Chapter 4: Has the Third Prince Gone Mad? Does He Really Dare to Strike?

“That’s enough! How petty and small-minded…”

The Empress waved a hand and impatiently cut off Chu Hao’s words.

“The Mountain and River Cauldron, was it? To ensure today’s plan went more smoothly, I gave that to Xu Tian as well.”

“You may leave now and calm yourself properly. You do not have the slightest sense of the bigger picture. Come see me again once you have thought things through.”

“Just look at yourself. Where is the dignity befitting the State Uncle? You truly disappoint me.”

Watching Chu Hao leave in dejection, the Empress let out a long sigh and dismissed the servants.

“My apologies. The two of you must have been amused.”

Two figures emerged from behind the curtain.

One was old, the other a woman.

“The State Uncle is a man of true temperament. In the path of cultivation, such a disposition is rather rare.”

The old man in the lead spoke with a smile.

The woman in white behind him chimed in,

“Elder Mo is right. The State Uncle’s horizons may be a little narrow, but at his age, that is perfectly normal. He will grow out of it.”

“Besides, at such a young age, he has already reached the Fourth Tier and is only one step away from entering the upper three ranks. That sort of aptitude is quite rare.”

Hearing the pair praise him, a smile returned to the Empress’s face.

“Enough about him. What is the situation outside?”

The moment those words were spoken, heartfelt smiles appeared on both their faces.

The old man stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

“What else could it be? Just as we expected, Great Xia has fallen into disorder.”

“That Great Xia rose so swiftly after the war under the governance of Prince of Qin Xu Tian was certainly remarkable. But what was the price?”

“The stubborn Confucian Dao, the crude martial brutes, the Arcane Dao, the sects, the army, the aristocratic clans…”

“When the Prince of Qin was here, he could suppress them all. But now that he has lost the authority of the Regency, and the Xia Emperor remains shut away in seclusion, chaos was bound to follow.”

The woman in white nodded in deep agreement and added, “Elder Mo speaks truly. According to our intelligence, the Third Prince Xu Yong went to see Prince of Qin Xu Tian. After coming out, he was abnormally excited. He must think he now has a chance to ascend to the position of Crown Prince.”

“And that is not all…”

Elder Mo chuckled and looked toward the north.

“That Second Prince out on the frontier, the one known as the Butcher, seems to be making moves as well.”

“He commands the army and holds immense power. Surely he wants to contend for the position of Crown Prince too.”

“The Xia Emperor truly has grown senile. Just to prolong Xu Tian’s life, he has actually pushed the whole of Great Xia onto the gaming table.”

The three of them traded remarks back and forth, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Empress Chu Lan listened and nodded repeatedly.

The more chaotic Great Xia became, the more advantageous it would be for her.

Only in chaos could she become someone all sides needed to rely on, and from there seize control of the court.

“However…”

Elder Mo suddenly changed the subject, and a sharp glint flashed through his clouded old eyes.

“That Xu Tian truly did convert to the Confucian Dao, and even stepped into the Third Rank in a single stride. Such talent was somewhat beyond this old man’s expectations.”

“Hmph, so what of it?”

The woman in white curled her lip in disdain.

“Stepping into the Third Rank in one bound is certainly impressive talent, but in the end, he is still only a Confucian cultivator. Confucian cultivators cultivate the self and nurture the temperament. Their bodies are frail, and they are easy enough to deal with. He is not worth fearing.”

The Empress narrowed her eyes and lightly rubbed the jade thumb ring on her finger.

After pondering for a moment, a sharp gleam flashed through her eyes.

“Our most urgent priority right now is to expand our power.”

“Since the Third Prince wants to render meritorious service and contend for the position of Crown Prince, then I shall present him with a grand gift!”

“The people in Drunken Immortal Tower have grown more and more disobedient lately. They even dare gossip behind my back. They have violated Great Xia law, cast aside all decorum, and plainly failed to put me in their eyes at all.”

She looked toward Elder Mo, her tone turning grim.

