Chapter 964: 【Great Rites】(Part 2)

Numerous people turned toward the sound, only to see Yongyang Princess Qiqi appear at the gate, accompanied by Chancellor Zhou Ruiyuan and Grand Tutor Wen Chenghuan.

Hong Beimo smiled and said, "Hong pays his respects, Princess."

Qiqi coldly said, "Today the Divine Strategy Manor reopens its gates, widely recruiting talents from all over the world for the court's selection. Lord Hong, why have you come to provoke?"

Hong Beimo chuckled, "Princess, you misunderstand. I came merely to congratulate the Divine Strategy Manor on its renewal and auspicious opening, and to present the plaque personally written by the Emperor. I intended to have my subordinates replace it, but Commander Hu misconstrued my goodwill."

Qiqi replied, "Your goodwill is appreciated, Princess, but this plaque was written by my own hand. Are you suggesting my calligraphy is unfit for the hall of elegance?"

Hong Beimo laughed, "Princess, you misunderstand; I only meant well. Since that is the case, let this plaque remain here—my sentiment has been conveyed. Farewell!" He nodded slightly to Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan, then turned and left.

From behind, Qiqi's voice rang out: "Lord Hong, won't you have your hidden-weapon expert demonstrate his skill for us?"

Hong Beimo's steps did not pause; he smiled, "In the Princess's presence, I dare not be presumptuous; another day I will have the honor to show her."

Watching Hong Beimo's retinue recede, Qiqi's pretty face darkened with a frost, Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan exchanged a glance, sharing a look that could be understood but not spoken. Hong Beimo dared to openly provoke here, revealing how arrogant and overbearing he has become. Monsters emerge endlessly in the Dakang dynasty. After removing Ji Feihua, another Hong Beimo appears—clearly the fortunes of Dakang have reached their end. This situation cannot be reversed by one person alone. Although Yongyang Princess is intelligent, she is still young, her influence in court shallow; her present authority rests entirely on the Emperor's support.

As for her fiancé Hu Xiaotian, Zhou Ruiyuan and others do not think highly of him. Because of the Jinling Xu affair, the Emperor's true attitude toward the Hu family remains unknown; do not be fooled by the Hu family's current prosperity—perhaps one day the Emperor, in a foul mood, will settle scores with them.

After Hong Beimo departed, the congratulatory guests also took their leave, most still wary of him. Hu Xiaotian's smile remained as he busied himself seeing them off; beside him, Zhou Mo suddenly said, "Manor Lord, look!"

Hu Xiaotian gazed ahead and saw from the southern direction a mass of black clouds swiftly moving toward the Divine Strategy Manor's location. Yet he soon realized clouds could not move that quickly, and stared intently. He then discovered the so-called black clouds were actually a flock of crows flying in formation, a black mass, tens of thousands of crows arriving above the Divine Strategy Manor in an instant.

In today's era, crows are often seen as omens of ill fortune, opposing the auspiciousness of magpies filling the gate; especially during celebratory openings, if crows alight, they foretell disaster.

Though Hu Xiaotian does not believe in such omens, most people around him do. Seeing the scene of clouds pressing down, his expression grew solemn. He was certain the tens of thousands of crows were not coincidentally here but deliberately manipulated by a Beast Tamer, likely at Hong Beimo's behest.

The clouds of crows shrouded the sky above the Divine Strategy Manor, blocking sun and day, the clouds pressing down. Guests who had come to celebrate, seeing the scene, also changed color and hurriedly took their leave.

Qiqi lifted her gaze to the swirling, entwining black clouds above, her beautiful eyes flashing with icy killing intent. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Listen to me—shoot down every one of these wicked creatures, leave none alive!"

Hu Xiaotian had no time to stop them; Qiqi's guards had already drawn bows and nocked arrows, shooting into the sky. For a moment, arrows flew into the crow formation; dozens of crows struck cried out miserably as they fell. This was like stirring a hornet's nest: the crows still circling in the air, seeing their companions slain, instantly ignited with hatred, swooping down from midair in a frenzy to attack the crowd below.

Even with the congratulatory guests added, the Divine Strategy Manor presently has only over five hundred people, while the crows in the sky number at least ten times that and keep increasing. Moreover, many on site lack martial skill; seeing the sky-darkening assault of crows, they were frightened out of their wits, covering their heads and fleeing only for their lives, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

Everywhere rang the harsh cries of crows, black feathers flying in all directions; inside and outside the Divine Strategy Manor hung a stench of blood mixed with bird droppings, enough to make one nauseous.

Hu Xiaotian escorted Qiqi back to the manor for temporary refuge; Zhou Mo and Zhan Peng led the warriors outside to disperse the crows. In truth these crows possess little lethal power, but this maneuver made the sky dark and earth gloomy, turning the auspicious opening of the Divine Strategy Manor into a great dampener; naturally Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian lost face.

