Chapter 215 - 101: The Prime Minister’s Mansion Wants Jian Jia?; Lan’Er Need Only Wait 3 Days

"What’s the connection?"

Xiao Teng was still completely baffled. Of course he’d heard of Jingyang City’s infamous scion—the name was practically legendary. There was no way he wouldn’t have.

He just held the man in utter contempt and made a point to never associate with him.

People cherish their reputations, and as a renowned young Celestial Pride of the Imperial Capital, surrounded by a dazzling aura of glory, this was especially true for him.

"The Prime Minister intends to lay a cultivation foundation for him. Some time ago, he sent a letter with the intent of trading for our Xiao Family’s Moon Phoenix Stone. Not only that, but I’ve also heard that even His Majesty Emperor Xia received a letter and personally ordered for the remains of a young Immortal Phoenix to be sent from the national treasury. As for Duke Zhongguo’s Mansion, they sent a mysterious Feather overnight..." Xiao He said gravely.

None of this was exactly a secret in the Imperial Capital.

Xiao Teng froze for a moment, then quickly put the pieces together.

They were all related to the Phoenix Race.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. His expression darkened, and a cold, murderous glint gathered in his eyes.

"Don’t tell me... Don’t tell me the Prime Minister’s Mansion wants the Xie Family to hand over Jian Jia?" His voice trembled, laced with extreme fury.

He knew that at Xie Jianjia’s birth, the phantom of an otherworldly Immortal Phoenix had appeared. It spread its wings and soared, then transformed into a beam of divine light that descended and sank into the space between her eyebrows.

The old Grand Tutor had stated unequivocally that the Xie Family had received the Immortal Phoenix’s protection and that their fortunes would prosper for the next hundred years.

Xie Jianjia was even granted the title of Princess Xiahuang by Emperor Xia, along with a fiefdom and thousands of servants.

Of course, this was only an honorary title incorporating the imperial name, but it clearly showed how highly Emperor Xia regarded her.

At the age of seven, Xie Jianjia was carried away by a white crane and traveled abroad for three years.

Afterward, in a place called Luohuang Cave, she obtained a drop of Immortal Phoenix True Blood.

For all these years, Xie Jianjia had been trying to refine that drop of True Blood, a process that had caused some health problems.

This was why Xiao Teng had been so desperate to find wood from an Ancient Phoenix Tree to help her suppress the side effects.

Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, had fully expected the furious expression on Xiao Teng’s face.

He let out a faint sigh, feeling utterly helpless. His silence was a tacit confirmation of Xiao Teng’s question.

"This is outrageous! How could the Xie Family possibly agree to the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s unreasonable demands? What do they take Jian Jia for?" Xiao Teng’s face was ashen with rage, and his entire body trembled.

As Xie Jianjia’s fiancé, this was tantamount to having his own dignity trampled into the dirt.

"I have no idea what kind of incredible opportunity that Jiang Lan stumbled upon to make the Prime Minister go to such lengths, gathering all sorts of Heaven and Earth Treasures for him. Jian Jia has a drop of Immortal Phoenix True Blood in her body, and that’s why she’s being targeted..." Xiao He’s brow was deeply furrowed, puzzled by the situation himself.

He knew his son was deeply in love with Xie Jianjia and would be furious upon hearing this news.

But for now, there was nothing else to be done. The only thing he could do was visit National Master Ge Qixing later and see if he had a solution.

After all, the National Master had been instrumental in arranging the engagement between Xiao Teng and Xie Jianjia in the first place.

"Father, will Jian Jia be sent to the Sword Sect in a few days?"

After a moment, Xiao Teng calmed down and looked to Xiao He for an answer.

"Three days from now. In three days, personnel from the Observatory will personally escort her to a Sword Sect. As for which specific Sword Sect, I’m not yet clear," Xiao He said.

This was actually by His Majesty Emperor Xia’s design. He likely guessed that complications might arise during the journey, so he has yet to decree her final destination.

Xiao Teng nodded. Now that he knew the Prime Minister’s Mansion was targeting Xie Jianjia, they would surely try to intercept and abduct her on the road to the Sword Sect in three days’ time.

It was a plot in plain sight. Everyone knew it, and even His Majesty Emperor Xia saw it with perfect clarity.

He now faced two choices. The first was to find a way to intercept Xie Jianjia in three days, spirit her away, and find a place for her to live in anonymity.

The second was to escort her safely to the Sword Sect. On the Sword Sect’s turf, the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s reach, no matter how long, couldn’t possibly extend that far. After all, they had to consider the stability of the entire Great Xia, and the Royal Family wouldn’t simply turn a blind eye.

But knowing Xie Jianjia’s personality, she would never accept the first option.

Her kinsmen were still languishing in prison, suffering torture and humiliation. How could she possibly live in peace and anonymity, turning her back on the Xie Family’s plight?

That left only the second option.

...

While all of Jingyang City was in an uproar over the news that the Imperial Censor’s Xie Family had colluded with Demons—with the entire family thrown into prison and taken into the custody of the Observatory—within the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Jiang Lan was also learning of this from his father.

As for why his father had moved against the Xie Family, it was because Jiang Lan himself had sent a message a few days before his return to Jingyang City, asking his father to help him secure Miss Xie, Xie Jianjia.

He had learned from Mr. Chu that his father intended to prepare a Foundation Establishment Elixir for him and was currently collecting various Heaven and Earth Treasures related to the Phoenix Race.

An idea had struck Jiang Lan. So, on the pretext that his current cultivation required Immortal Phoenix True Blood, he had asked his father to bring Xie Jianjia to him, no matter the cost.

Jiang Lintian would naturally not refuse such a trivial request from his son. He wouldn’t have cared even when the Xie Family was at the height of its power and influence.

Let alone the current Xie Family, which was but a shadow of its former self. After the old Grand Tutor fell critically ill and retired from public life, they were left with only a single Imperial Censor holding a high position in court.

Dealing with the Xie Family required nothing more than a simple declaration of intent.

"That Xie Jianjia’s constitution is indeed extraordinary. To have already reached the Fifth Realm at her age is remarkable. But the Xie Family is simply too stubborn, refusing to hand her over."