Chapter 302: Which prince do they want to pull off the horse? (6k)

Facing Cao Zhengyang's inquiry, Zhong Yao immediately introduced them.

"This is Concubine Ying, the biological mother of the Fifth Prince. The few behind are seniors of the Liu family in the Imperial Capital, Concubine Ying's maternal family."

Hearing this, Cao Zhengyang understood instantly.

It was heard earlier that the Great Internal Supervisor Gao Xianzhong, dissatisfied with the governor and mansion master's poor handling of affairs, had already returned to the Imperial Capital.

Not only did he clear himself completely, but he also added fuel to the fire, causing the Emperor to be furious and impose punishment.

No matter the reason, a dignified prince could not die unclearly, without even knowing who the murderer was.

It seems that this time, Concubine Ying had come in person with the anger of her maternal family and the power bestowed by the Emperor to ask for an explanation.

Cao Zhengyang heard this, immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Taiqing Sect Sect Master Cao Zhengyang, greets Concubine Ying, greets everyone!"

Concubine Ying scanned him lightly and nodded slightly, counting as a return salute.

"Sect Master Cao," Concubine Ying opened her mouth, her voice cold as frost, "Everyone is a smart person, so this Palace won't beat around the bush."

"Coming here this time, for nothing else, just to seek justice for my son."

Cao Zhengyang nodded, indicating he understood.

For the concubines in the imperial harem, being able to give birth to a prince meant having the possibility of competing for the throne.

This Concubine Ying before him, who knows how much effort she had spent and how many resources she had used to cultivate the Fifth Prince to this day.

But the result was that he died in a foreign land without even leaving a complete corpse.

Subsequently, Concubine Ying signaled to someone behind her.

Immediately, an old man stepped forward at the right time and took out a jade slip to hand over.

"This is the appearance and clothing of the Fifth Prince before he was murdered, as well as the appearance of several guardians!"

The old man's tone carried an undeniable meaning.

Looking at the jade slip being handed over, Cao Zhengyang didn't reach out to take it.

In any cultivation country, the sect and the imperial dynasty have equal status, not who is subordinate to whom.

You come to me for help, but it also depends on whether I am willing to take over.

Moreover, this matter involves a wide range; being able to ignore several Divine Transformation Great Perfection experts and kill the Fifth Prince and others without leaving a trace afterward.

It is enough to see how strong the person who made the move is; it might even be other princes and the forces behind them who did it.

The Taiqing Sect is facing a lot of things right now, and he really has no time, nor does he want to accept this matter.

Looking at Cao Zhengyang's appearance, Concubine Ying's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

Subsequently, she said: "Sect Master Cao,"

"When coming to your sect, this Palace had already roughly understood the general situation in the Eastern Region."

"The Taiqing Sect's connections in the Eastern Region are wide and its ears and eyes are sharp, far exceeding the Cangyan Dao Palace."

"As long as Sect Master Cao is willing to help, for any clue, this Palace is willing to pay a thousand supreme-grade spirit stones as a reward."

Cao Zhengyang felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this.

A thousand supreme-grade spirit stones! This handwriting is truly astonishing.

The foundation of the nobles in the Imperial Capital is indeed not something their small sects in the Eastern Region can compare to.

But he was afraid that this money would be earned but not lived to spend.

His gaze swept over the haggard faces of Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji, and after a brief thought, he still shook his head.

Once this matter is accepted, the Taiqing Sect will be tied to the imperial dynasty's war chariot, and in a certain sense, will be the same as the identities of these two people.

If the peak masters and others are dispersed and sent out, and one of them is caught and bitten by that poison king Lei Wuji, it will truly be a loss that outweighs the gain.

What's even more terrifying is that with the imperial dynasty's consistent style, if you take the money but can't find the result, you might be bitten back.

It's better to offend from the beginning to avoid subsequent trouble.

After thinking it through, Cao Zhengyang bowed and said: "Concubine Ying, regarding the Fifth Prince's matter, this Palace truly expresses deep sympathy."

"But the Taiqing Sect is currently in a troubled time, and we are truly unable to spare the effort, and besides..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji: "Even the governor and mansion master are helpless, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to have any achievements."

Concubine Ying heard this, and cold light flashed in her eyes instantly.

The gray-robed old man who was still handing forward the jade slip snorted coldly: "Is Sect Master Cao trying to shirk?"

"You could say that," Cao Zhengyang nodded frankly, "Sorry!"

