After swapping bodies with the princess, this prince slaughtered his way through the court and becam

After the meal, Ren Jingxing went to the martial arts arena, where his father, Ren Houzheng, was staring blankly at the weapons.

As a military officer, Marquis Ren also had to serve in the army when he inherited his title, and he had to come here every day to practice martial arts.

Now that he is old and his thighs are thick with flesh, he can no longer even hold a weapon steadily.

Ren Jingxing sensed the energy within his body and then took the green spear from the weapon rack.

The sword is the king of all weapons, but the spear is the king of all weapons.

Ren Jingxing's most proficient cold weapon was the spear.

The spear in front of me seemed to be made of fine steel, and its entire body was a deep green.

Its overall length is just over ten feet.

"Jingxing, no!" Ren Hou exclaimed, his eyes wide.

This spear is called the Green-Sinking Spear, and it was the weapon used by my ancestor when he followed the founding emperor in conquering the world.

The spear weighs 58 jin (approximately 24 catties).

It doesn't sound heavy, but when a person uses it, the force is concentrated on their wrists.

If one is not careful, one will lose control and it is extremely easy to injure oneself.

Ren Jingxing took it down with both hands.

As soon as he got his hands on it, Ren Jingxing felt a sense of weight to it.

This heaviness isn't the kind that's too heavy to lift, but rather a sense of stability that doesn't feel light and airy!

Ren Jingxing casually waved the gun twice with both hands.

Ren Hou, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

Isn't your own son a spoiled brat whose body has been drained?

Didn't you just realize your mistake a few days ago and decide to take the imperial examination?

How did you make such great progress in martial arts training?

And judging from the way he wields the spear, could it be that he has practiced it in private?

My son not only has the potential to be a top scholar, but also the potential to be a general.

Ren Jingxing waved his hand twice in front of his eyes, releasing the power contained within his body.

After placing the Green-Stained Spear back on the weapon rack, Ren Jingxing couldn't help but nod in approval:

"Father, this spear is really nice!"

Ren Hou spoke in a somber tone:

"Our family's title has been passed down for half the reason, thanks to this Green Stained Spear."

"If we break this green-colored spear, our family's title will soon be lost."

"It's not that easy to break..."

Ren Jingxing never expected that this Green Sinking Spear had such a great background.

He quickly changed the subject:

"Father, I want to ask you a question."

"Speak."

Why did the Empress fall out of favor?

Ren Hou glanced at Ren Jingxing.

In the past, Ren Hou would never have paid any attention to Ren Jingxing's question.

However, after Wei Xinyan's efforts over ten days, the relationship between Marquis Ren and Ren Jingxing improved considerably.

In Ren Hou's eyes, his son had recently become enlightened. Not only did he have hope in the imperial examinations, but he had also made progress in martial arts.

It seems that the title of Marquis of Xuanwei will not be passed down to his son.

It's time to let my son know some of the secrets of the palace.

Ren Hou nodded, and after a moment's consideration, he spoke:

"The main reason for the discord between His Majesty and the Empress is the salt administration."

"Salt administration?" Ren Jingxing's eyes widened.

What is the relationship between discord within the harem and foreign affairs?

"The imperial court is almost out of money, and His Majesty and the Minister of Revenue want to reinstate the salt and iron monopoly."

However, the Empress's family, the Zhang family, was the largest salt merchant family in the capital.

The Empress's elder brother, Marquis Anren, disagreed with the salt and iron monopoly and joined forces with other forces to obstruct His Majesty.

His Majesty wanted the Empress to persuade Marquis Anren, but Empress Zhang disagreed, leading to a major argument between them, which created a rift between them.

Ren Jingxing never expected that she would be able to obtain information from her father that was completely different from the rumors circulating in the harem.

According to Zhu'er, Empress Zhang's loss of favor was mainly due to her failure to give birth to a prince.

"Isn't this related to Empress Zhang not giving birth to a prince?"

Ren Hou shook his head:

"Yes, but the relationship is very weak."

Empress Zhang remained devoted to His Majesty through thick and thin when His Majesty had no hope of ascending the throne.

When His Majesty was assassinated, it was Empress Zhang who stood in front of him.

Although the Empress has not given birth to a prince, the eldest, second, fourth, and seventh princes have been vying for the throne for many years, while the Empress only began to fall out of favor a year ago.

