Chapter 740 – Killing You for the Second Time (Part Three)
Several dozen miles from the Chenzhou Imperial City—
A Red-Clothed Woman’s corpse suddenly appeared, her head grotesquely twisted, eyes wide open in death.
“Host, you have died again.”
Within the system space, the system’s cold electronic synthetic voice informed the Red-Clothed Woman of the news.
Being killed by the same person twice, and in exactly the same manner, was truly ironic.
Her soul, leaving her body, floated to the system space, her face pale as she furiously yelled in the living room.
“Shut up! I know I’m dead, no need for you to tell me that!”
After her outburst, the woman cursed at the system, “Is this my fault again? I followed your advice and gave up using the Ninth-Rank Loyalty Talisman on her, so why did I still die? Isn’t it because the Teleportation Talisman you gave me malfunctioned, delaying the teleport? I crushed it, so why was I still caught by Liu Xi and had my neck snapped? Isn’t that your fault?”
Faced with her accusations, the system was silent for a moment before warning the Red-Clothed Woman in an even colder tone.
“Host, I hope you can calm down. The system cannot make mistakes, and the Teleportation Talisman certainly cannot fail.”
The Red-Clothed Woman sneered back.
“If it didn’t fail, how did I die?”
“The Teleportation Talisman is a product of the cultivation realm, and its mechanics involve mental and spiritual domains. Liu Xi’s mental prowess is incredibly strong, on par with that of a cultivator. Although she is not a cultivator and has no spiritual energy, she can disrupt the Teleportation Talisman, causing it to delay for one or two seconds. That one or two seconds was enough for her to snap the host’s neck.”
The Red-Clothed Woman was left dumbfounded, before finally asking the system.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
If she had known this, she wouldn’t have foolishly used the Teleportation Talisman in front of Jiang Pengji!
The system’s tone remained devoid of emotion.
“Any information regarding the Emperor requires purchase, consuming a massive amount of popularity points. Though you are my host, I am a fair and impartial system, and I have no obligation to provide you this information. If the host were strong enough, she could have discovered it on her own. Thus, this matter is not the system’s responsibility; the fault lies with the host for being too weak!”
Confronted with the system’s well-founded rebuttal, the Red-Clothed Woman could only swallow her anger.
After calming down, she faced a more brutal reality—
She had died again, and the price for resurrection was a staggering one billion popularity points, to be paid in installments.
Feeling increasingly powerless before the growing debt, she grimly muttered, “Hmph, but I still gained something… Liu Zhi, just wait for the father-daughter rivalry to unfold!”
While the Red-Clothed Woman waited for her revival, Jiang Pengji hummed a cheerful tune, much to Feng Zhen’s surprise.
“My lord seems in a good mood.”
Jiang Pengji gestured, “When good news comes, one feels energized. Your lord is about to receive a promotion, how could I not be happy?”
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhen understood that the Fourth Prince had been removed, instantly brightening his expression.
“Congratulations, my lord! Best wishes!” he half-jokingly bowed, subtly adding, “If you are promoted, could you loosen the purse strings for your subordinate? Perhaps some days off like last year’s seven-day break? Maybe fine wine, delicacies, and beauties? Or even gold, silver, and gems?”
Jiang Pengji’s smile faded. “Rewards there are, but days off, delicacies, fine wine, and beauties… none at all.”
Feng Zhen: “…”
Geez, he helped his lord with such a big task, but even that little benefit was denied?
With a resigned expression, he gave up on frivolous thoughts and dove back into endless work.
After the rebel forces’ plundering, the entire Chenzhou Imperial City had become a chaotic mess, with theft, extortion, and robbery rampant.
Yan Lin and the others quickly stabilized the turmoil within the city, rescuing and settling the remaining officials and their families, and protecting the royal relatives.
“The former Crown Princess and several princes have been found, but the late Crown Prince’s concubine and several daughters met a grim fate.”
In such dire chaos, it was already a blessing to have preserved the Crown Princess and the princes; who could afford to worry about concubines and daughters?
Yan Lin coldly bowed his head.
“As long as we found them, what about His Highness the Third Prince and His Highness the Fourth Prince?”
Subordinates reported, “We’ve sent people to search, and we expect news shortly.”
Yan Lin furrowed his brows in contemplation, sensing an ominous premonition.
Though the royal grandsons had been found, the ministers were far more concerned about the Third and Fourth Princes’ fates.
After repeated urgings, they finally located two corpses by dusk the next day.
The Third Prince’s body was bloated in the well water, a knife plunged into his chest, a weapon wielded only by soldiers under Changshou Wang.
Finding the Third Prince was straightforward, but the Fourth Prince posed a challenge, as an otherworldly force prevented them from entering the residence.
This mysterious power appeared oddly, disappearing suddenly, and as they finally entered, they found the Fourth Prince sprawled on the ground, his skull crushed by tremendous force, a gruesome sight. Feng Zhen secretly glanced at his lord, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Surely, the Fourth Prince’s head wasn’t crushed by a kick from his lord?
In the following days, preparations were underway for the Emperor and princes’ funerals.
“Both princes have met with unfortunate ends, and the remaining grandsons are too young. Who do you reckon will ascend to the throne?”
With the Emperor dead, the proper custom would dictate a national mourning.
However, in these special times, there was no need for excessive formality.
They only had to pay attention to the color of their attire, tying a white ribbon at their waists.
Dressed in solemn gray-black attire with a white ribbon, Feng Zhen appeared more serious and meticulous than usual.
Yang Si wore a similar outfit, his atmosphere even colder.
He scoffed, “No matter who it is, as long as it’s not Changshou Wang or the governor of Hu County, Wu Ma Shang, I’m fine with it. What do you think?”
“Agreed,” Feng Zhen replied. “Changshou Wang has ulterior motives, and Wu Ma Shang is just as restless. The royal grandsons are the better choice.”
Young and obedient.
Barely at the age of maturity, they haven’t established a household, meaning the Young Emperor can’t wield any power.
The oldest grandson was merely eleven, and the youngest was just two.
According to the customs of primogeniture, no one was more qualified than the eldest grandson.
Not only is he the legitimate grandson, but also the eldest, of pure bloodline and rightful position.
“I’m just afraid that Wu Ma Shang won’t take it lying down.”
Feng Zhen sneered, “Whether he’s unhappy or not, the allied forces are seasoned veterans; unless he’s lost his wits, they won’t support him.”
What benefits would there be in backing Wu Ma Shang?
Though he might have achievements, supporting the royal grandson would also yield merit.
Comparatively, backing an older, cunning Wu Ma Shang risks having him eye the military power—waiting to be dethroned.
If they supported the young royal grandson instead?
The grandson would need to utilize the support of the allied lords to secure his throne, having no treacherous thoughts before coming of age, enabling greater interests.
From the perspective of many lords’ interests, Wu Ma Shang is absolutely not a good choice.
The two briefly exchanged opinions, and shared a knowing glance.
