Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 160 - 157: King Jing Hidden Mansion, Princess Yunhe?

Chapter 160: Chapter 157: King Jing Hidden Mansion, Princess Yunhe?

Tough talk and a stiff neck are no match for a sharp knife.

Zheng Wan clearly understood this truth as well. The malevolence and venom in his eyes suddenly withdrew, and he straightened his neck, squeezing out a smile of appeasement:

"Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding, Captain Wang, I was mistaken.

There are no demons here, all the Taoist friends are good people helping to repair the levee.

It’s all my fault, all my fault!"

Wang Yuan squatted down and patted his shoulder.

"It’s such a trivial matter; why didn’t you say so earlier? You’ve taken a beating for nothing, how painful."

He then turned to look at the Snake Spirit sisters and a few Taoists from the Black Water Temple, led by Jin Shengshui, and nodded at them:

"Taoist friends, you’ve heard it, General Zheng knows his mistake and has recognized his wrongdoing.

The breach of the dike has nothing to do with you.

The dike is not heavily damaged; leave the rest to me.

You might as well return to your sects for now, and when I am free one day, I will surely visit."

Others might not be clear, but Wang Yuan was all too aware of the true character of the man beneath his feet. No such enmity could be resolved with a mere few words.

This posture was just to put the people from the Black Water Temple at ease.

The Snake Spirit sisters pursed their lips in dissatisfaction:

"What the heck, Brother Wang, I still wanted to ask what these corrupt officials are planning to do by conspiring to breach the dike?"

Jin Shengshui, leading his junior brothers and sisters, gave Wang Yuan a serious bow.

"We are grateful to Captain Wang! Brother Wang is truly noble!"

The Snake Spirit sisters were still too young and naive about the world, but the others understood that in this era, the more secrets one knew, the faster one died.

Letting them go meant that Wang Yuan was taking all the responsibility.

Whether it was about crippling the River Patrol General and a group of Daoist Soldiers or the secrets behind the officials’ deliberate destruction of the dike, it was no longer their concern.

The more one experiences the ups and downs of life, the more one realizes that "being able to shoulder responsibilities" is the most remarkable talent a person can have.

Just this alone convinced Jin Shengshui that Wang Yuan was a man worth befriending!

Wang Yuan watched as the people from the Black Water Temple, a rare stream of purity in the cultivation world, successfully extricated themselves.

Only then did he turn his head down again to look at the miserable Water Patrol General Zheng Wan.

If he simply killed the man with a sword, aside from the momentary satisfaction, the ensuing troubles would only be endless.

Zheng Wan might be a single person, but he represented an entire collective of interests.

The surrounding Daoist Soldiers could not be killed, and certainly not the commoners who were still desperately plugging leaks; once he was killed, the news would eventually get out.

And moreover, it was such a waste.

After all, this was a Dao General who, with a band of Daoist Soldiers, could deploy the "Ten Thousand Enemies Skill" and suppress almost any being in the Yin God Realm.

Fortunately, because of the Precept Taboo of "Life-Saving Money," which includes the provision "enslaving the kind will greatly damage Yin Morality,"

Out of the twelve long-term slots, only eight had been used to enslave eight "Dragon Lords."

If he could successfully "buy" this indebted General Zheng, he was likely not only to avoid losing Yin Morality but even make a substantial profit out of it.

However, when Zheng Wan heard no further movement from Wang Yuan, he, frightened and anxious, took the initiative to speak:

"Captain Wang, you’re still young and have a bright future ahead of you.

Take my advice, if you don’t want to die an unexplained death in Dengzhou Prefecture, some things are better left ignored."

Although he had not interacted much with them, Zheng Wan had long heard that these Imperial Dragon Guards were not normal people.

Think about it, if normal people, after laborious cultivation, gain powerful Divine Skills, wouldn’t they think of how to rise in rank, accumulate wealth, and achieve immortality?

Instead, they fearlessly fight on the front lines every day, risking their lives against demons and the weird, all to save the common folk who are as numerous as weeds?

What else are they, if not mad?

