Martial Cultivator

Listening to the conversation between Chen Chao and the clay figurine vendor, Xie Nandu remained silent. Standing in front of the stall, she appeared to be just an ordinary young woman, only concerned with the figurines in front of her.

Chen Chao reached out, snatching a piece of yellow clay from the vendor's hand, and began to shape it as he spoke to Xie Nandu, "Have you not considered Song Yingxu's fate? Do you people not care about the lesson learned from his failure?"

Some time ago, Song Yingxu had come to the Divine Capital, but his fate was very tragic; he died at the hands of the Lord Warden Commander.

The vendor raised an eyebrow, "Lord Song was hot-blooded, but he was a little too impulsive. The timing wasn't right back then, but he acted arbitrarily. It's not something to dwell on too much."

Chen Chao lamented, "You seem to understand it well. Aren't you on the same side? Why speak of it so lightly?"

He continued shaping the clay while glancing at Xie Nandu, though his handiwork was clearly lacking. The figure he crafted was an odd, misshapen thing, barely resembling a person.

"How is it? Does it look like you?" Chen Chao asked Xie Nandu with an eager look.

The latter furrowed her brows slightly and replied bluntly, "Is that supposed to be you?"

Chen Chao chuckled, "It's you."

The vendor watched the two young people flirting in front of him without much reaction. He slowly said, "Your Highness, now that the timing is right, are you truly not tempted?"

"Are you sure about this? Haven't you considered the possibility of being used as a pawn again?"

Chen Chao glanced curiously at Xie Nandu, as if his thoughts were entirely focused on the clay figurine in his hands.

"Of course, it's all a game of chess. But whether you are the player or the pawn, that's not easy to say. Your Highness, you must know that the current emperor has already incurred public outrage. If Your Highness were to step forward now, countless people would rally behind you. Even though that person is in power, there are still many in court and among the people who fondly remember the Crown Prince Yiwen. As the sole bloodline of the late crown prince, there's no one more legitimate than you." "We hold righteousness in our hands. This endeavor is not about taking something that doesn't belong to us, it's simply reclaiming what was always meant for Your Highness. It's only right."

The current emperor's elder brother, Emperor Lingzong's eldest son, had been posthumously titled Crown Prince Yiwen. Although the deposed emperor had once posthumously recognized him as emperor, the world today still did not regard him as the legitimate ruler.

The vendor smiled, "The timing, the terrain, and the people are all aligned. We're only waiting for Your Highness to nod."

Chen Chao did not immediately respond. Instead, he spent some time finishing the clay figurine in his hands and placed it on the stall. He extended his hand and smiled, "Some paint, please."

As he spoke, he tossed a few pieces of skygold coins. The amount was likely enough to buy the entire stall.

"Your Highness, even if you are unwilling to do these things, have you considered whether those around you are willing? Does this Miss Xie think about becoming empress?"

The vendor was very patient, never losing his temper with Chen Chao.

Chen Chao ignored him and continued to paint the clay figurine. In no time, a crooked and completely ugly clay figure appeared in his hands. He looked at Xie Nandu and asked, "Which one do you like?"

The one the vendor had kneaded earlier was lifelike and could be considered a fine piece, while the one Chen Chao made appeared completely haphazard and was hardly recognizable as a person.

The difference between the two was stark, it was obvious which was superior at a glance.

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao but did not speak.

The clay figurine vendor watched Xie Nandu with great interest, eager to see how this Xie Family's genius daughter would choose.

Xie Nandu said, "The one you made is really ugly."

The vendor chuckled.

Chen Chao responded with a grin, "I'll make you an even prettier one next time."

Xie Nandu reached out to take the clay figure Chen Chao had made and said calmly, "But I like ugly things, like you."

Chen Chao put on a pained expression. "Why would you say that about me in front of an outsider?"

The clay figurine vendor sighed. It seemed like they were merely choosing between figurines, but everyone knew that the situation was far more complex.

Chen Chao turned to the vendor and said, "You saw it yourself, she doesn't like the figurine you made."

The vendor remained silent.

Xie Nandu alone might not be able to affect anything, but standing behind her was the entire Xie Family, one of the two largest aristocratic clans in the Great Liang Dynasty.

The Xie Family of the Divine Capital and the Wei Family had long stood as two powerful forces in a delicate balance.

Chen Chao asked, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving first. And if you don't have any urgent business, please stop seeking me out. Dealing with you people is more exhausting than killing demons."

After saying this, Chen Chao was about to take Xie Nandu's hand and leave.

"Your Highness, wait a moment."

The clay figurine vendor looked at Chen Chao with a more serious expression.

Chen Chao asked curiously, "What, are you planning to use force now?"

The vendor shook his head, glanced at Xie Nandu, and said, "There is something I wish to say to Your Highness alone."

