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Chapter 545 The Old Prince

Early April in Beijing is a rare and wonderful time of year.

A flock of swallows chased and flew around the three-tiered glazed tile eaves of the Nine-Ridge Hall in the northeast corner of the imperial city.

Along the moat embankment, the soft branches of weeping willows sway in the wind.

A rumor has already been circulating among the nobles of Beidu.

The Emperor reinstated the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The reason behind it was quickly discovered.

While no one dared to discuss it openly, everyone was secretly astonished: the root of the problem actually lay in Chang County!
Some noble sons, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, angrily shouted: "The Japanese are still plotting against us!"

They should have leveled the wheels back then!

But it's not too late now. Send one of our men over there, and we'll definitely get this done quickly!

Princess Ruicheng dressed simply today, not in the "bright and beautiful princess" style—that was specifically designed to intimidate that stubborn guy from Jiaozhi!

Today's style is "well-behaved daughter".

The second payment from the business I made with Xiao Xulang during my last trip to Jiaozhi has arrived in Beidu today.

The first payment arrived half a month ago, amounting to 85,000 taels of silver.

That was the first trip, and we were unfamiliar with everything, which led to many additional expenses that increased the cost.

After the second trip, everything was basically sorted out, and the profit rose to 120,000 taels!

It's estimated that the price will rise again next time, and eventually, each trip should stabilize at around 150,000 taels.

I make about fifteen or sixteen trips a year, and Princess Ruicheng's income from her side is around two million every year!

On both occasions, Princess Ruicheng specifically instructed: "Do not accept silver notes; exchange them all for silver coins, pack them into boxes, and send them to the Prince's residence."

Upon receiving the silver today, Princess Ruicheng, like a little girl in new clothes, skipped and hopped happily to find her old father.

"Father, Father..."

Before she even arrived, Princess Ruicheng's clear voice, like that of a lively lark, flew into the hall.

His Highness Prince Rong was fiddling with the beads on the abacus.

I felt so bad that I wanted to pluck out my own beard.

The old prince trusted no accountant.

He always felt that those servants were deliberately trying to swindle him out of his money.

The old prince insisted on personally recalculating all the accounts.

The old prince was extremely fond of money, but unfortunately, he had no business acumen whatsoever.

His income mainly comes from two sources: a stable source of income is his estates in various places.

They relied on tenant farmers and farmhands to cultivate the land and collect rent.

One unstable aspect is that in Beiduli, they act as intermediaries between various parties, collecting kickbacks in return.

And they try every means to embezzle.

The annual stipend given to the imperial family by the court was just a small amount of money for the old prince.

However, expenses for the various estates and mansions also required money—and the old prince would always try to keep these expenses down.

Every year, the old prince would calculate the accounts. If this year's expenditures were higher than in previous years and could not be reduced, he would sigh and constantly reflect on himself: Where has this prince not done enough?
Princess Ruicheng quietly entered and saw her father looking worried again. She exclaimed "Oh dear!" and coquettishly moved the abacus and account books away from her father.

"You silly girl," the old prince chuckled indulgently, "Go play first, your father isn't finished yet..."

"Don't calculate it yet." Princess Ruicheng looked like a proud little daughter showing off to her father: "You, how much silver can you save up after a year of hard work?"

The old prince's eyes lit up as he listened, sensing something amiss, and he asked expectantly, "Girl, what is this...?"

Princess Ruicheng clapped her hands and said, "Bring it in."

Mr. Cao's voice came from the courtyard outside: "Your Highness, there are too many. The room can't hold them all."

Before he could finish speaking, the old prince had already rushed out.

In the courtyard, rows of large, red-lacquered wooden boxes were piled high!
Princess Ruicheng also came out and instructed, "Open them all and let Father see them."

The servants immediately opened the box, and the gleaming silver shone brightly in the warm April sun!

The old prince clutched his chest and exclaimed "Ouch!" as he laughed so hard his features scrunched up.

He ran down and touched the silver coins, overwhelmed by a sense of immense satisfaction: "My good daughter, she truly is her father's good daughter!"

Although Princess Ruicheng has established her own princess residence, she has not actually separated from the old prince.

The Prince's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion were connected, except that the Princess's Mansion had a separate gate with a plaque.

As for why this is the case...

The old prince's explanation was that he couldn't bear to see his daughter move out.

