Chapter 98

Xu Fengnian took each step, and Wei Wei and the man surnamed Zhao retreated two steps. They kept retreating until there was no more room. Xu Fengnian approached the window and just in time saw the Crown Prince of Jing'an and his entourage jump into the water. Xu Fengnian squinted his eyes, feeling deeply moved. The old emperor, who had once mastered the art of imperial rule, suddenly passed away. The secret edict behind the plaque "Zheng Da Guang Ming" in the inner palace vanished without a trace, leading to a chaotic scene of eight princes vying for the throne. The situation was full of twists and turns. First, the deposed crown prince, with the support of the leader of the Qingliu faction, almost ascended to the throne. However, the former crown prince died three days after the old emperor. Then, the sixth prince, Zhao Heng, gained the most momentum. The Empress Dowager favored this filial son the most. The outer relatives and the leaderless civil officials came to an agreement, and Zhao Heng wrote the poem "Leading a million troops to drive away the barbarians, standing on the first peak to erect a monument." This was the most glorious and brief period in the current life of the Jing'an Prince. However, as the saying goes, "While the mantis is about to catch the cicada, the oriole is already behind." The second prince, who was least favored, suddenly emerged, gaining the strong support of the eunuchs and military generals. He first secretly detained the Empress Dowager, then launched a series of assassinations, resulting in the deaths of several powerful outer relatives in a single night. The secret edict reappeared, clearly stating that the old emperor intended for the second prince to ascend the throne. The second prince rightfully took the imperial throne, becoming the current emperor. The struggle among the eight princes, which began within the imperial walls, ultimately led to the death of only the former crown prince. In the eyes of the discerning, this was already considered a merciful act by the emperor, far better than the complete annihilation of all the princes and their descendants in other dynasties. The princes, including Zhao Heng, were successively granted titles and territories, each with their own military power. Although the "Regulations for the Princes" were extremely harsh, the weaker princes like the Jing'an Prince Zhao Heng and the Huainan Prince Zhao Ying never uttered a single complaint that reached the ears of the people.

As for how the master and servant would go to Xiangfan, this was not something Xu Fengnian was concerned about. After a moment of thought, he turned to Ning Emei and said, "Kick the Yellow Headed Lang who was rescued back into the water. A single warship cannot carry so many people. Let the warship general swim to Laoshan, where Wang Linquan will be responsible for receiving them. Don't forget to tell them that there is good food and drink at Laoshan. I have done my best."

Ning Emei accepted the order and left. The young ladies from the Qinzhou gentry and officials, upon hearing the words of the Beiliang Prince, could not help but smile. To them, the Grand Marshal and the Beiliang Prince were distant figures. The political struggles in the imperial court could not possibly affect them. The Qing faction never directly involved itself in the power struggles between the princes. Their political acumen in preserving themselves and ensuring their survival was considered the best in the imperial court. If not for this, how could there be a Qing faction in the thirty states? The current Beiliang Prince was quite interesting. Even though he was openly humiliating the Qinzhou navy, his hidden target was always the Jing'an Prince's residence. This made the Qing faction, which had a clear distance from the Jing'an Prince Zhao Heng, feel much more at ease. They guessed that their ancestors would not be upset, and thus they felt much more relaxed. The Qinzhou families were indeed united, but it was clear that the Wei family was to be abandoned. Rather than being dragged down, it was better to watch from the sidelines, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery. Sharing the same boat with the Beiliang Prince was a great topic to talk about.

Xu Fengnian finally came to his senses, walked to the corner, picked up the man surnamed Zhao, and threw him out the window, where he fell into the water with a scream. He then turned to Wei Wei, who was preparing to fight to the death, and said, "The warship will take me to Xiangfan. If you bring me there, all past grievances will be forgiven. What do you say?"

