Who Would Do It Without a Benefit?

After an unknown amount of time, Si Ming's body was covered by green crystal chips, making him look like a gem man, and an emerald at that.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his body shuddered, and all the chips were ejected, embedding themselves in the wall like bullets.

"The Mercury Alloy Body is complete!"

Si Ming stood up, stared at his left hand, took out the Wheel-Turning King Sword One Sword and stabbed it through his palm, then pulled it out.

A sword mark appeared on the palm of his left hand, but there was no blood or wound. The cross-section of flesh was not visible. It was as if the One Sword had pierced glue, and the flesh on both sides quickly squeezed inward, healing the sword mark.

This is the liquefaction ability of the Mercury Alloy Body, similar to the liquid metal robot in Terminator, only not as exaggerated. Getting your head blown off will still kill you, but your other parts can be liquefied at will, enough to ignore the damage from ordinary sharp weapons.

"Currently, I can only liquefy the skin and flesh. According to the 'Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture,' after reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, even the bones can be liquefied and deformed with constant mass. Unfortunately, I have cultivated the Vajra Demon-Subduing Divine Ability, so I will never reach this stage."

The Vajra Demon-Subduing Divine Ability tempers the muscles and bones, making them as solid as Vajra. This is a transformation of "hardness," which is exactly the opposite of the "softness" of the Mercury Alloy Body. The two are incompatible, and even with Si Ming's sudden enlightenment talent, he could not find a way to combine them. Fortunately, this does not affect the next step of cultivation of the "Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture."

"Yesterday, Murong Qing broke through to the Internal Cultivation Level Ten, and I didn't expect to break through as well today. Could it be that I was stimulated by the actual battle? The battle between Murong Qing and Xia Guanxue was indeed a life-or-death battle, so it's only natural that it stimulated their potential. But I completely and utterly slaughtered the Vicious Qi Evil Spider. Did that also have a stimulating effect? Or am I actually a latent sadist, and this just happens to satisfy my inner desires, and my thoughts are fulfilled?"

Si Ming quickly refuted this slanderous accusation. "No, no, I'm a pacifist, the future leader of the Mohist School Grandmaster, skilled at winning people over with virtue, and with the ideals of universal love and non-aggression always in my heart. How could I be a violent person? No one would believe me if I said that!"

He stroked his chin, pondered for a while but couldn't figure it out, and quickly gave up thinking about it. Anyway, he had already benefited, so he wouldn't return the goods; the reason didn't matter.

He finished dressing and was about to go out when he found the Third Prince Han Hao, waiting at the door.

"You're finally out! I've been waiting here for three hours."

"Wow, that's quite sincere. Looks like you have some trouble to ask me for help." Si Ming understood quickly.

Feeling a little embarrassed by being pointed out so bluntly, Han Hao coughed and, without trying to hide anything, asked directly, "I would like to ask you to help me investigate the royal palace."

Chapter 502 Who would do it if there were no benefits?

If it were snowing heavily outside, Han Hao would have to put on a show of standing in the snow outside the gate. Such a profound sincerity clearly indicates that he has something important to ask of Si Ming, who is not unfamiliar with history.

Long ago, Wu Qi loved his soldiers like his own children. When a soldier was wounded, he would personally suck the pus and blood from his wound. The wounded soldier's elderly mother was moved to tears, saying, "The one who loves my son is the supreme general; the one who kills my son is also the supreme general." The neighbors were puzzled, and the old woman cried, "Once my son recovers, he will surely fight to the death for Wu Qi on the battlefield. Wouldn't that be killing my son? A ruler's love for his general is nothing but love."

Of course, Si Ming would never work for someone else if asked. His status was different from that of a common soldier, but the principle was the same. Generals love their soldiers like their own children, and those in power love their people like their own children. This is not because they are benevolent, but simply because it is the right thing to do and it is more beneficial to them.

The saying goes, "Evil cannot prevail over good." This is the true law. If Han Hao had arrogantly ordered Si Ming to help, Si Ming would have slapped him long ago. But now, in order not to disturb Si Ming's cultivation, Han Hao has been standing obediently outside the door for three hours. Regardless of whether Si Ming will agree in the end, at least he is willing to listen to his request and will not turn him away.

To avoid being overheard, Han Hao led Si Ming to his own residence.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I cannot help you deal with the Second Prince unless you can find evidence that he is related to the assassination attempt on my master." Si Ming preemptively warned them to avoid making any difficult requests.

Han Hao shook his head and smiled wryly, "My second brother played this move brilliantly, killing two birds with one stone. Even I can only admire him."

He then poured Si Ming a cup of fragrant tea and said, "Please rest assured, I do not intend for you to clash with my second brother this time, at least not on the surface. As I just mentioned, I hope you can infiltrate the palace and help me investigate Father Emperor's situation."

At that moment, many plots from palace dramas and historical time-travel novels that Si Ming had watched before flashed through his mind, and he understood, saying, "You mean... you suspect that your father is being controlled by your second brother?"

