Chapter 103 - 91: Emperor Xi’s Map

Chapter 103: Chapter 91: Emperor Xi’s Map

"Father, I have something to tell you."

After the father and son chatted for a while, Zeng Anmin’s expression turned grave.

"Mhm." Seeing his eldest son’s expression, his father nodded slowly and headed toward the study. "Come with me."

Upon entering the study, his father slowly sat down and looked at Zeng Anmin expressionlessly. "What happened?"

His father was basically used to his eldest son’s temperament. Whenever he specifically sought him out to talk, it was bound to be something extremely important. Every time he spoke with Zeng Anmin in private, his father would hear some rather significant news.

Zeng Anmin chose to keep the long story short, his face revealing his seriousness. "I went to the Profound Array Department yesterday."

Hearing this, his father looked slightly dazed, furrowing his brows. "Did you use that girl’s Jade Pendant to get in?"

Evidently, Zeng Shilin still remembered the girl from the Profound Array Department who had come to Liangjiang Commandery back then.

"Nothing escapes you!" Zeng Anmin gave his father a thumbs-up.

It was apparent that his father had a fairly good understanding of the Profound Array Department. No wonder Celestial Master Xu had asked him to pass on his regards to his father when they met yesterday. It seemed his father and Celestial Master Xu had a pretty good relationship.

"Continue." His father, being meticulous, naturally knew that his eldest son wouldn’t have sought him out just to say this.

"I originally sought out Ms. Sai Chuxue just to get a suitable bow to assist my Archery Skill." Zeng Anmin’s expression grew solemn. "However, I didn’t expect Ms. Sai to reveal a hidden secret."

At this point, he met his father’s gaze, his voice turning deep and mysterious. "Father, do you remember when I accidentally entered the Illusion Array at the Eastern Palace?"

"Wang Qianzhi?" His father’s voice turned icy. The father and son had discussed this matter after leaving the Eastern Palace back then.

"Yes. Actually, before entering the Illusion Array, I smelled a refreshing fragrance in the Eastern Palace." Zeng Anmin paused, leaving a gap for his father to speak.

"Clearing Incense?" his father asked with a frown.

"No, it was Agarwood." Zeng Anmin shook his head, his voice becoming resolute. "The main ingredient of Clearing Incense is too expensive, so a disciple from the Profound Array Department used a substitute. Although the effect is the same, it creates a side effect."

Zeng Anmin paused for a moment.

His father listened intently and subconsciously asked, "What side effect?"

"After smelling Agarwood, one cannot come into contact with any Array; otherwise, it will cause severe mental unrest!"

Upon hearing this, his father abruptly lifted his head. His eyes shone with a sharp light as he looked at Zeng Anmin. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure!" Zeng Anmin’s face was extremely serious.

"In that case, Prince Qi’s Mansion is colluding with a Direct Disciple of the Profound Array Department?!" His father suddenly stood up, his voice unexpectedly trembling a little.

"Uh... you don’t need to react so strongly, right?" Zeng Anmin felt that his father had lost his usual composure after hearing this news.

"PHEW." His father took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Do you know about the massacre of the Earl of Zhongyuan’s estate seven years ago?"

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin was taken aback, then blinked. "The day before yesterday, when I returned to the mansion, I heard Hu Zi ask me who his biological father was. So today, I went to the Imperial College to look through some books... I heard that An Lin’s husband was accused of defecting to the Demon Race."

"Preposterous!" His father’s voice suddenly rose, his gaze turning extremely gloomy. "Duan Yuheng reached the Fifth Grade of Martial Arts at the age of sixteen! As an unparalleled genius of Martial Arts, how could he be bewitched by the Demon Race on the battlefield and cultivate that Demon Blood Martial Dao?!"

"Could there be some hidden circumstances behind this?"

"I don’t know the exact details, but it absolutely cannot be separated from two words." His father’s gaze deepened as he slowly spat out, "Partisan strife."

Partisan strife?

Zeng Anmin frowned. He didn’t know much about court politics, so he could only sit quietly in his chair.

Zeng Shilin took a slow breath and looked out the window, his voice ringing in his son’s ears. "Seven years ago, Ji Qing, Prince Qi, and King Jiang had not yet risen to power. For that Yin Wu demon-extermination war, His Majesty originally intended to invite the old Earl of Zhongyuan, Lord Duan, who was the Imperial City Director at the time, to come out of retirement and take command.

"However, Lord Duan was already terminally ill at the time and declined the matter.

"The Chief Eunuch in the court, Si Zhongxiao, then recommended talents to His Majesty. This was how Ji Qing and Prince Qi entered His Majesty’s sights.

"But the old Earl of Zhongyuan had always been at odds with the Eunuch Faction..."

At this point, his father’s face was filled with coldness. He looked up at Zeng Anmin. "Therefore, the excuse of colluding with the Demon Race was merely a ploy to frame a loyal subject.

"After Lord Duan died of illness, the Eunuch Faction used the merits from the Yin Wu demon-extermination war to successfully take the Imperial City Department under their control."

So there were such convoluted twists and turns involved.

"The old Earl of Zhongyuan treated me well. Although I couldn’t overturn the verdict for his son, I have been collecting evidence of King Jiang and Prince Qi’s crimes all these years." Zeng Shilin’s gaze was indifferent. "Now that King Jiang has been dealt with, Prince Qi is next."

So that was it!!

"Then An Lin..." Zeng Anmin looked at his father tentatively.

"That girl An Lin has had a bitter fate..." His father sighed softly. "Back then, I ran around frantically and pulled countless strings just to save her and Hu Zi."

Zeng Anmin asked in a deep voice, "Then what do you plan to do next?"

His father’s eyes flickered with a sharp light. "Do you know what His Majesty taboos the most in the imperial court?"

"What?" Zeng Anmin knew practically nothing about court politics, so how could he know?

"The Profound Array Department is Celestial Master Xu’s residence. Under his protection, many disciples can run rampant in the capital.

"So, in order to restrain those disciples, Emperor Wu established a rule with Celestial Master Xu back then."

After Zeng Shilin finished speaking, a cold sneer slowly crept up the corners of his mouth. "Disciples of the Profound Array Department are forbidden from interfering in politics!"