Chapter 13

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

“The assassin must be a top expert to have snuck into the palace to assassinate the Second Prince and even escaped in the end. His Majesty was furious and searched the entire city for the assassin.”

Chen Li lamented. He did not have a favorable impression of the Second Prince, but he was not disgusted with him. He was only amazed by the strength of that martial arts expert.

Jiang Changsheng frowned. Wasn’t there a Heaven Arrival realm expert in the palace? How could the assassin succeed?

That was too much!

Could it be the work of those nobles?

However, would the Emperor allow those people to attack his other son?

Jiang Changsheng asked, “Is His Second Highness alright?”

Chen Li said, “It’s said to be a serious injury, so it shouldn’t be life-threatening. Otherwise, General Hong would go crazy. His Second Highness’ mother is not a kind person.”

Jiang Changsheng suddenly could not understand the Emperor.

After he conversed with Daoist Master Qingxu the last time, he guessed that it was very likely that he was switched by the Emperor. Other than the Emperor, was there anyone else who was more influential?

If it was the Emperor’s doing, then it would be easy to explain. There were as many experts in the palace as there were clouds, and it was extremely difficult to bring him out. If the Emperor turned a blind eye, then it would make sense. However, the Emperor allowed those people to attack his other son. What did that mean?

He insisted on killing his son. Could it be that he, the Emperor, was the one who was replaced?

Even until now, Jiang Changsheng could not understand why the Emperor wanted someone to swap him.

“I heard that you injured the Demonic Priest and did a good job. After the Demonic Priest was injured, His Majesty rarely saw him again. However, recently, His Majesty has gone to court four to five times a month, and I don’t know what he is doing in the palace. Now that His Second Highness is injured, the hearts of the people in the court are wavering. The Prime Minister actually took the opportunity to ask the Crown Prince to supervise the country. This is ridiculous. If there is a gap between father and son in the future, won’t the country be in turmoil?”

When Chen Li mentioned the matters in the court, he was filled with righteous indignation and did not care about the Emperor and the Crown Prince at all.

Jiang Changsheng asked, “Has His Majesty agreed?”

Chen Li said, “I’m not sure. His Majesty did not go to court that day. After the lords of the three provinces told His Majesty about the matter, there was no more news.”

The Great Jing Dynasty implemented a system of three provinces and six ministries. It was very similar to some dynasties in China, but there were also some differences. The three provinces were respectively Zhongshu Province, Xiaoxiao Province and Shangshu Province. Their status was higher than the six ministries, and they were all second-ranked officials that faced the emperor. The Prime Minister was the head of the three provinces, on the same level as the three provinces, but his power was higher than the important officials of the three provinces.

Jiang Changsheng asked curiously, “Brother Chen, what about you? Which prince do you support?”

How could he not take sides when he was an official?

Chen Li said, “Naturally, I respect the Crown Prince. Since ancient times, the eldest son of the first wife has been the leader of the righteous path. However, the Crown Prince took power in advance and the danger outweighed the benefits.”

Holy smokes.

F*ck, you’re actually a princeling!

Jiang Changsheng was speechless. However, Chen Li should not be his enemy. Otherwise, he would not have said so many disrespectful words.

“Speaking of which, His Majesty’s attitude towards His Highness the Crown Prince is sometimes good and sometimes bad. In recent years, he has even started to neglect the Empress. Perhaps His Majesty has begun to fear the Empress’ faction.” Chen Li sighed.

Jiang Changsheng asked, “Is the Empress’ faction very strong?”

It was hard for him to understand what had happened in the palace when he was in the Daoist temple, and Daoist Master Qingxu would not say much about it.

Chen Li sighed and said, “It’s more than just strong. It can shake the foundation of the country. The leader of the imperial guards stationed in the capital is the Empress’s brother, and two of the three lords of the provinces are the Empress’s younger brothers. When His Majesty started the rebellion back then, he relied on the Yang Family. When His Majesty married the Empress, the Yang Family supported him with all their might. That was why he had the money to recruit troops and buy horses. At that time, the Yang Family was a huge family that used all their wealth to support His Majesty. Men served His Majesty as soldiers and generals while talented people served as strategists. Regardless of whether His Majesty won or lost, the Yang Family had always followed him. They were His Majesty’s most trusted force until they helped him build this huge empire.”

