The winter sun shines brightly overhead, while the wind howls as it sweeps through the accumulated snow.
Zheng Ya sat alone by the stone table by the flower bed, basking in the sun and enjoying the delicious dishes prepared by Chef Zhe of Fuxiang Restaurant. He would occasionally comment, "What a load of rubbish Prince Rong! He's raised a bunch of useless people. Such good ingredients have been cooked to a gamey smell. It's disgusting..."
With a "thump," the little eunuch knelt down in terror, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, this servant deserves to die. I failed to properly supervise the chefs at Fuxiang Restaurant in preparing the dishes..."
"Get up! I don't want a kowtow worm here!" Zheng Ya snapped irritably, startling the little eunuch who scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for sparing my life, Your Highness. This servant..."
"Alright, enough with the nonsense."
"Have the ingredients I ordered been prepared?" Zheng Ya had been busy these past few days arranging for palace maids and eunuchs to decorate the mansion and ordering various ingredients.
They collected a large quantity of precious medicinal herbs and mythical beasts.
Two emperors sent people to inquire about the many medicinal herbs, seeds, and ingredients that were difficult to capture and raise, but they still sent people to capture spirit beasts in the mountains and lakes, just to curry favor with Zheng Ya and befriend the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect.
In particular, when the two emperors learned that Zheng Ya possessed hand grenades and melons, they both considered hoarding them for speculation.
In comparison, the two emperors made a big show of goodwill towards Zheng Ya, suppressing other forces' opportunities to befriend him and deterring them from monopolizing business.
This was a situation deliberately created by Zheng Ya, who allowed two generations of emperors to operate the gene potion business, to incite internal conflicts within the Great Li Dynasty and accumulate spiritual energy.
In just three days, the psionic income reached 280,000.
Zheng Ya directly consumed 200,000 units of spiritual energy to upgrade his time and space abilities to the second tier, thus balancing the three abilities, which led to an unexpected incident.
The Sihelou and Haikui once again exhibited an abnormal devouring effect, directly consuming the remaining spiritual energy, which made Zheng Ya very unhappy, yet secretly relieved.
The fact that the sea anemone and the Sihelou absorbed spiritual energy and crystals proves that they are both growing and evolving, becoming stronger along with Zheng Ya's strength, which is a good thing.
Zheng Ya was just too big a eater. He felt like he had never been short of money or supplies. He was used to spending lavishly, and he found it very difficult to adapt to suddenly becoming penniless.
In addition, Zheng Ya was new to the area and was not used to any of the local customs, so he was having a hard time.
To avoid appearing too out of place, Zheng Ya couldn't very well abandon the lifestyle habits of the people in this world. He could only hide in his residence to observe the daily habits of the palace maids and eunuchs, and get used to them before going out.
Xiao Dezi broke out in a cold sweat, and after being blown by the cold wind, he shivered all over and replied: "My lord, it is very difficult to capture spirit beasts in the dead of winter."
The spirit beast that the lord specifically requested may have to be delayed…
"Alright, from today onwards, all the food and drink for everyone in the mansion will be provided by Fuxiang Restaurant, and there must be no shortage of three meals a day."
"If anyone in Fuxianglou objects, then smash Fuxianglou for me, and name and name Prince Rong to poison me, this viscount. Make a huge scene..." Zheng Ya put down his chopsticks, stood up and said, his words sure to shock.
Xiao Dezi trembled with fear: "My lord, we servants have offended Prince Rong, which is a capital offense!"
"Haha, so you lackeys are afraid of Prince Rong, but not of me?" Zheng Ya stopped and turned around, asking calmly.
Intimidated by his imposing presence, Xiao Dezi trembled and bowed deeply, saying, "My lord, this servant dares not..."
"Enough. Inform everyone in the manor to act according to my orders. Otherwise, they can go back to where they came from. I don't want useless people." Zheng Ya said this and left.
As Xiao Dezi watched him walk out of the courtyard gate, his legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, pounding the snow and complaining, "Waaah, what did I do to deserve this? I don't want to live anymore..."