In reality, after His Majesty issued the edict to confer the title of princess, the Imperial Clan Court allocated 80,000 taels of silver to prepare for the construction of the princess's residence.

The old prince took the money, saying it was to save it for Princess Ruicheng so that a mansion could be built after her marriage.

Now that they are living in the Prince's Mansion, the father and daughter can spend more time together.

But when it came time for her to get married, the old prince would definitely not be able to "come up with" the money.

The old prince's obsession with silver had reached a pathological level.

He even considered marrying Princess Ruicheng to whoever offered the most dowry.

It was only because Princess Ruicheng was so favored by His Majesty that he didn't dare to actually do it.

Princess Ruicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her father's expression.

With my ability to earn so much money, Father King probably wouldn't want to marry me off, right?
My dear Xu, you need to step up your game. I don't know how much longer I can hold out...

The old prince touched all the silver coins, and the smell of the silver on his hands made him reluctant to wash them.

"Quickly, take it to the treasury in the backyard."

The old prince personally supervised the construction and deposited all the silver into the treasury.

Princess Ruicheng only asked at this moment, "Father, what exactly happened with the Hidden Dragon Society?"

In a good mood, the old prince told her the truth: "It's not a big deal, but no one expected that the matter in Chang County would involve the remnants of Japan."

Princess Ruicheng then asked, "Just how bad is the situation in Chang County?"

She dared not interfere, nor even send anyone to inquire.

After all, Xu Yuan was recommended by her.

"It's said that there's already some progress," the old prince said in a low voice, "Although no one has made a move, we actually have spies in Chang County and Quyang Prefecture!"

Princess Ruicheng was not surprised at all, and asked solemnly, "Father, if incriminating evidence is found, will those people... take action?"

The old prince snorted and said, "Whoever lays a hand on you dies! Do you think your father spends all his time hiding in the mansion settling accounts..."

He suddenly stopped and looked at his daughter: "Girl, what exactly do you want to know?"

“Oh, Father,” Princess Ruicheng tugged at the old prince’s sleeve and shook it, pleading, “I just want to know, after all, that person was recommended by your daughter, and our business needs that guy to look after us in Jiaozhi, so he can’t be allowed to get into trouble.”

The old prince had a vague feeling that it wouldn't be that simple, but having just received a large sum of money, he was in a great mood and didn't investigate further. He said, "Then tell him to be very careful and make sure he keeps his life."

Princess Ruicheng's heart skipped a beat. She tried her best to control herself and not give herself away, and asked, "Didn't you say that His Majesty was watching? Do those people really dare to do that?"

The old prince, smelling the lingering scent of silver on his hands, said with a satisfied expression, "What if His Majesty deliberately leaves them a loophole?"

Princess Ruicheng asked in confusion, "Why would Your Majesty..." She suddenly stopped speaking, having already figured it out!
The old prince looked at his daughter again, but this time his eyes no longer held the allure of money.

He became profound and astute.

"Your father is not good at business. As for this trading company, whether it was your idea or that boy's, I don't want to know so clearly."

As long as the silver goes into the Prince's treasury, that's fine.

But you've been too hasty in recommending him to His Majesty in order to give him a future.

"This hurdle ahead, hmph, that kid won't be easy to get past!"

Princess Ruicheng's bright and beautiful face instantly turned deathly pale!
Her affair with Xu Yuan was kept secret after she returned to Beidu.

But she wasn't surprised that her father knew.

After all, her retainers were a mixed bag.

She also knew that recommending Xu Yuan was actually pointing him down a "path through knives"!
This road is extremely difficult to travel and very dangerous.

But this was the most suitable path Princess Ruicheng could find for Xu Yuan.

If you don't serve His Majesty, on what basis will His Majesty pardon your status as a criminal from Hegong Lane?

No matter how great the merit, it's useless if it's not "in the emperor's heart".

But if you're serving His Majesty, you have to be prepared to walk on thin ice.

Princess Ruicheng had great confidence in her chosen man, which is why she ultimately decided to recommend him.

She believed that Xu Yuan could handle the job well.

But the two separate transactions, totaling over 200,000 taels of silver, finally got the old father to let slip the truth!

Princess Ruicheng also understands His Majesty well, but she is still far inferior to her father.

