Roaring Dragon-Chapter 117: Looks Like You’re Getting a Bit Too Cocky with the Favoritism

Night deepened. The carriages of nobles and princes trickled away from Heavenly Street into the depths of the inner city.

Outside the palace walls, Xie Jinhuan swung himself onto his horse, his gaze lingering on Li Gongpu’s departing carriage.

Earlier, while idly chatting with Hou Jiye and the others, he’d made use of his ghost wife to daze Li Gongpu for a while. He didn’t know exactly what the ghost showed him, but he was sure Li had seen signs that the Qian Emperor wouldn’t live much longer.

Ever since then, Li Gongpu had seemed out of it—clearly, he’d taken the bait.

Now that Li Gongpu had realized the emperor was terminally ill, he would have to scramble to plan his future. His only lifeline was to gain the new heir’s favor. Moves were guaranteed to follow.

As long as Xie could catch Li Gongpu actively trying to sway the Crown Prince, that would displease the Qian Emperor. Then, with the help of Hou Jiye and the rest—who were already simmering with old resentment—he could fan the flames and settle old scores. Li Gongpu wouldn’t survive that.

And once everyone started kicking Li Gongpu while he was down, Xie would need to pull out that “old calligraphy brush” and drop a subtle hint. He couldn’t let Li die clueless.

After all—if you kill a man, you must break his spirit first.

If Li Gongpu didn’t know he’d been set up, or whose hands really ended his life, then revenge would be meaningless.

This whole sequence might take a few days to unfold. Xie had a lot on his plate and couldn’t afford to monitor Li Gongpu around the clock.

Fortunately, Li was already a public enemy. Just tailing him to see whether he met with the Crown Prince wasn’t too sensitive a job. All he needed was someone trustworthy with sharp instincts. And in the capital, no one fit that bill better than Fei Ji.

Uncle Fei had been his father’s childhood friend. When Xie was three, Fei personally showed him a corpse, taught him martial arts for years, and as a County Deputy, he knew every trick in the capital. With his legendary ability to tell everything from a single glance—down to someone’s posture—having him monitor the Li Residence under the pretext of catching the “Saint of Thieves” would be no trouble at all.

As he thought things through, the procession circled back toward Zheng’an Street.

Prince Zhao De had latched onto some financial support and couldn’t be bothered to return home. The moment the banquet ended, he’d followed the Crown Prince somewhere—who knows where.

Inside the carriage, Duoduo, the baby-faced busty one, had pulled out a little drum. She beat it with tiny hands and sang in a sweet, lilting voice:

Dong-dong-dong-dong~

“Spring breeze~ fragrant moonlight rising...”

Linghu Qingmo, who had spent the whole banquet being teased and bullied, now wore the frosty look of a displeased swordswoman, trying to trick Xie Jinhuan into saying the safe word.

But Xie was no fool. With his back straight, walking beside the carriage window, he carried himself with a chill elegance that seemed to say—go ahead, hit me~ I dare you~

Linghu Qingmo clenched her teeth in secret. She couldn’t justify lashing out, so she just turned her back, ignoring the scoundrel with Meiqiu, who was also pretending to sulk. Once they returned to the Prince’s Mansion, she vanished into the guest room with a swoosh.

Princess Changning hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with Xie Jinhuan during the banquet. And in public, it wasn’t appropriate to summon him into the carriage for a private talk. Now that they were walking along the corridor, she finally turned and asked:

“Did you notice anything unusual at the banquet?”

Xie Jinhuan walked at her side, thinking for a moment before answering:

“I was beating the war drum Master taught me. It’s meant to rouse courage and spark emotions like belligerence or fearlessness. In theory, people aligned with demonic arts shouldn’t be able to resist it. But I’m still weak, so the only person who stood out seemed more like a minion, probably just a lackey of the Dark God Cult.”

“Oh?”

Princess Changning’s face turned a little more serious as she leaned in and asked softly:

“Who?”

“Baron Lie’an, Ye Shiyong.”

“......”

She frowned, just as surprised as Xie Jinhuan by the name.

“Ye Shiyong used to be a Jianghu man. During the Jian’an Uprising, he was drafted on the spot and ended up earning distinction for backing the right faction. He’s now nominally stationed in the Department of Rites, not a high rank or title, but he’s tightly connected to the royal clan, frequently running errands for them... If he’s truly a minion of the demon cult, then the person behind him must be the Dark God Cult’s embedded mole in the court.”

Xie asked, “Who does Your Highness think it might be?”

Princess Changning hesitated, then answered truthfully:

“Looking at Ye Shiyong’s career history, His Majesty is the most suspicious... but the idea of him being a mole seems unlikely.”

