Chong knew that he had lost.

Whilst he was still the Minister of Law now, he knew that his title and position would be stripped the moment he placed the chains on Fang Zhengzhi's head.

Bai Qi was here.

"Minister of Law Wan Chong, you are suspected of corruption, covering up, and collusion. You are under investigation right now. Please come with us."

"Deputy Bai, you should be guarding the palace. Since when have you become a runner for the investigation bureau?" Wan Chong stood up.

"I was passing by." Bai Qi replied calmly.

"Haha... how nice of you." Wan Chong chuckled icily.

"You flatter me!"

"I'm sure you haven't had time to bring the documents to the bureau?"

"That's just a matter of time, please don't worry about it."

"Since that is the case, I am still not a criminal yet. Could you please let me return to my residence to take care of a few things?" Wan Chong nodded.

"No." Bai Qi rejected him unequivocally.

"Bai Qi, I am the Minister of one of the Six Ministries. I am a rank two official! I haven't been convicted yet! Are you going to drag me with you by force?" Wan Chong's expression changed.

"Please feel free to try me."

"Bai Qi! Good... very good! I know the way there. I will go there by myself!"

"Lock the Minister up!" Bai Qi ignored Wan Chong's words, looking at the chains at Wan Chong's feet.

"Bai Qi, how dare you chain me?!"

"Yes, Minister, is there something wrong?"

"I will fight it out with you!"

"Take him!"

Everything happened much too quickly. The crowd and the wardens couldn't even react in time. Within moments, Wan Chong had been chained up.

They simply couldn't understand why the Minister of Law would become a criminal in the blink of an eye. Why would he be arrested by the Royal Guard?

Wasn't his residence in flames?

What was happening?

The wardens wanted to step forward and save Wan Chong. However, they stopped in their tracks when they saw Bai Qi's icy glare.

It wasn't that they were afraid of death. However, they knew that they were too insignificant to meddle in these affairs.

"The Minister has been taken away?!"

"Then... what about Fang Zhengzhi?"

"Deputy Bai, there is a wanted criminal here, are you not going to arrest him as well?"

The crowd looked at the golden armored Royal Guard. Then, they recalled that Bai Qi was simply 'passing by and ready to help' back at Wan Chong's residence. Perhaps he could do the same here.

"Where is Fang Zhengzhi?" Bai Qi looked around in confusion.

"Isn't he here?" The crowd pointed to Fang Zhengzhi, who was sitting lazily on his horse.

"Rubbish! This young man's name is Fang Zhengzheng! He even has a birth certificate to prove it and Chu Hou even testified on his behalf! Do you think I am stupid?" Bai Qi snorted.

Then, he dragged Wan Chong away, leaving the crowd stunned by what just happened.

"How did Deputy Bai know that he's called Fan Zhengzheng?"

"Yes, he wasn't here just now..."

"He wasn't here... when... when Chi Hou testified, was he? How did he know about that?!"

The crowd was confused but they couldn't do anything about it. Bai Qi had left and they couldn't do anything about it.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Bai Qi with scorn.

Acting skills were very important in life.

But this guy's acting skills were terrible! How did he become the deputy of the Royal Guards?! His skills were ridiculously bad!

Chi Hou didn't know what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. He didn't know what the contents of the letter were. However, he had some ideas in his head.

Wan Chong was arrested?

By the Royal Guard?

Wan Chong didn't claim innocence?

That was enough to prove many things. That being said, he was not privy to these things, which meant that...

King Duan didn't know them either.

This was not arranged by King Duan or himself.

"I see... I have underestimated the Shadow Sect. I never knew that the Shadow Sect had ties in the capital!" Chi Hou's eyes glittered when he looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

"My lord, that's a good joke. Bai Qi has nothing to do with the Shadow Sect." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

"No link? Okay, let me ask you this. Since you already had a plan to deal with Wan Chong, why did you need me to testify on your behalf!" Chi Hou chuckled. He didn't believe a word, but he decided not to press further.

"You tried to drag me down with you three days ago. After some thought, I realized that I should drag you down with me instead." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Weren't you afraid that I wouldn't want to enter this water?"

"The fact was that you jumped in."

"Yes, I did, but I can kill you and get out of this!"

"Haha... if you really wanted to kill me, you would have done so in the Northern Mountain Village. Why wait till now? Furthermore, I don't believe that you will kill me, and I know that you can't."

"I can't kill you?!" Chi Hou was stunned. He instinctively looked at the veiled and cloaked figures standing behind Fang Zhengzhi. "Do you really think that they are capable of stopping me?"

"Haha..." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled but didn't say anything else. He turned to look at a stopped carriage.

There weren't many people in the capital with carriages like this one. In fact, Fang Zhengzhi had seen this one before.

This carriage was adorned with carvings of flames.

Both Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu saw this carriage.

"I see." Yan Xiu nodded when he saw this carriage. He understood what had just happened.

The crowd was stunned. Then, they parted to the side.

The once crowded streets opened a path right down the middle as citizens tried to move to the side.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't move.

He sat quietly on his horse and waited for the carriage to approach.

Then, the carriage stopped.

A golden armored soldier who was standing by the side of the carriage jumped and knocked on the door.

"We're here?" A crisp voice could be heard from inside the carriage.

"Yes!" The soldier promptly replied.

"Ka!" The door opened and a fiery red figure stepped out.

She wore a fiery red dress which was soft and smooth to the touch. She had an hourglass figure.

Her fiery red dress was adorned with patterns of flames, almost as though her dress was on fire.

Then, the dress began to straighten.

Her clear eyes, soft lips, and that arrogance she had were in clear view.

Fang Zhengzhi smirked.

She looked extremely different from how she did a year ago. She had grown up gracefully.

"What do you think? Have I matured over the past year?" The crisp voice rang out. The lady twirled and looked at Fang Zhengzhi with anticipation.

"Matured?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the lady's face, neck, and body. Then, he looked back at her, "mm, you've grown bigger!"

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Chapter 498: Influence the Emperor

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"A little bigger?" The lady didn't manage to react to that. Then, she followed Fang Zhengzhi's gaze and bellowed furiously, "You shameless fella, I will kill you!"

"Mm, that's more like it. Why bother acting all matured?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded when he looked at her.

This was Princess Ping Yang.

Only Ping Yang could shock and silence a crowd like this. After all, her reputation as the number one bully was earned.

"Greetings your highness, I am Chi Hong!" Chi Hou walked forward and bowed to Ping Yang.

"Lord, please do away with the formalities." Ping Yang tried to act in a 'mature' manner once again.

"Greetings Princess!" The crowd fell to their knees.

"Please rise." Ping Yang waved to the crowd then bounded towards Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu. "How was that for a door gift? Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Aren't you here to thank me?" Fang Zhengzhi asked in confusion.

"Me? Thank you? How is that possible? I was the one who set fire to the residence! I was the one who told Bai Qi to go there. Would you be standing here if not for me?"

"Would you have the chance to set fire to his residence if not for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. That is the residence of the Minister of Law. You couldn't possibly set it on fire by yourself even though you are a Princess. Furthermore, you will be given much credit in the part you played for convicting Wan Chong. Shouldn't you be thanking me?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"If you put it that way… I guess so!" Ping Yang nodded after some hesitation. Then, her eyes glittered. "That being said, you should still give me something as a meeting gift!"

"How about I make you a hot pot meal?" Fang Zhengzhi said in exasperation.

"Deal!" Ping Yang nodded immediately. She could feel the saliva building in her mouth as she thought about the hot pot.

Chi Hou's expression was rather conflicted.

Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi were probably the only two people in the world who would publicly admit to the role they played in the arson.

However…

This would mean that Bai Qi had no relation to the Shadow Sect. Was he thinking too much? Or was there something that he missed out.

Would Fang Zhengzhi really have put all his eggs in the Ping Yang basket?

If he was asked this question 15 minutes ago, he may have believed that Fang Zhengzhi wasn't capable of this much scheming. However, after seeing what just happened, he had to consider something else.

What was Fang Zhengzhi's motive for returning to the capital?

Ping Yang didn't notice the changes in Chi Hou's expression. After she secured her gift from Fang Zhengzhi, she turned to Yan Xiu.

"Yan Xiu, did you bring anything for me this time?"

"I did." Yan Xiu nodded.

"What is it?"

"Stallion."

"Stallion? Is it the stallion of your Yan Cloud Cavalry?"

"It's a Powerful Gale Red Cloud Stallion."

"Powerful Gale Red Cloud Stallion?! Is that the legendary and rare Powerful Gale Red Cloud Stallion?" Ping Yang's eyes lit up.

"Exactly."

"Male or female?"

"Male."

"Hahaha, that's great! My Snow White will have a partner! Yan Xiu, you are way more generous than this stingy fella. To think that he only offered me a hot pot!" Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi with scorn.

"Isn't your Snow White already partnered with the Ninth Prince's Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"That can be changed!"

"Mm…"

News of Wan Chong's arrest spread like wildfire in the capital. Everyone in the city was discussing that incident.

Of course, the other talk of the town was Fang Zhengzhi's return to the capital and the manner in which he returned.

"Fang Zhengzheng?"

Before long, everyone was talking about the new name that Fang Zhengzhi had given himself.

Inside the Crown Prince's residence.

More than a dozen officials sat down in two rows. This time, they were visibly more anxious.

Minister Wan Chong's arrest had stunned them all.

More importantly, the evidence that would convict Wan Chong was a mountainous pile of letters. They were all wondering the same thing…

In those letters…

Was there any mention of them?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping tapped his finger on the armrest. The atmosphere in the room was solemn.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong sat in his chair solemnly as he glanced at the anxious officials.

"What are you all so scared about? Do you really think that Fang Zhengzhi can tear through the entire court?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's gaze was icy.

"Your Highness, we…" The officials looked at each other in fear. The road to this point had not been easy.

Pledging allegiance to the Crown Prince…

That was a decision they made to secure their positions and their lives. By doing so, they wanted to secure the future for their descendants as well. However, the incident with Wan Chong worried them.

Everything from the fire to the arrest had happened much too quickly. They couldn't even react in time.

One of the six ministers had been disposed of in the blink of an eye. However, the Crown Prince had not reacted to it.

"Where is Fang Zhengzhi now?"

"Your Highness, Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu are at Ping Yang's residence. I heard that he is making her a hot pot." One of the officials replied.

"Hotpot?!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong frowned.

"Have Wan Chong's letters been made public?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping queried.

"Not yet, but Bai Qi has already handed them over to the Federal Supervisory Commission. Prime Minister, as you know, there were too many witnesses, so it is difficult…" One of the officials in the robes of the Federal Supervisory Commission stepped forward.

"Mm, I know. Even though the case is with the Federal Supervisory Commission, we can still continue our plans using the Ministry of Law."

"What do you mean?"

"All we need to do is find a replacement for Wan Chong. Then, this case will be isolated to Wan Chong and no one here would be implicated." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping added.

"Yes, yes. As long as we still control the Ministry of Law, we can still continue as planned."

"Yes! Since Wan Chong is the Minister of Law, his case cannot be handed back to the Ministry. However, our dealings with Wan Chong…"

"Prime Minister, do you have anyone in mind to take over that position?"

The eyes of the anxious officials brightened up when they heard this. They saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

"There's no need to worry about the position. With me and the Crown Prince, that would not be a problem." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping asserted.

"That's right! With the Crown Prince and the Left Prime Minister, there's nothing to worry about!"

"Yes yes yes! We are all much more assured now that the Crown Prince is in control."

"This is great!"

The officials felt much more assured.

"Okay, it's getting late, go back and get some rest." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping waved the other officials off.

"Okay, we will take our leave!"

"Your Highness, we will be taking our leave now!"

The officials stood up and bowed to Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. Then, they left.

The study was quiet once again.

"Smack!" A crisp sound broke the silence.

"Damn, Ping Yang!"

"Your Highness, Princess Ping Yang must have been put up to it by Fang Zhengzhi. She may be mischievous, but she is no arsonist."

"Prime Minister, what do you think we should do?"

"The first order of business is to assure the officials on our side. I may have made a mistake here. I wanted to exchange a Minister of Law for Fang Zhengzhi's life. But now, we have lost a Minister of Law. This complicates matters." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied.

"What's so complicated about a Minister of Law?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong said dismissively.

"Ordinarily, this would be a small issue. However, you must not forget that Fang Zhengzhi's case is with the Ministry of Law!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping reminded.

"What do you mean?"

"If Fang Zhengzhi was dead, then it wouldn't matter if the case was with the Ministry. However, if he's alive and the position goes to a King Duan sympathizer, then…"

"You're saying that he will use the Ministry of Law to dismiss the case?"

"Mm."

"How dare he?!"

"The fight for the throne will always be bloody. Since King Duan wants to contest it, he will ignore the fact that the both of you are brothers. Your Highness, think about it. If you were King Duan, wouldn't you do the same thing?"

"I understand. That being said, I can't watch idly by as Fang Zhengzhi walks around telling everyone he's Fang Zhengzheng!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong was frustrated.

"There's no need to watch idly by. However, we must wait for the right opportunity." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head.

"What opportunity?"

"The banquet is soon. The Emperor would be at the Ten Mile Lake. If we execute it cleanly, there would be no trouble."

"Are you suggesting that we assassinate him at Ping Yang's residence?"

"No, Ping Yang's residence is highly guarded. It may be even more heavily guarded than the palace."

"So what should we do?"

"Your Highness, rest assured. Fang Zhengzhi will not be staying in Ping Yang's residence for very long. I have my ways to lure him out." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes glowed icily.

Inside King Duan's study…

Chi Hou put his teacup down and smiled as he looked at Mr. Hua and Old Wen.

"I never expected that you would be able to take out Wan Chong the moment you entered the city! I am in awe!" Mr. Hua smiled when he saw Chi Hou put down the teacup.

"That had nothing to do with me." Chi Hou waved him off.

"I never expected that the Crown Prince would have Wan Chong ambush you at the gates! What was even more unexpected was that Fang Zhengzhi managed to get rid of Wan Chong!" Old Wen's voice echoed through the room.

"You were beside Fang Zhengzhi when it happened. Do you know what Wan Chong is being accused of?" King Duan stood up and walked over to Chi Hou to help him refill his tea.

Chi Hou stood up to reject but ended up having to accept the refill. Then he squinted, almost as if he was thinking about something. Then, he returned to his original calm look.

"Your Highness, you're thinking of getting rid of all of those aligned with the Crown Prince, but the time is not right."

"What do you mean?" King Duan asked respectfully.

"In order to get our hands on the evidence, we need to have someone on our side as the Minister of Law. That is the only way we can drive this case." Chi Hou replied.

"You are right. If we don't have someone on our side as the Minister of Law, we can't do anything about the others loyal to the Crown Prince." King Duan nodded.

"Your Highness, do you have confidence that you can secure that position?"

"Erm…" King Duan hesitated, then shook his head. "Right now, more than 80% of the officials are loyal to the Crown Prince. For us to secure the Minister of Law position…"

"Your Highness, have you thought about securing it during a court session?"

"Please advise!"

"I think that it is time that you get up and move around." Chi Hou replied cryptically.

"Where do you want me to walk to?"

"There are no more than three people in the capital who can influence the Emperor. Your Highness, you can consider that." Chi Hou replied.

"You're talking about someone who can influence the Emperor?" King Duan squinted, then his eyes brightened.

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Chapter 499: Just that wilful

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Having been fighting with the Crown Prince for this long, King Duan had a good grasp on the affairs of the court. He knew what Chi Hou was saying.

The Crown Prince had the upper hand in the courts.

It was impossible to snatch the position of the Minister of Law from the Crown Prince in court. The only way was for the Emperor to appoint one himself.

In order to influence the Emperor, Chi Hou wasn't suggesting that they planted names in his mind. He was suggesting that they choose someone the Emperor trusted.

In that case…

There were no more than three people in the capital who the Emperor trusted. To be exact, there were two and a half.

The first one was Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary. As the leader of the 13 Constabularies and the pillar of the empire, the Emperor's trust in Xing Yuanguo was unequivocal.

However, Xing Yuanguo had never meddled in these affairs. The main reason was because Xing Yuanguo didn't need to.

Regardless of who was on that throne, they would value the Stabilization Constabulary equally. Furthermore, Xing Yuanguo was someone loyal only to the throne.

However, that also meant that it was near impossible to get Xing Yuanguo's support for their bid for the throne.

As for the remaining one and a half…

The half was impossible to get as well. That half was Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. As the leader of the officials, he knew what the Emperor was thinking and the Emperor trusted his advise.

However, due to Yu Yiping's experience in the courts and politics, the Emperor only trusted half of what he said.

As for the last one…

"Do you think that I will be in time if I move now?" King Duan asked as he thought about it.

Having fought with the Crown Prince for so many years, King Duan knew his elder brother well. His brother would probably recommend someone for the position the next morning. His recommendation would also be supported by the majority of officials.

"I don't know, but some movement is better than no movement." Chi Hou shook his head and sipped his tea.

"I understand. I will make the necessary arrangements." King Duan looked at Mr. Hua and Old Wen. He made his decision quickly when he saw them nod.

"Wise choice." Chi Hou continued to sip his tea, almost as though he didn't notice King Duan's actions.

Early the next morning…

The Crown Prince wore his official robes and arrived at the courts early. Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the other officials had arrived early as well.

They were having their own little discussions.

King Duan and Chi Hou arrived one after the other. They saw this and understood what was happening immediately. However, their expressions didn't change.

The officials immediately stopped their discussions and walked over to greet Chi Hou. Then, they extended various invites to him.

Some invited him for a meal, others for a hunt, or a race, or tea…

Time flew by…

The court session was about to commence. Just as they stopped their discussions and waited for the session to start, Eunuch Wei entered the room.

"The Emperor is not feeling well. The session has been canceled!" Eunuch Wei announced to the dismay of the officials.

"Eunuch Wei, the Emperor was fine yesterday. What happened?" One of the officials stepped forward and whispered when he saw the cue from Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

Eunuch Wei glanced at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and hesitated. "People can fall sick at any time. Isn't that right, Official Li?" was the reply.

"Yes yes yes, Eunuch Wei is correct. However, we have something important to discuss with the Emperor. What is his condition like?"

"The doctor estimates that he would be out for two to three days at least, five to six at most."

"Oh, that's good to hear. Could we know where the Emperor is resting? If it is convenient, could you please help us pass…"

"The Emperor is in the residence of Imperial Concubine Huafei. If you want to pass him anything, you can kneel and wait for him at the entrance." Eunuch Wei waved Official Li off.

"Ahem, since the Emperor is there, we will not bother him. We will wait till he has made a full recovery."

"The Emperor is still waiting for me to take care of him. I will take my leave now!"

"Take care!"

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping frowned as he watched Eunuch Wei leave. He began to think to himself, "Huafei…"

Since the session had been canceled, the appointment of a new Minister of Law would have to wait. Even Wan Chong's case was delayed as a result.

Wan Chong was a Minister of Law. Despite the overwhelming evidence, he could not be sentenced without the Emperor's approval.

The city seemed strangely calm but everyone knew that there were plenty of undercurrents beneath the surface.

The officials connected to Wan Chong's case grew increasingly anxious with each passing day. They were in danger until a Minister of Law was appointed from their camp.

Countless carriages passed through the streets of the capital. Every now and then, there would be minor accidents and spats.

"Move away! How dare you block the carriage of the Li Family! You must be tired of living!"

"Li Family? Who are they? Why don't you open your eyes and see who is in this carriage? If you don't move aside, I will rip the wheels off your carriage!"

"Oh wow, that's some big talk. Why don't you come and try me?!"

"Okay, I will let you understand how powerful the Zhang Family is! What are you all waiting for? Rip the wheels off his carriage!"

"You're arrogant for a small family! Charge!"

Countless carriages barged their way through the streets. However, there was one gate with a wide road but no one stopped in front of it for extended periods of time. No one fought at the gate either.

There were three words engraved on a gold sign at the gate.

Ping Yang Residence!

The residence was just adjacent to the palace and was situated in the middle of the city. However, most officials were more than happy to take a detour around it.

At that very moment, a medium sized carriage arrived from afar and stopped in front of this residence.

Then, a youth hopped off the carriage, looked around, then smiled.

"Hi brother, could you please announce my arrival? I am here to see Official Fang!" The youth walked over to the gate and asked one of the guards there.

Then, the youth produced a few fingernail-sized silver ingots.

"Official Fang, which Official Fang?" The golden armored guard ignored the silver in the youth's hands.

"Of course it's Fang Zhengzhi, Official Fang!" The youth replied.

"I understand." The golden armored guard nodded and shot a look at another guard inside the residence. Then, there was a dull thud.

Almost like an open dam, more than 20 armored soldiers came rushing out. The soldiers in golden armor pressed this youth to the ground without hesitation.

This youth was stunned.

However, when the punches started raining down, he reacted instantly, his eyes glowing brightly.

"I was wrong, I am here to see Fang Zhengzheng! I am Wen Dabao!"

"Oh, you are here to see Young Master Fang? You should have said so earlier!" The soldiers stopped when they heard this.

Wen Dabao was extremely bitter but there was nothing he could do about it. He wiped away his tears and stood up.

"Can you please announce my arrival?"

"Of course. Please wait a moment, Young Master Wen." The soldier nodded and picked up the silvers on the ground, placing them in his pocket.

"…" Wen Dabao's expression became increasingly bitter.

The only consolation he had was that the soldier didn't stand around after picking up his silvers. He immediately rushed into the residence to announce Wen Dabao's arrival.

In a beautiful garden inside Ping Yang's Residence…

Fang Zhengzhi, dressed in his trademark blue long-sleeved shirt, laid down on a chair covered with a layer of luxury leather. He squinted as he looked into the sky.

Ping Yang was sitting next to Fang Zhengzhi. She wore a red dress and supported her head with both hands, watching Fang Zhengzhi silently.

As for Yan Xiu, he was seated behind a table nearby. He had a pen in his hand as he continued to scribble away on the paper in front of him.

It was a very peaceful and calming time.

At that moment, a golden-armored soldier appeared at the entrance to the garden. When the soldier saw this, he stopped outside.

"Your Highness, Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, Wen Dabao is here."

Silence.

Ping Yang, Fang Zhengzhi, and Yan Xiu remained silent, almost as if they didn't hear what the soldier said.

They continued doing exactly what they were doing moments ago.

The soldier waited patiently for 15 minutes…

However, he was still ignored.

"Ahem, your highness, Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, Wen Dabao is here." The soldier reminded, his voice slightly louder this time.

Silence.

The soldier looked at the three figures in the garden. He realized that they were still doing the same things they were moments ago. There was absolutely no change…

The soldier began to show traces of confusion.

But it was nothing more than confusion.

He didn't speak again.

The soldier simply waited at the entrance like a statue.

After 15 minutes, another guard in golden armor appeared at the gates. He said the same thing as the guard before him.

However, Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang, and Yan Xiu seemed to be in a world of their own. They ignored the soldier in the golden armor, almost as if they didn't hear what he said.

The second guard also stood at the gate like a statue.

Time flew by.

An hour passed, then two…

The number of 'statues' at the gate grew in number. There were guards in golden armor, then servants and slaves. Finally, even Ping Yang Residence's manager became a 'statue'.

The sun was almost at its peak and it was getting hotter.

Ping Yang, Fang Zhengzhi, and Yan Xiu didn't move. As such, none of them dared to move. They continued to wait at the gates.

Finally, Ping Yang turned around and looked at one of the servants at the gate.

She didn't speak, but she blinked. Then, she looked up at the hot sun.

The servant saw the look and understood it immediately. Before long, she returned with a hot cup of tea.

Ping Yang's eyes brightened when she saw this. She snatched the cup out of the hands of the servant and gulped the tea down.

"You've lost." Fang Zhengzhi opened his eyes lazily and looked at Ping Yang.

"I've lost? Why did I lose? I didn't open my mouth at all!" Ping Yang was visibly unhappy about this.

"You didn't?"

"Of course not, did you hear me speak?"

"I said that the first one who opened their mouth would lose, not the first one to speak. How did you drink if you didn't open your mouth." Fang Zhengzhi replied scornfully.

"That counts?" Ping Yang couldn't believe her ears.

"What do you think?" Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Okay then, you win this time because you cheated. You can ask your question." Ping Yang pouted but conceded defeat grudgingly.

"My question can wait. Wen Dabao must have been waiting outside for more than four hours." Fang Zhengzhi waved her off.

"Yes, Wen Dabao has been outside for nearly four hours." The golden armored soldier replied respectfully.

However…

They were all extremely bitter.

They knew that Princess Ping Yang was a willful person. They had prepared themselves for that. However, they never expected that they would have to serve two willful people one day.

Furthermore, even the cultured and polite son of the Yan Family, Yan Xiu, was playing along!

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Chapter 500: Deal

Translator:Sparrow Translations

Editor:Sparrow Translations

"Mm, let him in after he has stood outside for exactly four hours." Fang Zhengzhi rubbed his tummy and nodded.

"Okay." The soldier in golden armor answered and took his leave.

Then, the manager of the residence and the servants took turns to report their respective issues. These weren't issues regarding the residence, they were 'tabloid' news from the capital.

After Ping Yang heard the reports, the orderlies left and the three of them were left in the garden once again.

"Ah!!! I can't take it any longer! Are you going to tell me where you've been over the past year?" Ping Yang couldn't hold it back any longer.

"You really want to know? Sure, but you must beat me first. Only the winner has the right to ask questions. The loser can only answer questions." Fang Zhengzhi said dismissively.

"Humph! I can definitely defeat you!" Ping Yang pouted.

"Now you can answer my question! Who does King Liqin like the most?" Fang Zhengzhi queried.

"You're asking about King Liqin? He likes me the best and Sister Yan is a close second. He also has a good relationship with Xing Yuanguo and his dad." Ping Yang blinked.

"Chi Guyan?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

He couldn't believe everything that Ping Yang said. She only said that she was his favorite because she was narcissistic. King Liqin probably liked Chi Guyan best.

About that...

That was clearly evident during the incident over a year ago in the throne room.

At that time, he had just come out of the World of the Sage. He held the Traceless Blade which the officials, the Crown Prince, and King Duan fought over. In the end, Chi Guyan had brought in King Liqin to resolve the issue.

However, Fang Zhengzhi didn't have much information on King Liqin at that time. Naturally, he had not interacted with this man before.

"Are you thinking of having Sister Yan plead your case to King Liqin and ask King Liqin to tell the Emperor to acquit you? You can forget about it. King Liqin never interferes with politics! Furthermore, Sister Yan has isolated herself in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion!" Ping Yang said triumphantly!

"How do you know that she has isolated herself?" Fang Zhengzhi queried.

"Of course I know. If Sister Yan wasn't isolating herself, why wouldn't she reply to my mails?" Ping Yang replied definitively.

"Reply to you? Hmm... when was the last time you communicated with her?"

"Three months ago."

"Oh, what were the contents of that letter?"

"That has nothing to do with you! I'm not telling you anything! However, Sister Yan did mention that she needed some time to cultivate because the deadline for a deal was coming up. She said that the person would not miss the date a second time. When I asked her about it, she didn't reply!"

"A deal?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion selections should be coming soon. In the last selection, Nangong Hao had successfully made it there.

Fang Zhengzhi did a quick calculation. The Imperial Examinations were about to begin. After that came the court examinations. Then, it would be the Heavenly Dao Pavilion selections!

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion!

When Fang Zhengzhi heard this name a year ago, it was no more than just a name to him. However, it meant more now.

One Pavillion, Four Sages, 13 Constabularies.

This was a common saying in the Great Xia. The Pavillion was placed above the Four Sages in the hierarchy.

"Three months should be sufficient!"

Whilst Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang discussed the Heavenly Dao Pavillion, Wen Dabao was becoming redder by the moment.

He had stood outside without food or water for almost four hours. This was a nightmare for someone as pampered as him.

Lucky for him, it seemed like his nightmare was about to end.

The guard who had taken his silvers was walking back towards the gate. Then, the guard came to stand beside him.

However...

The guard continued to remain silent for 15 minutes.

Just as Wen Dabao was about to ask the guard if he could enter again, the guard turned around, looked at the sky, and then at the clock at the residence.

"Okay, you may enter now."

"I can enter?" Wen Dabao nearly jumped out of his skin. He never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be this busy.

