"You mean that little girl was taken away by the Confucian School scholars?"
In an inn, Wang Hao stared at Xie Feng with a gloomy expression, his starry eyes flashing with a chilling light.
He was truly furious!
Originally, he wanted to go to the martial arts Guanzhong and bring the young girl from the martial arts school he had taken a liking to with him to the capital, or perhaps instead bring her to the Treasure Island of Ryukyu to grow and develop.
They encountered Xie Feng, who had come looking for them, but learned from him that the little girl had already been taken away by the Confucian School.
"Hmph! It's definitely related to that guy Qin Yan. I hope you don't hurt that little girl, otherwise the Confucian School really has no reason to exist!"
Wang Hao's murderous intent surged to its peak, and his perception of Confucian School diminished significantly once again.
Although he was only targeting the Confucian School First Tier, not Confucianism as a whole, the Confucian School ' actions were really too much, actually scheming against a little girl.
This is something he absolutely cannot tolerate!
If he weren't currently lacking the strength to directly confront the eight major branches of Confucian School, he would have already stormed their doorstep.
"My lord, this is a letter left by the Confucian School at that martial arts school!"
Xie Feng took out a letter from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Wang Hao. This was the letter he had obtained from that martial arts school.
He had long been aware of some of his master's plans and had paid attention to those he valued. After the little girl was taken away by the Confucian School, he rushed over immediately and obtained this letter.
"A letter? I think it's a challenge!"
With a cold snort, he shattered the envelope, revealing the letter inside.
Just as he expected, the letter was a challenge, written entirely in classical Chinese, which was quite sophisticated. The gist of it was that he was invited to Chang'an next year when the peach blossoms were in full bloom for a meeting.
He learned a lot about Confucian School from Li Jishi, including the locations of the eight major branches of Confucian School.
One of the branches is based in Chang'an City, which is the family Qin Yan belongs to. Obviously, his previous guess was correct; this matter is indeed related to Qin Yan.
Furthermore, the target of this challenge was Peerless Sword Saint Dugu Jian, the very same alias he used when he roamed the martial arts world of Guanzhong.
"I hope you don't do anything you'll regret before then!"
Wang Hao crushed the letter into dust, his face ashen.
The young girl from the martial arts school was innocent; he only got caught up in this mess because he Shi Xing whim. If anything were to happen to her, he would never have peace of mind for the rest of his life.
If that were truly the case, then the entire Confucian School would have to be buried with that little girl.
"Continue to set up operations in the areas of the Mount Tai Sword Sect and the Mount Song Sword Sect, especially the Mount Song Sword Sect, which is adjacent to the Shaomu Temple and the Wudang Sect. Be careful there."
After giving Xie Feng, Wang Hao, along with his silent adopted daughter Zhu Ruoxue, got up and left the inn. They boarded a boat and headed east along the Yellow River, then changed course to the Grand Canal, heading straight for the capital.
He had originally intended to take the little girl from the martial arts school with him, but this unexpected turn of events forced him to put her aside for the time being and head to the capital instead.
Traveling by water was extremely fast, and with the wind at their backs, they arrived at the east gate of the capital in just five days.
This time, Wang Hao did not wear a bamboo hat to conceal his identity. Instead, he directly entered the city disguised as Zhu Yanzu and headed straight for the palace.
He was being watched as soon as he disembarked and arrived at the dock, and by more than one group of people.
After all, he has caused quite a stir in the martial arts world recently. Not to mention the martial arts circles in Jiangnan, several pseudonyms, such as Dugu Jian, were invited in his name.
Using these two pseudonyms, especially the one called "Wuming," which caused such a huge stir, Zhu Yanzu's pseudonym naturally also gained some attention.
His portrait had long been known throughout the martial arts world, so it was not surprising that he was recognized so quickly.
However, he didn't care much about it; as long as these people didn't make a move, he wouldn't bother with them.
These people were sensible enough, or perhaps the commotion they caused using the pseudonym "Wuming" was too alarming, so they didn't dare to assassinate him. In the end, they arrived at the gate of the Da Ming Imperial Palace without incident.
At that moment, a group of people were already standing there to greet them. The leader was an old acquaintance, none other than Cao Haisheng, the head of the Eastern Depot.
"This old servant is here on His Majesty's orders to respectfully welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!"
When Wang Hao approached, Cao Haisheng respectfully knelt on one knee to greet him.
Although he was the head of the Eastern Depot, he was ultimately just a servant of the Da Ming emperor, and his status was not comparable to that of a normal court official. When he saw Wang Hao, a member of the hidden lineage of the Da Ming royal family who had been tricked out of his identity, he naturally had to kneel down to greet him.
However, since he was still considered Half-step Innate expert, he only needed to kneel on one knee.
"You must be Cao Haisheng, the eunuch of the Eastern Depot? I've heard my father mention you before. You're quite good, much better than those greedy eunuchs of the past."
Wang Hao nodded approvingly; he truly admired Cao Haisheng.
This old fellow was considered one of the most upright officials among all the eunuchs of the Eastern Depot. Although he accepted a lot of bribes from others, he never took the initiative to be greedy, and he had a strong moral compass. He would never do anything that would harm the Da Ming's imperial family.
No wonder this person was able to rise to the position of Director of the Eastern Depot and become a confidant of Emperor Mingde; he certainly had some skills.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness!"
Cao Haisheng's old face beamed with joy, clearly delighted by Wang Hao's praise.
It should be noted that this person is different from other members of the royal family. Although it is still impossible to determine which hidden lineage he belongs to, Wheel-Turning King, His Majesty the Emperor, and even the royal ancestor all attach great importance to him.
