Chapter 123: 159, 160

The Imperial Capital is bustling and noisy; even on the banks of the Wu River, where the entire court of civil and military officials was slaughtered, it has not had much impact on the common people or the smaller factions.

The old leave, the new rise.

As long as someone holds power, there will be no chaos.

The Heavenly Son is the same.

The current Heavenly Son is naturally not the one supported by the Empress Dowager Feng to ascend the throne, but rather Ji Qin, a member of the imperial clan with the surname Ji, whom Zhao Hua had already contacted before entering the Imperial Capital; he is the younger brother of the Heavenly Son who was manipulated by Empress Dowager Feng.

In Ji Qin's view, Zhao Hua was a capable minister and fierce general personally summoned to the Imperial Capital by the late Emperor, which made his position legitimate, so he naturally hit it off with him immediately. Later, as they spent time together, Ji Qin was also very satisfied with Zhao Hua, who appeared refined, knew how to advance and retreat, and had the air of a Confucian general.

But this new Heavenly Son never expected that this Confucian general would actually slaughter all the civil and military officials of the court, and then promote batches of new ministers to high positions.

There is no shortage of people to serve as officials.

There are always many people eyeing the positions above, and there are also people with the ability to fill them.

Zhao Hua picked and chose among these people, took them as his confidants, branded them with his mark, and then secretly controlled them, while simultaneously having the Heavenly Son confer upon him the titles of "General Who Conquers the West," "Prince of Zhao," and "Grand Marshal of the Imperial Secretariat," subsequently leaving the Imperial Capital rapidly.

Zhao Hua killed until bones were piled high, yet he transformed himself and became the Prince of Zhao.

And Zhao Hua's departure did not give the Heavenly Son freedom or a moment to breathe, because the Heavenly Son discovered that he had been "imprisoned," and discovered that he had become a gorgeous canary.

He frantically smashed all the objects on the table to pieces, and then began to find ways to secretly summon loyal ministers, attempting to regain control of the court.

Zhao Hua is merely an outsider; even with many official titles accumulated, he cannot compare to the foundation of the various family factions in the Imperial Capital.

He killed so many people that there must be many who hate him; as long as he plans a little, he will surely be able to turn the tables and then make the traitor Zhao die without a burial place.

However, as the Heavenly Son, Ji Qin also understands: the noble families possess methods of controlling drug-men, but the limit of drug-man control is actually the transition from "Jin Realm" to "Form Realm." Even if some terrifying existences exist, the absolute limit is just converting the "Form Realm" to the "Qi Realm."

Therefore, as long as he searches for those loyal ministers of the Qi Realm, it is impossible for them to be controlled by the traitor Zhao.

However... even as the Heavenly Son, Ji Qin could never imagine that "the drug-man formula in Zhao Hua's hands is actually capable of converting the Qi Realm into the pseudo-Xuan Realm."

Song Cheng's true strength might be concealed elsewhere, but in terms of "drug-men," it cannot be hidden.

He is a Mysterious Grade Grade C existence, and also a Double Ghost.

The limit of the drug-men he can create is "Qi" to "pseudo-Xuan."

Perhaps Zhao Hua also discovered that "the drug-man material from Big Brother is actually so easy to use, which is why he used it desperately."

Or perhaps, it is precisely because of having such a "bargaining chip that even the Qi Family does not know about" that Zhao Hua dared to truly take the step of slaughtering all the nobles in the city.

Song Cheng entered the Imperial Capital, and after noticing the changes in the Imperial Capital, he chose not only to descend through visualization but also to directly possess the secret agent of the Leiyun Continent.

After sensing his limbs and five senses, Song Cheng discovered that he seemed to have seamlessly connected into another person's body, but this person's body was extremely scalding, as if a burning furnace was constantly driving him away.

This secret agent is a Jin Realm existence.

However, Song Cheng felt that this Jin Realm one was alright; at least he could hold on for a good while.

And previously, like when Xiao Yu'er possessed someone, even the Force Realm was the limit.

Song Cheng, possessing the secret agent, began the daily routine of "letting the secret agent rest during the daytime and acting after nightfall."

