Chapter 164 - 97: I Can’t Sleep Until You’re Dead

Chapter 164: Chapter 97: I Can’t Sleep Until You’re Dead

Zhang Delv fell to his knees with a thud, slamming his head against the ground. Trembling, he stammered, "Your Majesty! This man is my nephew. He wandered about for over a decade in his youth before coming to me for help. He has only been in Qingyang County for five years. I never imagined he would do something so beastly.

I swear to you, Your Majesty, I have no treasonous intentions!

I... I..."

He trailed off, unable to continue.

His words stopped.

But his head didn’t.

He repeatedly slammed it into the floor.

He had to admit, he’d been far too arrogant. He’d thought the heavens were high and the Emperor far away. The position of Prefect of the Northern Three Prefectures was difficult to replace, so he believed that as long as he didn’t cross a major line, the Emperor would let him be.

While that was generally true, this incident had blown up far too much.

The Emperor he knew had never lost his composure over a son like this. An incident last night, and by this morning he had already rushed hundreds of miles to the Northern Three Prefectures. Of all the Princes, who had ever received such special treatment?

If it were just that, he might have been able to weather the storm.

But as fate would have it, Zhao Ci had run into trouble right after he himself had made things difficult for the Prince.

And to top it all off, the key figure in the incident was his own good-for-nothing nephew.

If his nephew were alive, that would be one thing.

But no, he had to be dead.

He’d been framed!

He was in a mess he couldn’t get out of. Whether he was guilty or not, he was a dead man.

No matter how irreplaceable the Prefect of the Northern Three Prefectures was supposed to be, he was definitely getting replaced now.

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

The sound of his head hitting the floor echoed through the Government Office, starting as crisp cracks and turning into the wet slap of blood.

And the three Zhaos simply watched in silence, none of them making a move to stop him.

A long, long time passed.

Only when Zhao Huan saw that Zhang Delv was about to knock himself unconscious did he let out a soft cough.

At the sound, Zhang Delv immediately stopped, but he remained prostrated on the floor, trembling too violently to dare look up.

Zhao Huan tilted his head slightly, giving Zhao Ci a meaningful look.

Zhao Ci understood at once. ’This Old Deng is here for the Demon Monarch,’ he thought. ’He knows Zhang Delv isn’t the mastermind. He’s handing me a favor on a silver platter.’

He took a step forward. "Father! I feel this matter hasn’t been fully investigated. Zhang Qi’s death is suspicious, and we don’t know for certain if he was the true culprit. There’s no need to suspect Lord Zhang because of this. After all, Lord Zhang has governed Qingyang County for over a decade, and the region has always been stable under his watch. His years of hard work should not be overlooked!"

’Credit where it’s due, that was a good move from Old Deng.’

’Though I won over the junior officials last time, I still offended plenty of Qingyang County’s senior officials.’

’Letting me be the one to speak up is a huge favor. Next time I have a mission in the Northern Three Prefectures, things should go much more smoothly because of this.’

Sure enough.

Although Zhang Delv didn’t dare to speak, his prostrated form shifted slightly, turning more toward Zhao Ci.

"Ci has a point!"

Zhao Huan said in a low voice, "The Imperial Clan Court will determine whether you were involved. Since you’re his uncle, you should know him best. All you need to do is cooperate with their investigation. The truth will come to light in due time."

"Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhang Delv kowtowed again. "This humble servant will give his full cooperation to the lords from the Imperial Clan Court. I will see to it that the truth of this matter is brought to light."

Zhao Huan waved his hand. "Ci, young Luotang, you two are dismissed. Go and distribute the medicinal pills, then leave this troublesome place as soon as you can. I will see that you get justice for this!"

"Thank you, Father! I will take my leave!"

"I take my leave!"

Zhao Ci and Kan Luotang replied in unison and left the County Government Office side by side. With Zhao Huan now in charge of the investigation, they didn’t need to involve themselves further. The most important thing was to get the medicinal pills distributed.

Meanwhile, Zhao Huan continued to question Zhao Qing and Zhang Delv.

In truth, this line of questioning was pointless.

He was already certain the Demon Sect was behind it.

The basis for his conclusion was simple.

After Gu Xiangzhu had returned last night, she had killed many people before dawn.

All of them were closely tied to her business dealings.

He knew their identities all too well—they were all instruments Gu Xiangzhu used to channel profits to the Demon Sect.

When Gu Xiangzhu killed them, she made no attempt to hide her actions from his spies. It was all but an open declaration: ’There’s internal strife in the Demon Sect. A different faction went after Zhao Ci, and they have infuriated me.’