“Why?”

“The Dark God Cult is a remnant of the old Wuist rebellion. Based on analyses from various sect elders, they have two main objectives.”

She returned to her room, waved Duoduo over to make tea, and began to explain in earnest:

“First, they want to open the Tomb of the Corpse Ancestor. He was a demonic ghost cultivator who ascended to demonic status. Can’t be killed, only sealed. He's buried in the Tomb of Demon Suppression, where the passage of time weakens his energy.

“To prevent the seal from being undone, the tomb’s location is known only to His Majesty and Lu Wuzhen. Even my father the Prince doesn’t dare inquire about it.

“If His Majesty were the Dark God Cult’s mole, then with twenty years of access as the ruler of a nation, he would’ve cracked that tomb open already.”

Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly. “What’s the second goal?”

Princess Changning personally poured him a cup of tea and continued:

“The second goal is that demon cultivators thrive in times of chaos.

“In a chaotic era, every war kills tens of thousands—strong, healthy men. That kind of bloodshed is a banquet for demon cultivators, no less tempting than laying out hundreds of gorgeous women for a lecher.

“Plus, during wartime, the court loses control of distant provinces, righteous sects are overstretched, and small nations or counties are left unguarded. Demon cultivators can massacre with little consequence.

“If His Majesty were a demon cultivator, even if he didn’t unseal the tomb, his ruling style would’ve leaned toward reckless expansion and warmongering.

“But you know the truth: in the last twenty years, His Majesty’s mostly focused on internal reforms. Even the external conflicts never escalated into full wars—nothing exceeding ten thousand troops.

“The court even built hundreds of Eight-Directional Light Arrays across the empire to track demonic activity and assigned patrol zones to major sects. Any major screw-up gets you replaced. Zihui Mountain was already warned because of the Huai River Bay incident.

“Under such tight surveillance, no first-rank demon cultivator would dare show themselves in Da Qian. If His Majesty were one, why would he choke his own neck like that?”

Xie Jinhuan agreed—it did make sense.

Though the Qian Emperor was a bit extravagant in his personal life, he didn’t qualify as a tyrant or incompetent ruler, let alone some demonic overlord.

“Then whoever’s backing Ye Shiyong must be a powerful royal or noble. I’ll go investigate later—see if I can dig up any clues.”

He was just about to head out to slay demons and confiscate some illegal gains when Princess Changning stood up, pulled out a stack of silver notes, and said:

“You served the nation with honor today. His Majesty rewarded you. How could I, as the Princess, fall short?”

Xie Jinhuan was amused by the gesture and was about to ask if she wanted a special performance when—suddenly—he felt his limbs act on their own. As if possessed, he took a step forward and lifted her chin:

“Oh? You really think I’m just your kept man?”

?!

Princess Changning had never seen such brazen audacity. She froze, staring up at his wickedly handsome face, and after a long pause, finally managed:

“You... You’re getting a bit too cocky with the favoritism~!”

Uh...

Xie Jinhuan, still holding that soft, round, "peace-and-prosperity" face, was just as baffled internally. But he couldn’t say he was possessed, so he forced himself to smooth it over:

“I walk the righteous path. Slaying demons and upholding justice is my duty. I don’t do it for worldly gain. If Your Highness insists on giving me a cut, I’ll accept. But if I took this money, having done nothing yet, wouldn’t I really be just some pretty boy for hire?”

Princess Changning understood his point—he thought her casual reward diminished his integrity as a righteous man...

Which was fair—but still, why lift her chin?

Shouldn’t she be the one lifting his?

As a highborn princess, adored and exalted her entire life, this was her first time in such a vulnerable position, and it left her flustered.

After a pause, she reclaimed her usual aloof, commanding tone. She grabbed his daring hand, stuffed the silver notes into his collar, and even patted his chest:

“Impudent~ You found a demon cult lead today—that’s why I rewarded you. If you don’t like silver, next time I’ll give something else.

“If I really wanted to keep you as my man, I wouldn’t pay in cash. I’d just have you stay here tonight to serve me, and you’d better do it gratefully.”

I do like silver! It was the damn ghost that made me move...

Xie Jinhuan felt like he was forcibly playing the role of a pampered boy toy. But he couldn’t say that out loud, so he just replied:

“Then I misunderstood. Please forgive the offense, Your Highness. I have urgent business—I’ll take my leave.”

“Go, then~”

And with that, Xie Jinhuan vanished from the room like the wind.

Princess Changning’s heart was still pounding. Once he was gone, she gave the fat-headed peacock a tap and murmured:

“Bold little bastard... but kind of fun. No wonder Momo couldn’t resist...”