Seeing the atmosphere instantly become tense, and Cao Zhengyang's firm attitude, Governor Zhong Yao hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Brother Cao, the Concubine is also loving her son. How about this, the Taiqing Sect only needs to help pay attention to relevant clues, no need to specifically send people to investigate."

Mansion Master Lord Xiao Ji also helped: "Yes, just treat it as helping us a favor."

Cao Zhengyang saw that his attitude had been achieved, only then sighed: "Fine, this Palace will accept this jade slip and will instruct the disciples to pay more attention, but..."

He looked directly at Concubine Ying: "The Taiqing Sect has its own rules for doing things, I hope the Concubine understands."

Concubine Ying looked at him deeply and suddenly smiled lightly: "Sect Master Cao is indeed quick-spoken. Good, this Palace will wait for the good news."

After speaking, she turned around and stepped onto the flying boat again.

As for the five gray-robed old men, they looked at Cao Zhengyang with displeasure and followed up.

Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji looked at each other and smiled bitterly, bowed to Cao Zhengyang, and said: "Thank you Brother Cao for your understanding, we still have to go to the Cangyan Dao Palace, so we won't disturb you more."

Subsequently, the flying boat rose into the air, soon turning into a point of flowing light on the horizon.

Looking at the departing flying boat, Cao Zhengyang lowered his head and looked at the jade slip in his hand, couldn't help but hum.

"Since you choose to visit a local snake like me for help, you should know how to lower your posture, instead of coming to bestow charity with the royal shelf."

Elder Wu Zhu stepped forward and said in a low voice: "Sect Master, this jade slip..."

"Keep it first." Cao Zhengyang tossed the jade slip to Wu Zhu casually, a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

"This matter is left to you, just deal with it perfunctorily!"

Wu Zhu was stunned, leaving it to me, a gatekeeper?

This is indeed a bit too perfunctory.

……

The flying boat pierced through clouds and mist, and Concubine Ying sat by the window.

Her slender fingertips picked out a crystal-clear green Gu insect from her wide sleeves, and the spiritual light flowing in its body was faintly visible.

"Looking at the color of the Truth Gu," Liu family Great Elder Liu Xuanfeng stared at the Gu insect and said in a deep voice, "This Cao Zhengyang actually didn't lie; he really doesn't know about Fengtai's matter."

The flying boat was silent for a while.

The Fifth Prince Xuan Yuan Fengtai fell in the Eastern Region; besides other princes making moves in secret, the only ones with the strength to kill him were the Five Major Sects.

Now that the Tianji Sect has been exterminated and the Taiqing Sect has been cleared of suspicion, only the Jin Leizong, the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, and the Cangyan Dao Palace remain.

"Although he doesn't know," Third Elder Liu Mingde snorted coldly, "but his attitude of shirking is still annoying!"

Concubine Ying didn't say a word, just stroked the Gu insect lightly.

"Ying'er," Second Elder Liu Youtai sighed, his white eyebrows trembling slightly.

"Forgive the Second Uncle for speaking bluntly, Fengtai's matter has passed for so long, wanting to find the real murderer is afraid..."

Before he finished speaking, two lines of clear tears suddenly rolled down Concubine Ying's eyes.

She looked at the five maternal family members, her red lips trembling: "Is... is there really no hope at all?"

Liu Youtai looked embarrassed: "When Fengtai was murdered, the spiritual sense imprint left on him by the Emperor was wiped clean. Supervisor Gao came to investigate personally, and Governor Zhong also took us to the scene, but..."

"My poor Fengtai!" Concubine Ying suddenly burst into tears, "He was still so young, without even leaving a descendant..."

The five members of the Liu family sighed in unison.

Great Elder Liu Xuanfeng glanced at Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji outside the cabin without a trace, waved his sleeve to set up a soundproofing restriction, and his voice was extremely low.

"The current Emperor is ambitious and wants to control all the sects of the Sacred Martial Dynasty. That's why he hinted at several princes to show both kindness and prestige in various places."

"First provoke civil war among the sects, and when they are both defeated, appear as a savior."

"While secretly supporting, gradually encroaching and controlling."

Second Elder Liu Youtai stroked his white beard, a flash of brilliance in his turbid eyes: "Yes, this big game of chess has only been played for a few years, and the effect is extremely significant; the sects in various prefectures have been infiltrated by more than twenty percent without knowing it."

"It's a pity..." Fourth Elder Liu Hansong suddenly sighed, "Fengtai chose the wrong place, otherwise he wouldn't have ended up without a corpse."

Concubine Ying stopped crying upon hearing this and said: "He just wanted to earn more merits before the establishment of the crown prince; what did he do wrong?"