The Imperial Dragon Commander Mansion has long had the highest casualty rate among all the military government offices of Great Yan!

In short, Zheng Wan could never understand the thought processes of these "fools," and so he couldn’t predict their actions either.

He was truly afraid that this naive youth, brimming with a sense of justice, would cut him down without a second thought.

To add credibility to his words, he also spilled the details of the collusion within Dengzhou’s official circles to flood the new fields and subsequently buy up the land at low prices.

He even revealed his connections:

"The Lord Prefect, the Lord Deputy Magistrate, the Lord Judge, the Lord Commander... all the distinguished officials in the prefecture have a share in this.

The whole Dengzhou Prefecture is solid as a rock.

It wouldn’t matter if the Wind Officers came; even they wouldn’t make a difference."

"Flood the fields? Everyone has a share?"

Wang Yuan, not shy to suspect the worst of humanity, still could not have anticipated that being human could reach such a level of wickedness and couldn’t help laughing angrily:

"Ha, what a solid block indeed!"

Huang Wu in the Five Senses Altar City heard this and was shaking with fury.

However.

After the shock and anger subsided, Wang Yuan immediately realized something was amiss.

"No, this doesn’t make sense; how can you, a group of local officials of no more than the fourth rank, have such gall? Do you really think your last name is Zhou? Can you cover the sky of Dengzhou Prefecture and even the whole sky of Great Yan?"

In his opinion, these people were not fit to pull off such a scheme!

If the Emperor learned that they were greedily consuming the flesh and blood of the common people, undermining the foundation of the Great Yan’s rule, the Dog Head Chopper would probably fall immediately.

Nobody could save them.

Zheng Wan, projectng his values onto others, didn’t think there was anything severely wrong with land annexation, merely assuming that Wang Yuan was afraid of these powerful figures and thus became much more relaxed:

"Captain Wang, the realm of Dengzhou’s officials has drowned the new fields, buying up the land cheaply, and everyone with a name and title has a part in it.

The entirety of Dengzhou Prefecture is united as one.

Not even the Wind Officers would be able to do anything if they came."

"Merely by ourselves, we indeed cannot manage, but behind us stands a grand magnate and great lord of Dengzhou Prefecture.

With him, there is naturally no matter that can’t be accomplished.

This grand magnate, though not surnamed Zhou, holds more prestige than ninety-nine percent of the members of the Zhou clan.

If you are sincere and know the rules, I might be able to help you send a visiting card to Young Master Xue and strive to become a door dog under him."

Wang Yuan became more and more confused as he listened.

"Young Master Xue? A local magnate? What kind of onion is that supposed to be? Why are you all rushing to become his door dogs?"

Zheng Wan, however, was even more astonished than him, his face full of disbelief as he looked at Wang Yuan as if he were looking at a wild man from a mountain ravine.

"How did you become an official? Before taking up your post, did you not investigate who in the jurisdiction was too formidable to offend?

Even though Young Master Xue holds no office, he is the only son of the Great Yan’s Prime Minister Xue’s family!

Prime Minister Xue was an officer serving in the shadows in the King Jing Mansion while His Majesty was still in Dengzhou Prefecture. Afterward, he rose through the ranks to enter the Cabinet and become Prime Minister, his power overshadowing the court and the government.

Don’t you know that his hometown is in Dengzhou Prefecture and that his family is the largest landlord there?"

However.

More than the fame of Prime Minister Xue and Young Master Xue, what concerned Wang Yuan and Huang Wu even more were the "Dengzhou Prefecture," "King Jing," and "Emperor Jianming Zhou Wenrui" mentioned in his words!

’King Jing? Emperor Jianming? Was Dengzhou Prefecture originally the domain of his vassal state?!’

This common knowledge that any Great Yan official would know appeared to be fresh news to the two of them who had just come out of Beimang Mountain.

They had initially planned to slowly investigate Huang Wu’s past, but at this moment, they unexpectedly heard this shocking news.

They couldn’t help but feel somewhat dazed for a moment.

