Zheng Ya lied to deceive everyone, and the Empress Dowager was the first to not believe it. She secretly sent a telepathic message to the Emperor Emeritus: "Old man, that brat Zheng Ya is clearly lying. Why are you defending him?"
"Empress Yin, your speculation is merely a speculation that he is lying, and it does not prove that he is actually lying. Have you thought about what would happen if you pushed him too far?" The Emperor Emeritus asked in a calm and collected voice transmission.
In reality, the retired emperor harbored selfish thoughts, which is why he exonerated Zheng Ya.
Firstly, the retired emperor was unaware of how many secret keys the five major families had actually collected.
Among them, the Fu family fabricated the symbiotic jade pendant of Fu Ying, the other three only exist in rumors and the exact number cannot be determined, and the key to the last one is in the hands of the first crown prince.
The retired emperor has already retrieved two secret keys from the five major families.
By combining the key he bestowed upon the Queen of the Underworld, and the key he later held, he had collected four keys.
Secondly, rumors circulated within the Xie family that they had secretly kept a key.
Clearly, it was the Xie clan patriarch imitating the Fu clan's trickery and thrills, reserving a way for Xie Baochai to one day reveal her companion hairpin, which was a secret key, to give the Xie clan a chance to seize fortune and achieve immortality, ensuring the Xie clan's prosperity and longevity.
Unfortunately, the Xie clan patriarch died because of rumors of the key being leaked, and did not have time to reveal the key to the golden hairpin. He only told the young Xie Baochai, and that was the end of it.
The retired emperor knew nothing about this, only that rumors about the key were rampant.
Thirdly, the sudden return of the Empress Dowager disrupted the Emperor Emeritus's plan to transfer the key from the five major families to the first Crown Prince, rendering the elaborate scheme unsustainable.
This thwarted the Emperor Emeritus's secret plan to investigate how many keys the five major families had collected.
The retired emperor wrested the two keys back from them, making it difficult to determine whether they were still secretly keeping the keys.
After all, there were two keys in total: the Xie family's rumored key and the Fu family's announcement of Fu Ying's innate treasure.
At this moment, Zheng Ya voluntarily revealed two keys, one from the first crown prince and the other from the Xie family.
This proves that the five families have collected three keys, with only the last key remaining unknown.
This left the retired emperor unable to determine the origin of the last key!
The main purpose of this grand drama that forced Zheng Ya out was to expose the key and then seize the opportunity to take it for himself.
The unknown whereabouts of the final key led the retired emperor to suspect that Zheng Ya had secretly kept a key as a trump card to save his life.
After all, none of the thousands of people present were fools; they all knew that if all seven keys were collected, a decisive battle was very likely to take place.
This can be seen from the discord between the retired emperor and the empress dowager, who both wanted to embezzle the seven keys for immortality. They preferred to favor their loyal followers rather than help each other, thus leaving behind an unstable hidden danger.
As for the two arranging for someone to enter into an equal contract with Wu Wei and Zheng Ya beforehand, it was nothing more than a trick to scare people.
With just a command from the two, Tianyuan Shangren and the female worshipper will detonate the soul contract without fail, killing Wu Wei and Zheng Ya, seizing the key from them, and winning everything.
As for whether detonating the soul contract would kill Wu Wei and Zheng Ya, that was beyond the calculations of the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager.
At least until the final key is revealed, the two will not order anyone to detonate the soul contract and confront Wu Wei and Zheng Ya.
This is a covert tactic, and many of the thousands of people present are suspicious.
Palace intrigue and psychological warfare have always been the forte of the imperial family.
That's why the Emperor Emeritus defended Zheng Ya, not wanting a conflict to arise because Empress Yin harbored a desire to kill Zheng Ya, which would delay the crucial task of finding the last key.
The Empress Dowager coldly transmitted her voice: "I suspect that Zheng Ya and his loyal followers are plotting something, concealing the secret key held by the first Crown Prince..."
"Alright, this is all just your speculation. There's no real evidence to prove Zheng Ya is lying, so why ruin the relationship we just started and waste time investigating the last key..." The Emperor Emeritus interrupted her arbitrary statement, annoyed.
They had been biding their time for so many years, determined not to cause trouble before the final key was revealed.
The Empress Yin guessed his scheme: "Old man, are you hiding something from me?"
"Yes, I have already planted spies among Zheng Ya's loyal followers. They will expose their hidden secrets sooner or later once they leave with Zheng Ya."
"Besides, shouldn't we discuss this further?" The Emperor Emeritus revealed a secret to her, seeking cooperation.
Empress Yin understood and transmitted a slightly surprised voice: "Old man, do you want to secretly open the Dragon Palace Secret Realm?"
"Hmm, Empress Yin understands me best..." The Emperor Emeritus was getting emotional when Empress Yin interrupted him, "Shut up and state your specific plans, or don't even think about me granting your wish!"
"You're still so strong-willed, I don't blame you."
"But you should also understand that I have no ill intentions towards you. I just want to acquire as many resources as possible and cultivate to a new level before the last key is released, so that I will have the confidence and opportunity to gain the seal's approval, right?" The Emperor Emeritus revealed his true feelings, half-truthfully.
Empress Yin didn't believe it at all: "Old man, what are you worried about?"
Haha, you figured that out!
"Indeed, I think Zheng Ya surrendered too easily. Who knows what kind of treacherous scheme he might be plotting? I can't help but take it seriously..." The Emperor Emeritus was indeed suspicious of Zheng Ya's submission.
This stems from the fact that those who cross boundaries all possess hidden trump cards, which are unpredictable whether they are used to save their lives or to turn the tide of battle.
The fact that the Immortal Dynasty collapsed in the hands of the Transcendent Ones says it all.
Empress Yin replied telepathically, "Old man, I'm very pleased that you think this way."
After all, neither you nor I can trust someone with a different surname.
Especially since we can't trust those who can cross realms, are the measures we've set up for Zheng Ya not comprehensive enough? Should we add more...?
"No, we can't add any more methods and arouse Zheng Ya and Wu Wei's vigilance. At least we can't add more methods at this time and cast a shadow of distrust over our cooperation with them. That would be detrimental to our ability to monitor them secretly..." The Emperor Emeritus promptly vetoed the idea.
The thousands of people at the scene couldn't wait any longer.
Wu Wei proposed directly: "I think it's imperative to split into groups and search for the last key. What do you think?"
"Yes, this is an inevitable action."
"I suggest you and Zheng Ya take charge of some online methods to broadcast all our actions live, to show fairness..." The Emperor Emeritus planted a trap in advance, not wanting the two to slip out of his control.
Whether it's the mechanical products created by Wu Wei or the science and technology products created by Zheng Ya, they are all weaknesses that the retired emperor and the empress dowager have in their information warfare.
Zheng Ya said with a smile, "That's no problem for me. Starting immediately, the entire world will broadcast this live on virtual screens to express my sincerity in cooperating."
This can be monitored and implemented by people all over the world.
"Alright, all the mechanical and technological products under my control will also be used to search for the last key. I hope we can cooperate smoothly," Wu Wei added carelessly, seemingly forgetting about betraying him.
Empress Yin Fu, with a sudden realization, said, "Zheng Ya, since you've hidden all the members of the conglomerate, shouldn't you make them show themselves and participate in the search for the key?"
"Yes, sure, that's a must, I can't shirk my responsibility." Zheng Ya readily agreed, but in his heart he cursed her all over. What a cunning old hag, she's treacherous by nature, leaving no room for anyone to maneuver.
Wu Wei secretly transmitted her voice: "Zheng Ya, shouldn't you tell me about the last key you were hiding?"
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