I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 574: Chapter 320: Jiangning’s Unwanted Son-in-law

“Godfather, didn’t you say to keep your distance from that person in the Inner Palace?”

The little servant looked puzzled. As the currently most favored godchild, he could somewhat guess his godfather’s thoughts.

You can take the benefits, but don’t do the dirty work.

“You should be clear on this, that person is that person, the princes are princes!”

Zhou Yi wasn’t optimistic about the Empress’s ability to accomplish her goals, but he knew that the Emperor’s children would definitely ascend to the throne. He suddenly asked, “How did the Jiangning Su family, mere cloth merchants, manage to forge a path to the Princely Heir?”

The calling cards were no ordinary matter; they must have a close relationship, not just a merchant trying to fish for silver from the Princely Heir.

...

“Godfather, our family has looked into this matter, and it seems quite legendary.”

The little servant described vividly, “Two years ago, the Wu family was wiped out, leaving a lot of cloth tribute quota available. Several families in Jiangning fought fiercely for it. The Su family was the weakest and initially stood no chance.”

“Unexpectedly, the Su family’s inconspicuous son-in-law turned out to be a good friend of the Princely Heir. With a calling card, he met with Inspector Liu of Jiangning, and naturally, the quota fell into the hands of the Su family!”

“Son-in-law?”

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue in wonder, “Such an interesting story, tell me more!”

“Our family heard it from Inspector Liu. They say that son-in-law excels in both poetry and writing, and his literary reputation reached the Princely Heir’s ears.”

The little servant continued, “The two exchanged letters and met several times. Some say the Princely Heir praised the son-in-law for his great talent; whether it’s true or false, who knows.”

Zhou Yi pondered for a while before instructing, “Tell Eunuch Liu to keep a close eye on that son-in-law, the Princely Heir doesn’t have low standards!”

“As you command.”

The little servant replied, “Godfather, if you’re interested in that son-in-law, our family can simply invite him over. Why bother like this? A mere local tycoon, nothing but an ant, our family can easily crush him!”

“You act too arrogantly in your dealings, sooner or later you will bring disaster upon yourself.”

Zhou Yi lectured, “When our family had not yet made a name for ourselves, it was hard to even have three meals a day. How do you know today’s nameless son-in-law won’t become world-famous tomorrow?”

“Rather than unsure of the truth, it’s better to carefully investigate. If he truly has great abilities, while he is still in a humble position, we can easily lend a helping hand in difficult times, and a little favor could make him useful to us!”

The little servant was not frightened by the scolding; instead, he was moved to tears.

Kneeling on the ground, he knocked his head on the floor again and again.

“Godfather’s direct guidance teaches me how to live and act, gracing me more than my own parents. I have nothing with which to repay you; I’ll give my life to you from now on!”

Zhou Yi’s face showed a moved expression, and he gently patted the little servant’s shoulder, saying affectionately.

“In the entire Eastern Depot, you are the one I trust most!”

…

Late at night.

The Prince of Pingxi’s residence.

Knocking sounds echoed.

The doorman saw through the crack a drunkard leaning against the door, vomiting and muttering the name of the Oiran from the Full Moon Pavilion.

“Oh! The Princely Heir is dragging himself back; we thought you would stay overnight, so we didn’t keep the door open for you.”

The voice was undisguised with contempt. They wouldn’t dare to speak so on normal days, but now Feng Ze, the Princely Heir, was dead drunk; even kicking him a few times or spitting on him would elicit no reaction.

The door opened a slight crack, and Feng Ze stumbled in, filthy and smelling sour.

The doorman held his nose and helped Feng Ze to the central courtyard where servants, alerted by the noise, had come to take care of him.@@novelbin@@

A moment later.

The doorman looked around, and seeing calm restored to the residence, he pulled a slip of paper from the crevice in the wall and wrote four words with a coal pencil.

—— Still a loser!

He folded the paper, placed it under the stone lion outside the door, where it would be collected by someone the next morning.

“Pah! This loser’s got such good luck, why don’t I have this fortune?”

The doorman spat resentfully and returned to his room to continue his night watch.

The residence’s rear courtyard.

The study.

The lights were bright.

The Prince of Pingxi was perusing history books. After he declared himself king, he had turned all the military texts to ashes.

He read the Four Books and Five Classics, the historical biographies, but never touched military texts or tactics again.

The servant opened the door carefully, steadying the wobbly Feng Ze as he entered.

“Wine, wine, wine…”

Feng Ze was in a stupor, not yet aware of his own surroundings, groping the servant’s hand for more wine.

“Your Highness, the Princely Heir has arrived.”

The servant untangled himself from Feng Ze’s grasp and quickly left the room, fearing the prince’s wrath.

The Prince of Pingxi had a solemn expression, flipping through the history book page by page, ignoring his son’s drunken stupor on the floor.

After a long while, he finished the entire book.

“Get up, stop pretending!”

Feng Ze shakily stood, cycled True Qi through his body, and sobered up from the drunken state in an instant. He slumped casually in a chair, “Father, if I keep pretending like this, I’m going to really become a waste.”

“That would be for the best, perhaps the Feng family could preserve its lineage that way.”

The Prince of Pingxi spoke, “It’s a pity you’re not waste, always thinking of doing grand things. Your father has no other choice then!”

“Doing grand things doesn’t have to include rebellion.”

Feng Ze spoke, “Like leading troops in battle, or poetry and writing, whatever an ordinary person can do, I can do better!”

“You know that’s what ordinary people do.”

The Prince of Pingxi sighed, “Your father is one of only two Kings of another surname in the National Dynasty. The one in the North is already beyond control, and if the Imperial Court can’t bring him down, they will certainly target the Feng family!”

Feng Ze of course understood the logic, otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to lay low.

The Feng family might seem prosperous but was as precarious as a pile of eggs.

The civil officials despised the military class, especially since the Prince of Pingxi’s conquests gave the Emperor the support to measure land and reform, and they would love nothing more than to see the Feng family exterminated.

The military officials also dared not get close to the Prince of Pingxi, lest the Emperor suspect them of rebellion.

The only support for the Prince of Pingxi came from the Orthodox Emperor. Not to mention whether trust was everlasting, nor discuss the safety of the Nine Clans tied to one person, just the fact that the Emperor was fifty was not a good age for reliance.