A murderous aura permeated the main hall of Prince Rong's mansion.
Zheng Liu knelt on one knee to report to Prince Rong on the farce of various factions sending people to assassinate Zheng Ya. The more Prince Rong listened, the angrier he became. Finally, he slammed his fist on the golden nanmu wood table and shattered it: "Damn it, they're all useless..."
"Your Highness, please calm down. The most urgent matter is to clean up the mess..." Zheng Liu advised in a panic. Prince Rong rebuked him angrily, "What? You think that the people from the immortal sect behind Fu Ya would be a threat to me?"
"Your Highness, news has come from the palace that members of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect have killed two Foundation Establishment cultivators with fire-type spiritual roots in one strike, leaving no trace. It is suspected that the attack was carried out by cultivators at the Ascension Realm..." Zheng Liu said, still shaken.
Prince Rong sat down with a look of surprise and uncertainty and said, "Alright, it's normal for palace officials to shirk responsibility and exaggerate the facts."
What's abnormal is that Heaven and Earthly Fiends have intervened.
These two, one righteous and one evil, ventured into the South China Sea Secret Realm seventeen years ago. They were pursued by the guardian spirit beast that guarded the secret realm. In a desperate situation, they cooperated and created the Heavenly Jealousy and Earthly Fiend Combined Strike Technique. After that, they killed the guardian spirit beast and the experts from both the righteous and evil factions who entered the secret realm. After that, they disappeared without a trace.
"Clearly, they might be the one sent to assassinate Fu Ya, and incidentally, to destabilize the capital and plot a coup..."
"Ah, Your Highness, what makes you say that?" Zheng Liu asked, puzzled. Prince Rong snorted coldly, "You should understand that the Heavenly Jealousy and Earthly Fiends have been hiding behind the scenes for more than ten years. When they are reborn, they will target fire-type cultivators."
Instead of directly attacking Fu Ya, it means they are fully aware of the situation in Kyoto and the cultivators sent by various forces to assassinate Fu Ya. Their selective use of powerful techniques to manipulate others raises many questions, doesn't it?
"Your Highness is wise and powerful, your words hit the nail on the head..." The guards in the hall all flattered him.
Prince Rong waved his hand to stop their flattery and continued, "No one knows the name or surname of the 'Heavenly Jealousy and Earthly Fiend.'"
Like the mysterious Qian Yuan Immortal Sect behind Fu Ya, it is unknown to the world.
Therefore, I believe there is some entanglement between them that led to the plot against Fu Ya, a nobody, who then schemed against me and the Fu clan. If I hadn't sent Zheng Twenty-Three to assassinate Fu Ya, the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect behind Fu Ya would not have been exposed.
What do you think this means?
"Your Highness, are you saying that the one who plotted to usurp the throne had ulterior motives, and that when he discovered that the disciples of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect were interfering with the imperial power and threatening his true purpose of usurping the throne, he sent someone to plot against Fu Ya and bring out the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect to cause trouble?"
"Isn't this clearly a scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work, so they can reap the benefits without lifting a finger?" Zheng Liu thought about it and it seemed more and more likely. He broke out in a cold sweat after analyzing it to the end.
The twenty-eight guards in the main hall all gasped in shock.
Prince Rong calmly enjoyed the spotlight on them and said with a smile, "You've all guessed it. What they're plotting is actually my trump card."
Those people in the palace probably already guessed it!
"Your Highness, what about us?" Zheng Liu asked nervously, his voice trembling. Prince Rong shook his head and smiled, "I possess that trump card, which puts me in an invincible position from the start."
No matter who you're up against, you'll never get the better end of the deal.
Therefore, they will only dig pits for me, gradually weaken my power, and incite other forces to fight against me, so that ambitious people can secretly profit from this.
"In that case, I can sit back and wait, and deal with whatever comes my way."
"Your Highness, isn't this too risky? How about we issue an order to the World Merchants Association to stage a monopoly on supplies, incite local riots, divert some people's attention, and then seize the opportunity to act?" Zheng Liu suggested worriedly.
Prince Rong was startled and stood up, hesitating. The guards focused their attention, extremely nervous. The wind and snow raged outside the hall, making the atmosphere cold and anxious.