In the moonlight, the temperature of the furnace would weaken; acting at this time, Song Cheng would be much more comfortable.

Another night, Song Cheng was sitting at a night market in the Imperial Capital eating noodles.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of wheels turning "rumble, rumble" behind him.

A carriage in the middle of the night is not rare in the current Imperial Capital; perhaps this also implies from the side "how terrifying the undercurrents of the Imperial Capital are at this time."

Song Cheng habitually turned his head to look.

That was a four-horse carriage, indicating that the person in the carriage must be a big shot.

Through the carriage wall, he saw a line of data: 【Strength: 260~500】

【Favorability: 100】

Song Cheng narrowed his eyes and coughed lightly.

To an ordinary person, this cough was nothing, but the carriage curtain was slightly lifted to reveal a slit; through the slit, a pair of eyes looked at Song Cheng at the noodle stall from afar, and then immediately lowered.

In a small forest behind a luxurious mansion at dawn, the gorgeously dressed old man with a bearing like a mountain was quietly waiting with his hands hanging down.

The moonlight of the cold winter in the twelfth lunar month traveled through the exquisite winter flowers and plants, casting shadows.

The floating faint fragrance and the eye-catching beautiful scenery seemed to indicate that even in winter, the winter of the Imperial Capital is different from the winter of the Northern Territory.

The gorgeously dressed old man was already advanced in age, with gray hair, slightly wrinkled skin, and eyes full of the hardships of life.

He had already experienced many things and was also full of patience.

Before long, the crisp sound of forest leaves rang out.

The old man turned his head to look, only to see a man wrapped in a thick cotton coat walk out.

The man released a slight aura.

The old man immediately knelt down and said respectfully: "Grand Tutor Qin Wanquan greets the Master."

This was his first time seeing the man before him, yet deep in his soul, there was a natural sense of submission; this feeling was like "a child seeing their parents" or "a servant seeing their master," a natural allegiance.

And this Qin Wanquan was naturally the person Song Cheng had seen last night.

Song Cheng looked at this old man.

Although he was old and his hair was gray, at the roots of his hair, there were faint signs of black hair growing out again.

His skin was slightly wrinkled and even had some age spots, but if one looked closely, those age spots had a tendency to fade away.

"You are very smart," Song Cheng praised, "You and I had no agreement, yet you knew to come here and wait."

The old man named Qin Wanquan smiled and said: "This old man saw the Master on the street, so I selfishly thought of coming to a place easy to meet the Master and wait; if the Master did not come, it would just be waiting a little longer."

Song Cheng said: "Speak."

Qin Wanquan responded respectfully and said directly:

"Master, this old man was originally of the Qi Realm, with a lifespan increased by three sixty-year cycles, but I once suffered a serious injury, losing two sixty-year cycles, and was extremely weak; I spent a hundred years in vain without making any progress... Just as I was about to die of old age, I received a Pill gifted by the Prince of Zhao, and now I have entered the pseudo-Xuan, although I cannot live for nine sixty-year cycles like the children of noble families, I have gained two more sixty-year cycles of life."

"Today, the Heavenly Son secretly summoned this old man into the palace, and the purpose was to overthrow the Prince of Zhao."

"Regarding this, the Prince of Zhao had given instructions, so this old man will pretend to comply while secretly opposing, and will play along with the Emperor in this game of seizing power."

The Grand Tutor spoke with a torrent of eloquence, recounting every single one of his affairs.

Regardless of what Song Cheng wanted to ask or did not want to ask, he spoke of everything without reservation, leaving nothing unsaid.

He even truthfully revealed the current Heavenly Son's plan to "seize power."

It was nothing more than winning over confidants, feigning weakness to the enemy, and then, during an audience, having experts hide behind screens; at the signal of a dropped cup, they would swarm out together to kill Prince Zhao.

Song Cheng listened in silence.

Clearly, the Grand Tutor before him was an old official of the Great Shang.

Yet, even as a high-ranking and powerful official of the Great Shang, he could not escape the shackles of his lifespan, and no matter what, he could not break through to the Qi Realm.