Liu Xuanfeng nodded repeatedly, signaling her not to be anxious.

Then he looked at everyone and said: "The problem lies here! The Emperor hasn't established a crown prince to this day, just to see which prince has higher means."

"Whoever can make the sects obedient and control more will have the opportunity to sit in that position in the future."

Several people said this, and a hint of pity flashed in their eyes.

If Xuan Yuan Fengtai could win in this game, their Liu family would definitely leap to become a top aristocratic family in the imperial dynasty.

Second Elder Liu Youtai shook his head and sighed: "In the eight counties and seventy-two mansions of the Sacred Martial Dynasty, other princes first pick soft persimmons to pinch, but he..."

"He has the most courage!" Concubine Ying suddenly stood up, the pearl hairpin in her hair shaking violently, "What's the use of you saying these things now?"

Everyone was silent for a while.

Great Elder Liu Xuanfeng coughed lightly, breaking the silence: "Forget it, let's talk about business."

His turbid eyes flashed with ruthlessness, "Since we can't find the real murderer, then we... will manufacture one."

"What does the Big Brother mean?" The others looked over one after another.

Liu Xuanfeng sneered: "Naturally, choose the one who has the greatest hostility toward our Liu family."

His withered fingers dipped in tea and wrote a "Seven" character on the table, "This way the motivation will be sufficient."

"Anyway, at the very least, we can't let him become the crown prince; otherwise, if the Seventh Prince gains power, the first one to settle accounts will be our Liu family."

Everyone nodded, and a figure appeared in their minds almost simultaneously. 【302-

"However, this matter must be discussed at length; at the very least, we must guide these major sects of the Eastern Region to meet that fellow."

"Only then can the previous grudges become... a perfect motive!" the Grand Elder said.

The eyes of the few people lit up instantly.

Just like that, two days later, the speed of the traveling flying boat slowed down significantly, and immediately after, Governor Lord Xiao Ji walked in.

"Reporting to Imperial Consort Ying, Cangyan Dao Palace has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Imperial Consort Ying slowly placed the True Word Gu into her sleeve and then stood up.

"Let's go!"

Inside Taiqingmen, the morning mist had not yet dispersed.

Mo Xingjian arrived at Zhou Qing's courtyard and suddenly stopped.

Under the large tree outside the courtyard, Lu Yaoyao sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, her body surrounded by faint starlight.

What was even more surprising was that a layer of hazy realm-of-understanding fluctuations faintly emerged beside her.

"It is actually the embryonic form of a realm of understanding..." Mo Xingjian's pupils constricted slightly, his face full of surprise.

"As expected of someone who refined the sixteenth-ranked Heavenly Dao Qi Star Spirit; in the entire Taiqingmen, besides the fourth, she is the only one in the late Soul Formation realm who has already comprehended a realm of understanding."

Mo Xingjian sighed with emotion.

He remembered Li Daoxuan, Du Kui, Ghost Mastiff, and Luo Lingling; they all only began to slowly comprehend it after reaching perfection for many years.

This included Lei Lie, Zhu He, Li Hanshan, and others from other sects, who were all the same.

"Brother Cao envies me so much, not knowing that he himself has also picked up a treasure; it truly is 'darkness under the lamp'!" Mo Xingjian shook his head and chuckled.

Looking at the still-closed quiet room, Mo Xingjian could not help but feel some heartache for Zhou Qing.

"A three-colored barrier..." he muttered to himself, knowing that Zhou Qing must be experiencing unimaginable hardship at this moment.

Without disturbing him too much, Mo Xingjian turned and left.

But just as he walked out of the courtyard, the identity token in his storage bag lit up.

When he rushed to Shenyue Peak, he discovered that the six junior brothers and sisters stationed at the Tianji Sect had all returned.

"Is there something going on?" Mo Xingjian asked in confusion.

At this time, Cao Zhengyang also hurried over. After looking around at all the Peak Masters, he said with a solemn expression: "Everyone, the Supreme Elder has ordered that we use the strength of all to completely seal the entrance to the forbidden area."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the dozen or so Peak Masters changed abruptly.

There were quite a few treasures in the Taiqingmen grotto-heaven, and successive Sect Masters had brought out precious items from it.

Now that the sect's strength had greatly increased, they had originally planned to wait until they finished their current tasks to enter and explore together with over twenty Divine Transformation Great Perfection cultivators.

Why seal it suddenly?

Gao Xuan was the first to react.

Since coming out of seclusion, Cao Zhengyang had already informed him of some secrets.

"Is it because those two Soul Severance seniors are coming?" he asked.

