Chapter 62 - 60: This Unfilial Son is Either a Great Fool or a Great Villain

Chapter 62: Chapter 60: This Unfilial Son is Either a Great Fool or a Great Villain

"Your Majesty, you certainly have a talent for swooping in to claim the prize."

After Gu Xiangzhu spoke, the air in the hall seemed to turn ice-cold.

Zhao Huan, however, appeared oblivious. He simply sat down with a warm smile on his face. "Oh? My dear consort, what makes you say that?"

There were only two people in the vast hall.

Yet it didn’t feel empty in the slightest.

It was as if every inch of air was filled with the glint of blades and the shadows of swords.

But Zhao Huan’s expression was composed, as if he were just chatting with his wife about trivial family matters.

"Oh? So you’re not trying to claim the prize, then?"

Gu Xiangzhu stopped beating around the bush. "Then why are you stopping me from taking the Alcohol Refining Technique?"

Zhao Huan shook his head with a smile. "My dear consort, you jest. The Alcohol Refining Technique was never yours to begin with, so how can you say I am stopping you?"

"Not mine?"

Gu Xiangzhu’s slender brows knitted together. "Your Majesty, neither of us are fools, so why bother with words meant to deceive idiots? You have cooperated with my Sect for a long time. You should be well aware that my Sect has things you need, and also that my Sect has leverage over you."

Of course, this leverage wasn’t a fatal blow.

My Sect also needs your assistance in certain matters.

"But since this is a partnership, sincerity is paramount."

"If you swear to the heavens right now that this Alcohol Refining Technique came from your own hand, then I won’t ask another word."

"As for what I will do... I hope you won’t ask about that either."

She had been in the Imperial Palace for seventeen years.

She had learned too much, and she knew full well that this Martial Emperor was a master of both grand schemes and petty tricks.

Word games.

She understood them.

But once these games began, they led to endless wrangling.

The Demon Sect’s methods were simple and efficient.

She only needed to know that both sides had reasons they couldn’t refuse to cooperate. That was enough.

"My dear consort is as straightforward as ever!"

Zhao Huan smiled faintly. "However, I wish to remind you of one thing. Ci is my son. He has no blood relation to you. It is wrong of you to presume that what is his belongs to you."

Gu Xiangzhu retorted, "So what? Without my help, could he be in control of the Xingyu Pill Association as it is today?"

"Of course not!"

Zhao Huan said with a faint smile, "But even without you, he still would have developed the Alcohol Refining Technique."

Gu Xiangzhu fell silent.

She couldn’t refute that.

Because by the time she had taken notice of Zhao Ci, he had already produced the first batch of medicinal liquid.

Zhao Huan continued, "My dear consort, you are an intelligent woman. If I were to say this technique came from my guidance, you would surely scoff. But there is one thing you cannot deny..."

"...it was my guidance that came first, which then led Ci to start down the path of Alcohol Refining."

"It wasn’t a case of Ci already being on this path and me sticking my nose in afterward."

"I have seen all that you have done for the Xingyu Pill Association, my dear. I also believe that you deserve the lion’s share of the Pill Association’s profits."

"But you cannot say that the Alcohol Refining Technique is something you alone should possess."

’So it’s come down to these word games after all!’

Gu Xiangzhu sighed inwardly. Even with the rage swirling in her heart, she couldn’t break through his logic.

Because every word Zhao Huan spoke was reasonable.

’In truth, the trickiest part was his claim that "my guidance came first."’

If not for this fact, she would never have listened to Zhao Huan talk for so long.

’But... why?’

’She didn’t understand. She couldn’t even imagine how this father and son had even broached this topic of conversation.’

’If Zhao Ci had already decided to walk the path of Alchemy, he should have consulted an Alchemist. Why would he go ask Zhao Huan?’

’Asking me would have been more reliable than asking Zhao Huan.’

’And if he hadn’t decided what to do when he went to see Zhao Huan, Zhao Huan would have had to be out of his mind to suggest he pursue Alchemy, because any other path would have been easier.’

She couldn’t figure this problem out.

But she was certain this problem was a thorn that couldn’t be bypassed. If she didn’t pull it out, she would never be able to seize the initiative.

’Unless... I take it by force.’

Gu Xiangzhu said in a low voice, "What you say isn’t without reason. But what if I must have this technique?"

Zhao Huan’s pupils contracted slightly. He hadn’t expected this woman would actually dare to ask such a question.

The two had cooperated for many years, and due to their conflicting interests, they had vied for advantage in the shadows more than once or twice.

But Gu Xiangzhu had never shown her threatening intentions so openly.

This woman did not make empty threats.

Daring to say such a thing meant she was genuinely considering it.

Zhao Huan pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly. "If my dear consort insists on taking it, then I will be known as a demon who murders his son, and you, a Demoness who brings disaster to the nation. We either split the Alcohol Refining Technique fifty-fifty, or it vanishes from this world entirely."

These words showed he was not afraid of her threat.

Gu Xiangzhu added with a faint smile, "And, the world would be short one immortal, thousand-year Heroic Lord."