The person in the whole world who can best understand His Majesty's thoughts is the old Prince Rong!
She still remembers that she was still young when the Crown Prince was demoted to "Prince Yong".

Perhaps my father thought I was still too young to understand. After that night, my father said, "What a feud between father and son..."

A while ago, the calls for "establishing an heir apparent" gradually resurfaced, sparking a new "father-son feud".

Although His Majesty's temples are already gray, he does not feel that he is old.

Following the auspicious rooster incident, His Majesty rested in Consort Yi's palace for seven consecutive days, but he still could not suppress the voices from all sides of the court demanding a thorough investigation into Consort Yi's "deception of the emperor."

His Majesty would be secretly furious, feeling that there were too many disobedient ministers in the court and that they deserved to be punished.

Princess Ruicheng left, heartbroken and distraught.

The emperor will surely cleverly create an "opportunity" to give those people a chance to make their move.

Xu Lang is now like a small boat on the edge of a storm, which could be smashed to pieces at any moment by a sudden and unexpected storm!

Princess Ruicheng, however, did not know how to remind Xu Yuan.

She was the one who recommended him, so His Majesty must have sent people to keep an eye on her.

Even if a close confidant wants to leave Beidu, His Majesty will know immediately!
Princess Ruicheng returned to her boudoir and sat down, but she had already made up her mind: No, she must find a way to remind Xu Lang!
……

Like a dog, Teruyuki Ota crawled out through a hole in the Changxian city wall.

They managed to escape.

There are too many places like this in Changxian County where the city walls have been in disrepair for many years, allowing people to sneak out.

But Teruyuki Ota was not a local. He spent a full ten taels of silver to buy the news from a ruffian in the county town.

This ten taels of silver is almost half of Ota Teruyu's wealth!

How much can a knife sharpener earn? The "Hidden Dragon Society" has a strict hierarchy, and the resources for promotion require accumulating merit points, which can then be exchanged within the society.

No matter what you do, you have to apply for funding from the association.

Although he was highly skilled, he dared not do anything unnecessary to avoid being exposed, and thus he was very strapped for cash.

The "Hidden Dragon Society" was able to unite these "former Japanese citizens" because of the restoration ideals they were instilled with from childhood, as well as their loyalty to the "Emperor".

Secondly, ...a "curse" was placed on their bodies from a young age.

In an era of evil spirits, these ancient "curses" have been given a powerful new lease on life.

When Teruyuki Ota crawled through the dog hole, he got several cuts on his body.

Although he had covered it up, the yin energy was constantly leaking out along the way.

After reaching Quyang Prefecture, he immediately used the guild's methods to secretly contact a three-star Chunin.

In his message, he risked being accused of "insubordination" by harshly criticizing the other party for their flawed intelligence.

He was seriously injured by a third-rate martial arts practitioner.

I urgently need this three-star Chunin to be online so I can immediately arrange a high-quality body for myself.

Hua Zongbu wondered: Did Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan go back?

Her thinking is very self-serving.

Upon receiving this message, the first thing they did was not to find a suitable body, but to do everything in their power to protect the Seven Star Genin in the guild.

Instead, he went to Zhang Kongmu's duty room in the yamen to peek.

Try to confirm whether Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan have really gone back.

The operation failed, of course, because of your stupidity and incompetence, and it's definitely not because I, the commander, had bad intelligence!
Zhang Kongmu is not in the yamen today.

He was just holding a sinecure anyway, and no one would notice him if he didn't come to the government office.

So yesterday I made a connection with that fourth-rate scholar from Beidu, and today I simply skipped my shift and went straight to the bookstore to listen to that fourth-rate scholar's lecture.

Then, after finishing the presentation, I would invite the other party to a banquet to show my hospitality as the host.

Then Zhang Kongmu encountered Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan, who had returned.

In the late afternoon, Zhang Kongmu led the two back to the yamen.

……

Hiding in a paper craft shop, Teruyuki Ota eagerly awaited the arrival of the three-star Chunin, hoping he would find a body for him soon.

He certainly has the ability to kill someone and possess their body.

However, given the tense situation both inside and outside Quyang Prefecture, he worried that if he acted rashly, he might give himself away and be discovered.

Moreover, he still has "hope," doesn't he? That three-star Chunin seems to have considerable power in Quyang Prefecture and can surely make proper arrangements.

So we waited and waited... and several hours passed!