However, he was not too affected by this. After all, he was lucky to be able to meet with Fang Zhengzhi. However, if he knew that Fang Zhengzhi had been suntanning for the past four hours...

His reaction might have been different.

Wen Jiabao was led to the entrance to the garden by the soldier. Then, the soldier went in to announce his arrival.

"Young Master Wen, please."

"Thank you!" Wen Dabao nodded and thanked the soldier. He licked his dry lips, swallowed his saliva, then walked in.

The moment he entered, he was greeted by the fragrance of the flowers. This caused Wen Dabao to feel slightly intoxicated. His house was one of the more luxurious ones in the city.

However, it was still a far cry from Ping Yang's residence.

"Your Highness, Young... Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan!" Wen Dabao learnt his lesson. He decided to not call Fang Zhengzhi by name.

"Your dad asked you to come?" Fang Zhengzhi asked, skipping the formalities.

"Mm..." Wen Dabao was stumped. His eyes glittered and he smiled at Fang Zhengzhi. At that moment, he felt slightly flustered.

Over a year ago, Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang had made him treat them to many meals. However, today...

He had a feeling that Fang Zhengzhi had changed drastically over the past year.

A year ago...

Fang Zhengzhi would have never asked such a question. Yet, merely a year later, that was the first question Fang Zhengzhi had asked him.

"Yes!" Wen Dabao nodded after some hesitation.

"Mm, what about yourself?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"I wanted to come here as well. When I heard that Fang... Young Master Fang was in the capital, I wanted to... but at that time..." Wen Dabao couldn't find the words to express his thoughts.

He had come up with many reasons before this. However, when he saw Fang Zhengzhi, he realized that he couldn't bring himself to say any of them.

"It's the thought that counts." Fang Zhengzhi didn't seem angered by the reaction. He simply pointed to a chair nearby.

Wen Dabao got the hint and took his seat.

"I don't know what my dad is thinking either. I thought he wanted the Princess, yourself, and Young Master Yan to... ahem, he just wanted me to come here to visit you." Wen Dabao seemed a lot more relaxed after sitting down.

"Whatever for?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"He didn't say anything. All he said was that I should come over and chat with you. I was to tell him what we talked about." Wen Dabao replied without hesitation.

"Are you sure he wasn't asking you to look for Yan Xiu or Ping Yang?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"No, he specified you." Wen Dabao asserted.

"I understand. You can go back now."

"What?!"

"Were you thinking of staying for lunch?" Fang Zhengzhi smirked as he asked.

"Erm... no, no!" Wen Dabao was flustered.

"Actually you can stay for lunch. Did you bring money today?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the waist pack on Wen Dabao.

"No, no... actually, I did bring a little with me. Not much, not much, really not much... just 10,000... no, 20,000 silvers!" Wen Dabao wanted to hide some away but decided against it.

He knew that any attempt to hide the money would be useless when Fang Zhengzhi was on the other side.

"Mm, just enough for a meal." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"What?! 20,000 silvers for one meal?"

"Were you planning on eating two?"

"Haha... Young Master Fang, am I going to be one of King Duan's people after this meal?" Wen Dabao asked excitedly.

"Did you dad have you ask this question?"

"No, my dad didn't ask me to ask any questions. He simply asked me to come over for a chat."

"You can go back after lunch. If you want to come back for lunch tomorrow, bring another 20,000 silvers." Fang Zhengzhi had no intention to continue the conversation with Wen Dabao.

"Okay. How about we go to the Seven Stars Lane tonight? Ever since the fire at the Intellectual Loft a year ago, the Seven Stars Lane has become the new hot spot." Wen Dabao smirked when he saw Fang Zhengzhi's expression.

"You still have money?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled and looked at Wen Dabao.

"I do, of course I do! I have a small vault of gold!" Wen Dabao pounded his chest.

"Yan Xiu, are you coming?" Fang Zhengzhi turned to ask Yan Xiu without answering Wen Dabao.

"I can go." Yan Xiu hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Okay then, we will go to the Seven Stars Lane tonight." Fang Zhengzhi nodded after he heard Yan Xiu's reply.

"Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to go?" Ping Yang was rather annoyed that Fang Zhengzhi didn't invite her. They were in her house!

How could they just ignore her in her own home?

"I don't have to. I know you will definitely come." Fang Zhengzhi waved her off.

"What if I don't go?"

"That's even better."

"You must be joking! I will definitely be going!"

Wen Dabao arrived at noon the next day. However, he was in worse shape today than he was yesterday.

His back was hunched and he was bruised in multiple places. He couldn't even stand up straight.

"Brother, I am here to see Young Master Fang. Please help me inform him." Wen Dabao limped over to the gate and spoke to the guard.

"What happened to you, Young Master Wen?" The guard was shocked to see Wen Dabao in this state.

He knew that Wen Dabao had gone to the Seven Stars Lane with Yan Xiu, Ping Yang, and Fang Zhengzhi.

In fact, every noble family and official in the city knew about this.

After all, Fang Zhengzhi had a spotlight on him wherever he went. There weren't many questions asked when he stayed inside the walls of Ping Yang's Residence.

However...

When he appeared at the Seven Star Lane with three others, two of whom are high profile individuals...

That was a completely different story.

That was equivalent to courting death!

However, what was even more shocking was that nothing had happened in the Seven Star Lane yesterday night.

Since nothing had happened, why was Wen Dabao in this state?

Was there something that happened in the Seven Star Lane that no one knew about?

The guard looked at Wen Dabao doubtfully.

When Wen Dabao heard the soldier's words, his face contorted in pain. He shuddered, almost as if he was reminded of something terrifying.

He had been embarrassed and humiliated.

Wen Dabao's lips twitched as tears began to well up in his eyes. He looked up at the guard.

"Young Master Wen, were you beaten?" The guard asked again when he saw Wen Dabao trembling with tears forming in his eyes.

"Mm." Wen Dabao nodded and a tear rolled down his cheek. This was a tear that resulted from a man's sadness after being struck when he was most vulnerable.

The golden armored soldier was stunned to hear this. Did something really happen at the Seven Star Lane yesterday night?

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Chapter 501: Growing a little fast

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Wen Dabao had no intention of answering the unspoken question in the guard's mind. The guard didn't ask either.

Then, the guard went to announce his arrival whilst Wen Dabao waited outside. This time, he didn't have to wait very long.

Wen Dabao entered Ping Yang's residence soon after and was led to the garden. It was no different from yesterday.

Fang Zhengzhi was sipping his tea when he saw Wen Dabao run in. He spat out the tea in his mouth.

Wen Dabao didn't even have time to react before the tea splashed all over his face. He felt extremely humiliated...

"What happened? Who beat you up?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"My dad!" Wen Dabao cried.

"Your dad? Oh, why would your dad hit you? Tell us, entertain us." Fang Zhengzhi seemed to understand what had happened.

"He said that I shouldn't have brought you to the Seven Star Lane." Wen Dabao wiped the tea off his face.

"That was the only reason?" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

"As a man, you need to have some freedom."

"I have a plan that will stop your dad from hitting you. From now on, you can also go to the Seven Star Lane openly! What do you think?"

"Let's go again tonight. I want to see how many times your dad can hit you."

"What?! Wen Dabao's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief. Fang Zhengzhi wasn't the one who was going to be beaten up!

However, Wen Dabao couldn't find the words to express his frustration. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, "do you have another plan?"

"No." Fang Zhengzhi rejected him equivocally.

Nighttime. The Seven Star Lane welcomed back four guests. However, this time, Wen Dabao was significantly less excited. In fact, he was extremely bitter.

Wen Dabao walked out of the Seven Star Lane without incident. When he returned, there was a figure waiting for him at the gates.

The figure held a metal pole in his hand.

"You rascal, you deserve it!"

"Erm... dad, please stop. Fang Zhengzhi... Fang Zhengzhi asked me to tell you something." Wen Dabao screamed after being hit the first time.

"He asked you to tell me something? Okay, tell me what it is."

"Fang Zhengzhi said that he would return to the Seven Star Lane tomorrow. He will go every day at the same time for the foreseeable future."

"He really said that?" The figure's eyes glittered.

"I understand. You should probably tag along with him every day. I have already prepared the money for you. You can just ask for more if you need it." The figure nodded.

"Dad, you're not going to hit me?"

"Nope. Get some rest. Entertain Young Master Fang tomorrow at the Seven Star Lane."

"No way?! That worked?!" Wen Dabao couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his dad turn and leave. He knew that his dad was a strict person.

Why would he say something like that?

Fang Zhengzhi's method worked! Not only wasn't he beaten by his dad, his dad had asked him to go to the Seven Star Lane! What just happened?!

Inside the Left Prime Minister's residence...

A servant dressed in black knelt in the study. His head was lowered as he heard the knocking sounds next to him.

"Fang Zhengzhi went to the Seven Star Lane again?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's voice rang out.

"Yes, he went with Wen Dabao, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang. They went and left at about the same time as yesterday." The servant replied.

"Has King Duan and Chi Hou visited Ping Yang's residence recently?"

"No, King Duan has been in his own residence. As for Chi Hou, other than the first day he spent in King Duan's residence, he has been at the Stabilization Constabulary."

"I understand. You may leave now." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded.

"Yes, sir!" The servant replied, bowed, and took his leave.

Just as the servant left, a respectful voice could be heard from outside. "Prime Minister, Wen Chuan of the Ministry of Law has requested for an audience with you."

"Wen Chuan?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping frowned. Then, his eyes glittered, "Mm, let him in."

Then, he heard light footsteps before the door to the study was opened. A middle-aged man in black walked through the doors.

He was a stern looking man with thick eyebrows. His eyes seemed closed half the time, and this only served to accentuate the stern aura he exuded.

"I am Wen Chuan from the Ministry of Law. Greetings, Prime Minister!" The middle-aged man bowed as he entered the room.

"Official Wen, you may do away with the formalities. May I know why you're looking for me so late at night?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping walked over and helped him up.

"Something small has come up." Wen Chuan nodded hesitantly.

"Oh? Please tell me what it is. If I can, I will definitely do my best to help." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied.

"Prime Minister, please save my son!" Wen Chuan fell to his knees.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping extended his hands to help Wen Chuan up once again. His eyes were filled with concern.

"Official Wen, what is it? You have served in the courts for many years! Your son is like my son! Just tell me what it is!"

"My son... he doesn't know what he's doing. Over the past two days, he ran off to play with Fang Zhengzhi without informing me, I... I..."

"Oh? You didn't know that he had gone to the Seven Star Lane with Fang Zhengzhi?"

"I only knew about it last night! I gave him a harsh beating after that! I even told him never to do it again! But kids at this age... aish... I pamper him too much usually. I never thought that he would go to the Seven Star Lane with Fang Zhengzhi again today. My... aish..." Wen Chuan sighed.

"I don't think that it's a big deal. He is just playful. No harm done." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping waved him off.

"Prime Minister, you are magnanimous! As for the Crown Prince..."

"Official Wen, don't worry. I will personally explain things to the Crown Prince. He's just a kid. It is only normal that he goes out to play. This is no big deal." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping waved him off.

"But..." Wen Chuan hesitated.

"Is there anything else?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping asked.

"It's like that. I heard from my son that Fang Zhengzhi threatened him and asked him to continue accompanying them to the Seven Star Lane. As you know, my son wouldn't be afraid if it was just Fang Zhengzhi. But with Princess Ping Yang and Yan Xiu..."

"Damn it! This Fang Zhengzhi is incredibly shameless! How dare he threaten a son of one of our Law Ministry officials?! Damn him!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping raged.

"Yes... I'm just worried that my son..." Wen Chuan said hesitantly.

"How many days does Fang Zhengzhi want Wen Dabao to accompany him for?"

"He asked my son to accompany him every day! The money is not the issue here. I am just afraid that the Crown Prince would misunderstand..."

"Official Wen, please rest assured! I will explain everything to the Crown Prince!"

"Thank you, Prime Minister!"

"You're most welcome. I will draft a letter to the Crown Prince right now."

"Thank you Prime Minister! I... I'll take my leave now!" Wen Chuan bowed respectfully and left the room.

"Take care!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded but he didn't help Wen Chuan up this time.

After the study had quietened down once again, a figure walked into the study from a space behind the room. This figure sat down on a chair.

"When do you plan to strike?"

"I am in no hurry." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping looked at the figure and waved him off.

"Do you really plan on passing on such a golden opportunity?" The figure asked again.

"Opportunity? Haha... Fang Zhengzhi is going to the Seven Star Lane every day. He is asking Wen Chuan to report to us because he wants to lure us out. If we strike now, we will be playing right into his hands." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping frowned.

"Prime Minister, are you scared?"

"Fang Zhengzhi is accompanied by Ping Yang, Yan Xiu, and Wen Dabao when he goes to the Seven Star Lane. Apart from Yan Xiu, there is no one there who can stop you."

"You can just speak your mind. Don't beat around the bush."

"Prime Minister, you missed two opportunities here! Do you really plan on missing a third, a fourth, or even a fifth?

"I have my plans! You don't have to worry!"

"Okay then. I was just giving my two-cents worth. If there is nothing else, I'll be leaving. You should have an early rest, it has been a long day."

"Go ahead!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping snorted.

The figure smiled, stood up, and disappeared into the space where he had come from.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping frowned as he looked at that space.

"Fang Zhengzhi, I will tolerate your actions for a few more days! When the Emperor goes to the Ten Mile Lake for the banquet, I would like to see if you have the confidence to have fun so openly in the city!"

Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, Ping Yang, and Wen Dabao continued to go to the Seven Star Lane at the same time every day. The banquet was set to start on the fourth day.

Emperor Lin Mubai left the city, flanked by the Royal Guards. Countless citizens gathered on the streets to see him off!

Countless sons from the noble families stood at the gates to witness this. They were reminded of their ancestors' adventures and feats.

The city was even more vibrant and bustling than usual.

Maybe it was because most of the noblemen had left for the Ten Mile Lake... or maybe the atmosphere at the Ten Mile Lake had spilled over to the capital.

It was a bustling night in the city. The lights were bright and countless people snuck out of their houses and onto the streets.

Inside Ping Yang's residence...

Wen Dabao was growing a little bit tired of waiting. He had already managed to get himself into one of the VIP rooms based on how much he had been spending.

As long as he continued going there, he would get lucky.

"Let's go, let's go. We should get going." Wen Dabao urged. He thought about how nice it would be to have a girl heaving and panting next to him.

"Is it time yet?" Fang Zhengzhi opened his eyes and looked at the sky.

"Who cares about the time? We can go earlier to have some fun! Let's go, let's go!" Wen Dabao was getting anxious.

"Yan Xiu, what do you think?" Fang Zhengzhi ignored Wen Dabao and looked to Yan Xiu.

"It's okay." Yan Xiu nodded after some thought.

"That's great! Young Master Yan has agreed! Shall we go?" Wen Dabao never liked Yan Xiu more than he did now! That was music to his ears.

"Okay, let's go." Fang Zhengzhi stood up from his chair and looked at Ping Yang. Ping Yang's eyes were closed.

She wore a fiery red dress. Her dress looked like a ball of fire in the garden.

"Are we leaving?" Ping Yang heard what Fang Zhengzhi said and opened her eyes. She stretched and adjusted her bra.

Then, she realized that Fang Zhengzhi was looking at him. He was looking at a particular spot on her body.

"Shameless!" Ping Yang chided.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled and looked down at Ping Yang's slim waist and perky butt.

"People always say that women change a great deal when they mature. Why have you changed so much when you're not even 16?" Fang Zhengzhi felt as though Ping Yang had grown much quicker than he had expected.

How was Chi Guyan like now?

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Chapter 502: Pattern of the Seven Stars

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi was just half a year away from his 18th birthday. Chi Guyan was not much younger than him. She was almost 17.

She was mature enough to be married.

"Shameless fella, what are you thinking about? Aren't you coming?" Ping Yan rushed Fang Zhengzhi when she saw that he was standing still.

"Oh, let's go." Fang Zhengzhi nodded and looked at Ping Yang's body. "You're still young! Only 16!"

Inside King Duan's residence...

King Duan was accompanied by Mr. Hua and Old Wen. They walked quickly to the gates. There were a few guards trailing behind them.

"Have they left?" King Duan asked the squad leader behind him.

"Yes. For some reason, they left earlier than usual. Previously, they would only leave one hour from now!" The squad leader replied.

"He's really playing everyone!" King Duan cursed...

King Duan had monitored Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu whenever they had gone to the Seven Star Lane. Even though he didn't want to, he sent soldiers to patrol the vicinity around the Seven Star Lane.

Of course, it was a good thing that...

That was indeed a cause for celebration.

However, today was different.

The banquet hosted by the Emperor at the Ten Mile Lake was today! Even though he had the Royal Guard to protect him, a large part of the city guards was mobilized as well.

Most of the skilled guards in the city had been activated to protect the Emperor. After all, the Emperor's safety was of utmost importance.

King Duan had no choice but to lead the squad himself.

He was furious that Fang Zhengzhi and co. decided to leave early today.

He didn't even have the time to eat.

He couldn't believe that he was about to protect someone who merely lazed around all day. He had skipped dinner just to stand outside the Seven Star Lane for four to six hours just to protect Fang Zhengzhi?! He was furious!

However, Mr. Hua and Old Wen convinced him otherwise. In the end, he grit his teeth and left the table of dishes untouched.

"You guys should walk faster. Fang Zhengzhi and company should be arriving soon." Old Wen said to the guards behind.

This was also meant for King Duan. Old Wen just wanted to do it in a roundabout manner in order to avoid antagonizing King Duan.

King Duan understood what Old Wen was getting at. The guards were following his pace. By asking them to speed up, Old Wen as effectively asking him to speed up.

He wasn't happy about it.

However, he still grit his teeth and quickened his pace.

The guards at the gate rushed to open the gates when they saw King Duan and the other guards rushing towards it.

However, King Duan stopped the moment he took a step out of the gates. He didn't even manage to head in the direction of the Seven Star Lane.

There was a squad standing in front of him. Each soldier wore gleaming armor and they were led by a familiar figure.

This person wore a silver robe adorned with silver dragons. He squinted and smirked when he saw King Duan.

"Sixth Brother, where are you going?" He asked caringly.

King Duan frowned when he saw the figure in front of him as well as the squad behind this figure.

That person was Crown Prince Lin Tianrong.

King Duan couldn't figure out why Crown Prince Lin Tianrong would appear here today. Most importantly, he couldn't understand why Lin Tianrong had a squad of soldiers standing behind him.

"Third Brother, are you looking for me?" King Duan frowned and asked.

"It's no big deal. I missed you, Sixth Brother. Since father is at the Ten Mile Lake, I decided to come over and visit you. Aren't you going to invite me in?" Lin Tianrong smiled.

"Haha, thank you for your concern brother. However, your timing is slightly inconvenient. Since father is at the Ten Mile Lake, there is a shortage of guards in the city. I have no choice but to patrol the city myself. After all, if anything were to happen, I would be the first one to be blamed."

"Brother, you are absolutely right! The Royal Guards and much of the city guards have been activated to standby at the Ten Mile Lake. It would be horrible if anything was to happen now."

"Since you understand, you should also know why I can't accompany you."

"Haha, Sixth Brother, you are worrying too much. I know your concerns, so I brought some men over to help you. I borrowed them from the army." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong pointed to the soldiers behind him.

"Aren't you afraid that father would blame you?" King Duan was slightly astonished.

"I am, of course I am. However, for the safety of the capital and for your well-being, I am more than willing to be chided. Furthermore, I'm sure you won't report this to father." Lin Tianrong replied.

"Hahaha, you must be kidding!"

"Okay, now that I've solved the manpower problem, why don't you have a few drinks with me?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's eyes glistened.

King Duan squinted when he heard this. He clenched his fists instinctively but released them almost just as quickly.

"I am honored to have you come and visit me today! I will definitely accompany you!"

"Good, very good! I brought the best wine I have over here. Since father is not in the city, we will drink till we drop!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong chuckled.

"Third Brother, please!" King Duan stepped to the side and ushered Lin Tianrong into his residence. Then, he blinked at Mr. Hua and Old Wen.

Both of them saw the look on King Duan's face and nodded. Then, they led the soldiers out of the residence.

The soldiers who were previously following Crown Prince Lin Tianrong followed behind.

"Mr. Hua, we have come to help on the orders of the Crown Prince. If you don't mind, we can be responsible for the Western Part of the city." One of the leaders stepped forward.

"No need. We can take the Western Part of the City." Mr. Hua rejected the proposition.

"Mr. Hua, you don't have to be so courteous. Even though we are from the army, we will still serve the city to the best of our abilities. If something comes up, we will let you take command!" The leader started to walk towards the west.

The soldiers followed behind.

Mr. Hua frowned when he saw this, his eyes glowing.

"Something is going to happen tonight!" Old Wen spoke softly. However, he was loud enough for Mr. Hua to hear it.

"Mm, they should be striking tonight." Mr. Hua nodded.

"If we go up against them, we will be playing right into their hands. They may even take advantage of the situation to create chaos somewhere and draw the forces away." Old Wen added.

"Exactly. The only thing we can do now is join forces with them. Only then can we ensure that they don't have the chance to mess things up." Mr. Hua nodded.

"Indeed. However, when things actually happen, they will still be able to stymie and delay us. Things can still take a turn for the worse."

"We have to play this by ear!"

The Seven Star Lane had become the most popular spot in the city after the Intellectual Loft burnt down. It was even more popular now than the Intellectual Loft ever was.

The Seven Star Lane had all the most popular ladies in the city.

This was why they named themselves the Seven Star Lane!

The seven of them had gathered here over a month ago.

No one knew how the boss of the Seven Star Lane had done it, but the fact was that he had succeeded.

The boss of the Seven Star Lane exploited the fame of the seven most popular girls he had acquired.

Every day, he would have a new girl as the main show. Most importantly, the guests didn't know who the main show was going to be.

There was no specific order in which they appeared.

As a result, everyone ended up coming on a daily basis, waiting for the girl that they wanted to see. The crowd kept growing with each passing day.

Many people initially thought that this business model would not take off.

They couldn't be more mistaken...

Over the years, the popularity of the Seven Star Lane kept on growing. Part of the reason was that the Seven Star Lane kept pushing out new programs.

Most importantly, the sense of excitement and anticipation kept people coming.

Everyone was excited to find out who would headline the shows today. Sometimes, two of them would perform together. Other times, all seven would put up a joint performance.

There were too many permutations.

The countless permutations of performances left the audience wanting more. This trend caught on quickly.

It also gave birth to a secondary business.

"Place your bets, place your bets!"

"Guess who will be the main act tonight! Those who manage to guess the ladies performing in the main act will be paid 10 to one!"

Voices rang out outside the Seven Star Lane. Before the main act started, the betting scene was bustling.

"Young Master Li, who do you think will be the main act tonight?"

"Lan Yi, it'll definitely be Lan Yi!"

"Young Master Li is so sure that it will be Ms. Lan Yi?"

"Ms. Lan Yi hasn't made an appearance in more than five days! She should be the first one out. After that... I think that there is an 80% chance it will be Yue Qing!"

"Young Master Li's predictions sound correct! If Lan Yi opens tonight, the Yue Qing is likely to follow!"

"That's right! Lan Yi's drums and Yue Qing's instrument are a match made in heaven! Those are my bets for tonight!"

A few youths stood by the betting table as they discussed their bets for the night. Then, they placed their bets.

At that moment, four figures walked closer to the table.

They were Fang Zhengzhi, Wen Dabao, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang. Their arrival caused a stir in the crowd.

However, since Fang Zhengzhi had been coming for the past few days, the youths weren't too surprised to see him.

"Look, Fang Zhengzhi is back!"

"Call him Fang Zhengzheng! Young Master Chen got beaten up over this the other day!"

The youths continued to discuss Fang Zhengzhi's arrival, but they did so softly and discreetly. After all, the capital's number one bully was with him.

When Ping Yang decided to strike, nothing could stop her!

No one dared to go up against Ping Yang or antagonize her. When she decided to go after you, there was no escape.

The crowd parted to the side as Fang Zhengzhi and company approached.

Wen Dabao's eyes brightened. They were almost as bright as the seven lanterns at the door of the Seven Star Lane.

As the mascot for all the vices in the capital, he would never miss the chance to bet on something so exciting.

Most importantly, he had quite a bit of cash on him. Furthermore, he could spend all these money without consequences.

He had been losing the past few days, so he hesitated to place a bet today. After all, these silvers were taken from his house's vaults.

Even though he was someone who loved to drink and have fun, he wanted to win.

"Young Master Fang, why are you able to win every time whilst I lose all the time? Is there really a pattern?" Wen Dabao murmured and whined.

"A pattern? Of course." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"There is a pattern? That's impossible! I heard that the boss of the Seven Star Lane arranges these performances himself! There is no insider information! How can there possibly be a pattern?" Wen Dabao was in disbelief.

"Haha, even if he plans them himself, there has to be a pattern!" Fang Zhengzhi smirked as he replied triumphantly.

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Chapter 503: Unexpected bets

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"It will definitely follow a pattern? What pattern?" Wen Dabao was confused.

"The law of women of course." Fang Zhengzhi looked smirked and replied triumphantly when he saw Ping Yang's confused expression.

"There's a pattern for women?" Wen Dabao was stumped.

"Mm, don't you know that there are differences between the male and female body?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"Young Master Fang, you are a man of my own heart! You must be referring to the chest and... am I right?" Wen Dabao smirked when he heard that.

"F*ck no! What are you talking about?! I was referring to their menstruation cycle! Do you even know what that is?" Fang Zhengzhi sighed as he looked at Wen Dabao scornfully. Doesn't this man know anything other than breasts and *ss?

"I... I don't..." Wen Dabao panicked.

"That is when ladies find it inconvenient to do stuff! This will happen for a few days every month! That is the difference!" Fang Zhengzhi explained in exasperation.

"Shameless!" Ping Yang's face was flushed as she glared at Fang Zhengzhi and bellowed.

Yan Xiu turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi, his expression icy. However, his look was slightly complicated, almost as though he didn't know what to think.

After he recovered from his initial shock, his eyes brightened up.

"Oh, I know, I know about this! I read about this before! But what does this have to do with the Seven Stars?" Wen Dabao asked.

The people around them all looked at each other, faces flushed, when they heard this.

No one had ever discussed menstruation periods in broad daylight! It was much too inappropriate!

"This man is utterly shameless!"

"What a disgrace! How can someone possibly be this shameless?!"

"How can he discuss such things here? This... he is supposedly an intellectual man! Doesn't he know how to carry himself properly?"

Fang Zhengzhi scorned the comments of those around him. In his previous world, this was an acceptable and serious topic to discuss.

Furthermore, this was general knowledge! Why were they making such a big fuss about it?

"If you want to know what this has to do with the betting, you have to learn to respect women first!" Fang Zhengzhi added without answering Wen Dabao's question directly.

"How dare he talk about respecting women when he was the one who brought up this topic?"

The crowd around Fang Zhengzhi looked at him in disdain when they heard this.

Even Ping Yang looked at him with scorn. Fang Zhengzhi's current actions weren't respecting women at all.

"Respecting women?" Wen Dabao was lost. This was not something he valued.

After all, he had too many women serving in his household as servants. He would scold and hit them whenever he felt like it.

Most importantly, women were seen as the weaker gender in this world.

People like Chi Guyan were an exception. There was only one Chi Guyan in the world, so she wasn't representative of the populace.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't continue explaining. He was familiar with this concept. In this world, many were chauvinistic men who saw women as the weaker sex.

In some societies, women weren't even given a choice as to who they were to marry. Some of those in powerful families spent their whole lives in the house before being married off for political gain.

Were few and far between...

There were countless ladies from reputable families who were married off before they even set eyes on their husband. If they were bullied after, they didn't dare to complain to their parents either.

Fang Zhengzhi was a man who had spent more than a decade here. However, he was also a feminist who believed in equal rights.

"Any man who respects females will never let a lady perform during those days. During that period, women will have to deal with cramps and mood swings amongst other discomforts. Furthermore, they can't drink cold water or work too much..." Fang Zhengzhi began to rattle off the things to take note of during that period.

His voice was not loud, but the crowd around him fell silent. All of them looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief.