Half an hour later, Prince Rong stopped and gave the order: "Issue my decree to suppress the Fu family's businesses. Spread rumors that the Fu family conspired with Earl Dai to rebel, but were discovered due to their lack of secrecy. Earl Dai then sent men to assassinate Fu Ya and annul the engagement, thus distancing himself from the affair..."
"Ah, Your Highness, what kind of move is this?" The guards were all dumbfounded. Prince Rong smiled but didn't answer, waving his hand to dismiss them...
The main hall of Taihe Palace.
The Emperor Emeritus and Venerable Tianyuan discussed the gains and losses of the seventeen cultivators' scheme against Fu Ya, and were greatly shocked: "So, the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect does indeed exist?"
"That's right. At that time, the Heavenly Jealousy and Earthly Fiend Technique chose two fire-type cultivators as pawns to carry and attack Fu Ya. Fu Ya was still meditating in the Wind and Snow Pavilion and hadn't moved an inch when the screams of fire-type cultivators dying in mid-air occurred."
At this moment, if it weren't for the backlash from the Heavenly Jealousy and Earthly Fiend, which resulted in injury and escape, proving that he had been ambushed and his life was in danger, no one would have thought that someone from the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect would have made a move.
"To my shame, I am old and have never noticed anything!" Tianyuan Shangren said with a trembling voice, expressing his conjecture.
The retired emperor, still shaken, said, "In that case, it's truly fortunate!"
Fortunately, the palace officials didn't attack Fu Ya; otherwise, they would have severely offended the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect, and the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Your Majesty is overthinking it. These are turbulent times, and the palace servants are all harboring their own ulterior motives. Even if they secretly stir up trouble and frame the royal family, it may not necessarily provoke the people of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect to target the royal family. It might even be a good thing," said Master Tian Yuan thoughtfully.
The Emperor Emeritus, puzzled, pressed on, "Since Your Excellency has said this, you must have noticed something?"
"Your Majesty, Fu Ya is selling Spirit Root Repair Liquid, a basic medicine, in public for 100,000 crystals per bottle. That is the price for public sales."
When Fu Ya accepted the title and mansion bestowed by the Emperor and His Majesty, he immediately sold His Majesty a bottle of mid-grade medicine for 100,000 crystals.
"Perhaps the nature of this matter has been distorted in the Emperor's eyes?" Master Tianyuan bluntly stated the reason.
The Emperor Emeritus paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "If Your Excellency hadn't mentioned this matter, I would have completely overlooked it and mistakenly thought that Fu Ya was using this method to curry favor, seeking the royal family's support and protection, in order to achieve cooperation with the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect."
Who would have thought that this was an implication from Fu Ya on behalf of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect?
But this hint is hard to guess!
"Indeed, from the Emperor's perspective, he would certainly think that the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect's move was quite conciliatory, which is completely opposite to Fu Ya's arrogant and domineering behavior, which highlights the original intention of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect's emergence. Their intentions are hard to fathom."
It seems to imply a slap followed by a sweet treat.
This is something the royal family cannot tolerate.
However, it cannot be denied that Fu Ya, representing the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect, sold spiritual root repair liquid to the royal family and split the crystals from the sale of the liquid, thus indirectly supporting the rise of the royal family and suppressing the other forces of the Da Li Dynasty.
This ebb and flow is extremely beneficial for the royal family to consolidate its power.
The Emperor was concerned because the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect had made a large investment and would reap even greater rewards, so he was not at ease. Master Tian Yuan explained the inside story.
The Emperor Emeritus nodded in deep agreement and smiled wryly: "It seems nothing can be hidden from you, Your Excellency. I am indeed worried that the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect is plotting something..."
“It is understandable that the Emperor has doubts. Why not transfer Fu Ya to Jiangnan and use him as a tool to kill someone?” Master Tianyuan said with a faint smile.
The Emperor Emeritus broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Excellency's plan is to kill three birds with one stone, but transferring Fu Ya away will not be easy..."
"That's not necessarily true. You should know that men should marry when they come of age and women should marry when they come of age..." Master Tianyuan said with a smile, and the Emperor Emeritus suddenly realized...
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