The yin energy of the soul kept leaking out, and the paper figure looked somewhat deflated.

"Damn idiot! What is she waiting for?" Teruyuki Ota was getting impatient. He secretly decided that he would wait another half an hour at most, and if she didn't come, he would have to make his move.

Otherwise, if the soul weakens further, it will be impossible to successfully possess another body!
Even now, because of the extra hours spent waiting, his skill level will likely drop to fifth-rate after the possession.

Chief Constable Hua is waiting for Zhang Kongmu.

We must find out whether Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan have returned to Chang County!

It's truly a case of sincerity moving mountains; Chief Constable Hua has finally gotten what he's been waiting for!
Zhang Kongmu returned with Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan!
When Chief Constable Hua, who was hiding in the shadows, saw the three of them appear together, he immediately perked up. He muttered "that idiot" in Japanese before going off to search for the body with satisfaction.

How could a Chunin make a mistake?
Chief Constable Hua wasn't unaware that he had taken too long—but the responsibility had to be clearly defined!

Knowing that it would take too long, Chief Constable Hua randomly found a corpse in the city's morgue and took it to meet with the Seven Star Genin.

Such connections are generally strictly prohibited within the "Hidden Dragon Society".

Because Hua Zongbu is not Ohta Teruyu's superior.

However, the situation was urgent and there was no time to worry about that.

Hua Zongbu used his "magic" to change his appearance and even his voice.

She found the Seven Star Genin in the paper craft shop.

The owner of the paper craft shop was bewitched by her magic and became oblivious to everything around him.

Chief Constable Hua tossed the corpse over and said coldly, "My intelligence is absolutely correct! I have personally verified that Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan have been in Quyang Prefecture all along!"

Teruyuki Ota screamed, "This is impossible! Last night..."

"Insolence!" Chief Constable Hua interrupted him angrily, "How dare you, a foolish ninja, question me?"

Teruyuki Ota was furious. You're just a three-star Chunin, how dare you call yourself "this one"?
But he dared not argue any further, mainly because he didn't have much time left and had to seize the body immediately.

So he kept quiet, reached out and slashed open the top of the paper figure, and a wisp of black mist emerged from the paper figure and plunged into the corpse.

This wasn't the first time Chief Constable Hua had tried to possess a Dharma Protector; some of her subordinates had also lost their bodies during missions.

Possessing a living person is difficult, but possessing a corpse is easy.

It was rare that he gradually managed to achieve a state of "spiritual harmony" with this body.

So usually, the soul enters and it doesn't take long for it to become basically active again.

But this Seven Star Genin had been inside for quite some time and was still lying motionless on the ground.

After waiting for another fifteen minutes, Chief Constable Hua grew impatient: "Idiot, what are you still lying there for?"

The body was motionless, with its eyes and mouth tightly closed.

Hua Zong went up and kicked him.

The body remained motionless.

In this corpse, Teruyuki Ota was already consumed by impotent rage.

Is this the perfect body you found for me?!
This person died of poisoning!
He did indeed have no injuries, but the poison he was in hadn't been cured, and it seemed to be the kind that could cause his entire body to stiffen and die!

Ohta Teruyuki's paper figure has been destroyed, and he can't get out now!

He is now trapped inside the corpse.

He couldn't speak either, and couldn't communicate with Chief Constable Hua.

He had already given scathing insults to Chief Constable Hua in Japanese.

This jerk thinks he's so smart, calling me an idiot all the time, but is this the level of his own work?
And your clumsy "Chunin Technique" conceals your appearance and voice, but I can see through it at a glance!
I really don't know how the guild chose you to be a Chunin!
Chief Constable Hua kicked the body a few more times before realizing something was wrong. He examined the body and his face immediately burned with embarrassment.

Fortunately, she had a "method" to cover it up and didn't reveal it.

She still cursed, trying to justify herself: "How foolish! You, a dignified Seven Star, can't even cure this little bit of poison?"

Teruyuki Ota was furious: How is this my fault?!

Chief Constable Hua carried the body away; she had been inside for far too long and needed to leave as soon as possible.

They couldn't take the body home, but Chief Constable Hua had a little-known hideout in the city, so they carried it there.

……

Xu Yuan and Zang Tianlan stayed in Quyang Prefecture for one night, and the next day, with Zhang Kongmu seeing them off, they returned to Chang County.