Han Hao didn't try to hide anything and nodded, saying, "There were signs of this half a year ago. My father suffered a qi deviation while practicing martial arts in his early years, leaving him with a chronic illness. His body has always been weak and frail. Two years ago, he had a serious illness, and his health deteriorated significantly. However, he was still able to attend court normally. Until half a year ago, when he fell ill again, he handed over the affairs of state to the prime ministers and has been recuperating in the inner palace."

"That sounds perfectly normal. I've heard that there were France emperors who devoted themselves to martial arts training and didn't attend court for over ten years, yet they still didn't neglect state affairs. Your father at least had a very legitimate reason, and he only missed court for half a year. What exactly made you suspicious?"

"Let's not go into the minor details. The biggest issue is that my conflict with my second brother has become increasingly acute. Sometimes, when conflicts arise, my second brother even brings them out into the open. Normally, Father would have to step in and say something to quell the political strife, but he has remained indifferent and silent, letting the situation escalate. To put it bluntly, there are similar historical examples where emperors, fearing the growing power of their princes, deliberately let things slide."

Han Hao, who had studied in Su State, spoke frankly about his private matters, without lowering his voice or pretending to be secretive.

Si Ming sensed something was wrong. "Wait a minute, if what you said is true, and your father has already been controlled by the Second Prince, wouldn't it be more advantageous for him to have your father speak on his side or directly announce that he is the Crown Prince?"

Han Hao shook his head and said, "The situation in France is different from other countries. Even the emperor cannot do whatever he wants. He is constrained by many rules. For example, the emperor can't just write an imperial edict in his study, affix his seal, and decide the country's policies for all officials to implement. Such a thing doesn't exist in France. The France emperor can only make decisions on matters within the palace. Outside the palace, no matter how big or small, everything must be discussed by all officials and approved by two of the three prime ministers before it can be issued. As for announcing the crown prince, it requires a ritual to be performed and the Law God to witness it. Under the gaze of the Law God, any pretense will be exposed."

The more you do, the easier it is to expose yourself. It's better to do nothing, to lie low and wait for the most crucial moment to deliver a fatal blow.

Next, Han Hao briefly explained the political system of France to Si Ming. In France, the law is supreme. Although the emperor has the power to amend the law and is the de facto holder of the highest power, nominally, the emperor must also implement his will through the law. He does not have the power of "golden words".

Procedural justice.

Si Ming quickly translated the other party's words into his own understanding. It was like government agencies; even if a step seemed redundant to others and could be circumvented, the other party would still insist on following the procedure, making you run around more times. This was because it saved time for the customer, but for the staff, it was against the rules. If something went wrong, they would lose their jobs. Between the customer's convenience and his own job, he would naturally choose the latter.

The France emperor would naturally not lose his job, but his orders would be "illegal" if they were not processed through proper procedures. Although this procedure was cumbersome and time-consuming in most cases, it could prevent a small number of errors.

For example, this procedure is now in effect, making it impossible for someone to impersonate him.

Si Ming, "Since you find his identity suspicious, why don't you expose him on the spot?"

Han Hao said, "Because I'm not entirely confident, this is tantamount to a desperate move. If I miss, and Father isn't being controlled but is genuinely recuperating, that will become my second brother's biggest weakness, enough to force me out of the competition."

"Then why do you want to take action now?"

"Time waits for no one. If we don't test the waters now, we might not have the chance in the future. I've received word that my second brother might use Father Emperor to deal with me."

Is the news reliable?

"It's unreliable, but I already had this thought in mind. It just helped me make up my mind. Besides," Han Hao looked at Si Ming and smiled, "The outside help you brought me gives me a way out, enough to ensure my safety if I fall into a trap. That's why I had the courage to take the risk."

Thinking of the helper he had invited to retaliate against the Second Prince's scheme, Si Ming understood why Han Hao was in such a hurry to act. After all, that senior was also a very busy person and couldn't possibly stay in France all day. Moreover, from an outsider's perspective, Han Hao might seem to be in his weakest state, but in fact, the opposite was true. Therefore, he was able to calmly employ the tactic of luring the enemy deep into his territory.

I have three questions.

"Speaking."

"First, why not ask Su Yingbo for help? After what happened with Old General Wang, even if he doesn't completely side with you, he would be happy to help you and make the Second Prince suffer. Besides, he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, responsible for protecting the palace, so he can easily meet the Emperor."

"I had thought about that too, but my second brother acted faster than me. He had Su Yingbo's parents-in-law invite her back to her parents' home under the pretext of her pregnancy. Su Yingbo, who has always been very protective of his wife, also took annual leave to go to his father-in-law's house to take care of her. By the way, his wife comes from an aristocratic family, so his parents-in-law's stance is self-evident."

Si Ming finally understood why the Second Prince dared to pressure Su Yingbo, unafraid of offending a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. It was because Su Yingbo had too many intricate connections and ties, making it impossible for him to let go of everything and seek revenge.

The strong are not frightening; as long as they have attachments, they can be manipulated, forcing them to swallow their pride. Even if a strong person can protect those around them, they cannot protect those those people care about. For example, Su Yingbo can protect his wife, but if his parents-in-law die, his wife will inevitably be heartbroken. He doesn't want his wife to be sad, so he has to protect his parents-in-law as well, and his parents-in-law also have people they care about...