The Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination had yet to begin, but caravans of foreign merchants had already begun arriving in the Capital City one after another.
The already bustling city grew livelier still.
The court had ordered the curfew lifted for ten consecutive days, until the Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination was over.
So although darkness had fallen, the streets still shone as bright as day.
The Prime Minister's Mansion, however, was unusually quiet.
A few days earlier, Shen Kui had publicly claimed to be gravely ill. He had not only shut his doors to visitors but had also missed court for several days in a row.
From morning till night, he fished and played chess, entirely at his leisure.
But the current game had been stuck in a stalemate for half an hour.
Shen Kui sat up from his recliner, dissatisfied, and glared at his younger son, who was scratching his head across the chessboard. "How did your chess skills get so much worse? Could you spare a little of your energy from between the ladies' sheets?"
Shen Jin gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head helplessly.
He felt that brain matter looked so much like life essence that they had to be the same thing.
If one was depleted too much, the other was bound to suffer.
For instance, ever since Qingqiu Ningning had joined them, he felt as if his mind had sunk into a land of tenderness. He spent every day drunk on pleasure, and his wits had indeed grown dull.
And with troublesome matters weighing on his mind, he simply couldn't focus on the chessboard.
Shen Kui furrowed his brows, then asked thoughtfully, "Your mortal enemy has fallen on hard times. Why haven't you shown the slightest reaction these past few days?"
Shen Jin's heart gave a jolt. He hurriedly smiled and explained, "Didn't you say that nothing good ever comes from getting mixed up with Qin Muye? As your son, shouldn't I listen to my old man?"
Shen Kui thought it over. That was certainly true.
But when had this boy ever been so obedient?
Something felt off.
He was about to ask what was going on when a tall, straight-backed young man strode over.
"Father!"
The young man stopped before Shen Kui and bowed respectfully.
He was Shen Kui's eldest son, Shen Luo, currently an Assistant Secretary of Principal Seventh Rank in the Ministry of Justice.
Shen Kui looked at his eldest son with satisfaction and asked with a beaming smile, "How are things now?"
Shen Luo replied respectfully, "Hu Huan has gone mad with fury this time. He went to the Great Sage Temple and invited many great demons to back him. He swears he'll have Qin Yanying executed."
Shen Kui took an unhurried sip of tea and smiled meaningfully. "They certainly seem confident! When do they plan to hold the trial?"
"The Demon Officials who need to attend will all have arrived tomorrow, so they've scheduled it for then."
Shen Luo's expression grew grave. "Father! Are we really not going to intervene? Now is not the time to turn against the Qin Family. Qin Yanying may be hard to kill, but if she's locked up in a prison run by those Demon Officials, the Southwest may rise in revolt within a few years."
Shen Kui set down his teacup and smiled faintly. "A revolt? Then it depends on whether Qin Kaijiang dares to do it! From today on, you're not to leave the house either. Just watch and wait."
"Father..."
Shen Luo looked doubtful. He knew that the Shen and Qin families had been at odds for a long time, and that a falling-out was inevitable.
But in his view, it was still far too soon to turn against the Qin Family.
Why...
Could it be that his father had already secured a trump card that could easily keep the Southwest in check?
He felt uneasy, but seeing Shen Kui's confidence, he chose to trust his father.
Besides, the Shen Family had good relations with those Demon Officials. If they obstructed them in the name of the so-called greater good and antagonized the Demon Official Group, the only ones to lose out would be the Shen Family.
Still, if those Demon Officials were allowed to do as they pleased, Qin Yanying would likely meet a grim end.
After all, Yayu's standing among the Demon Officials was no empty boast.
The Imperial Princess Mansion.
After hearing Pu Mingzhu's report, Li Xingluo's expression darkened. She couldn't help snorting. "Yayu certainly has pull. He actually managed to summon all those great demons."
Pu Mingzhu sighed softly. "Those old monsters care about their reputations, but as long as they're sitting in the rear court, the presiding judge won't dare ignore them. Imperial Princess, this time..."
She was speaking when the gatekeeper hurried in.
