Fu Shanyue didn't care at all how many enemies he had, but having learned his lesson from running into a wall with He Lingchuan, he snuck back and waited several days before making trouble for them.
"Did you kill Zhongsun Mou too?"
"No." Fu Shanyue grunted, sounding somewhat vexed. "That bastard got lucky. His trip to the Twilight Plains was on official business—Lingxu City appointed him as an Inspector to conduct tours of inspection. At a critical juncture like this, killing an Inspector from Lingxu City would bring trouble upon Chiyan. Besides, he comes from an influential clan; the Zhongsun family still carries some weight in Lingxu City."
He Lingchuan was mildly surprised. There was actually someone this fellow didn't dare to kill?
How ironic. Fu Shanyue could slaughter his own younger brother—the ruler's most favored youngest son—yet Zhongsun Mou could stay alive and well just by bearing the title of an Inspector from Lingxu City?
"A critical juncture like this?" Did he mean that even though Fu Shanyue had eliminated his brother, he had not yet been declared crown prince?
"The current situation isn't great. I can't add more variables to my plate just for some petty villain." Fu Shanyue glanced at him. "So I slaughtered four of his close guards and two attendants in a row, then dumped their corpses into his courtyard. That bastard probably won't be sleeping soundly for days, eh?"
On Lingxu City's turf, he couldn't touch Zhongsun Mou himself; but as long as Fu Shanyue was back in the Chiyan Kingdom, Zhongsun Mou couldn't do a thing to him either.
The Shimen caravan had been harassed and given grief because of Fu Shanyue, so he felt obliged to settle the score.
He Lingchuan gave an insincere smile. "That's it?" That hardly fit the domineering tyrant style of settling every petty grudge.
"I just had a clash with him. If he turned up dead right after, wouldn't everyone suspect me?" Fu Shanyue cleared his throat. "Just you wait, there'll definitely be an opportunity later!"
As for just how unfavorable the situation was, he refused to elaborate, so He Lingchuan could only change the subject. "There were dignitaries waiting for you all along the way."
"Oh?" Fu Shanyue said nonchalantly. "Looked to me like only the son of some Junior Minister of Justice came to receive me."
He had returned late, so most had failed to catch him.
"You suddenly became a hot commodity—is that because you killed Fu Shanji?"
"Naturally," Fu Shanyue replied lazily. "Those people originally had their bets on Fu Shanji. Now shouldn't they quickly change tack? Otherwise... they'll be sinking before long."
That evening, Fu Shanyue dragged He Lingchuan out for drinks. "I'm heading back to the palace tomorrow. You've got to wish me luck."
"Are you that certain your royal father won't do anything to you?" He Lingchuan asked, observing his carefree demeanor. "You killed his chosen heir to the throne."
Fu Shanyue burst into laughter. "Is he going to kill his only remaining son too?"
Having failed in his subtle probing, He Lingchuan thought to himself that this fellow was actually coarse on the outside but sharp within.
He had wanted to ask if the Ruler of Chiyan was nearing the end of his lifespan and had to compromise, but Fu Shanyue kept his lips tightly sealed.
Even so, Fu Shanyue drank cup after cup, fast and hard, so much that Taozi barely had time to pour.
Judging by this, he was not as carefree as he made himself out to be.
At that moment, Second Master Shi happened to pass by, and He Lingchuan called him over to drink with them.
Second Master Shi had just finished taking inventory of a batch of goods and was in high spirits. He downed two cups of wine before letting out a breath. "Wonderful! To think we didn't run into a single bandit along our entire journey."
"Didn't you say the trade routes in Beijia are generally peaceful?"
"On the whole, yes, but each country is different. Chiyan's capital isn't like Fufeng City, where doors can be left unlocked at night, is it?" Second Master Shi said. "Commerce in Chiyan is somewhat weaker compared to the Jeweled Tree Kingdom. Every time we pass through Chiyan, the caravan has to be on high alert. Many demons here take to banditry in the wilds; the Shimen caravan has run into them at least three times."
Even within Beijia, kingdom differed from kingdom.
Fu Shanyue grumbled in displeasure, "I'm sitting right here, and you're already slagging off Chiyan's flaws?"
As the future ruler of Chiyan, he naturally did not want to see his country outdone by other demon kingdoms.
He Lingchuan looked at him. "Honestly, haven't you noticed anything off?"
"What off?"
"Just as Second Master Shi said—we didn't run into a single bandit along the entire road."
Fu Shanyue snapped, "Isn't that how it should be!" Acting surprised because they weren't robbed—was public order in Chiyan really that terrible normally?
"How long has it been since the Emperor's Flowing Dew?" He Lingchuan reminded him. "New demons springing up across the wilderness, recklessly clashing with humans—that is what should be normal. When the Emperor's Flowing Dew descended last time, did you really have no trouble here?"
How much effort had the Jeweled Tree Kingdom poured in just to keep its open roads clear—
And even then, they hadn't truly succeeded. The official escort had been utterly routed at Wind Demon Mountain, where that Wind Demon had been fed a bit of Emperor's Flowing Dew by Fu Shanyue and then absorbed the Meridian Divine Wind at the ruins of the Piaomiao Sect.
Therefore, after the Emperor's Flowing Dew, accidents and anomalies were everywhere. How could the Chiyan Kingdom be an exception?
"There were, quite a few in fact." Hearing this, Fu Shanyue also realized something was amiss. "You're right. I heard that since this Emperor's Flowing Dew, the capital has received only a dozen or so reports of wild demons harming humans."
This guy actually paid attention to reports like that? He wasn't as careless as he appeared on the surface.
The next morning, Fu Shanyue entered the palace at first light.
Taking a break from her busy schedule, Li Qingge said to He Lingchuan, "Tonight, our wager will have an outcome."