Furthermore, His Majesty has not yet decided who will be the Crown Prince. With Empress Zhang firmly in control of the harem, His Majesty can rest assured.

Ren Jingxing nodded and began to sort through the information he had about the Empress.

My father said that the Empress fell out of favor because of the salt administration, and they had a big argument about it.

Pearl said that the Empress had a big argument with His Majesty because she had not given birth to a prince.

Moreover, the Empress always cried when she met with His Majesty, which annoyed him.

In summary, the prince's involvement can be ruled out for the time being.

The salt administration issue was probably the trigger for the big argument. As for the crying and wailing, it couldn't possibly be because of the jade pendant, could it?

Ren Jingxing remembered the jade pendant from the Empress's Making Record, which he hadn't taken off yet.

The description above says it was very important to the Queen.

Speaking of salt administration, Ren Jingxing remembered that there was a bitter salt mine in the estate below the Marquis's residence.

Ren Jingxing then inquired about the bitter salt mine from his father.

As a result, Ren Hou suddenly looked at Ren Jingxing with a worried expression.

Will my son relapse into his old ways and refuse to study again?

"It's true that the farmers in the village have bitter salt mines, but they generally don't eat it; they just boil some and sell it."

Bitter salt should not be consumed regularly; it should only be used in emergencies. Consuming too much can cause the lips to turn purple and lead to death.

Mr. Li Zhou should have arrived by now, shouldn't you hurry up and start studying?

Ren Jingxing chuckled and hurriedly ran out the door:

"Father, I have other important matters to attend to today, so I'll stop studying for now. Please let Mr. Li Zhou go home!"

He came up with a way to make money—no, a way to rob money!

Ren Hou watched Ren Jingxing's departing figure with a worried expression.

Why does it feel like my bastard son has turned back into his old self?

Horse riding is not prohibited in the capital of the Great Wei Dynasty, but it is forbidden in the imperial city.

Apart from business people, monks, and outcasts, everyone can ride a horse as long as they don't go to busy areas, speed, or trample on ordinary people.

Ren Jingxing rode his horse to the outside of Marquis Changxin's residence.

Chu Huaiyu, the illegitimate son of Marquis Changxin, was Ren Jingxing's most loyal and wealthiest younger brother.

Ren Jingxing wanted to refine salt from the bitter salt mine, but the Marquis's mansion was out of money. He had to borrow some silver from his underlings as start-up capital.

Ren Jingxing knocked on the door. The doorman peeked out from behind the door and, seeing that it was Ren Jingxing, asked in surprise:

"Young Master Ren? Weren't you preparing for the county examination and staying home all night? What brings you to the Marquis of Changxin's residence?"

Ren Jingxing found that the news of his seclusion and preparation for the imperial examination seemed to have spread throughout the capital.

"I need to speak with Huaiyu today, could you please call him out?"

The doorman glanced at Ren Jingxing with surprise.

The young master of the Marquis family does seem to have become more polite than before...

"In reply to Young Master Ren, Young Master Huaiyu is not at home."

He and several other young men he knew were at Bichun Tower; they didn't return last night.

Upon hearing this, Ren Jingxing couldn't help but mentally complain:

They truly are spoiled brats; these young masters probably spend more time in brothels than at home.

"Thank you, goodbye!"

Ren Jingxing smiled. It was a good thing that it was in a brothel; at least it saved him the trouble of searching for each one individually.

The gatekeeper, watching Ren Jingxing ride off towards the brothel with a smile on his face, couldn't help but shake his head.

"A leopard can't change its spots. After pretending to learn for ten days, the fox's tail still showed."

The gatekeeper closed the door, having completely given up hope that Ren Jingxing could pass the county examination.

However, he remembered that there were several gambling dens nearby that offered betting odds on whether Ren Jingxing could pass the county examination.

Looks like I need to find an opportunity to place a bet.

Ren Jingxing rode his horse all the way to Bichun Tower.

Compared to the night, Bichun Tower appears somewhat desolate during the day.

Only the maid and the pimp were cleaning the room; the entire building was quiet.

Ren Jingxing tied up his horse and went straight into the brothel.

The maid who was cleaning at the front looked up, her face turned pale, and she ran to the back.

"Granny, it's terrible! Young Master Ren, the demolition expert, is here!"