Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone from the Su family also rushed over.
Su Wen’s mother asked, “Master… how did you become so young?”
Su Nuannuan said, “Daddy, you seem to be younger than Big Brother.”
The group of madams wept even louder.
They surrounded Su Changqing and asked about his well-being.
Su Wen slowly retreated from the crowd.
Suddenly, he heard Su Changqing behind him ask, “Where’s Dong Xue? And…”
Whoosh!
Su Wen flew into the sky in a superman posture!
He charged straight into the capital of Great Chu.
Su Changqing asked curiously, “What’s this kid doing?”
“Old master, let’s enter the city first!”
In Su Changqing’s residence, Su Wen sat opposite Old Su!
Su Changqing sneered and said, “You’re really a filial son! A filial son! Eh? You actually let your father’s concubines go?!”
Su Wen shrugged helplessly. “What can I do? You didn’t tell me that you’re not dead!”
“You’re still trying to reason with me!” Old Su stood up angrily. He didn’t hit Su Wen, instead covering his face and wailing, “How much effort did I, Su Changqing, put in to help my son break through to the Heaven Rank? How much effort did I put in? I almost lost my life… Now that my son has broken through to the Heaven Rank… he’s disobedient… and unfilial… what should I do?”
Su Wen could tell that he was acting and couldn’t help but complain, “I’ve been disobedient since I was young. It’s not the first time you know me.”
Su Changqing cried even more miserably. “I’ve worked hard for half my life, but I only have these few warm-hearted people around! My son, my biological son, actually let them go… When I’m old, I can only live alone and have no one to rely on.”
His performance made Su Wen helpless. He knew that he was doing this on purpose, but he had no choice.
“Isn’t there still my mother and the others…”
“Hehe. If you have Yan Luoying, why did you marry so many women?”
“That’s different!”
“How is it different?”
The father and son looked at each other, and Su Wen finally admitted his loss.
He was in the wrong for this matter.
“I’ve already sent people to look for them…” Su Wen could only say this.” As long as they haven’t left the capital, there’s still a chance…”
Tears streamed down Su Changqing’s face. “My Dong Xue…”
Su Wen was furious. “Stop acting. At most, I’ll find you a few more concubines.”
“This old man wants my Dong Xue… the plum wine heated by my Dong Xue is the most delicious…”
Su Wen: “….”
At this moment, Zhao Jin rushed in! He said with a face full of joy, “Young Master! I found them! I found all the madams!”
Su Wen smiled smugly. “How is it, old man? It’s alright. There’s no loss.”
Su Changqing gently waved his sleeve, and his tears and snot were wiped away.
He returned to his usual style.
He said indifferently, “Hmph, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, this old man will not forgive you. Just now, you said that you will give me a few concubines…”
Su Wen: “??? You didn’t lose anything, right?”
Su Changqing was furious. “No losses? The trade route that I worked so hard to run is gone! Do you know how many people I have are still trapped in the Great Zhou? I almost died for you. How much damage has my heart suffered? You say that I didn’t lose anything? Do you have a conscience?”
“Hehe… If you want to find a concubine, go find one yourself. I won’t give it to you!” Su Wen pursed his lips.
His father’s original concubines being sent away was a problem Su Wen had created.
However, if he were to send the old man more concubines, the old man would be happy… But Su Wen’s mother and the other wives who had watched him grow up would probably teach him a lesson.
Su Wen refused to do such an unprofitable business.
He took the initiative to change the topic. “Why did you become so young?”
Su Changqing sighed and said, “Your father, I, actually don’t have much desire for power.”
“Because your aptitude is poor…” Su Wen said honestly.
Su Changqing did not deny it.
This was actually the biggest problem that limited him.
He smiled and said, “That’s right. Firstly, my aptitude is not good. Secondly, I started too late and have no chance to become a martial arts expert.”
At this point, his eyes were filled with yearning. “But… I don’t want to die! I want to live! Live on!”
Su Changqing said softly, “This is a very extravagant hope. It’s an extravagant hope that authority alone cannot achieve.”
“Furthermore, I couldn’t let His Majesty discover it, so when I sent people to the Southern Oceans to make trade deals, I obtained another cultivation method from them. It’s similar to a Spiritual Master, but different.”
“You can use the power of Demon Gods through casting spells or spirit arrays.”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “So, I specially researched a magic technique that can transfer one’s Spiritual Sense. I also got Ni Hongxiao to nurture a body that is exactly the same as mine, but even younger. I then used a magic formation to seal it.”