Cao Zhengyang nodded slightly.

The crowd suddenly realized.

It seemed that the eight uncles had discussed it and decided not to share Taiqingmen's biggest secret with outsiders.

"But even if we seal it, doesn't that fellow Er Dadie have other entrances?" Tong Min of Yuqing Peak raised a question.

Cao Zhengyang smiled bitterly: "That is precisely why it counts as leaving a way out. And yet, we don't even know about this way out."

He looked at the crowd, his tone sincere: "Junior brothers and sisters, don't be too conflicted. Currently, we are not familiar with those two seniors; we don't even know what they look like. They are only coming because of Zhou Qing."

The crowd nodded in agreement and then set off for the back mountain.

Elder Duanmu Shu and the others had been waiting for a long time.

After briefly explaining the plan, everyone immediately began the sealing work...

Thus, another three days passed.

The crowd walked out of the back mountain with weary expressions, and before they could rest, the elder in charge of guarding the teleportation array hurried over to report.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou of the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong has come to visit."

Cao Zhengyang pondered for a moment and nodded, signaling for them to let her through.

Before long, the teleportation array flashed with light, and Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou, dressed in green, stepped out gracefully, her brows carrying a hint of solemnity.

"The birth mother of the Fifth Prince, Imperial Consort Ying, has recently been traveling between major sects with her entourage, seeking help everywhere."

Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou got straight to the point, "Cangyan Dao Palace refused to meet her because Sikong Yan is in seclusion, and the Jin Leizong had Lei Lie come forward to receive her."

As she spoke, she took out a jade slip and handed it over: "This is the relevant portrait they requested our sect to help find."

Mo Xingjian took the jade slip and found it was identical to the one Imperial Consort Ying had given before, so he couldn't help but shake his head: "They are certainly casting a wide net."

"Just deal with it casually," Cao Zhengyang said indifferently.

As a Sect Master, Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou naturally understood the twists and turns of the royal family.

She hesitated slightly but still reminded him: "Brother Cao, Taiqingmen still needs to be more careful about this matter."

"Oh?" Cao Zhengyang raised an eyebrow.

"Besides looking for clues," Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou lowered her voice.

"She also specifically showed the portrait of another prince, seemingly intending to guide me to believe that the Fifth Prince's death is related to him."

A sharp light flashed in Cao Zhengyang's eyes, and he immediately understood: "It seems... this is a scheme of the royal family's internal strife to divert the disaster."

He sneered, "Wanting to use the hands of our Eastern Region sects to eliminate political enemies?"

Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou nodded slightly: "Exactly. That Imperial Consort Ying looks sorrowful, but she is calculating everywhere. I am worried..."

"Worried that she will stir up trouble in the Eastern Region?" Mo Xingjian took over the conversation, tapping the jade slip with his fingertips, "If so, we should stay out of it even more."

Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou nodded and said: "But in this matter, I'm afraid Taiqingmen cannot stay out of it."

After hearing this, Cao Zhengyang looked puzzled, but he quickly reacted and said: "Which prince's portrait did she show?"

"The Seventh Prince—Xuan Yuan Yichen!" Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou said word by word.

After hearing this, Cao Zhengyang's expression changed instantly.

Xuan Yuan Yichen was acquainted with the Chief of Xiaoling Peak, Ghost Mastiff, and had previously come to challenge and spar.

Later, he even brought some things to request Zhou Qing's appraisal, and they had interacted many times.

Especially at the Bai Yu Taixu Courtyard and the border, Zhou Qing had interacted with him more than once or twice.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhengyang's expression became increasingly gloomy.

If Imperial Consort Ying truly wanted to frame the Seventh Prince, wouldn't these interactions of Taiqingmen become ironclad evidence of being "accomplices"?

As long as the seed of suspicion is planted, the crime is confirmed!

Seeing Cao Zhengyang's changing expression, Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou naturally understood the stakes.

After all, when she was verifying whether Zhou Qing had the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, she had turned the records of the Bai Yu Taixu Courtyard and the border upside down.

"Alright then, I'll be leaving first. Still the same words: the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong vows to advance and retreat with Taiqingmen!"

Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou bowed solemnly.

Cao Zhengyang barely suppressed the worry in his heart and returned the bow: "Many thanks to Sect Master Immortal Immortal Xuanyou for the reminder."

After the light of the teleportation array faded, Cao Zhengyang hurriedly called everyone to discuss countermeasures.

But he didn't expect that that very night, a figure wrapped in a black robe would appear outside Taiqingmen.