Most of them knew the things that Fang Zhengzhi had listed off. However, they never bothered about them nor did they think about those points.

"This shameless fella actually..." Ping Yang's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets. As a lady, she knew that what Fang Zhengzhi said was completely accurate.

There were some things that even she herself didn't know. For example, she didn't know that she should avoid spicy food and keep her tummy warm.

It was extremely detailed, almost too detailed...

Of course, most importantly, Ping Yang never thought that someone would notice these things. Even her beloved father never asked her anything about this.

These words were being said by Fang Zhengzhi, someone who she thought was shameless beyond belief! Someone who she chided for speaking about this in public!

Silence, complete silence!

Even the ladies who were trying to attract customers to the Seven Star Lane stopped what they were doing and looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Their eyes glowed brightly.

"This is a man who understands women!"

Fang Zhengzhi didn't know that his explanation would impress the crowd around him. He finally stopped after rattling off all the things he wanted to say.

"Is... is there anything else?" Wen Dabao was the first one to recover from the shock.

"No." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"So this is related to the Seven Stars... oh! I understand it now! The seven of them are all ladies, so they will not appear on the days that they're on their period!" Wen Dabao was flushed when he realized what Fang Zhengzhi was saying.

"You finally got it." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

"Thank you for the compliment Young Master Fang... wait... hold up, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that I was dumb before?"

"Erm..." Wen Dabao was speechless.

However, he was extremely excited now that he knew the pattern behind their appearances. He ignored Fang Zhengzhi's comment and walked towards the betting table. However, the moment he stepped forward, he stopped. A new question popped into his head.

"How do I know when they're on their period?"

"That's why you need to ask." Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

"The people who interact with them the most."

"Interact with them the most? Ha... I know! Their servants! They take care of the ladies every day and stay with them! They would know!"

"I'll be on my way!" Wen Dabao ignored Fang Zhengzhi and ran into the Seven Star Lane like a ravenous dog chasing after a delicious piece of meat.

Yan Xiu and Ping Yang looked at each other, shaking their heads when they saw this.

"Shameless fella, why don't you tell me what else goes into making the prediction?" Ping Yang queried.

"Logical deduction!" Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Mm, first we eliminate those ladies on their period. Then, we will put together the remaining combinations to find out which grouping is the most attractive. Of course, the pairing for each day needs to be different." Fang Zhengzhi explained.

"But Wen Dabao won't be smart enough to do that!" Ping Yang asserted, her eyes glittering.

"Yes, there are some factors that he is bound to miss. For example, a lady's period can change. I doubt he knows that. Furthermore, he has to consider the novelty of each combination which will require an understanding of psychology."

"Probably, but at least he'll have a higher chance of winning once he knows this information." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Why do I get the feeling that the boss of the Seven Star Lane actually uses this method to arrange the acts. Are you the boss?" Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

"Hahaha... you do! It's a pity that you don't have as much silver as me so you could never be the boss of the Seven Star Lane."

"Is that so?" Fang Zhengzhi smirked.

At that moment, a figure came running out of the Seven Star Lane. He looked like he just struck the jackpot.

"Hahaha... I got it! I'm going to make a fortune this time! Woohoo!" Wen Dabao was extremely excited.

"Are you sure?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"Of course! Who am I? Not only did I ask their servants, I even asked the runners inside the Seven Star Lane to double confirm!" Wen Dabao replied excitedly.

"Not bad." Fang Zhengzhi nodded approvingly.

"I have already decided on what to bet! This time, I am going to bet all the money in my little vault!"

"Of course! By my calculations, I need to bet on six combinations to guarantee myself a win. Even though I'm betting on six combinations, I'll win 10 times the amount on one! Young Master Fang, are you going to be with me?" Wen Dabao rubbed his hands together.

"I need to observe for a little longer." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

He did approve of Wen Dabao's betting strategy. If it worked out, he could bet his entire life's savings...

Of course, this was high risk. However, given a sufficiently high confidence level, it was a legitimate strategy.

"Okay then, I'll go and place my bets first!" Wen Dabao ignored Fang Zhengzhi and ran towards the betting table.

The crowd all looked at each other when they saw this. Then, they rushed up to the table to place their bets.

"Me too! I bet 1000 silvers!"

"2000 for me! I am going to win a fortune this time! I had no idea there was a pattern to their appearances!"

"Yes, even though that fella has no shame, I have to admit that what he says is very logical!"

"As long as I can make a fortune!"

The crowd rushed forward to place their bets whilst looking back at Fang Zhengzhi.

The atmosphere was vibrant.

A crowd began to gather around the betting table! They had heard what had happened before this, so even some of the more conservative ones came over to try and make a quick buck.

With Wen Dabao leading the charge...

The six bets he had placed became the favorites for the night. The cheques grew into a pile.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled when he saw this.

"You're going to keep looking? If you don't bet now you may be too late." Ping Yang reminded as she watched the sky darken.

"Mm, almost there." Fang Zhengzhi nodded and walked over to the table, a stack of cheques in his hand.

Ping Yang and Yan Xiu followed behind.

The crowd parted to the side unwillingly when they saw Ping Yang and Yan Xiu follow behind Fang Zhengzhi.

Wen Dabao was just bragging about how much he had spent in order to find out the pattern. When he saw Fang Zhengzhi come over, he leapt off the betting table.

"Hahaha, Young Master Fang, what are you betting on?"

"Anyone would do." Fang Zhengzhi placed the stack of cheques on the table.

"Smack!" He laid down almost 30,000 silvers on the table.

The entire crowd was stunned. They looked at that thick stack of cheques in disbelief.

As some of the most influential in the city...

They weren't stunned by the number. Even though 30,000 silvers was quite a fortune, they weren't particularly shocked by that.

There were quite a number of people who spent upwards of 30,000 silvers a night. Some even spent 100,000 a night.

When Fang Zhengzhi placed his bets in the middle of the table, the feeling was completely different.

On any other betting table, the middle was the place with the most bets. However, at the Seven Star Lane, that was a spot most people avoided.

The middle spot's bet was very special...

"He placed his bet on all seven? Hahaha..."

"Doesn't he know that this has only happened once in more than a year? Furthermore, that was half a year ago!"

"What is this guy thinking? He was just telling everyone about the patterns and rules. Why is he throwing his money away?"

The crowd couldn't help but burst out in laughter after they recovered from their initial shock from seeing that bet.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled radiantly.

His laughter was cut short.

Two voices rang out behind him.

"I will take that bet as well! 50,000 silvers!"

"I will do the same. 50,00 for me too."

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Chapter 504: Birdhouse

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Two more thick stacks of cheques were thrown onto the table. "Smack smack." The sounds were soft, but they were still heard by everyone around.

Fang Zhengzhi knew who these two people were.

He didn't understand why Ping Yang and Yan Xiu would place bets! Something was wrong! He was the only one of the three to bet over the past few days.

Fang Zhengzhi stared at the two other stacks of cheques at the "All Seven" spot. He was rendered speechless.

Fang Zhengzhi was not alone. The entire crowd who had been mocking Fang Zhengzhi moments ago couldn't believe their eyes either. Their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

"They bet on... all seven?"

"50,000 silvers each! That's 100,000 in total!"

"They're mad... they're insane!"

No one understood what was happening. They could accept Fang Zhengzhi going crazy, but why would Ping Yang and Yan Xiu join in?

Were they really influenced by Fang Zhengzhi after prolonged interaction with him?

"Your Highness, Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, is... is that really what you're betting on? This has only happened once over the past year..." Wen Dabao stammered when he saw this.

He realized that Fang Zhengzhi's expression was rather contorted and his body was shaking.

That he placed it on the wrong spot?

"Yan Xiu, are you really going to bet on that?" Fang Zhengzhi ignored Wen Dabao and turned to smile at Yan Xiu. However, his smile was rather unnatural.

"Why?" Fang Zhengzhi couldn't understand.

"We are friends. I believe you." Yan Xiu replied.

"Oh..." Fang Zhengzhi didn't know what to say when he saw Yan Xiu's expression. Then, he shook his head and turned to look at Ping Yang, "Princess, I'm sure you won't follow my silly decision to place that bet right?"

"I do have my own views, but we are friends as well. It's just 50,000 silvers. It's a small thing. I have plenty more to spend so this is a small amount! Don't worry about it!" Ping Yang replied arrogantly, smirking as she did so.

"Actually, we don't know each other that well. You can place a different bet." Fang Zhengzhi advised.

"Don't worry about it!" Ping Yang said dismissively.

"..." Fang Zhengzhi was quite speechless as he turned to look at the betting table. Then, his eyes brightened, "Then I'll change my bet!"

"Sure sure, I'll change my bet too! Yan Xiu, are you going to change as well?" Ping Yang asked Yan Xiu.

"I can change my bet too." Yan Xiu nodded.

"..." Fang Zhengzhi glared at Ping Yang, unable to find words to express his feelings. He grit his teeth, "Forget it then... I'm too lazy to change!"

"So am I." Ping Yang replied.

"Mm, then I won't be changing either." Yan Xiu nodded.

The crowd was speechless when they saw what had just transpired. This was ridiculously willful! Even if they were rich, they shouldn't be throwing away money like that.

They bet that much on an impossible outcome! They had to be crazy to do something so dumb!

"I would like to see how Fang Zhengzhi will cry this time!"

"Hahaha... exactly! All seven? Does he really think that he is the boss of the Seven Star Lane? Will whatever he says come true? What a joke!"

Everyone began walking into the Seven Star Lane as opening time drew closer. They ignored Fang Zhengzhi and company.

The Seven Star Lane has been renovated and refurbished last year. It was posh and exquisite. It awed every guest that walked through those doors.

There was a screen five meters in the sky which housed a huge tree. The tree had seven fruits on it that formed the Big Dipper Constellation.

There were seven platforms suspended above this one. Seven rays of light shone down from the ceiling and went through a hole in the middle of each of this platforms. The light landed squarely on each fruit. Each ray of light shone onto the screen.

This was the most famous sight...

"The Illumination of the Seven Stars!"

Everyone was led to their seats by waitresses. However, the seat in the middle was left empty.

That was Ping Yang's favorite spot.

No one was stupid enough to try and contest for that spot, especially after Ping Yang had set fire to the Minister of Law's house.

That being said, there were still a few people who didn't know any better. Right now, there was a man dressed in white sitting there. He looked like he was from a well to do family.

That being said, he was rather pasty. This was compounded by his white clothes. It made him look slightly weak.

The people looked at this youth when they entered the Seven Star Lane. They were all shocked to see this man.

The crowd was surprised to see this man here. However, none of them bothered to greet him or talk to him. They simply glanced at him disdainfully, chuckled, then moved to the side.

At that moment, a figure wearing a fiery red dress walked through the doors. She looked up and blinked as she surveyed the room. She had an aura of arrogance about her.

Then, her gaze fell on the youth sitting at the table in the middle.

"Ninth Brother? What are you doing here?" Ping Yang never expected that Ninth Prince Lin Yun would be here and sitting at her table.

"Oh, you're here too?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun seemed slightly surprised to see Ping Yang.

"Mm, I came with Yan Xiu and the shameless fella." Ping Yang nodded and pointed to Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu.

Wen Dabao wasn't too bothered by it. He sighed under his breath. However, when he saw that it was the Ninth Prince, he didn't really seem to be particularly sad about it.

Over the past year, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong had been gaining traction in the courts. His strongest opponent, King Duan, was now no match for him.

Most of the officials were now in the Crown Prince's camp.

They were virtually all under one alliance.

Over the past year, King Duan's residence had become colder and more isolated. Ninth Prince Lin Yun had not been very popular before this, and his popularity had only decreased with the Crown Prince's grip on power.

At the very least, King Duan still had some visitors. The only visitors Ninth Prince Lin Yun had were sparrows chirping at his gate.

Over the past year, the number of sparrows had only increased. He would scatter seeds all over his yard every day to attract the birds.

Legend had it that Emperor Lin Mubai happened to pass by the residence one day. Feeling thirsty, he decided to go inside for a drink.

He was 'chased out' by the flock of birds inside.

He didn't even get to drink the tea.

Since then, there was no one who stepped foot inside this 'birdhouse'. Other than Ping Yang, who discussed horse racing with him when she was bored, no one talked to him.

"Young Master Fang, Young Master Yan, how are you?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun stood up to say hello.

The others shook their head when they saw this.

"Why is he greeting them first? He is a prince!"

"Haish... forget it. It's a good thing that he isn't contesting for the throne. He may still be able to be a Lord in the future."

"That's true. He is of royal blood. He can just laze around for the rest of his life."

The crowd continued to discuss their views openly. They didn't even try to keep their volume down. After all, a Prince with no allies didn't concern them.

Even if he was of royal blood!

There were more than a hundred people with royal blood.

To put it bluntly, the Ninth Prince probably met with the Emperor less than a rank three or even rank four official.

"Hello, Ninth Prince." Fang Zhengzhi smiled and ignored the opinions of those around him. After all, he had interacted with the Ninth Prince and even raced him before.

Wen Dabao was a little stunned when Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu replied. However, he recovered quickly and greeted the Ninth Prince as well.

Then, they took their seats.

At that moment, music began to fill the air. Everyone turned their attention to the seven white jade floating platforms.

This was what they were here for.

The music continued to play as the lights in the Seven Star Lane were dimmed. Eventually, only the seven days of light shining on the platforms were left.

There was fire in the eyes of the crowd as they waited excitedly for the show to start. They loved having this sense of mystery.

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu also looked at the platforms and waited for people to appear.

The music became clearer and crisper.

Then, the ray of green light began to spread to the entire platform, staining the white jade a pale green.

Then, a figure dressed in green floated down. Her eyebrows were picturesque and she held a pipa in her arms. Her dress danced lightly in the breeze.

The sound of the pipa cut through the air and the music stopped.

The air seemed to freeze as the sounds of the pipa reverberated through the room.

"Oh my! Bihua us performing 'On the frontiers' tonight! What a great choice to come tonight!"

"Yes! She is renowned for her rendition of 'On the Frontiers'! She rarely performs it... I never expected her to perform it tonight."

"I bet that she would be performing today!"

Many of the people in the crowd began to clap and sing praises of the lady in green.

At that moment, the sounds of the pipa began to die down and a second light became brighter, lighting up yet another platform. This was a blue light.

"Youxue is going to perform!"

"Bihua and Youxue rarely appear together. Bihua performed 'On the frontiers'. I wonder what Youxue would perform to complement that."

The crowd looked on in anticipation at the lady in blue. They watched the Erhu she held in her hands excitedly.

After the lady in the blue dress landed, she bowed to the crowd below and smiled sweetly.

The crowd was electrified by her smile. All of them shuddered couldn't sit still in their seats.

After Youxue smiled, she began to play the Erhu. The music was slow and calming and it filled the room within moments.

"It's 'Autumn Moon over the Han Palace'!"

"'On the frontiers' is an emotional piece that elicits sadness in the audience. 'Autumn Moon over the Han Palace' is a piece for emotional release! This is a great combination!"

"I made the right choice to come today!"

All of them were intoxicated by the sadness in 'On the frontiers'. When they heard 'Autumn Moon over the Han Palace', it was almost as though they found an outlet for release.

The crowd was satisfied after the two performances.

The third ray of light lit up yet another platform. This was a pale purple light.

"Wa! This is the first time I'm seeing three of them!"

"What a rare treat! Three in a night is something that only happens once every fortnight!"

"Hahaha... I am bound to win my bet tonight! I bet that Youxue, Bihua, and Yuzi would be the main act tonight!"

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Chapter 505: Only possibility

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

When the lady in purple appeared on the platform, the atmosphere inside the Seven Star Lane reached a new high.

Three girls in a night was a fortnightly treat!

The crowd was extremely excited to have witnessed this.

The music from the erhu died down and Yuzi, dressed in a pale purple dress, bowed to the crowd.

Then, an egg-shaped instrument appeared in her hand.

Xun!

This was not a common instrument but it had a long history. This was made from clay and was as big as a goose egg. The base was flat and the sides had six holes.

"Woo!"

A very full and high-pitched sound filled the room. It blended it wonderfully with the atmosphere and gave everyone the feeling that they were floating amongst the clouds.

The crowd fell silent when they heard this. They perked up their ears and closed their eyes to fully immerse themselves in the music.

Even Ping Yang closed her eyes, her lips parting and pursing with the music. It was almost as though she was humming along.

Yan Xiu was also nodding away with the rhythm.

As for Wen Dabao, he had been completely mesmerized a long time ago. He even forgot that he wanted to take a girl home tonight. He salivated as he watched Yuzi…

Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Ninth Prince Lin Yun. Lin Yun's eyes were open and he was wide awake.

Does he not appreciate music?

Fang Zhengzhi didn't think that was possible.

After all, as a member of the Royal Family, he would have learnt to appreciate music. The only possible explanation was that something was on his mind.

"Ninth Prince, is something bothering you?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

"No… no there isn't!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shook his head when he heard Fang Zhengzhi's question. He turned to look at the platforms, "I just think that the atmosphere today is slightly strange."

"Strange? I think it's quite normal." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

"Is that so?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was taken aback but he chuckled. "I heard that you make a mean hot pot. I wonder if I will have a chance to try it?"

"Of course." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Then… is this a good time?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was excited to hear this.

"Now?"

"Yes, if there is any problem with the ingredients or the equipment, we can go to Ping Yang's residence now." Ninth Prince Lin Yun replied excitedly.

"Haha, no way. I placed a bet on all seven appearing today." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

"All seven? This… is that even winnable? How much did you bet? If you didn't bet much, I can buy over your ticket."

"30,000 silvers!"

"That much?! Okay… okay then. Young Master Fang, you can hand me the ticket and I will have people send the silvers to Ping Yang's residence tomorrow!"

"Thank you for the offer, but I am planning on winning some silvers with this ticket…"

Fang Zhengzhi chuckled and rejected the offer. ( Updated by )

"You plan to win that bet?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun's mouth twitched when he heard that. He wanted to say something but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't explain any further, neither did he look at Ninth Prince Lin Yun again. He simply looked up and enjoyed the music.

The tune from the Xun filled the air.

After some time, the tune of the Xun died down. All of a sudden, there was a huge commotion! A fourth platform had lit up!

This platform was different from the others. There was a large red drum on the platform.

"It's Lanyi!"

"I haven't seen Lanyi in five days! She's performing tonight!"

"This… this is the fourth star…"

"Yes, this is the fourth star! Four in one night is something that only happens once every two months! Those who didn't come here tonight would beat themselves up over it!"

The crowd was on its feet when everyone saw the figure descending on the platform. To have four stars perform for them in a single night was a treat not to be missed.

More than a year ago, to see one star would take many days of wait. Even so, people were satisfied with that.

When the Seven Star Lane was set up, the people were treated to at least one star every night. On some nights, there will be collaborations between stars!

Yet, it was rare for four of them to perform in one night.

Even though this happened once every two months, most people could not afford to come here every day just to wait.

After all…

Every visit to the Seven Star Lane was very expensive.

Those who could afford to come once every three to five days were considered some of the richest and most influential in the city.

It was no wonder they were so excited.

Seeing four stars in the main act was something that they could brag about. For those from out of town, this was an especially rare treat.

This was a day that they would never forget.

The boom of the drum echoed through the air.

It was powerful and resonated through the room. During the quicker segments, it sounded like raindrops whilst during the slower segments, it resonated like thunder. Her talent was clear for all to see.

The crowd was mesmerized.

Then, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. At this time, a fifth platform lit up.

The drums had yet to stop but the light was already shining.

At the same time, a shapely figure descended, holding an instrument as large as the Guqin in her arms.

Se!

This was a duet between the drums and the se!

The fifth star was Yueqing.

This was something that no one in the crowd had expected. Yueqing's performance meant that there were already five stars tonight.

"Five stars!"

"Five in a night!"

"My god, how is that possible? I managed to see five in one night?!"

The crowd was extremely excited when the fourth platform lit up. However, when Yueqing landed on the white platform, everyone was in shock.

This…

This was an unexpected surprise.

This surprise quickly changed into unbridled joy. Yueqing had begun playing and the music blended in perfectly with the rhythm of the drums.

Even people who didn't know how to appreciate music were mesmerized by this.

The crowd closed their eyes and savored every moment. Even Ping Yang was completely mesmerized by the music. Her dress and sleeves danced along to the rhythm of the music.

Yan Xiu's eyes were closed as he savored each moment.

As for Wen Dabao, he had already begun to tremble. If not for the fact that he was afraid of disrupting the music, he would have been rolling on the floor to release the energy inside him.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ninth Prince Lin Yun.

Right now, Lin Yun's expression was much calmer than before. He was squinting slightly. For someone who had been taught to appreciate music from a young age, no issue could bother him enough to make him ignore such an exquisite performance.

Fang Zhengzhi looked around him, surveying every member of the crowd.

Then, he looked away.

Everyone was completely intoxicated by the music. This was an intoxication that simply couldn't be faked.

The music was just too good.

However…

Everyone's eyes shot open when a bell tone cut through the air. This didn't belong to any of the two instruments.

It was the Bianzhong!

This was an important instrument in the royal ensemble!

It was a huge instrument with many different bells of various sizes. No one could carry it by themselves, so it had been placed on the stage prior to the performance.

Those who had come here before knew that there were two different bianzhongs on that platform.

"Six… six headliners!"

"The sixth star!"

"Six of them?!"

The crowd looked at the platform and the beautiful body playing them in shock and awe.

Having six stars perform in one night had happened before. However, it had only happened three times a year.

Three times! Only three times a year!

What were the chances?!

The crowd was shocked that they had the great fortune of seeing six stars perform in the night. Also, they were stunned because…

They would lose all of their bets!

The crowd had placed their bets in many places, but no one had bet on six stars appearing. The chances of that were too low.

"This was something that no one could predict."

"Yes, that's true. To be honest, even if we didn't win our bets, being able to enjoy the music of six stars is a great consolation." "I think everyone lost today?"

"No, there is one more possibility, that is…"

The crowd shook their heads and sighed. Then they thought of one other possibility. No one bet on six stars appearing, but there were three people who bet on an even more unlikely outcome…

All seven!

But will all seven really appear?

If they did, it would be utterly unbelievable! This only happened once in the entire history of the Seven Star Lane.

Were they really that accurate?

No one believed that this would happen, but they didn't have a good feeling about this.

If Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang hadn't bet on it, then no one would have even thought that it was possible.

However…

Since the three of them had bet on it, everyone began to think of the seventh when the sixth one appeared.

"Can this guy's luck get any better?"

"It's impossible!"

"If he manages to win this bet, I will strip naked right here!"

"The chances of that happening are much too slim!"

The crowd looked at the lady playing the bianzhong, then turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang.

"Hey, shameless fella, do you really think that all seven will appear tonight?" Ping Yang's eyes glimmered as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

"What do you think?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"I think that six is about as many as we will see tonight. I think that something is wrong if all seven appear." Ping Yang smirked. "Why so?" Fang Zhengzhi smirked as well.

"Haha… just think about it. Our combined bets for all seven stars is 130,000 silvers. If we strike, that's 1,300,000 silvers! The boss of the Seven Stars Lane must know this. I doubt he will be that generous." Ping Yang replied confidently.

"Mm, you are right. Aiya, why did I forget about that? I told you not to bet with me! Maybe tonight was really the night for seven stars!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and glared at Ping Yang.

"You're blaming me? I have 50,000 silvers on that bet!" Ping Yang rolled her eyes.

"I didn't think of that either…" Yan Xiu's expression was icy, but it sounded as though he blamed himself.

The crowd was initially stunned when they heard the conversation. Then, they chuckled.

"Hahaha… all seven? How is that possible?"

"Exactly, the boss of the Seven Stars Lane is no dummy! He will never let them win this bet! That's 1.3 million silvers!"

"I guess everyone is set to lose tonight. However, being able to see six stars in one night is good enough for me!"

Everyone smiled as they looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Even though they lost, they took comfort that Fang Zhengzhi had lost with them.

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Chapter 506: I can betray everyone in the world but one person

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Wen Dabao paled. He loved the fact that he had just seen six stars perform. However, he had lost his entire vault of savings in the process.

His feelings right now were difficult to describe.

He had thought about it, but Ping Yang was right. The boss of the Seven Star Lane was no dumb.

The betting table had been set up just outside his place. If he didn't know that there was 130,000 riding on all seven appearing, then he wasn't fit to be the boss.

There was no way all seven would appear today.

The sound of the bianzhong died down. Then, the lady bowed to the crowd.

At that moment, everyone rose to give a standing ovation!

"Yes! When is Shishi going to perform for us again?"

"It is our good fortune to have been graced by the presence of six stars today!"

As they stood up to clap, they all looked at the seventh platform, smiling as they did so.

The seventh platform didn't light up.

"Hahaha, all seven? What a joke!"

"Hahaha does he really think he is that lucky? Even if he is, he should bet on something more realistic!"

The crowd began to chuckle when they saw that the seventh platform had yet to light up.

Actually, the results had been decided the moment there was 130,000 riding on that bet. It wasn't going to happen tonight.

The boss of the Seven Star Lane was not stupid.

That was what everyone thought. They looked at Fang Zhengzhi mockingly.

Their mockery turned into doubt and confusion. They saw that Fang Zhengzhi stood up and stared at the seventh platform.

The words were simple and said calmly. However, the entire Seven Star Lane was quiet.

All of the instruments stopped playing at that moment. No one made a single sound. Even the waitresses stopped what they were doing.

This had shocked everyone there and they stared at the figure standing in the middle of the room.

However, the silence was quickly broken. The crowd laughed at the top of their lungs. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"Hahaha... what did I just hear? Did he say come down?!"

"Yes, come down! Who does he think he is?"

"This is the most hilarious thing that I have heard since coming here! Who points to the platform and demands a star come down? Hahaha... this is killing me!"

"Does he really think that the boss of the Seven Star Lane will listen to him?"

The crowd laughed hysterically. They ignored the fact that Ping Yang and Yan Xiu were beside Fang Zhengzhi. This was too ridiculous.

This was a joke. It was the biggest joke they had ever witnessed.

Ping Yang was completely shocked as well. She had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi was doing.

Yan Xiu was looking at Fang Zhengzhi as well. His icy expression gave away little, but one could see that he was deep in thought by the glow in his eyes.

Wen Dabao wanted to laugh as well but he suppressed it. He knew what the consequences would be if he laughed, so he did his best to suppress it.

This caused his face to turn completely red.

However, within moments, all the blood drained from his face. This was from the shock and horror as a result of what he saw.

Wen Dabao's eyes were actually really small. But now...

They were about to pop out of their sockets.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. He simply couldn't bring himself to believe that this was really happening.

The seventh platform lit up.

That was a pale yellow, almost golden light. It shone down from the ceiling and on the platform, staining it golden.

"It... lit, lit, lit up?!" Wen Dabao's lips quivered as he looked at the golden light on the platform. He was utterly floored.

He was not alone. Most of the crowd couldn't believe their eyes. When the golden light shone on that platform, the crowd fell silent...

The laughter died down almost instantly and was replaced by a pin-drop silence.

It was so sudden that most people couldn't even react in time. Theo bodies were frozen and their minds were blank.

No one could figure out what was happening. No one understood why the seventh platform would light up either.

A figure landed on the platform.

This lady was in a golden dress, her silky smooth hair falling to her waist. She had a maroon guqin in her hands.

"It's... it's Luo... Luoqin!"

"Am... am I seeing things? Luoqin is performing?!"

No one in the crowd could believe their eyes. All of them were filled with surprise and shock when they saw Luoqin.

When Luoqin landed on her platform, this signifies that tonight was an extraordinary night.

This was something that had happened only once in the past one and a half years. Yet, this was happening tonight!

That was not the most important part. They simply couldn't believe that the seven stars would appear tonight.

This was utterly unbelievable.

"No way... why would Luoqin listen to him?!"

"You have to be kidding me. Is the boss of the Seven Star Lane mad? Why would he let Luoqin come down? That's 1.3 million silvers!"

"No way... I must be seeing things... I must be seeing things..."

No one could believe their eyes when they saw Luoqin now to them. They were so stunned that they forgot to scream and clap.

Calling this a miracle would be a gross understatement. There were no words to describe the shock they had just experienced.

The music from the Guqin filled the air.