The chasm separating the Qi Realm and the Xuan Realm was truly an insurmountable natural barrier.

One is born with a Soul to enter the Xuan, otherwise, even a powerful noble like Qin Wanquan could not cross it.

And everyone fears death; the more powerful one is, the more this holds true.

Therefore, in order to live for another hundred years or more, this Grand Tutor Qin Wanquan chose to collude with Zhao Hua.

It was not just Qin Wanquan; many high-ranking and powerful elders in the Imperial Capital had chosen to consume Medicine Human Pills to extend their lives, with the Qi Realm being the most prevalent among them.

Entering the Xuan through Qi was an absolute impossibility.

If one could enter it through pills, it was something one could only dream of.

After listening to Qin Wanquan's explanation, Song Cheng roughly understood that there were many pseudo-Xuan Realm experts in this Imperial Capital; these experts were the pillars of many factions, but they had all become Song Cheng's medicine humans at this moment.

But medicine humans—if you change the name, aren't they just "dependents"?

Song Cheng felt somewhat amused.

He had done nothing, yet he had inexplicably become the mastermind behind the chaotic situation in the Imperial Capital.

Thinking of this, he considered things from the perspective of the Heavenly Son named Ji Qin, and Song Cheng suddenly said: "Grand Tutor Qin, I am not in the game, perhaps I do not understand. See if this might work..."

"Please speak, Master."

"You could advise the Heavenly Son to appear indulgent and debauched on the surface to confuse Prince Zhao, while secretly winning over confidants and preparing to deal him a fatal blow when Prince Zhao is careless... Would this be good?"

Qin Wanquan was stunned for a moment, thought about it, and clapped his hands: "Brilliant. The Heavenly Son indulges in debauchery, while his confidants are us. The Heavenly Son's self-defilement is genuine, and in time, it will only make the Heavenly Son appear more foolish and Prince Zhao more wise. And for us, who proposed such a suggestion, the Heavenly Son will trust us even more. Brilliant, brilliant, truly brilliant."

Song Cheng said awkwardly: "Grand Tutor, you aren't just flattering me, are you?"

This idea was just something he had thought up blindly.

It was nothing more than having read some novels before he transmigrated, seeing protagonists in those novels defile themselves, so he felt "self-defilement" was very suitable for that Heavenly Son—but since he had "defiled himself," he shouldn't expect to be washed clean again.

As an outsider, he was usually diligent and honest, just staying at home to cultivate and not really playing with conspiracies; now that he had casually tossed out an idea and the Grand Tutor was praising him so awkwardly, he couldn't help but be suspicious.

Afterwards, the two discussed the details.

Seeing that the discussion was over, Qin Wanquan cautiously asked about Song Cheng's identity; he wanted to be clear about this master so that he could deliberately avoid taboos when acting in the future, thereby not doing something like "the great flood destroying the Dragon King's temple."

Song Cheng pondered slightly, quietly followed Qin Wanquan into the Grand Tutor's residence, and then in the study, the Grand Tutor ground the ink while he raised the brush; visualizing his own "Black Tortoise Divine Soul," he painted a vivid portrait of a giant Black Tortoise, then said: "This is the True Martial Emperor; pass it on to those like you in the pseudo-Xuan Realm, but do not tell outsiders, including Prince Zhao."

Qin Wanquan looked at the giant turtle-snake divine form, a look of astonishment appearing on his stern face; he received it respectfully and said: "This old man originally thought the Master was that Blade King from Beixue Zhou..."

Song Cheng nodded, saying nothing.

Qin Wanquan had already told him about this matter just now.

"Controlling others through medicine human methods" was actually nothing new.

Zhao Hua must have also used medicine human methods to control the imperial court.

This point was almost known to everyone.

And Zhao Hua had only two choices: first, the Qi Family; second, the Su Family.

Everyone actually thought that Zhao Hua had chosen the Qi Family.

But these days, as many things began to be slowly revealed, those in the know began to realize that Zhao Hua had chosen the Su Family—or to be precise, his sworn elder brother in the North Land—Song Cheng.

