Chapter 84: Chapter 78: Capture Feng Bei Again?

The sun climbed high, its warm rays scattering the chill and unveiling a new day for the city.

Pedestrians and laborers bustled through the streets and alleyways.

Street vendors hawked their wares.

The painted boats on the river had quieted down for the day.

Shops in the West Market hung their banners.

A prosperous capital city, a picture of peace and prosperity.

No one knew of the storm brewing beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the Daqian Capital City.

Once the drama of the succession struggle began, there was no telling how many would be swept up in it, or how many would be caught in the crossfire.

If what the Second Prince said was true, and the behemoth known as the Zheng Clan was truly so pivotal in the eyes of certain people, then it would be difficult for him, Zheng Xiu, to stay out of it.

His repeated imprisonment was proof of this.

It was gradually becoming clearer who was pulling the strings, but this brought Zheng Xiu no optimism.

The only silver lining was that after throwing him in jail, the schemers had not only activated Zheng Xiu’s [Prisoner] Path but also seemed to think this was enough to pacify the Fierce Tiger for the time being, as they made no further moves.

’Are they waiting to see what happens, or are they waiting for me to make a move?’

If the Zheng Clan truly dared to openly rebel, then Old Wei would not sit idly by; he would dispatch troops to suppress them.

Zheng Xiu was currently like a man sitting on a stable, three-legged platform. It seemed safe, but if any one of its legs were to break, the entire platform would come crashing down.

Zheng Xiu asked a Prison Guard to refill his pot of tea.

A while later, his former cellmate—the now-promoted Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Jiang—arrived, fashionably late. He carried a street-bought breakfast. It wasn’t exquisite, but it was the thought that counted.

As soon as he left the morning court session, he had been intercepted by Scarface Liu, who was waiting outside the palace. They had called for a Zheng’s Coachman and rushed all the way here.

Jiang Gaoyi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zheng Xiu hadn’t been beaten to death or crippled.

Since Jiang Gaoyi had made the rare trip, Zheng Xiu invited him into the cell to chat.

Having been in prison before, and being an upright person by nature, Jiang Gaoyi didn’t mind the cell’s crude conditions and gladly sat down for a long talk with Zheng Xiu.

Sipping scalding soy milk and eating buns, shumai, and pastries, Jiang Gaoyi spoke of recent events.

Ordinarily, these were matters that shouldn’t be discussed with Zheng Xiu, a "convicted man."

But after Scarface Liu tactfully withdrew, Jiang Gaoyi saw that they were alone and pulled Zheng Xiu aside to speak in hushed tones.

The very first thing Jiang Gaoyi brought up was the matter of "appointing a crown prince," which, just as the Second Prince had said, was set for the third day of the third month next year.

According to Jiang Gaoyi, Old Wei had settled the matter in one go during the morning court session, in front of all the civil and military officials, with no room for discussion.

Apparently, three old ministers from the Six Ministries—it was unclear whose side they were on—had immediately mustered the courage to protest. They argued that the Fourth Prince was newly born and still young, while the Holy Emperor was as robust as a dragon and a tiger and would surely live for a thousand years. Thus, there was no rush to appoint a successor; the matter required long-term deliberation, and so on.

It was a natural part of court life for ministers to have their own preferences among the princes. The announcement had been so sudden that no one was prepared. If Jiang Gaoyi himself had been secretly close to one of the princes, he would have also tried to find a way to delay things.

Remembering their bond as cellmates and the gratitude he felt for Zheng Xiu’s support, Jiang Gaoyi was now speaking from the heart to Master Zheng.

He then revealed something that not even the Second Prince had mentioned.

Zheng Xiu was shocked. "You’re saying those three old ministers who wanted to delay the appointment were dismissed from their posts on the spot?"

They were fired by the Emperor right then and there.

"Yes!" A look of sorrow, like a fox mourning a dead rabbit, appeared on Jiang Gaoyi’s face. "Who would dare question the Holy Emperor’s decision? I fear the Second Prince’s deliberate attempt to rescue you is related to this matter."

