The moon rises high in the sky, and silvery frost descends.
The brightly lit front courtyard of the Inspector's Mansion was bustling with people, their angry fervor dispelling the chill of the frost carried by the river breeze.
The entire Inspector's Office was filled with a stifling heat.
Upon hearing the sound, Zheng Ya entered the front courtyard and saw the seven concubines, led by the Princess, surrounded by four sons and five daughters, and protected by hundreds of guards. They were gathered in the front courtyard, brewing their anger. Their focused gazes were so intense that they almost set the Inspectorate on fire.
"May Your Highness be blessed with good fortune and peace!" The princess was furious, but she took the lead in guiding her concubines, wives, and children to pay their respects to Zheng Ya, while the guards had already knelt on one knee to pay their respects.
The atmosphere on the field suddenly became extremely strange.
Anyone could see that this was a battleground, a coup attempt was about to be staged.
Prior to this, rumors were rampant in the Jiangnan region that Zheng Ya was a fake prince, an imposter, and the rumors had become increasingly elaborate.
At this moment, the princess and her concubines, along with their children and guards, are making no attempt to conceal their true intentions, clearly intending to expose Zheng Ya as a fraud and seize power.
Zheng Ya calmly nodded slightly: "Let's skip it. Where is Ge Quan?"
"Is it unnecessary for Your Highness to seek out Ge Quan at this time?" The princess made her stance clear, strongly advocating for Ge Quan, the steward who had tipped off the others, and promising to give him an important position later.
At this moment, under the protection of the Gold-Eating Beast, Sheng Xiang burrowed underground and disappeared within 300 meters of the Inspector's Mansion to watch the show unfold.
Furthermore, Wu Wei, draped in a soul-spirit veil, stood indifferently on the rooftop a hundred meters away from the Inspector's Mansion, watching Sheng Xiang's every move, and also spying on the drama of Zheng Ya's exposure.
Fortunately, Zheng Ya had already ordered the elimination of powerful figures inside and outside Yanhai City beforehand; otherwise, he would have faced trouble from powerful families, making things even more complicated.
Zheng Ya stood with his hands behind his back, staring indifferently at the princess's cold, murderous face: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
"I dare not, but there are rumors circulating outside. Please allow me to be presumptuous this once and help you verify your identity. I am willing to accept punishment afterward." The princess gritted her teeth and stared at Zheng Ya's eyes, but unfortunately, she did not see the slightest bit of guilt in Zheng Ya's eyes.
Did the others also start to question the meaning of life?
Could the rumors be wrong?
But once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.
There are countless rumors circulating that the Prince of Donglin is an imposter, causing widespread panic. We cannot rest easy until we investigate the truth!
Zheng Ya's usually indifferent face contorted with anger: "Your Highness, are you going to abandon public duty for personal gain and alienate me from your will? Are you sure?"
"Your Highness, for the sake of ensuring the continuation of the Wu family's lineage as Prince, I have overstepped my bounds and offended Your Highness. To quell the rumors and slanders against the Wu family's reputation, I am willing to die to defend them. I beg Your Highness to grant my sincere wish!" The princess knelt and pleaded.
The concubines, wives, and children all knelt down, pleading, "Your Highness, we beg you, Father, to grant our request!"
"Please grant my request, Your Highness!" The guards, still kneeling, echoed in unison.
In a short time, the momentum was immense, and a coup was launched.
Sheng Xiang, hiding underground, grinned from ear to ear, which made Wu Wei laugh as well.
However, both of them noticed Zheng Ya's calm demeanor and felt inexplicably flustered. Could this all be a trap set by Zheng Ya?
But is that even possible?
Zheng Ya chuckled and paced among the princess and her concubines: "Good, very good. You all wish I were a fake, don't you?"
"Your Highness, it's not just that. We are all dedicated to protecting the reputation of Prince Wu..." The princess once again resorted to moral blackmail, which made Zheng Ya laugh in anger: "Enough, your coup has disappointed me greatly."
But this is for the best, as it severs my worldly attachments.
From this day forward, I will retire to the mountains to cultivate Taoism, and will remain detached from worldly entanglements. The title of Prince shall be inherited by my eldest son, Wu De…
"Your Highness, please don't..." the concubine exclaimed and stood up to stop her, but was pulled back by two of the princess's close concubines, and they began to wrestle with each other.