It sounded calm and smooth, almost like a light breeze caressing the surface of a lake. Then, there was the feeling of a light drizzle causing little ripples on the surface.

Everyone calmed down when they heard this music. It soothed the raging ocean of emotions in the room.

A calming and relaxing sensation came over everyone.

Finally, the music stopped.

Everyone looked away from Luoqin. They turned to look at the seated figure in the middle of the room.

"How did he manage to guess that? Is he even human?"

"Is he a monster? Even monsters aren't capable of being so accurate in their predictions. Do you think he is related to the Seven Star..."

"No way! How powerful is the Seven Star Lane? He is a peasant by birth! Why would he be related to them?"

"Most importantly, this is the capital! There are so many people going in and out every day. He couldn't possibly have been hiding here for the past year!"

"Yes, the only reason why he managed to enter the city this time was because Chi Hou and Yan Xiu were escorting him. Furthermore, he had assistance from Ping Yang. Else, he would not have been able to enter! How could he possibly have hid here over the past year?"

The crowd had calmed down initially. However, when they looked at Fang Zhengzhi, a wave of emotions came over them and they began to become boisterous again.

They couldn't understand...

Why would Luoqin appear right after Fang Zhengzhi said 'come down!'?

The crowd looked at each other and nodded. They couldn't think of any other possibilities

After all, Fang Zhengzhi's background was an open secret.

He only had one friend, Yan Xiu. Even though Yan Xiu was powerful and influential, his family would never meddle in the affairs of the Seven Star Lane.

Without considering anything else...

Yan Qianli wouldn't allow it!

That was impossible as well! Why would a princess open a place like this in the capital? Ping Yang didn't need the money.

So how did Fang Zhengzhi manage to get it right everytime?

Even if Fang Zhengzhi knew the person who owned the Seven Star Lane, this night would cost the owner 1.3 million silvers!

What relationship was worth that much money?

Even the tax collected by a single province barely reached one million silvers. Even though business was brisk, 1.3 million was not a small sum.

This should never have happened!

The only possible reason was that this was a coincidence! But what was the boss thinking? Why would he not change the plan knowing that he would lose 1.3 million silvers?

Was he really that willful?

No one in the crowd could understand it. At that moment, a figure fell to his knees, tears of regret rolling down his cheeks.

Young Master Fang, I, Wen Dabao, am an idiot... I should never have doubted you. I should have followed your bets! Next time, I will bet on whatever you bet. Even if you bet on eight, nine, or even 10! I will never doubt you... since you won 300,000 silvers, please spare me some!"

Wen Dabao lunged for Fang Zhengzhi's right leg as he bawled.

At that very moment, there was a voice next to him.

Then, he felt a wave of force crash into his face. He began tumbling backward.

He crashed into the seat of another member of the crowd.

Before that man could react, Wen Dabao was sent crashing into him. He fell to the ground and broke a tooth.

Just as he was about to swear, he saw a red figure stand up.

Both Wen Dabao and that member of the crowd shut up instantly.

Usually, they would have the right to speak. However, when faced with Ping Yang, all their rights went out the window.

"Not bad, this place is pretty generous!" Ping Yang chuckled and smiled at Fang Zhengzhi.

Anyone who had just won 450,000 silvers in one sitting would be smiling this radiantly, even if they didn't need the silvers.

"I can let everyone but one person down!" Fang Zhengzhi smirked when he looked at Ping Yang. He knew what she was thinking.

Sometimes, a decision may look dumb or stupid. No one may understand your decision and everyone may think that you've lost your mind.

That was a necessary cause of action.

In his previous world, there was a saying. I would rather betray everyone in the world than to have one person betray me.

To Fang Zhengzhi, he could betray everyone in the world but one person. That person had rushed to the Northern Mountain Village from Western Liang in three days.

It was decided from the moment Yan Xiu bet on all seven stars appearing. He would not be disappointed tonight!

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Chapter 507: Yan Xiu a year later

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi didn't regret his decision. Even if the others mocked him, he would still make the same decision again.

When he thought about the one million silvers...

His lips twitched and his heart ached. It felt as though his pockets had just been emptied.

All that silver... that mountainous pile of silver...

"You can betray everyone in the world except for one?" Ping Yang was stunned when she heard this. She never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would say such a thing. Then, she chuckled, her body shaking. "I never expected that someone as shameless as you would be grateful to me for what I did."

"Grateful to you?" Fang Zhengzhi was stunned to see Ping Yang chuckling so happily. His expression froze. Something was wrong.

Did she misunderstand that? How overconfident is she?!

Fang Zhengzhi felt like he should explain himself, but he didn't see a need to. He couldn't say that he did that for Yan Xiu and not Ping Yang.

For starters, he would hurt feelings. Furthermore, the consequences of such a statement were unimaginable!

That was akin to confirming that he had a relationship with the Seven Star Lane. Even though he didn't deny that he had a connection...

The connection was not a strong one.

That being said, he was rather surprised to see that Ping Yang would trust him and bet that much money on something he chose.

Ping Yang did get smarter over the past year. Maybe she really was growing up.

As for the silvers, he was prepared to forgo Yan Xiu's winnings. However, he had to find a way to recoup the silvers from Ping Yang!

Wen Dabao laid on the floor. He was at a loss. He stared at Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang.

He didn't understand what the link was between what Fang Zhengzhi said and what Ping Yang had said. More importantly, what was all that talk about being grateful?

Ninth Prince Lin Yun squinted as he looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Then, he looked at the smiling Ping Yang in confusion.

Yan Xiu seemed rather calm, but his fingers trembled slightly when he heard what Fang Zhengzhi said.

It was a small movement that no one noticed.

As for the rest of the audience...

They were all lost and confused. They had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang were saying.

"What did he just say? Was it some famous saying?"

"Nope. I've never heard of it!"

"Neither have I. Perhaps he is consumed by the happiness of winning all that silver."

"Possibly... I'm guessing he's never seen that much silver in his life."

No one could understand what had just transpired, so they decided that Fang Zhengzhi was babbling nonsense.

That being said, they were still in awe at Fang Zhengzhi's luck.

How could he possibly manage to guess that all seven stars would perform?

Everyone looked at Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang, and Yan Xiu with awe and envy. However, they couldn't do anything about it.

The seven stars began to perform once again and the atmosphere inside the Seven Star Lane became livelier. In addition, there was a line of dancing and singing ladies who appeared on stage.

The attention of the crowd moved away from Fang Zhengzhi as people began to appreciate the music and the dances. A few continued to look at Fang Zhengzhi, but most decided to just enjoy themselves.

After all, that was what they were here for.

All through the night, the waitresses helped to refill drinks. Fang Zhengzhi's table had quite a few rounds of drinks.

Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

At that very moment, a commotion could be heard outside the Seven Star Lane. Then, a few hulking figures entered.

Each one of them wore thick rattan armor and had a piece of luxurious leather over their shoulder.

"People from the Southern Region!"

"What are they doing here? Has the Queen of the Southern Region arrived?"

"I doubt it. The Emperor would never let the Queen visit on the same day that he is hosting the banquet. This is probably just a messenger!"

"Mm, Young Master Li makes sense!"

The crowd began to guess who these people were. After all, news that the Queen was visiting the capital had spread like wildfire.

She was probably near the capital by now.

The crowd didn't pay much attention to the messengers.

It was normal for them to come to the Seven Star Lane to immerse in the Great Xia culture since they had come all this way.

If these people were really messengers from the Southern Region, then Fang Zhengzhi was in trouble.

Just as they were thinking about it, the messengers stopped in their tracks and surveyed the room. Their eyes stopped at Fang Zhengzhi.

The Southern Region messengers were in disbelief when they saw Fang Zhengzhi.

The crowd saw the expressions on the faces of the messengers.

They could understand the shock. After all, Fang Zhengzhi was notorious. He had killed their Crown Prince and violated their Queen...

That man had appeared in broad daylight. He was enjoying himself in the Seven Star Lane. The Southern Region messengers were not alone.

A few days ago, the crowd would not have believed this either.

"You have got the wrong man. He is not Fang Zhengzhi. He is Fang Zhengzheng. Chi Hou himself testified to that. Furthermore..." Wen Dabao could tell that trouble was brewing and he tried to defuse the situation.

"Rubbish! Do you think that we are blind? Fang Zhengzhi, we will recognize you even if you are a pile of ashes! You will pay in blood tonight!" The messenger interrupted Wen Dabao.

All the others glared and drew their weapons. No one believed Wen Dabao.

"Is something about to happen?"

"The Queen is about to arrive. If her messengers are harmed, this could be a huge incident!"

"This fella was too arrogant. He knew that the Queen was coming, yet he chose this time to enter the city. The Southern Region doesn't care who testified for him."

The crowd sighed in exasperation but no one stepped forward to help.

They were willing to be 'innocent spectators'. Furthermore, this concerned the Southern Region and no one wanted to implicate themselves.

"This is the capital! There is law and order here! Do you really want to kill him here? Aren't you afraid your Queen will blame you?" Wen Dabao stood in their way.

These were merely messengers?

"What now? Do you need me to kill them for you?" Ping Yang looked at the furious messengers and her lips twitched in scorn.

"Sure." Fang Zhengzhi nodded. Since Ping Yang had just earned so much of his silvers, he was more than willing to let her do something for me.

"Hahaha... you don't have to worry as long as I am around. Wen Dabao, step aside!" Ping Yang chuckled when she heard this. She waved her hand and the Blazing Qilin Spear appeared in her hands.

Her red dress was dancing.

She exuded a domineering aura and her stance did make her seem extremely powerful.

"Yes, your highness!" Wen Dabao scrambled to the back when he heard this.

"Sister, they are ambassadors of the Southern Region, we need to..." Ninth Prince Lin Yun's expression changed. He tried to stop Ping Yang, but it was too late.

Ping Yang thrust her spear outwards.

The flames filled the air like a tsunami, boiling everything in its path. It was much more powerful than it was a year ago.

The Southern Region ambassadors watched on in horror.

They never expected that they would be attacked before they could attack. However, they responded quickly.

A ray of blue light cut through the wall of fire. It was cold and icy, and it split the fire into two. There was some white mist and the flames slowed down.

Everyone was shocked to see this.

A messenger actually managed to block Pin Yang's attack?! After all, Ping Yang was not weak.

Ping Yang was equally shocked.

She had been working hard over the past year and had made great progress. She had wanted to use this opportunity to show off...

But she never expected that her attack would be blocked by a messenger!

"What is happening? How can a messenger be as powerful as me? This is ridiculous!" Ping Yang prepared to strike again.

Another voice rang out at that moment.

"This is Yan Capital! Ignore everything else and take Fang Zhengzhi!"

Two figures immediately sprinted past Ping Yang and lunged at Fang Zhengzhi. They were in front of him within moments.

"Are all their messengers this powerful?"

"Are they really just messengers?"

The crowd was shocked to see the two figures go around Ping Yang. They could accept that one of the messengers was exceptionally powerful.

It was a little ridiculous that the entire squad was that powerful.

That was what they thought. However, they did not step in to help. Part of the reason was that they were not powerful enough.

The messengers in front of them were more powerful than they expected. They were in the Supernatural State at the very least.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled when he saw the two figures charge at him.

Southern Region messengers?

That was a decent choice. Furthermore, they had done their research and put in the effort to disguise themselves appropriately.

However, they couldn't hide their abilities.

Fang Zhengzhi tapped his fingers on the table. He didn't have to move. The person next to him had already sprung into action.

A ray of red light appeared on the ground. It was the color of blood and was filled with an icy aura.

A shrill sound echoed through the air.

It sounded like it had come from the ground.

The music inside the Seven Star Lane stopped and the two charging messengers were rooted to their spot.

It had all happened too quickly. It was almost as though the two of them had run straight into a wall. They couldn't move an inch.

The two of them looked down at their feet and were overcome with shock and awe.

Both of them were stepping on a whirlpool. It was a raging red whirlpool, almost as though a hand had risen from hell to grab their legs and root them to that spot.

"I see!" The two messengers looked at each other, then turned to look at Yan Xiu solemnly.

"Yan Xiu's abilities have improved this much over the past year? He doesn't even look like he's in pain anymore!"

"How powerful! Yan Xiu must be in the Supernatural State!"

The crowd instinctively took a step back when they saw the red light. Each one of them was filled with terror.

Yan Xiu had not stepped foot into the capital ever since he returned to Western Liang over a year ago.

He was already so terrifyingly powerful.

Naturally, everyone was stunned. After all, one year was quite a short time. Such improvement was incredible!

Just as they were thinking about it, the red light flickered and the two whirlpools holding the messengers in place disappeared.

Yan Xiu's expression changed.

The blood drained from his face and he paled.

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Chapter 508: Cooling

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

This was not from shock or terror. It was something from deep within Yan Xiu's body.

Then, Yan Xiu's body began to shiver and red mist began to circle his body. It felt like he was on the verge of breaking down.

"You…" Yan Xiu's gaze turned icy as he grit his teeth.

"What's happening?"

The crowd didn't understand what was happening when Yan Xiu's expression changed. However, they understood it soon after.

Because…

Their expressions changed as well.

They felt a chill shoot up their body from the base of their feet. It felt as though they were being frozen in a block of ice.

It was too cold.

It was so cold that they couldn't move. In fact, it felt as though their blood and muscles had frozen over too.

"What's happening?"

This turn of events had shocked them all. Their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets as they glared at the chuckling Southern Region messengers.

They finally understood why Yan Xiu's powers would disappear in that instant. Just like Yan Xiu, they felt the energy being drained from their bodies.

"Were we poisoned?!"

"How dare they poison us?"

"When did they…"

None of them could figure out when or how they had been poisoned. However, the fact was that they had been poisoned.

Ping Yang's expression changed as well, her eyes filled with rage as she bit her lip. "How dare you poison me in the capital?!"

"Your Highness, there must be some misunderstanding. We would never dare to poison you!" One of the messengers smiled and shook his head when he heard Ping Yang.

"Do you think I will believe you?" Ping Yang didn't believe a single word.

"That's up to you. We do not owe you an explanation." The Southern Region messenger smiled and looked at Fang Zhengzhi. "Fang Zhengzhi, you will meet your maker tonight!"

"Is that so? You already said something similar once before." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled scornfully and stood up.

The Southern Region messengers tightened the grip on their swords when they saw Fang Zhengzhi stand up.

Everyone wanted to know if Fang Zhengzhi's cultivation had been ruined. Even though that was extremely likely, no one had confirmed it…

In the event that his cultivation had not actually been ruined, he would be a force to be reckoned with now!

"Ahhh!!! Save me! Help me!" Fang Zhengzhi's voice cut through the air just as the messengers were considering that possibility.

"Plonk!"

"Plonk!"

The Southern Region messengers looked on in surprise and amusement when they heard Fang Zhengzhi scream for help so unabashedly. The crowd fell to their knees when they heard it.

"He still hasn't changed!"

"He should still try to have some dignity even if he's really scared!"

"He went from being so arrogant to screaming for help within moments?!"

Everyone was speechless when they heard Fang Zhengzhi scream for help. This was such a drastic change!

"There are Southern Region messengers here who poisoned the guests! They're planning to kill next!"

"Guards!"

"Help!"

"Why aren't you all going? Don't forget that this is the capital! There are definitely many guards patrolling the city!"

Fang Zhengzhi ignored the looks of disdain on the faces of the crowd. He continued to scream for help.

"The capital… so what? Hahaha…" one of the Southern Region messengers couldn't help but chuckle.

"Are you afraid now?" Fang Zhengzhi continued.

"Scared? Hahaha… we are so scared!" The messenger chuckled. Then, he turned to the people behind him. "Shut the door!"

"Yes!" The other messengers ran to the back and locked the doors to the Seven Star Lane.

"What are you all doing? This is the Seven Star Lane! You can't kill in here!" One of the waitresses tried to stop them from locking the door.

"Scram!" The Southern Region messenger sent the waitress flying.

All of the other waitresses shuddered at this sight and ran towards the middle of the room, screaming as they did so.

This caused the crowd to frown.

Furthermore…

They felt that there was something not quite right with the actions of the messengers.

After all, even though Fang Zhengzhi's actions were slightly cowardly, it was probably the best course of action right now.

This area was famous for its entertainment and fun.

However, it was also the most heavily patrolled area in the capital. There were way too many altercations here. Fights could break out over women, money, even poems or words said!

As such…

It would be extremely weird if there weren't any guards patrolling the area.

Yet, despite Fang Zhengzhi screaming for so long, there was no sign of any guards arriving. No one even came over to see what the commotion was about.

This was extremely suspicious!

More importantly, the messenger had asked for the Seven Star Lane to be locked up. This was not something that they would usually do.

They wouldn't have found it strange if the messengers had killed Fang Zhengzhi on sight. However, for them to lock the doors and try to kill Fang Zhengzhi after he had screamed for help was abnormal.

Fang Zhengzhi was right, this was the capital!

Where were they getting their courage and confidence from?

"No one is here even though I've been screaming for ages… I guess… there is no hope." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head and sighed as he looked at the locked doors.

"You can give up now! You will definitely die today!" The messenger replied icily.

"That's impossible! The security in the capital has always been great! Why didn't anyone come to save me?" Fang Zhengzhi whined bitterly.

"Haha, yes, the security in the capital is great, but it is a pity that this is the Seven Star Lane!" The messenger smirked.

"Oh, so you do know that this is the Seven Star Lane?" The fear disappeared from Fang Zhengzhi's face and it was replaced by a smirk.

"What do you mean?" The messenger was stunned to see Fang Zhengzhi smirking. He had a bad feeling about this.

The fear that was on Fang Zhengzhi's face had disappeared completely.

On the contrary…

He seemed very confident.

Confident?

Why would he be confident?

The doors were locked and there were no guards outside! Yan Xiu was also immobilized! Shouldn't he be despairing?

He must be acting! He can't possibly be that confident!

Just as he was thinking about it, he felt a chill down his spine. It was a cold, sharp aura. It was almost like an icy spear.

"Oh no!" The Southern Region messenger was in disbelief. He wanted to dodge to the side, but he realized that his legs were being held down.

He looked down.

His expression changed instantly.

There was a red whirlpool beneath his feet that was keeping him rooted to his spot.

"Dao of Asura!"

The Southern Region messenger knew exactly what the red whirlpool represented. However, he couldn't figure out why he would be trapped by the Dao of Asura.

Was Yan Xiu not poisoned?

If he wasn't…

What was with his expression just now?

The Southern Region messenger really wanted to find out what was happening, but this was not the time for that. A ray of red light shot towards him.

It was so quick that he couldn't respond in time.

"Sh*t!"

The blade fell…

His arm fell to the ground, blood spewing from the open wound and splashing on the ground.

It wasn't over.

There was a blade that had pierced his chest. This was a blade pushed through from the back and blood dripped from the blade.

"What… what's happening?" The Southern Region messenger stared at the pale Yan Xiu and the sword in his back.

He never expected that this would happen.

He was in control! What was happening? Why was Yan Xiu unaffected? Who had stabbed him in the back?

Were all the other messengers dead?

What happened?

The Southern Region messenger turned to look behind him. His eyes widened. There was a lady behind him.

She was an ordinary looking lady.

Most importantly, he recognized this lady. This was the person who he had sent flying moments ago. Yet, she was now standing behind him.

She had a sword in her hand. A sword that she had used to stab him.

"Weakling." The lady said derisively. She was calm and cold, a far cry from the panicking lady she was moments ago.

The expression of the Southern Region messenger changed.

Even though he didn't live a life of luxury or riches, he had always been respected as a Rebirth State cultivator.

Since when was he ever considered a weakling?

Yet now, a waitress had just called him a weakling.

The Southern Region messenger was bitter. There were waitresses standing behind all of the other messengers. These were the ladies who were panicking and running for their lives moments ago.

Seven Star Lane!

It was impossible not to understand what was going on by now. However, he didn't understand why the Seven Star Lane would involve itself in this.

"Hahaha… what do you think of my acting skills? Not bad huh?" Ping Yang's voice echoed through the room as she beamed.

"You? Passable. I thought Yan Xiu's was better." Fang Zhengzhi's mouth twitched.

"Oh please, I was clearly the one who confused them." Ping Yang pouted.

"I think that I acted better as well." Yan Xiu spoke up. His tone was calm and icy, almost as though he was an independent third party.

"…" Ping Yang was stunned. Then, rage filled her face. "Yan Xiu, when did you become as shameless as him?!"

"Yan Xiu is merely stating a fact. Didn't you think that his pale look was very convincing? They all bought it!" Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"That's because they are dumb!" Ping Yang wasn't about to admit defeat.

"You were… acting?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun wanted to stand up, but he had no energy to move.

Poisoned?

Not poisoned?

What was happening? He had drunk the same wine and had the same food as Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. They were even seated at the same table!

Why was he poisoned when they were unaffected?

Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang ignored the rest as they continued to bicker. They didn't even care about the Southern Region messengers.

Wen Dabao's jaws dropped in disbelief.

He was not alone.

No one in the crowd could understand what just happened? How did things change so quickly? Were they not poisoned?

Hos is that possible?

The crowd looked at each other in confusion. They were all paralyzed and had the energy drained from their body. Why was Yan Xiu unaffected?

Furthermore…

What did they mean by acting? Could it be that they knew these people would come tonight and try to poison them?

How is that possible?

Confusion…

Furthermore, why would they discuss acting skills in such a tense scenario?

Most importantly, why would the Seven Star Lane interfere? Did Yan Xiu and Ping Yang set up an ambush here? Or did the Seven Star Lane want to prevent a scene here?

Countless questions floated through the brains of the crowd.

However, there was no one to answer them.

The only sounds left in the Seven Star Lane were the voices of Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang. The continued to bicker about whose acting skills were better. The expressions of the Southern Region messengers grew darker by the minute.

"Are you guys done?!" The Southern Region messengers couldn't take it any longer. They had been ignored for the past 10 minutes! There was no way they would take that lying down.

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Chapter 509: Innocent spectators suffer as well

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Killing! Couldn't they stab them in the front?

The Southern Region messengers were furious.

The Seven Star Lane fell silent as Fang Zhengzhi's eyes turned to look at the Southern Region messengers.

"I'm sorry. I forgot all about you lot. You should know, once a person is concentrating on one thing, they tend to ignore everything that is unimportant around them." Fang Zhengzhi explained.

"Fang Zhengzhi, you…"

"Odorless and tasteless. White Dew Frost."

The Southern Region messengers were about to curse and swear. However, their expressions changed when they were interrupted by Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he looked at the messengers. He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.

"White Dew Frost. Even a Rebirth State cultivator would be paralyzed and lose all energy within 15 minutes. For people below the Rebirth State, this effect would last for about an hour. Most importantly, once the effects wear off, everything goes back to normal and there is no trace of it. I must say that it is a good choice for a poison."

Fang Zhengzhi drank the wine and explained.

"What did he say?"

"White Dew Frost?"

"I heard that it is extremely rare. It is sold by the drop on the black market. I heard that it costs about one gold per drop, and even then, supply is limited! Have we been poisoned by White Dew Frost?"

"But… how does he know all these?"

The crowd was stunned when they heard what Fang Zhengzhi said. They knew what Fang Zhengzhi meant, but they had no idea how Fang Zhengzhi knew all these.

Most importantly, Fang Zhengzhi had drunk the wine despite knowing that it had been spiked with White Dew Frost?

What was he thinking?

The crowd and the Southern Region messengers stared at Fang Zhengzhi, their eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets. They had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do.

"Mm, not bad. It is quite soothing." Fang Zhengzhi smiled after drinking the glass of spiked wine.

"Soothing?"

"Is he drinking it as though it's tea?"

"What is he doing?"

They looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief. How could someone possibly be that arrogant?

The faces of the Southern Region messengers darkened.

"Go to hell!"

They were not willing to wait any longer. They didn't even care about why Yan Xiu, Ping Yang, and Fang Zhengzhi were unaffected. The only thing on their minds…

Kill Fang Zhengzhi!

Rays of light shone through their bodies and the heavy rattan armor shuddered. They didn't underestimate their opponents.

Their opponents were powerful.

But they were still confident.

Of the eight of them, one was a nascent Rebirth State cultivator whilst the other seven were pinnacle Supernatural State cultivators. What was there to fear?

Furthermore, they didn't actually have to defeat Yan Xiu. All they had to do was distract him long enough so that they could grab Fang Zhengzhi.

"So impatient?" Fang Zhengzhi was slightly disappointed to see the rays of light. His lips twitched, "poison… really isn't your forte!"

"Forte? What do you mean?" The messengers were stunned.

Initially, they didn't understand what Fang Zhengzhi meant by forte, but they could guess soon enough.

Because…

Right after Fang Zhengzhi said that…

A thick mist began to fill the Seven Star Lane. This was a grey mist that approached from all directions. The smell was extremely strong.

It filled the room in moments.

"I don't know why you all love to buy those expensive odorless and tasteless poison. Sometimes, the cheap ones are good too." Fang Zhengzhi's voice echoed through the room.

The faces of the crowd inside the Seven Star Lane turned from pale to purple.

Poison?

Is he using poison in the Seven Star Lane? He is doing it so openly and without hesitation! He was poisoning an innocent crowd!

The crowd was furious!

They still couldn't move. That meant that there was no way they could cover their orifices. How could they possibly stand up to this poisonous mist?

The only way was to hold their breath.

But…

How long could they hold it for?

"No, I don't want to die!"

"Quick, help me out! I don't want to die here."

"Ah… what is that smell? Why does it reek so bad? Quick, somebody save me! I am still young! I have my whole life ahead of me!"

The crowd began to scream and try to hide, but there was nowhere to hide. They tried to hold their breath, but they couldn't. They resorted to screaming.

The more they screamed, the more grey mist entered their body. It was a vicious cycle.

Ninth Prince Lin Yun didn't scream. He held his breath.

Then, an exquisite mask appeared in front of him.

"Brother, wear this and you'll be fine." Ping Yang's voice rang out. Then, she realized something, "Oh yes, you're paralyzed."

As she spoke, she helped Ninth Prince Lin Yun put on the mask. Then, she blinked.

"Sister, can't you give me the antidote for the White Dew Frost?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun asked.

"I don't have it." Ping Yang blinked.

"What do you mean?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was confused.

"We only had three doses. Wen Dabao didn't get one either. Look… he's still on the floor." Ping Yang pointed to Wen Dabao.

Wen Dabao felt extremely humiliated and embarrassed.

It wasn't because Ping Yang didn't give him the antidote. It was because Ping Yang didn't even offer him a mask.

"Your Highness, mask… mask…" Wen Dabao didn't want to shout for fear that more of the grey mist would enter his body.

However, he had no other choice.

Because…

Ping Yang looked like she wasn't prepared to give him a mask.

"I don't have any more." Ping Yang waved Wen Dabao off and pointed to Ninth Prince Lin Yun. "We only had four. We prepared one for you, but… you understand right?"

"I understand…" Wen Dabao looked at the mask on Lin Yun's face helplessly. Even though Ninth Prince Lin Yun was not powerful…

He was still ranked higher than Wen Dabao.

Furthermore, Ping Yang had already made her decision. He was in no position to ask for the mask on Ninth Prince Lin Yun's face.

Of course, even if he did ask for it, Ping Yang would not go and get it.

As such…

The only thing that he could do was suffer in silence. He kept inhaling the smoke until the world around him went dark and he lost consciousness.

The rest of the crowd also began to slip off their seats and lost consciousness on the floor. They were bitter.

But there was nothing they could do about it.

Sometimes even the innocent spectators were not spared.

After about 15 minutes, the smoke began to dissipate. Almost everyone was unconscious and on the floor.

"That's not bad, but do you think that it is enough to defeat us?" The voice of the Southern Region messenger rang out.

They all had a black cloth over their mouth. They were smart enough to wet the cloth. No one knew where they had gotten the water from. / update by

"Oh? So you can defend against poison that way!" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled mockingly as he looked at the messengers.

"Go to hell!"

"Hang on."

"What else do you want to say?"

"Look, everyone has fainted and there is no one else here. Why don't you tell me who you really are?" Fang Zhengzhi replied excitedly.

"Hahaha… Fang Zhengzhi, do you think we are dumb?" The Southern Region messengers chuckled.

"So you guys aren't stupid. However, it doesn't matter if you tell me or not." Fang Zhengzhi nodded as he looked at the seven platforms. "We can begin."