In terms of status, he was much higher than those princes.
To receive such affirmation and praise from this person is no small feat.
"Work hard. Although you can only be servants of the Da Ming royal family and your status is not as high as those disloyal courtiers, you are the true confidants and most trustworthy people of the Da Ming royal family. In the future, you will have to serve the royal family more."
Wang Hao offered another word of encouragement, since saying something nice didn't cost much, and he really needed Cao Haisheng and the Eastern Depot.
"This old servant will swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"
Cao Haisheng knelt solemnly on both knees, his face full of seriousness and earnestness. He dared not be careless about this matter, and at the same time, he was extremely excited.
He had heard similar words from Wang Hao back then, but he never expected that this legendary hidden heir would also have such a view. How could he not be excited?
"Take me to see the Ninth Imperial Uncle!"
Nodding in satisfaction, Wang Hao gestured for Cao Haisheng to get up and take him to meet Emperor Mingde.
Based on the identity he initially claimed to have, he was of the same generation as the current princes, and could therefore address Emperor Mingde as his imperial uncle.
At the time, I didn't think too far ahead, but now it has provided him with a lot of convenience. At least when he meets those princes and princesses in the palace, he won't have to kneel and pay his respects as a junior.
As a well-rounded individual of the new era, if he were to come to an ancient environment and had sufficient strength, he would not want to be subservient even to the emperor of his time.
This is his unyielding spirit, which cannot be changed!
"Your Highness, please follow this old servant!"
Cao Haisheng quickly stood up, gestured for Wang Hao to follow, and then stood beside Wang Hao to lead the way.
A squad of imperial guards followed quickly behind, forming the escort team.
The Da Ming palace was very large, and it took the group more than half Tokiomi to reach the imperial study.
Cao Haisheng went in first to report, and shortly afterward Wang Hao to come in for an audience.
"Hidden lineage member Zhu Yanzu greets Ninth Imperial Uncle and the Ancestor!"
Upon entering the imperial study, Wang Hao solemnly bowed to Emperor Mingde, who was seated in the main seat, and then turned to bow to the screen beside him as well.
Indeed, there was another person Feng Hou, and he was a veteran Xiantian Grandmaster of the Innate Realm.
Although the other party was trying their best to conceal their aura, they were still detected by his powerful perception.
Of course, he only vaguely sensed Sisi was wrong. It was only after realizing something was amiss that he decisively had Xiao Mengmeng activate the system's Treasure-Seeking Function, which confirmed the other party's terrifying cultivation level.
This is a Xiantian Grandmaster of Innate Realm, an existence even more terrifying than Dugu Qiubai.
There was only one Xiantian Grandmaster Realm in the entire Da Ming imperial family. He was Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Great Emperor Hongwu of the Da Ming Dynasty. He was a contemporary of the eight old monsters of the eight major branches of Confucian School.
Now that he had noticed this person's presence, he naturally wouldn't pretend he didn't see him.
Because seeing through it makes it easier to deceive people later!
"You actually sensed my presence; you're truly extraordinary!"
An extremely old man stepped out from Feng Hou. Emperor Mingde and Wheel-Turning King, who were sitting in chairs, quickly stood up and offered the main seat to the old man.
Although they currently hold very high positions, especially Emperor Mingde, who can be considered supreme, they are far inferior to this ancestor, and dare not show the slightest disrespect.
That's right, this old man who is nearing the end of his life is none other than Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
Zhu Yuanzhang, now seated in the main seat, curiously sized up Wang Hao, who stood below him, clearly showing considerable interest in this suddenly appearing junior.
"There's no other way. Although that old guy, the Great Heavenly Demon's, Demon Seed has many hidden dangers, it also has some extraordinary and useful functions, one of which is sensing powerful individuals within a certain range."
With a helpless shrug, Wang Hao made no attempt to conceal the fact that he possessed the Great Heavenly Demon Seed.
That's right, he's ready to embark on another deception journey, with the goal of completely fooling even the founding Great Emperor.
"You've been cast into a furnace by that Great Heavenly Demon? Is there any way to break free?"
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, his snow-white eyebrows furrowing; he disliked anything that wasn't under his control.
The Old Zhu Household had finally produced an outstanding descendant, and he didn't want it to be ruined like this.
"Thank you for your concern, Ancestor!"
He first nodded and thanked Zhu Yuanzhang, then his face fell, and he helplessly said, "There are indeed methods to eliminate the Demon Seed, and more than one, but they are all unrealistic."
Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak, but gestured for Wang Hao to continue.
"There are three ways to break the Demon Seed: first, kill that old guy, the Great Heavenly Demon; second, ask a Shattering Realm expert to forcibly break the Demon Seed at the cost of exhausting their power; and third, wait until I break through to the Shattering Realm and then refine the Demon Seed myself."
None of these three points are easy to achieve!
Wang Hao continued with a long, pained expression, speaking with great seriousness.
He certainly didn't have superb acting skills, and it was obviously unrealistic to think that he could fool such an old monster who had lived for over two hundred years with acting skills alone.
Not to mention that the other party had been an emperor for decades, and his control over people's hearts was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Therefore, in order to successfully deceive someone, he must first convince himself that it is true.
As early as when he was traveling by boat to the capital, he used hypnosis to hypnotize himself on the boat, so that he could believe everything he had said before, and thus express himself more naturally and eliminate any flaws.
Therefore, he is not simply a fabricated member of the hidden lineage of the Da Ming royal family, Zhu Yanzu, but the real Zhu Yanzu!
At least he personally believes it to be true!