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. “Ni Hongxiao nurtured your body?”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “That’s right. That woman isn’t simple. No one in the Great Zhou can compare to her in this aspect. However, this was already done by her ten years ago. At that time, she was only in her teens, and she didn’t know the use of this body.”
“What’s the price? Will she help you for nothing?” Su Wen knew Ni Hongxiao too well.
“I passed on all the magic I knew to her.”
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. He had never seen Ni Hongxiao use such a thing before.
It seemed like this woman still had a trump card.
Su Wen asked curiously, “Won’t such a body develop spiritual awareness on its own?”
In reality, this question involved many things. However, he immediately realized that he had asked a stupid question.
One had to know that when Ni Hongxiao helped Xiang Feiyan get pregnant, she had even erased the spiritual consciousness in the egg.
As expected, Su Changqing smiled and said, “She said that there won’t be any problems. The body’s Spiritual Sense has already been wiped out.”
“You should know what happened after that. I separated a bit of spiritual consciousness in advance and implanted it into this body as a medium. The moment I died, I gathered the power of thousands of foreign sorcerers and forcefully summoned my spiritual consciousness into this body!”
Su Wen looked at Su Changqing and sighed. “So, you did it on purpose? You purposely let yourself be discovered?”
Su Changqing nodded. “That’s right. Didn’t you say that you were stuck at the threshold of the Heaven Rank? I wanted to help you!”
Su Wen looked at his father and did not know what to say.
You said that he was selfish, but this fellow took such a huge risk for Su Wen. One had to know that the slightest mistake could cause an irreparable change. To Su Wen, this was considered selfless.
At the same time, while his actions might seem selfless, he had indirectly sacrificed so many people for his son to break through. It could be said that he was extremely selfish.
Su Wen asked curiously, “What if His Majesty really let us go after you spoke to him that day? Would you still have activated the array formation?”
Su Changqing’s eyes flashed with memories.
“He won’t let us go. He’s not that kind of person. He never was.”
“I mean if!”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “If I’m wrong and he really let us go, I’m willing to give Great Chu to him!”
“Huh?” Su Wen never expected Su Changqing to give such an answer.
Su Changqing said softly, “I’m not a heartless person. It’s just that sometimes, I’m forced by the circumstances. If he’s willing to let my Su family live on account of our many years of friendship, how can I betray him?”
Obviously, in Su Changqing’s heart, the Zhou Emperor had a place.
It was just that they had this Ruler-Minister relationship for many years, and he knew the Emperor too well.
That was why he knew the Emperor would never let them go.
Emperor Zhou’s cold attitude, the Zhou Country’s interests, and the idea that the Royal Family’s interests were above all else could not be said to be wrong, but from Su Changqing’s point of view…
He would never dare to give his life to such a person.
He would always be on guard.
Su Wen could not help but marvel at his father’s talent. This Spiritual Sense Transfer Technique was clearly similar to Orochimaru’s method.
It could be said to be another form of eternal life.
Su Wen looked at Su Changqing and said pitifully, “Father, there’s something else!”
“What is it?” Su Changqing looked at him curiously.
“We don’t have any money left!”
“Huh?” Su Changqing was surprised and bewildered. “How could that be possible? Even those treasures at home are enough for you to squander for a while! How long has it been?”
Su Wen pursed his lips. “Didn’t I build a tomb for you? It cost a lot!”
Su Changqing sneered. “Are you trying to take my money and not give it to me?” He could tell what Su Wen was thinking.
Su Wen immediately cried out in grievance. “God be honest, where do you think all the money went these days? Just these aunts of ours don’t know if you’re dead or alive. They wash their faces with tears every day. As a junior, shouldn’t I think of a way to resolve this?
So I signed them up for drama classes and storytelling events. They’ve all invited masters. Furthermore, their food and clothing are even better than those in the palace. Our money is being spent like flowing water. You don’t know how expensive such things are if you don’t manage it. Anyway, I’ve spent most of it, so I definitely don’t have any money.”
He looked at Su Changqing and said with a smile, “Moreover, initially, if you came to Chu Country and said that you were old and didn’t want to tire yourself out, it was only right for your son to provide for you. Even if I were to sell everything I have, I would still let you live a good life. However, you’re so young and have hands and feet. You can’t possibly stay at home and rely on your son, me, right?”