As a newcomer to the Imperial City’s political scene, this was Jiang Gaoyi’s first close-up experience of how terrifying officialdom could be. He was learning the meaning of "accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger" and how disaster could strike out of nowhere at any moment.

Jiang Gaoyi had just been promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He was now alone in the Imperial City, without even a single trusted Miracle Master by his side.

He believed it wouldn’t be long before people started pressuring him to pick a side.

After all, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

To encounter such a thing right after entering the political arena... it was hard to say how long he could hold onto his position.

The worry on Jiang Gaoyi’s brow was evident. He was clearly concerned not only for Zheng Xiu’s situation but also for his own.

If things were going as expected, someone had likely already started putting pressure on the Minister of the Ministry of Justice in secret after the succession announcement. He was caught in a situation beyond his control.

At that, Zheng Xiu patted Jiang Gaoyi’s shoulder and offered a comforting smile. "Lord Jiang, it was fate that we met in prison. If you are ambitious, then by all means, get involved. But the future is uncertain, and it will surely be fraught with danger. If you only wish to protect yourself, you can feign compliance and play along for a while. If you run into a crisis, just give a whistle for a Zheng’s Coachman. Someone will come to help you."

After speaking, Zheng Xiu demonstrated the whistle.

Jiang Gaoyi was overjoyed to hear this and carefully memorized the pitch and duration of the whistle.

He clearly knew the dangers involved in the succession struggle; it wasn’t something an outsider official like him could easily get mixed up in.

The path ahead was Hell.

The subtlety of being a Merchant lay in a single word: "bribe." To put it simply, it meant that favors must be returned and gifts reciprocated.

’There’s never anything wrong with getting on the good side of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.’

Zheng Xiu even hinted that if he was short on money, he could just go to the bank and withdraw some. Jiang Gaoyi was so frightened by the offer that he shook his head repeatedly, insisting he wouldn’t dare.

’It seems he hasn’t quite figured out how to be an official yet.’

Officialdom. For those who played the game well, it was a stage. For those who didn’t, it was an execution ground.

Zheng Xiu didn’t press the issue.

Jiang Gaoyi didn’t dare stay too long and got up to leave.

Just before Lord Jiang left, Zheng Xiu remembered something and broached the topic indirectly.

"Baili Village?" Jiang Gaoyi asked, puzzled. "Doesn’t Marquis Zheng already know the outcome?"

But he quickly convinced himself, slapping his forehead with a smile. "No wonder they say nobles are forgetful. It seems Marquis Zheng didn’t take this matter to heart. The Baili Village tragedy back then... of the twenty-six households in the whole village, only one child from the Feng Clan survived by hiding in the river. It was truly tragic."

Jiang Gaoyi mentioned Feng Bei, but said that after twenty years, his memory was a bit fuzzy. However, he then said Feng Bei’s whereabouts were unknown. It seemed Jiang Gaoyi had no idea that Feng Bei was currently in the city, serving as Ye Weiyang’s Upper Three.

Zheng Xiu’s expression remained impassive, but inwardly he found it strange.

’Wei Chen... is dead?’

Although Wang Cangyun had rescued Wei Chen at the last moment, Zheng Xiu had seen Wei Chen’s half-human, half-ghost state before he left and couldn’t be certain he would survive.

Besides, back then, Feng Bei and Wei Chen had no connection. It was perfectly normal for Feng Bei to have just left, abandoning Wei Chen there.

Zheng Xiu watched Jiang Gaoyi leave, then promised Scarface Liu some benefits. His little villa in Heaven-Gazing Prison fell silent once again.

Finally with some leisure time, Zheng Xiu calmed his mind. His consciousness drifted, and in a moment, he had entered the Heart Prison.

He planned to first check the changes that had occurred after opening the eighth door.

