The Crown Prince

"What?" Chen Wu was shocked!

Shui Ziyi said, "To kill Qiao Weisheng, one move is not enough."

"How do you explain that?"

"Others may not know, but I do. Qiao Weisheng practices the Muscle-Shifting Bone-Misplacing Secret Manual. At a critical moment, he can shift his internal organs and blood vessels to avoid a fatal blow. To kill him, you need at least a second move."

"But I've inquired about it; you were repelled by Yang Yuchun after only one move."

So that's how it is. No wonder this Qiao Weisheng wasn't afraid that I would turn on him after taking the money, changing a fake assassination into a real one.

"How does the General know Qiao Weisheng's fundamental martial arts?"

"An old friend told me." A look of nostalgia appeared in Shui Ziyi's eyes.

"Then he..."

"Has already passed away."

What a coincidence, dead men tell no tales!

"Since the General had suspicions early on, why did you still want to see me?" Chen Wu asked.

"There are countless strange arts and secret techniques in this world. If your martial arts happened to counter the Muscle-Shifting Bone-Misplacing Secret Manual, it's possible you could have killed Qiao Weisheng in one move. That is why I had to verify it with you personally."

"Now it seems you know nothing about it, so it certainly wasn't you who killed him."

"Since the General knows this, why not tell the authorities?" Chen Wu was somewhat puzzled.

"Although I come from the Sea-Pacifying Palace, my roots are in the Academy of Sciences. I am not part of the Investigation of Things School, so why should I wade into these muddy waters?" Shui Ziyi spread his hands. "If I were to leak this and disrupt someone's plans, I would only invite resentment."

"So I'm the one who has to take the fall!" Chen Wu sneered.

"As an expert of your caliber, are you afraid of taking the fall?"

The problem is, I'm not an expert!

"I don't like taking the fall!" Chen Wu's tone grew colder.

General Shui was sharp; hearing the change in Chen Wu's tone and not wanting to offend him, he said, "If you truly do not wish to admit to this, I can step forward to testify. However, consider it as using up a favor from me, and that Sea-Suppressing Medal will no longer be yours."

"This..." Chen Wu hesitated.

Admitting to the blame for Qiao Weisheng's death for the time being had no downsides; the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower already had enough debts to worry about. However, this favor from General Shui was quite precious, and it would be a pity to use it so easily.

Thinking of this, Chen Wu said, "The General is quite calculating. Withholding information was your fault to begin with, and now you're using it as a bargaining chip."

Although he had already decided to take the fall, he still had to demand his due benefits; he couldn't let Shui Ziyi off the hook so easily.

"Haha—" Knowing he was in the wrong, Shui Ziyi laughed twice to cover his embarrassment.

Chen Wu stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "I can let you off from testifying, but I hope the General will be equally candid."

"Why is the General so concerned about the Qiao Weisheng affair? What happened in the imperial court? What exactly are you worried about?"

"Sigh—" Shui Ziyi sighed. "It all comes down to one thing."

"The School of Heavenly Principle and the Crown Prince they support have poked a massive hornet's nest, shaking the very foundations of the court. At this moment, to bolster their own momentum, the Crown Prince and the School of Heavenly Principle cannot show weakness; they are acting like mad dogs, biting at whoever they see."

"I suspect that Qiao Weisheng's death has hidden motives—that the Crown Prince's side is killing the chicken to warn the monkey, striking at the Investigation of Things School, which has been very active lately."

"Confirming today that it wasn't you who killed him, it seems my guess is eight or nine parts correct."

"It all comes down to one thing!" Once the autopsy was finished and the others had left, Star-Pulling Sword's tone grew increasingly impatient. "Your Crown Prince's Mansion needs to stabilize the situation, so you chose to attack instead of defend. Although Qiao Weisheng had money, his father-in-law just died, leaving him isolated and helpless. He looked like the easiest target—perfect for killing the chicken to warn the monkey."

Standing before Qiao Weisheng's coffin, Yang Yuchun, an attendant of the Crown Prince's Mansion, looked as if he had suffered a great injustice: "Is Master Guo trying to pin the blame on us?"

"Last night, you snuck in here masked and crossed paths with me; don't think you can hide that from me! And don't tell me you don't know about that mysterious expert who appeared out of nowhere to rescue you!" Guo Xuchu pressed him relentlessly.

Yang Yuchun stammered, "That... that person was indeed invited by me."

"I originally intended to ask that person to hold you back so I could check if Qiao Weisheng was truly dead." Yang Yuchun gave a bitter smile. "But I didn't expect that your reputation was well-deserved. One of us at the Profound Realm and one at the Concentrated Realm joined forces and were still defeated by you. We couldn't even get inside to take a look before being forced to retreat."

"Did you really not send anyone else?"

"No! In such a rush, where would I find so many experts?"

Yang Yuchun spoke with such certainty that even Guo Xuchu began to hesitate: "If it wasn't you... then who could it be?"

"Looking at it this way, it must have something to do with the Crown Prince's Mansion." Chen Wu nodded. "But what stupid thing did the Crown Prince actually do?"

"Stupid things are always the result of fools thinking they are clever!" Shui Ziyi said disdainfully. "The people of E Province, seeing the profits from cotton and mulberry in Su-Song, began converting grain fields to cotton and establishing textile industries."

"The Crown Prince, governing E Province, saw the potential for profit and encouraged the people to pursue it. Furthermore, since Su-Song is the stronghold of the Investigation of Things School, converting E Province's grain to cotton not only competes with Su-Song for profit but also strikes a blow against the Investigation of Things School."

