Chapter 54 - 53: Mother and Son Are Heart to Heart, the Emperor Plots Against His Wife and Son

Chapter 54: Chapter 53: Mother and Son Are Heart to Heart, the Emperor Plots Against His Wife and Son

The events of today’s Gongdan Conference had all but shattered the confidence of everyone at Yonghe Pill Workshop.

First, there was that medicinal liquid, which increased the Xingyu Pill Association’s production a full six times over. If it had just been that, it might have been acceptable.

But then, unexpectedly, Zhu Li had actually managed to control that innately strange fire of hers, raising the quality of the entire Xingyu Pill Association’s Qi Cultivation Pills by a whole tier.

They couldn’t compete!

They really couldn’t compete!

After the conference ended, the younger members of the Zhu Family who had joined Yonghe Pill Workshop were subjected to a barrage of retaliatory taunts from Zhu Li. Now, none of them dared to even lift their heads.

Zhu Yan had expected Zhao Yong to be unable to control his rage, but to his surprise, the prince showed no intention of shifting blame or venting his frustrations.

"It’s just..."

Zhao Yong said in a low voice, "With the momentum of the Tenth Prince’s Mansion, I fear Zhu Li will no longer be short on Cultivation Resources. Your Zhu Family..."

Zhu Yan’s expression darkened. "That is indeed a problem!"

The original plan was to have Zhu Li and Zhao Ci drag each other down, making Zhu Li’s failures the last straw that would break Zhujiang.

But who would have thought this would be the outcome?

If that girl really manages to rise up through some stroke of dumb luck, the Zhu Family will likely face new complications.

Ultimately, they had been too careless this time.

The room fell silent for a long while.

Only then did Zhao Yong manage to calm himself, gulping down a mouthful of tea.

Just then, with a CREAK...

The door opened.

Zhu He and Feng Buyi walked in. "Your Highness, you’re finally awake!"

Zhao Yong’s expression was grave. "You two, what is the situation? The Xun Mo and Lingyun families..."

"Rest assured, Your Highness!"

Zhu He said with a smile, "I’ve asked around. The two sides parted on bad terms."

"Hm?"

Zhao Yong’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly. "What happened? Was Noble Consort Jing unwilling to concede profits?"

He had fainted earlier precisely because this matter had dealt him such a heavy blow.

From the day Princess Consort Jing had decided to enter the Elixir Realm, he had investigated her past. The woman was frighteningly ruthless in business. She was vicious in her psychological attacks on others and just as vicious when it came to making her own sacrifices. As a result, any smaller houses with less than firm resolve would be swallowed up by her.

The fact that the Xun Mo and Lingyun families had gone to Xiang’s Pill Workshop meant they were already wavering.

After all, being able to share the Xingyu Pill Association’s alchemy technique, not to mention the National Pill Golden Plaque, would naturally be of great benefit to them.

Let alone Princess Consort Jing conceding profits, even if she had made an exorbitant demand, they would have likely paid a premium just to get on board.

And yet...

They parted on bad terms?

Zhu He shook his head. "Noble Consort Jing was certainly willing to concede profits, but they still refused. They didn’t state a specific reason."

Zhao Yong hesitated. "This..."

He didn’t understand. He just felt as if an invisible hand was manipulating things from behind the scenes.

’Who could it be?’

’Those two families are tough nuts to crack; they’re not easily swayed by outsiders. There are only a few people who could possibly interfere with them.’

’Could it be my Imperial Father?’

’That makes no sense!’

’Wasn’t it my Imperial Father who instructed Noble Consort Jing to establish a Pill Workshop in the first place?’

He racked his brain but couldn’t make sense of it.

Zhu He shook his head. "Never mind that! The point is, they didn’t form a partnership. Right now, we’re more concerned about your thoughts, Your Highness."

Hearing this,

Zhao Yong fell silent. This Gongdan Conference had pushed him right to the edge of a cliff.