Qiqi returned to the White Tiger Hall, her face ashen from anger, she clenched her silver teeth and slammed the tea table hard, shouting, "Hong Beimo is truly excessive, daring to humiliate me thus!"

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward, reached up, and plucked a crow feather from Qiqi's head. Qiqi glared at him and said, "You aren't angry?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "What's the use of anger now? Old Hong has earned the Emperor's deep trust; even if you submit a memorial to impeach him, the Emperor may not punish him."

Qiqi said, "This matter cannot simply be let go."

Hu Xiaotian said, "A gentleman may wait ten years to take revenge; our Divine Strategy Manor has just been formed, its strength still insufficient to rival the Heavenly Secrets Bureau, and moreover we lack proof that these crows were manipulated by Hong Beimo."

Qiqi nodded, deciding to heed Hu Xiaotian's advice and temporarily suppress her anger.

Night fell; Hu Xiaotian stood side by side with his father on the Bohuan Lou balcony. Hu Buwei had also heard of the day's events at the Divine Strategy Manor and sighed softly, "The Yongyang Princess appointed you as Manor Lord of the Divine Strategy Manor, effectively pushing you into open opposition with Hong Beimo."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "She is deep‑minded; from beginning to end she has been calculating and using me. This marriage alliance should also be her and the Emperor's scheme."

Hu Buwei worried, "The journey to Xichuan is fraught with danger; I fear the Emperor may act against you."

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes, gazing at the scattered stars. Having experienced this series of events, he has completely changed his original purpose for coming into this world. In this chaotic age, wishing for a carefree, peaceful life is merely a fool's dream. If he simply goes with the flow, he will inevitably be controlled by others; only by rising in revolt can he truly grasp his own destiny. Hu Xiaotian said, "I cannot fathom the Emperor's true intentions—does he really intend to support Qiqi?"

Hu Buwei said, "From his various actions, it seems he wishes to pass the throne to the Yongyang Princess, making her the first female emperor of Dakang."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Perhaps it is merely a smokescreen to conceal his aims; never underestimate his scheming—even someone as brilliant as Ji Feihua has fallen into his hands."

Hu Buwei's eyes flashed: "You worry that the Yongyang Princess herself might be just one of his pawns."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If he truly wished to wholeheartedly support Qiqi, Hong Beimo would not dare act so arrogantly; I really cannot fathom why Hong Beimo is so loyal to him."

Hu Buwei shook his head, "Hong Beimo's origins are mysterious; few know his background."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I once thought the Emperor wanted to bind our Hu family through marriage, thereby pulling the Jinling Xu clan onto the same boat, but he immediately sent me to Xichuan, proving that this son‑in‑law title is merely preparation for this mission."

Hu Buwei said, "If it were merely a diplomatic mission, there would be no need to expend such effort; surely the Emperor has another plan?" He frowned, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and said, "Not good!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; his father should have guessed the Emperor's true purpose.

Hu Buwei said, "Could he intend to use this Xichuan expedition to eliminate you?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Very likely. At present, the only way for Dakang to quickly emerge from its predicament is to recover Xichuan!"

Hu Buwei said, "Indeed, only by recovering Xichuan can we use its grain reserves to ease Dakang's famine. Yet Li Tianheng harbors great ambition; he will not readily surrender Xichuan."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Father, if you were the Emperor, what would you do?"

Hu Buwei stroked his beard, gazed at the moon, pondered long, then said, "Although Xichuan is under Li Tianheng's control, he once raised troops in the name of loyalist righteousness and can claim legitimacy; now the Emperor has reclaimed the throne, yet Li Tianheng has not declared his stance, clearly refusing to rejoin Dakang's territory and submit to the Emperor. This will surely cause doubt among many of Xichuan's officers. If Li Tianheng were to die, recovering Xichuan might still be possible."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, "Exactly. Killing Li Tianheng would amount to half the success; the Xichuan populace still regards themselves as Dakang's subjects; if Li Tianheng is executed, the people would naturally return to Dakang. The Emperor would surely wish to dispatch Li Tianheng swiftly, so why send me to deliver the edict ennobling him as king? With his wisdom, he surely realizes that enfeoffing Li Tianheng as king would give him a legitimate pretext; the Emperor would certainly not be so foolish."

Hu Buwei said, "Li Tianheng also longs for the Emperor's death; should the Emperor die, his Princedom of Zhou could exert great influence."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If the Prince Consort were slain by Li Tianheng, then Li Tianheng would truly bear the guilt of rebellion."

Hu Buwei clenched his fists and struck the railing hard, "The old scoundrel truly harbors vicious designs, actually devising such a two‑birds‑one‑stone plot." Thinking of his son being set up by the Emperor thus, Hu Buwei's anger surged, and he no longer felt any respect for him.

Hu Xiaotian said, "All along the Emperor has been laying smoke screens; mere grain shipments cannot solve Dakang's fundamental problems; only by recovering Xichuan can Dakang turn peril into safety."

First update delivered, please vote for monthly tickets! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome)

!!