Chapter 178 - 124: Dad: Dare to Hurt My Son? All of You, Die!

Chapter 178: Chapter 124: Dad: Dare to Hurt My Son? All of You, Die!

"Quan Fu, my friend, you really are a prophet! The Jishui Dam crisis has been resolved by yours truly.

"This mission has been a complete success. I’ll bring back something good for you; you’ll definitely love it."

"That’s very thoughtful of you, Bai," Zeng Anmin replied.

Zeng Anmin withdrew his Vast Righteous Qi from the Communication Talisman, and the pristine white paper grew dim. A profound look flashed through his eyes as he let out a slow breath and gazed out the window. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sharp.

Next, he needed to find his father. He definitely had to tell him about this matter first so he could be prepared.

Later that night.

"Dad! Are you still sleeping?! It’s already this late! How can you sleep?!"

Zeng Anmin pounded on the door just like he always did. It was the dead of night, yet his hands hammered out a rapid rhythm, his tone urgent.

His father, however, didn’t complain. He remembered that the last time his precious son had banged on the door and interrupted his sweet dreams, Prince Qi fell from power. Therefore, even though he was startled awake, Zeng Shilin took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and patiently got out of bed.

CREAK.

Zeng Shilin opened the door, looking at Zeng Anmin with an expressionless face. "What is it?"

"Let’s talk inside," Zeng Anmin said seriously.

"Mm."

Inside the room.

The two sat in chairs, the flickering candlelight casting serious shadows across both their faces.

"Are you saying that someone tried to assassinate you, but you killed them instead?" Zeng Shilin could no longer hide the intense murderous intent in his eyes. It was obvious that if his precious son hadn’t had his own fortuitous encounters, he would have received the devastating news of his death tonight. His voice was laced with a deep chill.

"Yes."

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath. This was the first time he had seen such intense, undisguised killing intent from his father.

"What methods did the assassin use?" Zeng Shilin asked, his eyes completely still as he stared straight at Zeng Anmin.

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin slowly raised his head. He knew his father wanted to track down the assassin’s identity. Meeting his father’s gaze, he answered frankly, "I saw him at Fa’an Temple before. If I’m right, he is also the assassin responsible for Prince Qi’s death. It perfectly coincides with the time Ren Weizhi went to Fa’an Temple."

Zeng Shilin frowned slightly as he listened to Zeng Anmin’s slow recounting. After a long while, he slowly looked up, his gaze profound. "Are you sure you saw that assassin head toward the Yellow Oriole Nunnery back at Fa’an Temple?"

"Yellow Oriole Nunnery?" Zeng Anmin blinked, then understood and nodded. "Yes, if that small nunnery behind Fa’an Temple is called the Yellow Oriole Nunnery."

"There is only one Nunnery behind Fa’an Temple, and it’s called the Yellow Oriole Nunnery," Zeng Shilin explained. "It was the sanctuary Imperial Consort Xi retreated to for self-preservation after losing her struggle against the Empress years ago."

Zeng Anmin was momentarily stunned, then blinked and said, "The Empress is surprisingly nice, then."

He wondered, "Did she not wipe her out completely?"

Zeng Shilin’s mouth twitched before he let out a sigh. "Imperial Consort Xi hails from Duke Ning’s Mansion. No matter what, she comes from noble lineage. Four years ago, Duke Ning personally petitioned His Majesty, which was the only reason His Majesty brought her back to the inner palace. However, the Crown Prince’s position is already secure. With the Empress’s status elevated by her son, Imperial Consort Xi knows she has lost her power. These past few years, she has kept a low profile in the inner palace, not daring to step out of line."

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Could the mastermind behind Ren Weizhi be... Imperial Consort Xi?!"

Zeng Shilin frowned slightly at those words. After a long silence, he shook his head and shifted his gaze out the window. "Not to mention an Imperial Consort who has lost power, even if it were the Empress who rules the inner palace, Ren Weizhi is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Why would he need to entangle himself with her?"

That made sense. Zeng Anmin furrowed his brows. The underlying meaning of his father’s words was: what was in it for Ren Weizhi?

He wondered, "Does he have a thing for older women?"

"But we can’t rule it out," Zeng Anmin said, looking at his father seriously.

Zeng Shilin remained expressionless, but a dark chill flashed through his eyes. His slightly aged face radiated a heart-stopping murderous intent. "It doesn’t matter who is behind the curtain. I must let everyone in the Capital City know that, no matter the circumstances, anyone who dares to touch my son will meet only one end."

With that, he slowly stood up and walked to the window. The dim, flickering candlelight stretched his shadow across the room.

Zeng Anmin secretly gave his father a thumbs-up. He thought, "So badass! This is my dad! My wonderful dad!" He felt genuinely touched.

"Did you say earlier that when Bai Ziqing was hunting down the Eastern Sect spy, the spy traveled south unimpeded?" Zeng Shilin’s voice drifted over quietly.

"Yeah." Zeng Anmin blanked out for a moment.

"That’s enough." Zeng Shilin slowly raised his head, his eyes glinting with cold determination. "I am going to help Lou Yingqi eliminate his dissidents and secure the Minister seat in one fell swoop."

Huh?

Zeng Anmin looked up in confusion, only seeing his father’s thin back. He was gaunt, yet stood as unyielding as solid rock. "What do you mean?" Zeng Anmin felt like his brain was short-circuiting as he stared blankly at him.

"Heh." A terrifying smile crept onto Zeng Shilin’s face. He slowly turned around, fixing his gaze on Zeng Anmin. "You can still contact Bai Ziqing, right?"

"Mm." Zeng Anmin nodded thoughtfully.

"Tell him to..."

Outside the Eastern Palace.

Ren Xueliang stood at the gates, his face full of apology. "Exposing Your Highness’s identity at the Imperial College was truly an accident. It was absolutely not intentional, and I beg for Your Highness’s forgiveness..."

He spoke loudly, his voice filled with remorse. Seeing that no one answered, he simply dropped to his knees.

The young eunuch on duty at the door merely watched him with an expressionless face.