"Imperial Princess, Daoist Kongxu has arrived."
"Show him in at once!"
"Yes!"
Before long, the gatekeeper hurried in with a puppet.
The puppet cupped his hands. "Did the Imperial Princess summon this poor Daoist because there's been progress?"
Li Xingluo nodded, her expression grave. "The situation is dire. This time..."
She explained the current situation in full, then added, "Things are now hanging by a thread. First, we need to break through the Court of State Ceremonial's blockade. Second, we need to win Father Emperor's support. Would you be willing to... present the Flying Boat to Father Emperor?"
"This..."
"I understand your concerns. You built this Flying Boat to strengthen our human race's military, but you're worried that His Majesty's attitude toward the Demon Officials is ambiguous. There's no need to worry about that. Once a man bears a sharp blade, the desire to kill arises of its own accord. Father Emperor is no coward."
"The Imperial Princess makes a good point!"
The puppet nodded. "But how can we break through the Court of State Ceremonial's blockade?"
Li Xingluo pondered for a moment. "This... will take someone willing to risk their life!"
"Who?"
"The complainant, and... members of the Qin Family!"
"Once everything is done, can you clear General Qin's name?"
"We'll do our best to have her held in a Brocade Guard prison."
"..."
The puppet said nothing.
Li Xingluo asked hesitantly, "Are you dissatisfied, Daoist?"
The puppet answered frankly, "I am, a little. You and I have already sacrificed so much, and now the complainant and the Qin Family must risk their lives too, yet all we can secure is this outcome. It's not worth it!"
At his words,
Pu Mingzhu furrowed her brows. Given the Demon Officials' standing today, achieving even this much was no easy feat. Yet this long-nosed priest was still dissatisfied.
Did he really think the Imperial Princess could cover the sky with one hand?
Just as she was about to say something,
Li Xingluo asked, "Do you have a better plan?"
The puppet thought for a moment. "I do have one, but it will require the Imperial Princess to take a risk. If it works, not only will we have a chance to clear General Qin's name completely, we'll also make those blood-drinking, hair-eating beasts learn what it means to pay the price!"
"I'm all ears!"
Li Xingluo looked surprised. She hadn't expected him to dare make such a bold promise.
The puppet's voice brimmed with murderous intent.
She admired him even more for it!
Pu Mingzhu, however, was unconvinced. She thought he was acting as if he were some kind of immortal.
But after the puppet finished speaking,
both women froze and stared at each other for a long while.
It took them quite some time to recover.
Only then did Li Xingluo exclaim, "You truly are a divine genius, Daoist!"
She had thought he merely had a few immature ideas.
But his tactics for winning allies and sowing division were downright ruthless.
And highly practical!
The puppet waved a hand. "That can all wait. Until we rescue General Qin, everything else is just empty talk."
Li Xingluo couldn't help sighing. "They say that when all demons come to court in Great Gan, it marks a rare age of prosperity. What a pity that a reign founded on this must also perish by it. The price paid for this false prosperity is simply too great. Who could have imagined that merely trying to rescue General Qin would involve such a risk?"
Pu Mingzhu asked with a frown, "Imperial Princess! Do you think Qin Muye... will dare?"
Li Xingluo wasn't sure either. "I only hope these past few years in the Capital City haven't worn down his spirit, and that he'll show as much guts as he did when the Heir Apparent offered his marrow!"
Puppet: "..."
There was no curfew in the Capital City.
By the hour of the Dog, even the city gates remained open. People came and went in an endless stream.
To ensure the Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination could proceed smoothly, Imperial Guards from all over had been deployed to check the vehicles and pedestrians entering the city.
"Hold it!"
A junior Imperial Guard officer stopped a carriage and glanced at the two rows of guards behind it.
The carriage was completely ordinary.
But the men behind it clearly had an air much like his own, and their presence was even stronger. Each one led a tall horse, and none looked like an ordinary commoner.
Soldiers!
And elite ones!
He rapped on the carriage door. "Who are you?"
A handsome young man lifted the curtain and smiled as he handed out a nameplate. "The Qin Family. Qin Mingri!"
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