He pondered for a long time. "The Pill Workshop has taken a serious hit this year, but the Gongdan Conference is held annually. If we hire more skilled artisans to work together on solving the alcohol refining problem, we might be able to win back the orders next year."

Zhu He and Feng Buyi were silent.

’That assumes they can actually produce such an alcoholic liquid in the first place.’

’But before, the Alchemists had dismissed the method as nonsense, so no one invested much into it.’

’Now Zhao Ci has actually pulled it off. If more people were to invest in it, perhaps there could be a real breakthrough.’

But as for the final result, no one could be certain.

Still, the fact that Zhao Yong hadn’t given up on himself was a pleasant surprise.

Zhao Yong continued, "I’m simply not skilled in Alchemy, so I will need the assistance of the Feng and Zhu families for this matter. The younger generation of your two families are also more familiar with running a Pill Workshop than I am. Therefore, I will be relying on both your families for all matters concerning the Yonghe Pill Workshop."

At these words,

Zhu He and Feng Buyi exchanged a look, a hint of resentment in their eyes.

’The meaning was obvious. *You fill this hole, but I’m washing my hands of it. I won’t be trying to steal your techniques, so you can fill it without worry.*’

’The profits will be yours.’

’The merits will be mine.’

This would naturally reduce some of the internal scheming, but the pressure on the Pill Workshop was immense.

They had originally planned to rely on their superior Alchemy Technique to help him earn more merit, but on the Qi Cultivation Pill front, they had been completely crushed by the Xingyu Pill Formula.

If they wanted to win back the orders,

they would have to drastically lower their prices next year. The Imperial Family must be laughing themselves silly over this.

Seeing them remain silent for a long time, Zhao Yong asked, "Well?"

The two could only nod. "Rest assured, Your Highness. Leave the matters of the Pill Workshop to us!"

"I’ll be counting on you!"

Zhao Yong took a deep breath. "I’ve wasted too much time on business. It’s time for me to go into seclusion and cultivate properly! You two can rest assured, in this competition between the princes’ mansions, the Ninth Prince’s Mansion will surely come from behind to take the lead. If your two families have any other talented individuals, feel free to recommend them!"

"Very well!"

The two men could only nod.

Although they had lost quite miserably today, they had also unexpectedly discovered that Zhao Yong’s cultivation foundation was surprisingly profound, even comparable to that of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince in their prime.

Just from the sound of his muscles ringing today, they knew he was approaching the completion of the Muscle Strengthening Stage, perhaps even nearing the Harmony Realm.

This was an extremely frightening situation.

For ordinary people, it was enough to simply pass through the three stages of Body Refining, Muscle Strengthening, and Bone Forging safely. But for the wealthy and powerful, the pursuit was to see to what degree the physical body could be honed.

Each of the three stages was divided into ten grades. An ordinary person only needed their body, muscles, and bones to each reach the seventh grade to be able to enter the capital as an official and be given an important position.

The great clans, however, required all three to be at the fifth grade or higher to be considered important within the clan.

As for the third grade and above, those were true geniuses.

In their younger days, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince had even reached the second grade in their muscles and bones.

As for the former War God, Marquis Zhonglie Xiang Tiange, his Flesh Soul had even reached the first grade, which was why he could move through enemy formations with such ease.

And Zhao Yong, judging solely from the sound of his ringing muscles, already showed signs of the second grade. His future was limitless.

This Prince truly had terrible luck when it came to business.

But with such talent for cultivation, if he were to focus his efforts on earning merit from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War, he would surely accomplish great things.

Giving up the Pill Workshop was for the best, as it would save them from all the internal scheming.

Zhao Yong’s expression was grave. "Zhao Ci is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. To think he would make a gift at another’s expense, using our Imperial Father’s two hundred thousand taels to win popular support. I’m afraid he truly intends to fight for the position of Crown Prince. My Imperial Father must have had his mind bewitched by Princess Consort Jing to agree to something so absurd.

The Fourth Prince alone has already thrown Lingge into chaos.

