The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 182 No Winner
The sky was overcast.

Crown Prince Chai Heng of the Great Zhou Dynasty sat on a brocade couch above the refined residence, his wide gray straight-hemmed robe covering the plain rush mat, like a dark cloud.

Shadowy figures moved swiftly outside the bamboo curtain of the hermitage, their heavy, light footsteps sounding chaotic and disordered, the only sound in the air being the crackling of firewood in the hearth...

Led by Yang Ying, several advisors from the Eastern Palace sat upright on either side of the study, each with a look of deep thought on their faces. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, but both sides would shake their heads slightly, indicating that they had come up with nothing.

The imperial city is the central hub where a single move can have far-reaching consequences. Even a cough within the imperial city, carried by the wind to the outside of the palace, could potentially turn into a mountain that crushes millions.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to overinterpret the fact that General Wang Wen, the Demon Slayer of Huainan, suddenly entered the palace and discussed such an important matter with the Emperor behind closed doors for nearly half an hour.

To be precise, it was precisely because Chai Heng was attentive and careful about everything in the court and the palace that he became the crown prince.

His ambitious brothers, on the other hand, became regional kings at a young age...

For twenty-three years, he had been living in constant fear, even sleeping with one eye open, watching every move of the court and the palace. Now, he had finally reached the final moment, and Chai Heng could not allow anything beyond his control to happen under his nose!
A moment later, a young eunuch strode in with light, hurried steps, bowing as he quickly entered and whispered something in Chai Heng's ear.

Chai Heng played with the jade cicada hand-held piece, his expression and demeanor remaining unchanged.

But those in the Eastern Palace who knew him well could clearly sense a gloomy cloud spreading from him...

He waved away the eunuch beside him, played with the jade cicada for a moment, and said softly, "Jingyuan, stay. The rest of you may leave."

Upon hearing this, all the advisors of the Eastern Palace felt as if they had been granted a pardon, but each of them maintained a solemn and stoic expression. They slowly rose, clasped their hands in greeting, and bowed as they left the study.

Yang Ying watched as her colleagues, seemingly composed but actually fleeing, backs turned, and sighed softly in her heart, knowing that she would probably have to travel thousands of miles again.

As the group of advisors from the Eastern Palace left, the shadowy figures bustling around the residence also retreated, leaving only Chai Heng and Yang Ying, the emperor and his minister, inside the residence.

The night breeze swept into the hermitage, causing the campfire to flicker...

Yang Ying crossed his hands: "Your Highness, has the purpose of Wang Wen's entry into the palace been ascertained?"

Chai Heng slowly shook his head: "No, it was the Emperor who secretly summoned the Prince of Qin to the palace."

Yang Yingxin thought to herself, "As expected."

The only one who could make His Highness the Crown Prince feel so gloomy was the King of Qin.

King of Qin, King of Qin...

It just so happens to be the King of Qin!

What exactly is the government trying to do?

Yang Ying remained silent, but the tip of her nose seemed to already smell the heavy, bloody scent that had traversed more than six hundred years.

Chai Heng looked at him and said softly, "Jingyuan, how about you make another trip to Huainan for me?"

Although he was asking, Yang Ying knew that she had no choice at all.

He clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "It is my greatest honor to be able to share Your Highness's burdens!"

Chai Heng waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite: "Please tell Wang Wen that I can afford what others can't, and I will double what others can afford!"

Hearing his resolute tone, Yang Ying hesitated, but ultimately let out a long sigh.

He knew that His Highness the Crown Prince had no other choice.

Competing for dragons is not as good as gambling at the gambling table.

Once you're at the gambling table, there's still a chance to quit.

In the struggle for the dragon, there are only two outcomes: the winner takes all and utter defeat...

Moreover, he is the crown prince.

He served as the crown prince for twenty-three years!
……

Just as Chai Heng and Yang Yingjun were plotting in secret.

Wang Wen has already stepped into the gates of the Qinghe Gang.

From a distance, he saw Huang Xingde sitting upright in the main hall.

He didn't know why he always saw Huang Xingde in the lobby every time he came back.

He guessed that Huang Xingde always seemed to know when he would return and would wait for him in the lobby before he came home...

In just over a month, Huang Xingde in the hall seemed to have aged ten years.

He was still the same person, his body was still so robust, and his arms were still thicker than an average thigh.

But as he sat there, he exuded a heavy sense of weariness...

Under the influence of that gloomy atmosphere, the lobby seemed to be filled with the smell of old people.