"Begin? What are you talking about?" The Southern Region messengers were stunned.

When the seven stars on their platforms heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, they took off their masks and bowed to Fang Zhengzhi.

"Yes, master!"

"Mas… master?!" The Southern Region messengers were stunned when they heard this. They finally understood what they had gotten themselves into.

Their plan was fine.

Before coming to the Seven Star Lane, they had bribed the servant in charge of the wine at the Seven Star Lane. In order to ensure the success of the mission, they watched him pour the White Dew Frost into the wind.

They even sent a few spies to ensure that Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and the others drank the wine before appearing.

This was a perfect plan.

Poison them first, then make an appearance as Southern Region messengers. They would also have a reason to kill Fang Zhengzhi. Furthermore, they would have a crowd of witnesses.

Most importantly, they could still get off scot-free.

It was not easy to find out the identities of Southern Region messengers.

The Great Xia would definitely consider the friendship between the two nations and the Southern Region would deny sending any messengers in the first place.

It was natural that there would be a few messengers loyal to the late Crown Prince who were out for revenge.

Even if the Southern Region denied it all the way, everyone would think that they had done it. As long as they managed to leave the city tonight, they would be in the clear.

However…

They miscalculated one thing.

The Seven Star Lane was Fang Zhengzhi's territory.

As such, their plans were completely dismantled. They tried to poison the master of poisons. So what if a servant spiked the drinks with White Dew Frost?

Once Fang Zhengzhi knew about this, he made the necessary preparations.

Fang Zhengzhi had allowed them to spike the drinks and even drank it without hesitation.

His aim was to bait them in!

"Clang!"

A tune began to fill the air, interrupting the thoughts of the Southern Region messengers.

Drums, Se, Qin…

The seven stars played their instruments concurrently. The music layered over each other and filled the room.

Even though the instruments were different…

But…

The tune they played was the same.

"Ambush!"

This was a tune written for the pipa but could be accompanied by other instruments. It was known as one of the ten most famous pieces of the ancient world. It was extremely well composed.

It was a piece with a domineering aura.

"It's the Dao of Music!"

"It's the Seven Tune Formation!"

"Ambush… the irony!"

The expressions of the Southern Region messengers changed when they heard this tune. They knew that this was no ordinary tune.

They all felt as though they had been struck by lightning. It was almost as though gargantuan stones were smashing onto their heads and hearts.

They had no choice but to fight for their lives.

"So… the Seven Star Lane belongs to Fang Zhengzhi? Did he set up an ambush in advance? I guess… I didn't have to come today."

Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked at the seven stars above him. He had the mask that prevented him from inhaling the poisonous smoke and losing consciousness.

As such…

He was rendered speechless.

Dao of Music…

Exploited on such a deep level.

How could he not be stunned?

Ninth Prince Lin Yun didn't ask any questions, neither did he say why he had come. He simply waited for the White Dew Frost to wear off.

Then…

He would leave quietly.

The music's tempo became faster and faster, almost like a huge mountain crashing down on the Southern Region messengers. They were all pale and in pain.

Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked away from the seven stars and turned to stare at Fang Zhengzhi. Fang Zhengzhi was smiling at the Southern Region messengers.

It had been a little more than one year…

What did this man experience?

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Chapter 510: Kill them all

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

The battle inside the Seven Star Lane was not as intense as expected. When the black-cloaked figures descended, the results of the battle were decided.

The Southern Region messengers didn't expect that they would be outmuscled and outthought. They wanted to fight their way out of the Seven Star Lane.

However, that was impossible because the gates had been locked. In fact, they had locked the gates themselves.

"Now, will you tell me who you're working for?" Fang Zhengzhi asked the wounded Southern Region messengers.

"Dream on!" Their faces were devoid of color but their tone was firm.

"I guess we won't be able to extract any information from them. Kill them." Fang Zhengzhi nodded when he heard their reply.

"Kill them?" Ping Yang was stunned.

She wasn't alone. Even the Southern Region messengers were stunned to hear this. They thought that Fang Zhengzhi would want to take them alive.

That being said…

Right now, they preferred death to life.

In fact, they had already decided to commit suicide if they couldn't escape. However, they were still shocked that Fang Zhengzhi would say something like that.

"Hahaha… we don't need you to do it. We can kill ourselves! Brothers, we will avenge the Crown Prince in our next life!" One of the Southern Region messengers grit his teeth and chuckled after recovering from his initial shock.

The other Southern Region messenger grit their teeth as well. They would die if they couldn't escape.

"Stop them! Don't let them die!" Ping Yang panicked slightly when she saw that the Southern Region messengers were about to commit suicide.

"No need. Let them die." Fang Zhengzhi placed a hand on Ping Yang's shoulder and nodded to the black-cloaked figures.

When they saw the look on Fang Zhengzhi's face, they sprang into action. Their swords had an icy glow to them.

They went straight for the jugular at breakneck speeds.

The Southern Region messengers didn't believe that Fang Zhengzhi would actually kill them. However, the fact was that the swords showed no signs of slowing down.

"Sh*t!"

The swords pierced their hearts and sent blood spraying in all directions. All of a sudden, there were multiple puddles of blood on the floor.

Death was a form of release.

The Southern Region messengers had no idea why Fang Zhengzhi would not take them alive. However, they didn't resist when then knives pierced their body.

"Boom!"

The Southern Region messengers crumpled to the ground.

Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked at Fang Zhengzhi in confusion. He didn't know what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

"Why did you kill them? How do we investigate dead people?" Ping Yang pouted. She couldn't believe Fang Zhengzhi didn't know something that simple.

"Do you really think we could investigate even if they were alive?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.

"Erm…" Ping Yang was speechless. She could tell that these men were fiercely loyal and would never say anything to implicate others.

However, she felt like there was a glimmer of hope if they were alive.

"Sometimes dead men are more useful than live ones." Fang Zhengzhi added cryptically before waving to someone inside the Seven Star Lane.

A few figures responded and they walked out dressed in black. They arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi.

"Master!" The men replied.

"Mm, change your clothes." Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the Southern Region messengers.

"Yes, Master!" The males nodded and removed the heavy rattan armor from the dead bodies.

Ping Yang suddenly realized what Fang Zhengzhi was planning.

"You want them to impersonate these Southern Region messengers? I don't think that it's very possible. They look different! The people will definitely recognize them!" Ping Yang said doubtfully.

"Have you heard of the art of disguise?" Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Disguise? Of course I have! However, it would take us many hours to create a similar human skin mask for them. Will we be in time?"

"If my guess is correct, they are wearing masks already." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

At that moment, one of the figures in black removed an exquisite human skin mask from the face of the Southern Region messenger and put it on.

"They are really wearing masks? How did you know that?" Ping Yang was shocked and confused.

"The people of the Southern Region have slightly darker skin color. It is not easy to find people powerful enough for this mission with that skin color. As such, the mask was the natural option." Fang Zhengzhi explained.

"I see, what do we do next?" Ping Yang nodded. It was incredibly difficult to find powerful cultivators who looked like a Southern Region messenger.

"We should deal with them according to the law." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"According to the law?" Ping Yang was slightly confused.

"By law, these people should be sent to the Ministry of Law. Then, the Ministry of Rites will communicate with the Southern Region and the issue will be resolved when the queen arrives in the city." Ninth Prince Lin Yun replied.

"I understand. You want to send them to the Ministry of Law and force their hand. Am I right?" Ping Yang seemed to understand.

"Mm." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Would they buy it? I feel like it's a little too obvious." Ping Yang replied doubtfully.

"It is a little too obvious." Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded.

It was not difficult to guess the true identity of these men from their appearance and Fang Zhengzhi's tone.

They were not actually Southern Region messengers.

However, Ninth Prince Lin Yun also knew the mastermind. If these men were sent to the Ministry of Law…

He could guess their fate.

One of two things would happen the moment they stepped foot inside…

First, they could possibly die a horrible death in jail. The second possibility was that they would disappear from the face of the earth without a trace.

Either way, the issue would end here.

As such…

Why would Fang Zhengzhi do such a thing?

"That's why I will need your help, Ninth Prince. I would like you to perform a little skit with me. Do you mind?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ninth Prince Lin Yun.

"You need my help?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was stunned. He didn't expect that Fang Zhengzhi would say something like that. After all, he was just an 'outsider'."

However, since Fang Zhengzhi asked, he began to think about it.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Are you afraid of implicating yourself?" Fang Zhengzhi queried.

"I am!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun hesitated, then grit his teeth, "but some things need to be done."

"Haha, actually this won't cause you much trouble at all." Fang Zhengzhi smiled when he heard this.

"It doesn't matter even if it puts me in trouble. After all, I'm already…" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shook his head and looked at the fallen assassins.

As a Prince, he knew the situation in the capital well. However, he was merely a spectator.

This was a lonely place to be, but it was also a form of release.

Everyone wanted the throne. However, sometimes, the throne was so far from your reach that no amount of effort and work would get you there.

Giving up was an option as well.

"You can still have your freedom as a Lord!" Yan Xiu replied calmly and coldly.

"Mm, that's right!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded. Then, his eyes were filled with a steely determination. "Tell me what you need me to do."

Inside the Crown Prince's residence.

A black figure sprinted through the yard and entered the study. Then, he looked around and entered without knocking.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong was pacing about in his study. His silver white robe clapped behind him.

There was one other person in the study…

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

"Your Highness, something bad has happened!" The black figure fell to his knees and said whilst trying to catch his breath.

"Speak!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's expression changed but he didn't waste any time.

"Everything was going to plan and the drinks had been spiked with White Dew Frost. Our people locked the Seven Star Lane and the soldiers guarded the outside. However…"

"But what?!"

"I don't know how, but our plan failed!"

"Failed?! Where are they? Where are they now?!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong shuddered and walked over to the black figure.

"They are being sent to the Ministry of Law." The black figure responded immediately.

"Sent to the Ministry of Law?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong was stunned. Then, he smiled, "Is he stupid? If he sent them to the Ministry of Law, what are we waiting for? Send people to take care of it! Take my token and have our people in the Ministry take action immediately! We must have them out of jail by tonight!"

"No!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied. He squinted as he looked at the black figure, "Are you sure that these are the men we sent out?"

"Yes, they look the same!" The black figure replied.

"Prime Minister, is something wrong?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong felt a wave of doubt when he heard this.

"I can't be sure of anything." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head and looked at the black figure, "Are those men dead or alive?"

"Alive but unconscious. They seemed to have been drugged by some poisonous mist." The black figure replied after some thought.

"Unconscious? Poisoned?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes glowed.

"Yes, they were not the only ones who were poisoned. Everyone else in the Seven Star Lane was poisoned as well. I think that Fang Zhengzhi was the one who poisoned them." The black figure reported.

"The entire Seven Star Lane was poisoned? Are you certain of that?"

"Yes."

"I never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would be so adept at poison after just one year… I was too careless!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping exclaimed.

"Prime Minister, the Emperor is out of the city. If we wait till he's back from the Ten Mile Lake, it may be too late. Since they are already on the way to the Ministry of Law, why don't we…" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong looked at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the kneeling figure.

"Your Highness, if you were in his shoes, would he send those men to the Ministry of Law?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping turned to look at the Crown Prince.

"You're saying that… he is sending them on purpose?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong replied calmly.

"I can't be certain of that." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head and turned to look at the kneeling figure. "This is important. Are you certain that Fang Zhengzhi wanted these men to be sent to the ministry?" He asked icily.

"No, that was not Fang Zhengzhi's intention. It was the Ninth Prince's!" The black figure replied without hesitation.

"Ninth Prince?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was shocked.

"Yes, the Ninth Prince happened to be in the Seven Star Lane. Fang Zhengzhi and company wanted to bring them to Ping Yang's residence but the Ninth Prince objected to it. He had a huge argument with them outside the Seven Star Lane, scolding them for wanting to take matters into their own hands. In the end, our men had to step in." The black figure reported.

"You're saying that Ninth Prince Lin Yun stopped Fang Zhengzhi from taking our men to Ping Yang's residence and had the soldiers take them to the Ministry of Law?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes brightened.

"Yes!" The black figure nodded.

"Prime Minister, what do you think?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked.

"I was too cautious. Please forgive me, your highness. Since that is the case, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. That being said, this is still quite risky. Let me arrange it personally!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bowed, visibly relieved.

"Prime Minister, don't worry about it. I only managed to get to where I am today with your help. I am reassured now that you are taking control of things." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong squinted, then smiled.

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It was going to be a sleepless night in the city.

News of the seven star main show in the Seven Star Lane spread like wildfire. However, it didn't end there. Before the crowd could gather, there was even more explosive news.

A few Southern Region messengers barged into the Seven Star Lane to try and kill Fang Zhengzhi and avenge their fallen Crown Prince.

Then…

The crowd inside the Seven Star Lane was poisoned with White Dew Frost. Before that could wear off, they were knocked unconscious by a poisonous cloud.

How tragic…

Something on this scale had not happened in many years.

There was a huge crowd gathered outside the Seven Star Lane as they watched servants carry out their unconscious masters.

No one knew if these people today should be considered extremely lucky or unlucky…

Inside King Duan's residence…

The food had already been kept away and the Crown Prince had already left. However, he had no intention to go out patrolling.

In fact, he had guessed that something was going to happen in the Seven Star Lane even before Crown Prince Lin Tianrong even showed up at his door.

Many thoughts had raced through his mind.

He had thought of sending people to inform Chi Hou or even Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary. However, he ended up doing neither of those things.

The reason was simple…

He wanted to see why Fang Zhengzhi had the confidence to party so brazenly in the capital. He wanted to see if Fang Zhengzhi could survive without his protection!

He did consider the risks.

But he ignored them all.

"How much could a peasant possibly achieve in a year?" King Duan's gaze was cold as he looked at the flickering stars in the sky.

Ever since Fang Zhengzhi showed himself in Huai An County, Chi Hou, Old Wen, and Mr. Hua had been advising him to gain the loyalty of Fang Zhengzhi.

However…

Words and actions were completely different concepts.

Most importantly, Chi Hou had told him that Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of submitting to him anytime soon.

He was about to become the most wanted man in the whole empire! Yet, he wasn't going to pledge loyalty to King Duan! Even so, he wanted King Duan to protect him in the capital?

What a joke!

King Duan didn't reject the proposal of his advisors, but he had a plan of his own. He wanted Fang Zhengzhi to suffer a little so that Fang Zhengzhi would know that it wasn't easy to survive in the capital.

This was the perfect opportunity.

"The Left Prime Minister would either torture or kill him." King Duan waited for the news from the Seven Star Lane. He waited for a severely injured Fang Zhengzhi to kneel before him.

Then, he would be able to show his magnanimity and help Fang Zhengzhi to his feet.

After that…

Fang Zhengzhi would become his slave!

He would be Fang Zhengzhi's master!

"Your Highness, Old Wen and Mr. Hua are back." A cautious voice rang out beside King Duan.

He could tell that King Duan and Crown Prince Lin Tianrong were not very happy about the meal. They didn't even pick up their chopsticks.

"Mm, let them in." King Duan nodded and stood up from his chair. He tried to look appreciative in preparation for the meeting.

At that moment, two figures appeared in the yard.

Old Wen was dressed in a black and white robe whilst Mr. Hua wore academic robes. They quickened their pace and walked towards King Duan. U.p. dated by

"Your Highness!" Old Wen and Mr. Hua greeted King Duan in unison.

"It's been hard on you both. I never expected to be stymied by the Crown Prince before we left. Aish… is Fang Zhengzhi okay? Is his life in danger?" King Duan asked hypocritically.

"Erm…" Old Wen and Mr. Hua were both stunned to hear this.

They thought that King Duan would have sent someone to find out what was happening at the Seven Star Lane even if he was busy with the Crown Prince.

News of what happened should have spread to him by now.

But now…

It would seem that King Duan didn't know anything.

King Duan didn't send anyone to protect Fang Zhengzhi?

This was what both Old Wen and Mr. Hua were thinking but they couldn't possibly ask King Duan.

King Duan smiled when he saw Old Wen's and Mr. Hua's expressions. "The Crown Prince is quite vicious indeed. Where is Fang Zhengzhi now? If he is unable to move, I will visit him personally. I don't care what the Crown Prince thinks about it! The throne is the most important!"

"…" Old Wen and Mr. Hua looked at each other, unable to find the words to express themselves.

However, Old Wen recovered quickly.

"Your Highness, are you still in the dark about what happened at the Seven Star Lane today?"

"The Crown Prince just left moments ago so I haven't gotten any news." King Duan easily found an excuse.

"I see…" Old Wen nodded, then replied. "The Crown Prince's plan failed. Fang Zhengzhi captured all of the assassins sent by the Crown Prince…"

"What?! Fang Zhengzhi captured them all?" King Duan's expression froze as he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes." Old Wen was sure that King Duan had no eyes on the Seven Star Lane tonight when he saw the expression on King Duan's face.

"How is that possible? Isn't his cultivation ruined? The Crown Prince would have sent powerful cultivators. He only has Yan Xiu by his side. How did he manage to fend them off?" King Duan was in disbelief.

"It happened like that…" Old Wen shook his head lightly and recounted the events of tonight.

"Poison?"

"The Crown Prince used White Dew Frost? And they were unaffected?"

"What? Everyone in the Seven Star Lane was knocked unconscious by poisonous smoke? What? How is that possible?"

King Duan's eyes widened with each passing moment and his expression darkened.

Mr. Hua stood by the side silently during this exchange.

King Duan's expression was solemn and dark by the time Old Wen finished recounting the events of tonight.

"Why do I feel like something is amiss? It feels as though he knew the Crown Prince's plan from the start! But this plan couldn't have possibly been leaked!" King Duan didn't understand what had happened.

"Mm, it would have been kept secret, so, my guess is…" Old Wen nodded.

"What do you think?"

"I think that there is a 50% chance that the boss of the Seven Star Lane is Fang Zhengzhi!" Old Wen replied.

"Fang Zhengzhi is the boss of the Seven Star Lane? How… how is that possible? He is a peasant! How could he possibly afford it? Furthermore, the Seven Star Lane is in the capital! How could he possibly have been here the whole time?" King Duan was in disbelief.

"I think that it is unlikely too, so I place the chance at 50%."

"What about the other 50%?"

"The Seven Star Lane was opened by the Shadow Sect. The Shadow Sect informed Fang Zhengzhi of the plot against him or told him that someone would poison the drinks." Old Wen replied.

"The Shadow Sect?"

"Your Highness, I'm sure you remember that Chi Hou reminded us that Fang Zhengzhi may have dealings with the Shadow Sect. However, we don't know how involved Fang Zhengzhi is. All we know is that he had offered himself to the Shadow Sect." Old Wen explained.

"Shadow Sect…"

He knew what it meant to be an offering to the Shadow Sect. They would serve the Shadow Sect in exchange for protection and care.

This was not too different from the mercenaries that King Duan had in his residence. As such, he didn't think much of it when Chi Hou mentioned it.

Even though some of these offerings were slightly more respected than the mercenaries he had, the respect was not much more.

This was a symbiotic relationship where both parties benefited.

As an offering, they would help the powers perform certain tasks whilst they were rewarded with money, women, or other things they wanted.

They were sort of related, but unrelated at the same time.

"Chi Hou said that Fang Zhengzhi had a few Shadow Sect elites following him when he appeared in the Northern Mountain Village. Fang Zhengzhi must be holding quite a high rank in the Shadow Sect!" Old Wen added when he saw that King Duan remained silent.

"High? How high? I think that Fang Zhengzhi probably did something for the Shadow Sect over the past year." King Duan replied in scorn.

How high ranking could a crippled individual be?

He felt that Fang Zhengzhi probably did something for the Shadow Sect in exchange for protection.

Ordinarily…

There was a limit to this protection.

Once the Shadow Sect felt that they had repaid Fang Zhengzhi for his contributions, the protection would stop.

"Yes, for the Shadow Sect to accompany and protect him all the way from the Northern Mountain Village and tip him off about tonight's attack, his contributions must have been quite major." Old Wen nodded.

"Mm, let's not talk about this. Where are those men now? This is a great opportunity for us. If we can get to those men, we can implicate the Crown Prince!" King Duan's attention was focused on those assassins.

"I estimate that they are nearing the jail now." Old Wen replied.

"The jail? Fang Zhengzhi sent them to jail? Is… is he retarded?" King Duan was stunned.

"No Fang Zhengzhi didn't do it. It was the Ninth Prince. There were soldiers around the Seven Star Lane so Fang Zhengzhi couldn't do anything about it." Old Wen explained.

"So it was Ninth Brother. That is consistent with his character." King Duan nodded and he squinted. "I think… the jail will be a messy place tonight!"

"What are you thinking?"

"The Emperor is having a banquet at the Ten Mile Lake. Knowing the Crown Prince, he will never let these assassins live past tonight." King Duan asserted.

"But we don't have anyone in the Ministry of Law."

"We don't. But I have the city guards. We just need the city guards to surround the jail and the Crown Prince won't be able to kill the assassins. He will panic then!"

"Aren't we effectively confronting the Crown Prince?" Old Wen reminded.

"Yes!"

"Your Highness, do you really think that this is the right time to do such a thing?"

"We may not have another opportunity like this one if we miss it." King Duan clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

"Okay, I'll go make the necessary arrangements."

"No need for that. You two will not be able to do much there. Virtually the entire Ministry of Law is loyal to the Crown Prince. You will not be able to hold them. I have to make the trip personally!" King Duan's gaze was icy.

"I understand." Old Wen nodded.

Mr. Hua squinted when he saw this. Then, he bowed to King Duan. "Your Highness, since you are personally making the trip, I will take my leave first!"

"Mm, you can go back and rest if you're tired." King Duan smiled.

"Thank you, your highness!" Mr. Hua nodded, bowed, then brisked walked out of the yard.

King Duan squinted as he watched Mr. Hua's silhouette disappear. However, he didn't say anything as he walked towards the gate.

"Pass my orders on. Activate squads one and two and surround the Ministry of Law. Do not allow anyone to enter before I get there!"

"Yes, sir!" One of the guards at the gate nodded and leapt onto the roof of one of the buildings before disappearing into the distance.

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Chapter 512: Flanked by soldiers

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Inside the Stabilization Constabulary…

Chi Hou was dressed in a blue robe. He toyed with a white chess piece as he looked at the chessboard. Then, he looked up at the stars and sighed. "Brother Yuanguo, let's stop here." Chi Hou prepared to stand up. "What's wrong? It's rare that you're in the city. Why don't you accompany me and play a couple more rounds?" Xing Yuanguo, dressed in a purplish golden robe, chuckled and pressed Chi Hou back down. "Haha, Brother Yuanguo, what are you saying? Why would I be unwilling to play a couple more rounds? However, the moon is bright tonight and I want to take a walk." Chi Hou chuckled. "The city is not the safest of places tonight. Brother Hong, are you sure you want to take a walk?" Xing Yuanguo advised.

"No matter how bad it is, this is still the capital. Nothing bad can happen." Chi Hou replied. "That's true. The capital is generally quite safe. I will not stop you from taking a walk, but you must at least finish this round!" Xing Yuanguo nodded. "Mm… okay!" Chi Hou nodded and refocused on the chessboard. This was a game that should have been decided long ago. There was a clear winner – white had every advantage. However, Xing Yuanguo had no intention to concede. In fact, he took advantage of Chi Hou's carelessness to regain his footing in the game. Chi Hou had no choice but to focus.

It was late at night…

Xing Yuanguo frowned as he held the black chess piece in his hand. He simply could not make up his mind. He paused for almost 10 minutes. Chi Hou looked away from the chess board and back at the dark sky and flickering stars.

At that moment, a soldier in shining armor entered the yard and walked towards Xing Yuanguo and Chi Hong. "Greetings, Lords!" "Mm, summarize what happened in the capital tonight for us." Xing Yuanguo replied calmly as he looked at the soldier and Chi Hou.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier nodded. "Fang Zhengzhi was attacked at the Seven Star Lane by Southern Region messengers. However, he was not injured. The assailants were captured and sent to the Ministry of Law on the Ninth Prince's advice. They are in jail now."

"I got it. You may leave now." Xing Yuanguo waved the soldier away. "Yes, sir!" The soldier bowed and took his leave. Chi Hou squinted and stood up. He seemed rather anxious as he looked at the soldier leave. "Brother Yuanguo, we can play anytime. Why don't we…" "Brother Hong! I will definitely let you go to the city once we're done. I'm sure you won't disappoint me!" Xing Yuanguo sounded displeased. "Erm… I'm sorry! I will not disappoint you!" Chi Hou froze and grit his teeth. Then, he took his seat but the anxiety on his face was more obvious by the second. "Brother Hong, as part of the 13 Constabularies, we have always been on the same side. I will not stop you from doing what you want to do. However, you mustn't forget that we are all working for one goal!"

"Brother Yuanguo, I have always been loyal to the 13 Constabularies…"

"Enough, let's finish this game first. I will accompany you to walk around later. I will also give you a reply as to your proposed candidate for Minister of Law."

"Thank you, Brother." Chi Hou was slightly stunned to hear Xing Yuanguo mention the Minister of Law candidate. However, he smiled to cover up the anxiety he was feeling.

The Ministry of Law was one of the six ministries and controlled the prisons. There were one minister and three assistant ministers. They were the Left, Center, and Right Assistant Minister. Ever since Minister Wan Chong had been locked up, many of the cases had been left hanging. Tonight, the Ministry of Law was not going to be quiet. The Left and Center Assistant Ministers waited anxiously at the gate. At that moment, a figure dressed in bright red official robes walked up to the gate.

"Prime Minister!" The two assistant minister stood up from their chairs and walked over to welcome the figure.

"Mm, it's been tough on both of you. I am really sorry that I have to ask both of you to make the trip here at such a late time!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smiled.

"Prime Minister, you are too kind. We are just doing our job." The two assistant ministers shook their heads and replied. "Good!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded as he looked at the corner. "Right Assistant Minister Wen Chuan didn't come?"

"Prime Minister, Wen Chuan's son, Wen Dabao, was at the Seven Star Lane today. I heard that he is still unconscious. Wen Chuan is probably still there." The two assistant minister replied truthfully. "He's still at the Seven Star Lane? That Wen Chuan… he pampers his child too much! To think that… aish, since he's not here, I will have to trouble the two of you!" Yu Yiping's gaze was cold. "We await your orders!" The two assistant ministers replied, a slight glow in their eyes. Wen Chuan's absence was a good thing for them. After all… The Minister of Law position was still unfilled. Wen Chuan's absence today would only serve to improve their chances of eventually getting that position.

The Crown Prince was in charge and the Left Prime Minister was his second in command,

This was the perfect opportunity for them to prove themselves. If Wen Chuan was going to ignore his official duties, it would only serve to cost him. "Okay then, I shall not waste any time. Arrange for the people to be released from jail." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was straightforward. "Prime Minister, rest assured. We already have the people in place inside the jail to retrieve our captives. However, the perimeter…" The Left Assistant Minister was hesitant.

"The city guards have surrounded the Ministry of Law. Why don't we strike in the jail…" The Center Assistant Minister suggested. "No!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head. "I am slightly surprised that King Duan would surround the ministry. However, it would be inappropriate if they were to die in jail!" "The Prime Minister is right. Now that the ministry has been surrounded, any loss of life inside the ministry would only further King Duan's cause. Then, he may have an advantage in pushing his candidate for Minister of Law…" "Mm, all we can do is try to get them out of the Ministry of Law. Once that is done, we can get rid of them and also blame King Duan for obstruction of justice!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's tone was icy. "The Prime Minister is wise. However, the ministry has been surrounded. How are we going to get them out?" The Left Assistant Minister asked. "I had someone carry a carriage over when I came. There are four sections in the carriage. If we place all eight of them into the carriage, it is bound to raise suspicions. Are you two willing to take that risk?" "Erm…" the two assistant ministers understood what the Left Prime Minister was getting at. It was common for people to smuggle other people or goods in carriages. Sometimes, when concubines wanted to smuggle items in, they would use this method as well.

It wasn't a very secure way to do it. But, it was the most convenient and common method. "You two need not worry too much. I'll be around so even King Duan would not rip apart the carriage to check it!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping could sense the hesitation. "Okay, since we have the Prime Minister here, I have no other worries." "Me neither!"

