Chapter 502

Linghu Manor, rear courtyard.

In the spacious hall surrounded by thousand-year-old Wu Tong trees, on the silver-white side table, neatly arranged lay a row of emerald-green jewelry.

Clear, translucent, vivid green top-grade jadeite bracelets, rings, and a full set of necklaces, etc., amounting to over a hundred pieces in total.

Moreover, each piece of jewelry contains a micro-engraved defensive grand formation carved by a top-tier artifact craftsman; together, over a hundred pieces form a solid defensive grand formation whose power rivals that of a prefectural city's city-defense grand formation.

Linghu Qingqing stood beside the long table, smiling as she gazed at this meticulously crafted set of jewelry.

This is the jewelry he prepared to give to 'Silver Fish'.

Although he hasn't yet decided to bring her back to the Linghu family, as the woman Linghu Qingqing has taken a liking to, she deserves the proper treatment.

The defensive power of this set of jewelry is comparable to that of a prefectural city; imagine a city-defense grand formation of a prefecture spanning a thousand li compressed onto a single person—one can imagine how outstanding this defensive power is.

The woman of Linghu Qingqing deserves such protection.

He looked up at the sky; it was still early, not yet noon, with plenty of time until nightfall. As a distinguished Left Minister of the Great Jin, he naturally couldn't go frolicking in such places of singing and dancing in broad daylight—it would be utterly disgraceful for a Left Minister.

Once night falls, he will surely head straight to the Solitary Moon Residence.

Thinking of Silver Fish's charming, pure face, Linghu Qingqing felt a warm flutter in his heart, just like when he was over ten years old and first saw his childhood sweetheart.

It has been many, many, many years since he last felt such emotion.

Linghu Ayi entered trembling, bowing slightly to Linghu Qingqing: 'Master.'

Linghu Qingqing raised his head and asked, 'What is it?'

Linghu Ayi gave a wry smile, and a jade tablet flew into his palm before Linghu Qingqing: 'Just now we received news from Yuzhou... Princess Jing Sheng's group of male favorites have caused quite a stir in Yuzhou, but alas, they were a rabble that collapsed at the first blow.'

Linghu Qingqing raised his eyebrows, took the jade tablet, and quickly read the urgent information inside.

Yuzhou is extremely close to Anyang City; even without using a spatial gate, a master of the Embryonic Treasury Realm can make a round trip within an hour. Yuzhou is exceedingly prosperous, so the Linghu family has vast interests there, and thus they have placed countless spies and informants in Yuzhou.

Hundreds of powerful clans in Yuzhou joined forces, forming a united fleet to besiege Yuzhou City; the top clans inside the city deployed their private armies, launching surprise attacks on various government offices, aiming to exterminate the subordinates of Yuzhou's Duke Hu Xiong.

This matter blew up out of proportion, and the Linghu family's secret agents immediately sent the news back.

"What does the family head mean?" Linghu Qingqing raised his eyebrows.

"I heard the family head intends to join forces with Princess Jing Sheng to give the Duke of Yuzhou a hard time." Although Linghu Ayi is merely a servant, he has served Linghu Qingqing his whole life, and his authority within the Linghu family absolutely surpasses that of the current family head.

"Nonsense... let them, don't interfere." Linghu Qingqing snorted coldly: "The Duke of Yuzhou is a duke appointed by His Majesty; we must give him this respect for the Emperor's sake. Moreover, Princess Jing Sheng is His Majesty's 'niece'; heh, these internal royal machinations—let them have at it."

"With the great war underway, the pressure from Great Wu is immense; as for the civil officials, whatever happens there is none of our business, but as a military family of the Great Jin, we must hold our line and not act rashly." Linghu Qingqing said coldly: "Tell the family head, is a mere interest in Yuzhou worth the Linghu family going to war over?"

"Tell him, as the head of the Linghu family, he needs to have greater ambition, even greater; unless it's the combined interests of more than ten Yuzhous, it's not worth the Linghu family taking action." Linghu Qingqing flicked his sleeve, Linghu Ayi gave a slight bow, smiled, and walked out of the hall.

"Princess Jing Sheng... hum." Linghu Qingqing gave a cold smile: "How utterly baffling."

In the Nine Bend Creek Hall, Princess Jing Sheng, dressed in a red gown, lay comfortably on a soft couch, leaning sideways with her left hand supporting her head, smiling as she watched a group of koi gather at the edge of the platform.

Several palace maids holding carefully prepared fish food sprinkled it bit by bit into the water; the fish leapt up to snatch it, making for a lively scene.

Princess Jing Sheng laughed radiantly; these plump-headed, big-eared koi are just like her courtiers—give them a little sweetener, and they will abandon all dignity and decorum, wholeheartedly submitting to her command.

Interesting, too interesting.

Led by Ma Xiangru, there are the Censorate Hall, the Ritual Hall, the Justice Hall, the Works Hall, the Agriculture Hall, the Transport Hall... all are the young talents of the Great Jin court, wielding tremendous power. If a dozen or so such influential ministers joined forces, could they stir up a huge storm in Yuzhou?