He had never seen Huang Xingde like this before.

This overwhelmed him with mixed feelings, and he even felt a sense of guilt that made him afraid to cross that threshold.

It wasn't until Huang Xingde smiled and said, "What are you still standing there for? Come in and sit down."

Wang Wen hesitated for two seconds, gritted his teeth, strode up the steps and over the threshold, and knelt down in the hall with a "plop".

“Father, I know I went too far in this matter, but it wasn’t caused by me. I never intended to betray them or provoke them. They bullied me and forced me to submit. I can accept that, but my brothers can’t. They are all men of steel and cannot tolerate this humiliation… Today, you can hit me or scold me as you please!”

Even now, he still doesn't think he did anything wrong.

But he had to admit that he had not thought things through and had failed to consider Huang Xingde's feelings.

From a purely profit-driven perspective, Huang Xingde's actions certainly fall into line with the law.

After all, Wang Wen didn't start this, so the fault doesn't lie with him.

Moreover, the current canal gangs can no longer pose any threat to the father and son.

He spared Gu Yue's life out of respect for the Grand Canal Gang; that was already a great act of loyalty to them.

But if we analyze it from an emotional perspective...

Huang Xingde dedicated most of his life to the Canal Gang, which was not only his support but also his home.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, there are no winners when family members fight amongst themselves.

Wang Wen has already realized this... but if he had to do it all over again, he would still do the same thing.

Because he was the one who suffered losses and was wronged!
Why should Wang Wen have to take care of the bigger picture when he suffers losses and injustices?

I don't expect parents to be completely impartial, but at least you shouldn't show favoritism, right?

Are parents who take sides still parents?
Huang Xingde naturally understood this principle as well.

He also knew that Wang Wen's actions were correct.

But as the saying goes, when family members fight amongst themselves, there are no winners...

At this moment, Huang Xingde looked at his adopted son kneeling below the hall, admitting his mistakes with gritted teeth and his upright posture, and he was filled with mixed feelings.

After a long while, he sighed softly, got up, grabbed Wang Wen's arm, and helped Wang Wen up from the ground. He patted his shoulder with a self-deprecating smile and said, "From now on, the two of us will be all alone!"

Wang Wen smiled and said, "What are you saying? Isn't my home your home? Aren't my brothers your nephews and nieces? Our family now has several thousand people, okay? I think... it's good for us to give up those petty and despicable businesses and live upright and honest lives from now on. Even our farts will be more powerful than others'!"

Huang Xingde slapped him, knocking him off balance, and laughed, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

Wang Wen: "I'll stuff an ivory stick into Er Gou's mouth right now and make him spit it out for you to see!"

Huang Xingde was too lazy to respond to his nonsensical ramblings. He went straight back to the hall, sat down, and ordered his men to prepare a late-night snack.

After Wang Wen sat down, he asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

Wang Wen: "What, what plan?"

Huang Xingde: "Do you really intend to be an official for the rest of your life? With all the shady things you've done, do you think you'll have a good end? What's that saying in the play again? 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away!'"

“I’ve thought it all out for you. While you’re still in power, let’s figure out a way out as soon as possible. When things get better, you can gradually hand over power and retire gracefully… If things can be settled smoothly, you might be able to have a peaceful end.”

Wang Wen looked at him in surprise, never expecting that this old man, with nothing to do at home, had already arranged his escape route so clearly.

He suddenly smiled and said, "Dad, is there a possibility that the reason I've done so many shady things and am still alive and well is not because someone in higher positions is protecting me, but because they can't do anything to me?"

Huang Xingde glanced at him and scoffed, "You think you can do anything? The entire Great Zhou Dynasty, with its million-strong army, can't defeat you!"

Wang Wen: "If that's the case, then a million-strong army really can't do anything to me..."

Huang Xingde impatiently interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense, we're talking about serious matters!"

Wang Wenrao was stumped, and for a moment he really didn't know how to communicate with this little old man.

He'd punch the Nanshan Nursing Home and kick the Beihai Kindergarten if he were outside, beating up anyone who dared to defy him...

Why are you still treating him like a baby even though he's home?
"Well, let me put it this way: do you know where our son came from today?"

After thinking about it, he decided to lay all his cards on the table with this old man.

Huang Xingde: "Where else could you have come from? Didn't you just return ahead of schedule from your general's fleet?"

Wang Wen chuckled: "Then you're wrong. My son came back from the capital... He was having lunch with the Emperor in the Imperial Palace at noon, and only set off to come back after lunch."