"Eunuch Xiao Dezi, the Duke is a trusted friend of His Majesty, and we cannot afford to offend him. Why don't we just follow the Duke's orders and cause a ruckus at Fuxiang Restaurant..." Xiao Quanzi seized the opportunity to persuade him.
Xiao Dezi said with a pounding heart, "Shut up."
We can't afford to offend the Duke, but we can certainly afford to offend Prince Rong!
Let's report this matter to His Majesty for a decision!
“It’s inevitable that we’ll have to ask His Majesty for a decision. I just felt that the Duke was no ordinary person. He didn’t care at all that we came from the palace and were ordered to monitor him. He did whatever he wanted. He was so domineering…” Xiao Quanzi admired him immensely.
Xiao Dezi got up in a huff and scolded, "You need to be more careful."
Lord Jue is a disciple of the immortal sect, untouched by karma, so he naturally treats us servants with indifference.
On the contrary, as His Majesty's servants, ordered to serve the Duke, we cannot possibly bring him any significant karma. To dream of defying fate by relying on the Duke is nothing but a pipe dream, a delusion.
"Tch, of course I know it's unrealistic to expect the Duke to bestow upon us the foundation for cultivating immortality, but don't forget that the Duke orders us to do things. If we do things well, it's like we've become entangled with the Duke in karma."
"If the lord is in a good mood, he might just bestow upon us a bottle of spiritual root repair fluid, which would allow us to stimulate our spiritual roots and begin cultivation!" Xiao Quanzi said with longing.
Xiao Dezi was swayed by his words, swallowed hard, and said, "Then, then let's go and cause a ruckus at Fuxiang Restaurant..."
The palace maids and eunuchs gathered together to discuss the momentous matter of defying fate.
Zheng Ya walked onto Guiyuan Street, ignoring the spies watching him all over the street, when he was stopped and greeted by Fu Lian: "Brother Ya, may I have a word with you?"
"No need, just say what you have to say here." Zheng Ya disliked the entire Fu family and had instructed his servants to stop them from coming over for several days. He was quite annoyed that he was greeted by the Fu family members as soon as he stepped out the door.
In fact, Zheng Ya had been aware of the discussions among passersby outside the mansion these past few days and learned that the Fu family had removed his predecessor, Fu Ya, from the family genealogy, which made him very angry.
If it weren't for his promise to Fu Zhen—that he would return to the Fu clan after handing over a puppet pill—Zheng Ya would have already taught the Fu clan a lesson.
Considering that this world governs the country based on filial piety, although it is a semi-crippled system like the cultivation system, without substantial written laws and regulations, and with a system of four classes—cultivators, nobles, ordinary people, and servants—governing the country based on filial piety, Zheng Ya did not want to touch the taboo and invite criticism.
Fu Lian had endured Zheng Ya's staking out for four consecutive days, and now, suppressing his resentment, he forced a smile and said, "Brother Ya, you don't want your family scandals to be aired in public, do you?"
"Aren't you also a cultivator, at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"
"I presume you also possess some secret telepathic magic. If you don't want your family scandals to be aired in public, then let's communicate telepathically." Zheng Ya said unmoved, causing those monitoring the crowd in the street to be moved and lose their composure.
Fu Lian awkwardly transmitted his voice: "Ya Ge'er is right, elder brother was too rash..."
"Get to the point. There's a commotion over there. I'm afraid someone's targeting me and plotting against me. I don't have time to waste with you. Just say what you have to say." Zheng Ya noticed the commotion at the entrance of Fuxiang Restaurant and wondered why.
What is Prince Rong up to?
Fu Lian took a deep breath and explained his purpose: "Ya Ge'er, considering that Ya Ge'er is all alone, and fearing that it will delay Ya Ge'er's marriage and the continuation of the family line, the elders of the clan have decided that Ya Ge'er will go to Jiangnan to marry Daiyu..."
"What the hell? A wedding procession to the south of the Yangtze River? Whose idea was this?" Zheng Ya keenly sensed the danger...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com