Chapter 413 - 220: Human Pillar and Sacrifice

Chapter 413: Chapter 220: Human Pillar and Sacrifice

April skies are always accompanied by a continuous, fine drizzle.

The streets bustled with pedestrians holding aloft colorful paper umbrellas.

Zheng’s Coachmen worked diligently, rushing through the main streets and small alleys as they hustled for fares.

As they dashed about, hearty laughter and rhythmic whistles echoed throughout the Imperial City, causing passersby to pause and smile—Zheng’s Coachmen had long since become one of the two unique sights of the Imperial City.

The other unique sight, however, had recently vanished: a sky full of Ravens, all falling at once.

The sight of several thousand Ravens dropping dead from the sky in unison had sent the common people into a panic, who thought it a sign of a coming catastrophe from Heaven. But an announcement from an officials’ family quickly dispelled the rumor, claiming no such thing had happened. Still, the officials couldn’t cobble together a reasonable explanation for why it occurred.

Of course, food, clothing, shelter, and transport are the fundamentals of life. With their lives now peaceful and prosperous, the common folk soon forgot the matter.

Qing Shisan and Zheng Xiu were still chatting idly under the eaves.

He had set things in motion without ever stepping outside.

With time on his hands, Zheng Xiu thought for a moment and, on a whim, had someone commission a batch of limited-edition paper umbrellas.

The umbrella ribs were to be inlaid with gold and jade, and printed with the phrase "Beckon Wealth." Limited to eighty-eight pieces, each with a unique serial number, they would cost thirty taels to make and sell for six hundred sixty-six taels of silver—a clear scheme to fleece the city’s rich.

The selling point was a hidden mechanism within the frame that could shoot steel needles, making it an essential item for home, travel, roaming the Jianghu, and even murder and robbery.

If all went well, he could turn a profit of over fifty thousand taels of silver.

The joys of the rich were just that simple and unadorned—purely raking in the cash.

When Qing Shisan heard the plan, his face lit up with a grin. He praised his lord’s brilliance and went to make the arrangements.

The Zheng Clan had countless capable people, and its Craftsmen were second to none. Creating a Treasure Umbrella with a hidden mechanism would be a simple matter.

When Qing Shisan asked his lord why he had suddenly decided to dabble in such a "retro" gadget, Zheng Xiu just smiled and said nothing.

"Meow!"

Little Feng Miao leaped down from the side in a flurry, landing right in Zheng Xiu’s arms. It found a comfortable spot, curled up, and lay perfectly still with its eyes squinted shut.

Zheng Xiu habitually stroked Little Feng Miao’s fur. It was soft and smooth. ’Seems like she’s gotten fatter,’ he thought.

As he kept petting her, Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but chuckle. He had just remembered that this cat wasn’t the one he and Feng Bei had raised in the World in the Painting.

"Since when did you get so close to me?"

Zheng Xiu chuckled, speaking to the little cat in his arms.

He vaguely recalled that whenever he had tried to play with the Orange Cat before, he would scare it into a look of pure shock.

"Mrowr..."

The Orange Cat squinted, rolled over, and presented her belly-up, as if inviting Zheng Xiu to scratch it.

[Idiot Meow.]

Zheng Xiu’s hand, which had been stroking the cat’s rear, froze. He clapped his hands over his ears in astonishment.

’An auditory hallucination?’

’What the hell kind of translation is this [Foreign Language] ability giving me?’

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

The Orange Cat rolled around happily in Zheng Xiu’s arms.

She looked for all the world like a cat that was very close to Zheng Xiu, not one that would curse at people.

Just then, Qing Shisan spoke, drawing Zheng Xiu’s attention.

"My lord, there is a matter that I’m sure you will find interesting."

Zheng Xiu continued to play with the cat. "Go on," he said to Qing Shisan.

"Do you recall the matter of selecting an heir during the Wei Royal Family’s ancestral worship ceremony on the third day of the third month, just before your illness?"

Zheng Xiu froze. A hundred years had passed; if Qing Shisan hadn’t brought it up, he truly would have forgotten.

In truth, the matter had little to do with him. It made no difference to him who was chosen as heir, and he had never intended to get involved. Consequently, when the two Princes had separately extended their olive branches, Zheng Xiu had politely declined them in various ways.

But now that Qing Shisan had mentioned it, Zheng Xiu’s interest was piqued. Logically, while the selection of an heir wouldn’t necessarily lead to open bloodshed, hidden struggles were inevitable. With a calm expression, Zheng Xiu asked what happened next.

"Heh," Qing Shisan said with a dry laugh, taking a puff from his long-stemmed pipe. "Back then, when you were struck by that sudden, grave illness, my lord, the entire Zheng Clan lost its backbone. We were all like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, terrified the fire would spread to us."

"It’s said that the Second Prince nearly fled south to forge his own path."

Zheng Xiu wracked his brain, trying to recall.

After a hundred years, it wasn’t easy to put faces to the names from the past.

Seeing Zheng Xiu frowning in frustrated thought, Qing Shisan kindly reminded him, "The most arrogant and domineering one."

’Oh, right.’

’The kid who asked me if I knew how to spell ’death’.’

Zheng Xiu nodded. "I remember him. What happened after?"

"I secretly gathered quite a bit of information from Lord Jiang. That’s Jiang Gaoyi, the one who is very close to you, my lord. He’s now Lord Jiang, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice." Qing Shisan had noticed that his lord seemed to have "forgotten" many things after his recovery, so he made sure to offer these helpful reminders. Zheng Xiu was very pleased with Qing Shisan’s perceptiveness and gave him an encouraging smile. Qing Shisan continued:

"First, the Eldest Prince paid a hefty sum to invite the Great Scholar Ximen Bei to his residence for a chat. Under pressure, Ximen Bei wrote two autobiographies for the Eldest Prince, which were then widely circulated. The books spent a great deal of ink extolling the Prince’s many deeds—claiming he was well-versed in poetry and literature, that he went to the countryside to provide disaster relief, and that he was a master of the four arts of zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting."

"The common people didn’t understand the intricacies, but after reading the books, talk of the Eldest Prince became much more common among the populace."

Zheng Xiu listened quietly as the Orange Cat rolled over again.

"Mrowr... Meow!"

[Dumbass Meow.]

This time, Zheng Xiu seemed to understand it again.

The Orange Cat was cursing the Eldest Prince.

"Nice one."

Zheng Xiu patted the cat’s bottom with a smile.

The Orange Cat rolled its eyes, a remarkably human-like expression.

Qing Shisan shot Zheng Xiu a strange look.

"It’s nothing. Keep talking, I’m listening."

"Right, there’s one more thing about the Eldest Prince. It’s said that one night in the Imperial Palace, he was attacked by an assassin in his chambers. The Eldest Prince ended up completely unharmed. Based on the clues, it’s been deduced that the Eldest Prince... very likely possesses a profound Path Mystic Skill."