Zhao Huan didn’t have a clear picture of the Demon Sect’s internal politics, but he could sense there was a power struggle. Many were at odds with Gu Xiangzhu, but since she controlled their finances, no one dared to provoke her easily.

This time, another faction had openly moved against Zhao Ci, an act tantamount to stealing the Alchemy of Wine from her.

This move had made an irreconcilable enemy of Gu Xiangzhu.

So, who had given them the audacity?

Zhao Huan knew little about the Demon Sect, making any further deduction mere speculation. However, the incident instinctively reawakened a nightmare that had lain dormant for many years.

Almost by instinct, his thoughts turned to the Demon Monarch.

Based on his limited knowledge, the only person who could cause such a violent reaction within the Demon Sect was the Demon Monarch himself.

Regardless, he had to come and investigate this himself.

As long as the Demon Monarch lived...

...he would never be able to sleep soundly.

Besides the Demon Monarch, there was another important matter.

Namely, the Array that had forcibly changed the location of the ruin’s entrance.

In all the world, only the Royal Family and the Kan Family could manipulate the Arrays in the Northern Three Prefectures. What technique had the Demon Sect possibly used to accomplish such a feat?

Both of these matters touched upon secrets far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

He couldn’t even trust his own subordinates with this. He had to come personally to be at ease.

Conveniently,

the one who had run into trouble was Zhao Ci.

This allowed him to arrive under the guise of a concerned father, a perfectly reasonable motive that wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion.

...

「After leaving the County Government Office.」

Kan Luotang was clearly in low spirits.

Zhao Ci smiled and asked, "Are you upset that I spoke up for Zhang Delv?"

"No!"

Kan Luotang shook her head. "If he were the true culprit, nothing you said could change his fate. And if he isn’t, this will be a great help to you in your future struggles for succession.

I may despise the man, but a life for a life, a debt paid for a debt owed. No matter how vile he is, he shouldn’t be saddled with a crime he didn’t commit.

Besides, even if Zhang Delv were to die over this, a Li Delv or a Wang Delv would just take his place.

Anyone who takes that post in the Northern Three Prefectures ends up becoming the same kind of person."

Zhao Ci couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t expected her to see things so clearly.

That was just how things were in the Northern Three Prefectures. The officials and the common folk were naturally at odds. As long as the people didn’t revolt, the high-ranking officials would never try to win their favor.

But that made him curious. "If you understand all that, then why are you still so upset?"

Kan Luotang said, her voice full of emotion, "Because of you!"

"Me?"

Zhao Ci froze for a second.

"Yes!"

Kan Luotang looked into his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Throughout this whole trip to the Northern Three Prefectures, you’re the only person who hasn’t done a single thing wrong from beginning to end.

But you’re the one who faced the greatest danger and suffered the most grievous injuries, and yet, in the end, you’re still the one who has to be the bigger person and plead for mercy.

I know it was a strategic favor, and it benefits you as well.

But to help someone who made things so difficult for you...

Your Highness, don’t you feel wronged at all?"

Zhao Ci looked at her face—a little dirty, but still beautiful—and a warmth blossomed in his chest.

He smiled and shook his head. "Feeling wronged is a waste of time, so I never indulge in it."

Kan Luotang didn’t understand. "A waste of time?"

Zhao Ci spread his hands. "Yes! For example, we’re wasting time we could be using to give out the pills. The people should all be there by now. Let’s hurry."

Kan Luotang opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately held her tongue. She stared quietly into Zhao Ci’s eyes for a moment before finally letting out a soft, "Mm."

...

「At the armory entrance.」

Everyone in the pill escort team was in a state of utter confusion.

Their mission was to help the Prince guard the medicinal pills.

But in the end... the pills were safe and sound.

But the Prince was gone!

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Their heads were spinning. None of them had expected that taking on a low-level mission in the succession struggle, just to become familiar faces to a couple of Princes, would end like this.

Now, their future prospects were completely shot.

Who could they possibly complain to?

They guarded the armory entrance, looking at one another in utter dismay.

They were just the muscle. Not a single one of them could be of any actual help.

All they could do was continue guarding the armory gate.

But with the Prince gone, what was the damn point of guarding a bunch of pills?

But just then, a familiar figure appeared in their line of sight.

"Tenth Prince?"

Huang Duzhe rubbed his eyes in disbelief. After confirming he wasn’t dreaming, the gruff soldier burst into tears and rushed forward to hug Zhao Ci’s leg. "Your Highness! It’s so great to see you alive! I heard someone say you’d been turned into a deboned suckling pig yesterday! What a load of bullshit, right?"

Zhao Ci: "..."