Including the Heavenly Son this time, everyone had thought so at the beginning.

And after understanding the situation, the Heavenly Son even secretly mocked, saying, "The rebel Zhao is blinded by greed; being in the Qi Family, he still leans toward the North Land. In this way, perhaps I won't even need to take action before he is deserted by his followers."

Clearly, many of the confidants Zhao Hua had planted in the Imperial Capital were at most in the "Form" Realm, and they were originally in the Jin Realm before suddenly becoming "Form" Realm.

These confidants were naturally confirmed to be "Song Cheng's people."

But Zhao Hua had actually prepared an extra backup plan, and this backup was Qin Wanquan and the others.

Now, he was leading the Imperial Capital's troops out to battle, and he had also chosen a good time.

War can sustain war, and it can train troops.

If he could win, his prestige would be blazing and the momentum would be set, making him completely impossible to deal with.

Therefore, the Heavenly Son even had a slight hope that the Six Towns would win.

That is why Qin Wanquan and the others believed their master was also Song Cheng.

And at this moment, upon seeing this unfamiliar "True Martial Emperor," Qin Wanquan, as the Grand Tutor, was actually somewhat bewildered and at a loss; as a "hundred-year-old turtle" of a Grand Tutor, he knew a vast amount of information.

Yet he had never heard of the "True Martial Emperor."

However, after carefully putting away the visualization portrait, he quietly sent Song Cheng out, then watched that mysterious Emperor disappear into the shadows of the Imperial Capital's alleys on the eve of dawn, sighing in his heart at the turbidity of the waters in the Imperial Capital today.

After Song Cheng left the Grand Tutor's residence, he originally wanted to go to the Holy Light Temple to take a look, but after thinking about it, he decided against it... Through Grand Tutor Qin, he generally knew... the Holy Light Temple was a very sacred place where incense burned constantly, and neither the Heavenly Son nor the Empress Dowager, nor even Zhao Hua, could avoid worshipping there. And the Buddha worshipped at the Holy Light Temple was precisely the "Holy Heaven Buddha."

Song Cheng did not want the "Holy Heaven Buddha" to know he had appeared in the Imperial Capital, nor did he want to expose Qin Wanquan and the others and ruin Zhao Hua's plan, so... he came quietly and left quietly.

After wandering around so much outside, he returned to his original body, which was still in the secret chamber.

In the light of dawn, Su Mengzhen sat cross-legged, her pure white gauze skirt spread out around her, forming a dream-like waltz, and her long eyelashes, just stained with the golden light of the dawn, revealed a sense of inviolable sanctity.

Seeming to sense the movement, Su Mengzhen opened her eyes and asked: "Did it take so long to see Xiang'er this time?"

Song Cheng smiled.

The affairs of the Imperial Capital were another secret that could not be explained and involved a wide range of people.

The existence of people like Grand Tutor Qin Wanquan... could not be known by anyone to be linked to him, Song Cheng.

And if his guess was correct, the aftereffects of Zhao Hua's slaughter of the full court of civil and military officials would soon arrive.

Even if he were in the North Land, he could not escape.

Closing her eyes slightly, she performed a mental calculation and said, "Brother Su, that matter regarding the Xiao family I mentioned earlier may be about to begin."

That "Holy Heaven Buddha" wanted him to vie for supremacy over the world; originally there was no rush, but once the affair at the Imperial Capital broke out, the "Holy Heaven Buddha" would certainly hasten the pace. Su Mengzhen said nothing, rose, walked over, lifted her sacred long skirt, and untied Song Cheng's restraints. After an indescribable and unspeakable event occurred, she said softly, "Little Song, don't forget, you are the Six-Tail of my Su Family."

Song Cheng lay flat on the ground, looking at the beauty who was looking down at him from above, and nodded gently.

Su Mengzhen leaned down again, her red lips touching him like a dragonfly skimming the water, then she rose, tightened her long skirt, wrapped her body, turned, and went to the door of the secret chamber, saying, "After you defect, I will pretend to leave with Xiao Yu'er, but in reality, I will already be secretly guarding your wife and children in the An Mansion."