The two assistant ministers looked at each other before gritting their teeth and agreeing to the plan.

"Mm, it's a pity Wen Chuan isn't here today. Of the eight men, I will hide two and you will each hide two more. As for the last two…"

"Prime Minister, please rest assured. My wife is out tonight. I will get someone to call her over and man the fourth compartment!" The Left Assistant Minister offered. "Thank you for the help!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded.

Even though the Left Assistant Minister put on a calm facade, he was celebrating inside. He was almost certain that he would have the Minister of Law position firmly in his hands after tonight.

The Center Assistant Minister was rather frustrated.

His moment of hesitation had been capitalized upon by the Left Assistant Minister. The Center Assistant Minister wanted to knock his head on the wall! He had missed such a golden opportunity!

He was just mocking Wen Chuan for not recognizing the opportunity that presented itself tonight. Yet now, he was the one who had missed an opportunity.

Outside the Ministry of Law's administrative office.

Two rows of city guards in gleaming armor stood at the sides. They held a torch in their hands and lit up the gates.

Outside the walls of the administrative office, there were groups of city guards patrolling the grounds, torches, and spears in hand.

There were many spectators who lined the roads to see what this was about. However, no one dared to go near the gates.

"What is happening?"

"Who knows? All I heard was that they captured a few Southern Region messengers from the Seven Star Lane! They were trying to kill someone there!"

"Kill someone? Who?"

"Who else? Fang Zhengzhi of course! However, I think they failed and got caught instead. I heard that they are in jail. I wonder why the city guards have surrounded the ministry?"

The crowd began to discuss what was happening under their breaths. At that moment, a squad came sprinting in from afar. The leader was dressed in a white robe and had a silver sword at his waist.

It was King Duan.

"Oh? King Duan is here!" "Is this something major?"

"It would seem like the Ministry of Law is rather chaotic tonight."

The crowd parted to the side and watched with wide eyes as King Duan and his squad approached.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

The city guards welcomed King Duan respectfully.

"Mm, please rise. Did anyone enter?" King Duan waved the kneeling soldiers off and asked.

"Your Highness, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping went in moments ago. We couldn't stop them. The Left Assistant Minister's wife is also inside. She was brought in by the Left Prime Minister." One of the guards replied.

"Oh, he came here personally? They do find this very important!" King Duan frowned. He was just about to speak when the gates made a sound.

Then, the red gates began to open.

King Duan's gaze froze as he smiled icily, "Good for you Yu Yiping. You choose the main gate instead of the side gate!"

King Duan was right…

Yu Yiping exited the front gate in a convoy of four carriages. He simply tried to waltz right through. "Stop there!"

The city guards lowered their spears to block Yu Yiping's convoy. Their spears glimmered icily in the night.

"How dare you?!" A voice could be heard from within as the carriages stopped. Yu Yiping, dressed in bright red robes, stepped out.

He glared at the city guards icily. The city guards instinctively took a step back when they saw Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. They knew how influential and powerful this man was. "You are all city guards. Why aren't you ensuring the peace? What are you doing blocking my way? Who gave you the courage to do something so audacious?" Yu Yiping glared at them and raised his voice. The city guards took two more steps back when they heard Yu Yiping's voice. They were speechless. They didn't have the answers to Yu Yiping's questions.

"It is only natural that you would scold these city guards as the Prime Minister. However, they are under my command. Before you berate them, shouldn't you say hello to me first?" King Duan spoke up when he saw this.

"Greetings, King Duan, I deserve to die for that mistake. I didn't see you. However, I never expected that your highness would have the mood to be here… after all that has happened in the city." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was stunned but still managed to find a reply.

However, everyone could hear that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's tone was provocative and mocking.

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Chapter 513: Forced through

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"I can't possibly be more free than yourself Prime Minister. You choose not to stay in your residence and instead choose to come all the way here. Are you thinking of taking the Minister of Law position… before it is decided?"

King Duan had sparred with Yu Yiping many times in the courts. He could hear the provocation in the tone so he decided to do away with the formalities.

When everyone heard this…

All of them looked at each other. In the courts, these barbs were usually traded in a more civil manner. Such outright confrontations were rare.

After all, these were two high ranking and powerful men. One was the Left Prime Minister and the leader of the other officials. The other was King Duan, the sixth son of the Emperor and the commander of the army and city guards.

They were both powerful and respectable men. But now… These two men were trading barbs in front of countless spectators without bothering to hide their intentions under some niceties. "I am the leader of the officials. Now that there is no Minister of Law, it is only right for me to come and take a look at how things are, especially with all that has happened tonight." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping squinted. He knew that things were going to be ugly today.

However, he had no other choice. He was hiding men in the back of his carriage. If he lost out now…

The consequences would be disastrous.

"There is nothing wrong with that. However… may I know what you asked whilst you were here?" King Duan nodded lightly.

"I never expected King Duan to be so concerned with the affairs of the Ministry of Law. However, I think you should be more concerned with how something like that could have happened today? Were the city guards too relaxed? Or are they just incompetent?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping didn't back down.

"Haha… you don't have to bother about how I manage my soldiers. Why don't you mind your own business?"

"Since that is the case, why are you meddling in mine?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's voice was icy. He waved to the carriages behind him, "Let's go!"

"Hang on!" King Duan was not going to let Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping leave so easily. He stopped them even before they could move.

At that moment, city guards rushed up and lowered their swords at the throats of the drivers.

"King Duan, what is the meaning of this?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression was solemn.

As the leader of the officials, he wielded great power! He answered only to one man, but he still didn't have any control over the soldiers or the army.

"Prime Minister, I cannot stop you from leaving, but I need to check the carriages first!" King Duan replied.

"Your Highness, you want to search my carriages?"

"Are you hiding something inside that you are afraid I will find?"

"Hahaha… your highness, of course there is nothing of that sort inside. However, shouldn't you give me a reason why you want to search the carriages?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping chuckled.

"Simply because I am the commander of the city guards and want to ensure the safety of the city. Is that reason enough?" King Duan retorted.

"Of course it is. However, can I interpret that as you suspect that I would do something to harm the city?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression was icy.

"It is just a routine check, why do you need to read so much into it? Men, open up the carriages and search them!" King Duan was not about to fall into the trap. He didn't want to continue arguing with Yu Yiping. "How dare you!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's glared icily at the men. "What's wrong? Are you feeling guilty? What are you hiding inside these carriages? Or are you hiding felons that you just broke out of the prison?" King Duan squinted as he looked at the carriages.

"King Duan, you have to be careful of what you say. What would you do if there is nothing in these carriages?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping clenched his fists.

"If I can't find anything, I will apologize to you in front of everyone! Are there any more concerns?" King Duan had already made up his mind to search the carriages tonight.

After all, he was almost certain that these carriages were where they hid those assassins. There was no way he was going to let them go.

"Apologize to me in front of everyone? Okay then. You don't need your men to do it. You can even search the carriages yourself if you like!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping nodded and opened up the doors to the carriages.

At that moment…

Everyone's eyes looked inside the carriage.

King Duan looked into the carriage as well. The carriage was completely empty.

King Duan was slightly confused. Were they not inside the carriage? But… Something was wrong! If they weren't in the carriage, why would Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping leave now? Had he already killed them in jail?

King Duan dismissed that thought.

If the criminals had died in the prison it would be a good thing for him. After all, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had been there at night.

That would make him one of the suspects in the murder investigation. If he knew this, so did Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping!

So…

There was no way Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping could have ordered their deaths inside the jail. He would try to get them out, perhaps even out of the city.

What happened after that was up to Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. "How is it? Have you had a good look, your highness? Do I have anything hidden inside the carriages?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping closed the doors.

It was a small movement, but King Duan noticed it immediately.

To many people, opening and closing the doors was a small thing. However, King Duan was able to sense that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was hiding something.

"I think that that look was insufficient! Men, tear open the carriages!" King Duan ordered, his gaze icy.

"Stop! King Duan, even though I am only a Prime Minister and lower ranked than you, I believe that I should still be accorded some respect. If you want to rip apart my carriage, you will have to do so over my dead body!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's expression was solemn.

It was extremely humiliating for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping to have his carriages ripped apart.

The crowd nodded their agreement when they heard this. "Ripping open the carriages is too much!"

"Even a king shouldn't do that to a Prime Minister!"

"This concerns Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's honor and reputation. King Duan has already checked the carriages and there was nothing inside! He is just making things difficult for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

Even though the crowd kept their volume down, King Duan still heard everything they said.

King Duan could choose to ignore the crowd.

However, he did not dare to check Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's carriages if he had to do so over Yu Yiping's dead body.

At least…

Not right now…

However, he did not want to let Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping leave like that. He could tell from Yu Yiping's expression…

The assassins were in the carriages.

What was he to do now?

King Duan clenched his fists. He didn't want to let Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping off without searching the carriages but he knew that it was virtually impossible for him to search them thoroughly.

It was a stalemate.

The city guards blocked Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's way. No one dared to advance but they didn't retreat.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping raised his head and looked at the guards and the crowd. He squinted, his eyes glowing icily.

"Your Highness, you've already checked the carriages. Shouldn't you offer me an apology?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smirked.

He shouldn't be antagonizing King Duan now, but he knew that King Duan wasn't going to let him go without a fight. So…

He might as well fight it!

The greater the commotion, the better! He wanted the entire city to see how King Duan was bullying him!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping looked at the servants behind him. When they saw the look on Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's face, they understood what they had to do immediately. "King Duan is a bully and is abusing his power!"

"He stopped the Left Prime Minister at the gate and asked to search the carriage! When he found nothing, not only did he not apologize, he wants to rip apart the carriages! There is no law and order here!" "Even a king cannot be that unreasonable!"

The servants began to holler at the top of their lungs.

The other servants also took the lead and began shouting at the top of their lungs.

Not only were they screaming…

Some even tried to run out!

The scene was now quite chaotic as the city guards tried to rein in the escaping and shouting servants. King Duan's expression was extremely dark and solemn. He knew what these servants were doing. They were effectively trying to force his hand. If word got out that he tried to make life difficult for the Left Prime Minister and tried to rip open his carriages, the Emperor would definitely come down hard on him. What was he to do?

Was he really going to let Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping leave just like that?

King Duan was extremely bitter. He knew that the men were inside but he had no way of proving it.

"King Duan, it's alright if you're still unwilling to offer me your apology. I will wait till the Emperor is back and take it up with him! Right now… we'll be leaving!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smirked and waved to his servants.

At that moment, the servants felt a wave of relief.

The other servants also heaved a sigh of relief and returned to their carriages.

"Raise!" A voice echoed through the air.

Then, the four carriages were raised and they charged towards the city guards without hesitation.

The city guards turned to look at King Duan, waiting for him to give the order.

King Duan wanted to speak, but he couldn't find any words. His lips twitched and his eyes glimmered icily.

The four carriages came in front of King Duan.

At that moment, the four carriages began to shake violently, almost as if the servants were unable to keep them still.

"What's going on?"

"Are the servants drunk?"

"Is there really something inside the carriages?" "Is there really something inside the carriages?"

The crowd began to guess as they looked at the shaky carriages.

When King Duan saw this, his eyes brightened and he drew his sword, "There are assassins hidden in the carriages! Force them out and protect the ministers!"

"Yes, sir!" The city guards were initially stunned by the command but they reacted quickly.

At that moment, the city guards sprang into action without any hesitation, surrounding all the carriages.

"Stop them!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bellowed from inside the carriage.

The servants around the carriages reacted instantly and drew their weapons. However, they were no match for the city guards.

There were almost 1000 city guards.

The city guards went around the servants and stabbed their spears at the carriages.

"Boom!"

"Boom…"

The sounds rang out in succession and the four carriages exploded like a blooming flower, the remnants spewing in all directions.

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Chapter 514: Fabrication

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Even though the ministers were rather humiliated and embarrassed, they did not panic. They leaped into the air and landed on the ground. However, the Left Assistant Minister's wife wasn't able to react in time. She was quite pretty and she was often pampered by her husband. She had never been attacked in a carriage before.

She was thrown to the ground and her dress was cut by the flying pieces of wood. There were countless wounds on her body.

The crowd and guards saw this. "Wow!"

They all squinted and used their hands to cover their eyes in an attempt to show some respect.

However, their gasps were heard soon after.

Because…

There were eight other figures lying on the ground who attracted even more attention than the wife of the Left Assistant Minister.

These men wore heavy rattan armor and they looked extremely shocked when they landed on the floor.

King Duan's eyes brightened when he saw them.

He didn't even need to take a second look to know that these men were the Southern Region messengers captured on this night.

The crowd was in disbelief when they saw the eight Southern Region messengers appear.

"They were really hiding in the carriages?"

"These criminals were being hidden in these carriages? They were being broken out?"

"This… this is going to be interesting!"

The crowd understood what was happening instantly. After all, news of tonight's events at the Seven Star Lane had spread like wildfire. The attempted assassination of Fang Zhengzhi and the subsequent incarceration of the perpetrators on advice from the Ninth Prince was known to everyone. They also knew that the Southern Region messengers had been escorted to the jail by soldiers. And now…

The eight of them had appeared in the carriages of the two assistant ministers and Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. Even an idiot would know what was happening! He was breaking them out!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was rather embarrassed, but that was not the most important thing right now. He paled when he saw the eight Southern Region messengers. Up.dated b.y B o x Novel. com

He couldn't figure out why the eight of them would shake inside the carriages when they were about to leave. Their movements had given King Duan reason to attack. "What was happening?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was confused.

He knew the identities of these eight men. It was precisely because he knew who they were that caused him to be this surprised. Even if they had been stabbed inside the carriages, they should be able to remain still.

But that was all not important right now. These men had already jumped out of the carriage. He needed to solve the immediate problem.

He needed to have a reason! He had to find something reasonable! Many reasons flew through the mind of Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. However, he rejected most of them without a second thought.

Because… There was no way he could find an explanation for this.

However, this did not cause Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping to panic. As a Left Prime Minister, he had seen much in his decades in the court.

He had to remain calm. "I never expected that you would attack me! Good, very good! I will definitely report this to the Emperor! You better prepare an explanation!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping raged. "What's wrong? Are you not planning to explain what is happening here?" King Duan's eyes glittered as he looked at the eight shocked Southern Region messengers. "Is there a need for an explanation? What's wrong with two assistant ministers removing these criminals for trial?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping looked at the two ministers.

When they heard this, they looked at each other, straightened their robes, then walked over.

"Yes, after we found out what happened, we began to gather the facts and we are about to bring these suspects to the Seven Star Lane to gather evidence. This was a secret mission, thus we didn't report it to you. We hope that you will forgive us. However, could you please give us an explanation as to why you are obstructing us from collecting evidence?" The Left Assistant Minister chimed in.

As the assistant minister, he knew the rules much better than Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and could find a reasonable excuse.

"Minister, you do have a quick mind and a glib tongue. They were just sent to jail and you want to send them to the Seven Star Lane already?" King Duan tightened the grip on his sword.

"King Duan, are you questioning our processes? If you are, you may bring it up to the Emperor!" The Left Assistant Minister couldn't back down now.

Furthermore, he still had his ways of explaining his actions to the Emperor.

After all, they had their own ways of handling special cases. In times like this, sometimes a covert operation was required.

He could then throw the ball into King Duan's court and blame him for obstructing justice.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smirked when he heard this.

The crowd looked at each other in confusion when they heard what was happening.

It was back to a stalemate once again.

However…

At that very moment, one of the Southern Region messengers lunged at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and grabbed onto his thigh.

"Prime Minister, save me! Our plan for tonight has already been exposed! We don't want to die, please save us!" The Southern Region messenger pleaded. "Boom!" This change of events shocked everyone present.

Even the two assistant ministers' eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets when they heard this. They never expected that the Southern Region messengers would say such a thing.

The blood drained from Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's face. How was this possible?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping glared at the Southern Region messenger hugging his thigh in disbelief.

These men were mercenaries!

Mercenaries?!

These were people who would never reveal who they were working for under any circumstances! So what was this all about? Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was in disbelief. Complete and utter disbelief.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was not alone. Even King Duan was surprised. Why would they find someone so inept? Did they betray their master?

Furthermore, they had no reason to do so! They had the upper hand, but they decided to betray Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

What was happening?

King Duan simply couldn't understand what was happening.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping grit his teeth in shock. Then, his body shuddered even whilst he tried to calm himself down. "What are you talking about? I don't know any of you!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bellowed as he glared at the messenger. "Prime Minister, how can you leave us in the lurch? You told us to use killing Fang Zhengzhi as an excuse to kill Yan Xiu! You told us that nothing would go wrong! Now that something has gone wrong, you have to save us!" The Southern Region messenger pleaded, ignoring the glare.

"What… what nonsense are you spouting?!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping paled. He had lost control of the situation. This was a setup. He had walked right into a trap. He had never told them to kill Yan Xiu! What was happening?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping couldn't understand why things would take a turn for the worse all of a sudden.

He had cultivated these men for many years. They would never betray him!

Left Prime Minister glared at the Southern Region messengers.

Then, he noticed a smirk on that messenger's face. This man was out to get him! He understood everything at that moment.

Fang Zhengzhi!

That was the only explanation that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping could think of. After all, these men were captured from the Seven Star Lane! He had suspected that it could be a trap.

He had only dismissed that thought after he found out that the Ninth prince was the one who insisted that they were sent here. Furthermore, these men were escorted here by soldiers and not city guards.

But now…

He realized that this was a trap that he had walked into. Furthermore, this was a trap from which he couldn't escape. Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping felt a chill down his back.

He thought about what would have happened if the Crown Prince had come instead of him. Would they have said that the Crown Prince sent them to assassinate Yan Xiu? If this accusation was assumed to be true…

How would Yan Qianli react?

"Fang Zhengzhi… good on you. What a vicious plan!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had always thought that he was the one in the dark. He never realized that Fang Zhengzhi had been playing him all along.

When did he do it? How could he swap the men without anyone noticing? Oh yes!

When the doors were locked!

It was a stroke of genius! If the doors to the Seven Star Lane weren't locked, he couldn't carry out his plan! And Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's men had done it for him!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping felt a chill as he looked up into the sky. He had sacrificed much to get to the position he held today.

But now…

It was all about to be destroyed…

He was bitter.

He was extremely bitter!

"No, I still have a chance of coming back from this. I have to capture them and interrogate them! I will definitely be able to tie this back to Fang Zhengzhi!" His eyes glittered with excitement, "How dare you malign a rank one official! Men, arrest these b*stards!"

"Prime Minister… you… you betrayed us!" The Southern Region messenger rolled away from the Left Prime Minister. "Arrest them!" "Charge, arrest the eight of them!"

The two assistant ministers reacted and gave the command to their guards. There was no reply.

The guards had already charged.

"Kill!"

"Don't let them run!"

The guards raised their weapons.

The hate in the eyes of the eight Southern Region messengers was clear. "Prime Minister, you are vicious indeed!" "I never thought that you would betray us after so many years of loyal service. We will fight this out!" "Kill!"

The eight Southern Region messengers began fighting their way out.

One of the city guards standing beside King Duan turned to look at him for orders. "Your Highness, what do we do now?" The city guard asked softly.

"There is an old strategy that was once adopted by the great Han Xin. It is known as "Confuse the enemy with your actions and hide your true motives". Do you know what I mean?" King Duan smirked icily.

"Yes, sir!" The city guard's eyes glittered as he called the other guards over. "Protect the ministers and arrest the criminals!"

"Yes!" The city guards responded in unison.

The raised their weapons and began to fan out. They surrounded the ministers as well as their guards.

They pushed the eight Southern Region messengers to the side.

The expressions of the ministers changed when they saw this. As the Left Prime Minister, Yu Yiping was not weak.

However…

He couldn't possibly attack city guards.

"Go away! I don't need your protection!"

"Go away!" The two assistant ministers were equally flustered. They couldn't do anything as long as they were being surrounded by city guards!

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Chapter 515: Lethal Blow

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bellowed at the city guards. He was extremely anxious. If the right Southern Region messengers escaped, he would not be able to absolve himself from blame. As such, the city guards were not going to move away from the ministers. They continued to hold their ground under the pretext that they were protecting the ministers. They didn't move despite the constant screaming and bellowing.

The eight Southern Region messengers looked at each other, then charged through the servants and guards and tried to make a break for it. "Stop them!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was on the verge of panicking.

He didn't care if he was being surrounded by city guards. His body turned into a ray of light as he shot through them. He sent eight city guards rolling on the ground spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

"Ah! The Prime Minister is killing us!"

"Prime Minister… we are trying to protect you!"

"Aiya!"

The city guards began to scream and shout as they fell to the ground when Yu Yiping charged through them.

The other city guards also shouted at the top of their lungs. "Mercy, Prime Minister, mercy!"

King Duan drew his sword and lowered it in front of Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

"Prime Minister, why did you attack the city guards?"

"…" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was bitter.

He knew exactly what King Duan was thinking but there were certain things that he couldn't say. He had no choice but to charge through…

He had to try and stop the Southern Region messengers from escaping.

He grit his teeth and didn't respond. He morphed into a ray of light and went around King Duan. He shot towards the fleeing messengers. However…

King Duan had bought enough time for the city guards to intercept Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping once again. They formed a wall in front of him.

"Move aside!" A glow appeared in Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's palm. It was as bright as the moon.

As this glow lit up, an icy wave swept across the city guards and pushed them to the side. There was a layer of frost on the ground.

The surrounding citizens were all shocked to see what was happening.

"Run, they're about to fight!"

"What's going on? Why is the Left Prime Minister fighting the city guards?"

"Oh gosh… lives are going to be lost."

The crowd began to run away in all directions.

Both the assistant ministers were speechless when they saw the chaos. They were incredibly bitter.

However, there was nothing that they could do about it.

They knew what Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was thinking, but they were in a dilemma as well.

Ever since they were made assistant ministers, their minds had been focused on politics and wealth. They only used their mouth and were rarely required to take action.

But this was the capital.

The Left Prime Minister, a rank one official, had attacked the city guards! There was no way they could keep this under wraps.

The two of them made their decision almost instantly.

Since they couldn't do anything to make this go away, they had to do what was most beneficial for them. That meant capturing the eight Southern Region messengers.

"The criminals are fleeing! Arrest them!"

"Have all the guards in the Ministry of Law surround and arrest them!"

"Arrest whoever dares to obstruct the course of justice!"

The two assistant ministers threw caution out of the window. Since King Duan was determined to stop them, they had no choice but to try to break out of this.

The guards and wardens of the Ministry of Law charged through the gates.

"Catch the criminals!"

"Move aside, we are trying to arrest criminals!"

The drew their swords and one group charged at some of the city guards standing guard at the gates. The other group tried to go around the guards. Things were getting out of control.

King Duan chuckled icily. His blockade had given the eight Southern Region messengers plenty of time to run away.

As long as they managed to escape, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping would never be able to absolve himself from blame.

King Duan could tell that these eight Southern Region messengers were 'imposters' and not the original eight sent to carry out the plan. It was a trap. A trap designed by Fang Zhengzhi.

Even though he didn't plan to follow Fang Zhengzhi's plan all the way through, he was not about to pass up such a golden opportunity.

This was a chance for him to inflict some serious damage on Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. If these men ran away and couldn't be brought to justice…

It would cause some serious hurt to Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

However…

At that very moment, the eight Southern Region messengers stopped and looked around, almost as though they were choosing their escape path.

"Split up and run, dumbasses! How can you not know something so simple?" King Duan cussed them out in his heart. He scorned Fang Zhengzhi's choice of people.

Why would he find such idiots?

Don't they know how to escape?

The Shadow Sect…

They weren't so great after all!

Just as he was thinking about it, a few voices cut through the air.

"Let's run to the Southern Gate! The Eastern Gate is heavily guarded, we will charge through the Southern Gate!"

"Okay, we will all go there!"

"Yes! Let's charge together! We will live as long as we manage to break the defences!"

The Southern Region messengers screamed enthusiastically. Their voices could be heard by everyone on the streets.

"…" King Duan's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets. He really wanted to fall to the ground. He had never seen such idiotic criminals in his life.

Not only did they not split up, they announced where they were running towards! They wanted to fight their way out? Where did they think they were?

This was the capital!

Why were they that stupid?!

King Duan was furious and bitter. He hated the fact that these eight people were so useless. He hated Fang Zhengzhi's choice of men.

If they were caught, it was all over. U.p..dated by BoxNo

This was great news for the ministers! Their eyes brightened almost instantly.

"South Gate?"

"Quickly, take the shortcut and cut them off!"

"Cut them off at the South Gate!"

The two assistant ministers gave the order almost immediately.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping looked at a servant standing behind him and threw him a token. "Get soldiers to the South Gate!"

"Yes, sir!" The servant retrieved the token and sprinted away.

King Duan was furious. He knew that the Southern Region messengers could not possibly escape. He was extremely bitter.

Victory was so close, yet so far.

"Is it a bluff? They may have split up towards the East and North Gate." King Duan thought that there was a good possibility of that happening.

However, Lady Luck was not on his side. Because…

After the eight Southern Region messengers finished their discussion, they sprinted towards the Southern Gate, screaming as they did so.

"Charge!"

"Charge!!"

"…" King Duan was speechless. He couldn't believe that it was possible for people to be that idiotic.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was equally confused.

The Southern Region messengers sounded like they wanted him to pursue them. They were announcing where they were running towards! He felt like something was amiss.

There was even more to it. These Southern Region messengers always kept within his sight. Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had no choice but to give chase.

"Move aside!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's body disappeared in a flash of light as he pursued the eight fleeing figures.

… Inside the courtyard of the Stabilization Constabulary.

Xing Yuanguo held a chess piece in his hand as he pondered.

At that moment, a black lifeform shot down from the sky and landed on Xing Yuanguo's shoulder.

It was a messenger bird.

This was widely used by the army.

Chi Hou was rather shocked to see this. These birds were only used for urgent reports or orders.

However, Xing Yuanguo didn't seem surprised or anxious. He calmly removed the letter container from the bird's claws and took out the letter.

"What's wrong?" Chi Hou asked.

"Nothing." Xing Yuanguo placed his piece on the board and smiled. "Brother, I've lost!"

Lost?

Chi Hou was stunned. Xing Yuanguo was conceding? Shouldn't he have conceded a long time ago? Just as Chi Hou was about to speak, he realized that this meant the round was over.

"Brother Yuanguo, are you saying that this round… is over?" Chi Hou whispered.

"Mm, this round is over. I will accompany you for a walk now as per our agreement." Xing Yuanguo nodded and stood up from his chair.

"Brother Yuanguo, you can rest first if you're tired. I'll just go walk around myself." Chi Hou murmured after some hesitation.

"No worries, I'm not tired." Xing Yuanguo shook his head.

Then, he pulled Chi Hou out of the yard by his hand. He was walking rather quickly.

This made Chi Hou slightly suspicious.

He could tell that Xing Yuanguo was trying to stall for time during the chess game. But if that was the case, why was he walking so fast now?

Was it the note?

He didn't think too much and Xing Yuanguo didn't explain. Most importantly, Xing Yuanguo was almost sprinting out of the yard.

He shot towards the gate. "My lord!"

"My lord!"

The soldiers guarding the Stabilization Constabulary greeted them respectfully as they approached.

Xing Yuanguo nodded lightly but didn't stop.

Before long, they were out the gates.

"Brother Yuanguo, where are we going?" Chi Hou was rather curious about why he was being dragged out. Most importantly, he had something on his mind.

Something he couldn't stop thinking about.

He knew for a fact that the capital was not peaceful tonight.

"We are almost there. Brother Hong, you will know when we are there." Xing Yuanguo didn't offer up any additional explanation. He continued sprinting away, a purple light flickering on his body.

The wind brushed by their ears.

Chu Hou's body glowed green. He knew exactly how fast Xing Yuanguo and he were traveling.

However, he didn't know…

Why they had to run so fast…

Was something about to happen?

Just as he was thinking about it, he saw some figures in the distance.

The capital was usually bustling and there were many people roaming the streets. However, Chi Hou was rather shocked to see these figures.

He recognized them.

"Fang Zhengzhi?! Ping Yang! Yan Xiu… why are they here?" Chi Hou looked at Xing Yuanguo, trying to read his expression.