Huang Xingde looked at him with disdain: "Keep bragging! I'll give you another two ounces of horse piss to drink, and you can even sit on the emperor's dragon throne!"

Wang Wen remained silent, but took out a scroll with auspicious cloud and dragon and phoenix patterns mounted on yellow silk from his back waist, stood up and gently placed it next to Huang Xingde.

Huang Xingde stared at the object, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place where he had seen it before: "What is this?"

Wang Wen: "Imperial Edict."

Huang Xingde paused for two seconds, then asked with a mixture of joy and worry, "You got promoted again?"

Wang Wen: "That's not the point. Look at the date on the imperial edict."

Huang Xingde picked up the imperial edict with puzzled hands, carefully unrolled it, and read it aloud word by word: "...The ninth day of the tenth month of the winter of the year Wushen in the twenty-fifth year of Hongtai? Today?"

Wang Wen nodded: "The imperial edict issued by the Emperor today is naturally dated today."

Huang Xingde suddenly turned to look at him: "You really just came back from the capital? Did you really have lunch with the emperor? What does the emperor eat? Does he eat everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the water?"

Wang Wen: …

"Actually, it's not as extravagant as we thought. It's just a simple meal of four dishes and a soup, mainly consisting of pork, lamb, chicken, duck, and fish."

He replied speechlessly, "It's just that the process is a bit more complicated and meticulous. It's not as satisfying as what we eat at home. I only ate about 80% full at noon."

Huang Xingde looked at him with increasing shock: "The emperor invited you to dinner, and you actually ate it?"

Wang Wen: "What else can we do? It's a rare trip, we can't just come back hungry, can we? If word gets out that a military general is going to the capital and the emperor isn't even providing him with a decent meal, wouldn't that just cause trouble for people?"

Huang Xingde thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true... By the way, what are you going to the capital for? Is the Emperor summoning you to the capital to report on your duties?"

Wang Wenfeng replied nonchalantly, "No, the Emperor caused me some trouble, and I was furious, so I went to the capital to talk to him. I told him to just tell me what he wants from now on, and I'll give him whatever I can. There's no need for underhanded tactics. He deeply realized his mistake and promised not to play dirty tricks on me again... Oh, by the way, I almost got into a fight with some old guys guarding the inner palace today. If I didn't know they were doing their job and had to play the bad cop and the good cop to intimidate outsiders, I would have broken the legs of that old eunuch who dared to bare his teeth at me!"

As Huang Xingde listened to his seemingly nonchalant but actually smug narration, his eyes widened as if he were looking at a peerless tiger!
After Wang Wen finished speaking, he cautiously asked, "You were definitely just rambling and bragging to Dad, right? Did you go drinking and carousing again before you got home?"

Wang Wen thought for a moment and chuckled, "Then just consider it me rambling on and bragging to you!"

Huang Xingde looked at his nonchalant face, his hands trembling slightly: "You're really doing so well in the imperial court?"

Wang Wen pointed to the imperial edict in his hand: "Isn't it written here? It's an honorary title for a third-rank official. In terms of rank, I'm now the highest-ranking official in Huainan Circuit!"

"With that demon-slaying sword that can cut down corrupt officials and demons, in terms of real power, I will be the most powerful in Huainan Circuit from now on!"

"If my prediction is correct, there are still one or two officers in command of troops on their way. With a large number of soldiers and generals, I will still be the most powerful in Huainan Province in the future!"

"To be honest, if you ever get tired of being a rich old man, we'll raise a banner of rebellion and let you experience what it's like to be an emperor emeritus..."

These few words startled Huang Xingde so much that he trembled four times. Finally, he rushed forward, covered the man's mouth, and hissed in a low voice, "Are you crazy? You can think these things in your mind, but can you say them out loud?"

Wang Wen broke free from his large hand and said with a smile, "In short, you can live the life you want without worry. Don't be afraid of anything. Your son has grown up and can support you now... Sooner or later, your son will teach the Cao Gang a lesson. It's their loss if they don't want us, not ours!"

"And your son can assure you that this day is not far off!"

"Soon, they'll be begging you to raise their banner again..."

Huang Xingde slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and shouted angrily, "We'll beat the hell out of them! They think we're something special, like chamber pots? Just because they tell us to get lost or come back doesn't mean we're safe!"

Wang Wen clapped his hands loudly and gave the old man a thumbs up: "That's Huang Tianba for you, what a character!"

(End of this chapter)