This time, Zhang Kongmu seemed very reluctant to part with her, and he accompanied her all the way from the government office to the east gate of the city, where everyone who was supposed to see her did.

Many people even heard that Zhang Kongmu had always been grateful to Xu Yuan, because it was through Xu Yuan that he met Imperial Censor Dai and Mr. Lu, a fourth-rate writer from the head office.

But only Xu Yuan knew that Zhang Kongmu and his third senior brother knew each other, and even without him, he would eventually be summoned back to the headquarters and meet these people.

After the two returned to Chang County, Xu Yuan began to reopen the investigation from the very beginning of the matter:
The golden rooster symbolizes good fortune.

Xu Yuan, along with Zhou Leizi and Di Youzhi who had returned from the county government office, headed to the Li family ancestral graves.

All three of the supervisors were present in the procession.

Miao Yan Zhenren was extremely reluctant to "show her face," but this time she had to.

Miao Yan Zhenren timidly asked Xu Yuan for help: Do you have another person under your command who practices the Pear Garden Method?
Let him pretend to be me going out with you.

After receiving a negative answer from Xu Yuan, Miao Yan Zhenren's disappointment was palpable, and she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward herself.

From the moment Lang Xiaoba set out, he received enthusiastic guidance from Zang Tianlan, and every day he ended up with a bruised and swollen face.

They all hid in the inn.

So no one suspected anything because he didn't show up today.

But in reality, Wenren Luo, who is standing next to Xu Yuan now, is actually Lang Xiaoba in disguise.

Pretending to be a fourth-rate practitioner, especially a third-generation disciple of the Jianzheng sect, was a rare opportunity for Lang Xiaoba's "Liyuan Dharma" to cultivate.

Fortunately, Wenren Luo hasn't gone out much these past few days, and has been staying at the inn playing with teapots.

Lang Xiaoba spent a lot of time with him and could imitate Wenren Luo's habits and actions perfectly.

The Li family's ancestral tombs are now very impressive—originally, the Li family was not a wealthy family in the area, and they had many tombs scattered around.

After they became wealthy, they used the tomb of Consort Yi's grandfather and Old Master Li's father as the basis to move all the other ancestral graves there and build a cemetery.

The elderly couple who were guarding the grave were the first to discover the "golden rooster".

They were relatives of the Li family in their ancestral home in the countryside, and according to seniority, they were the younger brothers of Old Master Li.

Many people saw that golden rooster. It is said to be half a zhang tall, with colorful feathers all over its body and a fiery red comb. It was truly magnificent!
The tomb keeper also revealed a detail unknown to others: "On the first night, an evil spirit sneaked into the cemetery, but was pecked to death and eaten by that golden rooster!"

Xu Yuan asked, "What kind of evil spirit is it?"

"I saw it clearly from inside the house. It was a spider with ghostly fire all over its body, as big as a millstone! And the spider's head was a white bone skull!"

It even had tusks like a wild boar growing from its mouth!

Di Youzhi was somewhat skeptical: "How could a chicken possibly eat such a huge evil spirit?"

The old man guarding the tomb glared and slammed his fist on the table: "Why don't you believe me? Go ask around in our village, I, Li Laojiu, never lie!"

Xu Yuan: "Did any other evil spirits sneak in during the following nights?"

“It’s gone!” Li Laojiu said. “I guess that will-o’-the-wisp spider was the king of evil spirits around here. It was eaten by other evil spirits and dared not come again.”

Xu Yuan went to the cemetery again and looked at the spot where the golden rooster had once landed.

Then he took his people back.

The day after Xu Yuan visited the Li family ancestral graves, shocking news reached Chang County and Beidu almost simultaneously:
Imperial Censor Dai has been killed!
Mr. Lu, who was responsible for protecting Imperial Censor Dai, was trapped by a powerful, fourth-rate artifact, and no rescue came.

According to Mr. Lu's account afterward, he was reading under the lamp late at night when he suddenly heard someone calling his name outside the window. He thought it was a colleague from the book club, so he subconsciously responded.

As a result, it was submerged by a murky, dark flood!

Despite using all his strength, he couldn't break free.

The murderer trapped Mr. Lu, killed Imperial Censor Dai, and then calmly left.

After Mr. Lu was freed, he smelled strongly of stale tea.

(End of this chapter)