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Yet, Wu Chengsi remained oblivious, still immersed in his own world, suddenly bursting into laughter again.
Ever since he was placed under house arrest, he had become like this, constantly drinking, continuously drinking, his mind in a daze, sometimes lucid, sometimes behaving almost insanely, many times not seeming to hear when spoken to.Perhaps he did hear but simply chose not to listen, chose not to see, chose not to know.
From childhood, countless people had intentionally or unintentionally told him that he was the legitimate heir to the Imperial Household, the most rightful successor to the Great Qian Land, destined to become the Emperor’s son, inheriting the vast territories of Da Qian.
Over the years, the position of the Emperor’s son had practically become his obsession, or rather, his “inner demon.” He had always assumed it to be his rightful destiny that he would surely become the Emperor’s son.
But now, the Emperor’s son had become the very person he once looked down upon, the An Commandery Prince. Although not yet officially confirmed, the processes were underway, and preparations were being made. All that was needed was to select an auspicious day to announce to the ancestors and decree Wu Mingyuan as the Emperor’s son of the current era.
But what about Wu Chengsi?
He had fallen into such wretchedness that even a dog seemed better off.
Truly, it was like waking from a shattered dream, leaving all achievements void. He felt as if he’d lost all reason to live, becoming completely despondent.
Abruptly,
From the direction of the courtyard gate came an angry scolding, “Good-for-nothing! Turning yourself into this neither human nor ghostlike wreck, do you think that’ll win back the position of Emperor’s son?”
Zhao Yijing hurriedly looked up, just noticing that, without her knowing when, an old man had appeared at the gate. Despite his age, he radiated a powerful aura and an imposing majesty, none other than Prince Dexin.
It was unclear how long Prince Dexin had been standing at the gate, but his facial expression was quite unpleasant, a mix of anger and disappointment that was hard to define.
Prince Dexin’s angry scold jolted Wu Chengsi from his stupor, gradually bringing him back to his senses.
He clumsily got up from the ground, “Old Ancestor, what brings you here?”
“Look at the sorry state you’re in,” Prince Dexin said with a furrowed brow, his voice cold, “What if you failed in competing for the Emperor’s son? As long as Wu Mingyuan has not ascended to the throne, the struggle for the title of Emperor’s son is not completely over. Stay alive and we might still have a chance. But if you die, then it is truly over!”
Wu Chengsi gave a wry smile, “Old Ancestor, don’t deceive me. With the crime of smuggling and collusion with the enemy firmly established, the position of Emperor’s son is already set in stone. He just has to wait for the process to end now; what chance do I stand?”
“Leave that to me. Just stay put, regain your composure, and wait for the news,” came the reply.
Wu Chengsi’s eyes lit up, “Old Ancestor, is there really still a chance?”
“The chance is slim, but we must never give up,” the Prince declared, though refraining from going into detail, his eyes glinting with a somber and chilly light.
The chance was indeed there, but it required patience, awaiting the right moment.
Until the final moment, the outcome of victory and defeat was still undetermined.
The Dexin lineage has already sacrificed so much for the position of Emperor’s son. How could I be content, content to fail just like this?
“Old Ancestor, I will regain my strength.” Wu Chengsi excitedly burst into laughter, “Yijing, fetch me some wine.”
“Yes, husband,” Zhao Yijing silently brought over a pot of wine, her eyes full of worry.
At that moment, she felt some resentment towards Prince De Xin; without him, she and her husband wouldn’t have ended up like this, right?
…
The sky was a clear azure blue, and a modest-looking flying carriage soared across the sky, occasionally accompanied by the loud, clear calls of spirit birds.
Looking down at the earth, a winding ravine snaked like a dragon, connecting the two sides of the mountain range. It was the famous Qingbei Corridor, an important transport route of the Great Qian Land.
The Dagan Realm was mountainous. To travel from Return to Dragon City to Longzuo, one had to cross many continuous mountains.
Many of these continuous mountains reached into the clouds, thousands of miles uninhabited and wild due to the extremely complex terrain, still harboring many fierce beasts and poisonous insects that are difficult to clear out.
Therefore, even when traveling by flying carriage, it wasn’t advisable to simply fly over those barrier-like, disordered mountains. It was safer to follow the main traffic routes.
“Great grandfather, why doesn’t Da Qian clear out the fierce beasts in the continuous mountains? I’ve heard that the farmlands near the mountain ranges are sometimes attacked by fierce beasts,” Wang Anye, who had been out traveling, had grown a bit and his temperament had become much steadier.
“There are many reasons, but mainly the geography is too complicated for the military to clear them out easily and without great danger,” Wang Shouzhe explained. “Most importantly, the harsh environment of the endless mountains has very low development value. A forced clear-out would be a military operation that would cost a lot of money and effort and is destined to lead to many losses. With money being short everywhere, naturally, it has to be spent where it matters.”
“I understand now. The Great Emperor Old Master is too poor to invest resources into losing enterprises,” said Wang Anye, suddenly realizing. “I always thought that money was useless, that having too much of it to spend could also be a trouble. Turns out, a country needs money to develop as well. From now on, I have to save money well.”
Beside him, Wang Ying Xuan and Wang Liling rolled their eyes at him. Anye, you’re already so rich, will you leave a way out for the rest of us?
“Haha, you kids, when we get back, you still have to study, so don’t worry about making money just yet,” said Wang Shouzhe. “Especially Liling, you’ve made some progress in your studies recently, keep it up when we’re back. And Yuxuan, you’re about to go to the Sacred Land to study, you should let Anye help you with your lessons.”
“Got it, father/grandfather,” Wang Liling and Wang Ying Xuan said together, hanging their heads and showing an obedient look. But deep down, they were somewhat downcast. It’s always like this sitting in a carriage with an “old man”; any mention of studying, such an unpleasant matter, would come up at any time.
Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with the younger members of his family.
Matters of the Emperor’s son’s struggle, the turnover of power in the Dagan Realm, held no great attraction for him. If he didn’t have to, he would never be involved in the struggles of the Emperor’s sons.
Farming earnestly and developing steadily was just fine, wasn’t it?
Fortunately, it was all about to end, and Wang Shouzhe could finally go home and peacefully develop the Wang family, leading a peaceful life.
Suddenly!
A complex burst of energy swept past the flying carriage.
The Old Ancestor Longyan, who was resting with closed eyes, slowly opened his eyes and said in a cold voice, “A powerful presence has set its God Sense on our flying carriage, just as you predicted, Shouzhe. It seems our journey home will likely face some trouble.”
“Ah~” Wang Shouzhe also sighed helplessly. “It’s really not to my credit. Can’t De Xin come up with something new? This trick is getting too old.”
“Hopefully there will be some surprise this time, it would be best if De Xin himself comes. It would give me a chance to tie up loose ends and go back to farming quietly at home.”
…