As soon as the second article was published, it immediately reignited the fierce clash between the two sides.
In particular, by directly linking opposition to the Skyline with opposition to wiping out the former imperial household—and thus with opposing the nation's development—it was practically a dagger thrust straight into the heart of the Conservative Faction if they failed to mount a convincing rebuttal.
If they did not push back and a general consensus formed, the Conservatives truly faced the risk of being toppled from power. Consequently, they mobilized personnel at once to counter Chen Chuan's points from every conceivable angle.
Meanwhile, the media and columnists on the Progressive Faction's side surged forth as if injected with stimulants, refusing to be outdone as they threw themselves into the debate.
The crux of the matter lay in the fact that the Center Cities that joined the Skyline had reaped tangible benefits. Before this, the Conservative Faction and the major corporations had monopolized and controlled the resources of the confluence zones for a very long time.
This had fostered deep-seated resentment among many small and mid-sized companies and organizations. They were typically the ones bearing the brunt of the exploitation while receiving few of the rewards. If the former imperial household could be eradicated, or if those corporate titans and entrenched interests could be brought down, then even if the government claimed the lion's share of the spoils, these smaller players would still be able to seize a piece of the pie amidst the upheaval and restructuring.
For it was only when the old order was broken apart and the cards were reshuffled that they would have an opportunity to turn their fortunes around and leap into higher strata.
Once certain ideas took root in the minds of the majority, even actions that had previously seemed radical no longer appeared so jarring. Instead, they were viewed as aligning with the urgent hopes of the masses.
Naturally, the fundamental prerequisite for all of this was that the Great Shun government wished for things to develop in this direction, which was why it permitted such discourse to unfold. Thus, the battle over narrative authority within the government was equally vital. It was easy to foresee that the two factions would engage in a fiercely contested struggle over this very objective.
Chen Chuan did not view this as a bad thing. In his eyes, the internal rot had to be purged before the arrival of the Great Impact, and the sooner the better. That had been one of his core purposes in publishing the article.
Just as he had hoped, the article's effects manifested almost immediately. In less than a day, word reached his ears:
Likely to avoid suspicion, the upper echelons of the government had temporarily suspended negotiations with the envoy delegation from the former imperial household.
Clearly, the Progressive Faction was beginning to flex its muscles. He looked forward to seeing what came next.
For the Conservative Faction, however, this was terrible news. Chen Chuan's article had hit the mark precisely: without the former imperial household, all the powers clinging to that parasitic chain of interests would suffer a severe blow.
***
Meanwhile, in the Envoy Guesthouse in the western quarter of the city, Prince Chunxuan, Yuan Yong, also read Chen Chuan's article.
His version, of course, had been transcribed and rewritten by scribes who preserved the core arguments while expunging the sharper accusations and "disrespectful" phrasing aimed at the former imperial household.
After reading it, rather than showing anger, Prince Chunxuan appeared thoroughly intrigued. "Who wrote this?" he asked.
An aide standing beside him bowed with hands clasped. "Your Highness, do you recall the heated debate that erupted earlier over expanding the Skyline? He was the one who stirred it up."
With a grave expression, the aide continued, "This man is no ordinary figure. General of Eastern Subjugation Su Kuo perished at his hands. Later, this man shone brilliantly in Li Country, battling over a dozen Profound Cavity fighters single-handedly and emerging victorious, keeping Tianji standing upon the Celestial Zenith. Today, he is a renowned Xuanji martial artist among the hundred nations."
"Oh?"
Prince Chunxuan's intrigue deepened. "He possesses such mighty power? Tell me... do you think he could kill that royal elder brother of mine?"
The aide was frightened out of his wits and instantly dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the floor. Beside him, the other servants and maidservants dropped down in terror as well.
Prince Chunxuan swept his gaze across the kneeling crowd. "What, you dare not answer? We are in Zhongjing, not Youdu."
He glanced down at Retainer Jia. "Jia, what say you?"
"Your Highness—" The retainer's body trembled violently. "Your servant... your servant cannot answer!" he cried, his voice choked with sobs. "Your servant deserves ten thousand deaths—"
"Ha, look how terrified you all are. I was only joking."
The aide's face flushed crimson. Rising to his feet, he declared, "As a subject, Your Highness ought not speak recklessly of our sovereign and father. And as a prince, you ought not mock your subordinates."
Prince Chunxuan waved a hand dismissively. "Enough, enough. I am sick of hearing this. What is so wonderful about that royal elder brother of mine that makes you all cling to him so dearly?"
The aide opened his mouth to reply, but Retainer Jia cut in first: "Your Highness, we must take this man seriously. He is a hawk of the illegitimate dynasty, and his heart is set on eradicating our imperial lineage!"
"And what is so good about our dynasty? We are rotten relics of the past. We should have perished a hundred years ago."
Prince Chunxuan did not care in the slightest. In fact, a faint glimmer of anticipation flickered in his eyes, bringing a feverish flush to his powdered cheeks.
Suddenly, he reached over to the table and seized a map. Sent over by the Refined Practice School, it depicted the former borders of the Old Dynasty.
"The Map of the Great Realm! Hahaha! What use is it? What use is it?! Men, burn it for me—"
With that, he tore the map to shreds and cast the scraps to the floor. The servants and maids had no choice but to scramble up, gathering the torn pieces and holding them over lamps to burn.