Jiang Changsheng was suddenly enlightened. He suddenly understood why the Emperor had switched him.

He also felt a trace of sympathy for the fake prince.

This guy was destined for tragedy!

If the Emperor were to swap him and reveal that the fake crown prince was not his biological son one day, wouldn’t he be able to abolish the Crown Prince?

Even though the Yang Family was furious, they could not find the real crown prince. If they allowed the other princes to ascend the throne, the Yang Family would be gradually weakened.

However, the Yang Family still had another trump card, and that was the fourth prince, Jiang Yu.

Wait a minute!

As for Jiang Yu…

Jiang Changsheng’s heart turned cold. Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs, but his father was really ruthless.

Great Jing regarded faith as the foundation of the country. The Emperor had promised to conquer the country and share the world with the Yang Family. Naturally, he could not directly destroy the Yang Family. He needed methods and reasons.

All the important officials who had fallen from grace over the years had been charged with rebellion, bullying the common people, and so on. Precisely because of this, the Emperor had yet to lose his faith. It was those officials who courted death.

Chen Li chatted with Jiang Changsheng for another incense stick of time. After he left, Jiang Changsheng was still in the room thinking about something.

There was no familial love in the royal family. It turned out that it was not empty talk.

Jiang Changsheng sighed with emotion. He was not interested in becoming an emperor. Even if he were to become emperor, he did not know how to manage a dynasty. However, he was still unhappy to be schemed against like this, even by his father.

As usual, he was not a gentleman if he did not take revenge!

Jiang Changsheng’s eyes flickered as he gradually had a bold idea.

…

In the palace, in the Second Prince’s bedroom.

Jiang Yuan, whose hair was half white, sat by the bed and looked at Jiang Ming with heartache. Jiang Ming had woken up, but his face was pale and his lips were dry and cracked. Compared to the high-spirited Jiang Ming at Longqi Temple that day, he was a completely different person.

“Tomorrow, don’t go out in the future. Even though the world has been decided, the remnants of the previous dynasty are still here. Do you understand?”

Jiang Yuan patted the back of Jiang Ming’s hand and sighed worriedly.

Jiang Ming gritted his teeth and said, “But I wasn’t assassinated outside the palace. I…”

Jiang Yuan glared at him and shouted in a deep voice, “Aren’t your actions in Longqi Temple impressive enough? I don’t even dare to protect a single person. As a prince, you dare to protect a single person? Won’t others think that you are arrogant?”

“You even spread the word to the entire capital. Ridiculous!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ming broke out in cold sweat.

Behind Jiang Yuan was the Crown Prince, Jiang Qian. He had a refined temperament, similar to a scholar. He did not have the spirit of Jiang Yu and Jiang Ming.

Jiang Qian said, “Father, Second Brother is just a quick-talker. He has no other intentions. Besides, he is injured. Why do you have to scare him?”

Jiang Ming looked at him gratefully.

Jiang Yuan glanced at Jiang Qian and snorted. “You only know how to indulge your younger brothers.”

Jiang Qian smiled and said nothing else.

The old eunuch behind Jiang Qian was Eunuch Li, who had followed Jiang Yuan around all year round. He was also the one who sent Jiang Changsheng out of the palace.

Eunuch Li bowed and said, “Your Majesty, the time has come. It’s time to ask the heavens.”

When Jiang Yuan heard that, he flung his sleeves and stood up with his hands on his hips. He smiled and said, “Rest well and recuperate. The canal will begin to take shape in the coming year. I will bring the two of you down to Jiangnan. You have never left the capital since you were young. I will show you the great country I have conquered.”

With that said, Jiang Yuan flicked his sleeves and left with a majestic gait. Eunuch Li hastily followed.