The Prince of Donglin has two concubines and one princess, all from prominent families.
Each had a legitimate son, and both coveted the title of Prince. They had been vying for it openly and covertly for a long time, and none of them would submit to the other.
This was also the only loophole that Shengxiang was able to exploit in the Prince of Donglin and exploit his weakness.
Otherwise, the Jiangnan region would have long been a united front against the Prince of Donglin!
Zheng Ya was furious when he saw the princess concubine tearing each other apart: "Enough! Only incompetent people fight amongst themselves."
The reason I chose to retire and cultivate Taoism is because I was fed up with your lack of unity against external enemies and your infighting. At the height of my rule over Jiangnan, I decided to retire gracefully.
Here is an ancestral precept: Wu descendants should win people over with virtue, expand their territory and establish meritorious achievements, and the capable should rise while the mediocre should fall.
Stop the suppression and unite against external threats!
My army will be divided into nine parts from this day forward, one part for each of my children.
Remember this: if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; only by working together can we win. Alright, I must go now…
"Your Highness, sob sob..." The princess, concubines, and children immediately cried and begged for him to stay. Zheng Ya leaped into the air and said, "Ge Quan is a traitor, his entire family shall be executed."
"Your Highness..." The garden was filled with weeping.
Zheng Ya flew directly into the sky and disappeared into the moonlight, vanishing without a trace.
They're leaving already?
Sheng Xiang was having an existential crisis. His heart was pounding. He fell into Wu Wei's perception, and his smiling face turned serious as he frowned and pondered. What was Zheng Ya up to?!
Unconventional thinking is indeed Zheng Ya's style.
But Zheng Ya's move was so swift and decisive that it surprised and surprised everyone.
Who would pass up such a golden opportunity to unify Jiangnan?
"Shh!" Liu Qingyun watched as Zheng Ya flew into the sky and left, flying from the South City to the vicinity of the Inspectorate to investigate the drama inside. She couldn't stay calm!
The princess and her concubines stopped arguing and instead started crying and dividing the spoils—no, dividing the military power into nine parts.
At the same time, he ordered his secret guards to strike and exterminate Ge Quan's entire clan.
Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, as long as it was the prince's order, he should be killed.
The secret guards led their troops out to kill.
Sheng Xiang also made a move, quietly riding the Gold-Eating Beast underground to approach the dungeon behind the Inspectorate, very cautiously, getting closer little by little.
Wu Wei sensed his cautiousness, as if he were afraid of falling into Zheng Ya's trap, and sneered for no reason. She secretly transmitted her voice to Liu Qingyun: "When someone breaks into the prison later, cooperate appropriately with the disturbance and provide backup?"
"Uh, Princess, what do you want to do?" Liu Qingyun panicked. A prison break? How dare you do something like that? You're asking for death!
If it were the Inspectorate in the past, when it was still under the leadership of Earl Dai, breaking into prison would be no big deal; they would just do it.
Things are different now. The entire Salt Sea City is garrisoned by an invincible army of over 400,000. If a prison break is discovered, they can mobilize and seal off the entire city. It's estimated that not even a fly could get out.
Wu Wei replied irritably, "Relax, this princess won't break into prison or do anything illegal."
This princess just wants to pick up a bargain.
Let's also see Zheng Ya's backup plan!
"Uh, Princess, it's true that Zheng Ya had a backup plan, rather than it being a test that Zheng Ya deliberately left for his children?"
After all, no one knows what secret orders Zheng Ya secretly issued after deploying over 400,000 invincible troops in Yanhai City.
If the princess were to risk her life and fall into the vortex of the test that Zheng Ya left for his children, she would probably be in deep trouble! Liu Qingyun did not think that Zheng Ya had left cleanly and decisively.
It seems that everything was a scheme orchestrated by Zheng Ya, just a routine.
Wu Wei also possessed this quality, yet she couldn't resist the allure of the Dai Clan's Secret Realm. She thoughtfully transmitted her voice, "What you said is all true, but it can't sway this princess's decision. No, he made a move..."
"Ah, Princess, don't take the risk..." Liu Qingyun warned anxiously, while Wu Wei had already flashed towards Sheng Xiang...
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