Isn't this just the Great Shun version of converting rice to mulberry from the show "Ming Dynasty 1566"! The more Chen Wu heard, the more familiar it sounded.

Moreover, Chen Wu knew that in the TV show, the Ming officials forced the people to convert rice to mulberry to make money, but reality was completely different. Historically, because cash crops were more profitable, the people converted rice to mulberry spontaneously without official coercion; in fact, the government would often implement policies to suppress it to ensure food security.

He hadn't expected this Crown Prince to value money over lives, even going so far as to encourage the conversion to cotton.

Looking at this stubborn Crown Prince, Chen Wu was full of admiration, saying sarcastically, "The Crown Prince is truly as 'saintly' as ever."

"Hahaha, Your Excellency's tongue is as sharp as your blade!" Shui Ziyi laughed. "The Crown Prince does not understand that the reason the cotton textile industry in Su-Song flourished without major chaos was due to the support of cotton from Tianzhu, rice from Japan and the Southern Seas, and beans and wheat from Liaodong. Sea vessels rely on monsoon currents; even over thousands of miles, the cost remains lower than struggling upstream against the Yangtze."

"In just two short years, E Province aggressively converted grain fields to cotton. With no one planting rice, food supplies became insufficient. Last year, when the Yangtze flooded and the Han River burst its banks, rice yields plummeted further. By the end of the year, rice prices soared, unscrupulous merchants hoarded goods, and starving refugees raided government granaries. The Crown Prince had no choice but to impose a 'Grain Embargo,' forbidding a single grain from leaving E Province, while desperately diverting grain from Chuan Province. Even so, it left the people of E Province seething with resentment."

"For the past few months, the Investigation of Things School has seized the opportunity to attack the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince and the School of Heavenly Principle have been at daggers drawn. The situation has become explosive."

"If it were a minor error, the Crown Prince could still take a step back to show he is capable of correcting his mistakes. But with a blunder of this magnitude, he cannot afford to retreat even an inch."

"No wonder! It is a pity for the common folk of E Province, being tossed about by this reckless Crown Prince." Chen Wu felt no sympathy for this impulsive Crown Prince; he only thought he deserved it.

"Your Excellency has truly grasped the essence of the Yongjiu School; no wonder you could achieve the Concentration Realm at such a young age." Hearing Chen Wu speak so bluntly about the Crown Prince, Shui Ziyi asked, "Does Your Excellency have any other doubts?"

"None." Pretending to be a master of the Concentration Realm was truly exhausting; Chen Wu just wanted to end this quickly.

Seeing that Chen Wu seemed impatient, Shui Ziyi produced the Sea-Suppressing Medal and said, "Thank you for your time today. I gift this Sea-Suppressing Medal to you. Should you have any needs in the future, simply present this medal to find me."

"Your Excellency needs to lay low for a few days, so I shall not keep you any longer."

"Regardless of whether it was you or not, since Qiao Weisheng is dead, you must give me an explanation." Guo Xuchu said firmly. "If not for you and that master of the Profound Realm forcing me to leave Qiao Weisheng last night, he would not have died in such an inexplicable manner."

"It seems Qiao Weisheng's assassination yesterday was a fake death? I knew it..." Yang Yuchun did not answer, speaking instead of Qiao Weisheng's death.

"There is no point in discussing this further! In short, I give you seven days. If you cannot provide an explanation, I shall use my sword to demand one. Though the Crown Prince holds great power, the Investigation of Things School will not be bullied, and I, Guo Xuchu, certainly will not." Guo Xuchu interrupted Yang Yuchun.

"Master Guo, are you threatening the Crown Prince's Mansion?"

"Before I threaten the Crown Prince's Mansion, I shall threaten you first!"

Swish—

Guo Xuchu swung his scabbard. Yang Yuchun could not even react, letting it slice through the crown on his head.

Snap!

The upper half of the crown was severed as if by a sharp blade, falling straight to the ground.

How can he be this strong? When we fought last night, the Star-Pulling Sword was clearly holding back! Yang Yuchun was inwardly horrified.

"Fine!" Yang Yuchun gritted his teeth, yet uttered words of concession.

"Fine!"

Chen Wu took the Sea-Suppressing Medal and was about to examine it when he saw Shui Ziyi pull a piece of paper from his robes.

It was a banknote from the Zhong'an Bank!

"I truly apologize for keeping the matter of Qiao Weisheng from you. Consider this mere pittance a small compensation." Shui Ziyi said.

"This..." Chen Wu had to maintain his persona as a master and found it difficult to appear so greedy, feeling momentarily conflicted.

Shui Ziyi was an old fox; seeing Chen Wu's hesitation, he immediately offered a way out: "Your Excellency has just accomplished a great feat and needs to find a place to lay low. As the saying goes, 'a poor home, a rich journey.' While hiding, you will inevitably need money."

Then, Shui Ziyi added with a sincere tone, "Furthermore, no one can predict the future. For the sake of my descendants, I have long wished to befriend a master of the Yongjiu School. If you do not accept this, could it be that you think I, Shui Ziyi, am merely a government official unworthy of your acquaintance?"

What a man, Shui Ziyi. No wonder he climbed to the rank of General; he certainly didn't get there just by taking exams!

"In that case, I shall not be overly modest." Chen Wu laughed, accepted the banknote, and rose to take his leave.

As soon as he exited the River-Viewing Tower, Chen Wu ducked into a small alley and utilized his light-body technique to dash away. In an instant, he navigated several twists and turns, arriving beside a waterwheel on the banks of the Yellow River.

This was the location specified on the note Old Ma had given him yesterday, a contact point for the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower.

Yet, there was one—no, a whole group of uninvited guests here!