“Now that the Crown Prince has been deposed, they are of no further use. Rather than waste them, we may as well hand them over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

Hearing this, Elder Mo’s eyes lit up.

“That will also give the pieces we placed within the Embroidered Uniform Guard a chance to distinguish themselves, seize merit, and wrest away power!”

The three of them smiled and nodded. The room was filled with cheerful delight.

……

Night was dark as ink.

Yet Drunken Immortal Tower in the capital of Great Xia remained brilliantly lit.

The sounds of cups being raised and set down came without pause. It was a lively scene.

Inside the tower, a young attendant was hurrying through the corridors. His gaze drifted slightly, and from time to time he cast covert glances around him.

This man was none other than Zhao Sansi.

Not long before, he had received instructions from above.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already moved out. In one quarter of an hour, notify Drunken Immortal Tower.”

Zhao Sansi took a deep breath and suppressed the pounding in his chest.

One quarter of an hour later!

That meant the people above neither wanted these men to escape nor wanted the Embroidered Uniform Guard to have too easy a time of it.

His mind spun rapidly.

As long as he cooperated with Captain Zhao outside and helped capture this group of arcane practitioners, he would be rid of this identity and finally don that much-envied Flying Fish Robe.

After estimating the time, he quickened his pace toward the hidden private room on the top floor.

“Shopkeeper, the Threefold Feast you ordered has arrived.”

The moment Zhao Sansi pushed open the door, it slammed shut behind him with a bang.

“What news is so urgent that you actually used this passphrase?”

The shopkeeper of Drunken Immortal Tower, seated in the place of honor, shot to his feet and fixed Zhao Sansi with a piercing stare.

Zhao Sansi’s gaze swept across the dozens of experts in the room, and he hurriedly lowered his head, keeping his words brief and direct.

“You know I’m acquainted with Captain Zhao of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I just received word from him…”

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard has moved out. Their target is this place.”

The instant those words were spoken, the room fell silent at once.

Only a few increasingly heavy breaths could be heard.

“Only the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Xu Yong, the Third Prince? How did he find out?”

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, sat down again, and began tapping a finger on the table before him.

“Going by their usual methods, whenever they make a move, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Confucian Dao work together, trying as much as possible not to affect the common people.”

A bright gleam flashed through his eyes as he keenly sensed that something was amiss.

“If it is only the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then that means the Third Prince has no evidence and cannot bring in the Confucian cultivators, so…”

Bang!

He slammed a hand against the table.

“He is trying to win merit for the position of Crown Prince! He must have heard wind of this place from somewhere and rushed over in a panic…”

“The shopkeeper speaks truly!”

A man in long robes smiled as he chimed in.

“When Great Xia’s Embroidered Uniform Guard acts, they have always relied on the Confucian Dao to suppress and martial cultivators to attack. That does indeed make them troublesome, so naturally we would avoid them. But if this time they only have the martial side of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then our Arcane Dao lineage has nothing to fear!”

That remark was met with agreement from the others.

“Exactly. With formation support, we arcane cultivators may not be weaker than martial cultivators…”

“Well said. Does the Third Prince dare break that rule? If the common people are affected, how will he possibly clean up the aftermath?”

“Even if he has truly gone mad and dares to strike, escaping will still be no problem for us. What is there to fear…”

Just as the mood in the room grew more and more heated—“Stop!”

The shopkeeper raised a hand, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.

In the same instant, everyone realized what the problem was.

Something was wrong.

It was too quiet outside.

Drunken Immortal Tower stood in the bustling city center. Even in the dead of night, it should never have been this silent.

And yet at this moment, beyond that thin layer of window paper, there was nothing but utter stillness.

The shopkeeper shot to his feet and crossed the room in a few strides. He reached out to push open the window, only for his hand to freeze halfway there.

“Damn it!”

The shopkeeper’s expression changed drastically, and his voice dropped low.

“We’re surrounded! The Third Prince really means to strike in the middle of the city? Has he gone mad?”