After Elder Wu Zhu came out, before he could even ask, the other party suddenly shot a jade slip through the air.

Elder Wu Zhu caught it subconsciously, and when he looked up again, the black shadow had already dissipated into the heavy night.

The situation was urgent, and Elder Wu Zhu did not dare to delay, quickly taking the jade slip to find Cao Zhengyang.

After reading it, Cao Zhengyang immediately summoned the Peak Masters and Supreme Elders still in the sect.

"What is recorded in the jade slip is similar to what Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou warned about, but it is more detailed, even recording Imperial Consort Ying's movements and deployments. Everyone, please pass it around and read it carefully!"

Cao Zhengyang said in a deep voice.

Everyone read it in turn, their expressions solemn.

They had originally planned to keep out of it, but they didn't expect that this fire would eventually burn Taiqingmen.

"Is this messenger Governor Zhong Yao or Governor Lord Xiao Ji?" Mo Xingjian said thoughtfully.

Cao Zhengyang nodded and said: "Although there is no signature, I think it should be them. Besides them, I really can't think of anyone else who would risk warning us."

The Peak Master of Baizhan Peak, Ling Yuexiao, frowned: "But as imperial officials, aren't they afraid of being accused of colluding with sects and leaking secrets by acting like this?"

Cao Zhengyang pondered: "My friendship with Governor Xiao is not enough to make him take such a risk."

"Or perhaps, this Governor has the same relationship with all the Sect Masters of the sects under Lingyun Prefecture."

"As for Governor Zhong, who oversees the nine prefectures..." Cao Zhengyang shook his head and smiled bitterly, "We have only met two or three times at most, so there is no friendship to speak of."

A sharp light flashed in Mo Xingjian's eyes: "Is it because of Zhou Qing?"

Cao Zhengyang nodded slightly: "It should be. Don't forget, Governor Xiao's beloved daughter, Xiao Cancan, calls Zhou Qing 'Big Brother' repeatedly."

"And his prospective son-in-law, Zhang Wanbao, also has a deep friendship with Zhou Qing."

"As for Governor Zhong Yao, it must be the connection formed that time at the Bai Yu Taixu Courtyard when he personally came to pick up Zhou Qing and Master Lin Daochen to go to the border to repair the four-colored barrier."

After hearing this, although everyone was still worried, a sense of relief welled up in their hearts.

They didn't expect that Zhou Qing had unknowingly woven such a deep network of connections.

"Regardless of the reason, their actions are releasing goodwill towards Zhou Qing and towards our Taiqingmen!" Cao Zhengyang said in a deep voice.

Everyone nodded one after another, understanding in their hearts.

This sudden warning clearly indicated that Imperial Consort Ying and the others would soon make a big deal out of the friendship between Taiqingmen and the Seventh Prince.

If they reacted too strongly to this matter, they would instead fall into a disadvantageous position.

Moreover, during the Five Sects War, the Seventh Prince had even risked sending three paintings to warn them.

Cao Zhengyang looked around at everyone, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "Everyone, we need to prepare early!"

All the Peak Masters immediately stood up and responded in unison: "We will strictly follow the Sect Master's orders!"

Sure enough, half a month later, that gilded flying boat broke through the clouds again and hovered above Taiqingmen.

It was still Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji who descended from the clouds first.

The Taiqingmen mountain-protecting array glowed with two colors, and Elder Wu Zhu walked out with a cold expression, bowing to the two of them perfunctorily.

"Our Taiqingmen has already sent disciples to search everywhere for eyewitnesses," Elder Wu Zhu raised his eyes to glance at the hovering flying boat, his tone indifferent.

"And it's only been a few days; aren't you all being a bit too anxious?"

Elder Wu Zhu stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying obvious sarcasm.

Zhong Yao and Lord Xiao Ji exchanged a meaningful look.

Then they stepped forward and bowed: "Coming here this time, we actually want to verify something with Sect Master Cao."

"Oh, I'm sorry, our Sect Master has been in seclusion since last month, and I'm afraid he won't be able to meet you all for a while."

Wu Zhu patted his forehead, his tone frivolous.

As soon as he finished speaking, Imperial Consort Ying floated down from the flying boat with five Liu family elders.

Her delicate face carried obvious anger: "In seclusion? First, Sikong Yan of Cangyan Dao Palace is in seclusion, and now your Taiqingmen follows suit. Is this intentionally targeting this palace?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Wu Zhu just glanced at her lightly, his eyes as if looking at a clown.

He slowly dusted off the non-existent dust on his sleeves, a mocking arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "So what?"

(End of chapter)