Looking at the incense timer beside him, already burned more than halfway, over an hour has passed in this world—has Yuzhou already become a desolate wasteland?

The feeling of sitting in command of Anyang City, with just a light word, being able to utterly shake an entire great prefecture...

"Power... no wonder those despicable men go crazy chasing power." Princess Jing Sheng sighed softly: "But I, I don't need power; I only need to control these men, and then their power becomes entirely mine!"

He reached out, and a clever little eunuch handed him a cup of tea at just the right temperature—neither too hot nor too cold.

Princess Jing Sheng took a sip of the fragrant tea and smiled contentedly.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded; Ma Xiangru and the dozen or so officials who had been listening to Princess Jing Sheng's lecture here just over an hour ago rushed in, their faces ashen.

"Your Highness." Ma Xiangru dashed ahead and arrived before Princess Jing Sheng, his body trembling slightly.

"Huh?" Princess Jing Sheng set down her teacup, sat up straight, and asked: "What's wrong? What matter has you all so panicked?"

Ma Xiangru took a deep breath, stared at Princess Jing Sheng with a stammer, and said in a low voice: "An hour and fifteen minutes ago, we issued orders; after our communication, the four hundred twenty-five households of Yuzhou's great clans that we had linked together mobilized their private war fleets and launched an attack on Yuzhou City."

"How good..." Princess Jing Sheng smiled faintly: "Duke Hu Xiong of Yuzhou isn't in Yuzhou; his subordinates have probably all been slaughtered. This affair has blown up a bit, but I will go before His Majesty to explain things for them... Upon taking office, the Duke of Yuzhou imposed harsh taxes and extortions, driving the people of Yuzhou to revolt—this is the Duke's fault."

Ma Xiangru stared fixedly at Princess Jing Sheng: "The four hundred twenty-five great clans joined forces, with one hundred seven thousand private warships surrounding... yet in just half an hour, the entire army was annihilated—of the private troops of those four hundred twenty-five clans, only tens of thousands were slain on the spot; the rest all surrendered."

Princess Jing Sheng's rosy cheeks suddenly turned deathly pale.

Her lips, painted with bright rouge, became as dry and desiccated as sun‑dried fish, losing their usual moist sheen.

She stared blankly at Ma Xiangru and cried hoarsely: "How could this be? One hundred seven thousand warships... are they all dead?"

Princess Jing Sheng is no stranger to grand scenes.

When she was young, she once accompanied Sima Xian in reviewing the Imperial City Military Command's direct subordinate, the Imperial Guard.

Although the Imperial Guard at that time already showed signs of decline, its numbers remained vast; the Eastern, Southern, Northern, and Western Gardens' Imperial Guards were all fully staffed, the Twelve Guards of the Imperial City Military Command were complete, and among the inspection offices under the Imperial City Military Command, those inspectors whose authority was nearly unlimited—able to execute and then report on officials below the third rank—were all present.

When the mighty fleet of the Imperial Guard flew overhead, covering the sky, that awe‑inspiring scene left an indelible imprint on Princess Jing Sheng's heart.

On that occasion, the fleet inspected by Sima Xian numbered only thirty‑plus thousand.

This time, the great clans of Yuzhou gathered together one hundred seven thousand warships.

One hundred seven thousand warships, not one hundred seven thousand fat pigs.

Even if they were one hundred seven thousand fat pigs... damn it, trying to round up one hundred seven thousand fat pigs running wild all over the ground would take several hours.

"You, where did you find these wastes?" Princess Jing Sheng gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Ma Xiangru and the others.

Ma Xiangru and the others lowered their heads, silent.

They are civil officials, not generals; although they also possess cultivation and spiritual power, they have basically never engaged in combat. They know nothing about military affairs, and likewise cannot comprehend how a force of over a hundred thousand warships could collapse completely in just half an hour.

"Your Highness, those four hundred twenty-five great clans basically constitute all of our strength in Yuzhou." Ma Xiangru gave a dry, bitter smile: "Now, the Duke of Yuzhou's underlings have closed every spatial gate leading in and out of Yuzhou, activated the city‑defense grand formations of all Yuzhou's cities, blocked all major routes, and are mass‑arresting our people."

"Their farmlands, ranches, mines, shops, estates..." Ma Xiangru looked at Princess Jing Sheng with heart‑wrenching anguish: "They are... ours... Your Highness's... wealth!"

Princess Jing Sheng pursed her lips, gritted her teeth, and then let out a cold laugh.

"What are you panicking about? What are you rushing about? Ma Xiangru, you aren't the Vice Hall Master of the Censorate Hall, are you? You won't file a complaint, will you?" Princess Jingcheng stared fixedly at Ma Xiangru: "Last time you accused him of losing his rights and territory, but you failed to ruin him; this time you find a new charge to accuse him with, won't you?"

And you, you, you—your friends at court, your teachers, your fellow townsmen, your close confidants… and those who have taken favors from you in past years… mobilize every bit of influence you can muster and sue him!

Princess Jing Sheng gritted her teeth and said: "A brand‑new first‑rank duke with no foundation at all—can't you even deal with him?"