Wei Wei, who had already lost all hope and was prepared to fight to the death, was first taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. He fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground, and trembled, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Xu Fengnian stepped on Wei Wei's head and laughed, "You blind fool. I heard you were eager to become sworn brothers with Li Hanlin. Do you know who he has been covering for all these years?"

Wei Wei, though kneeling and having his head stepped on, felt increasingly at ease. He raised his head and smiled obsequiously, "It's all because I failed to recognize your greatness, sir."

A true man can bend and stretch. This applies both in bed and out. Even someone like Wei Wei, who only knew how to be a scoundrel, could still excel in his own way.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Get up. A man's knees are worth gold. What are you doing kneeling to me?"

Wei Wei cautiously stood up, just as he was about to relax, but the next words from the Beiliang Prince brought him back to his original state: "Your archery skills are good, I hear you practiced by shooting women. Go, shoot an arrow at the son of the general. If you kill him, I'll introduce you to Li Hanlin. If you don't kill him..."

Wei Wei remained silent.

As Xu Fengnian pretended to dust off Wei Wei, he whispered, "Wang Linquan's silver is my silver, and Wang Linquan's Laoshan is my Laoshan. Do you really think this Qinzhou is all Qing faction? On this trip to Xiangfan, someone will think of how to impeach me for my arrogant and violent behavior on the Chunshen Lake, and for insulting the Jing'an Prince and beating the prince's son, Zhao Xun. But when you go to shoot the arrow, remember to be discreet. I can guarantee that the ladies at the table won't gossip. What do you say?"

Wei Wei bowed and left the cabin.

Xu Fengnian sat at the table, next to a beautiful woman with an oval face who was boiling tea. He sat shoulder to shoulder with her, while the other Qinzhou ladies sat in pairs on a long bench. Xu Fengnian patiently waited for the tea to be poured, boldly examining the faces and figures of the wealthy young ladies. Most of them were average in appearance, but the woman next to him had a charm that was worth nearly eighty wen. Xu Fengnian boldly reached out and hugged her slender waist, and not only that, he also lightly stepped on her small feet under the table. He turned to look at the blushing Qinzhou beauty and smiled, "May I ask for your name, my lady? I have a peach blossom beauty fan, and I will paint you on it to admire every day."

Every day?

The ladies at the table all looked at the oval-faced woman, their eyes filled with a mix of mischief and jealousy.

The woman, though well-bred, had always been as bold as a man in her actions and words. However, being openly flirted with in this manner was too much for her. She did not dare to dodge or want to dodge, and she lowered her head, pretending to focus on the fire. Her family background was not simple. The four pillars of the Linyang Dynasty, the Qing faction, though the smallest, had a strong voice. Among the twelve Grand Marshals and Senior Grand Marshals, the Qing faction held four seats. The old ancestor of this woman's family was one of the Senior Grand Marshals, having served in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Personnel over thirty years, with countless disciples and former officials. He was known as the "unfallen old man" of the two dynasties, and it was said that he had witnessed more court beatings than the old leader of the Qingliu faction.

Xu Fengnian finally drank the tea, sipping it like wine, with no pretense of elegance. He smiled, "If the sisters feel the bedding is not warm tonight, just say the word, and I will personally bring you thick quilts."

Naturally, this brought a wave of blushing and coquettish complaints.

The oval-faced beauty who was boiling the tea secretly glanced at Xu Fengnian's profile, seemingly noticing something, and was lost in thought.

Xu Fengnian turned and asked, "What is it?"

She smiled gently and shook her head.

After drinking the tea, he won the laughter and joy of the table. Xu Fengnian excused himself and left the cabin, heading to the bow of the ship. Yu Youwei did not board the Yellow Dragon warship, but Jiang Ni and the old sword god were standing nearby.

Wei Wei had already shot an arrow and killed the man surnamed Zhao, who had been his friend the day before. He was sitting on the deck, holding the large bow and staring blankly.

Xu Fengnian laughed and asked, "Not seasick anymore?"

Jiang Ni sneered, "Is this tea really that good?"

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