"Your Lordship must be joking," Li Duoshou said, breaking the silence. "Suppressing the Literati would only be incidental, never the goal."
"This is a matter of mutual benefit. I won't pretend I'm doing you a favor. Hou Andu and I have a grudge; even without Prince of Ancheng's arrangements, I would make my move. There's no need to hide that. But you should lay your cards on the table too."
Chen Cuo sat motionless, his expression unchanged. Looking at the man who had attained Longevity, he said calmly, "If I kill Hou Andu in public, it will inevitably cause an uproar, and the repercussions won't be small. I'm not afraid, but it would be rather troublesome if my mortal kin were dragged into it."
Li Duoshou narrowed his eyes. "Are you so certain you can kill Hou Andu, Your Lordship?" His words carried a deeper meaning. "Hou Andu has dominated for years. Whether among the righteous and the underworld, in officialdom, or in the Cultivation World, he has stood firm. He hasn't managed that on reputation alone. He has helpers at his side and, it seems, backing behind him. When his life is on the line, who knows what trump cards he might reveal!"
Chen Cuo smiled. "If I make my move and fail to kill Hou Andu, he'll kill me instead. If that happens, there's nothing more to discuss. He will have killed a member of the Imperial Clan on the spot. However silver-tongued his defense, he'll give others a handle to use against him. Suppressing him through official channels afterward won't be difficult. Besides, he's bound to the Chen clan's Fortune. If he kills a member of that clan when he isn't of Chen blood himself, he'll have neither right nor reason on his side and will surely