"But it is agreed that I will not remove you from the Su Family's Spirit Tablet; don't you even think about tricking me!"

Song Cheng laughed, "How could I bear to?"

Su Mengzhen gave her hips a wiggle and exited the door. When the door was about to close, she poked her dignified face back out, her red lips parted slightly, and she said, "From now on, it is for your use alone—but if you deceive me, hmph!"

Slap! The door closed.

A myriad of charms still lingered.

The lingering resonance remained, and it was a long time before it calmed.

Song Cheng felt the tranquility of the moment and began to ponder the Seven-Tail method in the *Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Scripture*.

The Seven-Tail method stated that one must make contact with "an existence more terrifying than the Double Ghost," then experience a more complex "Reappearance Tribulation," and subsequently repeat the steps from the "Mysterious Grade Grade C" stage to condense more tails and step into a higher realm.

But no one in the Su Family had ever practiced to the Seven-Tail stage. This method was entirely the wishful thinking of the Su Family.

Song Cheng felt that actively seeking out an existence more terrifying than the Double Ghost was still somewhat unreliable.

Unless the situation with the Drowning Ghost could finish merging.

After this trip to the Imperial Capital, he was filled with many emotions.

Ordinary people struggle to the death, yet they only vie for power and influence. However, he was simply becoming stronger, and his influence naturally spread outward.

If not for the fact that his "drug-men" could reach the level of a pseudo-Xuan Realm, how could Zhao Hua control existences like the Grand Tutor Qin Wanquan?

Beneath seemingly crazy and unreasonable phenomena, there actually exist dark transactions.

And this transaction was nothing more than becoming his dependents.

How humorous?

Suddenly, Song Cheng thought of the "Heavenly Son" again.

Heavenly Son, Heavenly Son, the son of Heaven. Then, was there once a powerhouse like "Heaven" who took someone as a dependent, then bestowed blessings upon him, secretly helping him, causing that person to become the Emperor and style himself the Heavenly Son? When the Great Shang Dynasty was founded, the Emperor established the custom of annually sacrificing to the "Wu River River God"—was this... implying something? Song Cheng closed his eyes and pondered, his thoughts slowly drifting away.

Several days later, the first batch of secret agents to arrive at Jiuqu Prefecture in Donghai Zhou transmitted the information about the Prefecture City back.

A Ting, who was five years old by nominal age, was already speaking clearly. She read the intelligence as if reading a book, earnestly telling it to the mother who held her in her arms, while Ling'er wrote down the important information nearby.

Jiuqu Prefecture was the northernmost Prefecture City in Donghai Zhou and also the large city closest to Beixue Zhou.

From the information A Ting relayed, Song Cheng understood the extreme dissatisfaction of the Qi Family in Donghai Zhou toward Zhao Hua. Now, even in that remote Jiuqu Prefecture, words such as "The rebel Zhao slaughtered all the officials in the Imperial Capital; he is truly cruel and unbenevolent," "The rebel Zhao loves to use harsh officials, practices nepotism, and enjoys torturing and slaughtering surrendered soldiers," and "The rebel Zhao embezzles taxes, amasses wealth, and commits rape and pillage, causing the people to live in misery, and the commoners all harbor hatred for him" were resounding everywhere. On the surface, it was just the commoners' dissatisfaction with Zhao Hua.

But if one thought about it for a moment, one would know that the Qi Family was already on the verge of tearing off the mask with Zhao Hua.

If not for this, why would such words be resounding throughout Donghai Zhou?

If not for this, where would all this "embezzling taxes, amassing wealth, committing rape and pillage, loving to use harsh officials, practicing nepotism, and the people all harboring hatred" come from? Could such words arise without anyone promoting them or leading the narrative? And in the villages, there were even more circulating stories that were neither true nor false, saying things like Zhao Hua took a fancy to someone's daughter, then rushed into their home and did such things in front of her family... Song Cheng was simply speechless.

He considered that Huazi could not do such a thing.

It seems everyone likes to create rumors that are beneficial to themselves.

