In the main hall of Prince Rong's mansion, Zheng Liu tearfully recounted to Prince Rong the details of Zheng Ya's torture and murder of Zheng Yi, as well as his provocation. Prince Rong, without showing any emotion, asked, "How much of what Fu Ya said is true?"
"Your Highness, Fu Ya is arrogant and disregards everything, despises the dynasty, and doesn't even put Your Highness in his eyes. He seems to think he's above everyone else, and he speaks with great conviction."
"I always felt that he was deliberately doing this because he was taking advantage of the protection of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect, and I'm afraid he was plotting something..." Zheng Liu hated Zheng Ya to the core and provoked the prince to use such methods.
Prince Rong shook his head slightly and said, "No, quite the opposite."
If the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect intended to seize the Zheng family's imperial power, it would never have allowed Fu Ya to be so arrogant and immoral, revealing his actions and alerting the dynasty to take precautions.
That would hinder their plot to usurp the throne.
"If that's the case, it can only mean that the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect behind Fu Ya may indeed possess some evidence of my plot to usurp the throne. That's why Fu Ya warned me not to mistakenly target them and invite disaster!"
"Ah, Your Highness, Zheng Yibai is dead..." Zheng Liu got up in fear and asked. Prince Rong got up and paced around the main hall, shaking his head and saying, "Alright, Zheng Yibai sacrificed himself for me. How can I let him die in vain?"
His death revealed that Fu Ya had the support of a powerful immortal sect.
That's interesting.
The Qian Yuan Immortal Sect is dumping spiritual root repair fluid and elixirs. Do you know what that means?
"Your Highness, are you saying that the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect enters the mortal world to plunder crystal resources for cultivation, ostensibly under the pretense of not coveting imperial power, but secretly plotting something sinister?" Zheng Liu asked with suspicion.
Prince Rong nodded slightly: "You are only partially right."
The more assertive Fu Ya appears, the more it demonstrates that the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect has few disciples and does not yet possess the strength to overwhelm the Zheng Dynasty. Therefore, under the guise of assisting the Zheng royal family in consolidating their imperial power, he is waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate the dynasty and seize power when the time is right.
After all, even a fool knows that only imperial power has the authority to collect all the world's crystal resources and supply them to its own people for cultivation and enlightenment.
Another possibility is that Fu Ya and the immortal sects behind him were orchestrated by that person; it's hard to say for sure..."
"Ah, no, Your Highness, if Fu Ya and his immortal sect are part of that person's scheme, wouldn't that be very disadvantageous for us?"
If it's true, they're making an example of him to warn the prince! Zheng Liu became more and more frightened as he thought about it.
Prince Rong hesitated and said, "This is only one possibility."
It cannot be ruled out that other forces may assist Fu Ya in fabricating a Qian Yuan Immortal Sect to gain influence in the imperial court and seize the throne.
Clearly, the first possibility is extremely unfavorable to me.
If it's the second scenario, and other forces have discerned that person's plan and preemptively used Fu Ya to win over the prestige of the Yong and Dai prefectures, waiting for an opportunity to succeed, then it would be good for me, so..."
"Your Highness, in this way we can sow discord and make them fight amongst themselves, so that we can seize the opportunity to profit!" Zheng Liu added with delight.
Prince Rong was not angry and smiled, "Yes, this is the principle I have said: Zheng Yi's death must not have been in vain."
"Make the arrangements: select men from the palace's courtiers and the residences of the four princes to assassinate Fu Ya, disrupt the proceedings, and test the waters. There must be no mistakes."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zheng Liu excitedly bowed deeply. Prince Rong laughed heartily, "Haha, very good, rise and go on your mission!"
In the Imperial Study, Emperor Chengping paced back and forth, asking, "Fu Ya, seemingly oblivious to the trouble, forcefully humiliated Prince Rong and came to the Imperial Family to suffer insults. What is he trying to do?"