Zhao Huan looked up and watched her quietly for a good while, knowing she intended to relentlessly exploit his greatest vulnerability.

After a long moment of thought.

He suddenly smiled. "My dear! Rather than threatening each other like this, why don’t we think carefully about what each of us truly needs?"

Gu Xiangzhu looked down at him condescendingly. "Oh? Do enlighten me."

Zhao Huan smiled. "My dear, you named the Various Pill Workshops under your command the ’Xingyu Pill Association’—you should be very clear about what I want. It is nothing more than to lower the price of pills, allow as many common people as possible to become masters, and reclaim the lost Northern Border."

"As for you, my dear, you seek nothing more than wealth, to open a new stream of revenue for your Sect."

"At most, you also wish to provide Qi Cultivation Pills for new disciples joining your Sect."

"To be frank."

"Neither you nor I have any need to monopolize the Alcohol Refining Technique."

"It’s simply that you don’t want me to monopolize it, cast you aside, and consolidate financial control for myself."

"And I don’t want you to monopolize a technique so vital to the nation’s prosperity, lest you hold the lifeblood of Great Yu in your Sect’s grasp."

"But in reality."

"It wouldn’t be a simple matter for either of us to monopolize it."

"Because the key to this technique is Ci. He has an imperial father who covets his internal organs, and an imposter for a mother consort."

"So, my dear..."

"Monopolization won’t increase our benefits."

"We are holding each other in check, and neither of us could possibly allow the other to have a monopoly."

"You also lack the means to monopolize it. Unless you were to search Ci’s soul and then kill him, but doing so would cause you to lose the entire pill industry."

"Rather than considering such unrealistic ideas, why not listen to my two proposals and see what you think?"

Gu Xiangzhu tilted her chin up slightly. "Speak your mind!"

Zhao Huan smiled. "Option one: we call Ci in right now and have him write out the technique, completely and in its entirety, in front of both of us. Afterward, you can continue to make money through the Xingyu Pill Association."

"I will not stop you from taking the silver coins and pills that are your due, as long as you pay your taxes on time and fulfill the Court’s orders."

"I only want the price of pills to stabilize and then gradually decrease. As for who is actually making the money, I don’t care. When our cooperation ends, you can leave with what you want, and I will have the technique in hand, which serves as my guarantee."

’Hmph...’

’This proposal sounds perfectly reasonable.’

’One might even feel that this Emperor is genuinely sincere about cooperating.’

’But Gu Xiangzhu was no fool. There was a terrifying loophole in his plan.’

’Namely, the Xun Mo and Lingyun Pill Workshops.’

’It was true that Zhao Huan wouldn’t interfere in the affairs of the Xingyu Pill Association, but with the Alcohol Refining Technique in his hands, he could easily support these two Pill Workshops. He could even use it to divide and win over the Alchemists from the Feng, Zhu, and Yang families.’

’Those two workshops were clearly tempted, yet they still refused her offer to merge. This could only mean that a greater benefit had appeared on their horizon.’

’As for the Feng, Zhu, and Yang families...’

’It was true that Zhao Huan was wary of them, but wasn’t she an object of their wariness as well?’

’He was an absolute master of such tactics of division and balance.’

’What a huge trap.’

Gu Xiangzhu said coolly, "And the second option?"

"The second option..."

A trace of fatherly affection appeared in Zhao Huan’s smile. "This is, after all, a technique that Ci developed. It should be a sharp weapon for him in the succession struggle. Let him earn some merit with it."

"We can have him find a group of trusted people to specialize in alcohol refining. It won’t hinder you from collecting pills and making money, nor will it hinder the drop in pill prices."

"After the succession struggle, regardless of whether he stays in Lingge or is enfeoffed to his own domain, he will have something to stand on."

’Leaving it in Zhao Ci’s hands.’

’It would just be a competition to see who could pry the information from his lips faster.’

’It would also descend into a war of attrition.’

’But between this kind of war of attrition and competing for profits against other Pill Workshops, which one was more acceptable?’

Gu Xiangzhu’s expression flickered, and she was caught in an extremely painful dilemma.

After thinking for a long time, she finally nodded. "Fine! Let’s do it that way. I’ll go get the boy now. It’s better to agree on some things face-to-face, to prevent anyone from playing tricks behind our backs."

With that, she pushed open the hall doors and entered the room where Zhao Ci was resting.

She called out softly, "Ci, come out with me."

[System Prompt]: Wish fulfilled. Reward obtained: Insight +10, Escape Talisman x1.

[Escape Talisman]: Affix to a target to increase their escape speed by one to five times. The effect is determined by the target’s level of fear. Duration: one quarter-hour.

"Hm?"

Zhao Ci sat up on the couch, and in the next moment, he saw the text floating above her head.

[Gu Xiangzhu’s Current Wish]: This kid is either a complete idiot or completely treacherous. I really want to just crush him in my hand! Wish Fulfillment Reward: Insight +1000, Enlightenment Talisman x1.

Zhao Ci: "..."

’She wants to kill me that badly?’