With the eighth door of his Path pushed open, his Heart Prison had nearly doubled in size.

’Any bigger and I could partition it into a three-bedroom apartment.’

Outside the prison was still a dense, gloomy mist, which was heart-warming.

In the center of the Heart Prison sat a table and a chair, from which he could observe the world.

The table displayed a miniature world. Zheng Xiu had already entered two Ghostly Realms in this world, [Baili Village] and [Immortal Maiden Temple], both of which he had now cleared.

Baili Village seemed to be the beginning of everything. Zheng Xiu had entered it on his own as soon as he stepped onto the [Prisoner] Path.

The [Immortal Maiden Temple] Ghostly Realm, however, had only been triggered when he touched the fleshy tumor on the back of Second Lady’s head.

As for [Post Station Feng Bei]...

It seemed that as long as he had the permission of the Ghostly Realm’s master, Zheng Xiu could enter.

Zheng Xiu was slowly figuring out the rules for how Ghostly Realms spawned on the map.

He needed to explore actively.

In the end, the most convenient way was still to rely on Feng Bei.

First, Feng Bei’s Destiny was that of a Celestial Killer Lone Star—to put it bluntly, he was unlucky and prone to running into these things. Second, Feng Bei held a high position in Ye Weiyang and had more opportunities than anyone to encounter Ghostly Realms. If Zheng Xiu followed Feng Bei, the Ghostly Realms would throw themselves at him like girls from a brothel, and he wouldn’t have to worry.

Speaking of Feng Bei, Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but recall the events in the Immortal Maiden Temple, marveling at Feng Bei’s inhuman strength.

The image of that single strike leveling Danglang Mountain was still fresh in his mind. What kind of monster had he rescued from Baili Village twenty years ago?

’If all of Ye Weiyang’s Twelfth Moon are monsters like Feng Bei...’

’Wait.’

Zheng Xiu rubbed his chin. The Merchant’s professional habit of "fleecing the sheep" was instantly activated.

’If I reveal my identity as Zheng Shan, is there a chance I could pull Feng Bei over to the Zheng Family’s side?’

Zheng Xiu had no intention of interfering in the matter of the succession, nor did he have any reason to.

But just as the Second Prince had said, it would be difficult for the Zheng Clan to stay out of it. If the invincible Feng Bei could leave Ye Weiyang and join the Zheng Group, it would undoubtedly be the cherry on top for the already formidable Zheng Clan, making them as stable as Mount Tai.

Zheng Xiu seriously considered the possibility of winning Feng Bei over.

’Do I really have to... "conquer" Feng Bei all over again?’

Zheng Xiu’s conscience pricked him a little.

But he quickly adjusted his thinking and comforted himself. ’It’s fine.’

It seemed that all sorts of messy problems could ultimately find their solution with Feng Bei.

In that instant, the thought of Feng Bei made Zheng Xiu subconsciously recall the Treasure King he had lost twenty years ago, Cangyun.

’Ah, another day of missing the Treasure King.’

Conquering Feng Bei was a matter that required careful planning.

Shifting his gaze from [Post Station Feng Bei], Zheng Xiu resisted the urge to poke that surprisingly cute face, waving his hand to summon the yellowed Paper Scroll.

The Paper Scroll recorded his information.

[Host]: [Zheng Xiu]

[Path]: [Prisoner] (Jiazi · Eighth Door)

[Fitting]: [Five Percent]

[Derivation]: [Observing the Sky from Prison (Entry)], [Divine Travel (Entry)], [Projection (Entry)], [Unbreakable (Entry)]

[Talent]: [No merchant is honest (some accomplishment)]

[Experience]: [White Carp’s Initial Search for Secrets, Tumultuous Times Shock Waves (Newcomer to the Martial World)], [Chang’an’s Escape from Danger, Vast Righteous Qi (Retired from Jianghu)], [Ruthless Slaying of the Immortal Lady, Furious Rescue of the Fair Maiden (Heroic Youth)]

"...?"