However, Xing Yuanguo remained calm and expressionless.

Was it a coincidence?

No!

Chi Hou dismissed that thought almost immediately. All the events over the past few moments couldn't possibly have been a coincidence.

If it wasn't a coincidence…

Then what was it?

Could it be that Fang Zhengzhi and Xing Yuanguo had conspired? Was Xing Yuanguo involved as well?

Chi Hou didn't believe that. Even though Fang Zhengzhi and Xing Yuanguo had interacted on Cang Ling Mountain and in the Southern Region, Xing Yuanguo would never help Fang Zhengzhi with this.

Xing Yuanguo represented the 13 Constabularies.

Xing Yuanguo's stand was the same was that of the 13 Constabularies. If Xing Yuanguo interfered in this, it would also mean that he was interfering in the battle for the throne.

Xing Yuanguo would never do that.

As such, why would they meet Fang Zhengzhi and company here? What were they doing here?

What…

What in the world happened in the capital?

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Chapter 516: Chaos

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Chi Hou didn't understand it. However, his eyes widened in shock. He realized that there were eight figures sprinting towards Fang Zhengzhi from the other direction.

"Southern Region messengers?!" Chi Hou recognized them instantly and prepared to strike. Then, he saw another figure behind the eight messengers.

This figure's speed…

Was almost as fast as Xing Yuanguo and him.

However, his red official robes were easily recognizable. He knew that this was Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

"What's wrong?" Chi Hou saw how anxious Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was and felt a wave of suspicion.

Even though he was not an official in the capital, he knew Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping quite well. Yu Yiping was rarely flustered.

Furthermore, soon after Yu Yiping appeared in the distance, two other figures entered his field of vision.

The Center and Left Assistant Ministers of the Ministry of Law.

They were surrounded by wardens and guards in black. King Duan and the city guards followed closely behind.

This was quite the ridiculous sight.

This was the capital.

Chi Hou was extremely shocked. He knew that the capital would not be peaceful tonight, but even this was beyond his wildest imagination.

Chi Hou turned to look at Xing Yuanguo.

Xing Yuanguo was as calm as ever. He looked like an independent observer as he looked at the sprinting figures.

"Brother Yuanguo, should we…" Chi Hou asked as he tried to figure out what was unfolding before his very eyes.

"No need. We will just observe from here." Xing Yuanguo shook his head and settled down about 200m away from Fang Zhengzhi's position.

"Here?" Chi Hou wanted to say something when he saw the tree in front of him. However, he still nodded, "Sure, we will do as you say."

At that moment, the eight Southern Region messengers went around Fang Zhengzhi and disappeared into a dark alley.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the two assistant ministers began to panic when they saw this. As they prepared to rush in after the messengers, they spotted Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping, his eyes glittering as he smirked.

"Prime Minister, you seem to be in a hurry… where are you headed?" Fang Zhengzhi waved and greeted Yu Yiping.

"Move aside, I have official matters to attend to!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had no mood to entertain Fang Zhengzhi.

"Official business? Are you talking about the escaped criminals?" Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the alley.

"So what if it is?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had no intention of stopping.

When the two assistant ministers and the guards saw Fang Zhengzhi, they raised their swords.

They were ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Move aside!"

"Do you know the penalty for obstruction of justice?"

Two of the guards bellowed when they saw Fang Zhengzhi.

"Scram! How dare you raise your voice in front of me?" Ping Yang bellowed and stepped forward.

"…" The two guards retreated almost instantly. They didn't dare to speak again and chose to hide behind the two assistant ministers.

It was clear…

They were scared of Ping Yang.

"Fang Zhengzhi, I am pursuing criminals right now! If you continue to stand in my way, I will not show you any mercy!" He knew how domineering Ping Yang was, but he had no other choice now.

"Prime Minister, I think you're mistaken. I am Fang Zhengzheng." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"I don't care if you're Fang Zhengzhi or Fang Zhengzheng! Step aside! Now!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's glare was icy.

He knew why Fang Zhengzhi was waiting for him here.

"Left Prime Minister, there is no need to hurry! You are just trying to catch some escaped criminals. I can swear on my life that I will make sure that they are brought to justice. If I obstruct justice tonight, I will take all responsibility!" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled lightly.

"What do you mean?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was stunned.

The guards and the assistant ministers standing behind Yu Yiping were equally confused. Even King Duan couldn't figure out what was happening.

King Duan wasn't surprised that Fang Zhengzhi was here.

This was a way to delay Yu Yiping.

However, why would Fang Zhengzhi take responsibility for this delay? That was not wise!

"What I mean is… since I happen to be in the area, I can't watch idly by as the criminals escape." Fang Zhengzhi replied calmly.

"You can't watch idly by as they escape?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping glared at Fang Zhengzhi solemnly.

He knew that these men were Fang Zhengzhi's.

So why would he stop them from escaping?

Did he think that Yu Yiping was an idiot?!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was not falling for that! There was no free lunch in this world!

The two assistant ministers didn't believe Fang Zhengzhi either.

King Duan was shocked when he heard what Fang Zhengzhi said.

However, Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of explaining himself. He turned into the alley and whistled.

"Ah!"

"We will never go to jail!"

"Brothers, we will do better in our next lives!"

After Fang Zhengzhi whistled, shouts echoed through the alley and a few figures walked out.

These were members of the royal guard.

The leader was the deputy commander, Bai Qi.

The royal guards held eight bodies in their arms. There was blood flowing from those bodies and it stained the ground red.

"You… you killed them?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened.

"How is that possible? Prime Minister, you heard it yourself! They committed suicide! We only surrounded them!" Bai Qi waved Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping off.

"Mm, I can verify that!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"I, Princess Ping Yang, can too!" Ping Yang nodded.

"Mm, these people clearly committed suicide." Yan Xiu replied.

"Committed suicide?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping believed that his mercenaries would commit suicide. However, these were Fang Zhengzhi's men.

Why would they commit suicide?

Just as he was thinking about that, Bai Qi leaned over and felt the faces of one of the Southern Region messengers. Then, his eyes brightened.

"Your Highness, I think that these men are wearing masks. If I am correct, they are imposters." Bai Qi asserted.

"Imposters? Then why don't you remove the masks and let me take a look?" Ping Yang exclaimed in shock.

"Take off the masks? I would like to… no!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was about to nod. Then, he realized what was happening and he felt a shiver down his spine.

He finally understood what was happening.

But…

It was too late.

Bai Qi was quick, and so were the other members of the royal guard. They removed the masks quickly and efficiently.

Time seemed to freeze as the masks were ripped off.

Everyone leaned in to take a look at the true identities of the eight assassins. When they saw these men, they felt a chill rise up from the base of their feet.

King Duan also looked at the eight "Southern Region messengers". He too was shocked by what he saw.

Then…

He chuckled.

However, his joy did not last long. He too felt a chill down his spine.

Now that things were this way…

He finally figured out Fang Zhengzhi's plan.

It was a vicious plan!

It was even more vicious than he had ever expected!

Initially, he had already thought that Fang Zhengzhi's plan was perfect and vicious. However, only now did he realize how vicious and thorough Fang Zhengzhi was.

Prior to this, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping may have been in some trouble, but he still had a chance to recover.

But now…

His entire future was ruined.

There was absolutely no way he would be able to recover from this. Fang Zhengzhi had used facts to pin the crime on Yu Yiping.

There was no way to overturn this.

The eight assassins were not Southern Region messengers. Three of them were mercenaries in Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's residence.

The other five were leaders in the army.

With the 'testimony' of these men in front of the crowd and King Duan and the city guards as witness, coupled with their bodies as evidence…

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping would be buried!

"Hahaha… what a great plan!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's body shuddered as he laughed. Tears formed in his eyes, "Good, very good, I am in awe!"

At that moment, he knew exactly what had happened. In fact, he had understood this plan from the moment Bai Qi wanted to remove the mask.

Fang Zhengzhi had used eight men to impersonate the eight assassins Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping sent.

Then, his men were to reveal the plot against Fang Zhengzhi that night, and even make up a story that the real target was Yan Xiu.

Then, when Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping tried to chase them…

They would disappear into an alley and they would present the prepared bodies.

This was a solid case.

The eight assassins were dead. The dead could not testify. The Emperor would have no choice but to believe the evidence in front of him.

The two assistant ministers stared at the eight bodies. As ministers in the Ministry of Law, they knew that there was no chance to overturn a case like that.

"That's it, that's it…" The two assistant ministers looked at each other. They knew what was about to happen.

After Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping was destroyed, they would have no chance to recover either.

They were the ones who had helped Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping smuggle these men out of the jail. They were already implicated from the start.

The countless guards and wardens were extremely bitter as well. They would be implicated too.

The streets were silent.

In the near distance, Chi Hou stared at the eight bodies from under a huge tree. He was in shock and awe.

"Brother Hong, what do you think?" Xing Yuanguo asked.

"I… I don't know." Chi Hou shook his head and looked away from Xing Yuanguo.

"You do know. And based on your abilities, I am sure you can deduce what happened without knowing what happened at the Ministry of Law." Xing Yuanguo replied calmly.

"Brother Yuanguo… yes I have to admit that Fang Zhengzhi's plan was perfect and vicious!" Chi Hou replied after some hesitation.

"The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world… I don't get it sometimes either. Could it be that there may still be changes?" Xing Yuanguo murmured as he looked at the stars.

"Changes? What changes could there be? No matter how smart he is, he is still a crippled man! Brother Yuanguo, don't you have faith in your niece?" Chi Hou frowned.

"Mm…" Xing Yuanguo nodded, then looked to the gates, "Brother Hong, why don't you guess how Yan Qianli would react when he hears that Yan Xiu was the target of an assassination?"

"Yan Xiu? The target of an assassination? What do you mean?"

"Fang Zhengzhi had his imposters say that the Left Prime Minister sent them to kill Yan Xiu under the guise of killing Fang Zhengzhi."

"Ah?! Is… is Fang Zhengzhi crazy? Is he trying to cause chaos?!"

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Chapter 517: Prince Yan has arrived

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Chaos?" Xing Yuanguo didn't rebut Chi Hou. He knew how Yan Qianli was like.

As the leader of Western Liang, Yan Qianli was renowned for being strict and tough with his sons and grandsons.

The only thing that could be said…

The quality of the sons of the Yan Family was testament to the success of Yan Qianli's teaching methods.

Yan Qianli was notorious for being domineering and strict.

Yan Xiu was the target of an assassination? In the capital?! If Yan Qianli got wind of this, the consequences would be catastrophic.

King Duan took advantage of the situation whilst Xing Yuanguo and Chi Hou thought about the ramifications of Fang Zhengzhi's plan. "Prime Minister, what do you have to say for yourself?" King Duan smirked as he looked at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping. "I have nothing to say." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head. With things as they were, there was no way he could explain his way out of this situation. He had to find some way to maintain his composure.

The two assistant ministers lowered their heads when they heard this. All hope was lost the moment Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping gave up.

"Arrest them!" King Duan ordered without hesitation. "Yes, sir!" the city guards replied in unison as they surrounded Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the two assistant ministers.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping allowed the city guards to arrest him without resisting.

The two assistant ministers didn't resist arrest either.

King Duan looked at Fang Zhengzhi after he made sure that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the two assistant ministers had been arrested.

After a moment of hesitation, he walked over.

"Fang Zhengzhi, you have contributed a lot to the arrest of these criminals. If you don't mind, I would like to invite you…"

"King Duan, your highness, are you speaking to me?" Fang Zhengzhi blinked as he looked at King Duan. "Of course." King Duan nodded. "Then, did you call me by the wrong name?" Fang Zhengzhi reminded. "Ahem… yes, I forgot. Fang Zhengzheng, you have contributed a lot to the arrest of these criminals. If you don't mind, my residence is nearby. You can come over for some rest…" "Your Highness, thank you for the invite, but… I'm busy!" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head as he looked at Yan Xiu. "Yan Xiu, are you free?"

"I'm not either." Yan Xiu shook his head.

"Since we are all not free, let's just go back and have hot pot." Fang Zhengzhi waved to King Duan apologetically after Yan Xiu replied.

"Great! I love eating hot pot!" Ping Yang shouted in excitement even before Yan Xiu could speak.

"None for you!" Fang Zhengzhi's lips twitched.

"Humph! I don't care! If you're making it, I want to eat it!" Ping Yang pouted, then leaned in, "You were right. Sometimes dead men are more useful than live ones."

"Can we talk about the bet that you lost?"

"What did I lose? It's just 450,000 silvers! It's no big deal! I am not someone who will go back on my word."

"But you are!"

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"Am not!"

King Duan watched Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang bicker, his face turning red and paling in quick succession.

He was a king! He just invited Fang Zhengzhi to rest in his residence! Yet, he had been rejected?

Furthermore…

The reason given was so lame.

Most importantly, they were planning to eat hot pot back at their own residence! They were clearly free!

King Duan clenched his fists, feeling the looks from the city guards and the wardens.

"Fang Zhengzhi, how dare you humiliate me?!" King Duan wanted to flip out. However, he felt a chill down his spine when he thought about Fang Zhengzhi's plan to defeat Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

Fang Zhengzhi's plan was nothing short of perfection. Furthermore, the viciousness unsettled him greatly.

"He managed to send Wan Chong to jail and implicate Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and two other assistant ministers within 10 days of his arrival. As for the Ministry of War…"

That was a pity… even though there were five members of the ministry who were assassins in this plot…

It would be quite a long shot if they tried to tie this to the Minister of War.

Based on what he knew of the Crown Prince, there would be someone else in the ministry who would take the fall for this.

Hang on!

No!

King Duan turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi and company, who had already begun walking away. He felt another chill down his spine.

This chill was even more intense than the previous one. He realized that this involved someone else. That person was Prince Yan, Yan Qianli.

When it came to Yan Qianli… Things…

Would not end so easily.

Ping Yang's residence…

There were a few guards in golden armor standing by the gates. There was one man standing in the middle, Ninth Prince Lin Yun.

He was slightly shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang walk towards him. After some hesitation, he decided to walk forward to greet them.

"Brother, stay and eat hot pot with us." Ping Yang greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hotpot?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded after recovering from the shock. Then, he seemed to recall something, "Didn't… didn't King Duan invite the all of you over to his place?"

"He did." Ping Yang replied.

"Then… why aren't…"

"This guy rejected his invite. He said that he wasn't free! Hahaha, it was hilarious! You should have seen the look on King Duan's face!" Ping Yang pointed at Fang Zhengzhi and guffawed.

"Rejected? Erm… Young Master Fang, I don't know if it is appropriate to say this." Ninth Prince Lin Yun was slightly hesitant.

"Please speak." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

"Even though I do not participate in politics, I think you should choose King Duan especially since you've already antagonized the Crown Prince."

"Is he the best choice?" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.

"He may be your only choice." the Ninth Prince replied.

"Yes, he is my only choice, but, why does it matter?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and queried.

"Young Master Fang, since you know that it is your only choice, why do you antagonize him? There was a great opportunity presented to you today." Ninth Prince Lin Yun was rather confused.

"What if I told you that I never planned to choose between the Crown Prince and King Duan? Would you believe me?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ninth Prince.

"Erm…" Ninth Prince Lin Yun's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but decided against it when he saw the look in Fang Zhengzhi's eyes.

"Would you like to eat hot pot?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

"Of course!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shuddered before accepting the invite.

"Come on then."

"I heard that the Emperor paid you when he ate your hot pot. I will get someone to bring over some silvers." Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded.

"No need for that. Tonight's meal is on me." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.

"Free?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was shocked. Fang Zhengzhi's love for money was well known throughout the empire.

"Brother, what are you waiting for? Come on in! He is rarely this generous! I am getting hungry already! I want to eat my fill tonight!" Ping Yang waved to Ninth Prince Lin Yun.

"Okay…"

It was going to be a long night. Both the Crown Prince's and King Duan's residence were well lit and packed with officials.

The night dragged on for ages.

Dawn, the next day.

It was dark and breezy. The atmosphere was rather somber and it looked as though a storm was brewing overhead.

There was a man in his 40s seated in the Ministry of War. He was the current Minister of War, Shen Ming.

As one of the six ministers, he was known for his composure and calm demeanor. This made him the prime choice for Minister of War.

But now…

Shen Ming seemed extremely anxious. He kept shifting around in his seat and he was visibly uncomfortable.

In fact, the entire Ministry of War felt the same way. Every official simply couldn't keep still. They knew the storm that was coming for them.

"He's coming, he's coming. Minister…" A figure appeared at the door and fell to his knees.

"Who is here?!" Shen Ming paled as he looked at the kneeling figure. He stood up from his chair.

"The Crown Prince… the Crown Prince is here." The kneeling figure replied.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let him come in!" Shen Ming heaved a sigh of relief.

"Yes, your honor!" The figure disappeared through the door.

Before long, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong entered the room. He wore his trademark silver robe. He frowned as he looked at Shen Ming.

"Your Highness!" Shen Ming walked up and fell to his knees.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong waved him off, signaling Shen Ming to stand. Then, he looked at the other officials.

"Leave us alone." Shen Ming bellowed when he saw the look on Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's face.

"Yes, your honor!" The officials immediately took their leave.

Shen Ming and Lin Tianrong were left alone in the room.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong nodded when he saw everyone leave. He went to sit on the Minister's chair.

"Official Shen, why do you look so gloomy today?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked as he looked at the pale-faced Shen Ming.

"Your Highness, please save me!" Shen Ming fell to his knees. He couldn't be bothered about anything else.

"The responsibilities of the Ministry of Law are to select and qualify generals! You are also supposed to manage the logistics of the army. Even though you do not directly control the army, you have quite a heavy responsibility. Am I right?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong added.

"Yes, you are absolutely right!" Shen Ming nodded.

"It is inevitable that you are unable to oversee everything that happens here. Sometime, some of your generals in training might choose to interfere in politics."

"Yes, but I did have a lapse in judgment."

"You just have to admit to a lapse in judgment. You will also have to find the people in charge of those men. Official Shen, you have been in this position for seven years. I am sure you don't need me to teach you these things." "Of course, of course… I have already found them in the night. They are currently being dealt with by the Right Assistant Minister. However, I still have to take responsibility for what happened." Shen Ming nodded.

"Yes, go on the record!"

"I have already prepared my statement. Please take a look at it!" Shen Ming retrieved his statement.

"No need for that. The Emperor might be at the Ten Mile Lake right now, but he should be returning soon. You should do this personally. Go kneel in front of the throne room!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong waved him off.

"Kneel in front of the throne room?" Shen Ming was stunned.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem at all! I'll be on my way right now!" Shen Ming stood up and was about to take his leave.

Just as he walked out of the hall, he saw a figure rushing towards him. This figure crashed right into him.

"What is so urgent?" Shen Ming's expression was filled with rage. He questioned the figure solemnly.

"He's here… he's here…"

"Who's here? This is the Ministry of War! Who dares…"

"Prince Yan! It's Prince Yan!"

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Chapter 518: No one can stop the Yan Cloud Cavalry

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Prince Yan? Yan Qianli!" Shen Ming's expression changed. He knew that Yan Qianli would come, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

Just as he was about to ask about Yan Qianli's current location, he heard the whinnying of horses.

"Surround this place!" An animalistic bellow could be heard from outside.

Then, the officials began to stream in. They all looked to Minister of War Shen Ming with panic in their eyes.

"Minister… things are not looking good. It's the Yan Cloud Cavalry, the Yan Cloud Cavalry… they have…" One of the officials started to stammer.

Then he stopped. He saw the expression on Shen Ming's face.

Shen Ming had completely paled. He knew that Yan Qianli was a domineering man, but this was the capital!

The center of the Empire!

The capital of the Great Xia!

Who were the Yan Cloud Cavalry? They were soldiers of Western Liang! That meant that they were not soldiers of the capital! How could they be here!

It was a heinous crime for other soldiers to barge into the capital! It almost bordered on a rebellion!

Where were the city guards?

Why did nobody stop the Yan Cloud Cavalry from entering the city?

The city guards were supposed to protect the city! Yet, they allowed the Yan Cloud Cavalry to enter and surround the Ministry of War!

"Is he mad? Is Yan Qianli crazy? How dare he bring soldiers into the capital!" Shen Ming nearly crumpled to the ground. He refused to believe what was happening.

However, the facts were all there in front of him. Yan Qianli was here. Even the Emperor had to respect this 'madman'.

The law…

That was the bedrock of the Great Xia Empire.

However, there was one man who didn't care about the law. This was Yan Qianli, a man who had sacrificed all his brothers to save the Great Xia.

He managed Western Liang single-handedly.

He had secured the borders of the Great Xia! Nobody dared to come within a hundred mile radius of Western Liang.

And now…

He was in the capital! He even brought the Yan Cloud Cavalry along to surround the Ministry of War! How could Shen Ming keep his composure?

"Your Highness, this…"

"Is Yan Qianli the only one who has returned from the banquet?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked the messenger.

"Yes yes yes, what about the Emperor? Where is the Emperor?" Shen Ming replied, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"No, the Emperor is still at the Ten Mile Lake. I heard that he will only return after lunch." The figure replied.

"Return after lunch?! Erm…" Shen Ming was shocked as he shuddered. He nearly crumpled to the ground.

He knew what that meant…

If Yan Qianli knew about the events of last night, the Emperor would know them too. The Emperor had chosen to stay at the Ten Mile Lake whilst Yan Qianli returned to the capital…

The meaning of that was obvious.

What was he going to do?

There was no one, bar the Emperor, who could hold Yan Qianli back.

Shen Ming turned to look at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong. Lin Tianrong was his only hope in this situation.

However…

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong didn't seem like he was about to take any action. He simply stood in his position and looked like he was thinking about something.

Shen Ming didn't dare to ask the Crown Prince what he was thinking about.

The Crown Prince was actually thinking about why the Emperor would choose to stay at the Ten Mile Lake till after he had his lunch.

However, the Yan Cloud Cavalry had no intention of giving him much time to think.

"Neigh!" the horses whinnied.

Then, the gates to the Ministry of War were smashed open as hundreds of soldiers in black cloaks stormed in.

Every soldier rode a war stallion. They looked like a domineering black cloud that suffocated everyone in the Ministry of War.

"Kaboom!"

A bolt of lightning shot across the sky and the somber atmosphere was broken by torrential rain. The glistening armor under the black cloaks began to show.

Shen Ming's lips twitched as he tried to find words to express himself. At that moment, one of the squad leaders stepped forward and looked at the officials.

Finally…

His gaze rested on Shen Ming.

"Arrest him!" The leader commanded icily.

The Yan Cloud Cavalry sprang into action.

"Woosh woosh woosh!" The Yan Cloud Cavalry drew their bows and pointed them at Shen Ming.

Their arrows glistened in the rain.

Shen Ming shuddered when he saw this. He began trembling in his spot. He never expected to be threatened like this in his own ministry.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince was standing beside him! How dare they do this?

"How dare you! This is the Ministry of War! The Yan Cloud Cavalry… should not be here!" Shen Ming grit his teeth and bellowed.

The Ministry of War oversaw the armies.

As such, they were also guarded by soldiers.

When Shen Ming bellowed, almost 500 soldiers rushed out from within the Ministry of War and lowered their spears at the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

These soldiers were elites in their own right.

However, the Yan Cloud Cavalry were the creme de la creme. No one even came close.

"Shen Ming is resisting arrest, kill him!" The leader's expression didn't change when he saw the soldiers run out. He still remained as composed as ever.

"What?!" Shen Ming was stunned.

He couldn't believe what was happening to him. The fact that he was being surrounded in his own ministry was unfathomable. However… he was floored when he heard the order to kill him.

He was a minister!

Even if his crime was deserving of death, he should be properly tried and sentenced! Right now, he was about to be shot to death without a trial.

How is this possible?

Most importantly, the Crown Prince was standing next to him!

He simply couldn't believe that this was happening. However, an arrow had already been shot the moment the order was given.

"Zoom!"

The arrow pierced through the air and rain and looked to strike Shen Ming in the head.

This was meant to be a lethal shot.

At the moment the arrow was released, hundreds of others were too. They shot towards Shen Ming as well.

Shen Ming's eyes widened.

He never expected that the Yan Cloud Cavalry would really attack him. They were attacking him without any hesitation or consideration!

"Madman, he really is a madman!" Shen Ming's limbs sprang into action when he saw this.

He had some abilities too.

However, it was not easy to dodge away from all these arrows at such a short distance. The was a screen of light in front of him as he rolled to the side.

"Boom boom boom!"

The arrows fell to the ground, piercing holes in the ground. Each one was embedded deep inside the earth.

Crack lines began to form and widen…

This one volley of arrows had virtually shredded the floor of the Ministry of War. This was how powerful the Yan Cloud Cavalry were.

In the face of such power…

The 500 soldiers were completely flawed.

Ordinarily, they would have sprung into action by now. They had a responsibility to protect the ministry. However, none of them moved.

They knew that anyone who could shoot at the Minister of War would not hesitate to kill them either.

The soldiers had a duty…

However, that didn't mean that they were willing to die in such a pointless manner.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong looked at Shen Ming, who had tumbled to the side. He was slightly shocked to see the arrows in the ground.

Even though the arrows had gone around his body, they had brushed close enough to him to lift his robe as they passed.

"Yan Cloud Cavalry! Is this the Yan Cloud Cavalry?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong had seen them before. However, he had only seen them in exercises in Western Liang. He had not interacted with them up close.

At that moment, he finally understood why the Emperor would choose to stay at the Ten Mile Lake. He also understood why none of the 13 Constabularies were stationed in Western Liang.

The army that stood in front of him was a true powerhouse.

This was a powerful army that was virtually impossible to match.

There was only one way to describe it.

Western Liang wasn't conquered by the Great Xia. They were only able to consider Western Liang one of their territories because of the negotiating prowess of their ancestors. Most importantly, this powerful army had done their job.

This powerful army was the only reason why the Great Xia had managed to survive. At the battle of the Ten Mile Lake, the Yan Cloud Cavalry had traveled over 1000 miles to arrive at the battlefield within the week. They then proceeded to fight for three days straight without any breaks.

30,000 of them had held off an army of 150,000 demons.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's mouth twitched. He could stop this all but he had to make sure that it was worthwhile.

Was it worthwhile to antagonize Yan Qianli over a Minister of War?

He may have considered it before he saw the Yan Cloud Cavalry. He had already lost the Ministry of Law and Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping…

He didn't want to lose the Minister of War either.

However, when he saw the Yan Cloud Cavalry, he understood at that moment that he could not antagonize this army.

Even if he was the Crown Prince…

Even if he was to be the Emperor someday, he could not antagonize this army, not whilst Yan Qianli was alive.

"Greetings Prince Yan, I am Lin Tianrong, third son of the Emperor!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong ignored Shen Ming and bowed to the Yan Cloud Cavalry.

As a Crown Prince, he could not possibly greet Yan Qianli before he had shown himself or greeted him.

This meant that he was accusing Yan Qianli of disrespect.

As such, he didn't introduce himself as the Crown Prince. He merely introduced himself as the third son of the Emperor. In that position, he was of lower rank and it was acceptable for him to greet Yan Qianli first.

All of the pale-faced officials of the Ministry of War were slightly shocked to see this.

However, no one asked any questions. The person on the other side was Yan Qianli. He was definitely worthy of the Crown Prince showing some humility.

It continued to pour.

The rain pummeled the bodies of the Yan Cloud Cavalry but they did not move. They looked at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong solemnly.

No one spoke or moved.

At that moment, a flag was raised from within the ranks. It was a golden flag embroidered with six blood-red clouds.

There was a red "Yan" in the middle of the flag! It was just quite the domineering symbol.

This was a stark difference from the flag they had carried to the Northern Mountain Village when facing the Red Pinion Squad.

This was the real flag of the Yan Cloud Cavalry!

All the soldiers of the Yan Cloud Cavalry parted to the side when the flag appeared. They opened up a path through the middle.

The path was only wide enough for one man to pass through. Right now, there was only one man there.

This man's stallion was the same as everyone else's. Even his black cloak and armor were the same as the others.

He did not ride in a carriage or wear anything discernibly different. He too had a sword and a bow.

The black cloak covered most of his face.