Jiang Qian shook his head and laughed. He looked at Jiang Ming on the bed and said, “Second Brother, recuperate well. I have to go now.”

Just as he turned around, Jiang Ming’s voice floated over and stopped him.

“Brother, do you think someone in the palace wants me dead?”

His tone was thought-provoking as he stared upward without looking at Jiang Qian.

Jiang Qian turned his head slightly and said to Jiang Ming, “Second Brother, stop reading history books. Our Jiang Family is a family of true dragons. How can we kill each other? I will personally investigate. I will not allow such a thing to happen.”

With that said, he stepped out of the room.

Jiang Ming revealed a mocking smile and slowly closed his eyes.

…

After the Second Prince was injured, he did not send anyone else to send gifts. Jiang Changsheng was also happy to be free and could concentrate on his cultivation.

A month later, the snake egg finally hatched. A small white snake appeared. It was thinner than Jiang Changsheng’s pinky and was nearly ten centimeters long. The newborn snake was no different from ordinary snakes. Thus, Jiang Changsheng had no choice but to take care of it personally. He was as careful as he could when feeding it, fearing that he would choke it to death.

For the rest of the year, Jiang Changsheng did not encounter any more danger. The Second Prince did not come to visit him, and the nobles who were his enemies did not send anyone to assassinate him.

The eighteenth year after the founding of the dynasty!

In the year, the Emperor took the Crown Prince and the Second Prince into the canal and went down to the Jiangnan area.

The canal ran from the north to the south and was still under construction, but it was more than halfway completed and could be operated by ship.

The Emperor’s departure from the capital was a major event, and the disciples of Longqi Temple had also learned of it. Jiang Changsheng had also heard from Qing Ku that the Emperor had left the capital for the first time since he established his own country.

Jiang Changsheng did not mind. If the Emperor was not in the capital, those aristocrats would come and give him a survival reward.

He spent most of his time on his cultivation and his spiritual force was boundless. Compared to him, it was already a compliment to say that top experts had one in a thousandth of his strength.

On this day, in the courtyard.

Jiang Changsheng sat on the threshold with two children standing in front of him. They were both six years old, a man and a woman. Their Daoist robes draped over them made them look loose, but it also made them look even more adorable.

Upon closer inspection, the two child Daoists were motionless, and their pupils were suffused with a faint golden light. It was extremely strange.

On the other hand, Jiang Changsheng’s eyes were also golden, dazzling even in broad daylight. He was using the Phantom God Eyes to tamper with the memories of the two children.

All of a sudden, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils returned to normal and the two children woke up with a start.

The little girl asked, “Senior Brother Changsheng, why did you stop?”

These were the memories that Jiang Changsheng had changed for them, making them mistakenly think that they were listening to the Dao. In fact, they had just arrived and Jiang Changsheng had yet to preach.

The male child scratched his head, also confused.

Jiang Changsheng smiled and said, “It’s nothing. Let’s call it a day. Come back tomorrow and I’ll teach you some martial arts.”

When the two heard that, they immediately cheered and left.

After they left the courtyard, Jiang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. He felt dizzy after altering the memories of the two children for nearly five minutes. The side effects of the Phantom God’s Eye were really strong.

Jiang Changsheng was not disappointed. Instead, he was excited. As long as he was strong enough, could he directly change a person’s memory of the first half of their life and reverse their personality?

Too domineering!

A white snake emerged from the back of Jiang Changsheng’s neck and flicked its tongue at his cheek, appearing extremely close.

After half a year, the white snake was almost half a meter long. It had a gentle personality and was intellectible. Jiang Changsheng named it the White Dragon, looking forward to the day it could transform into a dragon.

That evening, Chen Li came to visit.

“Changsheng, you have to be careful. His Majesty has left the capital, and there are undercurrents in the capital. My Chen Family’s martial arts experts heard that the fiend sects are preparing to enter the capital, and it’s very likely that they want to avenge the Ghost-Eyed Evil King.” Chen Li’s tone was serious, and his face was filled with worry.