"And burn this too! This, and this—!"
Prince Chunxuan grew increasingly manic. In one sweep, he tore up and threw down books, draft plans, and everything else on the desk. Thick smoke soon filled the chamber, making everyone cough incessantly.
Retainer Jia pressed his head deep against the floor, muttering under his breath, "His Highness has gone mad... mad again."
The aide let out a heavy sigh. He knew that Prince Chunxuan was not mad. But in circumstances like these, he had to be.
***
Five days later, at the Ministry of National Security.
Chen Chuan was reviewing a report delivered by the interrogation division.
After detaining Song Shicheng and his cohort, the ministry had not simply idled while waiting on legal procedures. Instead, they had subjected the prisoners to rigorous mental interrogations.
Given the suspects' backgrounds, such methods—which risked lingering psychological aftereffects—would never have been used on them in the past. Now, however, the ministry applied them without the slightest hesitation.
Most of Song Shicheng's circle were members of the Nature faction. Once someone joined that sect, their parents and elders rarely imposed strict discipline on them, as the sect's core philosophy was to unleash one's innate nature.
Consequently, beyond the incident at Hai Village, they had committed numerous other crimes in the past. The findings elicited from the questioning were truly appalling.
In truth, the perpetrators had never considered these misdeeds a serious matter. With their status, even if someone had tried to hold them accountable before, none of those charges would have stuck.
Just as Ren Xinshan had observed, without the overarching charge of endangering national security leading the indictment, these crimes alone would have done little to bring them down.
Yet once the verdict was handed down, these supplementary charges would be more than enough to silence the vast majority of critics.
Among them, Zhu Er was surprisingly clean.
The most he had done was bankroll and promote celebrities; at worst, he held wealth beyond his personal standing.
However, his father was a vice minister of finance, and his elder brother was an executive at a multinational corporate giant. Furthermore, whenever substantial funds were involved, he routinely borrowed from financial firms or solicited donations from third parties. On the surface, at least, his hands were clean.
Because he was not the primary target, and because Vice Minister Zhu had promptly paid a substantial fine and willingly pleaded guilty on his behalf, the interrogators had not subjected Zhu Er to deep mental probing.
After reading through the file, Chen Chuan set the report down. For now, it seemed Minister He had not only refrained from interfering, but had also subtly cleared the path for them, allowing their work to proceed smoothly.
Chen Chuan did not concern himself with whatever Minister He was scheming; what mattered was that the arrangement worked in their favor.
As long as the Ministry of National Security remained sound from within and the upper leadership issued no special executive order halting the investigation, they could completely ignore the outside clamor.
Once the fifteen-day period elapsed and these individuals were sentenced, he could begin the process of resolving the anomaly.
***
In Haixi Dao, inside the branch office of the Chiyin Great Realm Company, President Song Haiying was on the phone. After a moment, he said, "Understood, Mr. Long. Thank you."
With that, he hung up.
Waiting nearby, Madame Song looked at him with frantic eyes. "Lao Song, how did it go? What about our son?"
Song Haiying shook his head. "It's difficult. I've pleaded with so many old friends, and not one of them is willing to touch this. Every single one advised me to drop it and stop trying to pull him out. But how can I just give up on him?"
Though he had over a dozen sons and daughters, Song Shicheng was the most capable among them—the one he hoped would take over all his businesses in the future.
Madame Song pleaded desperately, "I'll go beg my father!"
Song Haiying grabbed her arm and said in a low, heavy voice, "It's useless. The people I just called hold ranks no lower than your father's. What can a retired vice minister do? He can't help."
"Then what else can we do?" Madame Song's eyes turned red, and she clutched his hand. "Lao Song, why don't we give away that hidden cache we just discovered—"
Song Haiying gave a cold sneer. "What good would giving it to them do? Once they take it, they still won't help us. They'll just strip us clean. When we're strong, they look out for us; but the moment they see through our hand, they'll swarm in and tear our flesh from our bones!"
"Then what are we supposed to do...?" Madame Song burst into tears.
Frowning, Song Haiying said, "If possible, I originally wanted to give that cache to Commissioner Chen.
"I thought he was tightening the screws on us because he wanted a payoff. But it's clear now that he doesn't care about material gains at all. His eyes are fixed on far bigger objectives. That path is a dead end."
"Lao Song, nothing works, nothing is feasible! What are you going to do? Come up with something!"
"It's hard."
Madame Song sobbed, "I don't care, I don't care! I want my son! You have to give me a solution today!"
Song Haiying pondered the matter, murmuring, "He is a member of the Purist Faction, so his ties with the Implant Faction should be decent. I've dealt with the Implant Faction quite a bit. Perhaps we can try working through their channels. If that works—"
While they were speaking, his assistant sent over a message: "President Song, please take a look at this article. It was written by Commissioner Chen."
Song Haiying immediately pulled it up and read through the entire piece. As he finished, something seemed to click in his mind, and he took several paces forward. After a moment, he tapped his boundary credential and instructed his assistant, "Prepare an airship for me. I need to make a trip to Zhongjing. I'm leaving within the hour."
Madame Song wiped away her tears and asked with sudden hope, "Lao Song, did... did you come up with an idea?"
Song Haiying replied gravely, "I can't say for sure yet. I need to meet that man in person. Whether this will work or not... I'll only know after I see him."
Chapter 1374