Even though they lacked general knowledge, they knew that at least all the fiefdoms of the princes of Great Yan were set at the prefecture level.

Therefore, within the entire territory of Dengzhou Prefecture, there could only be one prince.

Yunhe County, under the jurisdiction of Dengzhou Prefecture, could naturally not be used as a sealing title for other clan members.

Therefore, Huang Wu’s title of "Yunhe" could only have come from the "King Jing Mansion"!

As for a Princess Consort Manor? The pond is too shallow; there’s too low a likelihood of breeding the "Vermilion Bird Style."

And in the Great Yan Dynasty, the daughters of princes all enjoy the title of Commandery Princess.

If she hadn’t died fifteen years ago, given Zhou Wenrui’s ascension to the throne, she would definitely be a princess by now.

’Yunhe... Princess? Little Huang Wu?’

Wang Yuan just felt that this world was implausibly magical.

At this moment, he heard Zheng Wan continue:

"Fifteen years ago, Emperor Yong’an had no heir. On his deathbed, without any prior indication, he abruptly issued an edict to pass the throne to his younger half-brother, who is the current Emperor.

Therefore, His Highness, King Jing, who at the time was not favored by the courtiers, was able to ascend to the throne as an imperial prince.

Prime Minister Xue has been a faithful follower of His Majesty since the insignificant times in the King Jing Mansion’s hidden quarters.

Fifteen whole years have passed since then.

At least sixty percent of the annual military expenses for the Great Yan’s Border Army enter Xue Mansion first, and the remaining forty percent also require Prime Minister Xue’s endorsement before they can be disbursed.

Even the memorials submitted by you, the Imperial Dragon Guard Captain, must first go through the Cabinet and be handled by Prime Minister Xue.

Tell me, why wouldn’t we be able to swallow up this new land within the nine counties?

Moreover, seventy percent of this land belongs to Young Master Xue, so who would dare steal food from the tiger’s mouth?"

Zheng Wan seemed to regain his confidence while saying this, and his voice involuntarily rose a few notches.

"King Jing, officer serving in the shadows, Prime Minister Xue, Young Master Xue..."

Wang Yuan’s expression changed repeatedly, as if engaged in an intense struggle in his mind, then finally turned into a full-faced smile, and he helped Zheng Wan, who was prostrated on the ground, to his feet.

"General Zheng, please rise, there were also mistakes on my part in this matter; it’s not all your fault.

I implore your magnanimity and must ask you to speak well of me in front of Young Master Xue.

A small token of courtesy, it is not a respectful gift."

Wang Yuan apologized while casually stuffing a stack of Treasure Banknotes processed by "Money Box" into his hands.

This stack amounted to at least eight thousand taels.

Zheng Wan thought Wang Yuan was finally afraid and took the stack of banknotes with not insignificant denominations nonchalantly, giving Wang Yuan another meaningful up-and-down look.

"Heh, sure thing, sure thing. Wait for my message, ah, hahaha..."

He turned and left with his Daoist Soldiers, who were much the worse for wear, striding away in long steps.

In his mind, however, he loathed this foolishly naive "greenhorn" to the bone.

Already brewing various venomous schemes, he pondered how to make Wang Yuan die an unbearably gruesome death.

Like this kind of demon in human skin, if not killed with a single blow, would surely become an endless trouble.

Unfortunately for him, there would be no tomorrow.

A military general of the sixth rank, Life-Saving Money could still be affordable.

Wang Yuan watched as this group of Long Water Soldiers fled as if in escape, heaving a slight sigh:

"I just love your untamed nature.

I hope that when you face those real demons in the future, you will continue to keep it.

Buy one, get thirty-six for free, from top to bottom, each one laden with debt, and you won’t need to feel heartache however you use them in the future."

Turning his head to Huang Wu, who had reappeared:

"Sister, how about we visit Shanyang County in the governing place of Dengzhou Prefecture tomorrow? There should still be old-timers from the King Jing Mansion from fifteen years ago."

The small ghostly girl who was now at her wits’ end merely nodded softly.

"Okay!"

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