"If we can't kill him, then destroy him." Princess Jing Sheng burst into hysterical screaming: "In short, Yuzhou is this duke's source of wealth; whoever dares to move this duke's wealth, this palace will fight to the death!"

Yuzhou is really too close to Anyang City. Wu Tie was in the East Garden; he had just driven out the last of the East Garden Forbidden Army troops from the garden, and hadn't yet had a chance to clear out the eunuchs and palace maids inside the East Garden when Sima You's secret letter arrived.

The Demon‑Banning Hall's intelligence is not slower than that of the Military Bureau Secretariat Hall—or Linghu Qingqing's secret agents'.

Moreover, the Demon‑Banning Hall is used more for monitoring the Great Jin's interior; it grasps Yuzhou's news more comprehensively and meticulously, and its efficiency in transmitting intelligence is much higher.

The 425 aristocratic households of Yuzhou joined forces, boldly dispatching over 100,000 warships to besiege Yuzhou City.

The 425 aristocratic households—what are their surnames and names, who heads each house, what background and patrons they have at court, what connections, what each household's annual income is, what proportion of that income goes to which court minister, and what marital ties exist among them… and so on.

The Demon‑Banning Hall's intelligence is terrifying; in just a short moment they pulled out the underwear of those 425 aristocratic households… even revealing how many Womb Storage Realm experts each household openly has, and whether they hide any deathless trump cards at home.

Basically, all of that was compiled into a book and sent to Wu Tie as quickly as possible.

Wu Tie quickly finished reading the intelligence sent by the Demon‑Banning Hall.

He weighed the jade tablet in his hand and gave a heh‑heh laugh.

"Princess Jing Sheng? Wife of Zhao Xiu, mother of Zhao Yin? Tsk, Zhao Yin might die at my hands, yet she hasn't shown anger… perhaps I cut off her source of wealth, and that's why she suddenly erupted?" Wu Tie nodded thoughtfully: "Someone like that could never coexist peacefully with me."

"Especially, Yuzhou is my Yuzhou, my Yuzhou—no outsiders may interfere. Whether it's Princess Jing Sheng, the Linghu clan, the Gongyang clan, or any other great aristocratic houses."

Wu Tie played with the jade tablet in his hand and said in a deep voice: "Urgent fire, return to Yuzhou, send word to Old Tie. All the members of those 425 aristocratic households are to be confined together, their property seized entirely for the Yuzhou ducal residence—not a single strand may be omitted."

"Princess Jing Sheng is at the Nine Bend Creek Hall… let's go and have a proper talk with her."

The East Garden is only eight hundred li from Anyang City; Wu Tie and his party sped away on escape light, and with the Demon‑Banning Hall's transmission efficiency being a bit faster than Ma Xiangru's party receiving the intelligence, Wu Tie and Ma Xiangru's group arrived at the Nine Bend Creek Hall almost one after another.

Clad in deep‑purple first‑rank duke robes and holding the Divine Imperial Command that signified Sima Xian's personal imperial arrival, Wu Tie led hundreds of peak Womb Storage Realm Five Elements Spirits experts straight in, almost on Ma Xiangru's heels, storming into Princess Jing Sheng's hermitage.

"Your Highness wants to fight me to the death? Heh, I wouldn't dare." Wu Tie just heard Princess Jing Sheng's shouting, burst out laughing, swung a palm to push aside the two little eunuchs blocking his way, and walked up, chuckling, to the waterside platform where Princess Jing Sheng and her party were.

"The Duke of Yuzhou, Huo Xiong, is here—how does the princess intend to fight me to the death?" Wu Tie's eyes flashed with a ferocious light: "The princess is delicate and precious; I wouldn't dare offend her, but I am a rough‑born man—if a blade were at my throat… heh… fight to the death? Do you know what a true fight to the death really means?"

Ma Xiangru and his companions wanted to rebuke Wu Tie—saying that violently barging into a princess's residence and accusing him of treason were both permissible.

Ma Xiangru is the Vice Hall Master of the Censorate Hall; he can conjure up any charge at will.

But upon seeing the Divine Imperial Command in Wu Tie's hand, the assembled civil officials opened their mouths and could not speak.

Princess Jing Sheng then roared at Wu Tie like an angry lioness: "Who are you? You're none other than the Duke of Yuzhou, Huo Xiong? You, you, you—how bold, you dare to intrude into this palace's headquarters, you harbor treacherous intentions, you…"

A flash of treachery crossed Princess Jing Sheng's eyes as she grabbed her own collar, ready to tear it open violently.

Wu Tie gave a cold snort: "Your Highness, I'm here to discuss business with you. If you want to throw a tantrum, heh, you've picked the wrong person. I firmly believe that even if I were to do something to you here today, His Majesty would not hold me against you—do you believe me?"

Princess Jing Sheng's hand loosened slightly, she fell silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth and snapped: "What business?"

She was unusually furious, quickly glancing over the Divine Imperial Command in Wu Tie's hand, a flicker of deep suspicion crossing her eyes.

She hadn't heard that Sima Xian had bestowed the Divine Imperial Command upon Huo Xiong, had she?