Usually, people would not be able to see that this man was different from the other members of the Yan Cloud Cavalry. However, when they saw this man in the middle of the path, only one name came to their minds.

Yan Qianli!

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Chapter 519: Single guy and lady

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Yan Qianli never traveled in a carriage. Furthermore, the fact that he dressed and traveled in the same way as the other members of the Yan Cloud Cavalry was an open secret.

However, even though he did not seem any different from the others, his reputation was enough to cause everyone to retreat subconsciously.

Even Crown Prince Lin Tianrong shuffled his feet.

There was no domineering aura or killing intent. His name alone was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine.

This was Yan Qianli.

"Your Highness, I see that you are here too." A raspy voice echoed through the air. Yet, despite its raspiness, it still sounded rather grand and powerful.

There was no need for an explanation.

To Yan Qianli, some things did not require an explanation. People could infer what he meant.

He did not see Crown Prince Lin Tianrong.

Even though hundreds of soldiers from the Yan Cloud Cavalry stood in front of the Crown Prince… even though they were less than five meters apart… no one dared to question the validity of that claim.

This was how powerful Yan Qianli was.

Yan Qianli wasn't disrespectful or arrogant. Ever since he took over leadership of Western Liang, he had always paid the taxes on time. He never sent out any less than he was supposed to, even during times of crisis.

Furthermore, he had never levied soldiers from elsewhere. The strength of his guards and Yan Cloud Cavalry had remained constant and he maintained them at the numbers agreed upon with the Great Xia.

This was what made him famous through the lands.

He was almost untouchable, yet he remained fiercely loyal to the empire. He was given complete autonomy, yet he never flexed his muscles and always kept his word.

As such…

He was given quite a bit of leeway.

"Prince Yan, I was unable to greet you at the gates, I'm…"

"Your Highness, you need not apologize for that. I am aware of the hierarchy. Your Highness, are you here to plead on Shen Ming's behalf?" Yan Qianli interrupted the Crown Prince.

It was a very simple question.

However, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong felt a chill down his spine. His mouth opened and closed but he couldn't find any words to express himself.

"Your Highness, if you don't have anything to say, I will take him with me." Yan Qianli had no intention of staying any longer.

"Okay." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong grit his teeth. He had no idea what Yan Qianli would do to Shen Ming or where he would take him.

He had already decided to give up on this Minister of War. Shen Ming's fate was now irrelevant.

"Your Highness…" Minister of War Shen Ming instinctively looked to Crown Prince Lin Tianrong. He had thought that the Crown Prince had stepped forward to save him.

But…

The Crown Prince had decided to leave him in the lurch.

Shen Ming finally understood what was going on. The choice between him or Yan Qianli was not difficult to make.

"Kaboom!"

The lightning flashed across the sky and thunder boomed.

A red flag was raised and the Yan Cloud Cavalry merged together.

They went back to their initial formation.

However, this time, no one questioned the army that was in front of them. No one even thought of stopping them.

"Arrest him!" The leader bellowed.

Four members of the Yan Cloud Cavalry stepped forward and surrounded Shen Ming.

Shen Ming didn't resist it anymore. He knew that his fate had been sealed the moment Crown Prince Lin Tianrong replied with 'okay'.

Politics was constantly evolving. One could be at the top now but no one knew when the fall would come.

He didn't blame anyone.

He knew the rules. Only the victorious survive.

The four Yan Cloud Cavalry soldiers worked efficiently and chained Shen Ming up. Then, they hoisted him on the back of a horse.

They proceeded to rejoin the formation.

The rain continued to pummel the bodies of everyone present. The stallions whinnied as they stepped on puddles of rainwater.

A black flag was raised.

The Yan Cloud Cavalry turned in unison and trotted to the gates of the Ministry of War. They were gone in an instant.

No one dared to stop them. The officials, guards, and soldiers merely watched on, rooted to their positions.

They only recovered after the Yan Cloud Cavalry disappeared from sight.

"Was that Prince Yan?" One of the officials heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the Yan Cloud Cavalry disappear.

He felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

That being said, no one could believe what had just happened.

When they thought about it, Yan Qianli had not done anything. He didn't dismount and his face was completely covered by his cloak.

He barged into the city, surrounded the Ministry of Law, arrested a rank two official, and did all of this in front of the Crown Prince. That was unbelievable!

But the fact was that Shen Ming had been taken away.

No one knew where he was being brought to.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong looked into the distance. He simply stared at the horizon. No one knew if he was waiting for the rain to stop or the sun to rise.

The gate to King Duan's residence.

Old Wen watched thoughtfully as a figure sprinted towards him in the rain.

"Old Wen, Shen Ming has been arrested!" The figure reported.

"Where has he been brought to?"

"Prince Yan didn't say and the Crown Prince didn't ask. However, the Yan Cloud Cavalry were headed to the Ten Mile Lake." The figure replied.

"Ten Mile Lake? Okay, I got it, you may leave now!" Old Wen nodded as he looked up into the sky. "The Left Prime Minister and two of the Assistant Ministers of Law have been arrested. Now, Shen Ming has been taken away too. This plan is even bigger than I expected. If there is more to this plan… I can't imagine the consequences!"

Old Wen turned and walked into the residence, ignoring the rain that pummeled his body.

Emperor Lin Mubai returned to the capital in the afternoon despite the rain.

Yan Qianli didn't follow him back. The Yan Cloud Cavalry continued to stay at the Ten Mile Lake. However, there was one man kneeling on the banks.

Minister of Law Shen Ming.

There was a fiery red stone tablet in front of Shen Ming. There were many words inscribed in red on the tablet.

This was the tablet that marked the battle here.

It seemed rather plain and unassuming. Every name was carved on the tablet and adorned with red clouds.

It was difficult to imagine…

But that was how things were. The person who had made this decision was Yan Qianli. He didn't want this place to be renovated.

The reason he gave was simple.

"The Ten Mile Lake should not be touched. The blood there is still red and the fire is still burning!"

"Prince Yan, are you here to partake in the battle for the throne?" Shen Ming didn't turn to look at the figure behind him. He knelt in front of the tablet and examined each name as the rain continued to assault him.

"I am if you think I am. I am not if you think I am not." A raspy voice rang out behind him.

"I am extremely bitter. I did send people to the Seven Star Lane. However, the target was Fang Zhengzhi, not Yan Xiu!" Shen Ming shuddered and replied when he heard this voice.

"Mm, I know." The raspy voice rang out again.

"You know about this?! Haha… I understand now. However, I never expected that you would allow yourself to be used like that!"

"You might think that I am being used, but I prefer to think of it as a win-win situation. Since I am here, I will bring the Yan Cloud Cavalry into the capital. It is just a matter of time. Since you gave me such a great opportunity, I decided to take it."

"It is no wonder you are Prince Yan. However, I am still the Minister of War. Even if I am guilty, I should be sentenced by the Emperor and tried by the Ministry of Law. Aren't you… overreaching a little here?"

"I am not, and I do not plan to try or sentence you. After you kneel for three days, I will hand you over to the proper authorities!"

"Three days? Hahaha… three days! Yes, after three days, there is no way I could still be the Minister of War."

"I don't care about such trivial matters."

Inside Ping Yang's residence.

Fang Zhengzhi lay down on a chair inside an exquisitely designed room. Ping Yang grabbed his arm and refused to let go.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled bitterly.

They were alone in the room and Ping Yang was tugging at his limbs. This was highly inappropriate and could cause misunderstandings easily.

"Why don't you let go and give me some space? You are a princess, can you show some class and elegance?" Fang Zhengzhi tried to be assertive.

"No, I will not! Not unless you tell me what you have planned after this!" Ping Yang pouted and grabbed Fang Zhengzhi's arm. She didn't seem to notice that she had pressed her chest against his arm.

"What do you want to know?" Fang Zhengzhi was rather exasperated. He didn't mind Ping Yang grabbing his arm, but Ping Yang had already matured.

It was rather inappropriate now.

"Ministry of Law! Yes… the Ministry of Law! What are your plans there? And the Ministry of War! What do you have in mind?" Ping Yang replied.

"I am not the Emperor. Does my opinion even matter?" Fang Zhengzhi's lips twitched.

"Erm… that's true as well! But I don't care! Just guess! Guess who the next Minister of Law and Minister of War would be!" Ping Yang added.

"I don't have to guess. They will decide on the next Minister of Law tomorrow morning." Fang Zhengzhi wanted to push Ping Yang away but her grip was too tight.

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Yes."

"But the Emperor hasn't attended court for many days now. Are you sure he will be there tomorrow morning?"

"Of course. There are so many things to settle. He would have no other choice."

"That's true, but you haven't answered my question!"

"Haha… I am not stupid. If I really told you, you are likely to run to the palace and tell the Emperor that this was my plan all along!"

"How do you know? Okay then… I promise not to rat you out!"

"Then let's talk about money. 100,000 silvers per question."

"100,000? That's daylight robbery!"

"You can choose not to ask!"

"Okay then, I'll ask. Who is your choice for Minister of Law?"

"Are you sure that's your question?"

"Yes!"

"That is such a silly question. There are only three assistant ministers there. Now that two of them have been disposed of, there is only one person left to take the position."

"Wen Chuan! Right Assistant Minister Wen Chuan! Is it really him? Hang on, Wen Chuan is Wen Dabao's father! You… no, no… your plan last night… you couldn't be sure that the Left Prime Minister would be there. You had no intention of taking down the Left Prime Minister and the Minister of War. They simply wandered into the fray. You merely wanted… to target the two assistant ministers. You did all of that so Wen Chuan could be the Minister of Law?" Ping Yang's eyes brightened.

"Oh? You suddenly became smarter?"

"Hmph! I am extremely smart! I… I have another question."

"200,000 silvers."

"Okay, since you have no interest of participating in the battle for the throne, why would you go to such lengths to have Wen Chuan become the Minister of Law?"

"To overturn my case." Fang Zhengzhi replied.

"Overturn your case?! You want to?! When??" Ping Yang released her grip on Fang Zhengzhi's hand in shock.

"Probably in 2-3 days."

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520 No need to wait any longer

Translator:JTJTY97 Editor: JTJTY97 /Sparrow Translations "2-3 days?! You must be crazy. Even though the Crown Prince has lost the Ministry of Law and War, he still has the support of the other four ministries! Why don't you just wait a little longer?" Ping Yang was confused.

"Wait till when?" Fang Zhengzhi replied. "Of course you should wait till…" Ping Yang stopped talking at that moment. She wanted to say 'till after the Crown Prince loses his position'. However, the Crown Prince was still her brother and she couldn't bring herself to say it. "The Crown Prince is the Crown Prince. My case has nothing to do with him. If I wait till then, my case would be meaningless." Fang Zhengzhi knew what Ping Yang was trying to say.

He could actually wait.

He could wait until King Duan had the advantage. He could also wait till the Crown Prince lost his position. However, whether he overturned his case then would be meaningless.

"Isn't it difficult to overturn your case now? Furthermore… do you have any evidence?" Ping Yang nodded hesitantly but she quickly thought of another question. Fang Zhengzhi wanted to overturn his case using the Minister of Law? It was too difficult!

Furthermore, Wen Chuan hadn't even assumed that position. Even if he did, he may not have the respect of his subordinates. Most importantly, Wen Chuan had no evidence.

It was quite difficult for him to overturn the case without any evidence on hand.

The Emperor would never agree to that.

"Evidence? Of course… I don't have any." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head. The only people who knew what really happened were the Crown Prince, Su Qing, and the eight mercenaries.

The eight mercenaries had already been disposed of.

Su Qing was the only one who knew the truth and he was currently in the Northern Region overseeing the Northern Five Constabularies. Most importantly, Su Qing would never testify against the Crown Prince.

"How do you want the Emperor to quash your case without evidence?" Ping Yang asked.

"We'll find out when we try." Fang Zhengzhi didn't couldn't actually explain how it would work. To be honest, he didn't even know if he would be successful.

"Okay then, when do you plan to try?"

"She should be here in the next two to three days!"

"Her? Are you talking about…"

"Mm." Fang Zhengzhi looked out the window and watched the rain. It had been more than a year…

… The rain slowed to a drizzle through the night. Inside a serene residence in the capital.

A figure sat inside a small pavilion, her smooth and soft hands playing the Guqin in front of her. The wind caused some of the rain to splatter inside and wet her dress. Her dress had glowing spots under the moonlight.

This was Yun Qingwu, the Young Master of the Demons.

Yet, she was in the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty. This was quite the unfathomable truth. "Young Master!" A figure completely hidden behind a black cloak appeared in front of Yun Qingwu.

"Mm." Yun Qingwu acknowledged this man's presence.

"Young Master, I have news to report. Wu Yuer is currently on the way back to the capital and the Queen of the Southern Region should be here in two days!"

"Two days. Wu Yuer, the Queen of the Southern Region, and Yan Qianli… Mm, I understand." Yun Qingwu nodded and lifted her hands off the Guqin. She looked into the sky. "Did you find out where Bai Xing is being held?"

"No, but…" the man was about to make a deduction but he stopped himself. He knew that Yun Qingwu didn't like deductions.

Yun Qingwu only valued facts as intel.

"It's okay. Just send this letter to Ping Yang's residence."

"Yes!"

Dawn the next day…

The rain stopped and the sunlight lit up the golden throne room. The roof of the throne room was stained a golden color by the sunlight.

Hundreds of officials congratulated a middle-aged man as they walked out of the throne room.

That man was Wen Chuan. He was now the Minister of Law.

No one could have predicted that the battle for the position would have ended this way. Two assistant ministers had been incarcerated. Wen Chuan was the only one left.

Even though everyone knew that Wen Chuan was the only person left for that role, the process had still left them in shock.

"Hahaha, Official Wen, congratulations on your promotion. Please don't forget us!"

"I heard that your son is already of mature age and doesn't have any marital arrangements. My daughter is available…"

"Official Qin, your daughter is only 14-years-old right? Official Wen, why don't you consider my niece? She would be perfect for your son!" The officials continued to jostle for Wen Chuan's favor.

The jump from assistant minister to full minister had always been a large one. Many had failed the jump. However, once you made the jump, you were set for life. Minister of one of the six ministries. Your name would be recorded in the annals of history.

"My son is still young and immature. It is his honor to be held in such high regard by all of you. However… I still have to ask him for his opinion." Wen Chuan bowed and waved them off.

"Yes, that is definitely necessary!"

"Official Wen, it is no wonder you are our superior. You are impartial and fair. The Ministry of Law is in good hands!"

"Indeed, Indeed!"

The officials did not seem angered by Wen Chuan's refusal. Instead, they continued showering him with compliments.

At that moment, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong appeared from the throne room, his silver robe glistening in the sun.

"Ahem!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong cleared his throat and walked briskly over to Wen Chuan. All of the officials were slightly shocked to see Crown Prince Lin Tianrong. After all, this was the entrance to the throne room. There was a rule that the members of the royal family were not to interact with the officials.

Was the jostling going to start now?

All of the officials parted to the side when they saw the Crown Prince.

"Official Wen!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong greeted.

"Greetings, your highness." Wen Chuan bowed to the Crown Prince.

"Mm, you need not be so formal. I heard that your son was once in the Mountain Breaking Army. There are few young men who have trained with such an elite squad. If you are free, do bring your son to the East Palace for a walk." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong said calmly.

All of the officials knew what was going on. The Crown Prince was starting to position himself to recruit Wen Chuan.

Even though the Crown Prince seemed a little impatient…

His impatience was understandable. The Left Prime Minister had been arrested and Wan Chong was in jail. Shen Ming was also kneeling at the Ten Mile Lake.

It was impossible for the Crown Prince not to panic a little when faced with such a chain of events.

"Thank you, your highness. I will definitely bring my son to meet you one day!" Wen Chuan nodded respectfully.

"Very well." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong nodded. He was about to say something when he saw another figure walk out of the Throne Room.

King Duan was visibly happier than the Crown Prince.

After all, the current situation was extremely favorable for him. It was no secret that Wen Chuan had not been valued despite his work in the ministry. Wen Chuan had never been truly valued by the Crown Prince.

Now that Wen Chuan was the Minister of Law, this was something that King Duan could capitalize on.

"Official Wen!" King Duan ignored Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and greeted Wen Chuan.

"Your Highness!" Wen Chuan bowed respectfully.

"I heard that Young Master Wen had trained and served with the Mountain Breaking Army. The army has an open position that I think he will be apt for. I wonder if you would be willing to let him take it up?" King Duan chuckled.

"Haha… King Duan, you kid me. It would be his honor to train in the army. I would like to thank you on his behalf!" Wen Chuan replied.

"Good. I think that tomorrow is a good time. If he is free, ask him to come to visit me!" King Duan nodded.

"Brother, are you rushing things a little?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong frowned.

"Am I? I think you're the one in a hurry!" King Duan replied.

"Humph!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong snorted and turned to look at Wen Chuan, "Official Wen, I have to prepare for the arrival of the Southern Region. I'll see you soon!"

"Crown Prince, take care!"

"Crown Prince, safe travels!"

Wen Chuan and the other officials bowed respectfully when they heard this.

King Duan smirked when he saw Crown Prince Lin Tianrong leave. "The Queen of the Southern Region is coming. I have to help with the preparations. I will be taking my leave now." He added quickly.

"Safe travels, King Duan!" "Take care, King Duan!"

Wen Chuan and the officials bowed again.

The officials couldn't help but sigh when they saw Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and King Duan leave.

Normally, the Minister of Law was not considered a hot commodity. There were more popular ministries to court. However, today, Wen Chuan was extremely popular now.

Anyone in the position now would be hot commodity.

It was rare that the Crown Prince and King Duan would jostle for position just outside the throne room.

Too many things had changed over the past few days. All of this… Only one name surfaced in the minds of all the officials. This was a name that they had disregarded before. Fang Zhengzhi! He had sent Minister of Law Wan Chong into jail the day he entered the city. Then, he implicated Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and Minister of War Shen Ming days after.

Right now, Wen Chuan was the Minister of Law. No one could tell for sure where Wen Chuan's allegiances lay. After all, all of the cases against Wan Chong, Yu Yiping, and Shen Ming had to go through him. He was the gatekeeper.

In other words, Wen Chuan could make or break the Crown Prince's hold on power! This would also directly impact King Duan.

… Noon, two days later. Red silk adorned the eastern wall of the capital. There was a festive atmosphere in the air.

Two rows of armed soldiers in glistening armor stood at attention. Countless citizens gathered at the gate.

The Queen of the Southern Region was coming. This was a huge event for the people of the Great Xia. After all, the Southern Region was the largest vassal of the Great Xia. This was an important relationship.

Furthermore, this was the first delegation to visit the Great Xia since the war a year ago. Furthermore, the head of the delegation was the Queen herself.

"I heard that the Queen is not even 20-years-old yet!"

"Yes, I heard that she is very pretty! I would love to see her."

"Shush! Don't let others hear that! You may be executed for that."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

At that very moment, there was a black dot in the distance. This dot grew bigger and bigger. It was accompanied by loud booming sounds.

"Woo!" A long, droning horn echoed through the air. "The Queen of the Southern Region is here!"

"Wow! This is such a grand entourage!"

Their eyes brightened as they watched the delegation approach the city. Everyone could not help but gasp in awe.

After all, this was a rare opportunity for them to witness the Queen of the Southern Region entering the capital.

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521 Interruption during the festivities

Translator:JTJTY97 Editor: JTJTY97 /Sparrow Translations The approaching entourage was over 5000 strong. This was a squad that was made up of all sorts of beasts. Their roars echoed through the air. Each beast had a red silk tied around its body. These danced in the spring breeze.

There was a huge beast over three yards high in the middle of the formation. It was protected by thick white scales and it had snow white fangs. This was the leader of the beasts.

There was a silver carriage on top of it. A lady in a leather robe sat on it. She had beige skin, black eyes, and smooth hair.

A crown adorned with five gems and three seven-colored feathers sat on her head.

This was Shan Yu, the Queen of the Southern Region!

"The Queen of the Southern Region! She is so pretty!"

"We are extremely lucky to witness her beauty!"

"How do they manage to control these many beasts? Aren't they afraid that the beasts would run amok?"

"What are you talking about? These are all domesticated and trained! Why would they rebel?"

The crowd gasped in awe as they watched the approaching entourage. By the time the entourage reached the gates of the city, the eyes of the crowd were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

They could feel the powerful and domineering aura of the beasts.

"Roar!"

The thunderous roars echoed through the air.

The crowd instinctively took a step back in fear. After all, this was the first time that many of them had seen such beasts.

At that very moment, a middle-aged man in black official robes walked up to the lead beast.

"Welcome, I am Qin Yuan, the Minister of Rites!" Qin Yuan bowed and waved to the soldiers behind him.

At that moment, all of the soldiers walked forward.

According to Great Xia traditions, Emperor Lin Mubai would be waiting to welcome her at the gates of the palace, accompanied by the other officials. As such, the duty of welcoming her at the gates fell to Qin Yuan.

"Wooo!" The sound of the horn pierced through the air.

The entourage continued to move and entered through the eastern gates. With Qin Yuan leading the way, they began making their way towards the palace.

At the gates of Ping Yang's residence…

Wen Dabao was in good spirits today. He swayed from side to side as he sauntered about.

In fact, from the moment he had stepped out of his house today, there were dozens of people waiting for him outside the gates. Some brought him flowers, others invited him for drinks, whilst others invited him to the Seven Star Lane…

However… Wen Dabao rejected them all.

The reason was simple. His dad had taught him that he will only be able to gain more by learning to reject.

Wen Dabao didn't really understand it before. However, he was starting to understand it now. Over the past two days, the people trying to court him were bringing him more valuable items.

They started bringing him antiques, works of art, even money…

"Reject them! I will only be able to gain more if I learn to reject!" Wen Dabao resisted the temptation to accept these items.

In the end, he was the one who was rejected.

"Young Master Wen, I'm sorry. The Princess has made it clear that there will be no visitors today." The guard at the gate stopped Wen Dabao before he could enter.

"Brother Li, do you not recognize me? I am Dabao! Won't the Princess meet with me?" Wen Dabao had spent much time in Ping Yang's residence.

He had also 'rewarded' the guard with silvers.

As such, he was able to move in and out of Ping Yang's residence with little to no obstructions.

"The Princess's orders are for no one to enter!"

"Oh…" Wen Dabao sighed in exasperation. He knew that the guard was not going to budge on that position.

Was this retribution? It was his turn to be rejected now…

But…

Why would Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi refuse to meet with him?

Something was wrong!

He was able to enter the residence when his father was an assistant minister. Why was he denied entry now that his father was the Minister of Law?

Wen Dabao couldn't figure it out, but the glistening spear in the guard's hand stopped him from trying to barge in.

Wen Dabao shook his head and began walking towards the palace.

After all, the Queen of the Southern Region was arriving today.

It would be a waste not to go and take a look and see what was happening. Ping Yang's residence was nearby the palace. Wen Dabao had wanted to find a good vantage point inside the residence. But now…

He had no other choice but to squeeze with the crowd. Even though this was not his first choice, he still picked up his pace and walked briskly over to the palace.

Before long, he was at the entrance to the palace. The crowd was huge! The royal guards formed two rows and opened a path for the entourage to pass through. Emperor Lin Mubai was waiting for the arrival of the entourage inside the palace. He was flanked by all his officials.

Wen Dabao quickly spotted Ping Yang, who was standing by Emperor Lin Mubai's side. He was slightly shocked to see her there.

"She was here so early?" Wen Dabao could understand why he had been rebuffed at the gates of her residence. However, he didn't understand why the guard would not tell him that Ping Yang was already at the palace.

And…

Where was Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu?

"Woo!"

At that moment, the sound of the horn pierced through the air and interrupted Wen Dabao's train of thought. The grand entourage appeared on the horizon.

The roar of the beasts and the domineering aura they exuded caused the crowd to step backward instinctively. "Wow! White Jade Stone Elephant! That is the most powerful beast of all! And then there are the Silver Horned Wolves! The elite squad of the Southern Region!" Wen Dabao dismissed his doubts and craned his neck in excitement.

The crowd began to part to the side as the entourage approached. There was plenty of space for the Southern Region delegation to pass. Emperor Lin Mubai looked like he was in a good mood.

His golden robe danced lightly in the wind. Four servants held up a golden umbrella above him to protect him from the heat. The princes and princesses flanked Emperor Lin Mubai. They were led by Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and King Duan Lin Xinjue.

The Ninth Prince was also at the palace today. However, he stood far away.

Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary and Chi Hong of the Divine Constabulary led the delegation of ministers and officials. All of them smiled in a show of friendliness.

"The Queen of the Southern Region has arrived!" Qin Yuan's voice pierced through the air. Everyone in the vicinity of the palace could hear him clearly.

When his voice rang out, the convoy stopped in its tracks. All of the beasts let out a low rumble. "Music!"

"Performance!"

"…" The voices echoed through the air.

Music filled the air as red silk danced in the sky. More than a hundred ladies in red dresses dangled from red silk. Finally, they landed on the red carpet in front of the palace.

Each one of them held a sword in their hands. "Woosh Woosh!"

The swords cut through the air as the ladies began to dance. The Great Xia Empire valued rites, tradition, loyalty, and benevolence. The sword dance was one of the traditions used by the Great Xia to welcome important visitors. There was also poetry and art to accompany this dance.

Once that was over, the Queen of the Southern Region would be invited into the palace to dine with the officials. There would also be a cultural exchange. This was going to be a festive occasion. However…

The festivities didn't last long. The ladies stopped dancing all of a sudden. There was a youth standing in front of them.

This youth had stepped out from the crowd.

He did not walk very quickly. In fact, each step he took was slow and deliberate. However, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

They were not alone. The Royal Guards were equally shocked to see that someone had managed to get around them.

By the time they managed to react, the youth had already made his way to the sword-wielding ladies.

He didn't look at Emperor Lin Mubai or the Crown Prince. He didn't even look at King Duan, Ping Yang, or the officials. He simply stared at the White Jade Stone Elephant and the lady sitting on top of it.

The music stopped.

Everyone looked at the youth with his blue long sleeved shirt dancing in the wind. They couldn't believe their eyes.

Most of their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

"What is he trying to do?" "What is the Royal Guard doing? Why isn't anyone stopping him?!"

"This is rubbish!"

All of the officials were initially shocked to see this youth. This shock quickly turned to panic.

"Roar!"

The Silver Horned Wolves roared when they saw this figure. Every one of them glared at this youth.

They remembered who this youth was.

Everyone stared at this youth in shock. They recognized him instantly.

Their shock stemmed from the fact that they knew who he was. Because…

He was Fang Zhengzhi. Most importantly, he was the one who had killed Shan Ling and violated Shan Yu.

How could he possibly dare to show himself in front of thousands of Southern Region soldiers?!

"Quick, arrest him!"

"He is disrupting the festivities and affecting the course of diplomacy! Execute him!"

"Royal Guards!"

The officials recovered quickly and began bellowing orders to the Royal Guards.

The Royal Guards immediately surrounded Fang Zhengzhi and lowered their spears at his throat.

"Surrender!" "Young Master Fang, please don't make things difficult for us."

Bai Qi stared at Fang Zhengzhi and frowned. He had no idea why Fang Zhengzhi would show himself here.

However, he knew that Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to escape the death penalty once he showed himself. Fang Zhengzhi ignored Bai Qi completely. He didn't even look in that direction. He simply stood his ground and allowed the spears to be lowered at his throat.

He never looked away from the lady sitting atop the White Jade Stone Elephant.

The current Queen of the Southern Region… Shan Yu! At that moment, another figure walked out from the crowd. He wore a white robe embroidered with lotuses. His expression was icy.

He didn't go around the Royal Guards. He simply squeezed his way through and walked over to Fang Zhengzhi. His body was glowing red.

Yan Xiu.

"Young Master Yan, you…" Bai Qi's Spear trembled when he saw Yan Xiu approach.

He was shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi. However, he couldn't believe that Yan Xiu was in on it as well.

He knew that Yan Xiu knew exactly how important this event was. Yet, Yan Xiu chose to take Fang Zhengzhi's side.

There was only one way that this was going to end…

Something bad was going to happen!

"Is the Queen of the Southern Region really going to do nothing now that your brother's murderer is standing in front of you?" A calm voice echoed through the air.

The voice was not loud, but everyone in the vicinity could hear it clearly.

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