"Your Majesty, I believe Fu Ya is warning you. Could it be that Prince Rong truly harbors treacherous intentions?" The commander of the Imperial Guards responded, kneeling on one knee.
Emperor Chengping gasped, "Hiss, Prince Rong is my own brother. How dare you, a mere commander of the Imperial Guards, make wild guesses and sow discord between my brothers? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Your Majesty, I am loyal to you and am only addressing the matter, not the person. I hope Your Majesty will understand." The commander replied without changing his expression, neither humble nor arrogant.
Emperor Chengping looked directly at the sternness of his long face and the firmness in his eyes, and asked guiltily, "Do you know that Prince Rong has neither military power nor the support of any maternal relatives?"
Princess Rong and her concubines all came from poor, humble families.
The entire Rong Prince's Mansion only had about three hundred secret guards; the maids, nannies, and servants were simply not enough.
"Then tell me, what is Prince Rong plotting to seize my throne?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive my overstepping my bounds!" The commander dared to speak out, but Emperor Chengping nodded solemnly and raised his right hand in a gesture of respect: "Rise, stand up and speak properly. I also want to know about the unknown side of Prince Rong. Speak boldly, and I will forgive you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I have been serving as the Dragon Guard to supervise civil and military officials for more than eight years. I dare not say that I know all the civil and military officials in the court, but I have also learned some secrets about them."
This includes Prince Rong's lavish spending on accumulating wealth, providing relief to disaster victims, and helping the world, thus committing the crime of vying for His Majesty's favor with the people.
They secretly forged weapons and armor, transported them in secret, and disappeared without a trace.
I sent men to follow them four times, but each time they disappeared without a trace. Clearly, the men I sent to investigate were all killed by Prince Rong's men.
Finally, Prince Rong, under the guise of helping the world, frequently traveled within the territory of the Dali Dynasty, making friends with officials both inside and outside the court.
Originally, it was nothing major. It was only natural for local officials to welcome and entertain the prince wherever he went.
However, whenever Prince Rong leaves, local officials contact the people in Prince Rong's residence, and so far they have contacted seventy-six officials.
Among them, thirteen officials held local military power.
"And from their drunken utterances, a shocking secret was revealed, a secret that could overthrow the dynasty..." The commander's words were anything but shocking.
Emperor Chengping was startled: "What? Are you sure?"
"Your Majesty, how dare I deceive the Emperor!"
"If Fu Ya hadn't relied on the Immortal Sect to warn Your Majesty, I wouldn't have dared to speak of such a thing!" The commander reported with a stiff upper lip, his whole body covered in cold sweat.
Emperor Chengping murmured in alarm, "Could it be...could it be that beast? No, it's impossible!"
"Your Majesty, I believe it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't forget what the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect is after, Fu Ya?" The commander's words implied distrust of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect, and he dared to offer his advice.
Emperor Chengping suddenly realized: "Good, very good. I know what the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect is after."
No wonder the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect assigned Fu Ya to sell spiritual medicines and spiritual root repair fluids to the royal family, aiming to strengthen their power. Their ambitions are far from small!
"Your Majesty, I don't know..." The commander was completely confused, but before he could ask, Emperor Chengping raised his hand to stop him: "Alright, you don't need to know."
This matter is of utmost importance. I will go to the Taihe Palace immediately to consult the Retired Emperor. Take your leave now!
In the main hall of Taihe Palace, the retired emperor also received a secret report that Fu Ya had humiliated Prince Rong. He laughed in anger and asked, "Master Tianyuan, do you have any insight into this?"
"Well, since Fu Ya was born, he has been powerful, arrogant, and unscrupulous, which shows that he is not stupid. He just relies on the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect to cause trouble and despises everything."
"If the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect is plotting to seize imperial power, why would they sell spiritual medicines and spiritual root repair fluids to the royal family to aid their enemy?" Master Tian Yuan analyzed the problem.
The retired emperor and he locked eyes, and as if realizing something, both gasped in shock: "Hiss..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com