Chapter 66: The Empress and the Three Noble Consorts

The wheels of the carriage kept making “clacking” sounds in the dark alley. It was already three o’clock in the morning, the moon was high in the sky, and Shen Yian, who was drunk, was sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed to rest.

“Hmm?”

Shen Yian frowned slightly, silently slipping the two ink-colored jade tablets he had been playing with into his sleeve.

A nimble figure was unhurriedly following the carriage across the rooftops. The person moved silently, their presence well-concealed. Judging by their aura alone, one might mistake them for a small wild cat out for a night stroll.

Just one person?

It seems there won’t be an ambush in a dark alley scenario.

As they approached the prince’s mansion, the person still followed closely, showing no intention of leaving.

Lifting the curtain, Shen Yian got off the carriage, thinking about the demon-nurturing jar. Could there be a connection?

Since you don’t want to leave, let’s stay and chat.

On a distant rooftop, a graceful shadow stood, her black night-walking clothes accentuating her curves. Cold eyes fixed firmly on Shen Yian as he slowly walked into the prince’s mansion.

As she turned to leave, a large hand suddenly reached out from the darkness.

The woman was startled and instinctively dodged, but found her movements slowing. Before she knew it, the hand had gripped her arm.

“Crack!” Intense pain shot through her. The woman’s eyes widened, realizing she had no strength to resist.

Breaking her arm, snapping her leg, Yin Hai’s movements were fluid and efficient.

Before the woman could scream, Yin Hai’s other hand was already in her mouth, checking for poison sacs. Then, with a palm strike infused with inner force to her Dantian, the woman’s martial arts were crippled. She couldn’t even kill herself if she wanted to.

This is what professionalism looks like!

In the prince’s study.

“Your Highness, she seems to be a palace maid,” Yin Hai said, presenting the woman’s waist token with both hands.

Shen Yian took the token and looked at the woman whose limbs had been broken: “You’re Noble Consort Zhao’s person?”

“Just kill me,” the woman said coldly. She was now crippled and would be worthless even if she returned. She only sought death.

Not answering was as good as confirming.

That woman was finally starting to make her move.

Shen Yian suddenly smiled and asked, “How did you feel when you learned about the destruction of the Zhao family in Suzhou? I’m very curious.”

The woman glared, her lips trembling with anger.

The Zhao family had raised and trained them. They owed the family a debt that could never be repaid.

Their fates were intertwined with the Zhao family’s, for better or worse.

“Are you angry?” Shen Yian continued to ask with a smile.

When the cold power struggle begins, perhaps everyone stands correct from their own perspective.

Setting that aside, when that incident happened years ago, they had already become mortal enemies.

The revenge for a murdered mother cannot be forgiven.

Unfortunately, this is Tianwu City, a place of power struggles. It’s not a simple martial arts world feud. Unlike in Suzhou, problems can’t be solved with simple, brutal killing.

“The Noble Consort hates herself, hates that she couldn’t kill you back then!” the woman suddenly growled.

“Is that so? Should I thank her for sparing my life back then?”

“If there’s a chance, I’d actually like you to go back and tell her this: I don’t know if she’ll die, but her fate will definitely be miserable.”

The woman, eyes bloodshot, continued to growl, “The Noble Consort won’t let you go, nor anyone close to you!”

“Is that so? I look forward to it eagerly,” Shen Yian replied.

Shen Yian’s ink-black eyes gleamed with an eerie light.

The moment the woman met his gaze, she was swallowed by endless darkness. Everything around her became terrifyingly quiet and all her senses disappeared.

Suddenly, she heard voices:

“Yin Hai, clean this up. Don’t dirty the prince’s mansion.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shen Yian lightly flicked his sleeve and sat in his chair, waiting silently.

“Your Highness.” Yin Hai returned to the study after disposing of the woman.

“Yin Hai, any recent movements from the Demonic Sect?”

“In response to Your Highness, the Demonic Sect and the Martial Guard Division have engaged in several battles near Heavenly Gate. There were casualties on both sides. Currently, the Azure Dragon, one of the Four Symbols, is stationed at Heavenly Gate.”