“And then?” Su Changqing sneered.
“I think you can find a job to do first. Of course, I’m not asking you to be a lowly official. Father, please choose an official position in the Great Chu Royal Court. I promise I’ll get it for you!”
As expected, Su Wen had already set his sights on him the moment he entered the capital.
Su Wen could be said to be overjoyed.
With Old Su here, did he still need to think about how to seize power? How to eliminate the dissidents?
He would just throw Old Su up there to fight with them.
He was very confident in Old Su’s ability to fight in the royal court.
Speaking of the royal court, Su Changqing sighed slightly and said, “Tell me about the current situation of the royal court.”
“The royal court is still considered stable. The current prime minister is called Zhang Yong…”
Su Wen began to introduce the court to Su Changqing.
Old Su closed his eyes and listened.
For a long period of time, Su Wen’s voice was the only sound in the room.
After a while, when Su Wen had roughly finished speaking, Su Changqing opened his eyes and asked, “Did Zhang Yong express his goodwill to you?”
Su Wen shook his head. “Not yet!”
“Did he make things difficult for Su Yu during the exam?”
“He didn’t make things difficult for Su Yu.”
“I want all the memorials of Zhang Yong within three months!” Old Su said in a deep voice.
Su Wen was stunned before he smiled. “Then I’ll get it for you tomorrow!”
“I want it now!” Su Changqing said in a low voice.
“Alright!”
Su Wen immediately stood up and flew out of the residence.
He entered the palace’s document office and took out Zhang Yong’s memorials.
He quickly flew back without anyone knowing and handed it to Su Changqing.
Su Changqing read them one by one.
After a while, Su Changqing said, “I want the memorials of Wen Zhiyuan, Zou Ming, and Liu Zhenping for the past three months.”
“Alright!”
Su Wen did not waste any time.
He flew off again to retrieve it.
He could be said to be the best courier service in the world!
A large number of memorials were taken out by Su Wen and sent to Su Changqing.
He waited until Su Changqing finished reading all the memorials.
He let out a sigh of relief, “This Zhang Yong must die!”
It was a very simple sentence.
Su Wen narrowed his eyes and smiled. “How do you want him to die?”
Su Changqing said in a deep voice, “Tell Xiang Feiyan to directly make a move and assassinate him!”
“Why?” Su Wen was confused.
Su Changqing smiled, “In these three months, Zhang Yong’s power has expanded greatly and can be said to be spread throughout the royal court. Even though you planted Su Yu, he planted even more people.”
“Most importantly, this person did not express his goodwill to you. From his actions, he does not seem to be a fool. From the looks of it, you are the most favored person in the court. However, if he does not express his goodwill to you, it means that he has some plans in his heart.”
“Since he didn’t make things difficult for your second brother. It can be seen that he also knows that you are extremely favored in the royal court. Thus, he doesn’t want to touch your people.”
“This fellow’s most recent memorial is to nominate a person called Mu Zhong as the Governor of the Hu Prefecture. According to his rank and seniority, this Mu Zhong is not an ideal candidate, so it can be seen that there is something fishy going on.
However, in his previous memorial, this Mu Zhong is nowhere to be seen. Logically speaking, if such a provincial official is going to be deliberately promoted, he should find a reason to give Mu Zhong some merits.”
“But in his memorials for the past three months, there was no trace of this person at all. I looked at the memorials of a few people who are deeply related to him. Before this, they didn’t have any interactions with Mu Zhong, but recently, they also submitted them at the same time.
This means that this person has reached some sort of agreement with the forces behind Mu Zhong or with Mu Zhong himself. It should be a spur of the moment idea to support him to maintain his authority.”
Su Changqing’s eyes were cold. “This fellow is scheming quite a bit by trading the Mu Family the position of a prefecture governor. Whether it’s Xiang Feiyan or you, it’s not a good thing. Killing him will save you the trouble!”
Su Wen smiled bitterly. “Father, you’re just suspecting him.”
“Suspicion is enough.” Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and said in a deep voice, “Since ancient times, for every generation of an Emperor, there would be a similar generation of officials. When a new emperor ascends to the throne, they should take advantage of the chaos in the Royal Court to change the Prime Minister. This is the best time for the emperor to show his methods. The two of you shouldn’t have left him in that position!”
Su Changqing said, “In the royal court, you cannot make a mistake. Although he is suspicious, he has already reached out to control the appointment of the border officials. From your point of view, he deserves to die!”