Regardless of whether it is the truth, as long as the voice is loud, that is the truth.

These past few days, he had a premonition that some things were coming soon... Therefore, Song Cheng specifically spoke to Tong Niangzi and Young Miss about his speculations.

And sure enough, at the end of the second month, a large warship several tens of zhang long docked on the coast of Beixue Zhou.

This warship came from Jiangnan.

To avoid trouble, it did not take the river route but traveled by the great sea.

This time, the Xiao family sent two members of the noble family.

One man and one woman.

The man was named Xiao Bi; his appearance was steady, with small, single-lidded eyes that seemed devoid of spirit, and he did not show his joy or anger in his expression.

The woman was named Xiao Yan; her face was beautiful, her lips were quite thick, her figure was delicate, and her demeanor was worthy of the flavor of a noble family member.

The two stepped into Hanping Village all the way. Although Xiao Bi and Xiao Yan did not have the ability to see data like Song Cheng, they could feel the orderly nature of Hanping Village, and they already had a bottom line in their hearts, knowing that this Mr. Song, who "hides in the North but is famous throughout the world, especially among noble families," was indeed a person of great ability.

The three met at the Shangpin Weizhen Restaurant.

Song Cheng ordered the Nine-Treasure Carved Chicken, then smiled and said, "This is the favorite delicacy of my Su Family Young Mistress, Su Ningyu."

Xiao Bi and Xiao Yan looked at each other, and Xiao Bi said, "Mr. Song, I wonder if the Su Family has told you that the Su Family is from elsewhere. The Qingque Continent where they were located has long since been destroyed. And even on the Qingque Continent, they were not some great noble family."

Xiao Yan said, "They are just down-and-out people. Coming to the Great Shang, they are also ostracized, which is why they are in this bitter, cold North Land. With your great talent, Mr. Song, it is a pity."

Song Cheng raised his chopsticks, looked at the Nine-Treasure Carved Chicken, and said, "Eat the chicken first."

Xiao Yan did not know what medicine he was selling in his gourd.

Although there are comparisons of strength between noble families, they are all absolute hegemons in their local areas, and they are all existences that do not need to use their brains to solve problems. Therefore, the brains and emotional intelligence of noble family members... are not even as good as ordinary people who often roll in conspiracies and schemes.

But Xiao Bi was quite special. This outstanding talent of the Xiao family had once hidden his identity and spent several years mixing in the government of Jiangnan, so... he very keenly read the hidden meaning in the words of Mr. Song before him: 'My wife and I are so loving, yet you actually want me to betray the Su Family and join the Xiao Family?'

'That is not easy to handle, quite difficult to handle.'

'You have to pay more.'

Seeing Xiao Yan stretch out her chopsticks to eat the chicken, Xiao Bi narrowed his eyes and said, "Wait."

Song Cheng could eat this chicken, but they could not.

If they ate it, wouldn't they be fools? Xiao Yan turned her head to look at him.

Xiao Bi smiled at Song Cheng and said, "My Xiao family also has Young Mistresses who have not yet sought a Dao companion. Jiangnan women are not like those in the North; they are soft and glutinous like sweet springs... The land of Jiangnan is also different from the flat plains of the North; it has the natural barrier of the great river, which can make cavalry completely useless."

"If one says that Beixue Zhou is a place ravaged by the Ghost Tide, and the north of the river is a chaotic world of war, then Jiangnan is a prosperous age of song and dance."

"And if Mr. Song joins my Xiao family, the land of Jiangnan can be enjoyed by you, and your family can also settle in Jiangnan, leaping to become a top-tier wealthy clan."

After a moment of thought, he said softly, "My Xiao family controls the method to truly pass the Reappearance Tribulation. If it were the Su Family, Mr. Song, if you dared to attempt it, you would certainly die in it."

"As for the cultivation technique, my Xiao Family guarantees that through trade, we will help you, sir, obtain the subsequent parts of the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Scripture."

Clearly, Xiao Bi did not yet know that "Su Mengzhen had already passed the Reappearance Tribulation."