Shen Yian nodded. The Demonic Sect being temporarily held back by the Martial Guard Division was the best outcome for now.

At present, he needed to fully resolve either the demon-nurturing jar issue or the Zhao family matter.

With less than ten days until the date, he didn’t want his first wedding to be disrupted by outsiders.

“Your Highness, there’s one more thing to report. Mao Tu just sent an urgent message.”

“What is it?”

Yin Hai explained about the young women from the Zhao family’s ancestral land, who were now settled in a mountain villa.

After hearing the reason, Shen Yian frowned slightly. The Zhao family truly were despicable.

“They possess the Zhao family’s silk-making skills?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Mao Tu didn’t dare decide the fate of these young women on his own, so he sent the urgent message.

Now that the Zhao family in Suzhou no longer existed, the silk and fabric market was a huge opportunity. If the merchant association could produce silk of the same quality as the Zhao family, they could capture a significant market share and reap enormous profits.

“Let them choose for themselves,” Shen Yian sighed. “They can keep their skills, take a settlement fee from the merchant association, and leave as free individuals, or they can stay and work for the association as free individuals with the same wages and benefits as others.” 

At worst, they’d make a bit less money, but at least he wouldn’t treat them like animals as the Zhao family had.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Fu Sheng, you seem to have something to say?” Shen Yian looked at Fu Sheng.

Fu Sheng, who had been standing quietly, bowed and said, “In response to Your Highness, this servant is concerned that the four ladies in the palace might unite to cause trouble for Your Highness.”

Shen Yian frowned. The Empress and the three Noble Consorts?

Even if the three Noble Consorts united, he wasn’t worried.

The main concern was the Empress, who came from the Murong family, one of the five great clans.

The Tianfu Merchant Association, one of the three great merchant associations, was founded by the Murong family.

Not only that, besides their business ventures, the Murong family had produced many famous scholars. Their disciples were widespread, many holding official positions.

The current Murong family patriarch even had a formidable younger brother who was feared throughout the martial arts world.

Known as the Heaven Blade, Murong Lianshan was one of the three great blade masters in the martial arts world!

Compared to the behemoth that was the Murong family, the Zhao family seemed to have nothing going for them except money.

Shen Yian pinched the bridge of his nose. This was like a video game, where after defeating one boss, an even stronger one appeared.

If the Murong Empress and the other two Noble Consorts didn’t make a move, he didn’t want to openly antagonize them for now.

When the time came for an all-out confrontation, he hoped he would have already cleared out the Demonic Sect.

Clearing out the Demonic Sect would have to wait.

Once he broke through to the Divine Wandering realm, he would dare to single-handedly cut through the Demonic Sect’s Nightless City with just his sword.

Why couldn’t he do it now?

Because the Demonic Sect’s leader and grand elder were both at the half-step Divine Wandering realm, with a bunch of Heavenly Martial Realm disciples below them, and possibly other hidden forces.

If he were to go to all-out war with the Demonic Sect now, even if he won, it would be a pyrrhic victory. He wasn’t interested in battles he couldn’t win decisively without losses.

Shen Yian realized that if he truly broke through to the Divine Wandering realm, many seemingly troublesome issues could be easily resolved.

In this world where strength was everything, fists indeed spoke louder than words.

“Fu Sheng’s concerns are not unfounded. Let’s be prepared. We’ll deal with problems as they come.”

Shen Yian took a deep breath. As long as the old man was in power, everyone was actually in a restrained state. It all came down to whose subordinates were stronger and who would suffer more losses.

“Ghost Face and the others should be arriving soon, right?”

“In response to Your Highness, Ghost Face and the other two will set out tomorrow,” Yin Hai replied.

“Mm, how’s the progress on the information about those families’ assets that I asked Chou Niu to compile?”

“It will be delivered by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Good.”

The next day, Mendu, who was accompanying Shen Yian fishing by the pond, asked curiously, “Your Highness, are we not going to the Duke’s mansion today?”

“Not for now. We’ll go directly to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the evening.”

Shen Yian rested his chin on his hand with a slight smile on his face.

It was good to leave more time for the father and daughter.

“Hahaha! Your Highness! I’m here!”