Without hesitation, Chen Chao shook his head. "She and I are the same."

The clay figurine vendor thought for a moment but did not press further. He just said softly, "Does Your Highness know how His Highness the Crown Prince Yiwen met his end?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brows slightly and remained silent.

There are many things one can choose to ignore or not think about, but some matters must be faced and cannot be forgotten.

For instance, the murder of one's father, no one could choose to forget such a thing.

Chen Chao looked at the vendor, his expression calm.

The vendor said, "What if I told Your Highness that the late Crown Prince died at the hands of the current Emperor?"

Hearing this, Xie Nandu frowned slightly.

This one sentence was far more impactful than anything said before. Nothing in the world could carry more weight than those words.

"Even if Your Highness has no ambition for the throne and does not desire this kingdom, surely you can't ignore the duty of avenging your father, can you?"

The clay figurine vendor looked intently at Chen Chao and said softly, "Please think carefully, Your Highness. If you wish to know more, I'll come to meet you, Your Highness."

With that, the vendor smiled slightly, turned, and left without any hesitation.

Watching this person leave, Xie Nandu said softly, "Now that is a true tactic."

Between uncle and nephew, many things might have been forgiven and forgotten, but if there were truly such a matter between them, it would inevitably sow discord.

Chen Chao said, "It seems like this time, they've really come prepared."

Xie Nandu asked, "There's something I've been curious about, how did you get the position of warden of Tianqing County?"

Chen Chao glanced at Xie Nandu. "You'll find out soon."

……

……

The two arrived at the academy, walking past the shores of South Lake, nearing that small courtyard.

Xie Nandu was holding the clay figurine in her hand, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Chen Chao asked, "Without overthinking it, if you really had to do this, what do you think are the chances of success?"

Xie Nandu raised her eyebrows slightly and quickly replied, "Hard to say, but there's definitely a chance of success."

Chen Chao responded with an "oh," saying nothing more.

The two had already arrived at the courtyard entrance.

The maidservant Liu Ye came out from the courtyard and handed over a secret letter, whispering, "Miss, this was sent from home. It's said to be personally written by the ancestor and only for you to read."

Xie Nandu took the letter, her expression somewhat serious.

Chen Chao said, "I bet there are a lot of people in many places right now with massive headaches. There's a storm coming and nothing can stop it."

Xie Nandu opened the letter, took a few looks, and then said, "I need to go to the Xie Family's ancestral manor. What about you? Will you go to the palace?"

"I just want to roast a few sweet potatoes to eat, but I can save one for you."

Chen Chao smiled and said, "Don’t stay out overnight."

Xie Nandu did not speak and just left with Liu Ye.

……

……

Chen Chao sat in the courtyard, roasting several sweet potatoes, but Xie Nandu did not return before nightfall.

Feeling a bit tired, he sat beneath the eaves and unknowingly fell asleep.

……

……

After many years, there was once again a family banquet in the imperial palace.

The world knew that aside from his deep and unwavering affection for the Empress, the Great Liang Emperor had no special feelings for his children. Her Highness the Princess fared somewhat better, but even that was limited. In the past, although the Empress would occasionally summon her children to the palace, the Emperor never attended.

When the Empress passed away, none of the three princes or the princess were able to enter the palace to see her for the last time. When the Princess passed, only the Third Prince was allowed into the palace.

The Great Liang Emperor was not a perfect man, and he was particularly harsh in this regard.

Now that both the Empress and the Princess had passed, the Great Liang Emperor seemed to have rekindled some sense of familial attachment, which led to this family banquet.

The three princes who received the imperial decree did not dare delay and quickly made their way to the imperial palace.

A table of rare and exquisite dishes had already been prepared, but the three remained standing on the side, not daring to take their seats.

This was simply because the Emperor had not yet appeared.

The First Prince had always been in poor health. He had been constantly taking medicine over the years and would cough every now and then. But at this moment, he was holding it in. Even though his face was flushed red, he did not dare make a sound.

The Second Prince had his head lowered very calmly, his thoughts unknown.

As for the Third Prince who was still young, he appeared a bit more at ease, occasionally glancing around, though he also did not dare to speak.

In the imperial family, the four words "father and son, ruler and subject" usually prioritized "ruler and subject" over "father and son." However, in this dynasty, it seemed that there was no notion of "father and son" at all, only "ruler and subject."

Time passed little by little, and the three princes grew somewhat anxious, but they dared not show it.

Li Heng stood not far away, gazing at the red walls outside the hall, lost in thought.

No one knew when His Majesty the Emperor would appear. Finally, the First Prince could no longer suppress it and let out a cough.

But once he started coughing, he could not stop, continuing to cough repeatedly.

Hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed across the Second Prince's eyes. Nevertheless, he quickly reached out to gently pat his elder brother's back and softly said, "Since you're unwell, dear elder brother, why insist on coming?"