And now there’s Zhao Ci as well.

My Imperial Father... does he really think Great Yu isn’t chaotic enough?"

The men exchanged a look.

The atmosphere felt stifling.

The situation in Lingge was growing more complex by the day. As Zhao Huan’s health deteriorated, both the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were eager to roll up their sleeves and enter the fray themselves.

It was a scene that was hard not to worry about.

While Zhao Huan was still alive, he could still keep the realm in check.

But what if one day... Countless court officials had sought an audience, hoping to have either the Crown Prince or the Fourth Prince sent to the Imperial Clan Court to prevent internal strife in Great Yu. But each time, Zhao Huan would retort with a question: ’Do you all think We are about to die, and you’re that eager to welcome a new emperor?’

That one sentence shut them down completely.

Everyone could see Zhao Huan’s decline, but no one dared to say it.

It was no wonder the Feng and Zhu families were so anxious. They had to completely secure the Crown Prince’s position before Zhao Huan’s health failed for good.

And yet... another Zhao Ci had appeared.

"Your Highness need not worry!"

Zhu He said calmly, "After the Gongdan Conference ended today, we went to pay our respects to the Crown Prince. His Highness also feels that today’s events were inappropriate. After some discussion, we decided that the Feng and Zhu families will also put together five thousand Low-Grade Qi Cultivation Pills to be bestowed upon the common people.

This way, the Xingyu Pill Workshop gives out five thousand, and we give out five thousand.

It will all be considered part of the vast imperial grace. We are merely complying with the emperor’s will, and it will have nothing to do with Zhao Ci.

As for the task of the Emperor’s Gift Pill, as long as Your Highness wishes to secure it, we will give our full cooperation. We absolutely cannot let such great prestige fall into the hands of a shortsighted opportunist like Zhao Ci."

Upon hearing this,

Zhao Yong’s eyes instantly lit up. "Brilliant!"

This was a crucial period in the struggle for the throne.

They had to crush Zhao Ci completely.

After all, Lingge was chaotic enough already.

...

「Night.」

The Imperial Study was brightly lit.

Zhao Huan was hunched over, struggling to make out the characters on the memorials, but his expression was one of complete satisfaction.

He didn’t much care who won or lost the Gongdan Conference.

He only needed to know that the price of the Qi Cultivation Pills he cared about had dropped.

And as long as the Xingyu Pill Association didn’t collapse, their average price would only continue to fall.

No matter who won,

he was the biggest winner.

"Your Majesty, the eye-brightening soup is here!"

Eunuch Li hurried over, carrying a bowl of soup, and said with a smile, "You have worked hard all day, Your Majesty. You should rest a while!"

Zhao Huan shook his head with a sigh, closed the memorial, and placed it on the desk. Only after finishing the eye-brightening soup did he ask, "How are the Xun Mo and Lingyun families?"

Eunuch Li quickly replied, "You have given the word, Your Majesty. How could they dare not listen? Speaking of which, Lady Jing’s ambition is truly immense. If both those families were annexed by her, that dev... that would be unthinkable!"

Zhao Huan nodded in satisfaction. The Alchemy of Wine absolutely could not be allowed to fall into Gu Xiangzhu’s hands, but he couldn’t have a complete falling out with her over it either.

It was a difficult balance to strike.

But he was certain of one thing: he absolutely could not let her get too big. The profits brought in by a few small Pill Workshops in Lingge, combined with the new Alchemy Technique, were already at the limit of what he was willing to accept.

Any more than that, and he feared trouble would arise.

For now, the key still lay in the Alcohol Refining Technique.

And he had already thought of the perfect strategy.

He gave a light cough and asked, "And Ci?"

Eunuch Li bowed slightly. "The Tenth Prince has been by Lady Jing’s side. He has now returned to Wangshu Palace."

"Oh?"

Zhao Huan chuckled. "She certainly keeps a close eye on him!"

~~~~~~

It’s decided. The novel will be going premium next Tuesday.