Yet less than four hours later, Fu Shanyue returned, looking radiant and high-spirited.
Second Master Shi said in delight, "It seems Young Master Fu Shan passed the test."
"You could say that!" Fu Shanyue finally couldn't hold back a burst of hearty laughter, brimming with exhilaration. Even the dozing sparrows under the eaves were startled into flight.
"What did His Majesty say?"
"I didn't see him." Fu Shanyue scratched his head. "He issued an order barring me from the palace, instructing the guards at the gates to chase me off the moment they see me."
Second Master Shi's smile froze. "Huh?" Then what was he so happy about?
From the side, He Lingchuan chimed in casually, "The Ruler of Chiyan hasn't cooled his temper yet, but merely driving Fu Shanyue away proves he has no intention of executing his son. Otherwise, he would have summoned him inside and had him seized and beaten to death on the spot." When it came to the convoluted dynamics between father and son, no one understood them better than He Lingchuan.
Fu Shanyue smiled broadly. "Right, exactly! You understand me."
He Lingchuan gave him a look: *I understand your old man.*
Naturally, He Lingchuan was not the only one who saw through the Ruler of Chiyan's intentions.
After returning to the capital, Fu Shanyue naturally took little Taozi back to live in his own mansion, surrounded by throngs of guards.
Once Fu Shanyue crossed this threshold of life and death, visitors began calling on him that very evening.
This was only the beginning; more and more arrived later, all prominent officials and wealthy gentry from various regions. Even many high dignitaries of the Chiyan royal court sent gifts through intermediaries under various pretexts.
They called it paying respects, but in truth, it was pledging allegiance.
Second Master Shi also reminded He Lingchuan, "These are all humans."
"What?" He didn't catch the point.
"Those trying to cozy up to Young Master Fu Shan are all human," Second Master Shi said, always observing from another angle. "Have you seen a single demon? I haven't."
"Demons are few in number to begin with." He Lingchuan considered it. "Still, you're right; it really does seem that way."
Second Master Shi pondered aloud, "If Young Master Fu Shan ascends the throne soon, that would be the first dynastic succession in the Chiyan Kingdom in over a century. That's a monumental event!"
"What's so monumental about it?" Wasn't it just changing a monarch?
"Even in human realms, peaceful successions are rare; we've seen plenty in our travels."
Succession to the supreme seat was often accompanied by external threats and internal turmoil—either foreign invaders attacked or domestic governance destabilized. He Lingchuan immediately thought of the Xiji Kingdom. As soon as the old monarch died, the entire kingdom vanished right after.
"Let alone a demon kingdom that changes masters only once every century or two?" Second Master Shi sighed. "When the time comes, this trade route might have to change again. Tough road ahead, tough road!"
He Lingchuan wondered, "Does the Chiyan Kingdom have foreign enemies eyeing it like tigers?" For instance, Xiji Kingdom's enemy had been Panlong City.
"I haven't heard of any."
"With no foreign enemies and no third son of the old monarch, what is there to get chaotic about?"
"New master, new ministers," Li Qingge said as she returned from outside, unfastening her cloak. "A change of court in a demon kingdom is unlike any other realm—it's exceedingly turbulent."
She deliberately cast a couple of glances outside. Seeing no one else on the entire second floor, she lowered her voice: "You both know this, right? The internal governance of these demon kingdoms is essentially managed by human officials."
He Lingchuan and Second Master Shi both nodded. There was no question that most demons' ability to administer government and implement policy was leagues behind humans. Otherwise, there was a reason human kingdoms had risen across the world since the Middle Ancient Era while the demon race receded.
To say nothing of Lingxu City, to run any vassal demon kingdom properly, demon kings had virtually no choice but to rely on human ministers to serve them.
This had nothing to do with personal preference.
Governing a great state was like cooking a delicate fish; only merit should govern appointment. If a monarch was biased or headstrong in choosing officials, the past several centuries of history across the northern demon kingdoms offered plenty of cautionary tales.
"Demon kingdoms are also different from human nations. Human rulers have short lifespans, changing every few decades, so court officials cycle out alongside them," Li Qingge said. "Demon kingdoms, however, are not like that. Demon kings live long lives, sitting on the throne for a hundred or even hundreds of years. Usually, they don't bother much with court administration, so the human officials assisting them seize vast authority. In a decade or two, they burgeon into prominent clans, and after a century or more, their roots intertwine deeply. When a new monarch takes the throne, what he faces are these entrenched veteran clans."
At this point, He Lingchuan understood. This was indeed a dynamic unique to demon kingdoms.
Li Qingge continued, "Care to guess how Fu Shanyue will replace the ministers once he ascends the throne?"
Every new emperor brings his own court, replacing old ministers with trusted confidants.
"Given his temperament?" He Lingchuan considered it. "I'm afraid there will be a bloody tempest."
"Of course. And he'll do it under the pretext of rectifying court discipline and purging bureaucratic corruption," Li Qingge said with a smile. "Not only will he have a justified cause, but the common people will also warmly support it. In this way, the new monarch secures his footing, earns a stellar reputation, and fills the royal treasury to boot. Mmh, these prominent aristocratic families possess wealth rivaling the state itself."
Second Master Shi chimed in here: "I've heard these demon kings don't even blink when executing human officials. The Shanyu Kingdom once had a powerful minister named Mao Qijun. At the height of his power, he controlled half the royal court. Yet someone submitted an accusation to the Ruler of Shanyu; the demon king drank wine with Mao Qijun one day, and the very next day had him executed along with his entire nine familial clans, wiped out clean."
"Naturally. Both origin power and the military are held tightly in the ruler's grasp. Human ministers are merely working on the demons' behalf; they must never let power get to their heads or rest on their laurels."
Chapter 438