“Then why assassinate him? Isn’t it good to frame him?” Su Wen was puzzled.
“To frame a crime, we need evidence. Who knows if this person has any backup plans? Once he enters the struggle in the royal court, the entire court will be filled with his people, and it will definitely arouse his suspicion. Moreover, at that time, it’s very likely that he will use his people to investigate him instead. Do you think you can have any results? Compared to delaying the matter for a long time and causing chaos, directly killing him will be more reliable.”
Su Changqing smiled. “You have to know that even though you have Xiang Feiyan as your backer, it won’t be easy for you to touch him. At a time like this, it’s infinitely better to have the strength of a Heaven Rank. Killing him in one go will save you time and effort.”
Su Wen frowned, “Then how should I convince Xiang Feiyan? That Zhang Yong is not an ordinary person. Even Xiang Feiyan trusts him.”
Su Changqing rolled his eyes and said, “That’s simple. You just need to tell Xiang Feiyan that Mu Zhong’s appointment cannot be accepted!”
Su Wen pondered for a moment and smiled.
“I understand.”
Su Changqing stood up and said with a smile, “You can leave. I’ll bring your aunts home as well.”
It was also thanks to Su Wen buying these women a residence in the city.
They were originally from the Zhou Country. After coming to Great Zhou, they were unfamiliar with the place and had nowhere to go.
Thus, with the money that was given, they only bought some maids and servants to live out their lives.
As for Dong Xue, she would miss Su Changqing sometimes.
She also looked forward to a new relationship.
However, women in this era did not have any social circle, thus it was not so easy to get married again.
As for Dong Xue, after Su Changqing, she couldn’t just find an ordinary person to make do with.
Hence, Dong Xue did not interact much with any men these days.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on the door.
The servant went to open the door and Dong Xue also walked out. When she saw a much younger but familiar face appear at the door… Dong Xue screamed!
She directly fainted…
Obviously, this required Old Su to comfort her…
Su Wen also rushed to the palace and sent the memorials back to the office.
He then went straight to Xiang Feiyan’s bedroom.
After entering, Xiang Feiyan asked with a smile, “Why, Brother Wen is going to govern the country and govern the government? I heard that you took away quite a number of memorials just now.”
Su Wen went forward and hugged her waist. He smiled and said, “Minister Zhang said that she wants Mu Zhong to be the governor of Hu Prefecture. I took a look and felt that it wasn’t appropriate.”
Xiang Feiyan smiled. “Why?”
Su Wen explained, “This Mu Zhong was only a county governor in the past and had never held a position in the capital. Furthermore, he is rather young and not reliable enough. Furthermore, he has never been a commander in the Army as well. Isn’t this a little too childish to place him as the Hu Prefecture Governor?
Furthermore, the Hu Prefecture Governor, Jiao Qiang, has never done anything wrong. His political achievements in the past few years are also considered excellent, so there’s no need to transfer him back to the capital and enter the six departments.”
If he wanted to find a reason why someone was not suitable, he could always find one.
How could there be a perfect person in this world?
After hearing Su Wen’s words, Xiang Feiyan smiled and said, “Then I’ll listen to you.”
The next morning.
In front of everyone, Xiang Feiyan rejected Mu Zhong’s memorial to be the Governor of Hu Prefecture.
However… This caused a series of reactions.
Firstly, as Su Wen had expected, Zhang Yong stood out and argued for the benefits of Mu Zhong.
At the same time, Zhang Yong’s party started to echo his words.
The entire court was filled with praise for Mu Zhong.
Xiang Feiyan was a little confused.
At this moment, Su Wen stood out and said in a deep voice, “Let’s discuss this matter later. Let Her Majesty reconsider!”
After the court session ended, Su Wen and Xiang Feiyan returned to the harem.
After returning to the palace, the two of them sat down. Su Wen sighed lightly and said, “In the current royal court, no one dares to disagree with Minister Zhang. No one supports Her Majesty today.”
He smiled as he looked at Xiang Feiyan. As expected, Xiang Feiyan’s gaze turned even sharper.
Su Wen smiled and said, “I originally thought that letting Third and Fourth Brother stay behind would be able to balance Prime Minister Zhang. Unfortunately, it seems to be useless.”
It was very simple.. When the royal authority was provoked, generally speaking, the Emperor’s instinct was to kill the provoker!