At this moment, he was weighing his options, using both the carrot and the stick, offering benefits while also issuing threats; Song Cheng was completely uninterested in the Young Mistress of the Xiao Family who had yet to find a Dao companion.

"If there is no need, then do not add," this had always been his standard for choosing a partner.

He already had a basic understanding of the noble families.

Of the three thousand weak waters of these noble families, he had already drunk his fill from the ladle that was the "Su Family sisters."

As for any later ones, that could only be a lack of fate and connection.

"Mr. Song, please think it over carefully. My senior sister and I will not be staying here long, so I ask that you make your decision soon." Xiao Bi timely employed "hunger marketing," hoping to urge Song Cheng to finalize it quickly.

Song Cheng laughed: "Then you can't just try to get a wolf with an empty glove, can you? The Su Family head is currently at my An Mansion; why not call her over, let you negotiate the trade, and confirm that I can obtain the subsequent technique?

Once the trade is confirmed, I will immediately leave the Su Family and join the Xiao Family.

If you don't believe me, I can even go with you to the Yin She on the spot and write my name on your family Genealogy.

You should know that once the name is set down, I am a member of the Xiao Family.

From then on, even if I am ten thousand miles away, I can be summoned by the family head with a single thought; if I do something wrong, the family head can also recall me, then use power to suppress me and seal me in the Yin She, isn't that right?"

The old artist Song skillfully transformed "his own needs" into "the other party's needs."

Xiao Yan looked at this man with some disdain.

Before, he was talking about "the delicacies my Young Mistress loves to eat," but now that it came to benefits, the Young Mistress was cast to the nine heavens; it was truly disgusting.

However, she also knew the importance of Song Cheng.

Nowadays, many noble families know that "important figures in the Imperial Capital have all become Song Cheng's medicine men," and if Song Cheng becomes a member of the Xiao Family, it also means the Xiao Family's control over the Imperial Capital will advance a step further.

That Zhao Hua is also very likely to defect to the Xiao Family because of this.

But Song Cheng should not know this yet, otherwise, given this man's current appearance, he would very likely raise the price directly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bi thought for a moment and said: "Very well, Mr. Song, but we need to make some preparations. At this time tomorrow, we will formally invite the Su Family head."

Song Cheng said: "Fine, but I came out secretly, don't let the Su Family know."

Xiao Yan could not help but cast a disdainful glance at him.

Xiao Bi smiled: "Naturally."

The Xiao Family's two-person envoy delegation was stationed outside Hanping Village.

After returning, Xiao Bi immediately went to a large tent.

There was a young servant accompanying him in the tent.

After Xiao Bi dismissed everyone, he actually said "Namo Holy Heaven Buddha" respectfully to the servant, and then added: "That Song Cheng must not know the situation in the Imperial Capital, and even if he did... I think it wouldn't matter."

"Why?"

"Attached to his children and wife, content with a corner, wavering between two sides, with no ambition at all.

I suspect that Zhao Hua also valued this point in him, which is why she felt safe and bold enough to use his power to turn those powerful officials into his medicine men."

"Your judgment is indeed good. I previously borrowed the body of a scholar to meet that Song Cheng once. He is just as you said, content with a corner, with no ambition at all.

Having such a person control the powerful figures of the Imperial Capital is actually a good thing."

The servant said indifferently, "After the Central Plains is turned upside down a few times, it will be time for the Southern Kingdom to head north; by then, Song Cheng's control will also be of great benefit to your Xiao Family."

Xiao Bi said respectfully: "Namo Holy Heaven Buddha, what my Xiao Family truly cares about is not the power of the Imperial Dynasty, but a stable environment that can execute your plan.

The plan you spoke of, the plan that can ensure this continent will not be submerged by the Ghost River."

Having said this, he slightly raised his head and asked solemnly: "Draining the Ghost into the sea, a single release for ten thousand miles, is it truly feasible?"

The servant nodded lightly, confirming it without doubt.

Yet, when Xiao Bi lowered his head again, he himself revealed... an extremely subtle look of doubt.

Buddha, is it... really feasible? (End of this chapter)